Building relationships, making new friends, improving student success, and transforming the region are just a few of Chancellor Harris’ goals for IU Kokomo. While having been a part of the IU Kokomo family for just over eighteen months, Chancellor Harris has raised the standard for this campus, so it should not surprise us to hear that he was named Kokomo Perspective’s 2011 Person of the Year!

Chancellor Michael Harris

He is a visionary who looks towards the future of what IU Kokomo can become. He is innovative with the accomplishments he holds. The establishment of the Nursing Simulation Lab is an accomplishment that aids in the success of the nursing students in the IU Kokomo’s School of Nursing, the third largest nursing school in the state.

His leadership has directed the record fundraising that IU Kokomo has experienced for the Wellness and Fitness Center. Fundraising was a major aspect of IU Kokomo’s ability to have this wonderful facility that we will see in the near future, and Chancellor Harris has demonstrated tremendous effort in the fundraising process.

He has also established club sports. Women’s volleyball and men’s basketball are just the beginning of what IU Kokomo’s athletic program can contain. His future plans involve IU Kokomo joining the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics League (NAIA).

Aside from the athletics, Chancellor Harris has a vision for his students. He wants us to succeed and become the best we can be, both individually and as a community. With his vision for his students, Chancellor Harris added twelve new academic programs, allowing students the opportunity to succeed even more.

Enrollment for the fall 2011 semester increased by 6.7 percent, which included the largest freshman class in IU Kokomo’s history. Along with this, our campus has experienced the largest number of full time students ever seen during IU Kokomo’s existence- 70 percent!

I am honored to be a part of the IU Kokomo family with Chancellor Harris leading the way to a brighter future. When looking back at his previous eighteen months, he has truly made a difference in the lives of those around him. By making his dreams of what our campus can be come true, Chancellor Harris has paved the way for what’s to come. He wants IU Kokomo to be “the best regional campus in the world.” He wants everyone to follow him as he makes history. He believes that we can be the best. Do you?

Hollie Boyles

Brandon Larrick, a freshman at Indiana University Kokomo, has played basketball since he was five years old. His decision to play for IUK came unexpectedly.

Photo: Brandon Larrick shows off his skills at the Cougars' first home basketball game.

“At first I was content on not playing in college, but Jake Robertson called me one day and talked me into coming out to an open gym that Coach Thompson was having. Jake told me I would miss basketball and he convinced me to play.” 

Larrick attended several open gyms before tryouts, which for him, weren’t as terrifying as he’d expected. “It wasn’t what I had anticipated. It was more or less just a couple open gyms.  Coach relied on how you looked in the open gym as well as your high school stats.” 

Brandon graduated from Western High School, where he also participated in baseball.  He grew up with two sisters and two brothers, one of whom is his twin. The boys played sports together all through grade school. “It is weird this year not having him on the court,” Larrick says. 

Although play is different for him, Larrick hopes to continue playing for IUK for the next few years. He is very familiar with the court and has played several different positions: “I played everywhere in the past, from point guard to center. I am currently a forward and center.” 

His knowledge of the game gives him a good leg up, as he is one of the youngest players on the team. Regardless of the age difference, the team seems to be working well together. “We try everyday to push each other in practice to make practice seem like a game scenario.  It’s hard to imitate the speed and flow of the game in practice, but we are all working well together, so we continue to make progress.” 

Larrick has put a lot of effort into the season so far, and is a leader for the team. Even as a freshman, Brandon has managed to put points on the board each game, and has proven to be a well-rounded player. As the games continue, Larrick hopes to carry on improving his play as an individual, as well as a team player.

Story by Bailey Stage, Staff Writer

Due to the increasing importance of improving student life at Indiana University Kokomo, the cafeteria is implementing some changes to create a better dining experience for students, faculty, and staff.

To start, new “grab n’ go” items are being placed in the cooler in the cafeteria. Breakfast sandwiches, cheeseburgers, buffalo chicken sandwiches, roasted turkey dinners, turkey flatbread sandwiches, salads, or a ham and cheese croissant will be readily available to microwave or eat cold. All food comes pre-packed with a microwavable safe plate and condiments included. Prices range from one to three dollars, and wellness options are available.

