Ball State Daily News Vol. 103 Issue: 18

N D DAILY NEWS

Growing Up Together Ball State student athletes share their experiences as parents. 406

DNNews

Free, public art An impoved public art initiative creates longlasting affects.404

DNSports Women’s tennis starts season The Cardinals start their 2024 season following multiple program changes. 405

DNLife

Dating online A couple discusses how they made a meaningful connection online. 409

MYA CATALINE, DN

DNOpinion Media literacy

Dispelling misinformation in our age of media consumption. 412

Graduate student Jada Cooper poses for a photo with her daughter Emerysn at home Jan. 5 in Muncie. Jada found out she was pregnant with Emerysn in July 2021, just before her junior year at Ball State. DANIEL KEHN, DN

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Did you miss it? Catch up on the news from January 15-16 and take a look at upcoming events...

BallStateDailyNews.com AP: Trump wins Iowa caucus Jan. 15: Former President

Donald Trump claimed a second record-breaking caucus victory Jan. 15, which affirmed his chances of being named the Republican Nominee in the 2024 Presidential Election. Trump took 51 percent of the vote, beating out runner-up Ron Desantis. It was the lowest-turnout caucus in 25 years.

AP: North Korea rejects reconciliation

Jan. 15: Supreme Leader of North Korea Kim Jong Un announced Jan. 16, that his country would no longer attempt to reconcile with South Korea. Kim later called to rewrite North Korea’s constitution, in order to eradicate parts from it which hold an idea of a shared statehood with the South. This decision ends a decades long attempt to unify.

EVAN VUCCI, AP PHOTO, PHOTO COURTESY

Ball State takes all MAC weekly awards Jan. 16: After competing at

the Ohio State tri-meet Jan. 14, Ball State gymnastics had two athletes sweep the Mid-American Conference (MAC) weekly awards.

Senior Victoria Henry was awarded the MAC gymnast of the week after her performance in vaults. Freshman Ashley Szymanski was named the MAC specialist of the week.

Ball State hosts Central Michigan

Jan. 20: Ball State men’s basketball will return to Worthen Arena Jan. 20 as Miami makes a visit to Muncie. The game will start at 2 p.m. The Cardinals are coming off a 76-62 victory against Eastern Michigan Jan 16. Ball State sits at 9-8 and 1-4 in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The Redhawks are 8-9 and 2-3 in the MAC.

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4-DAY WEATHER

FORECAST Noah Gordon, Weather forecaster, Benny Weather Group

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

SNOW SHOWERS

MOSTLY CLOUDY

PARTLY CLOUDY

MOSTLY SUNNY

Hi: 28º Lo: 17º

Hi: 25º Lo: 6º

Hi: 15º Lo: 5º

Hi: 20º Lo: 2º

THIS WEEK: After a frigid weekend, temperatures look to climb back into the middle 30s and low 40s by the middle of the week. As temperatures become above average rain is likely in the second half of the week.

START CHECKING, FROM DAY ONE.

MYA CATALINE, DN

VOL. 103 ISSUE: 18 CONTACT THE DN Newsroom: 765-285-8245 Editor: 765-285-8249, editor@bsudailynews.com

The Ball State Daily News (USPS-144-360), the Ball State student newspaper, is published Thursdays during the academic year except for during semester and summer breaks. The Daily News is supported in part by an allocation from the General Fund of the university and is available free to students at various campus locations.

EDITORIAL BOARD Daniel Kehn, Editor-in-chief Kyle Smedley, Print Managing Editor, Co-Sports Editor Olivia Ground, Digital Managing Editor Grayson Joslin, Director of Recruitment Trinity Rea, Associate News Editor Katherine Hill, Associate News Editor Elijah Poe, Co-Sports Editor Zach Carter, Associate Sports Editor Hannah Amos, Lifestyles Editor Ella Howell, Associate Lifestyles Editor and Copy Editor Kate Farr, Opinion Editor Elaine Ulsh, Associate Opinion Editor Jacob Boissy, Video Editor

Oakley Myers, Social Media Editor Mya Cataline, Photo Editor Andrew Berger, Associate Photo Editor Meghan Holt, Visual Editor Jessica Bergfors, Visual Editor Brenden Rowan, Visual Editor Lisa Renze-Rhodes, Adviser TO ADVERTISE • (765) 285-8256 or dailynewsads@bsu.edu • Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon-Fri. • ballstatedaily.com/advertise TO SUBSCRIBE Call 765-285-8134 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Mon. -Fri. Subscription rates: $45 for one year. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Daily News, AJ278, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306 JOIN THE DAILY NEWS Stop by room 278 in the Art and Journalism Building.

All undergraduate majors accepted and no prior experience is necessary.

CORRECTION The Ball State Daily News is committed to providing accurate news to the community. In the event we need to correct inaccurate information, you will find that printed here.

To submit a correction, email editor@bsudailynews.com.

Waking Up with Cardinal Weather is Ball State University’s first and only morning mobile show focused on getting your ready for the day through local news, weather and lifestyle trends. Waking Up with Cardinal Weather airs every Friday morning at 8 a.m. at @cardinalwx live on Facebook.

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Local The proposed design of McCulloch Park, featuring accessible ramps and swing sets. Rendering by Sinclair Recreation, LLC. GEORGE FOLEY JR., PHOTO PROVIDED

Freezing temperatures blanket Midwest Central Indiana has been engulfed in a coldsnap that shows no signs of relenting any time soon. Single-digit temperatures and biting (possibly subzero) wind chills are expected to last through next weekend. Some warming centers in Central Indiana will have extended hours due to the winter weather.

State

2023 Hoosier Survey results released

Accessible Ways to Play GameTime Grant makes new and accessible playground equipment possible for three local parks.

Katherine Hill Associate News Editor Muncie Parks Department is investing to improve three local parks: Gilbert, McCulloch and Cowing, with ADA compliance [Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990] at the forefront of the design of each play structure.

Muncie Board of Works approved the improvements Nov. 1, 2023, which include new and accessible playground structures for all children. These improvements come at the courtesy of a playground grant from GameTime, a company that offers customers opportunities to apply for matching funds to better their communities with qualifying playground systems.

