indy Bloomington-Normal’s free independent newspaper Vol. 9, No. 8 March 22- April 3, 2010 SGA Elections PG 2 Judgement: Too Harsh? PG 3 Daylight Saving Time PG 4 Redbirds for Excellence PG 6 THE THOUGHTS YOU NEED, EVERY TWO WEEKS IN THE INDY J.R. Legit Indy Staff A government for the people, of the people, and by the people. This leg- endary sentence, that shook a country torn apart by war almost a hundred years ago, is now long forgotten in our country today. Abraham Lincoln defined our government in an eighteen line speech in a way that we should set as the staple for how our gov- ernment should operate, but it isn’t how it operates now is it? Today the government isn’t worried as much about the people in it, but rather the corporations that keep our representatives in place. The people in our country today, even, seem more to be wor- ried about how they are going to fit their daily Starbucks into their routine then ac- tual change. Back when Abe was talking about people, the country was in a different place. The landscape was ravished in war, and everywhere he turned there seemed to be a problem. Lincoln, when talking about people in the Emancipation Procla- mation, was referring to, well, the people in his republic that was divided by a veil of war: people, humans, citizens, voters, students, warriors, men, women, children, all of them. But did he mean corporations? When he said the government was for the people, did he mean the government was for the corporations that feed our economy? When he said of the people, was he refer- ring to companies who now, unlike then, feed our representatives campaign bids? Well the simple answer is no. Abe lived in a much simpler time, where indoor plumbing was a new commodity that bare- ly even the rich could afford, and today is mandatory. Plainly, if you were to bring him into modern America, I don’t think he would know what to do, and he might have died a natural death of shock. Beyond whether Abe would like, or survive, the world we now live in, his words still ring true. Our nation was found- ed on the principal that everyone, no mat- ter his race or creed, has a voice. But now a days, that definition of what people are has changed. There was a Supreme Court decision recently that took away the cap for corporations to be able to contribute to campaigns. This isn’t just money, but now, it also allows corporations to construct their own ads and run them whenever they want. They did this in a 5-4 decision under the credo that a corporation is considered to be a person, and that person should not have their first amendment rights infringed upon. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy said, speaking for the majority who voted this into law, “If the First Amendment has any force, it prohibits congress from fining or jailing citizens, or associations of citizens, for simply engaging in political speech.” And you know what, on the surface I feel that Justice Kennedy makes a valid point, but here is the big elephant in the room that I see when reading this; “associations of citizens.” When I look at that I don’t think of groups of citizens banded together for the sole purpose of making profit, and I doubt when this was written the fram- ers did either. They no doubt could not imagine the world we now live in and we should keep that in mind, and look at the First Amendment in a modern setting. I have one big question that keeps hittin’ me every time I think of this decision. In what way should we consider a corpora- tion a person? I personally don’t see them as one, and I could go up to anyone on the street and ask them if they see corporations as one, and the majority would agree with me, but yet our government still sees them as one. A corporation is a living entity in the sense that it changes and adapts, but it isn’t a living entity that should be held on the same level as a citizen. If a corporation is considered a person in the same manner that I am considered a person in the gov- ernment’s eyes, that means that it has the same say as me, a citizen. That thought makes me ill. Why should a company, regardless of what it does, have the same voice as a citizen?! To dive a little deeper into the view of a corporation being a person, I’m stricken with this thought; what kind of a person would they be? The sole purpose Wanted: Political Candidate for Hire Lisa Shelton Indy Staff Chicago’s Southwest side is breathing a sigh of relief after a 24 year old predator accused of sexually assaulting at least two teenage girls turned himself in last week. One by one fingers are being pointed at senators and other authority of- ficials for sexually assaulting citizens and people working in their campaigns. Count- less young women at ISU and campuses all over the country exchange stories on a regular basis about being inappropriately touched by a male friend, classmate, or stranger. We all have seen and heard about people drinking too much at parties and waking up the next day unable to recall the events that happened the night before. Posters hanging all over the Il- linois State University campus state that sexual harassment in higher education is il- legal under the Illinois Human Rights Act. It may seem to insinuate that sexual harass- ment in other places is acceptable. Sexual harassment in any form, any place, and any context is illegal. An estimated 1 in 4 women in college has been a victim of some form of sexual harassment. American universities are legally obligated to not only advise vic- tims of their rights but also establish pre- ventive programs. Some people believe that sexual harassment has nothing to do with higher education. Although sexual harassment happens everywhere including grade school, high school, and the workplace, rape and sexual assault is the most com- mon violent crime committed on college campuses in America. Women between the ages of 16-24 are four times more likely to have a sexual harassment encounter than other women. Thus high school and college women are more at risk. Also, college-age women are more at risk than women of the same age who are not in college. This is accounted to parties that go unsupervised on a regular basis, easy access to unlimited amounts of alcohol, and simply trusting some people too quickly. Women are advised not to put their drinks down at parties or clubs. En- joying all that college has to offer shouldn’t be a green light for people to take advan- tage of others but sometimes it is. People shouldn’t be afraid to walk home at night but they are. How can we prevent sexual assault from happening? More importantly, who’s to blame? Is it the media for shoving sexed up images down our throats every day and now as a result a few people believe they can’t be denied in any capacity? Is society at fault for the way some people choose to act? Are these actions a result of a lapse in judgment? Or is because some people just really are monsters? Only 5% of sexual assaults are ac- tually reported. Males seldom report sexu- al assault and it goes virtually unnoticed in society. Most victims choose not to speak out. Most sexual assault victims share their encounter with someone close to them in- stead of the police. Victims who choose not to speak out against their attackers due to fear, embarrassment, or some form of per- sonal guilt. Victims are afraid the attacker will seek revenge against them if they speak out. They are afraid no one will believe them. Some are not confident that anything will be done to rectify the situation or pre- vent it from happening to someone else in the future. This won’t happen if people don’t come forward. Some feel as if they are at fault for being left alone with their attacker. We have to address the act itself as well as the person who committed it. We need to address the reason these sexual predators force themselves on someone and invade a person’s most sacred space; their body. Maybe we shouldn’t have to specify higher education. Rather it should be that touching, fondling, and physically handling someone without their permis- sion is illegal especially in higher educa- tion where the problem seems to be the worst. Sexual Harassment and Higher See Wanted on Page 3: Education
Transcript
indyBloomington-Normal’s free
independent newspaper Vol. 9, No. 8
March 22- April 3, 2010 SGA Elections PG 2
Judgement: Too Harsh? PG 3
Daylight Saving Time PG 4
Redbirds for Excellence PG 6
THE THOUGHTS YOU NEED, EVERY TWO WEEKS
In t
he
Ind
y
J.R. LegitIndy Staff
A government for the people, ofthe people, and by the people. This leg-endarysentence,thatshookacountrytornapartbywaralmostahundredyearsago,isnowlongforgotteninourcountrytoday.Abraham Lincoln defined our government inaneighteenlinespeechinawaythatweshouldsetas the staple forhowourgov-ernmentshouldoperate,butitisn’thowitoperatesnowisit?Todaythegovernmentisn’tworriedasmuchaboutthepeopleinit,butratherthecorporationsthatkeepourrepresentativesinplace.Thepeopleinourcountrytoday,even,seemmoretobewor-ried about how they are going to fit their dailyStarbucksintotheirroutinethenac-tualchange. BackwhenAbewastalkingaboutpeople, the country was in a differentplace.Thelandscapewasravishedinwar,and everywhere he turned there seemedto be a problem. Lincoln, when talkingaboutpeople in theEmancipationProcla-mation,was referring to,well, thepeopleinhis republic thatwasdividedbyaveilofwar: people, humans, citizens,voters,students,warriors,men,women,children,allofthem.Butdidhemeancorporations?Whenhesaidthegovernmentwasforthepeople, didhemean thegovernmentwasforthecorporationsthatfeedoureconomy?Whenhesaidofthepeople,washerefer-ring to companies who now, unlike then,feedourrepresentativescampaignbids? Wellthesimpleanswerisno.Abelivedinamuchsimplertime,whereindoorplumbingwasanewcommoditythatbare-lyeventherichcouldafford,andtodayismandatory. Plainly, if you were to bringhimintomodernAmerica,Idon’tthinkhewouldknowwhattodo,andhemighthavediedanaturaldeathofshock. BeyondwhetherAbewouldlike,or survive, theworldwenow live in,hiswordsstillringtrue.Ournationwasfound-edontheprincipalthateveryone,nomat-terhisraceorcreed,hasavoice.Butnowa days, that definition of what people are haschanged.TherewasaSupremeCourt
