Vol. 3 Archives (PDF)

The Following are the Volume 3 Archived issues of IUSB Vision in PDF Format:

Adobe Acrobat Reader:

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Volume 3, Issue 1:

http://www.iusb.edu/~sbvision/issues/iusbv3i1.pdf

Volume 3, Issue 2:

http://www.iusb.edu/~sbvision/issues/iusbv3i2.pdf

Others not yet converted…

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From the Vice-President’s Pen

Kim Muncie, SGA Chief of Staff, and I recently had the opportunity to attend the IU Board of Trustees meeting at IPFW. For those of you who don’t know, the Board of Trustees is Indiana University’s governing board, its legal owner and final authority. The board holds the university’s financial, physical, and human assets and operations in trust for future generations.

At the meeting on Friday, two new majors for IUSB were approved, a B.S. in Dental Hygiene and a B.S. in Medical Imaging Technology. Pending approval by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, both majors could be available by the fall of 2007. Thanks to the diligent work of administration and faculty, these two new degree options continue show how the future of IUSB is forever promising.

A new era is being ushered in for both IUSB and Indiana University as a whole. The potential for expansion at IU South Bend is phenomenal. I have seen student life become increasingly diverse and multifaceted. With student housing only a year away and the obvious growth in student life this will bring, I believe the students of this university are ready to start taking an active role in IU South Bend’s growth. In the spring of 2007, the General Assembly of Indiana will set the budget for university building projects. IU South Bend has one project in particular that is crucial to our development- the renovation of the Associates Building. This $27 million dollar project is 5th in the list of 7 items on the IU capital projects list. Between now and May, I would encourage the student body to do three things: 1) call your state representatives and ask for their financial support of higher education at IUSB; 2.) attend the Hoosiers for Higher Education Statehouse Visit/ Get on the Bus event February 20, 2007 where students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of IU pack the Statehouse to visit with elected officials about Indiana University and higher education; and, 3.) attend the Board of Trustees meeting that will be held at IUSB on April 5-6. Students and alumni are truly the voice of this university. We are the future of this state. Let’s work together to ensure IUSB’s  promising future.

Joanna Reusser

Campus Clubs Come Together

On November 1st, eight clubs and organizations came together to put on an event for students and community members. Students for Common Sense, Student Government Association, Titan Productions, Environmental Justice Advocates, Biology Chemistry Club, IUSB Recycling Committee, IUSB Films Studies Committee, and  American Democracy Project all jointly sponsored the viewing of An Inconvenient Truth. The event was wildly popular, so popular in fact, movie-viewers needed to stand or sit on the floor after DW1001 ran out of seating capacity.

The film is a documentary depicting the issue of global warming. Directed by David Guggenheim and narrated by Al Gore, the documentary presents Gore’s campaign to make the issue of global warming a cause recognized by the entire world.

Jarrod Brigham
Editor

Timely Lessons Brave the Stage

I was recently inspired by a play that I saw at the South Bend Civic Theatre called “The Story” by Tracey Scott Wilson, which was loosely based on a true story about a reporter who falsified information to get an award-winning story. The play featured a diverse cast and a discussion at the end about race, gender, and class. In the play a Caucasian teacher was shot by what his wife described as a black gang member. 

This murder, which had gone unsolved, had taken the interest of a young African American reporter who claimed that she met up with a young African American girl who confessed to the murder. Yvonne, the reporter, wrote the story ascended in the reporting world until it was discovered that the young gang member who confessed to the murder did not actually exist. The head of the small paper for minorities, Pat, was outraged that this woman would represent her race in that way, performed a background check on Yvonne. 

After finding out that she lied on her resume, Pat was reluctant to turn Yvonne in, afraid that it would give her paper and race a bad name. This play looked at so many diverse and difficult views that it touched everyone in the audience, especially when a young girl was arrested and pointed out in a line up by Yvonne. 

The timely discussion followed the one-hour play.  The discussion by a very diverse audience weaved from inter-racial relationships to equality, to a perfect color-blind world that we will never know. One of the things that stuck out the most was a quote from the play, “I was ridiculed by the same things that you (white people) were praised for”. The audience and cast members discussed this, and one of the young women who played a gang member reflected that this was true at her school. She, a very bright ‘A’ student, had been ridiculed by her friends saying that she wasn’t “black” enough and didn’t fit in. There are so many assumptions of what black and white people should be and act like.
If one doesn’t fit into that category then they are an “Oreo” as one of the cast members stated. An audience member observed that as human beings, despite our physical differences, we have much more in common than most people realize. When we get cut we all bleed red. Another reflected on a child she knew that didn’t identify people by the color of their skin, but the color of their clothes. A lady with a red sweater would be “the red lady”. 

To the child this was the only significant difference.
In 1970, a teacher did a study on prejudice on her white elementary class, saying that blue-eyed people were better than brown-eyed people, and was amazed at how the children transformed once these differences were focused on. Normally quick students performed poorly, and the “blue eyes” teased and segregated the “brown eyes”. 

The next day she switched it saying that brown-eyed people were better and got the same results. The children’s performance failed where it had succeeded the day before. She then told them the truth, and they were so happy and embraced their blue and brown eyed friends once again. The children learned a valuable lesson; to be judged by color, eye or skin, was ridiculous, and did not reflect on who you were.

Carlie Barr
Writer

Random Thoughts On Don Imus and Others

Don Imus created quite a stir when he referred to the ladies of the Rutgers basketball team as “nappy-headed hos”. It is important to remember that Don Imus did not invent those revolting words. He borrowed them from those who are held up as the icons of popular culture. Imus is the symptom and few have their focus on the problem. Charles Van Doren, call your office.  

 

Dr. Diane Fleming is one of the greatest critical thinkers I have ever encountered. Her departure is our loss.  

 

What is so patriotic about losing? Note: It is treasonous to have no other contribution to the war effort other than to transform every difficulty of the war into a disaster.  

 

The left demands a date certain for our surrender…. so why don’t we just schedule all wars so that we publish a surrender date the very day the war starts? How about we set a date for the enemy to surrender, why don’t the lefties ever consider that? 

 

As a demonstration of how the Democratic leadership is only interested in fighting the President and not the war on terror, the Democrats in the House have voted to strike the words “Global War on Terror” from the defense budget appropriations bill.  

 

The Democrats wanted Rumsfeld replaced – they got it.

The Democrats wanted new generals – they got it.

The Democrats wanted a new strategy – they got it.

The Democrats wanted more troops – they got it.

The Democrats wanted the violence lowered – they got it; the surge is working well.

The Result: The Democrats are spreading the message that nothing has changed and they want a pull out. Victory will not be tolerated. 

 

Halliburton has exercised the John Galt option; if you don’t know what that means than your education has been lacking.  

 

The far left is unmoved by any contrary evidence no matter how strong. Their ideology is beyond reason. 

 

On being Chief Justice: It has provided an opportunity to protect the freedom of speech and conscience of a great many no matter who tries to abuse them.  

 

Ever noticed how the elites, the antique media, and the godfathers of mass culture theory try to marginalize the majority? 

 

The media is confederacy of dunces.  – Camille Paglia 

 

For the moonbat, every allegation is a fact. 

 

I would allow Iran to have nuclear weapons rather than go to war to stop it.  – Democrat strategist Ellis Hennikin 

 

Outside of a few old blue laws, what laws have Christians imposed upon you that makes you say “damn Christians” and just rue the day that Christians ever got into politics? The religious left, cultural Marxists and Earth worshipers have imposed a great many laws upon us that control so many aspects of our daily lives that they cannot all be counted. 

For Example: How many quarts of water can be in your toilet, where can you build your house and how can you build it, what kind of car you drive and what mileage it gets, what land can be used and what land that you own cannot be used, property taxes that prevent you from ever REALLY owning your home, what kind of joke you can tell at work without being sued, what opinions you can hold on  many college campuses without being sent to some star chamber, and in some parts of the country, whether or not you can use your fireplace or not. 

 

Germany will never break the peace.  – Neville Chamberlain

 

 Appeasement reflects the hope that the crocodile will eat you last. – Winston Churchill    

 

 

It’s always the same with these bogus equivalences: They start by pretending loftily to find no difference between aggressor and victim, and they end up by saying that it’s the victim of violence who is “really” inciting it.  – Chris Hitchens

 

 The far left screamed all through the cold war about our support for anti-communist dictators, so we remove one of the worst of them and they cry imperialism.  

 

The antique media did not show us the dead children at Waco, but they did show us the dead children of Hezbollah….anti-Semitism? 

 

To most journalists, the story they want to present is more important than the facts. 

 

When you turned 19, did your parents throw away your Encyclopedia Britannica’s because you already knew everything? 

 

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are Created…”  – Thomas Jefferson

 

 A “peaceful” nuclear reactor can generate enough plutonium to make a nuclear weapon every few months. 

 

After seeing the “arguments” made by the far left on the IUSB Vision web log, I have learned that the left doesn’t want to debate, they want to discredit so that a debate isn’t necessary. 

 

Somebody smart has HAD to have said this before me: People think or assume that the best of times and worst of times occur during their lifetime. This vanity is due in part to a public education that bequeaths a historical perspective that doesn’t go back much further than breakfast. 

 

Peace is good, freedom is better. 

 

Most campus speech codes were not designed to preserve our Judeo Christian heritage through an equitable application of the rules. They were designed to destroy our Judeo Christian heritage through a selected application of the rules.  – Dr. Michael S. Adams 

 

Fact: Democrats in the Senate said in their own leaked Judiciary Committee memo’s that Miguel Estrada should have his judge nomination filibustered because “he is Latino”. 

 

Those who have donned the Ph.D. cloak of infallibility should take this important piece of advice: the assumptions that you should always challenge first are your own.  

 

If you hold your fire until you see the whites of his eyes, you will never know what hit you. – President Franklin D. Roosevelt May 27, 1941.

 

 Academia has been suffering from an affliction of cultural Marxism. This is like radical political correctness with a Stalinist twist. Among the first to sing the praises of Mussolini and Hitler in the 1930’s were academia. Leftist academia sang the praises of the USSR throughout the Cold War, and still practices apologetics for Castro, Guevara, Ortega, and Chavez. What is it with academia’s love affair with authoritarianism? 

 

In a dazzling display of politically correct Stalinism 88 Duke University professors all but convicted the now proven innocent Duke lacrosse players in a public statement because they were white, rich and male. Is it a surprise that the result of these behaviors has been an epidemic of students attacking pro-America and conservative speakers with pies, rocks, and mass rushing of the podium to engage in a “heckler’s veto”? They point at people and scream or chant “fascist” to send a warning to others that it is dangerous to dare disagree with them.  

 

Chuck Norton 

How Does It Feel to be an Uncle Tomas?

Readers may find the prospect of a legal Hispanic immigrant who is against illegal immigration a bit astonishing. There appears to be an unwritten law amidst Latinos – from my perspective, more so than within other ethnic groups — that requires unquestioning and unbridled support of la raza when it comes to immigration. “Looking out for one another’, they say, “You don’t really know how bad it is back in the old country.”

 Well, I do. And I chose to come to this country legally.

The entire process began back in 1989. As millions of others who aspire to enter this country lawfully, we filled out the proper applications required by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (now known as the USCIS – United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) for the fifty thousand immigrant visas awarded by the Secretary of State each year, in what had become known as the ‘green card lottery’.

The application was a long, rather invasive documentation process that required several days to complete. Some of the steps in the process included disclosing bank account information (account numbers, balance, and origin of the deposits), proof of military service, and reference letters from relatives living in the United States.

