The Communicator | January 11, 2012
www.ipfwcommunicator.org
news&politics Second Phase of iPad Cohort Begins
After an apparently successful semester putting iPads into the hands of faculty, IPFW is adding new professors to the #mobileEDU project. In a press conference in the Liberal Arts Building lobby, it was announced that now over one third of full-time professors are participating in the project. “I was a little dubious about how much use a device like this would be,” said chair of the physics department Dr. Mark Masters. “I liked it so much I actually went out and got all the professors in the Jessica Geyer
department [iPads].” Also making statements at the meeting was the account executive for Blackboard Mobile Jim Brown. He wasn’t there in person, however—he Skyped in on an iPad. IPFW is switching from 7-year-old Blackboard Vista to new Blackboard Learn this semester. The new version has a mobile app. “It’s a totally collaborative device within the classroom,” said Master. He warned about the problems about using “technology for technology’s sake,” though. That
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would be “destined to fail,” he said. “Using it as a real tool, that is critical,” he said. Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Dr. William McKinney called Project #mobileEDU “an experiment.” “There will come a time where a department will want all its students to have [technology],” said McKinney. “It might not even be an iPad, it might be a notebook … that’s why we’re letting groups like this lead.” ► @IPFW_NewsBeat
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The News Never Sleeps What You May Have Missed Over Winter Break As the last troops are pulled out of Iraq, the war in Iraq officially ends.
Dec. 15 u
The International Trade Commission rules in favor of Apple’s smart phone patents, finding Android guilty of patent violations. Google has until April 19 before the phones in question are banned from US importation.
Dec. 19 u
The world rings in the New Year. Dick Clark hosts his 40th “Dick Clark’s Rocking Eve” at Time Square.
Jan. 1 u
Trevor Baldwin
t Dec. 17
Kim Jong Il, leader of North Korea, dies from a heart attack. He is succeeded by his son, Kim Jong Un.
t Dec. 22
Congress passes a two-month extension on tax cuts and unemployment insurance after weeks of debate. It delays a tax increase on 160 million people.
t Jan. 3
Iowa is the first state to vote in the Republican primaries. Mitt Romney wins with just eight points over Rick Santorum. Michele Bachmann, who placed sixth, drops out of the race.
The Communicator | January 11, 2012
www.ipfwcommunicator.org
opinion
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A Treasure in the Basement The Helmke Resource More Students Should Utilize
Tucked into the basement of Helmke Library, the facilities of CAtv sit as an underused and perhaps undervalued resource. The college access channel is a member of the Alliance for Community Media, and as one of the three local cable access centers exists with the primary function of serving the local universities of Fort Wayne. The channel broadcasts online courses for students, shows live musical performances from university groups, and offers work study options to students that allow them to gain knowledge in the areas of production and operation. Probably one of the most overlooked amenities, however, is the ability of students, regardless of major, to use this equipment. “By and large, most students who do these programs are in media production classes. We get some from the visual and performing arts, but most students may not even know about it,” said CAtv Director Bernie Lohmuller. Not only a useful resource for classes that may require the production of a video or program, the facilities of CAtv allow students who have no affiliation to any sort of media studies to create their own works, including programs and films of their own design. Students choosing to take advantage of this opportunity would need to speak to the director about the proposed program or film for approval and there is the stipulation that all products made with the use of CAtv equipment must be played on the channel, but restrictions are few. Staff Editorial
“We ask that the programs are suitable for the area we live in. Community standards are what we adhere to. We don’t allow bad language or graphic violence, but there are no restrictions on subject matter,” said Lohmuller This allows a large amount of creative license to students, giving them both the tools to create their own television programs and the outlet for them to be seen by the community. Mastodon Minutes, an IPFW club that runs a YouTube-based newscast, originally got its start using the studio and equipment provided by CAtv. Mastodon Minutes now has their own equipment, acquired through grants from the IPSGA, but the program has endured, and is now into its fourth season. It’s unfortunate that this is not yet a common trend, with only 79 programs of the 201 programs and 700 online class sessions aired in 2010 being produced by students not employed by the station. “IPFW is unique in the country for what we do here. It’s a great benefit, and students have this benefit at their disposal,” said Lohmuller. For those students attending IPFW or Ivy Tech who aren’t camera shy, the opportunities for both creative freedom and an immense amount of free speech are up for the taking, not to mention the experience that can be gained through learning to use both the camera equipment and the editing software available through the station. The college access channel is yet an undervalued resource that may in fact open more doors than many students realize.