Program Director for Muncie Parks and Recreation, George Foley Jr., said Mayor Dan Ridenour wanted Foley, and Parks Superintendent Carl Malone, to make more of the city’s parks ADA compliant.

We know that our parks need to be ADA compliant and accessible to everyone, and so, this is hopefully the start of many other parks that we’re going to [renovate].”

- GEORGE FOLEY JR., Muncie Parks and Recreation Program Director

Although their budget was tight, Foley and Malone met with representatives at GameTime during state park conferences, who made them aware of a grant that suited their needs.

After Foley and Malone were awarded the grant, Ridenour was able to approve construction plans for the park.

“We know our parks need to be ADA compliant and accessible to everyone, and so, this is hopefully the start of many other parks that we’re going to [renovate],” Foley said.

Each of the three parks brings something unique to the city, Foley pointed out. Cowing Park is an activity hub, with tennis courts and soccer fields, while McCulloch Park is reportedly the most used park in Muncie. Foley said the McCulloch playground equipment has been there for approximately 50 years.

Renovations for Gilbert’s pocket park were requested by Gilbert Neighborhood Association’s President, JoAnna Darda.

ON BALLSTATEDAILYNEWS.COM: SGA ELECTIONS PACKETS OPEN

4See PLAY, 14

On Tuesday, Jan. 16, the Bowen Center for Public Affairs at Ball State University released the first of three rounds of results from the 2023 Hoosier Survey. The annual nonpartisan public study has been run since 2008, and collects data related to local, state, and national politics and policies.

National

SCOTUS declines to hear Title IX challenge The United States Supreme Court has declined to review a federal court ruling of a transgender student and his family who sued his school in violation of his rights under Title IX. The school did not allow access to a bathroom consistent with his gender.

In August of 2023, the court found that the school district did violate the student’s rights.

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Painting the Town

Public art initiatives in Muncie are strengthening the economic development and community of Delaware County.

Olivia Ground Digital Managing Editor It’s late, and the workers who just finished overnight factory shifts walk home, their knuckles dragging from lingering exhaustion.

These workers are the backbone of society but aren’t ever recognized. They sleep through the day, never having the chance to engage in the community.

They can’t even see a movie.

This was the inspiration of the newest public art installation in Dave’s Alley in Muncie: Midnight Palace.

“We talked with the artists after trying out a couple of different ideas; they really wanted to see it created in a sense where it was staggered in curtains,” Erin Williams, executive director of Muncie Arts and Culture Council (MACC) said.

“One of the intentions of the piece was that it was a movie theater, movie palace or vaudeville palace for late-night workers who don’t normally get to see in their communities during the day.”

Midnight Palace is one of many public art installations in Muncie, with the piece originating from Columbus, Indiana.

The piece was designed in 2021 by Future Firm, an architecture company based in Chicago, for the annual event “Exhibit Columbus.”

Midnight Palace was available to the public 24/7 for three months, originally with the occasional film playing behind it to capture the feeling of a

A sign for “Dave’s Alley” hangs up Jan. 15 in downtown Muncie, Indiana. A public art display titled “Midnight Palace” is currently on display in the alley. OLIVIA GROUND, DN

“For the community as a whole, art can serve a valuable, unifying purpose: to help people understand themselves and the people around them — and they can use art as that catalyst in unique and personal ways. It meets you where you are!”

- RACHEL BUCKMASTER, Associate Director of the David Owsley Museum of Art movie theater for late-shift workers.

“At the end, we decommission, but we don’t want to see this in the dumpster, right? This is art. And so, we are trying to recycle, but really trying to find new homes for art,” Janice Shimizu, assistant professor of architecture at Ball State and installations coordinators at Exhibit Columbus said.

Shimizu shared the piece with Williams, who decided the piece would be displayed in Dave’s Alley.

Having the piece moved to Muncie and installed required a lot of moving parts. Williams said MACC had to work with multiple local companies and businesses to make the piece happen, including Midwest Metals, Parker Electric and TRX. Although this public art often takes a community to make it happen, these communities, in return, experience a positive impact.

“Art has an ability to be an access point and connect a diverse audience and think about how we use public space,” Shimizu said. “It allows us to have sometimes difficult conversations about things that can be brought through a common event or activity.”

Not only can public art have a positive impact on the culture and community of a town, but there can be economic benefits as well.

According to Americans for the Arts, cities gain value through the installation of public art.

This value could be cultural, social and economic.

Overall, data strongly indicates that cities with an active dynamic culture will be more attractive to businesses.

This culture comes from art.

“For the community as a whole, art can serve a valuable, unifying purpose: to help people understand themselves and the people around them — and they can use art as that catalyst in unique and personal ways. It meets you where you are!”

The public art display “Midnight Palace” hangs in Dave’s Alley Jan. 15 in Downtown Muncie, Indiana. The piece was given to Muncie after hanging in Columbus, Indiana. OLIVIA GROUND, DN Rachel Buckmaster, associate director of the David Owsley Museum of Art (DOMA), said via email.

DOMA, located on Ball State’s campus, is free and open to the public year round. The museum offers a variety of events during the year that allow the community to engage in art locally.

“We are strengthened by community feedback, inquiries, requests, conversations: the museum comes alive when visitors enter and would not be the same without them,” Buckmaster said via email “In my several years at DOMA, I’ve seen people connect, people reconnect, fall in love, get engaged, laugh, cry, sit quietly… There are thousands of years of human experiences on the walls, and yet, somehow, each tiny moment experienced by a visitor in the galleries can be special.”

Midnight Palace being installed in Muncie resulted in a monetary grant awarded by the Indiana Destination Development Corporation to the city. Pieces of Midnight Palace can now be found across the state, and cities across Indiana will be decorated with a unique painted mural, connecting them together.

“These kinds of projects will come and go, and they can come from other entities. They could come from outside Indiana, or can come from other communities, and that’s OK,” Williams said.

“Everything is going to generate more excitement and enthusiasm about the community in general.”

Contact Olivia Ground via email at olivia. ground@bsu.edu or on X @liv_ground_25.

Art from Muncie Arts and Culture Council

#1

The Shed Town Dots by Nicole Ponsler can be found at Hoyt and Memorial.