That year, over four million applications were received by the INS. Through computerized random selection, fifty-thousand eligible applications were chosen from the pool of completed and qualified applications. My father’s application was one of those fifty thousand. By mid-1990, after two trips to the American embassy for fingerprinting, medical screenings that included chest X-rays and HIV tests for my entire family, and yet more documentation, it looked like we just might get the chance to come to the Land of Opportunity.

One thing that precluded us from feeling like it was a done deal was the embassy’s insistence on keeping things uncertain; despite over a year of applications, tests, and various other loops, they asserted that the final decision to either grant us the visas was going to be made by the clerk at the embassy at our final interview. 

Finally, in March of 1991, our visas were granted and we embarked in a journey that, in retrospective, was worth every hurdle and obstacle.

It is easy to see now why any legal immigrant would be justified by feeling contempt for those entering the country by circumventing the system. We were subjected to a long, frustrating process that took several months. And meanwhile, it takes no more than a coiote and five hundred bucks to achieve the same objective.

Except, the quandary is far more complex and multifaceted because it does not involve only the ambitions of thousand of immigrants crossing the Rio Grande every year in search of better living conditions for their families. It also encompasses thousands of companies across hundreds of different trades and industries that depend on migrant workers for their own survival, as well as the need to provide national security and our ability to fight terrorism and drug smuggling.

So, what can this country do? When it comes to business, every company has two choices when implementing a new strategy: do nothing and leave things status quo, or take the appropriate measures that will be conductive to succeeding in the development of said strategy.

The same applies to the problem of immigration. Our government can choose to do nothing – as it has been the case from Carter to Bush – in fear of losing the clout of the Latino vote under pressure from Hispanic civil organizations (which sometimes have the despicable attitude of suggesting that things should stay as they are, and even more so, the US government should grant 100% amnesty across the board); or it can put into motion a plan that makes the country safer and ensures economic viability for agricultural, construction, and other industries.

Such a plan could consist of a temporary worker visa that would be granted for a period of several months to up to a year, renewable for good behavior for another year as long as the application for renewal was granted at the worker’s country of origin. It could also include amnesty for otherwise law-abiding illegal immigrants who have lived here for more than ten years without committing serious offenses or felonies (other than, obviously, entering the country illegally).

Regardless of what these measures would be, one thing is certain: our government would have to close the border between the US and Mexico. Otherwise, all of this would be for naught. What incentive would an immigrant have to go through the loops and hoops involved in acquiring a temporary work visa if he or she could avoid the hassle by crossing the border illegally?

The problem is dire and intricate, but the solution is surely attainable. Whether any president in my lifetime will have the guts to take the required measures to make it happen is another story altogether. Perhaps, it is because the government’s inertia and illegal immigration are more analogous than we are prepared to accept. In both camps, the overall theme seems to be “why bother”? 

Ed Hellig 

From The President’s Pen

 Fellow Students:

This Tuesday and Wednesday will be the 2007 Student Government Elections. There will also be a referendum vote on a new constitution. It is more important than ever for every student to get out there and vote. Have your voice heard, and help decide the leaders of tomorrow. You will be able to vote from any computer. Also the SGA will have a laptop set-up in Weikamp Hall to be even more accessible and to raise awareness to the student body.

I wanted to write to you all about the many things the Student Government Association was able to accomplish this school year.  The first thing we were able to do was to continue to build a relationship with Notre Dame’s student life, through hosting the second annual GULU walk. This was an event to raise awareness for the humanitarian crisis involving children of Uganda. This relationship is something we have worked on for two years now. I really see this as laying the ground work for an even stronger student life coalition as we see student housing change our campus.

The next item is one that I am very proud of: the funding of the Vision. The SGA funded a lot of groups this year, but the Vision really stands out. The Vision is a symbol of excellent journalism, in their coverage of student life to the political arena, where students can write about issues and how they feel about them. It is also a great example of fiscal responsibility. I wanted to personally thank the Editor, Mr. Brigham as well as all of the Vision’s volunteer staff. You have given the leaders of the student government a great avenue to reach out to more students, a tradition I hope lasts for years to come.

During the budget process this year we reached many of our goals. The first was permanent funding of the Health and Wellness Center on campus. We have really seen the need and potential of this program and were glad to help. We also increased funding in other important areas, such as the counseling center and the child development center. Publications also received a funding increase as a huge step closer to their proper funding levels.

The student government also has shown fiscal leadership in the management of our own budget, through major stipend cuts. This will increase the money available to clubs, helping to keep up with out booming student life.

This year was also a great year for Get on the Bus. Once again we had the most students of any campus attend. This was a critical year to show our dedication to the projects of IU South Bend. Currently the Education Arts Building project is in conference committee of the state house. It is hoped that we will receive the funding needed to get this project started.

Next we have passed much needed changes to our Constitution. All of last week was spent educating the student body on these changes, and this week the constitution will be up for a referendum vote of the student body.

Finally we have been working on and will continue to address the many concerns with the Arts events attendance program. This year’s SGA leadership has worked hard to keep focused on this issue, and we have a plan that will help things move along: a plan to put success in the grasp of the next administration.

I think there is a lot of recognition deserved among student leaders, and I will start with thanking the leadership of my Executive cabinet Joanna, Ben, Heather and Kim. It has been a great year, and without your leadership, none of these accomplishments would have been possible. I also want to recognize the judicial branch. The development that this area of the government has seen has been amazing. All of the members have shown the needed leadership to take this group to the next level, and for that I thank you all.

I also wanted to recognize the Senate. In a year beginning with all new senators, I thought it was a good opportunity to help develop leadership skills in all of the Senators. It was a great year, but it was also more than that, the Senate this year helped me see so many different perspectives that I feel broadened and changed for life. In conclusion, I wanted to thank all of the members of the 2006-2007 student government association, we got a lot done this year, we should feel good about that, and I wish you all the best of luck in the future.  

Marcus Vigil, SGA President 

A Memoir From Joanna Reusser

 I came to this university because of one woman – Joanne Phillips. Her commitment to higher education and diligence in uncovering student financial support inspired people, such as my scholarship donor, to give generously to IUSB and its students. The scholarship that I received drew me to IUSB and ultimately affected the future of my life. I arrived at IUSB five years ago, a mere shadow of what I am today. In my time here, there have been seven individuals that have truly shaped me. I wanted to take this time to share a few of my experiences with these individuals.

First and foremost, I wanted to thank my academic advisor, Dr. Ann Grens in the Biology department, for everything she has done for me and all of her students. I know for a fact that she has spent countless hours going above and beyond the call of duty. Often times, she can be found on campus at the wee hours of the morning. Be it helping students with homework, advising the 300 plus biology major/pre-meds, teaching class, or just being available for her students, Dr. Grens continues to amaze me with her devotion to her students. On a personal note, I find that she exemplifies the true meaning of service. Thank-you Dr. Grens for everything you have done.

I also have to thank two individuals in the Chemistry department who have also played a large role in my life. After my freshman year at IUSB, I was pretty discouraged with my academic performance. It’s quite comical to reflect on it now, but I was absolutely dreading my sophomore year. I had discovered my strong distaste for chemistry and did not think that my preference for Organic chemistry would be much different. After the first day of class, my opinion on the subject of chemistry began to change. I found the professor of that class, Dr. McMillen, to be one of the funniest and most vivacious people I had ever met. If anyone could make Organic chemistry exciting, it would be him (and that is quite a feat indeed!).  He also carried his love for students and teaching outside the classroom. I always knew that I could talk to Dr. McMillen if I needed advice; he was always willing and able to help students; and his door was always open. Indeed, his assistance and advice were the main reasons I was able to study abroad in Northern Ireland, but more on that later. Success in his class motivated me to continue and to not give up. With this new-found passion for science, three years later, I found myself in Biochemistry. Yet again, the faculty of IUSB amazed me. With the help of Dr. Anderson, my eyes were opened to the wonders of the unseen world of biochemical reactions (and how much Nicholas Cage seems to know about such things). She also devotes much out-of-class time to her students. Her advice throughout the medical school admissions process has been invaluable. I was so touched when she agreed to proof my personal statement for medical school. I can proudly say that her help has played a large part in my acceptance into two medical schools.

I think it would be safe to say that we have some of the best faculty members here at IUSB (yes, I know I’m slightly biased). I do not believe that I would have had some of these opportunities had it not been for their continued involvement in my life.

Another opportunity that I had while attending IUSB wasn’t actually at IUSB. Second semester of my junior year, I had the privilege of studying abroad in Northern Ireland. My time there gave me a much broader view of the world around me and let me experience cultures other than my own. Much of this experience I owe to Rose Marie Hengesbach in the Office of Student Scholarships. If it had not been for the scholarship I received that enabled me to study overseas, I would not have been able to have that wonderful adventure. Rose Marie’s commitment to creating scholarships such as these enables students to travel abroad in such places as Northern Ireland, France, Germany, and Mexico.

Last but not least, I owe a huge thanks to Mike and Shannon Renfrow and Kim Muncie. Their support and friendship have been a huge blessing throughout my time at IUSB. My three years of work with the Student Government Association was made possible only after an introduction to the organization by Mike. With all of the political experiences over the years, these three individuals have always been there for me. Even outside the SGA, I owe all of them a great deal of thanks. Mike, you will always be the boss. Shannon, you have been my rock throughout everything! Kim, we’ve faced many fun times together and I will always remember them fondly. I appreciate all of you so much.

 If there’s one thing that I could say that has been my best experience at IUSB, it would be the people that I’ve met. I am blessed to have been at such an institution. I don’t believe that I could have a better educational experience elsewhere. As I prepare to graduate and leave for medical school, I know that I go from here a stronger person, ready to handle the challenges that are ahead. Thanks again to everyone who has played a part in my educational experience. There are many I’m unable to name, but I just wanted to offer a general thanks to the Biology and Chemistry departments, to my fellow colleagues in the Student Government Administration, and to the administration of IUSB for their true dedication to the IUSB student body. 

A Memoir From Stacy Rummel

 It’s funny how I can usually find something to write about on cue… unless I am the subject matter. Why is this so difficult? Why did I start this paragraph with the forbidden word “IT”? I am a senior; I should know better and provide my fellow students with the wisdom seven years can accumulate.

I’d say the most important thing anyone can do for themselves is to have a plan and stick to that plan until goals are reached. For me, the idea of graduating was a long process. I took a semester off here and there, changed a major, and even went part-time for a while. Did I mention I worked full-time? The best thing that came out of this is that I never gave up. Every semester, I would memorize the IUSB Bulletin until I knew what I needed to do and how long it was going to take me. Then I would verify my plan with my advisor. You tend to get brownie points when you go into their office with everything planned out with alternatives.

The next thing that I found to be important was getting involved with the university and other organizations. I’m learning right now as I venture into the job market that it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Cliché alert! Networking is the key for success. Professors are great for this. Just catch them before class and discuss last night’s reading—anything. Not only will they remember you when they are trying to decide if your 89% is a B+ or an A-, but professors also make stellar references on resumes.

 Those are the two things I have learned on how to be successful not only at IUSB, but also in the “real world”. Sure, there are other things I’ve learned along the way like how to use a semi-colon, that grooming is the number one affiliated primate behavior, and how much I loathe numbers with exponents, but there is more to the college experience that students learn from books. I think it has to do with preparation, time management, and achieving your goals. If that’s the case, I guess I did alright. 

Thanks IUSB. 

Pollution’s Not Our Bag

When people go grocery shopping, they carry the groceries home in a handful of plastic bags. Yes, these plastic bags are very convenient to carry groceries, but what do they do with them after their usefulness is done?

They may lock up their collection of plastic bags – from Kroger, Meijer, Martin’s, Wal-Mart, – etc into a plastic container. Surprise! The container is overflowing with hundreds of these plastic bags, but they believe they can use the bags later – or they madly dump them into the trash can.

