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REMEMBERING SEPT. 11, 2001
Students and faculty members take a look back. PG 4-5
@bsudailynews | www.ballstatedaily.com
FRIDAY | SEPT. 9, 2016
The Daily News UPD uses new body cameras Department happy with advanced technology despite $27,000 cost Kara Berg Crime Reporter
TAKING A
After more than a year and a half of deliberation, the University Police Department has started using body cameras. The decision comes at a time when many police departments are under scrutiny for brutality. People are watching police officers closely, and the body cameras help hold the officers and those they interact with accountable. “It’s really transparent,” said UPD Chief James Duckham. “You can see what the officer did and didn’t do … I think we’re going to see that citizen and police interactions are most positive when people know it’s being recorded.”
CHANCE Kevin Willis says 'no' to IU football in order to play defense
See BODY CAMS, page 3
INSIDE
IU FOOTBALL PREVIEW
Breanna Daugherty & Olivia White // DN Photo Illustration
Ball State prepares to go up against Indiana University on Saturday PG 6
Junior defensive tackle Kevin Willis was originally going to play football at Indiana University. Willis decided on Ball State so that he could play defense.
I
Jake Fox Football Reporter
ONLINE
t was all but a done deal. Growing up in Indianapolis, Kevin Willis had always been an Indiana University fan. So when the Hoosiers’ coaching staff showed interest in the Lawrence Central High School offensive lineman, he was ready to commit. There was just one problem. Willis wanted to play defense. “They held my offer because they wanted to look at me more as a center because my junior and senior year I played O-line,” he said. “I said, ‘Nah, I’m not going to do that. ... I’m going to play D-line, what I really want to play.’” Fast forward three years and Willis’ bold decision couldn’t have paid off any better. Listed at 6-feet, 2-inches and 303 pounds, he’s the biggest guy on a talented Ball State
PHOTO GALLERY
University Program Board hosted 'Dine and Design' Thursday.
DINNER FOR 2ISH
Watch a video tutorial and learn how to cook fried rice
WEEKEND SPORTS PREVIEW What does Ball State athletics have in store this weekend?
“
When I first found out we were going to play IU, that was a big surprise and shock for me.”
— Kevin Willis, defensive tackle
defensive line, and has been a mainstay in the starting lineup over the past two seasons. And on Saturday, he’ll travel to Bloomington to do battle with the team that let him walk. “When I first found out we were going to play IU, that was a big surprise and shock for me,” Willis said. “Something in my stomach came to me and made me think, ‘OK, I’ve gotta work as hard as I can to make sure I get to them and play as best as I can because I really want to beat IU.” Willis was close to playing for the Hoosiers. Like, really close. See WILLIS, page 6
CHAARG doubles in size since last year Women's exercise club promotes healthy lifestyle
Robbie Moscato-Goodpaster Daily News Reporter Getting fit and staying healthy seems to be a growing trend among college students, and one Ball State student group makes it its mission to do just that. CHAARG (Changing Health, Attitudes, and Actions to Recreate Girls) is a national organization founded to help girls “find their fit,” and is now featured in 37 universities throughout the U.S. CHAARG was introduced at Ball State in fall 2015 and began with 70 members.
Now, the group has expanded to 125 members and hopes to continue to grow. Ashya Thomas, the student leader for the organization, expressed her excitement and passion about the organization. She said it is a very hands-on club, in which members’ input is valued. They are encouraged to speak up and express what they would like to work on, and in return, those suggestions are taken into consideration when it comes to planning future workouts and classes. “What makes this organization special is that it offers a safe space where girls can socialize, as well as get the kind of workouts that they deserve,” Thomas said. See CHAARG, page 3
SERVING BALL STATE UNIVERSITY AND MUNCIE COMMUNITIES SINCE 1922
CHAARG is a national organization founded to encourage girls to “find their fit.” Ball State’s chapter now has over 125 members and is continuing to grow. Ball State University CHAARG Facebook // Photo Courtesy
News
Page 2 // Sept. 9, 2016 @bsudailynews
THE ISSUE
Every issue we take a look at a national or worldly topic and get student commentary on what's happening around the globe.