#2

Extess by Project One Studio can be found at Cornerstone Park.

#3

Light Symphony by Stephen Knapp can be found at Sursa Performance Hall.

KATE FARR, DN DESIGN

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Men’s Tennis

Cardinals start season at Butler Ball State will start the second part of it season at Butler University Jan. 19 at 1:30 p.m. This will be the first time since Nov. 3 at the MidAmerican Conference (MAC) Indoor tournament that the Cardinals will be in action. Last year, Ball State lost in the MAC tournament to Western Michigan.

Men’s Volleyball

NAVIGATING

CHANGE

Ball State women’s tennis looks to live up to its legacy of success.408

Ball State travels to Texas to face USC Men’s volleyball will travel to Texas to face No. 13 USC and No. 8 Stanford Jan. 19-20. The Cardinals will take on USC Jan. 19 starting at 2:30 and will take on Stanford Jan. 20 at 5 p.m. Ball State is coming off of a 3-0 sweep over Trine. The Cardinals are 7-2 to start their season. The two games are a part of the First Point Collegiate Challenge.

Women’s Basketball

Cardinals to host Toledo in primetime

Freshman Isabel Tanjuatco hits the ball Jan. 10 during practice at Muncie YMCA. Tanjuatco is one of three new additions to the roster this season, in addition to new head coach Sachin Kirtane. ANDREW BERGER, DN

For the first time in Ball State women’s basketball history, the Cardinals will be on national television at home. Ball State will take on Toledo in the primetime matchup Jan. 21 on CBS Sports Network at 6 p.m. The Rockets are coming off a Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship this past season. The two teams split the series last season 1-1.

ON BALLSTATEDAILYNEWS.COM: BALL STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL DEFEATS CENTRAL MICHIGAN

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While most collegiate student-athletes have enough on their plates as is, these Ball State athletes are also proud parents.

Kyle Smedley Print Managing Editor and Co-Sports Editor Jada Cooper is a 22 year old student in Ball State University’s Master’s program for education.

She has been a Ball State student and cheerleader since she was 18. She has been a second grade teacher at Longfellow Elementary in Muncie since she was 21.

She has been a mother since she was 20.

Student

Graduate student Jada Cooper grabs a snack out of the pantry for her daughter Emerysn at home Jan. 5 in Muncie. Cooper is also a second grade teacher at Longfellow Elementary, a master’s student and a Ball State cheerleader. DANIEL KEHN, DN

Cooper found out she was pregnant in July 2021, heading into her junior year at Ball State. On the first day of the fall semester, she told her classmates and professors she was pregnant. Although she felt embarrassed at the time because she had never seen anyone on campus pregnant, she wanted to be as upfront as possible with her professors and classmates.

She was determined not to let her pregnancy affect her workload for class, nor would she let it affect her attendance, never missing a class until the day she gave birth to her daughter, Emersyn, in March 2022.

Cooper said the only support she has received from Ball State is maternity parking, and even that resource is lacking with just six spots on the entire campus.

Regardless, she attended every Zoom she could while on two-week maternity leave, even when professors told her it wasn’t expected. Cooper remembered joining class Zooms a few days after giving birth, struggling to listen to her instructor because of her newborn daughter’s crying.

During the first year of Emersyn’s life, Cooper said she would take her daughter to Emersyn’s grandparents’ house before she could afford daycare. This made navigating her work, school and athletic life even harder because she was determined to become the first member of her family to graduate college.

“Every day I would drive her to Hartford City, drive back to campus, go to class, work a shift at the YMCA, go pick her up at Hartford City, her dad would come back home and then I would go to cheer practice,” Cooper said.

While Cooper and Zach Tarr, Emersyn’s father, are no longer together, Cooper consistently praised Tarr’s effort as a dad. She said he has always been supportive of Cooper’s quest to continue to cheer and finish school on time, even if it leaves him with added responsibility.

“You feel like you’re missing out on stuff, but I have to step back and tell myself that I’m doing what I need to do to be a good example to her and to set her up to be successful in the future,” Cooper said. “I’m showing her you can still do what you want to do even though these things happen.”

Former Ball State football outside linebacker Sidney Houston Jr. had his first daughter, Si’nyka, when he was 18, heading into his first year of college at McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois. His

second daughter, Si’reya, was born two years later.

At the time, Houston was just 40 minutes away from his hometown of Cahokia, Illinois, and his former partner, Ree’vyn Sanders, was in close proximity to help raise their daughters.

However, Houston transferred to Ball State, nearly five hours away from his daughters, to chase his dream of playing at the Division I level.

While Houston and Sanders are no longer together, he acknowledged the increased workload she has had to take on in order for him to continue to play football at his highest level.

“I applaud her. She’s been very supportive, and I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without her,” Houston said. “Even though we’re not together anymore, that hasn’t changed.”

I’m not going to limit my personality to be one thing.

I shouldn’t have to put my life on pause just because I have a kid; she should live her life with me and we should grow up together.”

- JADA COOPER, Ball State cheerleader and Master’s student in education

Houston said the key for he and Sanders to continue to be great parents is communication.

Although they live two states apart since Sanders moved to Missouri, he said the two have been able to work through problems together and reassure each other about their parenting.

During the season, Houston said his grandmother, Antionette, helps out with the kids to take some of the load off Sanders. Houston’s mother died in 2017, so for a few years, his grandma even raised him.

Houston and his former teammate, defensive back Tyler ‘Red’ Potts, have found common ground in their young parenthood and the lack of time spent with their children. During the season when he can’t help raise his young son, Braylen, Potts’ partner of more than six years and Braylen’s mother, Londyn Johnson, does the heavy lifting.

“I just love my little boy,” Potts said. “It takes a village to raise children. To know that I have support and to know that me and his mother are on the same page, it just gives me relief.”

07 While Cooper gave a lot of credit to Tarr for helping raise Emersyn, Cooper also attributed her new partner, Dylan Maternowski, and her best friends, Alyssa Burgess and Abby Deno, with helping her balance all of her everyday responsibilities on top of parenthood.

“I can’t do any of this without my people,” Cooper said. “I feel like I’m doing a lot, but they’re holding me up and they don’t know that they’re holding me up.”