decision recently that took away the capforcorporationstobeabletocontributetocampaigns.Thisisn’tjustmoney,butnow,it also allows corporations to constructtheirownadsandrunthemwhenevertheywant.Theydidthisina5-4decisionunderthecredo thatacorporation isconsideredtobeaperson,andthatpersonshouldnothave their first amendment rights infringed upon. JusticeAnthonyM.Kennedysaid,speaking for the majority who voted thisintolaw,“IftheFirstAmendmenthasanyforce, it prohibits congress from fining or jailingcitizens,orassociationsofcitizens,for simply engaging in political speech.”Andyouknowwhat,onthesurfaceIfeelthatJusticeKennedymakesavalidpoint,but here is the big elephant in the roomthatIseewhenreadingthis;“associationsof citizens.” When I look at that I don’tthinkofgroupsofcitizensbandedtogetherfor the sole purpose of making profit, and I doubt when this was written the fram-ers did either. They no doubt could notimaginetheworldwenowliveinandweshouldkeep that inmind,and lookat theFirstAmendmentinamodernsetting. Ihaveonebigquestionthatkeepshittin’meeverytimeIthinkofthisdecision.Inwhatwayshouldweconsideracorpora-tionaperson?Ipersonallydon’tseethemasone,andIcouldgouptoanyoneonthestreetandaskthemiftheyseecorporationsasone,andthemajoritywouldagreewithme,butyetourgovernmentstillseesthemasone.Acorporationisalivingentityinthesensethatitchangesandadapts,butitisn’talivingentitythatshouldbeheldonthesamelevelasacitizen.Ifacorporationisconsideredapersoninthesamemannerthat Iamconsideredaperson in thegov-ernment’seyes, thatmeans that ithas thesame say as me, a citizen. That thoughtmakes me ill. Why should a company,regardlessofwhat itdoes,have thesamevoiceasacitizen?! To dive a little deeper into theviewofacorporationbeingaperson,I’mstrickenwiththis thought;whatkindofapersonwould theybe? Thesolepurpose
Wanted:PoliticalCandidateforHire
Lisa SheltonIndy Staff Chicago’s Southwest side isbreathingasighofreliefaftera24yearoldpredatoraccusedofsexuallyassaultingatleast two teenage girls turned himself inlast week. One by one fingers are being pointedatsenatorsandotherauthorityof-ficials for sexually assaulting citizens and peopleworkingintheircampaigns.Count-less young women at ISU and campusesalloverthecountryexchangestoriesonaregular basis about being inappropriatelytouched by a male friend, classmate, orstranger.Weallhaveseenandheardaboutpeople drinking too much at parties andwakingupthenextdayunabletorecalltheeventsthathappenedthenightbefore. Posters hanging all over the Il-linois State University campus state thatsexualharassmentinhighereducationisil-legalundertheIllinoisHumanRightsAct.Itmayseemtoinsinuatethatsexualharass-mentinotherplacesisacceptable.Sexualharassmentinanyform,anyplace,andanycontextisillegal. An estimated 1 in 4 women incollegehasbeenavictimofsomeformofsexual harassment. American universitiesarelegallyobligatedtonotonlyadvisevic-timsof their rightsbutalsoestablishpre-ventiveprograms. Some people believe that sexualharassmenthasnothing todowithhighereducation. Although sexual harassmenthappens everywhere including gradeschool, high school, and the workplace,rape and sexual assault is the most com-mon violent crime committed on collegecampusesinAmerica. Womenbetweentheagesof16-24arefourtimesmorelikelytohaveasexualharassment encounter than other women.Thushigh school andcollegewomenaremoreatrisk.Also,college-agewomenaremoreatriskthanwomenofthesameagewhoarenot incollege.This isaccountedtopartiesthatgounsupervisedonaregularbasis,easyaccesstounlimitedamountsof
alcohol, and simply trusting some peopletooquickly. Women are advised not to puttheirdrinksdownatpartiesorclubs.En-joyingallthatcollegehastooffershouldn’tbeagreenlightforpeopletotakeadvan-tageofothersbutsometimesit is.Peopleshouldn’tbeafraidtowalkhomeatnightbut theyare.Howcanweprevent sexualassaultfromhappening? More importantly, who’s toblame? Is it the media for shoving sexedupimagesdownourthroatseverydayandnowasaresultafewpeoplebelievetheycan’tbedeniedinanycapacity?Issocietyatfaultforthewaysomepeoplechoosetoact?Aretheseactionsaresultofalapseinjudgment?Orisbecausesomepeoplejustreallyaremonsters? Only5%ofsexualassaultsareac-tuallyreported.Malesseldomreportsexu-alassaultanditgoesvirtuallyunnoticedinsociety.Mostvictimschoosenottospeakout.Mostsexualassaultvictimssharetheirencounterwithsomeoneclosetothemin-steadofthepolice.Victimswhochoosenottospeakoutagainsttheirattackersduetofear,embarrassment,orsomeformofper-sonalguilt. Victimsareafraidtheattackerwillseek revenge against them if they speakout. They are afraid no one will believethem. Some are not confident that anything willbedonetorectifythesituationorpre-vent it from happening to someone elseinthefuture.Thiswon’thappenifpeopledon’tcomeforward.Somefeelas if theyareat fault forbeing leftalonewith theirattacker. Wehave toaddress theact itselfas well as the person who committed it.Weneedtoaddressthereasonthesesexualpredators force themselves on someoneand invadeaperson’smost sacred space;theirbody. Maybe we shouldn’t have tospecifyhighereducation.Ratheritshouldbe that touching,fondling,andphysicallyhandling someone without their permis-sion is illegal especially in higher educa-tion where the problem seems to be theworst.
indyBloomington-Normal’s free independent paperThe Indy is a RegisteredStudent Organization atIllinois State University,CampusBox2700,Normal,IL,61790-2700.
BloomingtonstatesenatorBillBradyhas longbeenanembarrassment tohisconstituents in Bloomington-Normal, and now he finally has the chance to embarrass theRepublicanPartystatewide.OnMarch5,BradywasannouncedasthewinneroftheRepublicanprimaryforGovernor,beatingKirkDillardby193votes.Brady,runningapurelydownstatestealthcampaign,won20%oftheRepublicanvote,orapproximately8% of the total voters he’ll need in November. The day before he became the official Re-publicannominee,BradywascallingapressconferenceblamedPatQuinnfortheearlyrelease of Jonathon Phillips, who is charged in a Springfield murder. The only problem with this story: Phillips wasn’t one of the inmates released early to save money. ButBradydidn’tbothertoturnonhiscomputerandchecktheonlinelistoftheinmatesbeforecallingthepressconferencedenouncingQuinn.This“gaffe,”astheChicagoTribuneputit, reflects the indifference to the truth Bill Brady will bring to an entertaining campaign thatpreviouslyincludedhissponsorshipofabillcallingformasseuthanasiaofpets.
TheRepublicanAttorneyGeneralofVir-ginia,KenCuccinelliII,haswrittenalettertothestate’spubliccollegesdemandingthattheyrescindpolicies banning discrimination based on sexualorientation.According toCuccinelli,because thestatelegislaturehasn’tbanneddiscrimination,col-legescan’tdoso.Ofcourse,collegespasspoliciesallthetimeonsubjectsthatthelegislaturehasn’taddressed(suchasbanningcheating),andtheleg-islaturehasneverbannedcampuspoliciesprotect-ingequalrights.ButinthehomophobicworldoftheRepublicanParty,attackingequalrightsisconsideredgoodpolitics.
VirginiaAttorneyGeneralWantsAnti-GayColleges
Timehasseennoticeablechangesinwhat’sappropriatetobediscussed.Atonepoint,discussingfamilyhardshipswithfriendswasunheardof.Atother times, itwasawkward to talk toyourowndoctor aboutyourbody. In today’smedia that’snot thecase.Sortofanyway.Sadly, people still aren’t talkingabout their colons and these things need to be talkedabout.Colon cancer is one of the mostcommonlydiagnosedcancersintheUnitedStates. It typicallyaffectspeopleovertheageof50,butasof latetherehavebeencasesinpeopleasyoungas20.My ownmotherwasavictimtothiscancersimplybecause her symptoms were mis-diagnosed because of how young she was. In addi-tion, this cancer sometimes doesnot show symptomsuntilit’stoolate.I know it seems awkward, butsometimesyouhavetotalkaboutthose“unmention- able” parts of your body.Perhapsyouyourselfwon’tbeaffectedbythis,buteverypersonovertheageof50hasanincreasedchanceofgettingthisdisease.Somaybeyoudon’tneedtothinkaboutgettingthisdisease,butthinkaboutyourparents,aunts,uncles,andespeciallygrandparents.It’shardtotalkaboutthissortofthingwiththem,butit’simportant.Sometimesit’sthedif-ferencebetweenlivinganddying.
WanttoTalkAboutYourColon?
IfyouwantyourvoicetobeheardandyouwanttoseechangesmadearoundthecampusofIllinoisStateUniversity,thenvoteonthenewmembers of Student GovernmentAssociation March 30th and 31st oni.campus.Everyvotecounts!WithyourvotesSGAof2011-2012willbecomprisedofanewStudentBodyPresident,StudentBodyVicePresident,StudentBodyExecutiveDirector,StudentTrustee,SecretaryofDiversityAffairs,SecretaryofStudentFees,twoUnderRepresentativeSenator,fourOn-CampusSenators,andeightOff-CampusSenators. Sostopreadingandlookaround,yourfriendsandclassmatescouldberunningforanSGApositionandneedyourhelpwithvoting!Keepinmind you can vote for multipleOn-Campus and Off-Campus Senators,not just one!!! Notifications will appear on i.campus when Tuesday and Wednesdayrollsotaketwominutesoutofyourdaytovoteforyourvoicestobeheard,Redbirds!