Ex-Stanford swimmer in rape case registers as sex offender The Associated Press XENIA, Ohio (AP) — A former Stanford University swimmer whose six-month jail sentence for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman sparked a national outcry registered as a sex offender on Tuesday in Ohio, where he’s living with his parents. Brock Turner registered at the Greene County sheriff’s office four days after he was released from a California jail for good behavior after serving half his term. Turner, 21, must register as a sex offender for life, checking in every three months, and he faces three years of supervised probation. Deputies will check on him without warning to make sure he hasn’t moved without permission.
Turner was convicted of assaulting the woman near a trash bin after they drank heavily at a fraternity party in January 2015. The woman passed out, and Turner was on top of her when confronted by two graduate students passing by on bicycles. The graduate students chased and tackled him when he tried to flee, holding him on the ground until police arrived. A jury convicted Turner of sexual assault. Santa Clara County Judge Aaron Persky sentenced him to six months in jail, citing the “extraordinary circumstances” of his youth, clean criminal record and other considerations in departing from the minimum sentence of two years in prison. Prosecutors had argued for six years. Turner plans to appeal.
Crossword
EDITED BY RICH NORRIS AND JOYCE LEWIS
THEIR VIEW
DORIAN MCCARROLL “Since he didn’t get a longer sentence, he didn’t understand the effect of his actions,” the freshman public relations major said.
KYLE PERKINS “I don’t know if he deserves the constant public humiliation, but ... he deserved more time for raping someone,” the freshman telecommunications major said.
4-DAY FORECAST
SEAN WARNER “He should have gotten the two years or whatever the correct legal stipulation is for that,” the senior exercise science major said.
SHELBI FOURMAN “I think [his sentence] should have been longer ... Yes, she was intoxicated, but that’s no excuse for what he did,” the freshman social work major said.
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR
More than 1 younger student has attended Ball State
In 2012, the year I graduated high school, my mother had just moved to Indiana. When we began discussing which college I would enroll in, the goal was to spend my freshman year at a university close to where she lived and then transfer to any university I wanted to attend. I was reluctant to go along with this plan, but mother knows best, right? My mother was worried, as I assume most mothers are, but she was more worried because her only child was to begin university at just 16 years old in East Central Indiana. Of course, I was worried too. Here I was, a 16-year-old Nigerian girl in the middle of Indiana at a school I’d never heard of. My experience on campus was not traditional. I went through teenage milestones on campus — I learned to drive in the Ball State parking lots. I never got to enjoy a night out at Brothers though, because I graduated before I turned 21. All in all, Ball State is where I grew up. Still, I knew I was not the only one with this experience. I’d heard of other young black women who started at a young age at Ball State: • Rayasia Simmons began her freshman year at 16. In fact, Rayasia went on to graduate at 19 with departmental honors. • Nyesha Canady began her freshman year at 15 and then transferred to Ball State. She told her story at the annual Black Student Association (BSA) pageant. So yesterday, when I scrolled across the Ball State home page and it featured a 16-year-old freshman, I was not surprised by the girl’s age. I was, however, confused as to why she was featured. She certainly is not the first student to begin at 16, and probably won’t be the last. I wondered, ‘what was the newsworthiness?’ I knew of at least three people, myself included, who began college early, but our stories had never been told like this before. In the year of Donald Trump, I couldn’t help but wonder if her race had afforded her the honor of being celebrated in the town square. After all, one thing I learned at Ball State was the politics of race and the impact it has on how the university operates. A Muncie Star Press article read, “But Dora is the only full-time, on-campus 16-year-old on record in Ball State’s history.” Dora has definitely accomplished a lot in her life. I understand how overwhelming it is to start college young and I do not wish to undermine her. In fact, I’m excited for her and proud that another woman has joined a club of women that are rocking Ball State at such a young age. But I can’t help but be disappointed that my alma mater hasn’t always included black girls in our institution’s narrative. So I decided to write this to correct Ball State’s record, to celebrate the other black girls who started college young, and to start a conversation about how we’ll build the Ball State story. Good luck Dora — my hope is that you have an amazing time at Ball State. Advice from a once 16-yearold freshman: join as many organizations as possible, enjoy the free movies, the beautiful scenery of campus, and never miss out on a chance to tell your story.