Lyn Allison, dining district manager of AVI Foodsystems, is very pleased to add this for the campus.

“I’m glad to be able to better serve the campus by adding these food options. So far, it seems that these new additions will be a great hit,” Allison said.

For the start of the spring 2012 semester, the campus can expect a new vending machine featuring these food items, plus more. The vending machine will be placed in the main building with the other machines. Not only will the cheeseburgers and sandwiches be an option, but meals such as chili mac, biscuits and gravy, veal parmesan, and scalloped potatoes will be added as well.

A nice addition to the vending options is that the food is never frozen and no preservatives are added.

“The great thing about our vending food is that it is fresh,” Allison added. “The food is usually prepared late at night and we receive it early the next morning, ensuring the best quality is provided to the campus.”

There will also be a variety of wellness options added. Chicken Caesar, garden fresh, and chef salads will be available, and the great thing is that all toppings are separate from the lettuce, so the salad can be prepared to your liking.

Sarah Sarber, dean of students, also looks forward to the new machines.

“The food is delicious, and we’re all very excited for the new options,” Sarber stated. “This will add convenience for students, faculty, and staff.”

All labels will come with a calorie count and nutritional facts. If you’re interested in learning more about these food options, stop by the cafeteria located in the Kelley Center.

Story by Mary Olk, Editor-in-Chief

Indiana weather is always unpredictable, but it’s safe to predict that there will be at least one severe winter storm in the upcoming months. It’s important to consider the disruptions that winter weather can cause and how to be prepared to handle them.

Photo: Winter snow on IU Kokomo campus.

Severe winter weather may not seem as dangerous as a tornado or an earthquake, but the likelihood of being affected by a winter storm is much higher, and the effects can be just as devastating. As students, it is important to consider how classes will be affected, as well as how to safely travel to and from campus.

The easiest thing a person can do to help ready himself or herself for winter is to be aware of the weather forecast and to stay informed. Checking the weather online is extremely easy, and for those with a smart phone, there are many apps available to keep up to date on current weather conditions. For those who do not have easy access to the internet, radio and television forecasts are generally easy to find. Local morning news will almost always have the day’s weather featured.

As students, it is important to be informed when campus is closed due to inclement weather in order to avoid driving to campus when there will be no classes. Information about the status of campus can be obtained in many ways. As with the weather, local news stations are informed when campus is closed, however, the IU Notify system is the fastest way to be informed about campus closings. Students who have entered their information into the IU Notify system can have email, text, and automated phone call messages sent to let them know when campus will be closed due to an emergency. For those who have not entered their information, but would like to, this can be done at onestart.iu.edu.

All IU Kokomo students have to travel to and from campus, and with heavy snow or ice, it can be dangerous. For students who live farther away, it is possible that conditions may be treacherous where they live, but campus may still be open. In these cases, it is important to stay in touch with your professor and their policies on missing class. While it is never encouraged to miss a class, it is more important for students to stay safe. 

There are times when travel in bad weather cannot be avoided, and it’s a good idea to have an emergency kit in a vehicle for safety, as well as doing regular maintenance. A large duffle bag can be kept in the trunk or in the back and should include: a flashlight, salt or ice melter, gloves, boots, socks, first aid kit, blanket, a piece of bright orange material, and a granola bar or snack. If room allows, a small shovel is also helpful.

While that may seem like a large amount of items that may never be needed, in the event of an emergency, it is possible that they could be lifesavers. More info about winter safety can be found at www.ready.gov/winter.

Story by John Robertson, Staff Writer, Photographer

Dr. TJ Sullivan, who is the Assistant Professor of Molecular Ecology in the Department of Science, Mathematics, and Informatics here at Indiana University Kokomo, has won a $173,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.

