WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Student voting in the Nov. 4 general election will be easier than ever, thanks to a new system worked out between Purdue and county election officials. Under the new system, Purdue student identification cards will be accepted as a photo ID, provided election officials can verify current enrollment by tapping into the online Purdue directory.

In the past, Purdue student IDs proved troublesome to election officials because there were no expiration dates on the cards, one of the criteria required by Indiana law. Now, because Purdue officials have worked with the county to make the online directory of current students available, election workers will accept the Purdue student ID cards in lieu of an Indiana- or government-issued photo ID.

Early voting for the general election begins Monday (Oct. 20) in the Greater Lafayette area, and an early voting location will be set up in Stewart Center for the ease of voters on the Purdue campus.

Anyone who registered as a Tippecanoe County resident can participate in early voting here, which will continue at various locations in the county through Nov. 2. The early voting location in Stewart Center will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Wednesday (Oct. 20-22) under the mural. A complete list of early voting sites is available on the Tippecanoe County Web site at http://www.tippecanoe.in.gov/egov/docs/1221059238_341064.pdf

When voting early or on Election Day in Tippecanoe County, voters must present an Indiana or government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license, Indiana photo ID card, military ID or U.S. passport. A Purdue student ID can be used, but students must be currently enrolled, and they can’t have asked to be withheld from the Purdue online directory. Out-of-state driver’s licenses will not be accepted, said county Clerk Linda Phillips.

Each of the 20 polling locations open Nov. 4 throughout Tippecanoe County, including one in the Purdue Memorial Union, will have Internet access so election workers will be able to look up students in the system, she said. A complete list of Tippecanoe County vote centers is on the county’s Web site at http://www.tippecanoe.in.gov/egov/docs/1209140926_407409.pdf

New Indiana voters who registered by mail also will need to bring a proof of their residence when they vote. Acceptable documents must include their current name and address, such as an Indiana driver’s license, valid photo ID, current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document. Phillips said voters who need to bring additional documentation proving their place of residence should have received a letter in the mail explaining the requirement.

Voters coming to the polling site without a valid photo ID or proof of Tippecanoe County residency – if required – will have to cast provisional ballots. Voters who don’t provide proof of residency will have until 6 p.m. Nov. 4 to bring the necessary paperwork to the Tippecanoe County Office Building at 20 N. Third St., Lafayette. Voters who don’t have a valid photo ID have until noon Nov. 14 to bring a photo ID into the Board of Elections Office on the first floor of the Tippecanoe County Courthouse, 301 Main St., Lafayette. Phillips said provisional ballots that are not supported by the necessary paperwork will not be counted.

Anyone who wants to verify that they are registered to vote in Tippecanoe County can visit the Indiana Statewide Voter Registration System online – where they can enter their county of residence, name and date of birth – at http://indianavoters.com/PublicSite/Public/FT1/PublicLookupMain.aspx?Link=Registration

Registered voters also can vote via absentee ballot if they are unable to vote on Election Day. Rules and deadlines for absentee ballots in Indiana are listed online at the GetInvolved@Purdue site at http://www.purdue.edu/getinvolved

For information about voter registration, contact the Tippecanoe County Voter Registration Office at (765) 423-9303 or (765) 423-9316 or e-mail electionboard@tippecanoe.in.gov

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A new study confirms that discrimination is a stress factor that is related to obesity, but surprisingly, this is most true among ethnic white groups and not blacks or Hispanics.

“We wanted to determine whether feeling discriminated against was linked with having excess tummy fat in adults,” says Haslyn Hunte, an assistant professor of health and kinesiology at Purdue University who led this study as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health and Society Scholar. “We did find such a link – but not where we expected. Feelings of discrimination were associated with excess stomach fat among ethnic whites – Italians, Jews, Irish and Polish Americans in Chicago – but not among other whites, blacks or Hispanics.

“White ethnic groups that include those of Polish, Italian, Jews and Irish descent have been historically discriminated against in the United States. Some will argue that we as a society have moved on from discriminating against others because of their race or ethnicity, but this data and other recent research suggests a different story.”

Hunte and David R. Williams at Harvard University analyzed personal information collected between 2001 and 2003 on more than 3,100 adults living in Chicago. The researchers assessed perceived discrimination based on if individuals believed they were treated with less courtesy, received poorer service, thought others acted as if they were not smart or if they felt threatened or harassed. These survey responses were correlated with measures of abdominal obesity. The American Journal of Public Health study, which was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, was published online this month and will appear in the journal’s December issues.

The analysis found that ethnic whites who said they’d experienced discrimination were two to six times more likely to be obese than ethnic whites who’d experienced no discrimination, Hunte says.

“There are a couple of possible reasons why there is a link between discrimination and obesity in ethnic whites but not among blacks or Hispanics,” he says.

First, blacks and Hispanics may have developed mechanisms for coping with stress that ethnic whites have not developed. Second, blacks and Hispanics may be more likely to accept larger body types. Third, discrimination may simply be more pervasive and insidious than is widely believed.

