Apr. 4, 2007 | The Reflector

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Reflector April 4, 2007

Norouz: A celebration of life UIndy hosts international dinner to observe Persian New Year

By Stephanie Little Staff Writer

Ryan Wood/The Reflector

Members of the Aftab Persian Dance Group perform a classic Persian dance at the Norouz international dinner on March 21.

The International Division and University of Indianapolis students from Iran hosted this year’s International Dinner on March 21. The dinner celebrated Norouz, the Persian New Year and a celebration of life.

The menu included beef and chicken kabobs, pita bread and baklava, an Iranian pastry. Senior Payam Mohammad was the emcee of the event and introduced the Afrtab Persian Dance Group and Medhi Kemmati, who played the santur, a stringed instrument that sounds like a harp or piano.

International student adviser Geri Watson said she was very impressed with the attendance at this year’s international dinner.

A lot of this attendance was due

See NEW YEAR, Page 3

Vol . 85 / Issue 10

Police investigate school year’s second fire as arson

By Shelly Grimes Managing Editor University of Indianapolis Police and Perry Township arson investigators are looking into a fire that occurred in Cory Bretz Hall on March 7. The fire is the second one to occur on the second-floor men’s side of the residence hall this school year.

According to a University of Indianapolis Police Department incident report, a residence hall door was set on fire sometime early that morning or late the previous night.

Custodian Linda Stevens noticed several burnt pieces of paper in front of a door to one of the rooms during her 8 a.m. rounds. She also noticed that the door and carpet had burn marks, and she contacted authorities.

“It’s fortunate that the fire extinguished itself,” said Chief of Police Keith Smith.

“It scorched the carpet, but it could have been much worse.”

No one was injured in the incident, and according to Physical Plant Director Ken Piepenbrink, damage was minimal. The door had to be refinished, and the carpet had to be cleaned but will not have to be replaced.

According to the report, resident Lance Lasker had returned to his room at 11 p.m. the previous night and had noticed no burn marks on the door at that time.

When his roommate, Erick Kummings, left for class that morning at 7:50 a.m., he noticed the burnt door but could not find a resident assistant to report the incident.

When he returned from class an hour later, police and Perry Township arson

investigators were at the scene. According to UIndy Police Officer Jeff Hammond, the fire had been out for a while by the time officers came to investigate because there was no smell of smoke in the hall.

“The arson squad is called any time it appears a fire is intentionally set,” Smith said. “The fact that paper on the door was burned with no obvious source of ignition, such as a candle or pilot light or anything… the assumption is that the items were set on fire.”

Police have no suspects at this time but continue to investigate the incident.

Dean of Students Kory Vitangeli said that resident assistants spoke individually to the students on the floor and as a group at a floor meeting. Each student filled out a police statement.

For many of these Cory Bretz residents, this situation feels all-too-familiar. In late

See FIRE, Page 3

If you have tips regarding the fire, contact: Campus Police, 788-3333 ksmith@uindy.edu

UIndy discusses expansion and renovation of buildings on the east side of campus

By Sami Shelton Staff Writer The University of Indianapolis is planning to expand Schwitzer Student Center and renovate Ruth Lilly Fitness Center.

According to Michael Braughton, vice president for business and finance, all current plans are tentative and waiting on the projected costs from the architects.

“We’re still in the early planning stages,” Braughton said. “We are waiting on the numbers from the architects so we will know how much we will need to borrow.”

The Schwitzer Student Center expansion and the Ruth Lilly Fitness Center renovation are both priorities stated in the university’s Master Plan. The plan was put together after university officials met with groups of students, faculty and staff to find out what their needs were.

Contents of the Master Plan are used to fulfill the university’s Strategic Plan in order to improve and maintain the quality

of education provided.

The tentative plan for Schwitzer Student Center is a 25,000-square-foot addition to the east side of the building, including a possible second story. The space would include a multipurpose room with collapsible walls, as well as a larger area for The Perk and a second grill-type food service. Also planned is the addition of fitness equipment complete with showers and locker rooms.

Ken Piepenbrink, director of the Physical Plant, said in the Feb. 7 issue of The Reflector that the university “is a campus of convenience.” The expansion is intended not only to make the student center more convenient for students, but also to better serve UIndy financially.

According to Braughton, many businesses want to hold conferences on college campuses. The university has not held many of these conferences because of lack of space. With the added room in the Schwitzer Student Center, Braughton believes more businesses will be attracted to UIndy, which would financially benefit

New ISG executive board named

the university.

UIndy also is planning to renovate the Ruth Lilly Fitness Center facilities, including the renovation of Key Stadium.

Plans show coaches’ offices and locker rooms being built outside the stadium to serve the athletic teams better. This addition would open up more space inside Ruth Lilly Fitness Center for classrooms and teaching areas for Kinesiology, Athletic Training and possibly Physical and Occupational Therapy.

“The original intent of Ruth Lilly was for recreational space for students, not to be taken over by athletes,” Braughton said. “We want to give non-athlete students a place for recreation, where they won’t feel intimidated.”

Effects of the construction will include a temporary loss of parking. Once both projects are finished, 200 new parking spaces will be created as well as an access road to National Avenue.

The projected start of both projects is late summer 2007. Currently, completion is scheduled for fall of 2008.

By Adrian Kendrick Staff Writer

The 2007-2008 Indianapolis Student Government swore in its new executive board on Friday, March 30. New ISG executives are from left to right: Junior Katy Smith, vice president; junior Stephanie Parsons, secretary; sophomore Isaac Hughes, treasurer and junior Kevin Dunleavy, president.

UIndy hopes to begin renovating the Ruth Lilly Fitness Center and expanding the Schwitzer Student Center by late this summer.

Student gov’t plans Spring Fling event for students ISG uses left over $25,000 to bring bands and carnival to campus

Katy Yeiser/ The Reflector

Sami Shelton/ The Reflector

The Indianapolis Student Government has decided to host an event called Spring Fling with the $25,000 that was discovered earlier this year.

The fund includes money left over from previous Student Activity Fees.

“We (ISG) thought it would be something different,” said Susan Decker-Martin, president of ISG. “We thought this would be something the students would be interested in.”

During the week of Spring Fling, April 21-28, a different student organization will host an event every night for the students. One of the many events is a Final Relief Party that will be hosted by the Black Student Association. The last day of the event will include a concert featuring Skillet and Flyleaf and also a carnival.

“We’re excited,” said ISG Treasurer Isaac Hughes, “but we’re still waiting on some organizations to confirm some plans.”

According to Decker-Martin and Hughes, going to Spring Fling will be a good way to take a break from studying for finals, get out of the dorms and take part in an event that’s not normally held.

“We are hoping to make this a tradition,” Decker- Martin said. “Different colleges such as Purdue, Butler and IU do this also, and this will be the last big event for seniors.”

Future Spring Fling weeks will be funded by the Student Activity Fee. According to Decker-Martin, many other campus organizations are requesting money from the SAF to fund their activities. ISG’s budget also will allow organizations to host future events as well.

While Decker-Martin and Hughes are glad ISG is able to host this event, they hope there is never another problem with undiscovered funds.

“I feel sorry for the people who set [the money] aside five years ago,” Decker- Martin said, “because they thought the money was going towards something specific.”

Hughes hopes students’ money is handled with more care in the future.

“Hopefully the administration will be more careful next time [so] it will not happen again,” he said. “If it does, [I hope] they will let the students know, because it is the students’ money.”

OPINION

The Reflector Page 2

April 4, 2007

Sports in America: More than a game? Yeiser Files: (Part Two)

By Marcus Whalbring Staff Writer

I gave a friend a hard time the other day after the Cincinnati Reds beat the Boston Red Sox in a spring training game. Because I’m a Reds fan, and his favorite team is the Red Sox, I chose to take the opportunity to flex my muscles and say, “Ha! I win!”

Even though teasing my friend was all in good fun, it’s true that many people use sports teams to define themselves. So much so that some even feel an attack against their team is an attack against them. Sports are a subject in our culture that is taken far too seriously. People start fights, spend incredible amounts of money and neglect other important issues in life in the name of simple games.

I watched the Super Bowl and cheered the Colts on with countless others in Indiana that day. My family saw me jumping up and down on the couch in fury when the Bears ran that first kick off return all the way to the end zone. But later, I couldn’t help thinking it was a waste of energy to get so angry over a sporting event.

I’m glad the Colts won; don’t get me wrong. But after the game, the local newscast was broadcasting the celebration in Indianapolis. The next couple of hours, that’s all the station showed.

There were shots of people dancing on their cars, and interviews with players, friends of players and friends of friends of players. Apparently nothing else was happening.

During the week prior to the game, the first page of every section of the Indianapolis Star was about the Colts except for one—ironically, it was the sports page. I have to wonder: was it all too much?

Currently, Indianapolis is in a debate about the new Lucas Oil Stadium for the Colts. There are questions of whether it will be worth the $500 million being spent.

Maybe the stadium will make it possible for Indy to host a Super Bowl, and bring in more people to supplement the economy.

Maybe the new stadium will cause no change at all, and all the tax dollars spent will be wasted.

But try not to think about that right now. Instead, look at the stadium as a symbol of what is important to people in Indiana, the United States and many parts of the world. The media have

made clear that the money for the stadium is coming from tax dollars. Could that public money have been used on education or cleaning up the city?

The people of Indianapolis didn’t necessarily decide to build the stadium, but apparently it is being constructed so the Colts will stick around for another 30 years. Did Bart Peterson and the other people involved choose to build the stadium because they felt it would be important to the people of Indiana?

Obviously their motives can’t be proven, but I can’t deny that it’s possible.

I remember the movie “Gladiator” with Russell Crowe. In the movie, Joaquin Phoenix plays a character who has just become the new Caesar. To win the people over, he decides to host a series of games featuring gladiators and warriors, because he knows that’s what people want.

Movies are not life, and we’re not cheering about decapitation, but I see something familiar. The people of Rome had trouble seeing that Phoenix’s character is a lousy Caesar.

Perhaps when people place too much faith in sports entertainment, it shields them from what’s really relevant in the world today.

I’m not comparing Bart Peterson to a Caesar. I’m not telling anyone to burn his or her jerseys and baseball caps and join the Peace Corps. Sports are fun to watch, and I enjoy them as much anyone.

But maybe we should get more excited about things in life that are obviously more important than sports.