Professor Sullivan and his colleague from Hope College of Holland, Michigan, Dr. Tom Bultman, will study the relationship between toxic and non-toxic grasses that livestock eat, which the money from the grant will go toward. The grant he received was one of 11,500 grants given, out of 45,000 requests that the National Science Foundation received.

In order to apply for the grant, Dr. Sullivan and Dr. Bultman had to write a proposal describing what they wanted to do and provide justification that the experiments would be important to science. They then had to create a budget and describe how much money was being requested. All of that information was then submitted to be reviewed by other scientists.

When asked how he felt when he received the news, Dr. Sullivan stated, “I was really excited and happy when I got the news. It was a great reassurance not only that my proposed research actually was a good idea, but also that I’d be able to financially support it for the next few years.” However, this is not the first grant that Dr. Sullivan has received. He received smaller grants when he was a graduate student, as well as here at Indiana University Kokomo, but this grant is the largest.

He has been studying the relationship between fungi and grasses since graduate school. Says Sullivan, “When I was initially looking into going to graduate school, I knew I wanted to study ecology, specifically symbiotic relationships involving microorganisms, like bacteria and fungi, and larger organisms, like plants and animals. While I was visiting graduate schools, I visited Arizona State, where I met with Dr. Stan Faeth, who was working with these fungi already. I became fascinated by this grass/fungal interaction, and ended up going to ASU to get my Ph.D.”

The project has already been started. Dr. Sullivan started collecting seeds from natural populations of Canada Wild Rye from all over the United States. He says that “since that can only be done in August when the plants are producing seeds, I did some collecting because I wanted to be able to start right away and not have to wait until next summer if the grant was funded.”

When asked how he thought this will affect Indiana University Kokomo research projects for this department in the future, Dr. Sullivan replied that “faculty in SMI and at IU Kokomo in general are all active researchers, all doing interesting things. Hopefully this news will help shine a light on everything else faculty are doing here, and help people realize that important research doesn’t have to be done at a large campus. We can do it here, too.”

Amanda Chesshir

Aren’t hearing enough election news? Well, for all you political junkies out there who never get enough, here are a few words about Kokomo’s recent local elections. Mayor Greg Goodnight won a historic landslide victory over Republican challenger Scott Kern in the mayoral race, garnering just over 70% of the vote.

During his first term, Goodnight earned substantial praise for his role in cutting the size of local government and improving the city’s economic climate. Kokomo was on Forbes’ list of “Fastest-Dying Towns” at the end of 2008, but it is now on Forbes’ list of “Best Cities for Jobs.”  The mayor’s first four years also saw the city’s $5 million deficit turn into a $7 million surplus, as well as the creation of a city bus service. According to the Kokomo Tribune, Goodnight feels the city needs to keep moving forward, stating that his goals are to “clean up the city, make the proper investments, and improve the quality of life for people who’ve invested their lives here.”

Goodnight’s difficult decision to downsize the fire department was controversial, leading Scott Kern first to resign as fire chief and eventually to oppose him in the mayoral race. The department supported Kern in his run, but around 15 firefighters broke away in support of Goodnight. Kern was good-natured about his loss, telling the Tribune, “I wish nothing but the best for the City of Kokomo.”

The city council races were won by Mike Wyant (D) of District 1, Bob Cameron (D) of District 2, Cindy Sanders (R) of District 5, and Tom Miklik (R) of District 6, as well as Kevin Summers (R), Robert Hayes (D), and Mike Kennedy (D) for Councilmen-At-Large. This gives Democrats a 6-3 advantage on the council. However, representatives from both parties have shown solidarity, saying they are looking forward to working together for the good of the city.

Many of the candidates and their supporters even celebrated the end of the election at the same place—the Elks Lodge. Goodnight, a Democrat, praised the reelection of the three Republican councilmen as an example of the council and the voters putting city before party. The precedence of civic over political considerations can be seen in the prevalence of split-ticket voting in this election.