TheBradyBunchofGaffes
March2010IndyIndy news 3for creating a corporation is for profit, plain andsimple.Whatkindofaddswouldacor-porationrun?Acorporationhasnomoralvoice, no thought process of the greatergood, just profit. Now sure there are cor-porations out there that are for a greatergood, but non-profit is in their title! Fur-thermore those non-for-profit corporations don’thave themoneytobeendorsing,orcreating add for candidates in any largemanner. So if a for-profit corporation is to beviewedasaperson,wouldtheynotbeasruthlessaspossibleinordertoachievetheirgoal,andinturncreateslanderousadsandcutthroatpracticestogetcandidatesintheirbackpockets? Let’stakeamomenttostepbackfor a second. We all know that corpora-tions have stepped in quite a bit in mod-ernAmerica. Asabuddyofmineputsoplainly, “In the fifties and sixties, they had justputtheirfeetinthedoor,butnowtheyaresittingbehind thedeskwith their feetupsmokingacigar.”Itisjusthowthingsgonow,afactoflifesotospeak.Withlob-byists and corporate money, the field for corporationstoplayin isendless. Ihavecometogripswiththatfact,butIhavenotcometogripswiththeideaofthembeingcategorizedasaperson.Imeanhonestly,howcouldyou? Here is a problem with the ideaofsayingthatcorporationsarepeople. It
takes my voice and puts a big huge muffle onit,whileatthesametime,handsthemamegaphone.Thisdecision,and to take itfurthercallingcorporationspeople,istak-ingawaywhat citizens, andcitizensonlyshouldhave;avoice.Whyshouldwecallcorporations people? For what purpose?So that thecorporationscanget their sayintoo,ofcourse.Butwhyshouldtheybeallowed to have that luxury?The people,thelivingbreathingpeople,arethewholepurpose of having a government. That iswhy the government is even in existencefor in the first place. Now, I am not naive enoughtosaythatwithoutcorporationstheworldwouldbeabetterplace,andIknowtheyareessentialtohaveaneconomy,butshouldn’tthecitizenbeputatthefrontoftheline? Iamnottheheadofamajorcor-poration. Hell, I’m nothing more than anaverage college student, so I don’t havevery much money. But if I happened togetabunchofpeoplelikemyselftobacka particular candidate for office, and I con-vincemyselftodonatemoney,andgetoth-ers to as well, that would no doubt helpthe candidate along. But herein lays theproblem.ThepossethatIwasabletogettogetherwouldneverbeabletodonateasmuchasacorporation.Candidatesnow-a-daysneedalotofmoneyinordertowin,soif acorporationcomesalonganddonates
a substantialamountofmoney to themitwillbeahugehelptotheroadtowinning.Now, once that candidate gets into office, inordertowinagainheorsheneedsthatmoneyfromthatcorporation.Sowhatdotheydo?Theyappeasethem,theyvoteonabill,ordraftone,orhell,justdowhatittakestohelpthemout.Sowhenitcomestime for reelection, do you think that thecandidatewilllistentomeandmyfriendsinwhatwehave to say?No,becausewedon’t donate as much and the candidateneedsmoneytowin. NowI’msurethattherearecan-didates out there who do run for office withgoodwillinmindandmaybeeventochangethevery thingIamtalkingabout,butitisplainandsimple;Inordertokeepyour office, you need that backing, you need toplay thatgame.So it leadsme tothis question, who do our representativesworkfor? They work for who the highestbidder is, plain and simple. My fatheris a lobbyist and he and I have this con-versation a lot. I’m not upset with whatmydaddoes,despitemyhugeoppositionto thecorporatevoice. Butonce,he toldme this and it put things in perspective.Hesaid,“Johnit’stheonlywayIcangetthingsdone.ThecorporationthatIrepre-sent wouldn’t be able to get things doneifitwasn’tformesteppinginandhelpin’
themout.Therearelawsthatarerestrict-ingthemtothepointofnotbeingabletofunctionanymore.”Knowingthat,Icametoanewperspectivetothewholeideaofthecorporatevoice. Theyshouldbeabletohavetheirvoiceknownandrepresented,butnotinthewayitcurrentlyis.Acorpo-ration shouldn’t overshadow the voice ofthecitizen. Right now, education needs anoverhaul. For the first time, the present generation is prospected to live shorterlives than the preceding one because ofobesity,anobscenenumberofpeopleareincarcerated,andhealthcareneedsreform,whether large or small it needs to be up-dated.Butitisallnothappening.Forabigpartbecauseour representativesaremoreworried about getting those dollars, thenworkingforthepeoplethey“represent.”Forthepeople.Butwhoarethe“people”anymore? Theirneeds tobeachangesothatmyvoice,andthevoiceofallcitizens,canbeheard,buthowthatcanhappen?Idon’tknowtheanswertothat.Thatques-tion needs to be answered by a personmuchsmarterthanmyself.SoinsteadIamrathergoingtoleaveyouwiththisthought,asgoodoldAbeputit,thegovernmentis,“for thepeople,of thepeople,andbythepeople.”Butisitanymore?Orisitratheragovernment formoney,of representativesforhire,andbythecorporations?
Wanted from page 1
Suzanne HollandIndy Staff
Throughout history some of theworld’sbiggestproblemshavebeensolvedby someone looking at the situation andsaying, “That’s not right.” Educationally,Jane Addams saw that children of lowersocioeconomic status weren’t getting theeducationthattheydeserved,sosheopenedtheHullHouseintheChicagoarea.Reli-giously,MartinLuthersawthattheCatho-licChurchwasworkingsomeshadydeal-ingsofitsown,likesellingindulgences,sohe made his “ninety five thesis” to change what he saw that was not right. Not thatI’mtryingtobethenextJaneAddamsorMartin Luther, but I look at how peoplejudgeothersontheISUcampusandIsaytomyself,thisisn’tright. Therehavebeenacountlessnum-berofinstancesandstorieswhereIoroneofmyfriendshavebeenunfairlyjudgedbyoneofmypeers.Forexample,nearthebe-ginningoftheyearmyfriendhadabigtestthatshestudiedforlongandhard.(PictureElleWoodsandtheLSATsforavisualim-age.)Afterthetest,sheandherfriendknewthat they had aced it. Once on the quadtheydidtheirvictorydancetosqueezeouttheir last bits of excitement. When theircelebrationendedmyfriendlookedaroundtoseethateveryoneintheirsightwasstar-ingatthemwithalookofextremedisap-proval.All theyhaddonewascelebrated;they acted like five-year-olds on Christmas morning. Did theydeserve the harshlooks of everyonejudging them likethat? In my opin-ion,no.Inmyopin-ion everyone elsewould have donethatsamethinghadthey gone throughthe same gruelingstudy process andreceived the samereward. A n o t h e rexample of extreme, unneeded and un-wanted judgment occurred on one of thefirst spring-like days of this year. The sun wasshining,thebirdsweresinging,andtomypleasantsurprise,whenIturnedonmymp3player,“Yeah”byUshercameon.(It’sanoldiebutagoodie!)Theaccumulationof
theseeventsputasmileuponmyface.Yes,itmightlookabitoddforsomeonetobewalkingalongwithahugesmileplasteredontheirface,butonsuchabeautifuldayitshouldn’tseemthatoutofplace.Iguesstooneboyitdidseemstupendouslyunusual.I walked past this boy and he gave me alookofdisgust.Hisfacecrinkledupinev-eryarea,hisheadretreatedbackalittlebitintohisneck,andheactually tookasteportwobackfromme.AfterIwalkedpasthimIcheckedmyteethforanyunknownfoodparticles…nothing.Ididthesnifftestonmyselftoseeifsomebodilyodorcouldhave rendered such a reaction… nothing.What could have possibly caused such areaction other than this boy judging mycheerful disposition? I would like to saythatwhenIrealizedIhadbeenavictimofextremejudgment,anarmyofheavy,darkcloudscamerollingintocoveranytraceofsunlightanddrownoutthebirdsandsomeawful80’spopsongcameburstingoutofmy headphones. However, none of thishappened.Iwassimplynolongersmilingonthewonderfulspringday. Now,Iamlookingattheseexam-plesandmanymoreofextremeverdictandIsaytomyself,thisisn’tright;whyisthishappening?Whenwewereyoungchildrenweweretaughtthatweshouldacceptev-eryone regardlessof theirdifferencesandcelebrate the diversity.When did we for-getthat?Iknowthatjudgingisasnaturalas breathing, but what you do with thosejudgments is what shows your character.
I judge othersevery day, butI would nevershowthatonmyface or throughmy actions be-causeI’mproba-blywrongaboutthatperson..Thenext time yousee someonewearing funnyclothes or act-ing unusual andyou want to
givethemafunnylook,thinktoyourself-“would I like it if they gave me a funnylookforbeingmyself?”Ifcollegeissup-posed to be a place where you find your-self, why aren’t we celebrating individu-ality? Let’s make this a better world onesilencedjudgmentatatime!