I was at a Cincinnati Reds game a few months ago, and the Reds were up 6-0 at the end of the first inning. By the third inning, the Reds were down 7-6.

A guy sitting a few rows behind rose with fire in his eyes and shouted, “You guys were up six to nothing in the first inning!”

What if people got upset because they found out that 65 percent of kids in high school have trouble reading at their correct level? What if the next time I jumped up and down on the couch it was because I read a study that said that 70 percent of those in the world who are malnourished are children?

When I was in high school, I spent one summer in one of the worst jobs I’ve ever had. I was an umpire for peewee baseball. It was an easy job, but I had to deal with parents and coaches who gave evil looks that burned holes in my stomach every time I put my fist

in the air.

I read an article about a peewee football coach in Corpus Christi who punched a referee. There was also a story last year about a football coach in California who tackled a 13-year-old player from the opposing team.

Parents put too much pressure on their kids. An article from CNN.com titled “Character Builder or Pressure Cooker: Parents and Youth Sports,” references Darrel Burnett, a clinical psychologist and author of a book called “It’s Just a Game!” He had an encounter with a girl who told him she batted 0-4 in a softball game, and that night no one in her family would talk to her at dinner.

Burnett also talked about a father who brought his son in for treatment because he thought his 9-year-old wasn’t trying hard enough at baseball.

Why did he think so? His son refused to practice hitting a ball off a tee 200 times a night.

Parents aren’t the only people with mixed up priorities. “ESPN the Magazine” featured an article about professional sports fans. In the article, fans were polled to find out how much they wanted their favorite team to win a championship. Some 83 percent said they would rather have their team win a championship than be president for a day; 64 percent said they would turn down superhero powers for a day; 63 percent said they would turn down another year added on to their lives and 17 percent would turn down $100,000 cash.

According to www.salary.com, the average elementary school teacher makes about $48,000 a year. The average physician makes about $144,000 a year. The average nurse practitioner makes about $77,000 a year.

According to USA Today, the average salary for a player in the NFL in 1999 was about $1.2 million. That’s close to eight times more than the average physician.

Sports bring up many other questions. If a guy says he doesn’t like the Cincinnati Reds, does that mean he doesn’t like me?

If the stadium weren’t built, and the Colts decided to take the team to back to Baltimore, would Indianapolis suffer in any way?

If a child doesn’t do well in school and isn’t punished, and then doesn’t do well in baseball and gets neglected, what kind of message is that sending?

Isn’t it just a game?

Give Gen Y a chance

By Katy Yeiser Editor-in-Chief

(This is the second part of a three-part series by Editor-in-Chief Katy Yeiser as she finishes her tenure at The Reflector and graduates in May. The last installment will be printed in the Wednesday, April 25 issue.)

Walking into The Reflector newsroom is like walking into a Generation Y Exhibit at the National History Museum.

At any point in time, we can all be seen listening to our iPods, facebook“We don’t trust The ing that friend from middle school summer camp or YouTubing clips from President. We think most Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show.”

Most of our conversations are based people are just stupid.” in sarcasm and cynicism, and we have no problem mocking anyone from celebrities to politicians.

We’re the typical Generation Yers—we get angry, cynical and sardonic, and lap it all up in a big bowl of apathy. That is followed by a cathartic, thorough read of the nation’s satirical newspaper, The Onion. (Well, that’s just me.)

The clippings above my desk speak volumes to how we think about the world.

An article from The Onion titled, “Bush grants self permission to grant more power to self,” has been there longer than any other Onion article. Below it is an article from the Associated Press about a couple who qualified for a stupidity defense in a marijuana trafficking case. Also in the mix is an article from The Indianapolis Star’s political columnist Matthew Tully ironically criticizing state legislators who use prayer in the state house as means to further their political agenda.

We don’t trust the president. We think most people are just stupid. We lose more and more interest in religion the more it’s mixed with politics.

These are just a few examples of how we see the world. And these are just a few examples of why older generations think we are headed straight down the toilet to secular, jaded and indifferent Hell.

However, fear not, my peppered-haired friends.

We’re not all that bad. Believe it or not, we actually care. (I’d hope so, at least.)

We had to care in the first place, otherwise, we would have no idea as to what we are being apathetic or cynical about. No one is more technologically savvy than Generation Y, and because of that, we have made more information available to us. With this, we can see everything for what it is, which can sometimes, unfortunately be a hoax. Thus, we are apathetic, cynical, indifferent, pissed off, etc.

As some of us move on to bigger and better things after graduation, we’ll try to make our voices heard above all the shrugs and actually try to make a difference.

Just as the Baby Boomers were asked to give peace a chance, all we’re saying is, give Generation Y a chance.

Western Front/ MCT

The war in Iraq, immigration, Darfur, education, global warming–there’s a lot going on out there!

Tell us what you think! Send your ideas to friendj@uindy.edu

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REFLECTOR University of Indianapolis 1400 East Hanna Avenue Indianapolis, IN 46227 reflector@uindy.edu

The Reflector is a student publication, and the opinions contained herein are not necessarily those of the University of Indianapolis. The Reflector is dedicated to providing news to the university community in a fair and accurate manner.

Letters to the editor, suggestions, corrections, story ideas and other correspondence should be addressed to The Reflector, Esch Hall, Room 333, or sent via electronic mail to reflector@uindy.edu.

The Reflector acknowledges its mistakes. Each issue, we will print corrections on the Opinion Page. If we omit anything, please contact us at friendj@uindy.edu

Letteri]Z Editor id

Two months ago, a sophomore student journalist at Woodlan Jr.-Sr. High School just outside Ft. Wayne advanced a disturbing message in an opinion piece in the Tomahawk, the student newspaper.

She said it was a good idea to be nice to people, regardless of their sexual orientation.

Stunned, the East Allen County Schools administrators reacted.

Shortly after the piece appeared, they sent the newspaper’s adviser, Amy Sorrell, a warning letter. When the students on the newspaper staff wanted to meet with the principal, the superintendent and the school board, the school system’s leaders refused to talk with the students.

Then the school system adopted a new student newspaper policy that gave the principal the right to censor anything with which he might disagree and denied students, teachers and parents the right to contact a lawyer if they disagreed with him.

That wasn’t enough, though.

The school system demanded that the principal review the next issue of The Tomahawk and that the newspaper print the new policy. When the principal sent the newspaper back, he had gutted so much of it that the students voted not to publish what was left.

Then, on March 19, the school system suspended the newspaper adviser by putting her on paid leave and started the process of firing her.

When the principal visited the newspaper classroom to tell the students that the newspaper was to reflect his thoughts exactly, at least three students quit in protest.

The next night at a school board meeting, the board refused to let students, parents and teachers even talk about the situation. When a parent asked under what part of Indiana law the board could refuse to let citizens talk about a public policy at an open public meeting, the board president said the question was out of order.

It’s a good thing no student at Woodlan has had the audacity to tell anyone to “have a nice day.” The school’s administrators probably would have resorted to mass expulsions.

Two months into this disturbing

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episode, at least two things have become clear.

The first is that this is not just a dispute about student journalists’ rights. When the school board refused to let parents – who are, after all, citizens and taxpayers – discuss a school policy at an open meeting, the school system’s leaders made it clear that they like no part of the First Amendment. They have just as much disdain for the constitutional guarantees of the rights to speak freely and to petition government as they do for freedom of the press.

The second is that these folks haven’t thought things through. They have focused on the privileges of being a student newspaper’s publisher and not the responsibilities.

By asserting that he is the publisher, Woodlan’s principal, Ed Yoder, now has made himself personally responsible for what appears in the newspaper. This means that, should the paper libel someone on his watch, that person could lay claim to Yoder’s house, his retirement funds and any of his other assets. Similarly, now that he has publicly disavowed the “be nice to people even if they are gay” column, he and the school could bear some liability if a gay student is harassed at Woodlan.

Real newspaper publishers understand those things, which is why they tend to think before they act.

Censorship is the lazy person’s response to dealing with thorny issues.

Like most lazy responses to challenges, it doesn’t work. The school system’s leaders have not suppressed the message; they simply have divided their school system and wasted precious time and resources.

If the leaders of the East Allen County Schools ever want to integrate lessons into their schools about the ways journalists balance rights and responsibilities, the Indiana Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists would love to help.

Student journalists need to learn about that balancing act.

And so do the administrators in East Allen County Schools.

John Krull is the president of the Indiana Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and the director of Franklin College’s Pulliam school of Journalism.

Editor-in-Chief......................Katy Yeiser Managing Editor....................Shelly Grimes News Editor...........................Abby Adragna Sports Editor..........................Tony Puckett Photo Editor...........................Megan Komlanc Opinion Editor.......................Daniel Friend Feature Editor........................Ruth Shirley Entertainment Editor............Elyse Kaiser Online Editor.........................Ben Reed Business Manager.................Emily Scott Distribution Manager............Alison Hernandez Adviser..................................Jeanne Criswell

Lindsey Allen Adrian Kendrick Meisha Baker Rachel Korb Dustin Brown Stephanie Little Nicki Crisci Tom Rastall Dylan Desmarais -Morris

Katie Turley Joan Savage Sami Shelton Elisha Smith

Andrea Vachon Marcus Whalbring Ryan Wood Amanda Zimmer

NEWS

April 4, 2007

School of Business receives Microsoft award for excellence in education

By Joan Savage Staff Writer Microsoft has awarded the University of Indianapolis School of Business the Convergence 2007 Pinnacle Award for Excellence in Education. This is the first time Microsoft has given UIndy this type of award, and according to Associate Business Professor Jerry Flatto, UIndy can only win it once.

The application process took Flatto three weeks to complete and included supporting material such as samples of curriculum and projects. According to Dean of the School of Business Mitch Shapiro, this process included years of dedication by Flatto.

“The Pinnacle award is a very exciting development for the university,” Shapiro said. “It is a significant statement of our commitment to Microsoft and is the culmination of many years of extraordinary work by Dr. Flatto.”

Microsoft recognizes its customers with three types of awards: Role Based Customer Awards, Excellence Customer Awards and Industry Leadership Awards. UIndy competed worldwide and received the Excellence in Education award, which was a subcategory under the Excellence Customer Award.

This award recognizes the university as enhancing students’ learning experiences through integration of the Microsoft software into curricula.

Through Flatto’s work with Microsoft, UIndy has been given computer software and services valued at more than $500,000.