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C ARE ER
CORNER Jennifer Johnson So you’ve finally tackled knowing which door to go through after you help you in this ever-changing journey,
the overwhelming feeling of choosing your major, and now you’re faced with an endless list of career choices. Sound familiar? If you’ve ever visited IPFW’s Career Services office, you’ve probably heard it said that your major does not determine your career. In fact, most majors open doors to a wide array of careers. However,
graduate can sometimes be a frustrating or even frightening task. Career planning is not a one-time activity that you complete in high school or college. Rather, career planning is best done on a regular basis. Did you know that the average worker will change careers —not just jobs— multiple times over his or her lifetime? To
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Take time for yourself to block out all distractions so that you can truly focus on your career—what you really want out of your career…out of your life.
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Reflect on your values, likes and dislikes, needs and wants. Is making a lot of money essential to you? Time with family? Prefer working alone or interacting with people? Office setting? Industrial? Like to set your own hours? All of these desires are crucial to planning your career and ensuring your happiness.
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Examine your pastimes and hobbies. Many times your hobbies and leisurely pursuits can give you great insight into future career paths. What are you good at? What have other people told you that you do well? Do your strengths match your interests?
it will be helpful to keep the following in mind. Call Career Services today at 260-4810689 to set up an appointment or stop by the office, Kettler 109, during drop-in hours: Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. It’s never too soon or too late to start your career planning.
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Review current job trends and career outlooks.
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Research different careers and talk to people in that field. This could not only help you learn valuable information, it also provides a contact for future reference.
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Get experience in the field. Some of the best eye openers can occur when doing an internship or externship. Not to mention the possibility of getting a job offer afterward. See Career Services for help with finding internships or externships.
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Make an appointment with a Career Counselor. Talk to an experienced professional who can help you sort through all of your questions and thoughts.
Arts&Entertainme Music Movies
Theater
Student Strikes Gold An IPFW student no longer needs his day job. Michael Royal scrapped his dress clothes, dyed a patch of his hair blue and on Dec. 1, 2011, officially announced that he purchased the former National City Bank branch at 1130 E. State Blvd. His vision: an all-ages, multi-genre music venue and recording studio. Named The Yellow Bird, which Royal said means “a persons true love, the one they can not live without,” a definition that he has connected to his general love for music, the venue stands a good chance of being highly populated by students. According to Royal, he has high hopes for success based on the location, since The Yellow Bird sits on one of the busier intersections in the city and is also in close proximity to IPFW and its student housing. “I think it’s really cool, being so close to a growing university,” he said. Since December, things have moved along quickly—everything was torn out of the main room, Royal’s blue hair turned red, faded orange, and the suit went back on. “I spent my whole life dressing up for other people,” he said. “Now, I can dress up for myself.” That he does, and Royal looks like … well, royalty, sitting in his office behind the drive-thru glass, stainless steel mug in his hand, assistant beside him and a signed photo of Kurt Cobain in a broken picture frame above. Kristan Mensch
Bottom: The main room where bands will take stage
Top Right: Michael Royal in the vault of The Yellow Bird
Turning Old Bank into All-Ages Venue
That picture, however, is the only artifact in the place that bares any resemblance to a music venue. Many things need to change before The Yellow Bird can open its doors to the public: Floors need redone, bathrooms and lighting need installed and Royal needs to decide on what to do with that pesky giant safety deposit vault and the drive-thru area. “I could tear out the drive-thru and get eight more parking spots,” he said, though he’s thinking of perhaps making it into a smoking area instead.