Judgement-HowHarshisTooHarsh?Outlaw29Indy Staff
The utility of a man learning thesocial dynamics of modern mating isto enhance fun and garner confidence incivilinteractions.Iparallelthisendgoal to the reason for collegiate ath-letics, particularly, the game of bas-ketball. My personal editor LawrenceB.McBrideconsistentlyposesaquestionregardingthegameofhoops:Whyshouldthat body of knowledge be less significant thananother?Lawrence’sintellectualchal-lengepromptedmythoroughconsiderationof the nuance coordination of team bas-ketball.Somuch is spokenovertly in thegameofhoopsthroughcoachingandplaycalling.Yet,muchoftheactioninthegameexhibitsasilentknowinganddoingtowardasharedgoalofscoring thebasketballordefendingthebasket. Fromone“game”to thenextanidearemains constant: performing a knowinganddoingtowardasharedgoal.Thedramaofhumanevolutioncanbenarrowedtoashared goal in our biology: copulation toproducehealthyprogeny.Just like incol-legebasketball,averbalcomponentexiststosexualcourtship.However,theprimaryactions toward copulation require a tacitknowing and doing. Converting a verbalinteraction into a physical one requiresknowing if interest exists, understandingwhen tophysicallyescalate sexual intent,knowing how to lead a women aroundavenue, thenout thedoor, and intoyourbedroom.Somecallitgettinglucky,otherscallitexecutingfromaplaybook.Amootquestionexistsamongthedatingsciencecommunityregardingtheutilityofbodylanguageindeterminingthesuccessofaninteractionwithawoman.Inmyper-sonal experience, body language is a tre-mendous tool and of primary importancein generating comfort toward complianceingettinganumberorFacebookcontact.IhavefoundthatwhenIdon’tmaintainthefull capacity of my physical countenanceusing posture and facial expressions, Iturnoffawoman’ssexualinterest.Puttingmyselfintohighlysocialenvironmentsre-quiresmetofocusonbeingunrelentinglypositive to presentmybest self for inter-actionsandcourtship.Myfavorite“game”court in town is The Medici. The floor plan of the restaurant is unique, the tap is forseriousbeerenthusiasts,andthestafftends
tobethecoolestonandofftheclock.Overthe summer and fall of 2009, I exercisedthebasicsinbeinggame(talkingtostrang-ers,storytelling,utilizingsocialproof)inthatenvironment.Alloftheseunderstand-ingswereoffmymindwhenIpatronizedthe restaurantamid-FebruaryWednesdayduringthecollegebasketballseason.WhenIwasdroppedoffatTheMedici,Istillhadmybackpackwithmefromadayoflearningwithfriends.CarryingmybagmademeawareofhowawkwardIappearedrelative to the crowd.Thedownstairsbarwas filled, so I ventured upstairs to get a ta-bleforaburger,beer,andnotetakingaboutthe significance of my day with friends. It was my surprise to find the first Univer-sityofNorthCarolinavs.DukeUniversitymen’s basketball game of the 2009-2010season on the upstairs big screen televi-sion. I have a unique relationship to theUniversity of North Carolina-Chapel Hill(U.N.C.).Myvisit to thecampusin2009furtheredmyspiritualandculturalunder-standingasaRastafarian.DuringthatvisitI also got a first hand experience regarding thevitalityoftherivalrybetweenCarolinaandDukeinthegameofbasketball.Thusmyattentionsshiftedtocatchinguponthecurrentplayersinvolvedintherivalry,andlearnwhyCarolinaishavingahorridsea-sonindefenseoftheir2009NCAATour-namenttitle. Myonlythinkingwastograbagreatvantage point to watch the game, placemyorder,andthengetcomfortabletakingnotesontheplaywhileeating.AfterIbe-gansortingthroughmybagforwritingma-terialsIrealizedthatIhadthecatbirdseatoftherestaurant.Iwasindirectviewofpa-tronsandstaffdownstairsallowingmetotracktheirmovements.Iheldadirecteyeline view with the staircase, upstairs bar,andalltheupstairstablesfrommyvantagepoint.Theexperiencewasakintobeingin“the zone”, for I could see the restaurant
SkillatWill
See Skill on Page 5:
March2010IndyCampus news4
John K WilsonIndy Founder
Duringthe2008Democraticpri-mary,HillaryClinton ranan infamousadagainstBarackObamaabouta3amphonecall.Well,at3amSunday,weknewwhatObama would be doing: he’d be sleep-ing soundly as an hour disappeared fromAmerica.It’scalledDaylightSavingTime,and this unconstitutional government-im-posedtheftofanhourrepresentstheuglyhandofsocialismtakingoverourcountry.It’s a typical Big Government program:stealanhourfromusinMarch,givebackour hour to us in November, and expectustobegratefulforgettingbackourownproperty.Wedon’tneedto“springforward”tosocialismor“fallback”tofascism.Daylight Saving Time was first established in1918byWoodrowWilson,thesocialistwho sought to create the League of Na-tions.Itreturnedin1942underthesocial-
ist Franklin Delano Roosevelt. And finally LyndonB.Johnson,creatorofthewelfarestate, signed The Uniform Time Act of1966intolaw. AsJonChristianRyter,authorofWhateverHappenedtoAmerica,notedontheconservativewebsiteNewsWithViews.com several years ago, “We still observeDaylightSavingTimelargelybecausetheFDR-mentalitysocialiststellusitmustbea money-saving proposition or else FDRwould not have created it.”According toRyter, “DaylightSavingsTimes isoneofthoseongoing liberalmyths”andhecon-cluded, “Let’s end this Freudian experi-mentwithlightanddarkness.” In 2005, Daylight Saving Timewas expanded from April-October toMarch-November.The reasonswerepuresocialism in nature.The hoax of “GlobalWarming”wasonereason,thegoalbeingtoreduceenergyusebyhavingmoreactiv-ityindaylight.AnotherreasonwastohaveHalloweenoccurduringDaylightSavingsTime.This“holiday”isthetraininggroundforthewelfarestatebyindoctrinatingkidsintotheideologyofthehandout. NowwehaveanexpandedDay-lightSavingTime,andwhatistheresult?A
bunchofdirtySanFranciscohippieswith-outjobsdon’twanttohavethesunshiningintheirlazyeyeswhiletheysleepthroughthemorning.Meanwhile,productive,hard-workingAmericansare forced todrive totheir jobs in the dark thanks to DaylightSavingTime,or“HippieTime”asIliketocallit. No doubt, liberal bloggers willpoint to the “fact” that George W. Bushwasthepresidentwhosignedthelawex-panding Daylight Saving Time, and Re-publicans controlled Congress in 2005.ButwhovotedforthislawintheSenate?That’sright,noneotherthanyourMessiah,BarackObama.Don’t let this liberal trick foolyou.Day-lightSavingTime,likethehousingbubble,the recession, TARP, unemployment, andthe massive deficits, are all the fault of Barack Obama because he was a senatorwhenthesethingshappened. The expanded Daylight SavingTime was first implemented in 2007, and lookatwhathappened.Oureconomybe-gan to go into a tailspin. Should this becalled the Obama Recession or the Day-lightSavingsTimeRecession?It’satoughcall.
DaylightSavingTimeisalsoun-constitutional.Iaskyou,exactlywhereinthe Constitution does it give the federalgovernment thepower tocontrol time?IftheFoundingFathersdidn’thaveDaylightSavingTime,itcan’tbepartoftheirorigi-nalintentfortheConstitution. If we let Obama and the federalgovernmentcontroltime,he’sgoingtocon-trolhealthcareandtheneverythingelseinourlives.WeneedaTimePartyMovementtogoalongwiththeTeaPartyMovement.MyadviceistogotoworkanhourlateonMonday,andeverydayafterthat. But that’s just a short termsolu-tion.Here’swhatweneedtodointhelongrun:privatizetime.Imagineifwejustout-sourced time to private industry. Compa-niescouldbid tobuy timeanddeterminewhether there is Daylight Saving Time,ratherthanthegovernmentimposingitonus.Ourclocks,likeourhealthcare,arebet-teroffwithoutgovernmentcontrol. The Invisible Big Hand and theInvisible Little Hand of the unregulatedfreemarketwouldexerttheinevitableper-fectionoffreeenterprisetodeterminethebesttime.