Scores of plastic bags are wasted instead of being recycled every day. These wasted bags cause serious damage to our environment. The once useful grocery bags turn into murderers—they destroy the natural environment and potentially have economic costs for consumers. Moreover, hundreds of wild animals are killed by pieces of the plastic bags.

Assistant professor of psychology, Michelle Verges, overlooked a project designed to keep the environment safe by recycling the plastic bags on April 14^th at Indiana University South Bend. The event, the Bag Fest, was a public event to raise understanding of the environmental and economic effect of plastic bags. At the event, people donated their unnecessary plastic bags to her project. A representative from Wal-Mart also came to the Student Activity Center to discuss environmental issues.

Through her unique event and lectures, Professor Verges has discussed the importance of protecting our environment by recycling the plastic bags. She stated three project goals, “Raise public awareness on the consumption of plastic bags, apply students’ statistical training and knowledge to a real-world issue in our community, and instill a sense of personal responsibility that inspires behavioral, environmental, and economic changes. As part of this journey to conserve plastic bags, we are sharing our thoughts and personal experiences with you.”

In addition to these events, Professor Verges has also filmed a documentary about the plastic bag issues. The film will be available at the Franklin D. Schurz and St. Joseph County libraries. Moreover, she has also mentioned her interests in ecological fashion shows on her homepage. Fashion Junkie was held in the Ogstoun Theatre to aid the Thailand Water Project 2007 and student-models wore costumes designed with plastic bags, newspapers, and other recyclable materials. These dresses were as beautiful as those found in famous collections.

In the near future, most major grocery stores like Wal-Mart will launch their new projects for protecting our environment by reducing the consumption of plastic bags. The stores will charge you when you ask for the plastic bags, like Aldi’s, which is owned by a German company. In most European countries and some Asian countries, consumers need to bring their own shopping bags when they go grocery shopping. However, American companies still provides free plastic bags to consumers.

Save the environment or waste plastic bags—the decision is yours. 

Naoko Fujimoto 

    

Bikini Season, No Problem

Spring is in the air and there is something in the back of every woman’s mind. Something that creeps up on you every year and you dread it. Bikini Season! Or for you more modest beach goers; Bathing Suit Season!  I don’t know about you, but I look in the mirror, after the food  filled Holiday Season, and wonder, once again, how I will look in my swim suit. Well, I do not have a universal solution for all you girls dreaming of the surf, sand, and that bronze skin you have been waiting for but I have a few suggestions. 

According to Wendy Bumgardner, a certified marathon coach, “your weight x distance = energy used walking. Time does not matter as much as distance. If you speed up to walking a mile in 13 minutes or less, you will be burning more calories per mile. But for most beginning walkers, it is best to increase the distance before working on speed. A simple rule of thumb is 100 calories per mile for a 160 pound person.” This and more information can be found at http://walking.about.com/cs/howtoloseweight/a/howcalburn.htm.

I am a runner myself, and at http://www.nutristrategy.com/activitylist3.htm, there is a wonderful graph that shows you how many calories you burn with your run. And who needs a gym when we have the SAC with weights, a track, and all kinds of body building opportunities? Even if you are not the exercising type there are always those swim suits with the cellulite covering skirt, which I am not to proud to admit that I am the owner of one such suit. Either way you go, it is healthy to get a bit of exercise now and then, even if you just use the stairs instead of the elevator. So don’t let the bikini blues overcome your desire to visit the beach this summer. Feel good about yourself with a little exercise. 

Carlie Barr 

UN Human Rights Council Bans Testimony Critical of Itself

Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch, gave the speech below to the UN Human Rights Council on March 23. The result was having his comments stricken from the record and an announcement that future criticism will also be stricken. Since traditional Americans hate the idea of censorship of political viewpoint I am publishing the text of Mr Neuer’s speech below and the response of the President of the Human Rights Council. It is a stark reminder that there are a great many around us that believe that the idea of freedom of political speech holds no value. The video of the exchange can be scene here: http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1313923&ct=3698367 .

Mr. President,

Six decades ago, in the aftermath of the Nazi horrors, Eleanor Roosevelt, Réné Cassin and other eminent figures gathered here, on the banks of Lake Geneva, to reaffirm the principle of human dignity.  They created the Commission on Human Rights.  Today, we ask:  What has become of their noble dream?

In this session we see the answer.  Faced with compelling reports from around the world of torture, persecution, and violence against women, what has the Council pronounced, and what has it decided? Nothing!  Its response has been silence.  Its response has been indifference.  Its response has been criminal.

One might say, in Harry Truman’s words, that this has become a Do-Nothing, Good-for-Nothing Council. But that would be inaccurate.  This Council has, after all, done something. It has enacted one resolution after another condemning one single state:  Israel.  In eight pronouncements, and there will be three more this session, Hamas and Hezbollah have been granted impunity.  The entire rest of the world, millions upon millions of victims in 191 countries continue to go ignored.

So yes, this Council is doing something.  And the Middle East dictators who orchestrate this campaign will tell you it is a very good thing. That they seek to protect human rights, Palestinian rights. So too, the racist murderers and rapists of Darfur women tell us they care about the rights of Palestinian women; the occupiers of Tibet care about the occupied; and the butchers of Muslims in Chechnya care about Muslims.

But do these self-proclaimed defenders truly care about Palestinian rights?

Let us consider the past few months. More than 130 Palestinians were killed by Palestinian forces.  This is three times the combined total that were the pretext for calling special sessions in July and November.  Yet the champions of Palestinian rights—Ahmadinejad, Assad, Khaddafi, John Dugard—they say nothing.  Little 3-year-old boy Salam Balousha and his two brothers were murdered in their car by Prime Minister Haniyeh’s troops.  Why has this Council chosen silence?

Because Israel could not be blamed.  Because, in truth, the dictators who run this Council couldn’t care less about Palestinians, or about any human rights; they seek to demonize Israeli democracy, to delegitimize the Jewish state, to scapegoat the Jewish people.  They also seek something else:  to distort and pervert the very language and idea of human rights.

You ask:  What has become of the founders’ dream?  With terrible lies and moral inversion, it is being turned into a nightmare.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Response by U.N. Human Rights Council President Luis Alfonso De Alba:

For the first time in this session I will not express thanks for that statement.  I shall point out to the distinguished representative of the organization that just spoke, the distinguished representative of United Nations Watch, if you’d kindly listen to me.  I am sorry that I’m not in a position to thank you for your statement.  I should mention that I will not tolerate any similar statements in the Council.  The way in which members of this Council were referred to, and indeed the way in which the council itself was referred to, all of this is inadmissible. In the memory of the persons that you referred to, founders of the Human Rights Commission, and for the good of human rights, I would urge you in any future statements to observe some minimum proper conduct and language. Otherwise, any statement you make in similar tones to those used today will be taken out of the records.

Chuck Norton

Parental and Societal Responsibilities for Teenagers

Recently in Elkhart two 15 year olds, a 16 year old and an 18 year old were arrested for being apparently responsible for two local bank robberies.  According to WNDU four boys between the ages of 15 to 17 were also suspected of the March 15th armed bank robbery as well. This instance of teenage crime and others like it bring up the important question of both parental and societal responsibilities for teenagers.

It is understandable there will be instances where teenagers will get themselves in trouble with minor pranks and offenses. However, a bank robbery reveals a group of teenager’s ability to both plan and execute a mature felony.   This is quite different from throwing toilet paper on the neighbor’s trees. It is clear both society and parenting have failed these kids.

It is common for the first blame to go to the parents, of which we have no idea if this is actually the case. It is safe to assume monitoring of these kids was not done regularly, as they had the ability to execute such a task.   What it is not safe to assume is the reasoning for poor monitoring. There has been a drastic increase over the past decade in single parents which can drastically hinder one’s ability to watch their children as much as they would like too. This can result in a lack of accountability and discipline.

Society can not be expected to be “the parent” when it comes to dealing with teenagers. They can respond to poor decision making by sending them to a juvenile center and trying to teach them right from wrong. Ultimately, however, without a re-enforcement of these principles at the home most teens will not embrace the foundation that so many of them need today. As a person who left his teen years behind only three years ago, I now realize the importance of an ethical foundation for the everyday business and academic decisions. Without someone who held me accountable for my actions and taught me to understand the differences between the good and bad decisions, life would have been much more difficult.

Teenagers will always make poor decisions because it is part of the learning experience. This is why it is important for an adult to be hovering over their shoulder to point out when these poor decisions have been made. This may seem like pestering, and most teenagers will get annoyed. In fact, doing this will keep one from being the “cool parent”.  However, what is more important? That your kid thinks you are “cool” or that your kid is raised to understand that you do not approve of their poor decisions? Approving of irresponsible behaviors only gives teens a false impression of reality. This impression is that society and people will accept their poor decisions without confronting them on it, but this is simply not the case.

I may not be a parent, but I was just recently a teenager.  My parents didn’t approve of poor decisions I had made when I was younger, and it wasn’t until I got older that I truly understood why. Don’t be afraid to teach them about reality, it may make you unpopular, but if they learn the truth, it will eventually make you respected.

Craig Chamberlin

The Truth Behind the Fantasy of Porn

Sex-packed porn films featuring freshly-dyed blondes whose evocative eyes say “I want you” is quite possibly one of the greatest deceptions of all time. Trust me, I know. I did it all the time and I did it for the lust of power and the love of money. I never liked sex. I never wanted sex and in fact I was more apt to spend time with Jack Daniels than some of the studs I was paid to “fake it” with. That’s right none of us freshly-dyed blondes like doing porn. In fact, we hate it. We hate being touched by strangers who care nothing about us. We hate being degraded with their foul smells and sweaty bodies. Some women hate it so much you can hear them vomiting in the bathroom between scenes. Others can be found outside smoking an endless chain of Marlboro lights.

But the porn industry wants YOU to think we porn actresses love sex. They want you to think we enjoy being degraded by all kinds of repulsive acts. The truth, porn actresses have showed up on the set not knowing about certain requirements and were told by porn producers to do it or leave without being paid. Work or never work again. Yes, we made the choice. Some of us needed the money. But we were manipulated and coerced and even threatened. Some of us caught HIV from that coercion. I personally caught Herpes, a non-curable sexually transmitted disease. Another porn actress went home after a long night of numbing her pain and put a pistol to her head and pulled the trigger. Now she’s dead.

It’s safe to say most women who turn to porn acting as a money-making enterprise, probably didn’t grow up in healthy childhoods either. Indeed, many actresses admit they’ve experienced sexual abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse and neglect by parents. Some were raped by relatives and molested by neighbors. When we were little girls we wanted to play with dollies and be mommies, not have big scary men get on top of us. So we were taught at a young age that sex made us valuable. The same horrible violations we experienced then, we relive through as we perform our tricks for you in front of the camera. And we hate every minute of it. We’re traumatized little girls living on anti-depressants, drugs and alcohol acting out our pain in front of YOU who continue to abuse us.

As we continue to traumatize ourselves by making more adult films, we use more and more drugs and alcohol. We live in constant fear of catching AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases. Every time there’s an HIV scare we race to the nearest clinic for an emergency checkup. Pornographers insist giving viewers the fantasy sex they demand all the while sacrificing the very ones who make it happen. In other words, no condoms allowed. Herpes, gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, and other diseases are the normal anxieties we walk around with daily. We get tested monthly but we know testing isn’t prevention. Besides worrying about catching diseases from porn sex, there are other harmful activities we engage in that are also very dangerous. Some of us have had physical tearing and damage to internal body parts.