Kanyinsola Ajayi, kiajayi@icloud.com
VOL. 96 ISSUE: 7 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Breanna Daugherty
CONTACT THE DN Newsroom: 765-285-8245 Editor: 765-285-8249 Classified: 765-285-8247 editor@bsudailynews.com
DAILY NEWS CORRECTION
ACROSS 1 Crudités enhancers 5 __ puppet 9 Hot dogs and hams 14 With, on la carte 15 Tartan wearers 16 Lowest deck on a ship 17 Gadget that exercises the wrist 18 Spydom name 19 Crisp 20 Beer made in Johannesburg? 23 Lorry supply 24 Deck wood 25 Chi. setting 28 Citrus suffix 29 Letter before upsilon 31 Ranking 33 One who aspires to be the king of beers? 36 Run out 39 Larter of TV’s “Heroes” 40 Tip for a dealer 41 Sounds from a brewery? 46 “Life of Pi” Oscar winner 47 Justice dept. heads 48 Form 1040 fig. 51 Welker of the NFL 52 Highbrow 55 Oil once touted by Florence Henderson 57 Toast said while hoisting
presidential beer? 60 Gourd fruit 62 Happy __ 63 Fluency 64 Mesmerizing designs 65 Dark cloud 66 They may not be quiet on the set 67 Fords a stream 68 Gps. with copays 69 Paris’ __ Neuf DOWN 1 Place for pampering 2 Polling place sticker words 3 Desert hallucinogen 4 Use a Brillo pad 5 Learned one 6 Evil count of “A Series of Unfortunate Events” 7 Stone measure 8 Word with bread and butter 9 Sobriquet 10 Los Angeles mayor Garcetti 11 Actor with eight Oscar nominations (and one win) 12 Cover 13 Many a character in “The Americans” 21 Wizard revealer 22 Coarse file
Sudoku
26 Tie up 27 One on a cartoon desert island 30 State with five national parks 32 Trifles 33 Marmalade ingredient 34 Nevada copper town 35 Beatles girl with a “little white book” 36 Weak spot 37 Hatcher’s “Lois & Clark” role 38 Sandwich spread 42 Feels sore about 43 Monopoly deed word 44 Sinclair Lewis nominated him for the 1932 Nobel Prize in Literature 45 Tiny time meas. 48 Italian cheese 49 Takes the stage 50 Overrun 53 Energy 54 Players riding the pine 56 Docile sorts 58 Mythology 59 Circle overhead? 60 Do the lawn 61 AQI monitor
BY MICHAEL MEPHAM
In the article “Village Pantry shooting update” in the Wednesday, Sept. 7 issue of the Daily News, we incorrectly reported Deon Young was arrested in connection to a previous shooting incident near the Village Pantry on Aug. 28. Muncie Police Department Sgt. Brent Brown confirmed that Young was not related to that incident.
SERVICE DIRECTORY The Ball State Daily News (USPS-144-360), the Ball State student newspaper, is published Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the academic year and zero days on breaks and holidays. 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 points on campus.
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POSTAL BOX The Daily News offices are in AJ 278, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306-0481. Periodicals postage paid in Muncie, Ind. TO ADVERTISE Classified department 765285-8247 Display department 765-285-8256. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. MondayFriday. TO SUBSCRIBE Call 765-285-8247 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Subscription rates: $90 for one year. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Daily News, AJ285, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306. CORRECTIONS To report an error in print or online, email editor@ bsudailynews.com.
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Page 3 // Sept. 9, 2016 @bsudailynews
Local sporting goods store to close
Student employees turn to Career Center for other jobs
Evan Hatfield Daily News Reporter The loss of two sporting good stores is being felt by the Muncie community, but for a small group of Ball State students, it’s also going to impact their paychecks. Dunham’s Sports closed its doors for the last time at its Bethel Avenue location on Aug. 7, and MC Sports at the Muncie Mall will be completely shut down by the end of January. Bennett Brueggemann, a junior accounting major, is currently working at MC Sports in the Muncie Mall. He said although the store is facing its final days, he has noticed more customer traffic in the local business. “Before we knew we were closing, it was kind of a slower work day,” Brueggemann said. “Now that it’s been closing, it’s been attracting a lot of customers.” Brueggemann, who has been working at MC Sports since May, was not completely surprised when the closing was announced. “Since I started working there, I’ve heard rumors,” Brueggemann said. “When you hear enough rumors, they start sounding true.” James Mitchell, the Career Center associate director, said he wants students – especially those who may lose jobs due to local business closures – to understand there are many job opportunities for students, whether on or off campus. “Sometimes, things happen,” Mitchell said. “The economy changes or a company changes or a need changes …
there are other opportunities out there.” Mitchell said some students will prefer to work on campus, but for those who don’t, the Career Center is still able to provide assistance.“We really just want to provide as many opportunities as we can to students to help them,” Mitchell said. “We’re thankful that the community welcomes students ... into the jobs that are out there.” The Career Center is also working on a map that students can check to see if
CAREER CENTER HOURS
Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lucina Hall 220
a business is on a bus route, Mitchell said. The Career Center hopes this new technology can aid students who still wish to work off campus. In the meantime, other career-related resources are available to Ball State students looking for jobs. “Students who might be feeling the crunch of finding a job … should come in and meet with their career coach or come to our walk-in hours,” Mitchell said. “We can help them through that process.” Until MC Sports sees its final day, though, Brueggemann said he will remain at the store, faithful to his current position. “We have another five months of business ahead of us,” Brueggemann said. “I’m not worried about looking for a job yet. If and when I am, I know I can find other good employment opportunities.”