Obama Steals an HourfromAmerica
Blair WittigIndy Staff
BackwhenIattendedISU,studenthousingwasfairlyeasytoobtain-youhadahandfulofoptions,andaselectgroupofupperclassmentocompetewithfortheper-fectrental.WhenIheardaboutthehousingscrambletwoyearsago,Iwasaboutcon-fused-whyarethesekidscampingoutsideof SAMI overnight just to get an apart-ment? Sure, they had been renovating tritowers,HewettandManchester.Thoseareunderclassdorms,thosedon’tcount.WhenIheardtheyweretearingdownDunn/Bar-ton/Walker,Itmadesensewhydemandforhousingincreased.HavinglivedinDunn,Icangiveleewaytotheremoval,beingtheoldestdormsoncampus.Theroomsweremade of marble and steel, cracked andleakingwindows,noelevator access, andotherproblems.Whatconfoundedmewasthe need to build a high end LEED certified
Kinesiologybuildinginsteadofnewhous-ing. Corresponding news articles updatedmeonthenewplanforupperclassmenat-tending IllinoisState:highendapartmentcomplexes and a soon-to-be conceivedcomplex taking place of the south sidedorms.While theseoptionsseemfeasiblefor students, there remainominous issuesthatlingeratthesurface. Since 2008, the economic envi-ronmenthastakenaswiftnosediveduetocorporategreedand incompetence.Execsofmajorcompanieshavefailedtheirownprojectsandthosetheysupported,weaken-ingifnotbreakingthemajormarketsofournation.Sadly,manymajorheadsofcorpo-rationsandevenourgovernmenthavenotlearned their lesson. Swimming in debt,theystill trytocutendshereandthereattheexpenseofothersdowntherung.Thesepeople cannot afford to have this burdenplaced on their shoulders. This situationbranches out to every area of Americanservices, including college funding. Stu-dents are finding it harder and harder to acquirestudent loans.Thisdisgrace leadstolackoffundingforcollegeandstrappedcash.Collegestudentsarepooringeneral,consideringthedisgustingamountwepayforbooksalone.Housingisanothermajoreyesore.Forasmalltowntoofferhousingisonethingthatusedtobeachoiceinthistown. Forupperclassmen, it is theironlyoption now. With cheaper housing goinglike wildfire, some students’ only choice is new,highendhousing.Howcan theyaf-
fordthat?Isupposetheycouldmoveintothenewhousingcomplex. Older dorms cause a number ofhealth issues, making it beneficial to ren-ovate them. Stevenson hall, Tri Towers,Manchester and Hewett have been elimi-natedofasbestos.Thedecisiontodecom-mission instead of renovate South Sideraises a few questions: is it safe for thestudents to live in now? Would the costsof renovation over-budget the decommis-sion?InanarticlepostedinthePantagraphon December 23rd, there was talk of de-commissioningthesouthsidedormsfora“public-privatepartnership”,displacingupto1,500students.Theagreementhadbeenmade between the vice president of stu-dent affairs, SteveAdams, and city man-agerMarkPeterson.AccordingtoAdams,renovationwouldcostmorethantosimplyraisetheareaandsellittoprivateowners.Adamsstates,“With theeconomyas it istodayandthestate’seconomicsituation,itisnotprudentandthedollarsaren’tavail-abletobuildnewresidencehalls…”Surelyhedidn’thavethestudents’economicsta-tusinmindwhenhemadethisstatement.While building new apartments complexwouldbecheapertothecity,itstillharmsthe student’s pocketbook in the long run.Theincreasedrentalfeetoattractstudentstohigherendlivingalsosetstheperspec-tiveofacquiringstudentswhocomefromwealthy suburbs, who can afford these.Lookat itasaway toscammoremoneytopayofftheirdebts,orjusttotryandbal-
ance the cost of living with beautification of living expenses. The town of Normalhas renovated the entire town to bring inmore revenue, attracting potential newresidentsanddetractingstudents.Keepingthestudentsintheradiusoftheschoolandincreasingtheappealkeepsvalueup.Notonlydo they feel unheard andovertaxed,butalsounwanted. Alongside this project is a planto sell Carmike University theatres, akaUniversity Theatre, located just south ofthe train tracks; it remains just inside thebounds of campus territory. There havebeenafewdebatesoverthesaleofUniver-sitytheatrestobuildmorestudenthousingthan last year. While it would be beneficial toacquiremorehousinginthatarea,thereisaconcernofresidentialboundaries.Thislocation seems just to fit in the bounds, be-ing near many other student apartments.Older houses around campus have beenraised to make high end apartment com-plexes. It is only a matter of time beforespacerunsoutandthebordersofstudentsand residents raise concerns. In the end,it’sabiggrayarea:raisinglivingcostsforboth town residents and students remainsa heavy burden. While the beautification andmodernizationofcomplexesisappeal-ingtoneworreturningstudents,itmakesithardertoacquireadegree,spendingmoremoneyonlivingandlessoneducation.Ifwe’re going to cut costs, we have to cutthem where it matters. Keeping in mindeveryone’s voice will benefit them and in returnkeepgovernmenthonest.
SellingISU:Exec’sPlantoCapitalizeonStudentHousing
Kaylee BruffetIndy Staff
ForgetTheTexasChainsawMas-sacre; nothing says horror like a tub ofartificially buttered popcorn at the movie theatres. This is just one of the learnedlessons from one of the most frighteningmoviesyet,Food,Inc.,aninformative,ac-tivist-drivendocumentaryabouttheUnitedStatesfoodsystem.Fromfootageofwhatreallygoesoninsideofaslaughterhousetoburger jointsservingup theoccasionalE-coli,youmayjustloseyourgeneticallymodified lunch. Director Robert Kenner paints adisturbingpictureofhowthefoodweeatin theUnitedStateshasbecomeahazardtoourhealth.Heshowshowalmosteverysupermarket product contains high-fruc-
tose corn syrup and how it relates to thesameprocessthatpacksabused,immobilechickensintoprisoncoopswheretheyarebred for their oversized meat. Food, Inc.alsoshowshowthegovernmenttransformsfarms intocorn-fedcattle factories,whenmillionsofcowsstandknee-deepin theirownfecesandfromthereareslaughteredinto “meat filler;” followed by a cleans-ing of ammonia so everyone can affordthatdoublecheeseburgeroffofthedollarmenu. Thisdocumentary ishard to for-get; even days after watching you may find yourselfeatingasnack,realizingthatyouhavenoideawhatyournextbitecontainsif itwasnotgrownorganically.Althoughpayingfourdollarsforadozenoforganiceggs can get pricey, to some people it isworth knowing that they are eating howeveryAmericanshouldeat.
andcouldutilizemypositionandstatustogarnerattention.I’velearnedthatanumberonewaytogainattentionfromwomenistoignore them.This isespecially truewhenyouare ignoring themwhiledisplayingapassion. Such was the case on this nightatTheMedici,forIhadacompletetunnelvisionuponCarolina-Duke2010before Ievennoticedthehottestchickintheroom.TheHot-Chickwassittingwithabiggroupofclassmatesandaprofessorialtypeofmiddle-agedEuro-Americanmale.TheHot-Chickwaspositionedat theendofalongtableabouteightfeetawayata“twoo’clockangle”frommefacingforwardinmy seat.Yougot to love itwhenwomenwork their wares by sporting outfits that featuretheircleavage.ItwasveryapparentthatTheHot-Chickwasgivingtheoldguythemostattentionatthetable.YetslowlybutsurelyIfeltherglancinginmydirec-tion.Gamewason!Ichangedmyposturefrom sitting rigidly in my note taking toleaning back and taking up space. UpondoingthisTheHot-Chickcorrespondinglyshifted toward my direction while main-tainingeyecontactandconversationwiththe married guy flirting with her. Soon after thatIbegancheckingheroutfromheadtotoe. I didn’t lock in a stare, I held gazes
fortwotothreesecondintervalsandthenwould watch television. After doing thisbriefly she turned her gaze toward me and we locked eyes in a way that conveyedmutual attraction. The Hot-Chick brokeher gaze first and I let mine linger upon her lovelyfeatures,and likeanautoresponseshe flipped her hair to expose her neck line andpassedacaressofherhanddownherexposednecklinetofollowthroughonthemotion. Her body language was talkingtomeandshowedlikingbutherfaceandwords were rapt in conversation with theoldguy.I’veneverreallyhadthatexperiencebefore,knowingthatawomanwantsyoumore than the guy with whom she is insocial intercourse. Yet I’ve learned thatthe hair flip and neck caress are ultimate “tells”thatachickhasunconscioussexuallongingsforaguy.Forwomen,theneckisanerogenouszonethatisastraightshottothecrotch.So tacitly,TheHot-Chickwassayingto“comeoverhereandtalktome,I’mnotgoinghomewiththisdudetonightif you do.” My skill set was a bit over-extended to pull that stunt successfully. IstayedfocusedondocumentingtheU.N.Cvs.Dukegameandjustleanedbackandlis-tenedtosomeofthethingsTheHot-Chickhadtosaytothegroup.WhenIoverheardherspeakofgoingtoNorthernCalifornia,
Ifoundmy“in”totalktoher.YetIstilldidnotapproachthegroup,foronthisnightIwasjusttoocoolforthem.KnowingthatIwas inanon-verbalcommunication Ibe-gan todemonstratemyvaluebygoing tothebar andchattinguponeofmy favor-itebartenders. Imaderounds to talkwithafriendortwodownstairsasIwenttomybankforcashtopaymybill,thusshowingthat I’mcomfortable in thespaceandac-customedtostrikingupconversationswithpeople.Soonaftermypreening,TheHot-Chickmadeiteasyformetotalktoherbyleavinghergroupandgettingadrinkfromtheupstairsbar. I made my move just after she gotup,andchattedherupassheorderedandwaitedforherdrink.Theconversationwasbrief,but I soldmyselfwell.SomuchsothatIwentbacktomytableandwaitedforher.Sure enough shegotherdrink, set itdownwithhergroup,andthenlefthertabletocomeandexchangecontactinformationwithme.InaveryshortspanoftimeIwentfromchasingthegirltohavingherfollowme.Iknowthatthescaleissmallbutthepracticeiswhatcounts.Thisknowinganddoing was a new thing to me, but it wasobviously for the same goal of satiatingdesireandreceivingphysicalaffections.Icould have attempted to pull her back tomyplace,butjustaftermeetingTheHot-
ChickmyfriendNakedPartyGuy(NPG)arrivedtoshoottheshitwithmeandjoinedmytable.NPGisagreatpeoplepersonandthus threeof his friends showedup for adrinkatmytablesoonafterhisarrival.Mytable consisted of five people (four guys and one girl), three of whom I’ve nevermetbefore.Yet, inaveryshortperiodoftimeImadethestrangersfeelasiftheyhadbeenapartofmyteamallnight. The specifics won’t be revealed, but inthecourseofconversationwithmynewfriendsIwasabletodiscernthatTheLadyin the group was single and interested inmebaseduponthecontentofmycharacterinconversation.Again, thegiveawaywasthe hair flip, which The Lady did at least fifteen times while talking to me. What was evenbetterwasthataftershereturnedfromtherestroom,TheLadysatnexttomever-susacrossfromme.Givensomanysignsof liking I requested The Lady’s contactinformation,forsheisakeeperandmoremytypethanTheHot-Chick.Icansaythatwe’vegoneoutandwillprobablyhangoutagainifourschedulescoincide.EitherwayI’munconcernedwiththeoutcomebecauseI’m having fun learning how to be moreofamanformyself.IfIkeepthatendinmind,opportunitieswithwomencan rainlikethelegacyofthreepointshotsfromtheDukeoffenseunderMikeKrzyzewski.