There are also legalit of its grand opening—he serve alcohol but still be al official maximum capacity Despite all the work Royal said he’s trying to as April, and sounds confi pull everything together b At the moment, The Y on word-of-mouth, but th occasional updates throug ► @AEStreetBeat
THe van g behind th van g Dennis Barbosa
Where does this intense fascination the world has for Vincent van Gogh come from? What draws thousands upon thousands of people to his grave every year? These are exactly the questions investigated by Pulitzer Prize winning authors "A saddening yet Steven Naifeh and enjoyable discovery Gregory White Smith in their New of a dark and York Times best seller book “Van tormented soul Gogh: The Life." Naifeh and responsible for the Smith’s biography of swirling paintings this world-famous Dutch painter is the world is so a truly rewarding read. Van Gogh’s familiar with." life unravels like a mystery, which entices the reader to keep turning the page. Even the very process of writing this book unfolded like a mystery. “Well, we didn’t know exactly what we were
ent
The Communicator | January 11 2012 260.755.5559 1836 S. Calhoun St. Fort Wayne, IN 46802
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Jack's mannequin album strangely upbeat
ties standing in the way would like the ability to ll-ages, wants to know the y, among other things. that needs to be done, book bands for as early fident that he'll be able to by then. Yellow Bird relies mainly hose interested can follow gh its Facebook page.
If every tongue-biting situation, heartwrenching fight and otherwise depressing moment in a relationship were nicely wrapped into upbeat songs, that would sum up Jack Mannequin's third album, "People and Things." Explained by Andrew McMahon, lead singer, the album is essentially about the ups and downs found early in a marriage. "Everybody wants to say it's all sunshine and roses, but when you start living with someone and you get married there's a whole growing pains stage," McMahon said in a press release. Kicking off with "My Racing Thoughts," the album is reminiscent of pop rock circa 2004, flowing much like former local band, Color By Numbers, mainly because of the ample amount of keyboard. Each with their own unique sound, McMahon plays piano and keyboard along with Jamie Muhoberac and Patrick Warren. Count 'em: three. The very upbeat sound follows closely with some pretty stark lyrics, however. Described by McMahon as being primarily about fighting, the song goes through very vague scenarios, leaving the listener to fill it in with heartbreak: "It was midnight, I was mixed up, when she found me on the beach. I think I'm running low on inspiration, she's running long on borrowed time." Following suit with "My Racing Thoughts," No. 2 on the album, "Release Me," begins with pulsing keys in the background, engulfs the 2004 pop rock beat, sounding much like the beginnings of Maroon 5 hits. Song after song, Jack's Mannequin mixes up the sound subtly, but just enough to keep listening without it getting stale. Overall, the album produces what can only be described as only marital unbliss that it's perfectly acceptable to dance to.
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The tracks
1.
To-Do LisT Play trivia to earn points and possibly win prizes at TGI Fridays @ Glenbrook Mall. Thursday, Jan. 12 @ 7:30 p.m. Free.
My Racing Thoughts
2. 3. Television 4. Amy, I 5. Hey Hey Hey 6. People, Running 7. Amelia Jean Release Me
8. Platform Fire 9. Hostage 10.Restless Dream 11. Casting Lines
Take a break from the homework and go skating @ Headwaters Park. Open Mon.Thurs. 2-10 p.m., Sat.-Sun. noon-10 p.m. $-$$ Not sick of the cold weather yet? Check out the Holiday Show @ the Castle Gallery through Jan. 28. Tues.-Sat. 11-6 p.m. or by appointment. The Whiskey Daredevils and Tito Discovery hit the stage @ The Brass Rail Jan. 13. Show starts at 10 p.m. 21+ $ $ Indicates pricing $ 5-10 $$ 10-20
where you can see them play live Jan. 28. The Egyptian Room. Indianapolis, IN.