Contact Evan Hatfield with any questions or concerns at ehatfield@bsu.edu.
Reagan Allen // DN
Dunham Sports closed its Bethel Avenue locatin Aug. 7 and MC sports will be closing down completly by the end of January. James Mitchell, the Career Center associate director, wants Ball State students who are looking for a job to know of the opportunities available on and off campus.
UPD
CHAARG
UPD started using body cameras at the beginning of August, Duckham said, just before students came to campus. The department has been considering buying the cameras, which cost the more than $27,000, since early 2015. Officers have begun getting used to the new technology, and Duckham said so far they are enjoying them. A UPD officer was not available to speak about their usage of body cameras. “I think it’s a really good tool to have out there,” Duckham said. “It helps the officers, and it’s great for transparency.” Whenever officers are engaged in official police business — like giving a ticket, performing a traffic stop or arresting someone — the camera is recording. If officers are stopping to chat with students or are engaged with community policing, then the camera will not be on. UPD uses the Taser system, which is constantly recording, but is in a buffering mode. Once the officer activates the camera, it will record 30 seconds of video before the button was pushed without audio. From the time the officer activates the recording, both audio and video will be captured. Ball State has 30 body cameras, and all officers wearing uniforms will also be wearing a camera. They’re the ones who have the most interaction with civilians, Duckham said, so it makes sense that they’re the ones who wear the cameras. “I think it builds trust in the community,” Duckham said. “It’s such an effective tool for report writing, for maintaining an accurate tool of the entire start of the event from when the officer got there to the conclusion of the event.” Snippets of cell phone video that may paint only 30 seconds of an incident
The organization hosts its workouts both on and off campus, partnering with places such as Arsenal located in downtown Muncie, as well as Studio Fitness. CHAARG has even partnered with the ROTC program, which has allowed the group to expand the kinds of workouts they offer. The group offers classes with certified instructors in workout classes such as Zumba, hot yoga, Cross-fit and Pilates. They have classes in the dance studio, the Student Recreation and Wellness Center and even outdoors on campus, making classes accessible for students. The excitement and the drive the leaders had for the program while they welcomed in the new members this year was apparent as they shared information about the club with prospective members. “I was a transfer and found out about the organization when I came to Ball State and I fell in love with it. It’s crazy fun,” said Hannah Pulver, who runs the group’s social media sites. Hers was a response that seemed to be mutual among all of the girls both new and old as the evening progressed. The steps for becoming a member of CHAARG is easy, Thomas said. All you have to do is go to chaarg.com/ ball-state-university and join the Ball State group. There is a $45 fee to join and the money goes to help pay for amenities such as transportation and renting equipment that will be used in certain classes. Members receive a weekly newsletter that will inform them of the classes and events for the upcoming week, and they are able to sign up for any of the classes offered.