Identity Cooper said she is a proud mom, so she seemed apprehensive to admit she doesn’t want her role as a parent to become her entire personality.

“Being an athlete is who I am, being a teacher is who I am, being a mom is who I am, but I’m not going to limit my personality to be one thing,” Cooper said. “I shouldn’t have to put my life on pause just because I have a kid; she should live her life with me, and we should grow up together.”

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DNSports

loans and grants. However, she estimated that she owes approximately $40,000 in loans.

Now, as a parent, most of her income from teaching goes towards groceries, baby supplies, a car payment and gas for her car, supplies for her classroom at Longfellow, Emersyn’s daycare fees, and more.

Due to the ongoing issues between Cooper and Tarr at the time of conception, Cooper clarified that Emersyn was not planned. She said she wrestled with thoughts about not having Emersyn, but after some deliberation, she decided to go through with the pregnancy.

“I’ve always wanted to be a mom, and maybe this is my one chance to be a mom, so maybe I should take it,” Cooper thought.

Nearly two years after Emersyn’s birth, Cooper has no doubt that she made the right choice.

“I hate that we had a kid, but she’s the best thing that has ever happened to me,” Cooper said. “She’s also the hardest thing that has ever happened to me, but what gets me through is that at the end of every single day, regardless of what happens, I know for a fact there is at least one person who counts on me and one person who is going to love me no matter what I do. I need that.”

Cheerleader

I’m miserable, most of the time, but I would rather do this hard stuff now and love what I’m doing than make it this horrible thing. It’s hard, but it’s worth it.”

- JADA COOPER, Ball State cheerleader and Master’s student in education

Cooper regrets she has missed key events in Emersyn’s early life, like her first words and first steps. Emersyn often stays with her dad, or Cooper won’t be around to put her to sleep on the nights she stays with her mom because Cooper often has cheer practice or schoolwork to do.

Cooper said having a toddler makes a simple task like driving to the gas station an event.

“It is impossible to do anything when you have a toddler,” Cooper said. “She has so many toys, but it doesn’t matter what is in front of her, the second I open my laptop, she wants to be on my laptop. So, I can’t do anything until she goes to sleep.”

Cooper said her first break of each day comes once Emersyn is put to bed around 7:30 p.m., and by that time she doesn’t want to have to do more work; so her grades have slipped during her Master’s program.

“When you have a newborn you don’t even brush your teeth or shower or eat – you just forget about things like that,” Cooper said.

On top of her job, schooling and parenting, Cooper has had to pay for her schooling at Ball State herself as an Illinois native and one of seven children.

She had to pay out-of-state tuition for her first three years on campus before becoming an Indiana resident but was helped by scholarships and FAFSA

Once Cooper found out she was pregnant and had to take a year off from cheerleading, she thought she would never come back. She said Tarr’s sisters were aspiring cheerleaders so she began to give them the equipment she used for cheer.

“It was the first time in my life I wasn’t an athlete,” Cooper said. “I didn’t know what to do with my free time, so I wasn’t a happy person when I was pregnant.”

Cooper called her pregnancy a period of isolation.

“You can complain, but nobody gets it,” Cooper said. “I remember walking through campus one day, and it was the day of the bed races; I saw the cheer team and my heart just broke into a thousand pieces.”

Suddenly, just a couple of weeks before she gave birth, Cooper experienced a change of heart, and she talked to head coach Lynde Richards about going back out for the team before her senior season.

Cooper went from May 2021 to March 2022 without cheerleading at all. On top of that, she gained around 50 pounds during her pregnancy, seriously jeopardizing her role as a flyer. And to add more fuel to the fire, tryouts began six weeks after Emersyn was born.

“I just got my stitches out that day, and I brought Emersyn with me,” Cooper said. “It was so hard.

Oh, my God.” “I couldn’t jump, I was slow, I felt heavy. I just felt so lethargic.”

She said the hardest part of cheerleading since giving birth has been regaining her tumbling skills, even going as far as to work with a trainer in Pendleton, Indiana, to help speed up the process.

Once the day of official tryouts came, she almost didn’t go for fear of being cut from the team.

Despite not having her standing tuck, something most Ball State cheerleaders are required to do, Cooper made the team. However, Richards told her if she didn’t complete a consistent standing tuck by football season, Cooper may lose her spot.

Cooper did regain her tuck by football season, and even made the roster for Nationals in Orlando, Florida, Graduate student Jada Cooper’s daughter, Emerysn, smiles while playing at home Jan. 5 in Muncie. Cooper had just for the first time in her three seasons at Ball State.

4See TOGETHER, 14 returned home from practice with the Ball State Cheerleading team. DANIEL KEHN, DN

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Even with new faces, the game plan is the same for the Cardinals.

Lauren Graham and Trinity Rea Reporter, Associate News Editor The story of Ball State women’s tennis’s most recent offseason was one of combating change.

More than a month following their first-round loss in the NCAA tournament against Notre Dame last May, the Cardinals said goodbye to eight players. Six graduated at the end of the spring semester, while two chose to take their remaining years of eligibility elsewhere.

With just four players on the team at the end of June, Ball State Director of Athletics Jeff Mitchell hired a new head coach, Sachin Kirtane.

Though Kirtane is new to Ball State, he said he is more than familiar with the coaching scene.

“I feel like I’ve gone through it all at every level,” Kirtane said. “I have a very good idea and a sense as to what it’s going to take to succeed here.”

Kirtane started coaching as a graduate assistant coach with his alma mater, Valdosta State University in 1998. He stayed with the Blaze until 2002 when he accepted a coaching position at Northern Iowa University.

Kirtane spent 10 seasons at Northern Iowa as the women’s tennis head coach, where Kirtane holds the highest winning percentage in program history.

In 2012, he accepted a position at Lindsey Wilson College as the head coach for both the men’s and women’s teams. There, he led his teams to back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances which earned him the 2014 Mid-South Women’s Coach of the Year award.

After two years at Lindsey Wilson, Kirtane moved to Mississippi State University as an assistant coach guiding the Bulldogs to three consecutive Southeastern Conference (SEC) championships.