The mutual respect and love of community revealed in this election are refreshing compared to the partisan divide we often see on the national stage. However, there is one major concern. Voter turnout has dropped 6% since the 2007 election. Vote totals dived from over 10,000 four years ago to about 8,000 this year, with the drop virtually equal across party lines.  Only 25% of Kokomo’s registered voters participated in the election, meaning the results were determined by just under 18% of the city’s population. These figures are astonishing. Voting is an important civic responsibility, as well as a right that men and women have given their lives for. If you sat out this election or if you have in the past, please remember that your voice counts.  With the presidential election next year, we cannot afford to let our apathy or disillusionment as voters prevent us from making the best possible decision for the good of our nation.

BY: Andrew Jones

The last week of October has brought with it good news for current college students nationwide, and a happy bonus for Indiana University students.

IU President Michael McRobbie announced that beginning next summer, IU students will have their summer tuition reduced by 25%. This is a significant decrease and even one three-credit course will cost nearly $200 less than the standard tuition rate. An IU press release stated that for student taking “a full academic course load in the summer, the tuition reductions will result in a savings [of] more than $700 at IU’s regional campuses.” For IUK students, that’s the equivalent of a free three-credit class. This not only makes college more affordable, but offers students the chance to take more classes at once, which could translate to earlier graduation for some students.

Because of this, IU campuses could see an increase in summer enrollment rates as students opt to take summer classes at the reduced rate instead of taking many of those same classes during the spring and fall semesters for full price tuition.

Following on the heels of IU’s announcement was the national news that President Obama made some much needed significant changes to student loan repayment policies. This new plan, called “Pay As You Earn,” was moved from an original January 2014 effective date to January 2012, just two months from now.

Up to now, debtors with student loans had to pay 15% of their discretionary income every month for up to 25 years. After 25 years, the remaining debt is forgiven, but the debtor has by this time paid more than double his or her original loan amount. Now, payments will only be 10% of discretionary income, and the remaining debt will be forgiven after 20 years, which is 60 payments less than the current loan length. This change will not be of much help to students who have already graduated, but new loans taken out beginning in January will be covered under this new law.

The most notable and serious downfall to this new plan is that past graduates will not benefit. Current college students do not truly understand the impact of borrowing tens of thousands of dollars to pay for school, but for those who have already graduated, the impact is very real. Past graduates are currently feeling the heaviest impacts of owing so much money, yet they are not the ones receiving help.

For the first time in the history of the U.S.A., student loan debt has surpassed credit card debt, at over $1 trillion. College tuition rates have increased more than 300% in the last 30 years, but income and job availability has not been able to keep up. This is truly a significant milestone, but it’s not a good one, and it has been marked by the recent Occupy movements that began in mid-September. People are struggling in an unstable economy, and sky-high student loan bills make everyday life even more difficult for the millions of graduates with student loan debt. While the new plan does not cover all college graduates past and future, it is stills a step in the right direction.

Tiffani Bonifant

Dr. Victor Bogle will be forever remembered for his “leadership and guidance that he provided [to] Indiana University Kokomo,” says Chancellor Michael Harris. Dr. Bogle died Sunday, October 16^th, but we will never forget his dedication to IU Kokomo. A memorial service will be held on November 20^th at 2:00 p.m. at the Elliott House to honor the life of Dr. Victor Bogle. Let us all remember him and his loyalty to IU Kokomo.

Dr. Bogle was the first chancellor of IU Kokomo. He served as the Chief Administrator from 1959 to1980. He also directed the move from the Seiberling Mansion, where the university started, to our current location, and presided over the construction of the Main Building in the mid-1960s. IU Kokomo History recorded a 108 percent increase in student enrollment in the first year in the new building. With the leadership and guidance of Dr. Bogle, this increase in enrollment was made possible. Chancellor Harris is right when he says that our campus would not be where we are today  if it weren’t for Dr. Bogle.

Teaching history was what Dr. Bogle enjoyed, and he never stopped being an educator throughout his tenure at IU Kokomo. He taught courses on Indiana history, the history of the American Midwest, and history of ideas in America. He was also in charge of many educational innovations, such as the development of the baccalaureate degree in Liberal Studies.