When porn actresses call it a day and head home we attempt to have normal healthy relationships but some of our boyfriends get jealous and physically abuse us. So instead we marry our porn directors while others of us prefer lesbian relationships. It’s a real memory making moment when our daughter accidentally walks out and sees mommy kissing another girl. My daughter will vouch for that one.

On our days off we walk around like zombies with a beer in one hand and a
shot of whiskey in the other. We aren’t up to cleaning so we live in filth most of the time or we hire a sweet foreign lady to come in and clean up our mess. Porn Actresses aren’t the best cooks either. Ordering food in is normal for us and most of the time we throw up after we eat because we’re bulimic.

For porn actresses who have children, we are the world’s WORST mothers. We
yell and scream and hit our kids for no reason. Most of the time we are intoxicated or high and our four year olds are the ones picking us up off the floor. When clients come over for sex, we lock our children in their rooms and tell them to be quiet. I use to give my  daughter a beeper and tell her to wait at the park until I was finished.

The truth is there IS NO fantasy in porn. It’s all a lie. A closer look into the scenes of a porn star’s life will show you a movie porn doesn’t want you to see. The real truth is we porn actresses want to end the shame and trauma of our lives but we can’t do it alone. We need you men to fight for our freedom and give us back our honor. We need you to hold us in your strong arms while we sob tears over our deep wounds and begin to heal. We want you throw out our movies and help piece together the shattered fragments of our lives. We need you to pray for us the next fifteen years so God will hear and repair our ruined lives.

So don’t believe the lie anymore. Porn is nothing more than fake sex and lies on videotape. Trust me, I know.

Shelley Lubben
Former Porn Actress

Article printed with permission

See more of her story at www.shelleylubben.com

From the Vice – President’s Pen

Most students are aware that the SGA is the voice of the student body to the administration; however, a unique authority that we also maintain is the appropriation of the Student Activity Fee (SAF) budget.  The SAF funds the operation of the SAC, athletics (both basketball teams, Intramurals, and Club Sports), student life (Titan Productions, Student Government Association, & Office of Student Life) publications (Preface, New Views on Gender, Undergraduate Research Journal, & Analecta), health services (the Health and Wellness Center & Counseling Center), the Child Development Center, and the Arts Department (for student ticket costs).  The Budget Committee presented their recommendation to the SGA at the March 23, 2007 meeting.  After discussion, the SGA passed the budget 10-2 (“no” votes due to absences).  From this point, the budget will be passed on to Vice Chancellor Caul and Chancellor Reck for approval.  Several changes have been made this year to the budget and the student body should be aware of the reasoning behind them.

–  The SGA maintained the same level of appropriation as last year’s budget of $670,000.  We worked hard to develop a fair budget that would not be detrimental to any organization receiving funding, yet would reflect the level at which we felt the recipients could operate.  The two largest portions of the budget went to the Student Activity Center and Athletics (Men’s and Women’s basketball teams), respectively receiving $165,500 and $181,000.  These were slight cuts of 0.66% and 0.02%; however, the SGA felt that there were areas from which money could be saved in expenditures.  Club Sports received the same funding as last year at $8,200.  Intramurals were increased 4.17% to $10,000 to help with the rising costs of officials.

– With the potential to run somewhat self-sufficiently, the SGA decided to appropriate $25,000 to the Preface (a 7.74% cut).  All three student journals (URJ, NVG, and Analecta) were appropriated $4,500 each, for a total of $13,500.  This was over a 48% increase from last year’s $9117.  Last year, the URJ was not published, but this year, the goal is to print all three journals.

– The Child Development Center had to decrease their size last year by one room after a decrease in their budget appropriation.  They were also unable to maintain a director and have been operating with an interim director this year. The SGA felt that their funding must be increased to allow for operation within reasonable expectations.  We appropriated them $50,000, an increase of $5,000 from last year.

– Titan Productions received $61,300, a decrease of 2.4% from last year’s $62,806.  Much of the Titan Production budget is fluid and has room for a small amount of fluctuation.  The SGA’s own budget underwent several changes.  First, we again took a cut and are operating at $56,000, a 2.61% decrease.  Within the appropriation itself, stipends were cut by $10,900.  The new stipends are reflective of the amount of time SGA members are required to serve office hours (based on Constitutional guidelines).  These changes also allow more money to go to student clubs.  The Office of Student Life was increased slightly to $66,500.

– Counseling Center received $3,000 to pay for informational brochures, an online screening program, and a summer secretary (last year, the Counseling Center received no funding due to non-submission of a funding request).

– The last budget change that the SGA approved is one that we spent many hours debating.  For the last several years, the SGA has appropriated money to the Arts Department to offset the cost of student ticket prices so students could receive events tickets free of charge.  The logic behind this was to help students who had events attendance obligations to fulfill.  Last year, the SGA appropriated $36,482 for this purpose.  However, at the beginning of this year, a vote by the Arts faculty abolished the Events Attendance program and gave the professors back the right to set their own individual events requirements for their classes.  In light of this and with no reformatted Attendance plan formally organized for next year, the SGA was uncomfortable appropriating funding again.  We felt that the money would be much better used to fill the current student healthcare gap that exists.  Therefore, we appropriated $30,000 to the Health and Wellness Center to help with the cost of staffing the Center full-time.  This funding will enable more students to receive healthcare at low-cost rates.

Overall, the budgetary process was very arduous, yet in the end, we feel that we have succeeded in fairly appropriating the Student Activity Funds.  Special thanks should go to Treasurer Ben Peak for his countless hours in organizing the budget process and to the Budget committee members as well for their time invested in this.  If the student has any questions regarding the budget, please feel free to contact any member of the SGA at www.iusb.edu/~stuassoc or in SAC 202.

Joanna Reusser

Club Showcase: History Club

Have a passion for History, but tired of watching reruns of Modern Marvels on the History Channel? Don’t just flip the channel, just turn off the television and join the History Club in DW3250 on Thursday afternoons.

The History Club strives to make history fun.  Such tactics can be bringing in a guest speaker or showing films with historical significance and applying them to today’s world.  Club members’ main goal is to educate their fellow students.

The History Club also supports other clubs on campus during various events like Winter Aide.  The club also enjoys leisure activities like taking field trips.  Trips in the past include a tour of the Oliver mansion and other historic landmarks.

Many club members are encouraged to get involved in internships and research projects.  Some students working on these are getting ready to present their work at an upcoming conference.  The club offers these individuals full support (and maybe therapy) in achieving their goals.

Another item that makes this club unique is the lack of one club president. Sounds chaotic, but the club has four co-chairs, a secretary, and a treasurer to evenly distribute club issues and minimize stress.

Club meetings are held every Thursday at 4pm in the History Lounge up in DW3250.  Everyone and anyone are welcome to join in.

For more information, just pull up a chair this Thursday at 4pm or email

Anny Gouin at agouin@iusb.edu

Erikki KochKetola at ekochket@iusb.edu

Kristi Dunn at kjdunn@iusb.edu

Stacy Rummel

Hammes Information Commons Coming

“Students will really be excited about the new reference room,” said IUSB Schurz Library Director Michele Russo. This summer, the library will experience the biggest change in the last twenty years as the reference room will be reconstructed as the Hammes Information Commons.  Russo adds, “More places for group projects, more specialists, and more computers will be available. I promise that the library will become the students’ favorite, comfortable place.”      

In the last twenty years with the advancement of technology, many people no longer use certain books, such as indexes, because these books have been replaced by CDs and online resources.  Instead of keeping dusty collections, the Schurz Library will donate these books to local colleges and libraries and create a better place for students. According to Russo, “their designers will make this an inviting, exciting place to be and where all students can receive and share information.”

Even if some people are unfamiliar with the online resources, reference librarians will always be available to help. In the Hammes Information Commons, not only will the librarians be available, but also IT consultants and media specialists. They will assist all users with basic computer skills, including PowerPoint, Excel and other kinds of software like movie, photo, and music editing. Moreover, there will be enough space and computers for individuals and groups use. The Adaptive Technology Room also will be remodeled as a larger and more convenient study room for students with disabilities.  

The library is changing to become a more friendly space for students. “A coffee bar will be the next project,” said Russo.  Many students will stop by the library, and hopefully it will become the center of social community on campus; however, she added, “We are still knocking on the door, asking for more donations.”

In the new Hammes Information Commons, office furniture costs more than domestic furniture because it has to be durable.  Almost five hundred students use the library every day; therefore, the furniture must be strong, antibacterial, and stain proof. Even though the library has received generous donations and reasonable discounts from companies, the new construction needs a lot of money. Russo said, “Even one dollar would be a great help and more donations will allow extra plans, such as the café in the library.”     

The Hammes Information Commons, which will be opened at the end of August, will provide a new creative place for the students. During the reconstruction, the library will remain open and promises to keep quieter spaces on upper floors.

Naoko Fujimoto

Latin America Turning “Red” with Anger

Motivated by nationalistic pride, a sense of economic exclusion, and even anti-USA sentiment, a handful of South American countries are experiencing a dramatic political shift towards the left. Feeling disenfranchised by years of domination by rightist regimes, voters have granted an unprecedented mandate to these elected leftist leaders to veer their countries towards economic and social development.

The Tale of Two Lefts

Perhaps the strength of these new leaders lies on their ability to adapt the socialist model of their platforms to their own national conditions. In a continent of such cultural diversity and differences, the traits of a one-size-fits-all socialist doctrine simply cannot apply — if it aims at governing with at least minimal consensus. In an effort to garner this consensus, some regimes are being forced to appeal to the opposition for help, and the rate of compromising under which a leftist government is willing to operate has created a virtual socialist divide. On one side, moderate socialists like Chile’s Michelle Brachelet and Brazil’s Luis Inácio Lula da Silva have sought support from social democrats and right-centrists in their rise to power. On another, radical populists like Bolivia’s Evo Morales and Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez have banked on the discontent of the poor and downtrodden and their disdain for the elitist rich to solidify their leadership. While the ties that bind these regimes together are certainly pro-social reform, pro-education, and in favor of administering and controlling their natural resources, there are palpable differences between them.

The Centrist Approach

Still healing the wounds of Generalissimo Augusto Pinochet’s tyrannical and oppressive 17-year reign of terror, Chile elected left-centrist Michelle Brachelet to the country’s highest office. The first woman to ever ascend to that post, Brachelet defeated rightist billionaire businessman Sebastián Piñera in the 2006 presidential election runoff, and did so under the auspices of a coalition that included parties with very distinct political inclinations — albeit socialist in essence — like the Christian Democratic Party and the Social Democrat Radical Party. Promising widespread educational reform, better distribution of wealth, and free health care for the elderly, Brachelet has remained loyal to the socialist ideal that has been a part of her family since it was sent to exile following Pinochet’s coup d’état. Nevertheless, her support of free trade markets has drawn criticism from sectors of the economy and from fellow socialist presidents. As it stands, President Brachelet’s challenges run the gamut of socio-economical issues that oppress most of South America. Her success will reside on her ability to mobilize not only her opposing parties, but also the country as a whole.