“The reason I got into it was to give our students a competitive advantage,” Flatto said. “It gives them a software tool that gets used in industries. It gives them some more hands on experience with software that they will be using on a daily basis. It basically makes them more marketable.”

One of the ways Flatto incorporates the Microsoft software, known as Dynamics, into his classes is to have his students create a fictional company from scratch. Dynamics helps illustrate

FIRE

from Page 1

Police investigate another fire in Cory Bretz Residence Hall.

NEW YEAR

from Page 1

UIndy celebrates Norouz with Persian cuisine and entertainment. to the large Persian community in Indianapolis.

“When word got out that we were having this event, the response from the Persian community was overwhelming,” Watson said. “We normally sell 30 or 40 tickets to people outside of campus, and this year we sold in excess of 150 tickets.”

Mohammad, an information systems major, came to UIndy two months ago from the Cyprus campus. He was approached by Watson with the idea of making Iran the focus of the dinner. The dinner was to honor the small group of Persian students who had just arrived at the university and were about to celebrate their new year.

“Norouz is the combination of two words: no means new and rouz means day,” Mohammad said. “Norouz is a new day, and we use it for new year.”

Mohammad believes it is important for organizations and universities to promote different cultures with events like the

basic business concepts and allows the students to understand how various functions are related and how information flows through an organization.

“One of the problems most universities have is [that] students get into their own major, and most of their classes talk about their major, but they don’t really learn what their impact is on other areas,” Flatto said.

One software system that Flatto uses is the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. In terms of Dynamics, the ERP system helps to spread

“It’s an enduring relationship between Dr. Flatto and the students and Microsoft. It is an absolute win-win for everyone. Do you realize what that does for the employability of our students? It’s incredible.”

- School of Business Dean Mitch Shapiro everything out in the same underlying database. When one area is updated, other areas have access to the same updated information. “[It’s] like the H drive at the University of Indianapolis,” Flatto said. “It doesn’t matter what machine you are on; it is the same underlying data no matter where you are.”

As part of his curriculum, Flatto also requires that students write a paper on what they learned about the other parts of a company. He believes these papers help students develop talking points for future employment interviews.

Shapiro added that preparing students so they have expertise and the capability to provide the greatest value October, a fire broke out in the floor’s kitchen/laundry room. The Indianapolis Fire Department conducted an arson investigation and determined that the fire had originated on the stove. The report stated that clothes had been placed on the stove’s right two burners, and those burners had been turned to the highest temperature setting. That fire caused beinternational dinner, and he was happy to see Americans at the event.

“I just wanted [Americans] to know the Persian culture. Especially after the movie ‘300,’ I wanted them to see how Persians are,” Mohammad said. “[With] all the political things, I just wanted them to know that Persians are not that bad. We don’t hate Americans, not at all.

Americans are good; there’s no racial discrimination in any way.”

For senior Anousha Mesbah, the international dinner was a great way to remember her heritage.

“In foreign cultures, not forgetting your own culture [or] where you’re coming from is good,” Mesbah said. “I will always teach my children that this is what we used to follow, this is what Persian culture means.”

Watson thought the dinner was an important way to teach students about different cultures and expose the international students to possible American friends.

“Anytime we can have an event where we’re bringing international students and American students together for social events or educational events, I think it’s wonderful,” Watson said. “We like to try to expose the campus community to all the rich cultures that students from other countries can share with us.”

n QUICK LOOK THE GREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP The University of Indianapolis is searching for volunteers for The Great American Cleanup on Saturday, April 28. UIndy is pre-registering volunteers willing to help clean the University Heights neighborhood as part of an ongoing restoration on Indianapolis’ south side. The university program is in partnership with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, the new Gateway Business Alliance and the University Heights Neighborhood Association. Volunteers will receive a free breakfast sponsored by Starbucks, lunch and a free t-shirt. For information on the cleanup, contact Eric Raider at raider@uindy.edu or Marianna Kalli at kallim@uindy.edu.

SERVICE LEARNING EXPO The 2007 Spring Semester Service Learning EXPO will take place on Tuesday, April 24, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Atrium of Schwitzer Student Center.

Students are asked to design a display board to showcase their service learning and volunteer activities. For more information, contact Community Programs Center.

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS WALK The 17th Annual National Multiple Sclerosis Walk will take place Saturday, April 14, at White River State Park. The walk will feature a 5K walk ending at Celebration Plaza in front of the NCAA Hall of Fame. Check in begins at 7:30 a.m., and the walk begins at 9:30 a.m. To register as an individual or team, call 1-800-FIGHT-MS or register online at www.nationalmssociety.org/ini.

to employers requires the leading edge in information systems.

“It’s all about the students,” he said.

“That is the key to this whole thing.

That’s the most important thing. That’s why we’re here. We have a responsibility to prepare our students.”

Flatto said that he does not teach students how to use the software; he uses it to teach them important information about the business world.

“It is not about, ‘Here’s how to push these buttons,’” he said. “That’s not what our program is about. I’m using a tool to help tie it all together.”

According to Flatto, about 262,125 customers use Dynamics, including 24 NFL teams and many NASCAR participants.

“Part of this is that hopefully it gets out there that UIndy runs this [software], and they (other companies who use Dynamics) will want to talk to us so we can link up our students with those companies,” Flatto said.

Shapiro said that Microsoft has to be certain that there are universities out there training students to be future consultants to implement all these systems. He said it works both ways. The software helps train the students, but Flatto must remain in constant contact with Microsoft because the software is continually developing.

“It’s an enduring relationship between Dr. Flatto and the students and Microsoft. It is an absolute win-win for everyone,” Shapiro said. “Do you realize what that does for the employability of our students? It’s incredible.”

Shapiro is grateful for the relationship that UIndy has established with Microsoft, and he hopes other universities will establish similar relationships in the future.

“We love Microsoft, and Microsoft has deeply appreciated what Dr. Flatto has been doing and what his students have been doing,” he said. “The vision began several years ago to develop a relationship with Microsoft. [Our relationship] has grown and has really facilitated us in becoming an example that other universities should be following.” tween $5,000 and $10,000 in damages, and the kitchen had to be gutted and renovated. Although police investigated the incident, they did not have any leads or suspects.

“We are still looking and investigating,” Hammond said. “Someone knows but hasn’t let us know.”

The Reflector Page 3

Indy Calendar of Events

For more information, on these and other events, visit www.indy.org.

What: Indianapolis Indians v. Columbus Clippers Where: Victory Field When: April 5 Cost: Tickets as low as $7 More Info: www.indyindians.com It is that time of year again to throw your blankets out on the lawn, snack on some peanuts and cheer on your Indianapolis Indians as they take on the Columbus Clippers in the opening game of the season. If it is below 60 degrees at game time, fans will receive a free ticket for another home game during the month of April!

What: Bow Wow in Concert Where: The Murat Centre When: April 7 Cost: $38.50 More Info: www.ticketmaster.com Bow Wow, also known as Bow Weezy, Mr. 106 & Park and Kid Gangsta will be performing songs from his fifth album, The Price of Fame, live from The Murat Centre. His performance will also include his No. 9 chart-topping song, “Shortie Like Mine.”

What: Dining Out for Life Where: Various Restaurant Locations When: April 12 Cost: Varies per restaurant More Info: www.damien.org Several Indianapolis restaurants are partnering with the Damien Center for an event to help fight HIV/AIDS. Participating restaurants are donating up to 50 percent of their customers’ bill to the Damien Center.

Grab a group of friends for a fun dining experience while supporting the fight. Go to www.damien.org to find a complete list of participating restaurants.

What: hhgregg Country Music Expo Where: Indiana State Fairgrounds When: April 14 – 15 Cost: FREE More Info: www.countrymusicexpo.com Pack your cowboy hat and boots and be a part of one of the largest free country concert music events. Over twelve country music acts will perform including Josh Turner, Billy Currington, Joe Nichols, Blake Shelton and Clay Walker.

What: Second Saturday Studio: Stop, Drop, and Roll...Your Own Beads When: April 14 Where: Eiteljorg Museum of American Indian & Western Art Cost: $5 with student I.D. More Info: www.eiteljorg.org As a part of the Eiteljorg’s Second Saturday studio workshop series, you and your friends can make and bake your own clay beads. Take home your hand-made necklace or bracelet.

SPORTS

The Reflector Page 4

April 4, 2007

Softball team suffers losses in two doubleheaders

By Amanda Zimmer Staff Writer

The University of Indianapolis softball team split a pair of games over the weekend against Kentucky Wesleyan.

The ‘Hounds lost the first game 3-0, but were able to rebound to win the second game 5-3.

The ‘Hounds also dropped both games of their doubleheader on Saturday, March 24. They are now 13-8, 3-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC).

Senior outfielder Colleen Roach leads the team in batting average with a .438.

Coach Melissa Frost said that one area the ‘Hounds don’t need to improve on is hitting.

“It seems like we’ve had somebody different every game pick it up,” Frost said. “The long ball has increased.

Doubles have increased. Hitting has been our strength, and it has come from a variety of people on different days.”

As a team, the ‘Hounds are batting 280, with 158 hits and 98 runs batted in this season.

“We’ve definitely got a long way to go,” Frost said, “but it’s a major improvement [from last year].”

The ‘Hounds are still a young team, with nine of the 15 players either freshmen or sophomores. Frost said that is part of why they haven’t done as good

Andrea Vachon/ The Reflector

Sophomore pitcher Amanda Wendlinger checks her swing against a ball against Saint Joseph’s. as they could.

“Our weakness right now is just lack of experience in playing in the big games,” Frost said. “We have a lot of

new faces. We have a lot of people at new positions, but [experience] is all going to come with time.”

Frost said she believes the reason

why the team has won the games they have is because they have done the little things right. In the games played in Orlando, Fla., over Spring Break, the

team executed bunt and sacrifice plays very well, and they need to continue to do that in order to win, she said.

Freshman pitcher Courtney Smith is pleased with the way the team is playing. She said that hitting is the team’s source of power, but at times, the players aren’t focused.

“We need to come out mentally prepared,” she said. “Sometimes we don’t come out 100 percent, and we beat ourselves.”

Despite the recent losses, the ‘Hounds are improving and according to Frost, she is pleased with that.

“We’re happy with the progress,” she said. “We’ve beaten some good teams, and we’ve dropped some games we shouldn’t have… All that matters in the end is that we win the conference tournament.”

