For ISU senior students looking to go to graduate school after this spring's graduation, now is the perfect time to begin their search. With over 47 master's, specialist and doctoral programs, along with over 15 graduate certificates on campus, students looking to continue their education should have an easy time finding something.… Post the First Comment

"In order to be a functioning member of society, people must be able to express themselves and expose themselves to new ideas to be able to think critically," Joseph Zompetti, associate professor in the School of Communication, said at a debate on the role of free speech about college campuses Wednesday night while explaining the importance freedom of speech has on the individual and community.… Post the First Comment

(U-WIRE) BOSTON - When people hear the term "hoochie," they may think of trashy, skanky women wearing skin-tight dresses - but two Boston University seniors are using the word for lofty purposes. A new campus feminist magazine, Hoochie Woman, launched online by the students last month, aims to bring new meaning to the word "hoochie" by placing feminism in a more positive light than stereotypes portray.… Post the First Comment

The financially maligned U.S. Cellular Coliseum suffered a slow summer, but hopes to pick up with more high profile events coming this year. The debt facing the arena is not all that uncommon for many new public venues of that nature. Bryan Bloodworth, the Coliseum's director of media relations, explained the nature of the deficit.… Post the First Comment

Researchers from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, have provided evidence against the rumors that birth control pills can lead to cancer. The team of researchers who organized the study used data collected by the Royal College of General Practitioners between 1968 and 2004 and information from family doctors on 23,000 women who were taking birth control pills compared to a group of women who were not, in order to conclude that the benefits of taking the pill outweigh the risks.… Post the First Comment

BloodSTOP hemostatic gauze is offering a new treatment for controlling bleeding. This new type of gauze utilizes natural, hypoallergenic, oxidized cellulose, which according to the manufacturer controls bleeding instantly for a multitude of injuries. Upon contact with blood the oxidized cellulose in the gauze speeds coagulation and expands to a gel that adheres to the surface and applies pressure as it seals the wound.… Post the First Comment

(U-WIRE) DURHAM, N.C. -For generations, children have been taught that the appendix is useless - at most, causing a trip to the emergency room and an impressive scar. But that may not be correct, according to a team of surgeons and immunologists at the Duke University Medical Center who stumbled upon the function of the appendix while researching the immune system and bacteria in the gut.… Post the First Comment

(U-WIRE) WASHINGTON -Philip Cooney (MSB '10), who was charged late last month with the assault of another Georgetown student, rejected a plea offer Friday morning at his status conference at D.C. Superior Court, pleading not guilty. Channing Phillips, a spokesperson for the U.… Post the First Comment

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) - President Bush, raising Beijing's ire, presented the Dalai Lama on Wednesday with the U.S. Congress' highest civilian honor and urged Chinese leaders to welcome the monk to Beijing. The exiled spiritual head of Tibet's Buddhists by his side, Bush praised a man he called a "universal symbol of peace and tolerance, a shepherd of the faithful and a keeper of the flame for his people.… Post the First Comment

(U-WIRE) MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle announced on Tuesday that the state government might temporarily shut down in the coming months if the budget process is not finished soon. Doyle said in a press conference on Tuesday that non-essential governmental workers might be temporarily laid off and all members of his cabinet are being asked to consider future cuts to staff, according to Doyle spokesperson Carla Vigue.… Post the First Comment

NEW YORK (AP) - Stephen Colbert has announced his candidacy for president on "The Colbert Report," tossing his satirical hat into the ring of an already crowded race. "I shall seek the office of the president of the United States," Colbert said Tuesday on his Comedy Central show as red, white and blue balloons fell around him.… Post the First Comment

BOSTON (AP) - Sabrina Rahim doesn't practice any particular faith, but she had no problem signing a letter declaring that because of her deeply held religious beliefs, her 4-year-old son should be exempt from the vaccinations required to enter preschool. She is among a small but growing number of parents around the country who are claiming religious exemptions to avoid vaccinating their children when the real reason may be skepticism of the shots or concern they can cause other illnesses.… Post the First Comment

WASHINGTON D.C. (AP) - Attorney General-designate Michael Mukasey said Wednesday the president doesn't have the authority to use torture techniques against terrorism suspects, a stance not taken by predecessor Alberto Gonzales and considered key to the nominee's confirmation.… Post the First Comment

TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Oral Roberts University president Richard Roberts has asked the school's board of regents for a leave of absence amid accusations of lavish spending at donors' expense and illegal involvement in a political campaign. On Wednesday, Roberts, 58, said he would continue in his role as chairman and chief executive of Oral Roberts Ministries.… Post the First Comment

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Benedict XVI named 23 new cardinals Wednesday, giving Texas its first "prince" of the Roman Catholic Church in a clear recognition of the growing Latino presence in the U.S. church. The appointment of Archbishop Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston brings the number of American cardinals to 17, second only to Italy, and increases the American contingent's clout in any conclave to elect a future pontiff.… Post the First Comment

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - Rescuers searched Wednesday for a man and woman whose overturned boat was found in Long Island Sound after they failed to return from a fishing trip. The man and woman left Clinton Harbor on Tuesday morning and were reported missing by the woman's husband early Wednesday.… Post the First Comment

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A Planned Parenthood clinic was charged Wednesday with providing unlawful abortions and other crimes by a county prosecutor who had engaged in a high-profile battle with the clinic when he was Kansas attorney general. Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline charged the Overland Park, Kan.… Post the First Comment