In 2017, he was promoted to head coach, soon leading Mississippi State to multiple NCAA tournament appearances (2017, 2018 and 2021).

After the 2023 season, Kirtane accepted the job at Ball State.

Kirtane brought with him experience and a desire for his player to succeed. Along with this, he brings a former player he coached in the SEC, sophomore transfer Sydney Hrehor.

“He was a big part of me coming here, obviously, and I haven’t regretted my decision once,” Hrehor said. “I just think he makes a big difference for my team, and he makes a big difference for me on the court.”

In her lone season at Mississippi State, Hrehor

Freshman Isabel Tanjuatco looks to serve the ball Jan. 10 during practice at Muncie YMCA. Ball State has won the previous two Mid-American Conference Championships. ANDREW BERGER, DN State. During her freshman year, she went on an only appeared in 11 matches, five singles and six and two with her team.

Tanjuatco, another four-star recruit, is a Georgia eight-match win streak from Feb. 25 to March doubles. In singles, she went 2-3 on the year facing native who graduated from Stafford Murphy Tennis 27, 2022, which helped the Cardinals advance top-ranked teams in the country.

Hrehor said transferring to Ball State has been a Academy. In her time there, she accumulated an to a MAC Tournament victory. Overall, her play earned her a 13-4 record. great experience and she can’t be more excited to overall record of 26-17.

In her sophomore season, she up right where she While change has greatly impacted the team, a start this season. left off, helping Ball State achieve its second MAC “We’re going to do very good in conference few familiar faces remain.

Sophomores Annika Planinsek and Jacqueline Tournament title in a row and third straight trip to play. It’s never easy in the MAC (Mid-American Conference), but I think we have the ability to win Pearsall are returning alongside juniors Elena the NCAA tournament.

Malykh is confident that regardless of the new it all again, and I’m super excited to compete,” Malykh and Ella Hazelbaker.

Plannisek played well during her freshman position the team finds themselves in, they won’t Hrehor said.

Joining Hrehor as a Cardinal newcomer this season in the Cardinals’ main lineup, having stand- be uncomfortable as alongside Malykh in a similar season are freshmen Sarah Shahbaz and Isabelle out performances against Purdue University and new-found leadership role is Hazelbaker.

In her first year with Ball State, she only Notre Dame. She finished the year with a record of Tanjuatco. appeared in six matches, winning two out of her According to Tennis Recruiting Network, 13-2 in single matches and 10-3 in doubles.

During this season’s fall tournaments, Plannisek four single appearances. The following year, Shahbaz is a four-star recruit out of Minnetonka High School in Minnetonka, Minnesota. There she continued this success, picking up wins in singles Hazelbaker competed in four matches, one single and three doubles, winning all of them. won five state titles, two in singles, one in doubles and doubles.

Malykh is confident she and Hazelbaker can Pearsall, on the other hand, has not seen much action on the court due to other players being in bring energy, confidence and leadership to the front of her in the lineup. However, this preseason, 2024 Cardinals with their combined experience.

“We just want to bring team spirit and be able Pearsall saw success and looks to take on a larger I feel like I’ve kind of gone through it all at every to energize them and motivate them, not that they role during the regular season. level. I have a very good idea and a sense as to With four new faces, Malykh has had to adapt to really need it,” Malykh said. “Our goal is to do our what it’s going to take to succeed here.” best, fight and leave everything on the court.” a veteran leadership role on the team quickly.

After being swept by Purdue in their first match of “It’s a very exciting experience,” Malykh said.

- SACHIN KIRTANE, “I feel I can help out everyone and be supportive the season Ball State is set to return home and face Ball State Women’s Tennis and build good chemistry within the team to be Cleveland State Saturday, Jan. 27 at 1:30 pm ET. head coach Contact Trinity Rea via email at trinity.rea@bsu. like a little family. It’s a great role, and I’m really edu or on X@thetrinityrea and Lauren Graham at enjoying it.”

Malykh has always held a starting role with Ball lauren.graham@bsu.edu.

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Community

Coin and stamp show

Dating in the 21st century Online dating has become a popular way for people to meet.

410

The Delaware County Fairgrounds will have 71 coin, token, currency, postcard, stamp and supply dealers in the Heartland Building. The show starts at 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 21 with free admission and parking. The event was sponsored by the Muncie Coin and Stamp Club, Indiana’s largest club. Contact Thomas Marsh, the show chairman, for questions at tmarsh01@comcast.net.

Campus

Orchestra concert Orchestra Indiana to perform Brahms Violin Concerto at Emens Auditorium Feb. 10 at 7:30 p.m. with guest conductor Joel Smirnoff.

In addition to Brahms Violin Concerto, the show will feature music from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. General admission adult tickets cost $20-$32, student admission is $10 and youth tickets are free with the purchase of an adult ticket.

Campus

The Cher Show

Ball State University graduate Ian McCurdy (top) and second-year criminal justice major Brynn Hensley (bottom) pose for a photo Nov. 13, 2023 in the Arts and Journalism building. Hensley said McCurdy helped her feel like she can open up to people again. MYA CATALINE, DN

Emens Auditorium will have the Tony Award-winning musical Jan. 23. The performance starts at 7:30 p.m. and follows the life of Cher.

Tickets are available to buy on the Emens’ website, with tickets being free for students in advance and $5 at the door. For the public, adult tickets range from $50-$34 and youth from $25-$20, tickets for students are $10.

ON BALLSTATEDAILYNEWS.COM: MOVIES THAT DO AND DON’T PASS THE BECHDEL TEST

10 01.18.24

DNLife

Lily Jones Reporter Second-year criminal justice major Brynn Hensley and 2023 Ball State University graduate Ian McCurdy met on Tinder in August 2022.

McCurdy’s Tinder profile had pictures of him at concerts and taking photos. From first impressions, Hensley said she could tell McCurdy was an adventurous person.

Hensley had a similar profile, mostly consisting of photoshoots. McCurdy thought she seemed fun and creative.

When they first met, neither of them knew if they wanted to be just friends or something more.

McCurdy picked up Hensley from her dorm and drove to his house to hang out and see where things could go. After talking for two hours, they knew there was a connection.