Skill from page 3
Rebecca RussellVolunteer from the Ecology Action Center
It is a term you hear associatedwithmanytopics:Geneticallyengineeredfoods, destruction of the rainforests, de-molitionandpollutionoftheocean’scoralreefs,and the lossofendangeredspecies.Butwhatactuallyisbiodiversity,andwhyisitsoimportant? The earth is like a living organ-ism,butinsteadoforgansitcontainsmil-lionsofsmallecosystems.Thesenetworksare constantly recycling materials andmaintaining thefunctionof theearthasawhole. Biodiversity is a term associatedwiththevarietyofspeciescontainedinanygivenecosystem.Ahealthyvarietyofspe-ciesisessentialtotheoperationofecosys-tems.Someofthemostdiversehabitatsoftheworldareitsrainforestsandcoralreefs.These ecosystems contain a delicate bal-ancebetweenalloftheirplantandanimallife.
Ecosystems are delicate and complicated: The destruction of just part ofan ecosystem can be detrimental to theentirety of the network. There are manykinds of plants that depend on one specific insecttopollinateitwithotherplants.Of-tentimes, the influx of tourists to the trop-icscausesthestatetosprayinsecticidesasapreventativemeasureforthecomfortoftheir guests. However, making this kindof change in an ecosystem can destroymanymorespeciesthanthoseforwhichitisintended.Onethirdofthehumanfoodsupply (fruits and vegetables) depend onpollinators for survival.When insects areexterminated,humanscan losemore thantheirannoyancewithwhattheyconsidertobeapest. Tropical rainforests conceal atleastonehalfof theestimated30millionorganismson theplanet. One single treeintheAmazonhasbeenfoundtohouse43differentspeciesofants.Thatisthesameamount of species of ants found in all ofGreat Britain. Recently in Papua, NewGuinea,44previouslyunrecordedspeciesof animals were discovered. Observingthiskindofhiddenbiodiversity,manypeo-plehavestronginclinationstoprotect theorganismsoftherainforests.
Biodiversity is being lost:
Thelossofspeciesonourplanethasbeenincreasingsteadily.JaanSuurkula,M.D.ischairmanofPhysiciansandScientists forResponsible Application of Science andTechnology. He reported that the extinc-tionofspeciesinthe20thcenturyoccurredat a rate one thousand times higher thanthe average rate in the receding 65 mil-lionyears. Duringnatural formsof slowextinction, ecosystems have a chance toadapttothechangesintheirbalance.Thefast-paced extinction rate is predicted tocreatelarge-scaleagriculturalproblems.Research published in Environment NewService reports thatat the rateof lossweareexperiencingtoday,onethirdofallspe-ciesofplants,animals,andotherorganismscouldbelostduringthesecondhalfofthiscentury.Whenyoutakeintoaccountthatthepopulationrateissohighandthatcitiesandbusinessescontinuetoexpand,itcouldbe expected that more than the predictedamountmaybelost.One plant which is now protected for itsmedical value is the rosy periwinkle. ItwasfoundinMadagascarandcontainstwoalkaloidsthathavebeensuccessfulintreat-ing children with lymphocytic leukemiaand adults with Hodgkin’s disease. Themajority of known medicines (from coldmedicine to potential cures for cancer)comefromplants.Itfollowsthatmedicallyvaluable plants could go unnoticed whenthousands of unresearched plants are lostbecauseofdeforestationandotherformsofhumaninterferenceonnature.
Biodiversity as a safety mechanism:
Biodiversity helps to control thesafetyoftheecosystem.Avarietyofspe-ciesensuresnutrientstorageandrecyclingofsoil.Thisvarietyalsocontributestocli-mate stability and aids in the absorptionandbreakdownofpollution.Whennaturaldisastersordiseasesoccurinanecosystem,
alargegenepoolwillenabletheecosystemastrongrecovery. Biodiversity within a species al-lowsittosurvivewhatasinglestraincouldnot. Variety ingenes eliminates thewelldocumentedproblemsandgeneticdefectsassociatedwithinbreeding.Notonlythat,but themorevariety there isof a speciesthe greater survival rate there is when astrain-specific virus is encountered. Industrial agriculture threatens the biodi-versitywithinour foodsupply. Notonlydoesthatcutouroptionsforfood,butitisfinancially dangerous for farmers when it comestoplant-attackingdisease.In1999,avirussweptthroughthemonoculturesofcornintheAmericansouth.Over70%ofthe crop was lost. However, had severaldifferenttypesofthecropbeenallowedtogrow, the loss would have been reduced.Thisvulnerabilityisoneofthegreaterrisksassociatedwiththelossofbiodiversity.
Biodiversity and you:
It is important to realize that avulnerabilitytoourhabitatisalsoavulner-abilitytous.Manypeoplewanttoprotectbiodiversity for the awe instilled in thembyseeingacoralreeforatropicalrainfor-est.However,theimplicationsofthelossoftheseecosystemsismuchmorepersonalthataesthetics. Cleanair,medicines,foods,deco-rativeplants,andwoodproductsaregrant-ed to us from diverse ecosystems. Rain-forests protect surrounding villages fromflood and erosion, just as coral reefs help to cutthedamagetotheshorebywaves.Justasplantsdependoncertainenvironmentalconditions to operate, humans depend onthe operation of biologically diverse eco-systemsforoursurvival. However, thesesame delicate networks suffer dramaticdamage due to human interference. It istime that more humans interfere with the
loss of biodiversity being experiencedonearthtoday.Biodiversityisnowunderpressurebecauseoftheincreaseddemandondiverseecosys-tems. As theworldpopulation increases,andtheneedforlandandresourcesgrows,thedemandsonourenvironmentbecomeverystrong.LiteraturebyDunlap&Cat-ton summarizes human relationship withtheenvironment:“humansocietiesneces-sarily exploit the surrounding ecosystemsin order to survive, but societies that flour-ishtotheextentofoverexploitingtheeco-systemmaydestroythebasisoftheirownsurvival”. Letusnotblindlywanderintothedestructionofourhabitat.
What can you do?:
An operation called RainforestConcern works to protect the people andhabitatsofthetropicalrainforests.Youcancontributetotheircause“adopting”anacreof rainforest, or by becoming a memberandgivingapledge.Onehelpfulprogramrunby thisgroupworks tounify isolatedsectionsofrainforest.Thishelpstoprotectagainst loss of biodiversity through stop-pingthefragmentationofgenepools.The Center for Ecosystem Survival pro-vides you with opportunities to adopt anacreofrainforestoranacreofcoralreef.Theyalsoprovideinternshipopportunitiesandcommunityeducation. Lastly,youcanhelpprotectbiodi-versitybysupportingsustainablebusiness.Certified organic foods, Fair Trade goods, andevenBen&Jerry’sconducttheirbusi-nessesinawaythathaslittlenegativeim-pactontheenvironment.
Visitwebsiteslikewww.globalissues.org,www.ran.org, www.rainforestconcern.org,or www.savenature.org for informationaboutwhatisbeingdonetoprotectbiodi-versityandhowyoucanhelp.
DiversityofLife
March2010IndyIndy news6Enhancing student life
-tenantunion
-Redboxinthebone
-generaleducationreform
-onlinecareerlibrary
-buspocketmaps
Student Wellness
-btudenthealthadvisoryboard
-residencehallsafetyandsecurity
-healthyfoodoptionsindiningcenters
Affordability
- flex dollar roll-over
-clickerlending
-textbookexchangefair
-MAPgrant
-FAFSAworkshops
-studentappealsboard
Civic Engagement
-votereducation
-streamliningregistration
-communityoutreach
Transparency
-budgetvisibility
-revampedSGAwebsite
-livestreamedSGAmeetings
VoteforExcellenceMarch30-31onicampus
RedbirdsforExcellenceiscomprisedofstudentsfrommanydiverseorganizations,includingareagovern-ments,campusinvolvement,Greeklife,manyofthecollegeorientatedRSOs,aswellasbeingenrolledinavarietyofcollegesaroundcampus.Thesediverseindividualswillbringanewandfreshperspectivetostudentgovernmentwhichwillenablemanychangestobepursuedandaccomplished.Ourmaingoalistobenefit the entire student body and campus community by making those changes that we all wish to see. Wewilldosobyfocusingoncivicengagement,affordability,enhancingstudentlife,studentwellness,andtransparency.