“We talk a lot about stress contributing to obesity,” Hunte says. “Discrimination is another form of stress, and as we’ve heard many times before, such stressful experiences may actually make us sick. The feeling that we’re not being given a fair shot on a day-to-day basis gets under our skin in a variety of ways, including our health. For example, scientists believe that excess fat in the stomach area is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, so discrimination can literally harm the human body.”

The researchers will be looking at similar long-term data, as well as national data.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — An information session and rally for participation is being planned to spur the creative imaginations of area residents.

At 6 p.m. Oct. 16, an informational call-out meeting for the “Tippecanus Rex” project will be held at the Tippecanoe Arts Federation, 638 North St., Lafayette. The project will highlight visual, performing, musical and literary art that addresses invented natural history of the Tippecanoe County region, through imaginative interpretation and fantastic fabrication.

All interested artists, writers and performers, as well as all arts and culture organizations in the Region 4 Arts Partnership, are invited to attend, hear about the project, and brainstorm ideas for participation and collaboration.

“Tippecanus Rex” will be presented from April 1 through May 10 at the Tippecanoe Arts Federation. In conjunction with its “Urban Legends and Rural Myths” exhibition, Purdue Galleries is partnering with the Tippecanoe Arts Federation to present this community-wide celebration of the “(un)natural” history of Tippecanoe County. Residents of all 14 counties in the Indiana Region 4 Arts Partnership served by TAF will be invited to submit entries to the project.

For more information, contact Craig Martin from Purdue Galleries at cdmartin@purdue.edu or (765) 496-7899; or contact Abigail Props from the Tippecanoe Arts Federation at taf@tippecanoearts.org or (765) 423-2787. All Purdue Galleries and TAF exhibitions and events are free and open to the public.

WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Small Business Administration today unveiled a new Web site geared to the 50-plus entrepreneur, providing useful information, links and resources vital to starting, growing and expanding a small business.

The new Web site at www.sba.gov/50plusentrepreneur features interactive information and links to help 50-plus entrepreneurs consider the benefits and rewards of business ownership, and to help them make informed choices about business ownership.

“The SBA is working hard to increase opportunities for small businesses of the baby boomer generation at every stage of their business development through better technology tools and effective services through the agency’s district offices and resource partners,” SBA Acting Administrator Sandy K. Baruah said. “We believe 50-plus entrepreneurs will drive significant new business growth in the coming years.”

Components of the new Web site include a self-assessment feature to help the aspiring entrepreneur determine his or her business readiness, information on borrowing and credit, and inspirational success stories from baby boomer entrepreneurs. The Web site will help users evaluate the reasons for business ownership after age 50, the risks involved, and how to devise a plan of action at every phase of business development.

This is the first new offering under the structure of the re-launched Office of Entrepreneurship Education (OEE). OEE combines SBA’s online education programs, business and community initiatives, and outreach to underserved markets under a single umbrella.

As baby boomers consider career and lifestyle shifts that extend beyond their work careers, tapping into the world of business ownership can allow them to leverage their flexibility, know- how and business acumen to go into business for themselves. Many have already joined the ranks of the nation’s self-employed and small business owners.

The SBA provides financial, management and technical assistance to thousands of small business owners throughout the country. The Web site can be accessed at all times, as well as the SBA’s other online resources and free online training at www.sba.gov.

NEWTOWN, Conn. — The Obama campaign in Indiana, on September 27, unlawfully obtained and made unauthorized use of a proprietary media list belonging to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) – the trade association for the firearms industry. Sen. Obama used this list to e-mail a press release (http://www.nssf.org/share/PDF/100808-003.pdf) concerning National Hunting and Fishing Day.

Earlier today, NSSF sent a “cease and desist” letter (http://www.nssf.org/share/PDF/100808-001.pdf) to the Obama campaign demanding that they immediately stop any further unauthorized misuse of its proprietary media list.

The list contains the names and addresses of members of the media that attended the NSSF Shooting Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show) – the world’s largest firearms trade show and the 23rd largest trade show of any kind in North America.

The list can only be obtained from NSSF and its use is tightly controlled by NSSF (http://www.nssf.org/share/PDF/100808-002.pdf). Neither the Obama campaign, nor its operations in Indiana, obtained any rights from NSSF to use the list.

NSSF’s letter also demands that the Obama campaign destroy all copies of the list, identify how they obtained the list and pay monetary damages to NSSF for its misappropriation and unauthorized use of the association’s intellectual property. NSSF demanded an immediate response from the Obama campaign and has threatened to file a lawsuit against the campaign if its demands are not met.

“NSSF will not sit idly by while its legal rights are harmed, particularly for partisan political gain,” said NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Lawrence G. Keane.

NSSF is also encouraging sportsmen and gun-owners to visit the NSSF Voter Education Web-site (http://www.nssf.org/VoterEd/) and educate themselves about the candidates’ records and positions on issues important to them in this election.