The ‘Hounds have 10 doubleheaders left in the season. Lewis, Northern Kentucky, Southern Illinois Edwardsville and Southern Indiana are the four teams that Frost said will be the toughest competition. Three of those four doubleheaders are on the road.

Frost said she believes the ‘Hounds will do well the rest of the season, but they need to gain some confidence.

“I think our biggest downfall right now is not believing in ourselves,” she said. “But I think once these girls get a little bit of confidence behind them and realize they can hang with anybody, we’ll be in good shape.”

Men’s golf starts season on hot streak Women’s tennis struggles at South Side

By Ben Reed Online Editor

The University of Indianapolis men’s golf team began the spring portion of its season with two secondplace finishes. As of The Reflector press time, the ‘Hounds had yet to place lower than third in any of the nine tournaments in which they competed during the 2006-2007 season.

During the week of March 14, the ‘Hounds placed second at the North/ South Shootout at Bonaventure Golf Club in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla..

“I was satisfied with getting second in Florida,” said Head Coach Brett Nicoson. “We got second in a good field and played pretty well for still being rusty since coming back from winter break.”

Sophomore Kyle Pearson led UIndy at the North/South Shootout, shooting a 2-over par score of 144. Also doing well at the tournament were senior Chris Clemens, sophomore Justin Hueber and freshman Kyle Miller. All three shot scores of 150 to finish 8-over par.

The ‘Hounds then earned runner-up position again Mar. 24-25 at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Invitational at Otter Creek Golf Course in Columbus, Ind. “At Otter Creek I’m happy with the finish, but not with how we got there,” Nicoson said. “Any coach would be happy to take second in a field of 12 strong regional teams, but we gave it away on the second day with mental mistakes.”

Clemens took medalist honors at the Wisconsin-Parkside Invitational, scoring an even-par 144. Freshman Seth Fair finished sixth in the tournament by shooting a 2-over 146. Pearson shot a 2-under-par 70 on the first round, but finished with a 77 on the second

By Nicki Crisci Staff Writer

Ryan Wood/ The Reflector

Junior Andy Ashcraft practices his swing before a round. round to give him a two-day total of a 3-over 146.

Nicoson also mentioned Fair as another golfer who is on the rise.

“Overall, I am pretty pleased with the way I played at Otter Creek,” Fair said. “I didn’t play as well in the first round, and I made some mental mistakes that cost me, but I bounced back and played pretty solid in the second round. It was nice to get a solid round under my belt this early in the season.”

The ‘Hounds then competed at the Great Lakes Regional No. 2 at Perry Park Golf Course at Perry, Ky. However, results were not available as of The Reflector press time.

Nicoson believes that the ‘Hounds have two problem areas that they need to concentrate on during practice and tournaments.

“Our par-3 scoring average needs

to get better. It’s a little bit high when you look at national averages. We are tied for first in nation on par-4 averages (4.14) and ranked third for par-5 averages (4.82),” Nicoson said. “Improving mental focus needs to be better also. If we can get that and improve par-3 scoring, I think we will be about as good as we can be.”

Next up for the ‘Hounds will be the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships on April 8-10.

“At the beginning of the season we set season goals for the team, and winning [the GLVC Championship] was the first,” Fair said.

Nicoson believes that his team will show well because they are hungry for the conference title.

“We haven’t won the tournament since 2001, so I know the team is ready,” he said.

This weekend, the women’s tennis team competed in invitational matches at the South Side Tennis Club. They played three teams including Northwood, Grand Valley State and Ferris State.

The ‘Hounds entered the weekend ranked No. 35 in the nation among Division II teams, but managed to win just three matches against the team’s first two opponents.

Against No. 24 Northwood, the ‘Hounds lost 8-1, with the lone win coming from junior Jeannie Hartley.

The team lost to Grand Valley State 7-2. Results of the Ferris State match were unavailable as of Reflector Press time.

Team members trained for their matches during their week-long stay in Florida over Spring Break. The team played five matches and finished 3-2.

“We conditioned two times a week and practiced three times a week during January and February, up until Spring Break,” said junior Lindsey Fischer. “The matches during spring break were against Division II schools in Florida. That will help our play in the next month to prepare us for the conference tournament.”

The ‘Hounds’ wins came 9-0 against Bentley, 5-4 against Florida Tech and 7-2 over Eckerd. They also lost 1-8 at Florida Southern and 3-6 against Tampa.

“All of the teams that we played were challenging, and they gave our team good preparation for matches to

come later in the season,” said junior Laura Phillipp.

Currently, the team is ranked 31st in the nation and number three in a region of 30 teams. Head Coach John Venter is very confident about his team’s abilities, and adamant that they will succeed in conference.

“This is the best team we have had top to bottom at UIndy,” Venter said.

“I know that we will come on very strong as we begin our conference play and make a run in the NCAA national tournament.”

As a whole, the team is strong in scheduling time between tennis and school. Venter is proud of his team’s academic achievements this season..

As for the rest of the season, the team hopes that it will rise in the rankings.

“We have a really strong team, but other teams are strong as well,” said Phillipp. “We do the best we can.”

Despite several key injuries and illnesses, the team has been able to compete.

Though the year might have gone smoother with fewer injuries, Venter is optimistic about the remainder of the season.

“We have lost a few matches that I think we would have won with a healthy lineup, but we have still competed very well,” he said.

The ‘Hounds take on five GLVC opponents in the next two weeks, starting with Kentucky Wesleyan on April 6 and Bellarmine on April 7.

The ‘Hounds also will face Northern Kentucky, Saint Joseph’s and Lewis next week. The GLVC tournament begins April 20.

Men’s and women’s track teams notch wins in spring opener

By Elisha Smith Staff Writer

The University of Indianapolis men’s and women’s track and field teams got the outdoor season started with commanding wins at the Gerald England Invitational, hosted at the UIndy Key Stadium.

Results from the recent Mike Poehlein invitational were unavailable as of Reflector press time.

The UIndy women earned more than double the points of their closest opponent, while the men were 48 points ahead of Saint Joseph’s. During the Invitational, the women placed first in nine of 20 events and the men placed first in five of 19 events, defeating Bel-

larmine, St. Joseph’s (Indiana), Marian, Kentucky State, Wisconsin-Parkside, Northern Kentucky, Butler and IUPUI. While the coaches gave the team Spring Break off, most of them stayed in good shape.

“There are times our kids need the Spring Break because of the intensive indoor season,” said Head Coach Paul Fangman. “But then it gives a nice smooth transition from indoor to outdoor.”

Junior Anthony Flourney won two events, winning the 100- and 200meter dash races. Senior Dan Asher was the 400-meter hurdle victor with junior Elliot Cohee close behind him.

Senior Karen Bower took first in the 5,000-meter race. Freshman Krista Leffers won the 100-meter hurdles and

Men’s tennis picks up second win The men’s tennis team picked up just their second win of the spring season , beating Indiana Wesleyan 5-2 on March 24. Both sophomore J.D. Greenlee and freshman Werner Henning won in straight sets.

Indiana Wesleyan was ranked No. 24 at the time of the match. Sophomore Jonathan Hack also picked up a win to cement the fifth point for the victory. This weekend the ‘Hounds will face Southern Indiana and Bellarmine at the Indianapolis Tennis Center.

later added the 400 hurdle title. Andrea Horban easily outdistanced the competition in the shot-put, with a heave nearly three meters farther than the pack at 14.45 m. Horban also won the discus throw with freshman Courtney Kuzmicz taking second place.

Fangman feels that the team is balanced when scoring points.

“We don’t win a lot of events, but we will nickel and dime you to death,” Fangman said. “All of a sudden, before you know it, we have out-pointed you, and you don’t even know it. When the final tally is done, we’re the victor.”

While winning the Gerald England Invitational, two of the top four ‘Hounds’ distance runners were injured, which individually affected the distance races for the men’s team. “Be-

cause we run so few distance runners on the men’s side... if we get an injury there, it does hurt us,” Fangman said.

While the women are short on sprinters with minor pulls, the team is having some small difficulties adjusting after several years of sprinting strength.

“When you lose the Crystal Jones’s, Ivorye Longs, all of a sudden you become normal again. That is what we have suffered there,” said Fangman.

“But we have girls that have stepped up and done a good job.”

Some runners used the meet to train for the Little State Championships and the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Championships.

“I’m actually running a lot, a longer race than I normally would,” said senior Cicely Wattley. “I am running the

The Bottom Line Director’s Cup Standings released The National Association of College Directors of Athletics released its latest standings for the Division II Director’s Cup on March 29th. Thanks to three athletic teams placing in the top 11 of the nation during the winter season, UIndy made the top 20, ranking No. 11.

The ‘Hounds have finished in the top 20 nationally four out of the last five years.

800 instead of the 400.”

Wattley placed third in the women’s 800-meter run with a time of 2:24.79.

Team members who are training are doing events that they would not normally do.

With the women’s team 9-1 and the men’s 7-3 in the conference, they have two goals to accomplish: winning the GLVC conference and the Little State championship.

“The girls have been Little State champs for 14 years,” Fangman said.

“I do plan on winning Little State, the 400-meter dash, and I want our 4x4 to win,” Wattley said. “I want to place in the 200-meter dash.”

The ‘Hounds travel to Bloomington this weekend for the Indiana Relays competition.

Wrestlers compete at nationals

The University of Indianapolis wrestling team sent a school-record seven wrestlers to the NCAA national Division II Championships. Senior Mike Jackson earned runner-up in his weight class for the second consecutive year, earning All-American honors. Juniors Shane Perkey and Charlie Pingleton, as well as senior Jose Navarro were also named All-Americans after strong showings in their respective weight classes.

SPORTS

April 4, 2007

The Reflector Page 5

Men’s, women’s swimming earn top 10 at NCAA All 13 UIndy competitors earn AllAmerican Honors in school record-setting NCAA appearance

By Tony Puckett Sports Editor

The University of Indianapolis men’s and women’s swim teams both had strong showings at the NCAA National meet March 14-17, with the women placing sixth out of 28 teams, and the men taking 10th.

The ‘Hounds generally were pleased with the top 10 finishes, an improvement on last year’s showings. In 2006, Head Coach Gary Kinkead, as well as the rest of the team, was disappointed to a degree with the teams’ performances in the NCAA Championship meet.