Elected to the presidency of the largest Latin American nation in 2002 after three unsuccessful attempts, Brazil’s Luis Inácio Lula da Silva inherited the reins of a country disillusioned by four consecutive right and right-centrist governments that did a formidable job at steering the country away from military dictatorship, but did very little to resolve the ever-growing problem of social disparity. A former press operator who lost one of the fingers in his left hand while operating a lathe, President Lula ascended to power as ‘the candidate of the poor with a rhetoric marked by populist discourse and inflamed accusations against “the elites”. However, President Lula has quickly realized the difference between telling how things should be done and actually doing them: his promises of a clean and lean government have yet to be fulfilled, and he has been both praised and vilified by his constant reaching out to centrists in order to further his domestic policies. The Worker’s Party, the political entity that catapulted Lula into political prominence, has struggled with political scandals and accusations of betraying the ideals that made it a favorite with the poor. While Lula’s attempts at rallying both the left and the right around his plans for social reform are praiseworthy, the reluctance he has encountered from within his own party may pose as one of his greatest obstacles. And in the meantime, Brazil continues to be a country of contrasts and dichotomies: while it possesses the 10th largest GDP, no other country in the planet shows a more abysmal chasm between the “haves” and “have-nots”. Coupled with a stagnant economy — 2006 economic growth was second-to-last in all Latin America — President Lula will have to maneuver the country and the government machine with great resolve if he plans to leave any lasting impact in Brazil’s ability of overcoming its many woes.

Populist Demagogy

One of the poorest countries in Latin America, Bolivia became the latest entrant in the arena of socialist-bent nations when it elected Evo Morales to the presidency in 2005. Proclaiming himself the first-ever person of indigenous descent to become president (despite being himself a mestizo), the former coca farmer gained the support of other radical socialists such as Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro almost immediately when he fostered a nationalistic and populist approach in his presidential campaigning. This aroused the interest of voters in this mostly native nation and he won the 2005 election with an absolute majority of the votes. Despite a vast wealth of natural resources, especially hydrocarbons and natural gas, Bolivia has suffered through decades of rampant inflation and poverty caused by foreign exploitation and domestic corruption. As one of the first measures as newly-elected president, Morales made good of his promise to re-nationalize Bolivia’s natural resources by placing national troops inside all major foreign natural gas refineries while demanding re-negotiations in natural gas exploration contracts. Ironically, this measure placed President Morales at odds with yet another pro-leftist government: as Bolivia’s largest natural gas customer, Brazil’s state-owned Petrobrás saw several of its own Bolivian operating installations seized by the Morales regime and created a momentary impasse in the relations between both countries. Whether Morales initiatives to expropriate the exploration of natural gas will be advantageous to Bolivia in the long run, the decision to regain control of the nation’s natural gas production played squarely into Morales’ efforts to appeal to the indigenous part of the population, who for years suffered with misrepresentation and disenfranchisement.

No other figure in the current Latin American political sphere is as controversial as Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez. Both persuasive and incendiary in his rhetoric, Chavez is a cunning, persuasive orator who masterfully orchestrates the media to further his socialist political agenda and to rally Venezuelans around his “anti-imperialist” discourse. His weekly TV talk show entitled Aló Presidente (think of a televised Fireside Chats to the sound of merengue while imbibing on aguardiente), his constant photo-ops with the likes of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Cindy Sheehan, and his regular condescending remarks towards President Bush and American foreign policy has placed him in a position of both admiration in infamy depending on who you ask. His admirers hail him as a liberator who will usher Venezuela to an era of economic self-sufficiency and progress. His detractors vilify him as a demagogue and Castrist communist who will eventually lead Venezuela into authoritarianism. Whatever the case may be, one thing cannot be denied: his skills as a politician have granted him some unique powers for a democratically elected president (he has campaigned in favor of allowing presidents to be reelected indefinitely, and in January of 2007 the Venezuelan congress has approved an act giving him the power to rule by decree for 18 months.). His landslide reelection in 2006 granted him a mandate and he plans to exercise this mandate while setting forth even more radical measures towards turning Venezuela into a de facto socialist country.

Overall, this shift towards the left is symbolic of a South American populace that has grown increasingly restless through years of rightist regimes that promised raising the standards of living and improved social policies but left them marred under what is widely perceived as the subjugation of capitalism — personified by U.S. foreign policy. Discontent ushers change, and in that aspect, this move towards socialism was almost inevitable. It is noteworthy that this shift has occurred by means of suffrage rather than arms, and this speaks volumes about the type of popular support enjoyed by these leftist regimes. In a region that is characterized by extremes — extreme poverty, extreme social inequality, extreme wealth imbalance — it was only a matter of time until these issues came to a head. South America is a hotbed emergent market, which will continue to attract foreign investment in various sectors of their economy. Whether these socialist regimes, radical or otherwise, will be able to capitalize on this emergence for the common good remains to be seen.

Ed Hellig

Focus on the Thinking

Recently, there was a media bonanza over Vice President Cheney’s refusal to respond to Focus on the Family’s opposition to the pregnancy of his openly lesbian daughter. While strong arguments have been made on both sides of this issue, one crucial element seems to have gone under the radar: not what but how that initial opposition was made. While the general public can spend their time debating on the Vice President, a student community could do well to discuss how we create arguments and how we justify them. It’s not about conception. It’s about conceptualization

On December 12, Time Magazine printed an article by Dr James Dobson, the founder and chairman of Focus on the Family, titled “Two Mommies Is One Too Many” (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1568485-1,00.html).

In it, it is stated that “Mary Cheney is starting a family. Let’s hope she doesn’t start a trend.” The article starts off with careful footing, politely trying to distance the issue from politics, and then quotes “30 years of social-science evidence”, an educational psychologist, and a book by a faculty member of the Yale Medical School. The research goes in support of the necessity of both mother and father in a healthy family environment. At this point, the article seems to be well-supported, and most importantly seems to place the welfare of children at the forefront.

If one is truly open-minded, whether one is straight or gay, it does at least give the common ground that this is an issue worth further study. I personally have considered one day being a single parent by way of adoption, and it would be selfish of me to not consider opinions that single-parenthood might not be the best for the child. So, thus far it merits a pause for thought. But within ten seconds from that moment, Dobson effectively sabotaged his own position. Apparently, three-quarters of a page is giving someone just enough rope. In a switch to fifth gear, Dobson says, “Traditional marriage is God’s design for the family and is rooted in biblical truth.”

Take that, Congress with your less-than-100 word resolution. That’s Focus on the Family with less than 15.

For someone who once enjoyed listening to short, warm, carefully-selected weekly radio segments by Dobson back in Malaysia, this was a disappointing development. If it isn’t already obvious, one cannot base an argument on one’s personal religious beliefs when it openly aims to change public policy. It sets a remarkably dangerous precedent of discrimination. If there is one thing Christian about the issue, it is to do onto others as you would want others to do onto you, and I doubt that anyone would want someone else to dictate choices based on his/her religious beliefs.

There will be those who say that, well, this is a democratic country and if the majority decides to employ biblical values into public policy, that is their choice and their right. The response is simple: that a democracy can not only be about pleasing majorities, but the protection of minorities as well. That is a stance that has been made against other countries, most obviously those under fundamentalist Islam. You cannot argue if adherents wish to practice any fundamentalist religion. But you can say quite a bit if they force it upon the minorities, or against any other people. As psychologist Wafa Sultan once said in that debate, “Brother, you can believe in stones, as long as you don’t throw them at me.”

Dobson’s base on a “divine plan” placed all the points raised by previously referenced research down the drain. Even if that research was valid, it showed that Focus on the Family just doesn’t have the credibility to view research without bias. As it turns out, two of the researchers later voiced their opinion that their research was skewed in Dobson’s assertions. It also casts doubt as to whether the issue of child welfare is being used for a religious agenda.

The real “untested and far-reaching social experiment” is not Mary Cheney’s pregnancy. Nor is it her father’s choice to not speak on the issue. What it is, is the way, the mental process in which we form arguments, and the minorities we trudge on when we do so. In less one week, CNN brought up the plight of two of these: first, the homosexual community whom hip-hop artist Deadlee said that “it’s the one group of people that still it’s ok for people to hate”.

Actually, that’s unfortunately not entirely accurate – as CNN later reported on the second discriminated minority group: atheists. The real virtue of democracy must be that citizens do not all have to belong to either of these minorities – and by definition they do not – in order to believe in the protection of minorities. CNN did it in one week. James Dobson did the opposite in the space of ten seconds. Five if you speed read.

Religion can be a remarkable thing, and the Bible can be an effective personal guide for Christians, just as the Torah, Quran and the various Buddhist texts are for the faithful of other religions. It is only a fringe of any religion that indeed does throw stones, as it were, but they often have the most visibility. In my opinion, James Dobson’s article is one such example. To use the Bible as an instrument of concept enforcement, so to speak, tends to preach to the choir, alienate the rest, give a misunderstanding of the acceptance in Christianity, and invite others to find ways to skew the Bible in backlash. I met one such person recently who said that, “They call me a heathen, so I find ways to use their book against them.” An unfortunate position, and an unhealthy perspective, but one borne not of a vacuum, but out of discrimination. On the other hand, it has been rightly pointed out to me that the challenge for those on the other side is not to brand Christianity simply because of any individual, like James Dobson. Or for that matter, any religion based on any individual voice. The challenge for religious moderates is to distance themselves from the “heathen”-brander extreme and by doing so, help to heal rifts.

Should there be a focus on the children? Sure. That’s what public policy is for. Should there be biblical discussions? Absolutely. That’s what churches are for. But when in the public arena of social issues, let there be a focus on thinking about how we form our assertions, and whether we can do so without unfairly marginalizing others. And that should be what universities are for. It makes me sigh when I recall that James Dobson has a doctorate. And here I was, never thinking I’d miss Malaysian radio.

Andrew Filmer
Editorial

President-elect Addresses IUSB

  Dear Colleagues:      Last week, the Trustees of IU provided one of the greatest honors of my life when they appointed me the 18th president of our university. To walk in the footsteps of IU’s remarkable leaders is an enormous privilege. I welcome this challenge and will dedicate my heart and mind to leading this great institution.     My vision for IU’s future is that it will emerge as one of the best universities of the 21st century. But this will not be easy. We face vigorous global competition for the best faculty, students and professional staff; reduced federal funding for research; change within the state, nation and world; and seriously constrained financial resources.

     However, these challenges should not discourage us. We have every reason to set our sights high and work hard to achieve our aspirations. We have every reason to believe that we can reach our goals for expanded research and creative activity right across the board, increased internationalization and diversity, a renewed commitment to IU’s great arts and humanities programs, and a blossoming of the Indiana Life Sciences Initiative. We have every reason to believe we can enable all of our campuses to achieve their full potential.     
I am fully aware that I cannot implement this vision alone.  Doing so will require the cooperation of dedicated staff members such as yourselves.      From the gardeners who tend our beautifully landscaped grounds to the registrars who record our students’ progress toward their degrees to the vice chancellors and vice presidents who make our budgets work, IU is the remarkable place it is because our staff give a 100% effort to their jobs each and every day.

    
I look forward to working with you when I take office July 1, and I welcome your perspective on how we can make IU an even stronger and better institution. I invite you to visit my Website athttp://www.indiana.edu/~newpres/ and to share your comments with me by writing to newpres@indiana.edu. With all best wishes,Michael A. McRobbie

President-Elect  

Microsoft Office 2007 Now Available Free on Campus

As some of you may already know, Microsoft has recently debuted both their new operation system Windows Vista and office management software Microsoft Office 2007.

As one would expect, Vista has had mixed reviews ranging from tolerable to worse. Microsoft Office, however, has been having good reviews from users both around campus and in the blogging community. Thanks to Indiana University’s IU Ware I have had the opportunity to delve into their newest release of their Office software, which works with both Windows XP and Vista.

I have chosen to review both Microsoft Word and Excel because they are the most widely used within the Office package both on campus and nation-wide.

The first noticeable difference in both Microsoft Word 2007 and Microsoft Excel 2007 is the removal of the standard file menu in the upper left hand corner of the interface. No longer are options categorized into sub-menu options such as File, Tools or Insert. Instead, tabs point to the most relevant tools associated with a particular type of document one is editing. For example, the Home tab contains clipboard, font, paragraph and styling options while the Insert tab contains page, table, illustration, links, header and footer, text and symbol options. These functions are located in a great looking horizontal bar about an inch and a half tall using small graphics for each. The other tabs that exist include Page Layout, References, Mailings, Review and View.