Continued from page 1
Continued from page 1
Bradley Jones // DN File
The University Police Department has started using body cameras after many police departments have come under scrutiny for brutality. The cameras will help hold the officers and those they interact with accountable.
that actually went on for seven or eight minutes are not as reliable as constant footage of the interaction, Duckham said. Emily Trout, a junior elementary education major, said the cameras give officers protection from incidents, and should be beneficial for them. “It’s a good precaution to take, and it makes me feel a little safer,” Trout said. “I haven’t had any problems with UPD, but it offers protection to them and makes sure everything goes smoothly and that no one is lying.” It’s too soon to tell the real impact the cameras will have on the department, Duckham said, but he’s hopeful for the future. Although some police departments in Indiana discontinued use of cameras after Indiana lawmakers passed a new law this year to regulate the use of cameras, Duckham said he didn’t think
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the law had an impact one way or the other. At least two departments in Southern Indiana suspended their programs because they couldn’t pay for the storage space the new law required to store footage, according to the Indy Star. Even so, many departments are still bringing cameras into the force, especially on college campuses. Indiana University and IUPUI decided to implement them this year, and are in the process of ordering them. But Indiana State University and Butler University police already have body cameras. “Ultimately, we’re going to see it nationwide that most police officers are wearing body cameras,” Duckham said. Contact Kara Berg with any questions or concerns at knberg2@bsu.edu
Contact Robbie Moscato-Goodpaster with any questions or concerns at rvmoscatogoo@bsu.edu.
Remembering 9/11
Page 4 // Sept. 9, 2016 @bsudailynews
'You pretty much heard the world cock its gun.'
On Sept. 11, 2001, America suffered from a terrorist attack that would shake the country to its core. As the 15th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, students and faculty remember the impact the terrorist attack had on their lives. Amanda Belcher & Kaitlin Lange Daily News Reporters
A CHANGE OF PLANS
'LIKE A MOVIE'
THE 6-HOUR WAIT
Daniel Jacobsen, a senior photojournalism major, was only six when the World Trade Centers came down. When his mom picked him up after school on Sept. 11, 2001, and told him what happened, he noticed the gray dust on her shirt – the remains of the fallen buildings. His first response was fear. “Are they going to fall on us?” he asked. Jacobsen was living about 50 minutes away from the World Trade Center, close enough to know those buildings were important, even at age six. Jacobsen's family had planned on going to a Yankee baseball game that night. Instead they spent the evening putting out candles on the sidewalk to honor the victims. His father was the chief of police in Malverne, New York, a nearby village. In the days that followed, first responders spent countless hours at the site, Jacobsen's father included. For a week he took a team out there for long 12-hour shifts, would come home and sleep and then return to work. Before he was able to come into the house, he had to remove his clothes that were caked in dust in the garage. “He smelled like the World Trade Center,” Jacobsen said. His dad later was awarded a rectangle of steel, recognizing his service. There were horrifying things Jacobsen's dad didn't tell him until much later, like when he saw the uniform of a fireman let behind — but the body had been crushed. And there are also things he just doesn't remember. “I didn't have a great grasp of the situation,” he recalled. “Over the years I eventually learned more and more about it. He would go down to the anniversaries, and he brought back a couple of pieces of burnt rubble.” His mom was even closer to the action than Jacobsen was. As the first plane hit, she was on the subway heading to work. When she arrived at Pennsylvania Station, she was greeted with chaos. On her subway ride home later on, people who had been near the towers when they fell were on the train, covered in ashes. That's how some of the dust from that morning ended up on his mom. Although the event impacted the whole country, Jacobsen feels an even larger connection with the tragedy. “I don't know if this was because [my dad] was a part of it or if it's because I'm from New York, but I have strong feelings about 9/11,” Jacobsen said. “Every time I look at the new World Trade Center, I can almost imagine a plane flying into it, because I've seen all the video. So it's had an impact on me. I hope people don't forget about it.”