Out of a group of 10, three people have used a dating app, with Tinder being the most used, according to the Pew Research Center. However, out of those three people, only one has found their significant other by using a dating app.

The 2022 data has also shown that members of the LGBTQ+ community are more likely to use a dating app than someone who identifies as straight.

Men and adults who have never been married before are more likely to use a dating app than those who have been married in the past.

Ball State University Sociology Professor Melinda Messineo said online dating makes it easier to meet a variety of different people.

“Online dating apps make it possible to meet people completely outside of your social spheres,” Messineo said via email. “This increases the possibility of meeting people with shared interests that can increase relationship success.”

Hensley and McCurdy decided to start just being friends to see where it led. During this time, both of them continued talking to other people.

Ball State University graduate Ian McCurdy (left) and Secondyear criminal justice major Brynn Hensley (right) hold hands for a photo Nov. 13, 2023 in the Arts and Journalism building. The couple started dating after four months of talking and being friends. MAYA CATALINE, DN

Online dating apps make it possible to meet people completely outside of your social spheres. This increases the possibility of meeting people with shared interests that can increase relationship success.”

- DR. MELINDA MESSINEO, Ball State University Sociology Professor Even after they stopped talking to other people, they still were not ready to jump into a relationship.

The relationship began four months after their first meeting.

Looking back, they agreed if they jumped into a relationship when they first met, their bond would not be where it is today.

“Brynn was able to just listen to me and talk to me,” McCurdy said. “I have really good friends who I can talk to, but it was a deeper connection.

It kind of woke me up to be like, ‘Maybe I do want to be in a relationship with somebody who is that way.’”

For Hensley, what made her want to pursue the relationship was the trust she felt with McCurdy. With past relationships, she did not feel her emotions were being validated.

McCurdy has helped her feel like she can open up to people again.

“When he would comfort me and tell me everything’s OK,” Hensley said. “It was the first time I really believed and trusted that I could confide in people.”

According to a study from the Pew Research Center, women and those who are ages 50 and older lean more toward these apps not being very safe. People in every category agreed dating apps should have people go through background checks.

Messineo said while dating apps can bring people together who might not have met otherwise, there is also a higher chance of people not being honest about themselves online. Being catfished or scammed is also a concern among those looking to try these apps. The study concludes about half of dating app users think they have come in contact with a scammer.

Not knowing if someone you like feels the same way is what a lot of people face when meeting in person. McCurdy said dating apps take that fear away.

“That is probably the single greatest thing about dating apps,” McCurdy said. “Especially for a lot of people who struggle with self confidence and being able to approach people.”

In terms of how using a dating app to meet has affected their relationship, Hensley said she feels it has no effect. If they had not met on Tinder, she believes they would have met at one of McCurdy’s house parties. Either way, Hensley and McCurdy feel it would have resulted in the same outcome.

Ball State University graduate Ian McCurdy (left) and second-year criminal justice major Brynn Hensley (right) pose for a photo Nov. 13, 2023 in the Arts and Journalism building. Hensley suggests keeping an open mind about online dating.

MYA CATALINE, DN

If you feel like dating apps are not working for you, Hensley suggests keeping an open mind.

“You never know who you’re going to find,” Hensley said. “I never ever expected to meet the love of my life on Tinder.”

Contact Lily Jones with comments at lkjones3@bsu.edu.

JESSICA BERGFORS, DN ILLUSTRATION

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DNOpinion 12

01.18.24

THE MESSAGE BEHIND THE MEDIA As media and technology become more advanced, media literacy must be at the forefront of the conversation.

MEGHAN HOLT, DN DESIGN

ON BALLSTATEDAILYNEWS.COM: THE POWER OF NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

13 Grayson Joslin

Director of Recruitment, “Soapbox”

Grayson Joslin is a third-year journalism major and writes “Soapbox” for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper.

O

ver this past winter break, I woke up one morning to see a Facebook post that immediately captured my interest.

This particular post showed a photo of lions that appeared to have escaped the Indianapolis Zoo. I had several Facebook friends who shared this post. It was clear both the person who originally posted it and those viewing and reposting it believed it to be fact.

But it wasn’t.

Almost 12 hours later, an ensuing post from the Indianapolis Zoo debunked it with the zoo stating the photo “came from a safari trail camera in Africa” and not their zoo at all.

When I first saw that post, of course it caught my attention, but my gut feeling told me it couldn’t be real. I clicked on the account that originally posted the video and saw the description for the account was “parody news and memes.”

It took me less than a minute of “investigating” to debunk it on my own accord. Checking who has posted information is one of the several strategies associated with media literacy.

Except, media literacy isn’t widely taught.

The National Association for Media Literacy Education defines media literacy as the “ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create and act using all forms of communication.”

In essence, media literacy encourages people to ask questions about the information they are presented through advertisements, television programs, news broadcasts and other forms of media.

There are things we should all ask ourselves, like who or what is presented, how are those components portrayed, what audience the information is being targeted at and how the information is being presented.

I first learned about media literacy during my senior year English class.

As editor of my high school’s newspaper, even if I didn’t consider journalism to be my career path at the time, I took great interest in how I interacted with and consumed media.

However, the reality of the situation was that we only really spent two full weeks out of the school year learning about the topic —two weeks out of 13 years of primary education.

Now, I realize how people have come to trust what they see at face value and share misinformation, which has led to eroding trust in journalism.

Media literacy is important for me as a journalist because our democracy rests on the free press and the citizens who can read,

analyze and ask questions about the news they are reading.

I’m grateful I got even one class lesson based on media literacy before college. A 2022 study by Media Literacy Now and the Reboot Foundation found 62 percent of adults did not learn about media literacy in school.

As media messaging tactics become more sophisticated and new media becomes increasingly ingrained into our society, it doesn’t make sense that we’re severely lacking an emphasis on media literacy in our general education.

In my household, asking questions was something instilled in me from a young age. I consumed a large amount of information daily; I watched the morning news with my grandma and the nightly news with my mom. When I would be in conversation with my mom and I brought up something factually faulty, she would challenge me to “state my source.”

I thought my mom was breathing down my neck, worrying about every little detail. But looking back, I realize she wanted me to get my information from reliable sources and analyze all pieces of the information.