Ah, the Olympics!Few events in our livesare able to rouse suchnationalism and pride inthe inhabitantsofourna-tion. The excitement ofwatching our team fight forgoldandtocheerthemonineveryevent,regard-lessofwhetherornotyouknowwhatisgoingon,issimply inspiring. Theseadrenaline pumpingsports, like curling, thelikes of which I only seeevery4years,glareonthescreen as I hear the everrepetitive Olympic Spiritby John Williams; it allinspiresmetogoontomyFacebookandchangemystatus to nothing except,FuckCanada. Wait, Fuck Cana-da?Where did that comefrom? Oh right! Theybeatusinhockeyandbe-forethatwewererivalingtheminalmosteveryoth-erevent.Butwaitjustone
moresecond,isthisnotaninterna-tionalevent?Isn’tthewholeworldwatching, not only the athletes
themselves, but with Facebook and theinternet,thewordsandactionsoftheciti-zensthemselves?Also,whatofthissuddendislike for Canada? Granted, throughouttheyears,therehavebeenmanyaCanadajoke,totallyunprovoked,andtotopitoff,I’veprobablyheardeverystupidAmericantrytopassofsaying“Eh??”asthoughtheywere the first person to have thought of it. Again,Iask,why?It’snotlikeCanadaisBradley,althoughthisrivalrytooisriddledwith Buck Fradley tshirts and commentseverytimeourtwomen’sbasketballteamsmeet. Not only has Canada done nothingtoprovokethiskindofbehavior,buttheyhave also been voted one of the nicestcountries around. And Canada is knownfor their hockey, just look at the handfulof Blackhawks who are from there, so Idon’tevenwanttothinkaboutwhatwouldhavehappenediftheywouldhavelosttheOlympic gold. America fought a good fight butwedon’tbreed thebesthockeyplay-ers. Evenon theTeamCanadaFace-bookpage,Canadiansalloverrootfortheirteamwithpride,whilewishingwelltoallof the other teams they compete against.When a Canadian wins the gold and anAmerican gets second, Canada praisestheir winner and also makes supportivecommentsabouttheteamstheycompetedagainst.IfAmericawins,itisbasicallythesamething,exceptnowwebragabouthowawesomewethinkweare.Whatcouldbethecauseofallthis?Oneidiotactuallyhad
the stupidity and gusto to point out thatCanadadidn’tsendenoughoftheirtroopstoeitherAfghanistanorIraq.Yes,Canadadidnotsendnearlyasmanytroopsaswedid into a war that was strongly opposedbymuchoftheworldandsenttheoverallopinionoftheUScrashingtotheground.It really is appalling just how bleedingethnocentricweare,inaworldwhereitisnecessarytobeanythingbut.Wehavelit-erallynograsponhowtherestoftheworldthinksofusor,quitefrankly,whatisgoingonbeyondourborders. We really need to show morecompassion towards other nations in fu-tureOlympicgames,regardlessofwhetheror not we have rivaled ourselves againstthem.Wemustbemoregraciousindefeat.Therestoftheworldiswatching,let’snotscrewitupbywearingCuckFanadaor,inthefuture,aLuckFondonshirt,shallwe?The world has enough reasons to dislikeus, let’s not fuel the fire.
Sportsmanship:AnUn-AmericanTradition
March2010IndyIndy news 7
John K.W.Indy Staff
As a sideshow tohealth care re-form, advocates for student affordabilitymay finally get a great reform that’s taken years to accomplish: direct student lend-ing.Foryears,privatebankshave loanedmoney tocollegestudents,while the fed-eral government guaranteed the money.All profit, no risk. No wonder they’re desperate to hang onto a program whenan estimated $67 billion could be savedbytaxpayersoverthenext11years.Evenin Washington, that’s what they call realmoney.ConservativesinCongressarethebiggestadvocatesofthiscronycapitalism,disprovingonceand for all the laughableclaims of Republicans to be the fiscally-re-sponsibleparty. Butlikeeverythingelseinthisex-tendedsillyseasonofpolitics,thefarrightisattackingdirectstudentlendingasavastgovernmentconspiracytotakeoverhighereducationinAmerica. PeterWood,headoftheNationalAssociation of Scholars, worries about“the specter of federal control ofAmeri-canhighereducation.‘Obamaloans’mayseem benign but they threaten academicfreedom and may compromise the qual-ityofacademicprograms.”Woodisdeadwrong.Thereisnopossiblethreattoaca-demicfreedomorthequalityofacademicprogramsfromreformingthestudentloansystem.Ultimately,itdoesn’tmattertostu-dentsorcollegeswhetherthecheckcomesfrom a bank or the federal government.It only matters to the taxpayers (and the
bank’sinvestors). Yet according to Wood, “It willmakeAmericanhigher educationextraor-dinarily vulnerable to political interfer-ence.WillCongress,presidentialadminis-trations,andtheDepartmentofEducationresist the temptation to misuse their newpower?” Whatnew power?Therehasbeenonlyoneclear-cutabuseoftheold power theg o v e r n m e n thasalwayshadsince studentloan programbegan, and itwascheeredbyconservatives.Conservativesdidn’t mindwhentheSolo-mon Amend-mentforcedallprivate colleg-es that acceptany federalfunds to allowdiscriminatorymilitary recruiters on theirprivate property, nor did conservativesmindwhentheSupremeCourtupheldthisviolationsofprivatepropertyrightsbythegovernment.However, this threathadab-solutelynothingtodowiththemanneroffinancing student loans. The real fear of the right is thatmore students may get a college educa-tion.AshleyWoodoftheNASproclaims,
“Voila!Thegreatmajorityofcollegestu-dents are instantly long-term governmentclients who will spend the first decades of theirworkinglivespayingdowntheirdebttoObamaLoans.”Voila?Collegestudentsalreadyaregovernment“clients”whoowemoneytothegovernmentiftheyfailtopay
their loans.Under theBush Ad-m i n i s t r a -tion, didWood de-n o u n c ethe “BushLoans” stu-dents re-ceived? Sadly,the rightwing hasb e c o m eso hate-ful of aca-demia thatthey actu-ally opposeO b a m a ’ sidea of en-
couragingmorestudentstoattendcollege.Thus, we get nonsensical blathering likeWood’s claim that “Obama Ed threatensto destroy higher education by making itthe intellectualequivalentof today’shighschools.Collegeforeveryoneregardlessofability is college for no one.” Expandingaccess to higher education doesn’t lowerthequalityofeducation.Thiswasthefearexpressed by many elitists after World
WarIIwhentheGIBillwaspassed,anditturnedouttobecompletelywrong. According toWood,“TheDirectLending systemwouldcreateanunparal-leledchokepointoverhighereducation….thechokepointwillbeusedtoforcecolleg-esanduniversitiestoscaleupandeliminateobstacles to expansion.” What nonsense.Exactly how can the federal governmentforceanycollegestoacceptmorestudents?Nevermindthefactthatmanycollegesarethrilledtohavemorestudents,butalloftheparanoiaintheworldstillwon’thelpthisabsurdtheorymakeanysense. Wood claims, “We might wellendupwiththeeducationalequivalentof‘death panels.’” I couldn’t have come upwith a better analogy than that. Just as“deathpanels”wereapurelyimaginaryliespoutedbyhalf-witright-wingnutjobslikeSarah Palin, Wood’s conspiracy theoriesareitseducationalequivalent. Wood’s theory (and the supportfromother thoughtfulconservatives, suchastheblogCriticalMass)revealsaworri-somedevelopmentontheright,whereim-plausibleconspiracytheoriesarebecomingthe dominant ideology of the RepublicanParty, pushed on a daily basis by GlennBeck and Rush Limbaugh, who actuallyimagines thatBarackObamais intention-allydestroyingtheeconomytosolidifyhispower. Encouraging more students toget a college education will not lead tothe death of civilization.A change in ac-counting practices for student loans willnot cause the federal government to takeoverhighereducation.AndDirectStudentLoanswillnotdestroyAmerica.
Areyoucravingachocolatecan-dy bar that melts in your mouth? Just find $1.50 and it can buy you a nice Hersheybar from an ISU vending machine, buthaveyoueverwonderedwherethatcocoacomesfrom?Weallprobablyknowthatitcomesfromtreesintropicalregions.Butdidyouknowthatthecocoabeansusedinmaking your Nestle chocolate milk mixweregrownandharvested,potentially,buychildrenwhoareunpaidandsoldintotheworkforce?Thegiantcandycorporations,likesomanyothergreatcorporations,of-ten takeadvantageofunder-paid,orevenunpaid,unhealthylabor. On March 18, Hamilton-WhitonRA’spromotedfairtradebyofferingsam-plesofchocolate.Fairtradeproductscanextendfromchocolate,tocoffeebeans,totea,butcanalsoincludegoodsbeyondthefoodanddrinkindustries.Farmers,labor-ers,manufacturers,andsellersareheldtocertainstandards,andhonestpractices,bythebasicprinciplesbehindfairtrade. Thepurposeoffairtradeistopro-motehonesty.Laborersaregivenalivingwage—that is, awageonwhicha familycan live according to the country’s cur-rent wages and standards. Producers arerequired to provide healthy, safe workingconditions. The products may be a littlemore expensive in the end, but fair tradealso benefits the public. Every step of a productscreation,storage,shippingmeth-od,processing,andsaleisopentothepub-lic. Thosewhochoose tomayknowex-actlyhowmanybeanswereharvestedforonepackageofcoffee.Theproducersalsoare benefited by the sale of their products, butthereisanexpectationthatthesaleandpriceswillbehonestandunbiased. Approximately40percent of theworld’scocoasupplycomesfromslavela-borintheIvoryCoast.MorecomesfromSouthAmerica. Many workers make al-mostnomoney,andstarvationcandepend
oncropsuccess.Withfairtrade,thereisapotential toprovideforafamily, thepub-licwell-being,andtheeconomy,evenwithcropfailure.FairTradeishonest,healthy,traditional trade, and it shows us that thepeople of the past had some wisdom.Don’t cheatothers, andyouwill reap thebenefits. Couldn’t this concept be em-ployed in other areas? The children inChinashouldgetdecentwagesforthetoysandclothesbeingsoldatWalmart.AndtheworkersatWalmartshouldgetdiscountsonhealthyfood.Ibelievethisisanexamplebeingsetbyfairtradeorganizations.Itistime for corporations to look past moneyand return to how humanity used to be.Thecornerstore, runby lovedneighbors,usedtocarryproducegrownandharvestedby an American farmer. Root Beer wasmade by local breweries, not mass-pro-duced in vats. And grandfathers carveddollsforthegirlsinthefamily,whilelocalcottage industries handcrafted dishes andclothingfordecentpricesaccordingtothetimes. Peopleweresometimesdishonest,andAmericansarenotwithoutfaultwhenit comes to exploiting minorities. Butfair trade sets an example, andhighlightsthedecency thatbusinessesused tohave.Nowadays, your fur-lined boots mighthavebeenmadebyunderpaidworkers inothernations,doomedtodestroythelivesof innocent stray animals. They weren’tmadeby ahunterwhohumanelykilled agameanimalandusedthemeattofeedhisfamily while his wife sewed the hides tomakethoseboots. Next timeyoupurchaseabagofMM’s from thevendingmachines,pleaseaskyourself this:whereismymoneygo-ing?Whatisinsideeachpieceofcandy?Who is benefiting from this candy, other thanme?FairTradeasksthesequestionsand shows us what we should invest in:thebusinessofhonesty, respect,andhardwork,knowledge,andintegrity. Thecor-porationsmusttakeresponsibilityandstoptakingadvantageoftheunderdogsofsoci-ety.