“Last year, when we hosted nationals… I was not pleased with our performance,” Kinkead said. “I really attributed that to me being too much on the administrative side of running nationals and not really on the coaching side of it… A lot of our swimmers that went to nationals last year said they felt stronger at conference than they did at nationals.

I was committed to not allowing that to happen this year.”

Senior Alison Smith felt the results from last year helped give her motivation.

“I think we were all disappointed after last year,” she said. “However, it was that disappointment that helped to motivate us this year. I know I remembered the feelings that I had after last year’s nationals, and I definitely did not want to feel those again.”

Smith led the ‘Hounds, taking AllAmerican honors in six events. Both of her relay teams, in the 200-meter freestyle relay and the 800-meter freestyle relay, took second-place finishes. She also finished third in the 200-meter freestyle.

Senior Jeremy Lindauer led the men’s team, taking All-American honors in the 400-meter freestyle relay at fourth place and the 200 freestyle relay and the 200-meter breaststroke at seventh place in each.

All 13 of the UIndy swimmers that attended nationals earned All-American honors in at least one race. All-Americans place in the top eight of a race, while Honorable Mention All-American honors go to those who finish in places nine through 16. The women’s team scored a school National meet record 256 points, getting sixth by a mere half point, while the men’s team put up 157.5 points for tenth place.

“I remembered the feelings that I had after last year’s nationals and I definitely did not want to feel those again.”

-Alison Smith Unlike last season, Kinkead worked hard to keep his swimmers focused, even after the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) meet.

“We stayed on our strength training program that we developed, I think, pretty well this year,” Kinkead said.

“My expectations were quite high [for nationals]… because of the plan of not taking too much back for those people at conference. I was very pleased.”

Kinkead said that he began to feel good about his plan when Lindauer went to the

trouble to do a lifting workout at a hotel the day of the GLIAC meet.

Now that the season has ended, Kinkead and the rest of the team have shifted their attention to next season, and the difficult task of replacing several valuable seniors.

“We always go forward. We’ve had people that have been that high nationally ranked, and we’ve always moved forward,” Kinkead said. “[Smith] will be missed. Holly Spohr will be missed, Nikki Stevens will be missed. Those three women that went to nationals for us have been for the last four years. So obviously, it’s difficult to replace those people. But that’s the cycle you have to go through.”

While the seniors have been valuable assets to the team, Smith feels that the team won’t have difficulties in years to come.

“Luckily, the swim team has many great performers that will step up and take the place of the graduating seniors,” Smith said. “I have faith that the team will rebuild itself.”

Along with rebuilding a strong swim base, Kinkead has other goals in mind.

“My expectations are always to try to take the most swimmers to nationals that we possibly can,” he said. “Primarily my expectations are to have high academic standards.”

This year the team was able to meet some of Kinkead’s high academic goals.

The men’s team finished first in the nation for Division II with an overall GPA of 3.23. The women’s team finished No. 13 in the nation with a GPA of 3.22. According to Kinkead, this is the first year that the men’s team had a higher cumulative GPA than the women’s team.

“The men are beating their chest about that one,” Kinkead said.

The ‘Hounds now look forward to next year’s season and a chance to repeat their success.

File photo/ The Reflector

Coach Gary Kinkead awards Alison Smith with a medal in last year’s NCAA Championship meet. This year, Smith lead the ‘Hounds with six All-American finishes.

Women’s golf team looks to freshmen as season begins

By Elyse Kaiser Entertainment Editor

The ‘Hounds kicked off their spring season with two tournaments, traveling to both Florida and Kentucky. The team finished 11th out of 18 in the Florida North/South Challenge on Mar. 12 and ninth out of 21 at the Northern Kentucky Invite on Mar. 25.

“I was pleasantly surprised with how we came out,” said Head Coach Ken Piepenbrink. “We were the only Division

II school [in the Florida tournament].

Everyone else was Division I and we played right with everybody.”

This year’s team is young, featuring four freshman, sophomore Kristi Piepenbrink and senior Jenna Brown.

Piepenbrink shot 78 and 81 at the NKU Spring Invite. The ‘Hounds have notched two invitational wins this season and are hoping to develop to win more.

“After last week’s tournament, we all know that we need to work on our short game more,” Kristi Piepenbrink said. “We all worked really hard over the winter on

our swings, but it’s hard to work on [the] short game with the weather and resources we had.”

The team trained indoors throughout the winter.

“Golf is such a tough sport to get back into in the spring because we were on grass maybe four times before we went to that first tournament, which is a handicap for the team,” Ken Piepenbrink said.

Freshman Sarah Prascsak finished at NKU with two scores of 76, tying for sixth place for the tourney and the top score on the team.

Prascsak was followed by Piepenbrink at 30th, Brown at 45th with a 164, and freshmen Lindsay McBride at 48th with a 165 and Ashley Seaton in 83rd with a 180.

“I’m looking forward to playing the best that I can for my abilities right now and hopefully going to nationals,” Prascsak said.

“We [have] pretty much wrapped our bid to the regionals,” Ken Piepenbrink said. “We’re between third and fourth place right now and they take the top six.

So I’m pretty confident we’re going to be

invited to the NCAA tournament.”

According to Ken Piepenbrink, the GLIAC ranks second only to Florida.

“We’re very competitive up here,” Ken Piepenbrink said. “We’ll have to play our very best to get out of the region, but that’s definitely not impossible.”

The team competed in Greenville, Tenn., on April 2. Results were not available as of The Reflector press time.

Next week, the ‘Hounds will prepare for the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) tournament, which will be held April 8-11.

Baseball team drops two, wins one against Rockhurst

By Meisha Baker Staff Writer For the past couple of weeks, the University of Indianapolis baseball team has had a crowded schedule. The ‘Hounds continued a string of doubleheaders against Rockhurst, losing two and winning one.

Freshman Aryn Ross pitched six scoreless innings in the first game and contributed with a three-run homer.

The losses come on the heels of a split pair of games against conference opponent Lewis. The first game, a 3-2 win for the ‘Hounds, was the fourth victory of the season for junior pitcher Scott Zielaskiewicz, who remains perfect for the season.

The ‘Hounds were unable to keep the momentum going on the day, however and found themselves on the losing side of another 3-2 game.

According to junior third baseman and shortstop Dalan Dugger, the team seems to have difficulty closing plays offensively.

“One of the main problems [we had] was leaving men on base. I think we’re losing confidence when it comes to that category,” Dugger said.

On March 25, the ‘Hounds played another doubleheader against the University of WisconsinParkside, completing a four-game weekend series.

They were able to notch two wins, out-scoring Wisconsin-Parkside 12-2 in the first game and 6-5 in the second.

In first two games of the series, the ‘Hounds won early 4-1 in the first game. Senior first baseman Daren Johnson’s bunt, along with senior shortstop Chase Wilson’s seventh-inning single, aided junior catcher and pitcher Seth Paul to drive in the winning run.

The ‘Hounds took a loss in the second game with a score of 4-6. “There are positive things that come from a loss; you tend to build momentum,” Dugger said.

That’s what the ‘Hounds did in their set of doubleheaders. In the third doubleheader the ‘Hounds won both games, with the second going into an extra inning for the win.

Junior closing pitcher Kyle Wilson thinks the team’s start should be indicative of further success.

“As long as we get up to the plate with the determination and drive that we [have] had this far, we will be very successful.”

Dustin Brown/ The Reflector

Senior Tom Bingham scores a run while senior Daren Johnson celebrates.

ENTERTAINMENT

April 4, 2007

Hunter Smith plays concert on campus with Connersvine

By Ruth Shirley Feature Editor Connersvine tours with a Super Bowl Champion football player as a band member—leaving them haunted by the question of celebrity without substance. But the Greenwood-based Christian worship band, co-led by Indianapolis Colts punter Hunter Smith delivers.

March 21, Connersvine performed for about 80 people in Ransburg Auditorium. The show was sponsored by One Accord, the young adult ministry at Mt. Pleasant Christian Church in Greenwood, which also hosts One Accord UIndy, meeting Wednesdays at 9 p.m. in Good Hall Recital Hall.

The group’s sound includes an acoustic-rock base, supplied by Smith and his younger counterpart, Chris Wilson. The duo shares vocals and guitar, playing both electric and electric acoustic, and writes most of the band’s songs. Bass and drums complete the four-piece band, which recently signed a recording contract with INO Records—the label that also records artists such as P.O.D, MercyMe, Phillips, Craig and Dean, Chris Rice, SonicFlood and Skillet.

The show started with a moderate-paced song, “Fall on Me,” driven by guitar rhythm and a catchy chorus. The majority of the songs feature shared guitar rhythms and driving choruses, seemingly tailormade for use in a congregation worship setting.

The choruses were coupled with poignant and challenging verses sung with sincerity and passion.

Smith encouraged the audience to “stand up, raise your hands, whatever you feel like,” in worship, but no one really rose to the challenge until the end of the show, when lyrics for the last three songs were projected onto a screen on the stage and the audience was asked to stand.

During the show, Smith and Wilson interacted casually with the crowd, telling stories about the origin of the band’s name and how they

The Reflector Page 7

Great directors and great soundtracks

By Elyse Kaiser Entertainment Editor James Horner and John Williams are two of the most notable names among movie score composers. From their work on “Star Wars” to “Titanic,” if you want an epic soundtrack these are the two guys to hit up. However, what about all those great soundtracks that don’t include award-winning musical compositions but are merely compilation albums? Here are seven writers and directors whose films are best known for their effortlessly entertaining soundtracks.

Top: Connersvine, a contemporary Christian worship band, share their acoustic-based music and their faith at a OneAccord in Ransburg Auditorium Left: Indianapolis Colts punter Hunter Smith co-leads the band.

Photos Contributed by Kevin Foulkrod

narrowly escaped being called “Black Tie Rodeo” at Smith’s suggestion.

Wilson and Smith joked about the Colts and fans coming to concerts wearing football jerseys. “It’s the melding of my worlds!” Smith said.

Smith also spoke, almost bitterly, about the shadow of his celebrity taking precedence when his purpose was music.

“It’s a real hard standard to hold up to when everybody thinks you’re a gimmick,” he said.

Often, people come out to see the “circus act,” of the singing football player, he said, not to hear serious

music.

He talked about the emptiness in his Super Bowl success, and how it confirmed to him that serving God is the most fulfilling way to live. He said he has given his devotion to God and music because “it’s going to last long after football is over.”