Understanding media is a two-way street. The public consuming media must also do their part by not accepting what they see at face value and actively engaging with and questioning it.

One of the reasons why I am so passionate about media literacy is that it goes hand in hand with the news industry. In October 2022, Gallup released a poll that found 38 percent of Americans didn’t trust the media, while only 34 percent had a “great deal or fair amount” of trust in the media. For comparison, when the same poll was taken in 1972, almost 70 percent of Americans had trust in the media.

This is extremely troubling and complicates the work many of us do as journalists. Free media is meant to be a pillar of a democratic society, but without trust, it begins to crumble.

We are navigating a growing technological landscape that is always in flux and with that comes distrust in the media.

Across the board, whether it’s a major newspaper, college newspaper or even a local paper servicing a town of a few thousand, there is a good chance there will be some comment on a post disparaging the work journalists do.

No longer is the news just reading the local paper before going to work and watching NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw every night with an aura of trust surrounding him. We are in the age of easy access where we go to the first link Google suggests for a news article without checking who is publishing it or if it’s even trustworthy.

01.18.24

DNOpinion

A recent example of our over reliance on social media and how quick we are to trust the first thing we see is the unsealing of court documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein. In the weeks leading up to the release of the documents, people across the internet predicted what or, better yet, who would be found in the Epstein documents.

Some people on social media assumed since the names of notable celebrities and public figures were included in these documents, they were automatically complicit in the same acts Epstein was arrested for in 2019. However, the inclusion of those names could also just mean they were loosely associated with Epstein or mentioned within his initial interviews with investigators.

The unsealing of these documents became a fertile ground for a wave of misinformation. But it stands as a reminder we should ask questions and not automatically believe the first thing we see online.

In my eyes, everyone — whether they are a Baby Boomer or Generation Z — should have the chance to learn how to be conscious and literate when it comes to the media.

How can we do this? A great way to start is by including a thorough media literacy curriculum in our public schools.

Before children graduate high school and head into the wide open of the real world, they should be educated on how to engage with the different types of media that exist now. Studies published in Harvard’s Graduate School for Public Policy’s Misinformation Review in December 2021 showed digital literacy measures were found to be important in “predicting truth from falsehood” when it comes to news headlines.

In our increasingly personalized media consumption, teaching media literacy in our schools isn’t an option anymore: it’s a must.

Beyond the educational environment, we must use due diligence to analyze and understand the information we are consuming and ask ourselves if it is unbiased and trustworthy.

Understanding media is a two-way street. The public consuming media must also do their part by not accepting what they see at face value and actively engaging with and questioning it.

It may seem like an overwhelming task to begin implementing media literacy into your routine, but it can be as simple as what words we use to search for something or seeing if the account that posted “news” is actually a satire or parody account.

The United States is at a disadvantage in media literacy. Published by the Open Society Institute in Bulgaria, the 2023 edition of the Media Literacy Index placed the United States 16th in the world in media literacy — on par with South Korea — scoring a 60 on a scale of 100. For comparison, the highest-scoring country, Finland, scored a 74.

There is work we need to do to improve our society’s media literacy skills, but it starts with ourselves and opening our minds to be more critical about what we are consuming.

When we place a higher emphasis on media literacy, we will be able to sniff out the misinformation and clickbait surrounding us in our lives.

Contact Grayson Joslin with comments at Grayson.joslin@bsu. edu or on X @GraysonMJoslin.

Combatting disinformation with the SIFT Method The SIFT Method was developed by Michael Caulfield, a digital information literacy expert at Washington State University. The SIFT Method includes four “moves”: Source: infodemic.blog MEGHAN HOLT, DN DESIGN

S

Stop reading and check other work

I

Investigate the source who is spreading the information

F

Find better coverage from trusted sources

T

Trace the claim back to the original source and its context

Scan the QR code to learn more about the SIFT Method

DNNews

01.18.24

14

PLAY

Continued from Page 03

An accessible see-saw in Possibility Playground at the Harrison County Nature Preserve Jan. 14 in Corydon, Indiana. The playground has multiple accessibility features.

OLIVIA GROUND, DN

TOGETHER Continued from Page 07

“I worked my ass off every day,” Cooper said.

“I fell a bunch of times, I was in pain a bunch of times, but I think I’m a better flyer now than I was.”

Cooper now uses her identity as a mother as a source of inspiration for struggling teammates, often telling discouraged teammates if she can be a Division I cheerleader as a mother, they can do it too.

Human Yet, Cooper still deals with thoughts of inadequacy as a parent. She feels like a bad parent around 90 percent of the time because of all the external factors pulling her away from time spent with Emersyn.

“There are days I tell myself she doesn’t need me,” Cooper said.

Cooper perseveres through her job and her Master’s program because she knows she has to provide for not just herself, but Emersyn, too. She perseveres through cheerleading because she knows it is the one thing in her life she does solely for herself.

“I’m miserable most of the time, but I would rather do this hard stuff now and love what I’m doing than make it this horrible thing,” Cooper said. “It’s hard, but it’s worth it.”

But perhaps Cooper’s biggest struggle, she said, has been her mental health. Both before and during her life with Emersyn, Cooper has battled diagnosed depression and anxiety, even attempting suicide twice before her pregnancy and taking antidepressants before and after her pregnancy.

During the summer between her freshman and sophomore year of college, while Cooper was back home in Illinois, she nearly crashed her car

“We are very excited about the new playground we’ll be receiving in Gilbert Park, and are very appreciative of the Muncie Parks Department for their help and partnership over the years,” Darda said via email.

The parks department was eager to help.

“What made us invest in them was the fact that they came to us,” Foley said.

In October, community members of Harrison County, Indiana, saw just how impactful accessibility playgrounds could be for families.

In the Bowen Family, their youngest son, 16-year-old Max, has been wheelchair-bound since age three and was unable to play with his two older siblings on playgrounds throughout his childhood. Max’s story, published in Madison Courier, served as the inspiration behind the construction of Harrison County’s Possibility Playground.

Seeing the lack of accessible equipment out there only motivated Larry Shickles and his team more to build something big.