Among his long list of accomplishments, including membership in the United States Air Force during World War II, and earning his Master’s in American History and his Ph.D. in American Civilization, the growth and achievements of IU Kokomo rank high. Dr. Bogle wrote IU Kokomo’s first long-range academic and physical facilities master plans.

In 2000, Governor Frank O’Bannon awarded Dr. Bogle the Sagamore of the Wabash Award, which is Indiana’s highest service mention, for his dedication to higher education. On September 10^th, 2005, IU Kokomo honored Dr. Bogle for the time and effort he put into the campus by dedicating the Victor M. Bogle Conference Room in the Main Building, otherwise known as the Bogle Room, to him. At this dedication ceremony, Dr. Bogle’s wife of 58 years, Fern Bogle, said she recalled small moments about the campus throughout their years of service to IU Kokomo, including a moment when Dr. Bogle planted pansies around a campus sign. Of her husband, Fern Bogle said he “considered IU Kokomo his ‘child’ and I tried to support him in everything he did.”

Dr. Bogle’s compassion and determination for this campus lead to the structuring of the Phoenix, which is the large stainless steel sculpture in front of the Main Building. It was built in the Bogle family’s garage in 1965. The Phoenix is a symbol of the school’s growth.

“Without his tireless effort and clear vision, there would be no Indiana University Kokomo,” says David Brewster, English professor and close personal friend of Dr. Bogle. With Mr. Brewster’s remark, one is challenged with this thought: what if Dr. Bogle didn’t step out of his comfort zone and embark on the journey that was set before him? IU Kokomo would not be the same place, if it even existed. We are endlessly indebted to Dr. Bogle and his desire for this campus to succeed. With his legacy, we can be encouraged that one person can make a difference. Chancellor Harris said that Dr. Bogle “blazed the path for those of us who have followed, and we are forever grateful for his legacy.”

Hollie Boyles

Armistice Day was first recognized on November 11^th, 1919. It commemorated the signing of the Armistice by Germany on the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month of 1918; the official end of the First World War. One year later, it was recognized by President Woodrow Wilson as a day to celebrate, remember, and honor the service members who fought and died in the war. In 1954, it was made an official federal holiday to honor all veterans, regardless of the conditions of their service – peace or war time.

Often, it is celebrated by barbeques, parties and celebrations, somber and emotional memorials, and often with ravioli. Yes. Ravioli. In 1919, President Wilson figured that all those doughboys returning home would certainly be missing a home-cooked meal, so he invited about 2,000 of them to the White House and helped his chefs cook and serve ravioli until they all had their fill. This first tradition was born; many more would follow.

However you choose to celebrate Veterans Day this year, there are a number of options in our community. This Veterans Day, you can attend the National Roll Call here at Indiana University Kokomo. The National Roll Call is a reading, nationwide, of all 6,254 names of service members who lost their lives during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Currently, there are 144 participating colleges and universities nationwide, in all 50 states, committed to reading the list and honoring veterans on this day. There are people from our community that are on this list. These are people you may have known.

Starting at 7:45am in Kresge Auditorium on the 11^th of November, members of our community, university faculty, staff, and administrators, as well as students and veterans, will read the list while accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation displaying the name, rank, branch of service, and picture of each and every one of those 6,254 men and women who put on the uniform of the United States and lost their lives in that service. The numbers are staggering.  Another name, another face, every three and a half seconds for six straight hours. Each reader will represent 261 of our fellow Americans who perished. At 2:30 p.m., Chancellor Michael Harris will dedicate the Commemorative Boulder outside of the Main Building in honor of all the branches of our Armed Forces.

However you choose to celebrate this Veterans Day, be it getting mad that your bank isn’t open, hanging a flag on your porch, relaxing on the couch, or honoring Veterans everywhere in your own way, the Student Veterans Organization at Indiana University Kokomo invites you to come and listen for a while to the names being read or the ceremony at the boulder.  Veterans appreciate your support more than you know, and they would love to see you in attendance.

Brian A. Arwood