Smith led the thought-provoking song, “This Is the Time to Die,” which he wrote about a time when he reevaluated aspects of his life that he had let obstruct his relationship with God and made a full commitment to his faith.

After this song, the group projected the closing three songs onto a screen, and the audience sang along.

People seemed moved spiritually by the experience, and some raised their hands.

Overall, the concert was more a call for participation in the music than a show. As entertainment, the music was quality and enjoyable, but more suitable for a coffee house or worship service setting.

7. John Cusack. Cusack may not be a director, but he is nonetheless associated with some great soundtracks. Not only did Cusack star in films such as “High Fidelity” and “Grosse Point Blank,” but he also served as co-writer, co-producer and music supervisor. Both of these films have excellent soundtracks that fit the mood and subject of the films perfectly.

6. Baz Luhrmann. “Moulin Rouge” may not be a film for everyone, but the soundtrack must be acknowledged as one of the most original in the past ten years. The film would not have been nearly as entertaining to watch without the new renditions of great songs (“Roxanne,” “Your Song,” etc.). Besides “Moulin Rouge,” Luhrmann’s 1996 “Romeo + Juliet” went five times platinum in Australia and featured singles from Radiohead, The Cardigans, Garbage, Everclear and a remixed version of Prince’s “When Doves Cry.” 5. Christopher Guest. Really, Guest’s films speak for themselves. On top of writing and directing every one of his films (except “This Is Spinal Tap,” which Rob Reiner directed), Guest composes and/or compiles the music for each of his soundtracks, such as “A Mighty Wind,” “Best in Show” and “For Your Consideration.”

4. Quentin Tarantino. Films like “Reservoir Dogs” and “Pulp Fiction” truly changed the landscape of action films in the 90s. The soundtracks flawlessly fit the bizarre plots and characters. The right music is what makes scenes such as the Jack Rabbit Slim’s dance scene (“Pulp Fiction”) and Mr. Blonde’s torture scene (“Reservoir Dogs”) as memorable as they are.

3. Cameron Crowe. From “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” to “Elizabethtown,” Crowe can compile mix-tape-like soundtracks like nobody’s business.

Each soundtrack—with his blend of everything from Black Sabbath and The Who, to Ryan Adams, Jackson Browne and Elton John—has its own sound and is yet distinctly a Cameron Crowe album.

2. Wes Anderson. In his films, Anderson has a pleasant habit of giving individual characters their very own soundtracks. This is nowhere more evident than in “The Royal Tenenbaums.” The Vince Guaraldi Trio’s “Christmastime Is Here” plays in the background of several of Margot’s scenes, and many of Eli Cash’s scenes are accompanied with music from The Clash.

1. Trey Parker and Matt Stone. These guys are brilliant. Between “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut” and “Team America: World Police,” these two have put together soundtracks both Oscar-nomination worthy and ridiculously hilarious at the same time. Most of the songs from “South Park” are even reminiscent of scores from very popular Broadway plays such as “Oklahoma,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” and “Les Miserables.”

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“division II championship” ~ Katy Yeiser, editor-in-chief “facebook informercial” ~ Shelly Grimes, managing editor

Senior art major showcases her artwork in a ‘really, really obscure way’

By Rachel Korb Staff Writer Amy Gingery, a senior art and premed major, showcased her artwork March 19-24 in Ransburg Gallery in Good Hall. Her exhibition, entitled “Inner Spaces,” featured recurring images from Gingery’s dreams.

“It’s sort of my way of putting back at the world what was put to me,” Gingery said. “Forcing the world to look at what I’m forced to look at—in a really, really obscure way.”

The exhibition was created as a senior thesis project. According to Art Professor Donna Adams, a senior thesis project involves creating a body of work, rather than individual pieces, even though independently each work stands on its own.

“You’re being forced to show that you can make a body of work that is unified and yet individual, that can be critically analyze,” Gingery said.

Gingery also was responsible for writing an artist’s statement, documenting her work in photographs, designing an invitation, planning a reception,

sending out invitations and planning how to present the work.

Although this may seem like a great deal of work, Adams said that Gingery was more than capable of completing the task. “She tries to juggle way too many things,” Adams said, “including majoring in art and pre-med, both two demanding academic fields in terms of time. She does that, and she has a job, and yet excels academically. Her grades are excellent.”

All Gingery’s pieces are large landscape paintings. In works like “Beginning Cognizance,” she focuses on the sky and on the definition of musculature and anatomy. Her works bring viewers to look not only at the figure, which is painted with striking accuracy, but also at the background, which often is overlooked in paintings.

“She’s very creative,” Adams said.

“But also knows how to control her creativity. Her creativity is honed by technical skill that comes from dedicated work.”

“Closure,” created in 2005, consists of an image with two figures. Both figures are isolated in the middle of a rolling desert, reminiscent of those

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shown in Mars rover photographs. In the foreground is a strong angel-like figure with wings formed like a bat’s.

He holds a pair of wings in his hands.

A woman has fallen toward the angel, beaten and bleeding, her wings torn.

The artwork makes use of mainly warm red and oranges, with dark contrasts in the bat-like wings and the sky at the edge of the landscape.

Gingery’s paintings took more than 10 months to complete, but she feels the result was worth the effort.

“It’s the hardest skill a person needs—to be able to perform as an artist,” Gingery said. “And it’s a very necessary skill, because you do need to be able to get work out there. Because what’s the point of making something if no one’s going to see it? It stops being art, and it starts being something to collect dust.”

Gingery is graduating with a pre-medical background as well as a Bachelors of Fine Arts and hopes to attend the Indiana University School of Medicine. She claims that the two backgrounds can correspond and complement each other, especially when she is studying for anatomy exams.

Artwork contributed by Amy Gingery

“Closure,” was one of several paintings on display in Good Hall’s Ransburg Gallery by senior Amy Gingery.

‘Beyond the Gates’ an unmoving film about an international tragedy

By Stephanie Little Staff Writer

When I left the Kerasotes Art Cinema after watching “Beyond the Gates” (a film about the Rwanda genocide) my cheeks were dry and my eyes only a little damp. I should have been sobbing or outraged or something, but instead I was slightly relieved that the movie was over and I could get on with my life.

The genocide in Rwanda is one of those topics that should always elicit some strong emotional response, whether anger at our governments for not helping or just incredible sorrow at the brutal killings. I expected to sob or be filled with righteous anger, but this movie did not inspire any feeling inside me, except maybe slight discomfort.

“Beyond the Gates” follows the story of a young English schoolteacher named Joe Connor, played by a doeeyed Hugh Dancy. Connor has tried to make a difference in the world by

teaching impoverished Rwandans, and is beginning to feel that he has had an impact when the genocide starts.

He is joined by Catholic priest, Father Christopher (John Hurt) and a favorite pupil, Marie (Clare-Hope Ashitey). These three figures are at the forefront as the horrors of Rwanda play out.

Seeing the story of Rwanda from a white person’s perspective is a definite disadvantage for the audience. The white people living in Africa, as privileged observers, were automatically separated from their African counterparts, and this puts the audience in a mere observer position as well. Unlike “Hotel Rwanda,” which was told from an African point of view, this movie doesn’t seem able to dig much deeper than a surface story.

The acting is fair, with John Hurt and Clare-Hope Ashitey the most impressive, especially given what little they had to work with. Hurt has a wisdom and presence in his acting that comes from his age and experience.

Ashitey shone the most whenever she

is running, or at the end of the film when she visits Connor as a mature adult. There are both reservation and hope alive in her eyes and I hope to see her in more movies to come.

“Beyond the Gates” was unimpressive and unmoving, a true disappointment considering the topic. The director seemed to rely on piles of dead bodies for emotional impact. But without a back story or real connection with these people, the bodies are merely anonymous victims; tragic, but fleeting in their impact.

The most moving part of the film was the credits, which told the stories of various crew members who had survived the Rwandan genocide.

These people were true survivors, having lost numerous family members, living for days in hiding, or even taking refuge under dead bodies. If the film had been about these Rwandans, it would have been worthwhile. This may have been the only part of the movie during which I sat up and really took notice. It was a little too late.

h

FEATURE

The Reflector Page 6

April 4, 2007

The spirit of gospel

New gospel choir grows prevalent at UIndy, offers music experience

By Dylan Desmarais-Morse Staff Writer There are some new voices on the University of Indianapolis campus.

They are the Voices of Worship gospel choir.

“Enunciate! Enunciate the words like I can’t understand you! Make me understand!” said Geoffrey Kelsaw, director of the Voices of Worship, before the choir’s performance on March 26 at the Third Annual Gathering of the African-American Sages. Kelsaw is also an adjunct music faculty member.

The Voices of Worship choir is made up of 19 students, male and female, with varied musical backgrounds.

Some have no real experience singing in front of an audience, while others have had plenty of experience singing in their church choirs or other choirs at the university.

UIndy offered a gospel choir course that dissolved in 2005, but it was not as involved or as active as the new Voices of Worship, which formed during the Spring Term of 2006.

Now in its third semester, the choir is starting to perform off campus.

On March 21, the choir traveled to

Gary, Ind. to sing for a student’s home church, and to other venues.

“We are starting to go out to other avenues in the Indianapolis community,” Kelsaw said. “I hope that one day we’ll be able to do a short tour during a Fall or Spring Break.”

Students in the choir learn and perform different types of songs.

“I like to challenge them with new arrangements and styles,” Kelsaw said.

“They like the traditional gospel to the contemporary style, and I like to add some various styles of sacred music and a cappella. I also introduce them to composers they are not familiar with.”

While singing, the choir is very lively. Not only do the members clap their hands, tap their feet and sway with the music, but members of the audience find themselves doing the same.

“Gospel is full of energy and full of audience participation, so everyone can have a glorious time,” Kelsaw said.

Kelsaw emphasized that the students enrolled in the course must be diligent in their work, be responsible for themselves and be on time with the materials needed for the rehearsal.

“It’s hard work,” said junior communication major Willie Little. “But in the end, it’s okay because you have fun

College students turn to self-injury to cope with emotions

By Joan Savage Staff Writer It was a normal day of work for Lynn Moran, director of Student Services and nurse practitioner at the University of Indianapolis, when a young female student walked into her office wearing a short sleeve shirt. Carved up and down the student’s arm were old scars.

“She was here for something else of course. I said, ‘I have to ask you about your arm. Are you doing this yourself?’ And she said yes,” Moran said.