“I remember going to playgrounds that they

into a median on purpose. She said she went to her scheduled therapy appointment the next day, already crying before she walked in the building. Her therapist asked her what was bothering her and Cooper told her about her suicide attempt the night before.

Immediately, her therapist told Cooper she needed to go to the hospital. Once Cooper did, she remembered feeling worse than ever before.

“This is rock bottom,” Cooper thought. “I’m in a room with a painting of the outside instead of a window.”

During the next 10 days, Cooper had to go to the hospital every day for group therapy. As an 18-yearold, she was initially apprehensive. However, she ended up growing close with her group members and said her time spent in therapy and on antidepressants helped her deal with suicidal thoughts.

Cooper even got a tattoo that reads “I am enough,” in one of her former group member’s handwriting.

She said cheerleading helps with her mental health too, however, if she has a bad day as a cheerleader, Cooper said that can make her struggles even worse.

“Sometimes you can’t leave it at the door, as much as I try sometimes I just can’t,” Cooper said. “Then instead of using it as fuel, it just drags me down.”

Potts called his one-year-old son, Braylen, his “ultimate motivation.”

“When you got a child every day who you got to feed and put clothes on his back, there ain’t nothing else to talk about really,” Potts said. “You know why you’re here.”

Along with Houston and Potts, Marquez Cooper, John Harris, Damion Charity and Vaughn Pemberton, each have a child or are expecting one within the next six months. Potts admitted being a father, whether living three hours away or under the same roof, is a challenge, but he called parenthood

called ADA [compliant], and there would be like a playground with a ramp, a kid could go up the ramp and down the other side of the ramp. But if you were physically challenged, that was all.

That was it,” Shickles, Harrison County Parks Superintendent, said.

The Possibility Playground, which opened Oct. 22, 2023, is now the largest accessibility playground in the state of Indiana.

“It will be life-changing for so many people… I’m excited to see families be together. That, for me, is priceless,” Max’s mother, Keyla Bowen, said.

ADA compliance is becoming the norm.

Foley said he is confident he and his team are putting a park near each Muncie community for all to enjoy that is accessible, no matter one’s disabilit(ies) or limitation(s).

Construction on those three neighborhood parks is expected to be finished by spring 2024.

AccessiblePlayground.net offers a wide variety of resources for those wanting to learn more about ADA compliance, from design standards for accessible designs for play structures to a checklist that helps keep existing play structures up to code.

Contact Katherine Hill with comments at katherine.hill@bsu.edu.

Possibility Playground stands in Harrison County Nature Preserve Jan 14 in Corydon, Indiana. The playground has multiple accessibility features. OLIVIA GROUND, DN

Every time I see them, they have these big ‘ol smiles and they’re running up to jump in my arms.

Every other thing I’ve been thinking about goes out the window, and I can just think about hugging my kids and kissing my kids and playing with them and seeing them smile and laugh.”

- SIDNEY HOUSTON JR., Former Ball State football outside linebacker the best job in the world.

Cooper, who talked about the joy she feels when Emersyn recognizes her from the stands, agreed.

Houston said he was even able to see his daughters at a few of Ball State’s home games during the season, something he likened to Christmas Day. “Every time I see them, they have these big ‘ol smiles and they’re running up to jump in my arms,” Houston said. “Every other thing I’ve been thinking about goes out the window, and I can just think about hugging my kids and kissing my kids and playing with them and seeing them smile and laugh. It’s like nothing else matters at that moment.”

Contact Kyle Smedley with comments via email at kyle.smedley@bsu.edu or on X @KyleSmedley_.

Former Ball State football defensive back Tyler ‘Red’ Potts poses for a photo with his son, Braylen Potts, at Scheumann Stadium in 2023. Potts and his long-time partner, Londyn Johnson, had Braylen in 2022.

BALL STATE FOOTBALL, PHOTO PROVIDED

15

Crossword & Sudoku

ACROSS 1 Raised, as horses 5 Dust-ups 10 Rights org. with a Smart Justice campaign 14 Lyft alternative 15 Former Chinese premier Zhou __ 16 Shoe with little to no heel 17 Artistic gymnastics event 19 Sample 20 Miatas and CX-5s 21 Fluff, as hair 22 Cough syrup dosage unit, maybe 24 Campy musical comedy starring Tim Curry, to fans 27 Have a higher position than 29 Geologic span 30 “Garfield” dog 31 Place to observe undercover activity?

36 Safari park roarer 37 Rolled sandwiches 39 Prefix with space 40 First picture in a baby book, perhaps 42 Historic spans 43 Slangy about-face 44 Voice range of many a 4-Down 47 Cocktails with peach schnapps and orange juice

52 Far from strict 53 Ram of horoscopes 54 Make a priest, say 56 Mario Kart units 57 Inauspicious beginning, or a feature of 17-, 24, and 47-Across 61 Narrow opening 62 Like agts. who no longer work for “the company” 63 Outback birds 64 “¿Cómo __ usted?”

65 “Stunning!”

66 Far from bold DOWN 1 AC meas.

2 Made a break for it 3 Freedom from an obligation 4 Opera star 5 Hamstring, for one 6 Place for a passenger 7 Chem lab vessel 8 Not within walking distance 9 Female sib 10 Trying to find 11 Wipe away 12 Rodeo rope 13 Give voice to 18 Old Testament book before Nehemiah 21 Vocal quality 22 Goes from hot to warm

23 Broadcast’s sound component 25 App with reviews 26 Long-handled garden tools 28 Nevada city near Lake Tahoe 31 Actor Rockwell 32 Pioneering late-night host Jack 33 Passport info 34 Big venue 35 Fenway Park team, casually 37 Small, chirpy bird 38 Disney’s “__ and the Last Dragon” 41 “__ Grocery Games”: Food Network series also called “Triple G” 44 Spanish golfer García who won the 2017 Masters Tournament 45 No longer in style 46 Educational TV ads 47 Untrue 48 Range between Europe and Asia 49 “Quiet, you!”

50 Brand of saltine crackers 51 Go to bat (for) 55 Celebrity couple 57 Hi-__ image 58 Good Grips brand 59 Feel shame about 60 “For shame!”

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01.18.24

DNPuzzles

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