Steven Schuler, director of instructional technology at Ball State, learned a plane hit the World Trade Center through a phone call. “Hey you need to turn on the TV,” Schuler's wife said to him on the phone. At the time, he and his wife lived two miles from the Pentagon, and his wife worked at the Smithsonian Castle on the National Mall. Another plane was heading towards Washington, D.C., and she would have to evacuate the building. After hanging up, Schuler went outside his home. That's when a plane hit the Pentagon. “I heard planes land 100 times a day, and they sound exactly the same,” Schuler said. This time was different. “You heard this thing, and it just sped up, and it went really low over our house. Within seconds you heard this [explosion]," he said. "You heard it, and you felt it in your chest.” The first thing he thought about was his wife. His phone calls weren't going through to her so he had no clue if she was even safe. Then the phone calls started coming in from his boss. At the time, he was working on a contract as a programmer for the Department of Defense. His company was hired to create a joint operation control center about a mile and a half away from the Pentagon, in case of a terrorist attack. They were supposed to be finished with the center on Oct. 1. But as the nation began to respond to the crisis, the D.O.D. would need the space. At first, Schuler didn't even want to answer the phone. He was still worried about his wife. When he finally did, his boss told him Schuler was the only one close enough to get to the center. He would need to make sure everything was operational. As he headed to work he passed the Pentagon, billowing up in smoke and surrounded by emergency vehicles. It felt like a movie, he said. “I saw that and knew lots of people had just died,” Schuler said, taking a pause. “To see that, it makes you feel tiny. It makes you feel sort of insignificant ...” The other side of the interstate was packed with cars heading away from the city. The northbound side was nearly empty. During his drive over, he got the call from his wife, saying she was OK, and a weight was lifted off his shoulders. When Schuler arrived at the center, he found himself surrounded by military personnel as the only civilian in the room. One man pointed a gun at him, asking him questions before he could even enter the building. “That's when I knew things had changed,” he said. “You pretty much heard the world cock its gun.” Schuler started working to get the system operational. He hadn't brought any tools, so all he had to rely on were his teeth and a cheap Swiss Army knife he found. He still has that knife 15 years later. He plans to give it to his son, who was born in 2004. His son will read about the tragedy in history books and hear about it from his parents. “Will the [pocket knife] mean anything to him, or is it just some stupid thing?” Schuler said. Schuler still remembers 9/11 clearly, and to him it doesn't seem like 15 years ago. But for the youngest Ball State students, they might have been too young to really remember — three, four, five years old at the time of the attacks. They won't remember life before all of the fear, the sudden patriotism or the quickness in which some rushed to place blame, Schuler said. “We have to remind you guys what life was like September 10, 2001,” Schuler said. “It was a lot different the day before.”
Alicia Baker Fitzgerald, the assistant director for student center programs, still clearly remembers the events of Sept. 11, 2001. “For everyone else, this was a moment in history. For the people who were involved, it was the worst day of their life. It is absolutely the worst day of my life,” she said. Fitzgerald’s family was living in northern Virginia while her father, a member of the US Air Force, was doing his second tour at The Pentagon. She was a freshman in high school. She was in history class when the announcement came over the school’s loudspeaker. The class was watching a film, but switched the television to live coverage and were watching as the news broke about the attack on the Pentagon. “I had such a hard time comprehending what we were hearing that, after several minutes, I remember I walked up to my teacher and I asked if anybody was hurt,” Fitzgerald said. “It was just so foreign to me. I couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that something really could have happened.” Because of the high volume of people trying to contact their friends and family, the systems were jammed, making Fitzgerald’s cell phone unusable. Her mom, who worked at Macy’s, heard the news from a coworker and left work to sit by the family’s landline phone and wait for news. “I think she probably had the hardest time, because she was fielding the calls from our entire family … and nobody had any news for her,” Fitzgerald said. For Fitzgerald, the hours after the attack are a long blur of waiting for news. “I don’t remember being in class the rest of the day," she said. "I know that I went to class, I know I walked the hallways some and just waited.” The wait was long and difficult, Fitzgerald said. As many of her friends who had parents at the Pentagon heard news, it was a struggle to not know about her father. “It’s not one of those cases where you think that no news is good news,” she said. “As each person hears, you’re grateful that they know and that their waiting is over, but you wonder if that means you don’t know because nobody wants to tell you.” She wasn’t informed that her father was OK until around 5 p.m., nearly six hours after the Pentagon was hit, according to CNN’s timeline. Someone from her father’s division walked to the Pentagon City Mall and had the Macy’s store there call the Macy’s her mom worked at, which reached her on the family’s landline phone. “[They] passed along that somebody had seen my dad. He was alive, but that was really the most information we had at that point,” Fitzgerald recalled. Fitzgerald didn’t get home until 5 p.m., and her father arrived shortly after. The memory of seeing her dad for the first time after the attack is still an emotional one. “When he got home, he smelled like jet fuel. … That was the first time it really hit me. He came in and he smelled overwhelmingly like smoke and jet fuel,” she said. “That was terrifying and really put it into perspective.” It was then that Fitzgerald realized she had been expecting the worst. “I don’t think I realized until I saw him how much I was convinced he was dead,” she said. Out of the five sections in the Pentagon, the section her father was in was adjacent to the one that was hit. He and co-workers had been in his office watching the news. “They were all pilots and they had enough time to look at each other and say, ‘It’s too fast and it’s too low.’ They knew it was coming,” she said. Fitzgerald said everyone in her dad’s office was safe, but someone did lose a spouse who was working in another section of the Pentagon. “I think one of the hardest parts was that the next day, he got up and went to work, and I remember having a conversation with him that this was his duty. This is what he always had committed to,” she said. Though the anniversary of 9/11 is still a challenging day for Fitzgerald, she sees Patriot’s Day as a unifying experience for Americans. “It really does affect everyone, and just because you didn’t lose somebody personally or you didn’t sit by the phone, that doesn’t mean that you weren’t very profoundly affected by 9/11,” she said. “I think everyone in the country was.” Contact Amanda Belcher & Kaitlin Lange with any questions at features@bsudailynews.com.
