Construction of the Crimson Suites on the IUP campus proceeds, May 3, 2010. Photos by Ida Arici.

By Ida Arici and Chelsea L. Yurisic

INDIANA - Stephanie N. Bianco, a sophomore health and physical education major at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, lived in the Maple East suites for the 2009-2010 school year. She did not live there willingly.

"The only reason I stayed on campus was because it's convenient," said Bianco in an April 22 interview in the Stapleton Library. "They are expensive and cheaply made."

Indiana University of Pennsylvania students gathered on campus for an April 7 Take Back the Night march against sexual assault. Photos by Alyssa Choiniere

 By Alyssa Choiniere

INDIANA - A student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, now age 25, recently recalled the night of her best friend's wedding in 2004. That was the night she was raped by her ex-fiance, she said.

Sara Johnson - not her real name - said her ex-fiance broke up with her at the wedding. The two earlier had booked a hotel room, so she said they had to spend the night together, in a room with two beds.

When they checked into the room, her ex started drinking. She said he came over to the bed and tried "messing around" with her. She told him no.

He didn't stop.

Editor, The HawkEye:

Here is a copy of my letter to IUP President Tony Atwater in response to his June 9 resignation announcement (Editor's note: see copy of Dr. Atwater's email, below):

(Dear) Tony,
Once again, your flowery letter about yourself and your exploits reflects your total and likely deliberate lack of engagement with the university as a whole, from students to staff to faculty. But your "accomplishments" are seen in the IUP community as the reckless indulgences of a man ripe with greed and ambition and devoid of logic and restraint.

By David Loomis

The HawkEye inaugurates its photo-essay feature with images by Alyssa Choiniere, an Indiana University of Pennsylvania student majoring in journalism and a contributor to  The HawkEye.

In spring 2010, Choiniere enrolled in a Photojournalism class at IUP. One of her assignments near the end of the semester was "to use the camera as a story-telling tool." In search of a story, she drove to Pittsburgh on Sunday, April 25.

There, she saw Carl Harris, a handicapped beggar. He sat in front of Mancini's Bread Co. on Penn Avenue near the intersection with 17th Street in the Strip District. On his knee rested a plastic cup containing coins from passers-by.

Here are Choiniere's photographs of Harris and her narrative of that day.

Feb. 26 decision-making helps put one commuter in a ditch

IUP journalism student Andrew Wojcik. Photo by David Loomis

By Chelsea Hess-Moore

INDIANA - On Friday morning, Feb. 26, Andrew Wojcik checked the weather before beginning a daily 50-mile commute from his home in Altoona to Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he is a journalism student. The forecast did not look good:

Snow showers, high winds, 18 degrees.

More of the same. Already that week, southwestern Pennsylvania had been hit with the first of a one-two punch of snow and  ice. The winter was well on its way to becoming one of the worst on record in the region.

East Pike Elementary School teacher Zachary Whited on the job in the classroom. Photo: submitted

By Jesse Johnson and Kelsey Gross

INDIANA -- DeAnna M. Laverick remembers her male student teachers holding and helping pre-school students. The teachers and kindergartners "really bonded," she said.

"They were really enthusiastic and eager to play," said Laverick, 40, an education professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania during a March 2 interview.

Male teachers have much to offer in elementary education, educators say. But locally and nationally they are in short supply.