gogh he gogh
getting into when we started,” commented Smith during a PBS interview. Naifeh and Smith wanted to get at the very essence of why van Gogh’s art—according to Smith—had “become such an indelible part of the human imagination that almost everyone knows,” which, as a result, is what makes this book both unique and engaging. In order to accomplish this Naifeh and Smith spent 10 years investigating the life and death of van Gogh, along with a team of researchers and translators to, as Smith put it, “get at the real person behind the myth.” Smith believed that people had become “in love with the myth” that van Gogh’s life consequently inherited: a madman who cut off his own ear, whose art was unappreciated, and, after a highly romanticized manner of taking his own life, became an immortal legend for paintings such as “Starry Night” and “Sunflowers." “Van Gogh: The Life,” released Oct. 17, 2011, boldly challenged this mythological notion of his life. Naifeh, in an interview on 60 minutes, asserted that “these are not just crazy works of art by a crazy painter; these are intentional masterpieces by somebody who knows exactly what they’re doing.” Reading more like prose than a typical biography, “Van Gogh: The Life” effectively reveals
van Gogh’s perspective: that for him, art was a universal language in which he could communicate his vision. As the book so eloquently put it, art shared the “power of Vincent’s imagination, the power to console—the power to ‘bring light into darkness,’ to transform suffering into solace, sorrow into rejoicing.” Art not only was a place of solace for van Gogh but a triumph in spite of the rejection he faced from his art peers and family. “I do not say that my work is good, but it’s the least bad that I can do. All the rest, relations with people, is very secondary, because I have no talent for that. I can’t help it,” proclaimed the estranged artist. Van Gogh was harshly alienated by nearly everyone in his life for his eccentricities, partly due to his bouts with temporal lobe epilepsy—which Naifeh and Smith claimed, in their book, was an accurate diagnosis given to van Gogh after he mutilated his own ear. “He couldn’t find [his] niche anywhere. Even when he was working for an evangelical church, they found his behavior too weird,
and so they just kicked him out,” commented Smith on 60 Minutes. “He basically was a man who lived to be 37 years old and never really had a friend,” further asserted Smith, painting a deeply sympathetic portrayal of our artist. Not only was van Gogh not a madman but he, to the discovery of Naifeh and Smith, possessed a treasure house of knowledge. Sifting through over 900 pages of correspondence letters provided to Naifeh and Smith by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, uncovered “a remarkable mind, an insatiable reader: Shakespeare, Zola, Dickens, Walt Whitman…[and] an incurable letter writer…fluent in Dutch, French, German, and English,” stated Morley Safer in an interview with Naifeh and Smith. “Van Gogh: The Life” is a fresh revelation rich with detail into the very familiar but largely misrepresented life of Vincent van Gogh, a saddening yet enjoyable discovery of a dark and tormented soul responsible for the bright and swirling paintings the world is so familiar with: his vision of the beauty he saw all around himself.
This book can be purchased at the authors' website: vangoghbiography.com
The Communicator | January 11, 2012
www.ipfwcommunicator.org
the nugget
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WARNING! Yes, all of this is fake. C’mon. fake, fake, fake, fake, fake. there aren’t trolls on Campus or hippie Communes in our woods. duh.
students Blame skyrim for lowering Gpa The MusTards With the recent break, the IPFW faculty has shared their frustration with the final grades of the majority of their students. Most students received below a C in each of his or her classes, resulting in a failure for that class. This leaves professors wondering the same thought: “Why?” “I tried extremely hard to prepare my students for my final,” says Dr. John Smith, while wearing a fez. “Some students can’t handle History of the World, I guess.” When confronted, fifth-year senior Gary Farkas goes on the defensive and blames the recent video game “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.” “Let’s face it, “Skyrim” came out in the worst possible time, when students want to explore the Zach Crook
game more in-depth rather than study for some math exam,” he explains. “I’m already toward the end of the main plotline. “I believe “Skyrim” will be the downfall of every student’s GPA. And the proof is there.” After a few professors were presented with this theory, they simply chuckled. Smith says, “That’s impossible. No one can—or should—lose their GPA because of a video game. Nothing is that addictive. I’d like the students to improve this semester, because if they don’t, I might have to quit my job.” Farkas concluded his defense by explaining why he was absent from his finals: “I couldn’t leave my bed because I was severely injured. I had to wear gauze for two weeks. And the most ironic thing happened: I took an arrow to the knee.”
Generic article about doomsdayers 2012 Mentioned Multiple Times
This New Year’s Eve brought a surprise for John Ableton. After watching the ball drop in New York City, Ableton turned to his watch to see the year switch. He was greatly confused to see the one almost turn to a two, and then roll back to one. “At first I didn’t believe it, but then it made sense. My watch “At first, I never wrong, and if it didn’t believe isreads 2011, by golly it’s it, but then it still 2011,” he said. Professional made sense.” watch engineer Grace Fredricks informed the -Ableton general public that this was only a fluke, and that we shouldn’t be worried that the world has gone back in time. “A gear in his watch simply didn’t move Sean O’Leary
correctly. All of the other clocks are as they should be—reading 2012,” reported Fredricks. Unfortunately that wasn’t enough for some. Ableton appears to have formed a small cult that is sure this is something spectacular. They all refuse to accept that the year 2012 has started regardless of the evidence. One such cultist said that at first he didn’t believe it, “but then I noticed that my phone died. When I turned it back on it read ‘December 31, 2011.’ It must be a sign.”