Lesley Stockton, director of the Counseling Center at UIndy, explained that self-injury—also known as self-inflicted violence, self-mutilation, self-abuse and cutting—is the deliberate act of hurting oneself in order to deal with emotions.

About 17 percent of college students self-injure, according to a 2006 survey by Cornell and Princeton University researchers. The report also showed that fewer than seven percent of those who self-injure have ever sought medical attention, and 40 percent reported that no one knew about their injuries.

Self-harming acts may include cutting, burning, hitting with fists or objects, hitting walls or other heavy objects, picking at skin until it bleeds, biting, pulling out hair or other acts causing tissue damage.

It’s a choice for coping, no different from substance abuse, eating disorders or other problem-avoidance addictions.

Unlike other disorders, self-injury is less understood. Most self-injurers did not learn how to cope effectively with their emotions growing up. “[Self-injurers] seem to be individuals who have lower distress tolerance skills, who have difficulty expressing emotion, [and] who have very low tolerance for conflict,” Stockton said.

Stockton also said childhood trauma, physical abuse, sexual abuse and/or emotional abuse can be a risk factor for self-injury.

Stockton explained that a person cuts when he or she feels overwhelmed.

“Self-cutting is like a negative spiral. And although it makes them

Ruth Shirley/ The Reflector

feel better in the immediate moment, there’s a lot of shame associated with it, and it is not really resolving the dilemmas and problems of their life,” she said.

In addition to easing frustration, Moran said self-injury is a way for a person to calm down when he or she feels panicky, and is a way to remove the feeling of disassociation.

“I know it’s hard to understand, but that’s a relief to the person. They know that they can still feel pain,” Moran said.

A misconception is that this behavior affects mostly females.

“When it comes to gender, [selfinjury] is really seen in about equal numbers of males and females.

Women are more likely to seek treatment,” Stockton said.

Although women are more likely to seek medical attention than men, very few people in general do.

“Many people keep it a secret.

They can’t imagine their life without it, and they don’t know how to stop,” Stockton said.

Stockton outlined steps toward recovery. First, a person must admit the problem, accepting that self-injury doesn’t solve problems. Second, a person must seek support, opening up to a trusted friend, a religious mentor, or a counselor. Third, the person should learn about self-injury and try to understand the unproductive and destructive cycle.

Self-injurers often feel alone and trapped in the cycle.

“Oftentimes, people feel like they’re the only ones doing [self-injury]. Be aware [that] others struggle with it,” Stockton said.

Moran said that people need to be aware of their friends and family and be available to help if they suffer from a disorder such as self-injury.

“More people need to be educated about [self-injury], so that when they find out one of their friends may be doing this, they can get them some help. Pay attention to your friends and ask the question, ‘No really, how are you doing?’ Then let them talk.”

For more information on self-injury, Stockton recommends “Scarred Soul: Understanding and Ending Self-Inflicted Violence” by Tracy Alderman, and the Web site http://www.selfinjury.com.

during the concerts surrounded by other students who want to be there.”

Kelsaw noted that students who would like to learn more about gospel music, train their ear musically, and

“Gospel is full of energy and full of audience participation, so everyone can have a glorious time.”

- Geoffrey Kelsaw become better performers will benefit greatly from this course.

“I recommend students looking into the course because it is not only fun, but also educational,” Kelsaw said.

“It will train their ears to hear different parts and broaden their horizons.

Students will be able to pick up their parts and sing a note just from listening to the song.”

Each semester the choir is offered as a one credit course. Rehearsals are held each Monday evening from 8 to 9:30 p.m.

Megan Komlanc/ The Reflector

The new UIndy gospel choir, “Voices of Worship,” sings at the Gathering of the African American sages with speaker Boniface Hardin. The group, in its third semester of existence, has quickly progressed into an active organization at UIndy.

Spoken word in Indy

Explore National Poetry Month events in April EVERY THURSDAY Poetry Corner Open Mic Poetry Readings 8 p.m., Corner Coffee, http://myspace.com/cornercoffee EVERY THURSDAY Kafé Kuumba Midtown Writer’s Association, Inc. 6 p.m., Omega Center, FREE http://www.midtownwritersassociation.org

EVERY SATURDAY Cafe Agape, Open Mic

6-10 p.m., College Park Church’s Ministry Center, FREE http://www.yourchurch.com/cafeagape.htm

EVERY SUNDAY WordSmiffs Open Mic

7 p.m., Mo’Joe Coffeehouse, $7, $5 for participants http://www.wordsmiffs.tk

Daily Poem Podcasts Featuring poems, interviews with poets, poetry documentaries http://www.PoetryFoundation.org

Poem-A-Day E-mail from new poetry publications http://www.poets.org

April 1 Poetry and Prose Readings 7 p.m., The Chatterbox Jazz Club htp://www.chatterboxjazz.com

April 5 Poetry in the Gallery Inspired by AfroCuban Works on Paper.

Local artists 7 p.m., Indianapolis Museum of Art, FREE http://ima-art.org

April 10 Etchings Release and Reading

Indpls, FREE http://www.bordersstores.com/index.jsp

April 12 The Poems of Shel Silverstein 10:30, 5612 Castleton Corner Ln. Indpls, FREE http://www.bordersstores.com/index.jsp

April 12 “Mama I Wanna Dance,” Iibada Dance Company, choreography to poems 6:30 p.m., Madame Walker Theatre Center, $25 http://www.walkertheatre.com

April 13 Indiana Poet Laureate Series Various poets 12:15 p.m., Indianapolis Arts Garden, FREE http://www.indyarts.org

April 14 Jason Ammerman, Slam Poet 7 p.m. The Bean Cup, FREE http://www.thebeancup.com

April 18 Café Li’Ture, Open Mic Host: Mijiza Yaa Soyini 7 p.m., Starbucks, N. College Ave., FREE http://www.ekfestival.org

April 20 The Cypher 5 Open Mic Host: Allen Imagery 8 p.m., Broad Ripple Starbucks, FREE http://www.myspace.com/btbcypher

April 20 Indiana Children’s Poet, Rebecca Kai Dotlich 12:15 p.m., Indianapolis Arts Garden, FREE http://www.indyarts.org/

UIndy Dept. of English 8 p.m., Schwitzer Student Center, FREE

April 22 “Jabberwocky”

April 10 The Poems of Shel Silverstein

Tales and Scales, with music, dialogue 7:30 p.m., Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center, $5

10:30 a.m., 7565 US 31 S. Indpls, FREE http://www.bordersstores.com/index.jsp

April 11 The Poems of Shel Silverstein 10:30 a.m., 8675 River Crossing Blvd.,

April 25 Jazz Poetry 12:15 p.m., Indianapolis Arts Garden, FREE http://www.indyarts.org

Ruth Shirley/ The Reflector

Slam Poet and HBO “Def Jam” artist Shihan, performed slam-style poetry on March 29 in the Schwitzer Student Center Atrium. Shihan’s poems are hip-hop influenced and concern themes such as African American culture, words and poems, religion, faith and love. His poems “The Negro Auction Network” and “Love in Four Parts” were especially successful with the audience.

April 26 Rope Walk: Writing Program and also college poets 12:15 p.m., Indianapolis Arts Garden, FREE http://www.indyarts.org

April 26 Po-Rap-Try Concert 7 p.m., Indiana Historical Society, FREE http://www.ekfestival.org

April 27 Martín Espada Poetry Reading/Book Signing 7:30 p.m., Indiana Historical Society/ Indiana History Center http://www.ekfestival.org

April 29 Poetry Reading: Local Poets 12:15 p.m., Indianapolis Arts Garden FREE http://www.indyarts.org/

The Reflector Page 8

FEATURE/ENTERTAINMENT

April 4, 2007

‘TMNT’ brings nostalgia to the big screen Kevin Munroe’s continuation of the ‘Teenage Mutant Ninga Turtles’ films brings Turtle fun to another generation.

By Tony Puckett Sports Editor Despite several papers that were due this week, I spent most of my week not doing homework. Instead, I downloaded the original 1989 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game for my Xbox and spent the better part of the week repeatedly pounding the Foot Clan into submission. The nostalgia of whacking ninja after ninja with a bow staff recalled some of the best moments of my childhood.

This, of course, was all buildup for seeing “TMNT,” which opened in theatres nationwide two weeks ago.

Yes, Master Splinter and the gang are back after a 14-year absence from the big screen. Naturally, because the Turtles played such a large role in my childhood, I entered the theater warily, the way a doting father would approach his daughter’s new boyfriend. I had worries; and while not all were settled, I did walk away with a smile and some fond memories.

“TMNT” takes place after the events of the third movie. Leonardo has been sent far away by Splinter to train in solitude. The absence of their leader has a distressing effect on the rest of the turtles and leads to one of the film’s most interesting conflicts between Leonardo and Raphael as leadership of the team remains in doubt. Meanwhile, millionaire Max Winters sets about fulfilling a legend that is supposed to take place every 3,000 years, and could—oh fine, I’ll say it—will put the world in jeopardy. Naturally, it’s up to the Turtles to save us all.

They do have some help however.

The characters of April O’Neil and Casey Jones have been somewhat revamped. April is no longer the damsel in distress; she can handle a sword just as well as the next guy, err, turtle, err, woman.

The movie is intended for a younger audience, and this in no place shows more than in the dialogue. The writing, by director Kevin Munroe, is often simplistic, hackneyed and obvious. But hey, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles never were Shakespeare.

The voice talent is by and large forgettable, with the exception of Patrick Stewart (does this guy ever turn down a job?) as Winters, which actually plays to the movie’s biggest strength: the visuals.

The computer animation for “TMNT” is just par for this age of “Finding Nemo” and “Toy Story.” The action is fast, and the fight scenes are fluid and fun to watch. This technology should have existed for the previous three installments of the series; it simply felt more like the original comic book and cartoon show.

Most of the actors are forgettable, with the Turtle’s voices coming from video game and cartoon actors. One strange choice, however, is Ziyi Zhang of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” fame for the voice of Karai, the female leader of the Foot Clan, in place of the fallen Shredder. Obviously Zhang’s skills include acting, martial arts and all-around gorgeousness. They do not, however, include enunciation. Many of her lines were garbled or difficult to understand.