EachyeartheStudentGovernmentAssociationtakespartinaprocessthathelpsdecidehow YOUR Student Fee dollars are to be spent for the next fiscal year. DifferentprojectscanbeundertakeneachyearthroughthereallocationofStudentFees,orthroughanincreaseinthedollaramountthateachincomingstudentpays.Alistofprojects for the next fiscal year is below, along with the fee structure for the past several years: GeneralFeesPerHour ForIncomingStudents Fall2005 $46.70 Fall2006 $52.45 Fall2007 $56.91 Fall2008 $60.40 Fall2009 $64.30
oImplementchangesinorganizationalcharttoaddressnewdemandsofthisfacility-BoneMasterplanning-CompletenecessaryrepairstotheBoneStudentCenter- Provide online alcohol assessment tool for first-year students-Expandandenhancepsychiatricservices-Remodelingofexistingspacetoaddressneeds(SHS/DisabilityConcerns)-Accreditation(StudentCounselingServices)PrioritiesfornextfallthroughStudentFeeIncrease-SalaryincreasesifapprovedbyPresidentBowman-ContractualagreementssuchasRedbirdRide&NiteRidePrograms-StudentReferendumtobuildSF&KRFacility
HowareYOURStudentFee’sSpent?
March2010IndyIndy baCkpage news 8
Easy Hard
Jon KindsethIndy Staff
As we move into this next 2010decade,oneofthekeyissuesintheevolv-ing of municipal governments will cer-tainly be centered around IT issues, andmore specifically in areas like the internet, websites,andsocialmediausage.Eachofthesetechnologies,thoughinterdependent,haveunique characteristicswhich requiretheneedforpoliciesregardingusage/non-usage.Thispaperwillmovetoexplaintheapplication, implications, and ramifica-tions of public organizations using socialnetworkstoachievedesiredgoals. Therecentandrapidexpansionofsocial networks has become so common-placeinaevergrowingpercentageofcon-stituents,thatpublicandprivateorganiza-tionsalike,cannolongerignorethem.Ithasbecometheelephantintheroom,caus-ingmanyorganizations,morethan50per-cent,toinitiallybantheusageofMySpaceand Facebook, primarily for privacy andproductivity reasons (Towns). These so-cial networks have become a dominatecommunication method for many people,somuchsothatorganizationshavebeganto reconsider such strict policies. Manyorganizationsareseeingthepotentialben-efits of allowing or even promoting the us-ageofanyformofcommunicationwhichincreases internal or external efficiency. One thing that is crucial point to under-standwhenlookingatpublicorganizationsisthattheremaybesomesortoftrend,yetorganizations vary widely in their viewsand acceptance of social networks andtheirusage. Tobemoreclear,theusageofso-cialnetworkingasatool,requiresamoreadvanced IT capability and function thanmany organization have, particularly in
thepublicsector.Overall,innearlyeveryway,thepublicsectorremainsbehindpri-vatesectorincomputerization(Rocheleau).Evenbeforeanorganizationcanreallyin-corporate theusageof socialnetworks, itneeds a functional and flexible website. Itcannotyetbeanexpectationthateverypublicorganizationevenhaveawebpage,as at least 20 percent of local govern-mentsdonotmaintain awebsite (Tolbert& Mossberger). For most functional ap-plicationofsocialnetworksasatooltheyareincorporatedintoanagency’swebsite.Thewebsiteservesalibraryofinformationandpictures,whereassocialnetworkspro-videanadditionalcommunicationchannelto individuals in that organization. Thiscomputermediatedcommunicationaswayofincreasingcitizenawarenessandpartici-pationseemstobebiggestgainthatsocialnetworksprovide. Althoughintheory,thismayseemto make organizations more democraticthrough increased engagement, yet it canalso be discriminatory towards the poorandthoselackingcomputingskills.Thesesocialnetworkscanbeusedtogreatlyad-vantagecertainpoliticiansorevencertainissues.Thoughitisrapidlychangingthereis still a large percentage of Americanswho are not online, particularly in someage groups and demographics. There iscertainly a benefit to always adding more waysofcommunicationwithinanorgani-zation,aswellas to theexternalenviron-ment,yetasapublicorganizationthereisanextraburdenofequity.Legaldepartmentsrepresenting public organizations nation-wide scramble to reconcile and reasonasto where these benefits are worth the legal questionsthatalsoarisefromtheusageofsocialnetworks.Hopefullysecuringsomelegal protections, for their agency, beforebeingdraggedintoalitigiouscaselawsuit. As mentioned there are fewer
expectations to social equity and equal-ity of access in the usage of CMCs andsocial networks in private sector than inthepublicsector.ThisgetThisgetstotheideaandoriginalintentofGovernment2.0,whichisequityofinformationandaccesstopublicinstitutions.E-governanceistheintegrationof thewebsiteandCMCsintothe organization’s decision and rulemak-ingprocess,thiscanveryquicklybecomeundemocratic if there is disproportionaterepresentationofcertain interests. Publicorganizations cannot simply replicate theprivate sector’s experience of incorporat-ing social networks, without taking addi-tionalstepsforsecurity,privacy,andtrans-parencyobjectives. The federal government has ledtheway inpromoting theusageof socialmedia,yetissuessuchthelegalliabilities,and freedom of information remain to betested in the courts. Many organizationshave found that CMC are less inhibitiveagainsttemperatestatements,itiseasyforaminoritypartytomonopolizethischan-nelofcommunication.Organizationshavefound that social media sites usually re-quiresomemoderator,whichcanbeverypoliticalandraisemanylegalfreespeechissues. For example, does the usage ofonline communication by elected officials before a public meeting violate sunshinelaws? Or does moderating organizationblogs and online postings infringe uponcitizensrightsoffreespeech? There are countless examples ofpublic organizations which have success-fully incorporated social media into theirorganization’s IT functions and capabili-ties. Mosthavedonesoasawayofcut-ting communication costs and increasingconstituentinput.Socialmediagivestheseorganizations access to large sectors ofpeople with relatively no cost, compara-tively (Wilkinson). Many organizationshave found it simpler to use these socialmedia sites as a one communication toolwithout allowing for feedback through
the same media. Rather than have a fulltimemoderator,organizationshavestartedto restrict external postings and blogs bynonemployees (Trenkner). This usage ofsocialmediaonlyforbroadcastingout, iswhatIwouldtermGov.1.5. The use of social media as abroadcasttoolislikelytobemorecommonaspublicorganizationsarewaitingfortheprivatesectortoestablishsomemodelsandpoliciesforfullintegrationofsocialmediasitesintoorganizationalstructures.Socialmedia,blogs,andonlineforumsaremorelikely to be used internally to increasecommunication and process efficiency, thantheyareexternally.Thisapplicationofsocialnetworksisarguablylessproductiveand efficient; however it provides fewer legal quagmires for public organizations.Justhavingsocialmediaincorporatedintoapublicagency’swebsitegivesapositiveperception of increased responsivenessandtrust.Aswecontinuetomoveintothefuture,itcanbeexpectedthattheseissueswill become increasingly divisive untilthereislegalprecedenttoguidethefutureoftheseformsofcommunicationbypublicorganizations.
![Master Project Report · Indy SDK [10], Indy Node [11], and Indy Plenum [12] compose Indy. A diagram of the custom RBFT implementation of Indy Plenum is inAppendix A. Indy SDK is](https://static.documents.pub/doc/80x56/611a87f97c493c5d4621736a/master-project-report-indy-sdk-10-indy-node-11-and-indy-plenum-12-compose.jpg)