Although it is inconvenient to re-learn the location of all these tools, their new locations eventually become both intuitive and comfortable. Overall the software is simply Microsoft Word 2003 and Microsoft Excel 2003 with a new interface and smarter auto-formatting. One downside that occurs with any new release of software is the lack of backwards compatibility with new saves. As a positive note to this, they both give you the option of saving as a ‘97 – 2003 Document’. I wouldn’t go out and purchase the new copy of Office 2007 at the retail price, but if you are a campus student I’d recommend jumping on IU Ware http://iuware.iu.edu and download Office Enterprise Edition at no cost. Windows Vista is estimated to hit IU Ware in the summer of this year.

Craig Chamberlin

Celebrating Women’s History

It’s time to celebrate the women who have made American history. March is National Women’s History Month, and this year’s theme is “Generations of Women Moving History Forward.”
March was first implemented as Women’s History Month when the National Women’s History Project (NWHP) petitioned Congress in 1987 to expand what had previously been a week-long celebration of women’s history, according to the NWHP website.
The National Women’s History Project promotes training and education for educators, parents, and other organizations regarding the achievements of women throughout history.
The following four women, while only a few out of the thousands that could have been chosen, have made groundbreaking contributions to American history. We honor them and celebrate the achievements of all women, who have helped to make America great.
http://www.nwhp.org/

Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman was a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad. Her biography on the PBS website states “during a ten-year span she made 19 trips into the South and escorted over 300 slaves to freedom…she never lost a single passenger.”
By 1856, Tubman had a $40,000 price on her head, and still continued her tireless work to end the slavery of the “travelers” she helped. She was, as John Brown said, “one of the bravest persons on this continent.”

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1535.html

Sandra Day O’Connor

“Society as a whole benefits immeasurably from a climate in which all persons, regardless of race or gender, may have the opportunity to earn respect, responsibility, advancement, and remuneration based on ability.”
Sandra Day O’Connor became the first female Supreme Court Justice in September, 1981, and spent her days on the court fighting for the values she espoused above.
Justice O’Connor was often admired for her ability to compromise, and while she often voted conservatively, she had the propensity to be fiercely independent on issues about which she felt strongly. She retired from the bench on July 1, 2005 after twenty four years of service.
http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/96mar/oconnor.html

Sally Ride

Dr. Sally Ride became the first American woman to orbit the Earth in the space shuttle Challenger, as a mission specialist in the astronaut corps. According to her biography on the NASA website, Ride was among over 8000 applicants to the space program that year, of which 35 were accepted and six were women.
Dr. Ride attended Stanford University, where she earned a B.A. in English and a B.S. in Physics; she then went on to receive a Master’s degree and a Doctorate in Physics.
Since 1989, Ride has been a member of the University of California at San Diego faculty, and serves as head of the California Space Institute.
http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/whos_who_level2/ride.html

Addressing Charges of Plagiarism

Recently, on our weblog, incidents of plagiarism were brought to the attention of the Vision editorial staff. We took these claims seriously and conducted an in-house investigation into the claims.
The articles in question were turned over to the University and informal hearings took place to determine what plagiarism took place and what disciplinary actions were to take place. The Vision editorial staff has left the disciplinary actions to the University, but we have accepted the resignation of one writer.
We must address some of the claims that were made about our editor on the weblog. First, a claim was made that it was entirely the fault of the editor that plagiarism took place. While, we will admit that we could have been more diligent by using the Google search on every single sentence, such a request is unreasonable. Using the Google search on the first sentence of the articles did not reference the original source.
Secondly, there is a matter of trust. With the success of the Vision, many of our readers forget that we are just a student club. We are a student club and all our writers are volunteers. We count on our readers to help hold us accountable when an issue of plagiarism surfaces. We would like to personally thank one ambitious blogger named “Sam” who caught the errors.
As we had no knowledge that plagiarism was taking place, we can only be judged by how we handled the situation.
As soon as the allegations were made we began researching the claims. The evidence presented was overwhelming and the writer admitted to his mistake. The matter was then turned over to the University.
We met with Assistant Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Karen White to find out what precautions we can take to monitor articles more closely. We are working with Vice Chancellor White to put in further safeguards to keep this from happening. For example we will now have access to the software the university uses to catch plagiarism. We are also planning to put together a class on plagiarism for all who want to attend, including our writers.
We are setting the record straight by citing the original sources on our weblog. All sources for the articles that we have found to have been copied are available there. The participation of our readers, whether they agree with our publication or not, continues to help us in our endeavor to serve the IUSB community. We enjoy the free exchange of ideas and political banter that takes place on our weblog. Having many people on polar ends of the political spectrum helps in accountability.
We want to express our gratitude to Vice Chancellor White for assisting us in this maelstrom. We all must remember that the university is a place for learning. Many times, learning comes through making mistakes. When one falls off the horse, the only course of action is getting back on the horse and on the path. With the benefit of learning from the paths we have travelled, we at the Vision will continue to do our best in forging new ones ahead.

The Vision Editorial Staff

Sources:
Social Spending
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeff-madrick/now-to-shuffle-off-the-ne_b_33855.html

The Bush Economy is Failing Poor Families
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/08/31/the_notsogood_times.php

Recent Report Gives Hope for Fixing Global Warming
http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/unchecked-global-warming-a.html

Will Congressional Democrats Raise the Minimum Wage?
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20041220/dreier

From the President’s Pen

Fellow Students:

Welcome back, I hope everyone had a great Spring Break. I wanted to tell all students about the Alternative Spring Break program that was put on by the Office of Student Life. It is a wonderful program that has operated in the last two years. It is a program where students have an opportunity to spend their spring break helping others. In the case of the last two years, ASB has helped to rebuild Biloxi, MS from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It is the kind of selfless act made by those who truly commit to giving, and I wanted to send a big THANK YOU to all those who attended this year and to all of those who helped to contribute to make this program possible. It is truly a life changing experience, as I learned from going on the 2006 trip. I encourage all students to give back, or get involved in a program like this at least once in your college career.
Get on the Bus was a huge success and I thank all of the students, staff, faculty, administrators and alumni who attended the event. This is another great program that all IUSB students should attend as much as they can. Get on the Bus is a annual February trip to the Indiana State House to lobby for support and funding towards IU South Bend. It is a great time and I wanted to let you know that our efforts are paying off. The latest update I have is that 27 million was passed in the House budget to fund the renovations of our Associates Building on campus. The budget is now in the Senate for decisions. I know that our efforts produced a record-setting attendance this year, which certainly helped us to succeed, We will remain diligent until we have the funding fully passed and signed. I will keep you updated as things go along.
The Student Government Association Elections are around the corner in April and I to encourage you to apply and during the next few weeks there are flyers, posters, and chalked sidewalks poster, encouraging you to get involved in your government. The last two years have been a wonderful experience. Student Government is a way to get involved in Student Life, leading the way with volunteer trips like Alternative Spring Beak, and Get on the Bus. There are positions all through our Student Government for all people with interest. Last year the race was not so competitive in the Senate, contrary to the previous few years when there were up to 33 people running for 12 Senate seats. It is because of the importance of the tremendous responsibility of the Student Government Association, as well as the great opportunity it is, that I will be pushing for as many to get involved and to run in the election this year as possible. If anyone is interest in information please contact me at mdvigil@iusb.edu . I would be happy to help you get started.
Finally, I wanted to let everyone know that the SGA Budget Committee will be presenting the Student Activity Fee budget on March 23rd at the 4pm SGA meeting is in room SAC 225. This is where students, and anyone interested can see how their Activity Fee gets disbursed.

Marcus Vigil
SGA President

The Cultural Stigma of “Wait”

Piles of snow walls start melting, warm wind blows, and flowers bloom. “For a fresh start, meet somebody new!” says a dating service advertisement and “People need to fall in love in spring!” says Geoffrey Chaucer. Maybe because of our genetics and our culture, spring is considered the “love” season.
If you are a man, you may look online at social places such as Facebook, Myspace, etc and you fantasize a perfect date with the ideal woman. Through the social spaces, you may have a selfish, one-sided communication about “love.” You may enjoy dating games and when you find a woman you get along with you may ask her out. However, if you are a woman, can you ask for a date with your “cute guy” or must you “wait” until he asks you out?
If a woman asks a guy out, people may think that she is aggressive. Some people may think that she is desperate and she needs the help of dating services such as eHarmony. Your friends may say, “Be patient. Wait until he comes.” Why do women always have to wait?
The idea of “women” and “waiting” may be the creation of cultural myths. The women may be victims of popular culture over centuries and centuries. Sleeping Beauty waited for Prince Charming for a hundred years while she just slept. If it really happens in our society, the beauty definitely becomes an uninteresting, dry, female mummy. In Victorian novels, main female characters always wait for their Mr. Right by overcoming emotional conflicts and eventually find true love. Even in twenty-first century TV shows like Sex and City, a successful modern woman waits for “Mr. Big” to hurt her fragile heart.
“Woman” and “wait” seem to be programmed in our brains. But if the women cannot be patient, what do they do? They may screw up every relationship because she may be “pushy” by moving towards a commitment too fast. Men seem to dislike this and lose interest in the woman. Again, the women cannot go against the universal rule of “wait.” The women have to wait until the men come with commitment.
Through the process of learning this rule, women may have a difficult time understanding what they need from their relationships. Experiences are very important to have in order to maintain ideal relationships, but those experiences may hurt. Step by step, women may be closer and closer to their perfect relationships. Even though some relationships hurt, close friends always heal broken hearts. Men may come and go, but friends and chocolates are forever, so think about the calories later.

Naoko Fujimoto

IUSB Wants Your Feedback on the Chancellor

President Adam Herbert appointed a committee in February of this year to conduct the five year review of Chancellor Una Mae Reck. The committee is chaired by F. C. Richardson, Chancellor Emeritus of IU Southeast. Other members of the committee are listed below.
The committee held its first meeting on March 5th to organize the review. President Herbert has asked us to complete the review before his terms ends on June 30th. A job description for the IU South Bend Chancellor is on General Reserve in the Schurz Library and may be viewed at any time during this process.
Opportunity will be provided for everyone on campus, alumni, and selected community leaders to have input into the review of Chancellor Reck. A confidential electronic survey will be made available in the coming weeks. Please complete the survey within the prescribed period of time in order to ensure your input into the review via this method. The Survey Research Center at IUPUI will distribute, collect and analyze the surveys and provide a report to the committee.
In addition, you will have the opportunity to share evaluative comments with the committee concerning the Chancellor’s performance. All written comments must be signed, in accordance with Board of Trustees policy guidelines for the review of chancellors. Unsigned statements cannot be considered by the review committee.
Finally, the committee has set aside April 9th-20th for individual interviews with members of the committee to provide verbal input into the process. The review committee will create small teams to conduct the scheduled interviews.
Please contact Marian Zuehlke at 520.4344 or mzuehlke@iusb.edu to schedule an interview with a committee interview team.

Chancellor’s Review
Committee members:
Gretchen Anderson
Durleen Braasch
Cora Breckenridge
Nancy Colborn
Mark Eagan
Micheline Nilsen
F. C. Richardson, Chair
P. N. Saksena
Cynthia Sofhauser
Marcus Vigil
Julie Williams

Article Contributed by:
Chancellor Review
Committee

Double Dribble in Budgeting?