Ultimately, “TMNT” wasn’t made for us. The movie is more an introduction of classic characters to a new generation of kids, who will buy all their playsets and toys. Despite its flaws though, “TMNT” does manage to capture some of that old Turtle magic, if only just barely. Raphael is still the badass who plays by his own rules, just like House. Donatello is still a helpless nerd, and Michelangelo still makes bad puns. While I may not have been in the target audience, I still couldn’t help cracking a smile.

TWICE OVER

April 4, 2007

The Reflector Page 9

? e b o t e c a l p e h t y d n I s I : r e e r a c ga

Launchin

F

OR years, the state of Indiana has been linked with talks about a “brain drain.” University administrators, business leaders and state and local government officials increasingly have become concerned about the large number of Indiana college graduates who decide to leave the state in pursuit of something better. According to a study on graduate migration from Indiana’s postsecondary institutions, which was carried out by the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute (IFPI) in 1999, 36.2 percent of residents and 89.2 percent of nonresidents leave the state after graduation.

With such a high number of graduates flocking to other states, it is not surprising that in 2006 Indiana ranked 44th of the 50 states for members of the workforce with a bachelor’s degree or higher, according to the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.

These numbers have left many wondering how to convince graduates that Indiana, specifically Indianapolis, has a growing number of opportunities to offer.

Indiana ranks fourth in the nation in the life sciences industry due in part to the state’s five-year-old life sciences initiative, BioCrossroads.

Follow The Money

According to the 1999 study by IFPI, the biggest reason students leave is related to employment; they leave in search of jobs with the best pay and benefit mix, as well as the brightest prospect for career advancement.

“I think the places where there are the most opportunities [for employment] are in the up-and-coming, small businesses and the emerging industries,” said Associate Director of Career

By Abby Adragna

l News

editor

Services Lela Mixon. “Most students ing programs to help students become don’t have [those] on their radar.” more aware of these opportunities. The According to the 2006/2007 issue of University of Indianapolis created the GRAD magazine, the emerging indusInstitute for Emerging Careers (IEC) in tries in Indiana include logistics, motor 2003 as a way of “connecting today’s sports and life sciences. Logistics deals top students with tomorrow’s emerging with the mathematics and business of careers.” The mission of IEC is to come transportation, and as “The Crossroads up with creative ideas and programs to of America,” Indiana can provide stuhelp students stay in Indiana after graddents with several opportunities in this uation. In 2005 IEC launched the “Live industry.

Indiana” Also, as host Guest Lecof the Indy ture Series.

Indiana’s 2006 Report Card 500, the AllAccording to from the Indiana Chamber of Commerce state 400 at IEC Director the Brickyard Ron Dow, Education and Workforce.......................................C and the U.S. the program Grand Prix, is designed Business Costs and Productivity...........................CIndiana is a to bring Government/Regulatory Environment.................B+ top competitor government, Infrastructure (Physical and Digital).....................D+ in the motor for profit and Dynamism and Entrepreneurism.........................D+ sports indusnonprofit try. Accordcommunity Quality of Life.........................................................D+ ing to a 2006 leaders to report by Batcampus to Overall Ctelle Memoshare with rial Institute students the and the Bioreasons to technology Industry Organization, consider launching a career in Indiana.

Indiana ranks fourth in the nation in the UIndy’s Office of life sciences industry due in part to the Career Services also works to help state’s five-year-old life sciences initia- students find good jobs in Indiana. Sevtive, BioCrossroads. In addition, the eral years ago, the university partnered average wage of life sciences jobs in with the Greater Indianapolis ChamIndiana at companies such as Eli Lilly ber of Commerce to launch Indiana and Co. is nearly $10,000 higher than INTERNnet, which is an internet-based the national average. internship system that serves students throughout the state. Mixon believes Size Matters that getting students to serve intern Director of Marketing Joseph Solari ships at companies or organizations in also believes that Indiana is a good Indiana is important for keeping them place for graduates to start their careers in the state after graduation. because the state has a high rate of “I think too many students are small company creation. He says that graduating without that pre-professionthis is important because more people al experience,” Mixon said. “If they are employed by the numerous small are competing against people who have businesses that exist than by the few that experience, then the perception big businesses in the state. would be that there aren’t opportunities University faculty and administrawhen, in fact, there are.” tors in Indianapolis and throughout the state of Indiana have been creat-

New Dental Study The Oral Health Research Institute of the IU School of Dentistry is looking for healthy children and adults to participate in a dental screening for cavities to determine eligibility for participation in a future dental study. Participants will receive $35 cash for their participation. The risks and benefits of the survey will be explained at the first visit.

If you or your child are interested in being in this screening or have any questions, please call (317) 274-8822 and ask to speak with a representative of the screening study.

Quality of Life

“We have a very strong base of According to IFPI, the second stron- nonprofit agencies that provide community-related help for those with gest reason students decide to leave disabilities or folks who are disadvanIndiana after graduation is quality of taged,” Dow said. “[There are] various life. They believe that there will be opgroups in town that help, which makes portunities for a higher quality of life it a better quality of outside the state. life for all citizens.

H o w e v e r, D o w strongly advocates “The nice thing about Indiana, It’s not just for Indianapolis’ abilespecially central Indiana, is those in a certain economic area, and ity to provide its residents with a vari- there are so many opportuni- that’s huge.”

For profit ety of opportunities. ties for a student to number “The nice thing one, launch a career; number organizations also are working to imabout Indiana, especially central Indiana, two, launch a business; num- prove quality of life in Indiana through is there are so many ber three, connect with the their support of opportunities for a community to do volunteer diverse employment student to number one, launch a career; work and give back and num- opportunities. The Indiana Chamber of number two, launch ber four, actually own their Commerce is active a business; number in linking employthree, connect with own home.” ers to universities the community to do -Ron Dow and students, as volunteer work and well as in supportgive back and number four, actually own their own home.” ing the nonprofit agency community.

The Federal Department of Com According to GRAD magazine, the merce also is active in training Indiana city of Indianapolis ranked first in a 2005 survey of most affordable housing employers how to export. According to Dow, this is important for the state markets. The magazine states that “the because it helps Indiana employers National Association of Home Buildcompete in the global economy and, ers’/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity therefore, create jobs for students.

Index shows that more than 90 percent of homes sold in Indianapolis in the first quarter of 2006 were affordable to families earning the area’s median household income of $65,100.”

According to Solari, who has been a resident of Indiana For More Information check out since 1972, the state also is a the following websites: good place to live because it is accessible, which he believes www.learnmoreindiana.org is important to people. Dow Search the Hoosier Hot 50 Jobs as well agrees that Indiana, espeas the most “in demand” jobs for 2004-2014. cially Indianapolis, is easy to get around. Residents can get almost anywhere in the www.indyhub.org city in about 25 minutes, and Helping young professionals, aged 21-40, the proximity of the airport network in the Indianapolis area. makes travel faster and easier than many other places. He also thinks it is beneficial that www.Onetonline.com Indiana is just a day’s ride from Search jobs, compare Indiana wages to over a third of the country.

Making the Grades

Although Indiana scored a D+ for overall quality of life on the Indiana Chamber of Commerce’s 2006 Report Card, many state and local government and business leaders are working to raise the grade. Mayor Bart Peterson’s office has been heavily focused on developing a better quality of life through an aggressive arts and culture initiative, as well as through the improvement of housing and neighborhoods.

“If you get a job you would hopefully like to live and work in a city that is a nice place to be,” Dow said. “The mayor is very active in not only [building] new neighborhoods but taking a strong look and helping older existing neighborhoods.”

As far as the arts and culture initiative, the mayor is working to fund and support art galleries and local and professional theatre groups, as well as to put arts and culture back into the schools.

Nonprofit organizations also are working to improve quality of life in Indiana. According to Dow, Lilly Endowment, Inc. is at the top of the list as far as providing quality of life issues for the state and helping in areas of education. The organization funds various community-related, education-related and religious-related agencies that help create programs for the common good.

Another nonprofit organization that provides funding for various projects in the community is the Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF).

Brain Payne, CEO of the organization, recently initiated a project called the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, which involves the construction of a “worldclass urban bike and pedestrian path that connects neighborhoods, cultural districts and entertainment amenities, and serves as the downtown hub for the central Indiana greenway trail system.”

national, and see the growth of popular occupations.

Making Indy Home

One strong area of Indianapolis’ quality of life is the availability of cultural and recreational opportunities. The city has nationally recognized sports teams and venues. Conseco Fieldhouse is home to the Pacers and will once again house the Men’s and Women’s NCAA Final Four tournaments in 2010 and 2011, respectively.

The city recently has garnered attention for the Superbowl win captured by the Colts, and the team is currently awaiting the opening of the new Lucas Oil Stadium. In addition, the city is known for its action-filled events at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Indianapolis also can boast a diverse array of relatively inexpensive restaurants, clubs and theatres. The city has recognizable museums, such as the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Museum of Art and the Eiteljorg Museum of Indians and Western Art. In addition, residents can enjoy musical performances at such venues as Conseco Fieldhouse, Verizon Music Center and the Murat Centre.

According to a Forbes magazine survey, Indianapolis ranks 10th out of the 200 largest metropolitan areas in the country for the “Best Places for Businesses and Careers.” The magazine based the rankings on business and living costs, job and income growth, the education of the work force, crime rates, migration over the past five years and a culture index. This shows that, although Indianapolis and Indiana may be struggling to combat the “brain drain,” there are plenty of reasons to make Indy home.

Taken from the phrase, “Give it a once over,” the Twice Over section attempts to tackle broader issues of local, state or national concern that directly, or indirectly, affect the University of Indianapolis community. Send feedback to reflector@uindy.edu.

April 4, 2007

BACK PAGE

The Reflector Page 10

Third annual UIndy Drag Show The University of Indianapolis hosted its third annual Drag Show sponsored by PRIDE in Ransburg Auditorium to a full house on Thursday, March 29. Junior nursing major David West, who performed as “Mary Mahem,” said the event looked like “rainbow bright threw up all over the stage.”

Left: PRIDE Faculty Adviser Jeffrey Barnes, “Jessica Lynn Hepburn,” won Best Overall for his rendition of “Queen of the Night,” by Whitney Houston.

Bottom: Drag Show participants entertain the audience one more time during their curtain call.

Right: Lucas Sauder, “Miss Ivanna Dohit,” won Cutest Award for his rendition of “Man, I Feel Like A Woman,” by Shania Twain.

Photos by Tom Rastall/ The Reflector