[editor’s note]: Since the original reporting of this story, another cult-like following, coined The Calanderless, has formed, and they are currently putting together a book explaining The Mayan calendar break. According to their statements, the world can never reach past 2012 because it can never get to 2012. The Communicator is now looking for Editors Writers, and Photographers for the Spring 2012 semester. Stop by Walb 215 or email publisher@ipfwcommunicator.org for more details
Comic by Ryan Nooe
Man With $1 Million in Student Loans Declared Property of Financial Aid Dept. meet the man who sends Your Billing statements After 18 Bachelor’s and 5 Associate’s degrees, all attached with miscellaneous minors and certificates, Jack of all trades Bently James doesn’t have much to show. At the end of his 6 month, post-graduation grace period, James was unemployed and unable to make payments on his $1 million in student loans. Though the decision has stirred up quite a bit of controversy, James has been declared physical property of the financial aid department at IPFW, and is in charge of typing up and sending all students emails each time a new billing statement is available on their IPFW account. “It’s not that bad,” said James. “I’ve got a computer science degree, so it’s not like I can’t say I’m using what I’ve learned.” James will only be eligible for retirement at the ripe age of 125, and is likely to remain at IPFW longer than any other student, faculty or administration. “Basically, I’m going to run the place,” he said. Eventually, James said he’d like to be promoted to also be in charge of emergency notifications. Kristan Mensch
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The Communicator | January 11, 2012
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The Communicator | January 11, 2012
sports
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Mastodons Take Over, Jaguars Fall 59-50 IPFW Women’s Basketball just got a little better: with 6-10 for the year and 4-2 league play stats, the Mastodons are slowly improving—this being their second consecutive win after a string of six losses. IUPUI’s Kerah Nelson led the game with the first score and within minutes had another basket. Being able to only tell little by the first couple minutes of a game, it would’ve appeared IUPUI Kristan Mensch
would only get better; however, the Dons put in nine points shortly after, and stayed ahead of the Jaguars the rest of the game. Teetering between comfortably ahead and only having a two point lead, the Dons’ Anne Boese got a couple free throws to go into halftime with 22-17. The comfort level may have been too high, however, as the Jaguars got past IPFW’s defense and tied the game up not even three minutes into
the second half. Unfortunately for the Jaguars, the Dons had been practicing their three-pointers, and every time their lead was threatened they’d sink one. Overall, though, the Dons shot 30.4 percent from long range. One of the better statistics was IPFW’s 18-of22 free throws throughout the game, all of them made during the last couple minutes, letting the team hold on to its nine-point lead for the win.
The Dons will head off against the Oakland University Grizzlies at the Memorial Coliseum Saturday, Jan. 14 at 4:30 p.m.
Memorial Walk to Raise Money for Student Athletes Registration has Laura Rosenbaum begun for the 5th Run It Walk It Chris Brown 5K. The event, which will be held on Feb 19 at 2 p.m. in the IPFW Athletics Center, helps to raise funds for the Chris Brown Endowed Scholarship. Brown was a member of the IPFW cross country and track programs who showed a high amount of dedication to the athletics department,
despite his battle with cancer. The scholarship allows current and prospective IPFW students to compete in similar athletic programs at the college level. Rather than award the runners based on finish place, the walk/run asks participants to predict their own finish times, and consequently awards those with the most accurate predictions. Participants will run a course through the IPFW campus.
The event will include refreshments and a silent auction that will help raise additional funds for the endowment. Individuals interested in participating in the run may register before or at the event, with t-shirts given to the first 300 registrants. There is a $15 registration fee,. 2011 scholarship recipients include Erich Campbell, Taylor Crowell, Alex Quick and Cody Sengthong.
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