When the assessments are in come next month, the student government and the athletics department face tough issues and pressing questions. Is there a serious problem of fiscal discipline in IUSB athletics – or does the SGA need to change its expectations of the price tag of a strong university program?

The activity fee that comes on every student’s bill comes up to more than most might realize. This current year’s total is a two-dollar bill short of six hundred and sixty thousand dollars – considered low compared to previous years. To put it in perspective, that’s about the cost of twenty low-end Hummers, or twenty thousand copies of the upcoming Harry Potter novel. The SGA is entrusted with handling these funds and arranging budgets for the Chancellor to confirm, and of these various financial plans, the athletics budget takes up some 23%, second only to the running of the Student Activities Center.

The issue of budgetary concerns of the athletics department dates back to September 2005 when an overrun of some $44,000 was highlighted. The SGA financed the deficit, but considered $8,900 written off in support for a women’s basketball event. As to the remaining amount, a plan was constructed by Executive Director Jeffrey Walker to finance its return from the athletics department to the student fund over a four-year period. Last year was, according to this plan, when the first installment of $10,000 was due to be returned – instead, a further deficit of $24,000 was recorded, this time covered through the office of Vice Chancellor Caul.

According to Mr Walker, the amount provided to athletics is unrealistic, with the starting point necessitating the athletics department to raise between six to fifteen thousand dollars through its own fundraising. “Something has to happen – we have to start with a zero balance,” he said in an interview with the Vision. In detailing the department’s management of funds, he asserted, “There’s no fat in this budget.”

Nevertheless, even the high end of $15,000 was still less than the deficit of the past year, even more so considering that the first installment was not covered. According to Mr Walker, the contributing factors to the deficit included an unavoidable increase in student insurance of some $20,000, and prior restrictions by IU Vice President Clapacs on fundraising efforts, who “made the final determination that we cannot raise banners” on railings as a form of sponsorship. He added that other forms of income revenue had their own limitations. “Ticket sales are relatively insignificant – it’s a different kind of campus,” Mr Walker said, adding that things may change with the advent of further student housing.

In efforts to take forward-moving financial strides, a new arrangement for sponsorships has been approved. Instead of banners, official sponsorship boards would be provided for support of $2,000 to the IUSB Titans. Two such boards are currently on a wall of the SAC. Mr Walker noted other possibilities such as camps, golf outings and a benefit run, and was cautious about the additional option of marketing the SAC due to displacing students. He resisted both setting a time table in putting these options into effect, as well as more stringent suggestions such as staff reduction, and arranging games with larger schools which would provide financial support but would likely overwhelm the IUSB athletes on the court.

SGA President Marcus Vigil was contacted to assess the options the student government could consider. He noted that the financial situation of the athletics budget has been a matter of concern, seen in the previous budgetary SGA meeting of April 28, 2006 when strong opinions were voiced to Mr Walker. The further deficit became a matter of additional concern, according to Mr Vigil, noting that though the overrun was not covered by the SGA, the overall financial direction was negative. “There’s concern, absolutely,” he said, “that’s why it’s important to stay focused.”

When asked if the $10,000 that was not returned could be forced via a cut into the future budget by the same figure, Mr Vigil responded, “In no way does the SGA want to cripple the athletics department or the growth of the athletics department.”

Nevertheless, he noted that the situation could call for the students to voice their concern over the situation. “A lot of the student government’s ability is to vocalize and to spotlight certain issues… That’s usually enough pressure to force a solution.” Mr Vigil added that an example of what the SGA could decide is to pass to resolution, which would then lead to further action and meetings with the IUSB administration.

Come next month, there are two likely possibilities. Option 1 is that SGA will accept Mr Walker’s position that a good athletics program, which is essential for campus identity, has a price tag to it, and provide further leeway in fundraising. Option 2 is that the student government will dispute the Executive Director’s view that the 2005 “Back to Black” presentation was a plan but not necessarily a commitment, and find less than comfortable ways to redefine what really constitutes budgetary “fat”.

Andrew Filmer

An Open Letter to the Bulletin Board Committee

The new bulletin board policy has several problems that the bulletin board committee needs to address.

First, allowing the administration to take bulletin boards away from all clubs and then dole them out per their discretion can be seen as viewpoint discrimination. It is a violation of freedom of speech to take away the bulletin boards of clubs that already have them and give them out as the director sees fit. 

If the director takes away all bulletin boards, then to be fair, if one club receives a board from the director, then all clubs should be given a board from the director.  If one viewpoint is going be given a board by the director, thereby being endorsed by the university, then all viewpoints must be given a board.

Requiring approval for postings by a single person hinders the abilities of clubs to  market their activities.

The problem with this is the turn around time the Office of Student Life requires. It is well documented that requests sent to the office of student life require excessive time to be addressed. If a club has to submit a request and wait for the director to review it and then wait for a response, clubs will not be able to market impromptu events. The current procedure of making flyers and getting them stamped and immediately being able to market the event is much more efficient and club friendly.  This new policy is restrictive and hinders the clubs ability to invite non-members to their events.

Giving the Director of Student Life the ability to withhold approval of club’s postings if he deems them “potentially offensive” violates the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  It was designed to protect potentially offensive speech. This also violates the purpose of a university. Campuses are supposed to be a medium for the free exchange of ideas. All speech is potentially offensive to someone. When Campus Bible Fellowship posts a gospel message proclaiming the teachings of Jesus Christ, it can be offensive. When the GSA advertises a drag show, it can be offensive. When the biology department promotes evolution, it can be offensive.  A multitude of other student clubs are by definition offensive to a portion of the student body, i.e. College Republicans, College Democrats, Students for Common Sense, etc. 

By giving the director authority to decide whose views can be shown on campus, it creates an environment for viewpoint discrimination.

The committee needs to address the absence of reimbursement of funds to clubs who paid for their bulletin boards. There are clubs on campus that needed to purchase a bulletin board in order to market their events. This policy confiscates their boards and only allows them to petition the Office of Student Life for the board that they paid for. This is theft!

If there is a problem with not having enough boards for clubs, then those clubs can either purchase a board or wait their turn. If there is to be a new policy, it must address these concerns.

Jarrod Brigham

Inconvenient Questions Global Warming Alarmists Don’t Want You to Ask.

Global Warming alarmists like to tell people that the Earth is warming and that man is the primary cause. They point to us, not evidence that has been verified over and over using the scientific method, but instead they show us “computer models” and claim that there is a “consensus” that man is the primary cause of global warming. So below are some of the questions that such alarmists do not want to answer.

If man is the primary cause of global warming please explain what man did to warm us out of the last five known ice ages.

According to NASA, 2004 was the fourth warmest year on records since the 1800’s. If man has caused the Earth to continually warm why were the 1800’s warmer than today, especially considering that the world was far less populated and industrialized than it has been since 1930?

According to the BBC, China’s factories and homes burn 40% more coal than the United States, yet proposed treaties that are alleged to address global warming focus on regulations in the United States and give China a pass. Why?

According to the Illinois State Museum there have been 20 known glacial advances and retreats in the last two million years. So why is this one man’s fault?

Why is Al Gore’s name not on his own movie poster? Take a look. http://media.monstersandcritics.com/movies/aninconvenienttruth_1/images/group1/inconvenientruthonesheet.jpg

Why did Professor Bob Carter of the Marine Geophysical Laboratory at James Cook University, in Australia say that “Gore’s circumstantial arguments are so weak that they are pathetic. It is simply incredible that they, and his film, are commanding public attention”

According to NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies solar output has been increasing by .05% per decade since the 1970’s. How can you be certain that solar output has an effect that is far less than man? (Update: Solar output noticably started decreasing in the last few years and according to some data sets global warming has leveled off and is now showing a slight reduction)

If man is the primary cause of global warming why is it that NASA has a study on their web site that shows how solar activity increases and decreases actually correlate to North-American temperature changes since 1700? Why did the Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics, publish a study by Turkish physicist Ali Kilcik that demonstrated a parallel between solar activity change and variations in the Earth’s climate?

Why is it that in the years between 1645-1715, which was the middle of what is called “The Little Ice Age” with the coldest average European temperatures known, coincide with what astronomers call the Maunder Minimum, the lowest period of sun spot and solar activity recorded?

According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology the moons of Neptune and the former planet Pluto are warming. What has man does to cause this global warming?

Why have leading astronomers such as Philip Marcus of the University of California at Berkeley published studies that show that Jupiter is warming?

If consensus creates such a scientific certainty, explain why a study done by the University of Ioannina School of Medicine in Greece and published in the Public Library of Science Medicine, shows that more than 50% of published studies are later proven to be false; saying that small sample sizes, poor study design, researcher bias, and selective reporting and other problems combine to make most research findings false?

After Hurricane Katrina, the global warming alarmists said that because of global warming the following hurricane seasons would continue to grow more harsh and destructive, only to  be followed by one  the mildest hurricane seasons on record. Why?

Why did the Senate vote down the Kyoto Treaty unanimously in 1998? Why has Canada also pulled out of the treaty?

According to the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, not only is solar output rising, but the polar ice caps on Mars are melting. Could it be that this is happening because the Mars Rover is an SUV?

How can any causes of global warming be tabulated accurately when, according to the Journal of Science, “A confusing array of new and recent studies reveals that scientists know very little about how much sunlight is absorbed by Earth versus how much the planet reflects, how all this alters temperatures, and why any of it changes from one decade to the next”?

Why has the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia measured global temperatures decreasing from 1998-2005?

Why does Dr. Richard M. Lindzen of the School of Atmospheric Science at MIT say that “Global-warming alarmists intimidate dissenting scientists into silence”? If Dr. Lindzen is wrong why did global warming alarmists stage a protest calling for the resignation of the heads of the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for saying that Hurricane Katrina was a part of the natural hurricane cycle and had nothing to do with global warming?

Why has the popular U. S. based environmental magazine Grist called for Nuremberg-style trials for global warming skeptics?

According to the Associated Press, “First-of-its-kind core samples dug up from deep beneath the Arctic Ocean floor show that 55 million years ago an area near the North Pole was practically a subtropical paradise, three new studies show.” So how can man be the primary cause of global warming?

Why did Carleton University paleo-climatologist Professor Tim Patterson testify, “There is no meaningful correlation between CO2 levels and Earth’s temperature over this [geologic] time frame. In fact, when CO2 levels were over ten times higher than they are now, about 450 million years ago, the planet was in the depths of the absolute coldest period in the last half billion years. On the basis of this evidence, how could anyone still believe that the recent relatively small increase in CO2 levels would be the major cause of the past century’s modest warming”?

Why have three studies from universities in Norway and one in Russia shown that the glacial ice sheet in Greenland is growing? One Danish study says that the Greenland Glacial sheet has been shrinking for 100 years so where is the consensus?

Why does a study published in Science Express tell us that “satellite radar altimetry measurements indicate that the East Antarctic ice-sheet increased in mass by 45 ± 7 billion metric tons per year from 1992 to 2003”?

An article from Newsweek, “The Cooling World”, April 28, 1975 told us that if global cooling continues “The drop in food output could begin quite soon, perhaps only 10 years from now.” Why?

The Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, a part of the Department of Energy, has studies that show that global carbon-dioxide levels have spiked every 100,000 years. How can man possibly be the primary cause of increased CO2 in the atmosphere?

Why have the hottest summers on record occurred in the 1930’s?

If the burning of fossil fuels by man is the primary cause of global warming, why did a recent United Nations report tell us that livestock are responsible for 18 percent of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming; more than cars, planes and all other forms of transport put together?

Could you explain why from 1940-1970 global temperatures decreased while CO2 increased?

Of all of the possible causes of global warming (if it is indeed happening) please list for me in order of importance, what percentage each is responsible for in order and back it up with verifiable evidence that can be duplicated repeatedly. Fossil fuels, changes in solar activity, animal flatulence, the cyclical changing in the Earths rotational axis, ocean current changes, etc.

Are ethical scientists testing the scientific hypothesis with sound methods and quantifiable observations? The goal of the tests is to DISPROVE the hypothesis. It is the duty of the scientist to try their absolute best to disprove the hypothesis. If it cannot be disproved, it becomes theory, and over time, with more studies, is accepted as fact. To be responsible, don’t you have to look for evidence that disproves the theory and not ridicule or ignore those who publish it (because there is plenty out there)? Why do global warming alarmists do this and attack people so often?

Two new books about global warming have just been released, Unstoppable Global Warming Every 1500 Years, by physicist Fred Singer and The Chilling Stars: A New Theory of Climate Change, by Danish physicist Henrik Svensmark and former BBC science writer Nigel Calder, which is due out in March. Both books say that global warming is a part of a natural cycle and give evidence to support the claim; do you intend to read the books?

Chuck Norton

From the Vice – President’s Pen

At the last Board of Trustees meeting February 2, 2007, the Board made several decisions that will have direct impact on the IU South Bend campus. The University has the intention of implementing a university-wide no smoking policy. This is not an uncommon policy. IUPUI already has such a policy in effect. Currently, IUSB’s smoking policy bans smoking within 20 feet of all entrances and inside buildings. The SGA welcomes your comments on this matter.  Chief of Staff Kimberley Muncie will be attending the next AUSA (All University Student Association) meeting March 1-2 to give IUSB feedback. The meeting will be held at IUPUI. The goal of AUSA, an association of all of the leaders of the various IU campus student governments, is to be the central voice of the entire student body to the IU Board of Trustees.

Also announced at the last Board of Trustee meeting was a policy change in the car rental policy of IU. After the latest contract negotiations, IU students, over the age of 18 years, can now rent cars from Enterprise at the reduced IU rate. This policy change also allows rental without purchasing additional insurance for being a young driver.

While this is a very exciting time for IUSB’s growth and development, it is also a sad time as some of the individuals that have helped to shape this institution are leaving us. I wanted to take this moment to thank four individuals who have devoted countless hours to the students of IUSB.

After three and a half years as the Director of Development, Jan Halperin will be leaving for a position in Chicago at American Friends for Hebrew University.  Her last day was February 15. In addition to serving in an administrative capacity, Jan also devoted herself to causes such as the Chad Pearson Scholarship Dinner.  

Patty Dees, Director of Affirmative has announced she will be retiring. Her last day is May 8, 2007. Thanks Patty for all your hard work for the student body.

For the past twenty years, Rose Marie Hengesbach has tirelessly served the students of IUSB. Past positions include Career and Placement advisor, Financial Aid Director, and her current position as Director of Student Scholarships. Rose Marie was also the first recipient of the Mike Wargo Distinguished Alumnus Award that honors active IUSB alumni.  From personal experience, I know that Rose Marie is always willing to take time out of her busy schedule to help students in whatever way she can. Her contribution to the student body will never be forgotten. A retirement for Rose Marie will be held on February 28 from 4 to 5:30 p.m., in the Alumni Room (AI 251B).  Her last day at IUSB is March 9, 2007. Thank-you for everything you’ve done! 

Jacquie Caul will be retiring July 1, 2007 from her current position as Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. Jacquie has been at IUSB for 20 years, serving in numerous positions. In her time at IUSB, Jacquie has been a huge proponent of student life and organizations. Thanks for all of your commitment to student growth Jacquie. Your “shoes” will be very, very hard to fill.

Please thank these ladies for their years of dedicated service.

American Flag Trumped by City Council

Last month Donald Trump was confronted by the citizens of West Palm Beach, Florida for flying a 15 by 25 foot flag on top of an 80 foot flagpole at his newest hot spot club. The citizens of West Palm Beach argue he was violating zoning guidelines with a flagpole taller than 42 feet.  In order to fly a flag on a pole taller than 42 feet, Trump should have got a permit.

In an interview with Trump by Tom Gibson on Fox News, Trump stated, “I’m very proud of the country, and I don’t want to take down the American flag. And I don’t believe you need permits to put up the American flag.” This is an interesting issue as it raises an age old issue involving freedom of speech and expression. The constitution states “Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech” and yet the restriction in height appears to offend Trump’s expression of his patriotism. In his lawsuit, Trump defends himself “A smaller flag and pole on Mar-A-Lago’s property would be lost given its massive size, look silly instead of make a statement, and most importantly would fail to appropriately express the magnitude of Donald J. Trump’s and the Club’s members’ patriotism.”

According to an article by USA today, Trump’s accumulated fine totals $17,500, which is $250 for each day of his permit violation. Interestingly, there appears no strong rationale behind the law regarding no height taller than 42 feet – and the most common defense against Trumps expression is “He should have obeyed the law and got a permit.”  In an interview with CNN’s Nancy Grace, Trump states, “I inquired about a permit, but they told me they would deny my request, so why should I waste my time applying”?   However, if there is no rationale behind the requirement of a permit in this situation, then it appears logical to allow him the expression his own speech on his property. This excludes potentially harmful or damaging speech.

There has yet to be a clear explanation as to why the size of the flag and pole has such stringent zoning policies. Until this is made clear, Trump has a very strong case involving his freedom to express his patriotism. It does not appear that Trump was simply trying to avoid paying for a permit, as per his previous statements. As per the premise of the constitution one should applaud Trump’s convictions to stand up for what he believes in despite legal pressures even if he turns out to be in the wrong.

Trump summarized his stance on this issue very well, “The day you need a permit to put up the American flag; that will be a sad day for this country.”

Craig Chamberlin

Superwomen

As I struggle to meet my varied commitments in a timely and efficient manner, I can’t help but think about those female college students who succeed in juggling so much more.

I admire these women, who work full-time jobs, raise children, organize a household, and still manage to get their homework done. However, I also find myself looking at these “superwomen” and feeling a distinct sense of uneasiness.

Sometimes I wonder if I will ever measure up, if I will ever be able to juggle all the commitments and responsibilities that make one, in our society, a “good” woman. It seems to me that a society’s successful woman is very different from its successful man.

A successful man excels at his job. A successful woman not only excels at her job, she excels at raising her children, keeping her house, and, not least in the eyes of the world, maintaining herself. And I must admit, to women like me, who struggle to find balance, those expectations are overwhelming.

Superwoman, of course, is a myth. But why, to be termed “good” by society, must women struggle to excel in so many areas, while men can focus on one. Perhaps the way for women to find balance is for society to begin to define men’s excellence, as well as women’s, by the way their children are raised, or the way their house is kept.

Speaking for myself, it would relieve some of the pressure if I knew that I would not be expected to be a Superwoman without the additional help of a Superman.

Rachel Custer

The Dreaded Oil Change

Winter’s finally here and we all are making preparations for the new season. For most women, this is the opportunity to buy boots, coat, scarves, gloves, matching purse, and … an oil change???

There is nothing I despise more in this world than sitting in a waiting room leafing through Better Homes and Gardens  and Popular Mechanics magazines while waiting for a half hour for my car to be lubed up for the next 3,000 miles. This isn’t the worst of the torture.

After waiting for a while, a guy in overalls walks into the office and brings me outside to my car and asks me what kind of oil I want and to show me my air filter. Just when I think everything is fine, he pulls up on his screen that my car needs its tires rotated every X miles and that for the price of Y they could do that today as well as put weather-protected windshield wipers or something for an extra fee. I become annoyed and tune him out after he asked asks me what type of oil I preferred.

I understand this man was probably just trying to do his job.  If he was providing maintenance to me like a doctor would, I would want to know all of my options. I guess if I was more knowledgeable and confident about cars, then I wouldn’t feel inferior at the garages. It’s like the mechanics pick up on the uncertainty and thrive on it.

I know my oil needed to be changed. To me, oil is just oil even if the label proclaims to be “high performance” or for “3,000+” (this is where my ignorance shines). I also know when I say, “I would like an oil change, please” does not translate to “Change my oil, rotate my tires, give me new headlights, wipers, underbody, tune-up, and your complementary cups of coffee”.

Stacy Rummel

IUSB Newman Catholic Student Association to Receive the Diocesan Jubilee Pilgrim Cross

The Diocese of Ft. Wayne/South Bend is celebrating its Sesquicentennial Jubilee Year! Yes, 150 years of Catholic presence in Northern Indiana.  (Indiana celebrated its statehood in 1816!)  The Diocesan boundaries stretch east from South Bend to Fort Wayne and includes cities on its southern borders like Huntington, Plymouth, Bremen, Walkerton and Culver.

The Jubilee Cross has been traveling from parish to parish throughout the diocese and has made stops at high schools, colleges and universities as well. There are over 80 parishes in the Diocese.  The cross is 9 feet tall and is made of plain wood.

The cross is a reminder of the great love Jesus has for all of us…that he emptied himself, gave himself completely so that we could have life in abundance. Let us pray for a strengthening of acceptance and love among our faith communities and that bonds within the entire diocese be further strengthened through Christ’s love poured out for us on the Cross. May His steadfast love endure forever in our hearts.

IUSB will receive the Cross on Wed, Feb 28, please join us for an ecumenical prayer service at 11 a.m. at the Peace Pole near the library–snow, rain or shine! After the short service, the cross will travel to Wiekamp and rest there during the 12 noon mass. A Pizza luncheon will follow for all those who attend. 

The purpose of the Jubilee Year dates back to the Old Testament; lands were returned to original owners, debts were pardoned, and slaves were freed. (Lev. 25:8-54)

In the New Testament, Jesus presents himself as the One who brings the old Jubilee to completion because He has come “to bring good news to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted, to announce release to captives and freedom to those in prison.”

In the year 2000, Pope John Paul II announced the Jubilee as the ‘Year of the Lord’s favor’, a year of remission of sins and of the punishment due to them…a year of reconciliation between disputing parties and a year of conversions and sacramental penance. In 2007, Bishop D’Arcy encourages us to challenge the “status quo” in each of us; to acknowledge the need to forgive and to be forgiven. Our personal sins are reflected or amplified on the corporate level causing, violence, poverty, injustice and discrimination. All of us are called to reconciliation.

A Jubilee is a year of reconciliation with ourselves, our God, our families and loved ones, our friends, colleagues and those who are not yet our friends. It is a year of Jesus Christ, who came to bring life and grace to all of humanity. The Jubilee Year will culminate at the University of Notre Dame on August 18, 2007, where a Eucharistic Congress will be held. 

Please join us on Wed, Feb 28, at the Peace Pole and at Holy Mass!  All are welcome!

Maria Pirrie

IUSB Students go to Washington DC to Protest War

On January 27, under   unitedforpeace.org and supported by the IUSB club Students for Common Sense, five students joined in the “March for Peace” in Washington to voice a protest against the war in Iraq. IUSB students Andres Paz, Jennifer Hlawacz, Matthew Lopez, Erkki KochKetola, and Kevin Fuchs spent almost 12 hours on buses, a weekend of time and their own funds to join in the event.

Andres Paz, in speaking with the Vision, noted that participants at the March included celebrities, veterans and members of Congress.   According to Paz, the event began with representatives of various faiths including Islam, Christianity and Judaism praying for peace. The March also included various speakers including Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Jane Fonda.

“I participated to make my voice heard,” said Andres Paz. “In my opinion, this war has to stop and I wanted congress to hear that message.”

He also noted that the cost of travel was a considerable amount for full-time students. “The bus ride cost was $100 per passenger,” he said, ”but we were still willing to go.”

Andrew Filmer