Dan Jacobsen // Photos Provided
Sunday marks the 15th anniversary of the 9/11. The effects of the terrorist attacks are still felt today among both students and faculty.
Remembering 9/11
Page 5 // Sept. 9, 2016 @bsudailynews
What Muslim students think about 9/11, Islamophobia Patrick Calvert Political Reporter
With the 15-year anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks approaching, many Muslims at Ball State feel negative views from Americans toward Muslims is still prevalent as a result of the attacks. The Ball State Daily News asked them what some of these students thought about the country’s Islamophobia and how 9/11 influenced their lives. Richard McKinney, a junior social work major with a minor in peace studies, is also a U.S. veteran. He was in bed when the attacks happened. His wife at the time woke him up to show him what was unfolding. He remembers looking at the TV and wondering what was happening. “I kind of freaked out,” McKinney said. “I was in the reserves so I got a hold of my command and asked them what was going on and they said ‘be prepared’ ... Everyone had a feeling that we would be going [to war], I just didn’t know where.” After 9/11, McKinney admitted he felt a strong hate for Muslims and even planned to attack the Islamic Center in Muncie, but he decided to take a step toward learning more about the people and religion. McKinney ended up converting to Islam in 2009 and is now the president of
the Islamic Center of Muncie. “[People] are usually very surprised [that I’m a Muslim],” he said. When he converted to Islam, the veteran identified himself in an ethnic way and dressed in traditional Islamic clothing. “I changed that especially after becoming president [of the Muslim Student Association] because I wanted to identify with more people outside of Islam,” McKinney said. “It was almost kind of a strategy.” McKinney feels like Muncie is a great place for Muslims to live and believes Islamophobia is almost a non-issue in the community. “The people who are really anti-Islam are very small pockets here in Muncie,” McKinney said. One issue is his family though, who still hasn’t accepted his faith. “My family refers to me as traitor and a hypocrite,” he said. “They don’t understand how an American can be a Muslim, especially a veteran.” His stepmother has told him that she doesn’t want “any of that Islam stuff in her house”. Huda Al Herz, a graduate assistant for the Rinker Center for International Programs, was in her home country of Saudi Arabia when the 9/11 attacks took place.
“[The attacks] shocked all of us and affected us,” Al Herz said. “I don’t know people who were killed but it emotionally affected us.” Al Herz has worked in the Islamic Center of Muncie in the past, and said there has been instances where people had been pointed out for being Muslim. One of these instances was in November 2014 when a woman posted a status on Facebook about a Muslim woman who was wearing a niqab, a veil worn by some Muslim women, in the Muncie Mall. The woman who made the Facebook post was worried that a terror attack was in the works. Al Herz has been in Muncie since 2010 and she also has a positive outlook on the community. She believes Islamophobia can be challenged through education and communication. “People here are much friendlier compared to other areas [in Indiana],” she said. “When I worked in the Islamic Center of Muncie we try and reach out to people, try to talk, volunteer, like cleaning up the White River,” Al Herz said. Some students, however, don’t have strong recollections of 9/11. Saleem Abufares, a junior construction management major and president of the Muslim Student Association, barely remembers the attacks because he was so young at the time.
“I was in first or second grade,” Abufares said. “I was in school mid-day and I remember it felt different — it didn’t really feel like a regular school day.” He does remember his family, who is originally from Libya, being very upset, and those emotions are what he said he can still remember. Growing up, the LibyanAmerican recalls learning about 9/11 in class and believes that it wasn’t just bad for America but bad for everyone in the world. He also said that people shouldn’t point their fingers at a specific race or type of people and call them terrorists. Abufares cited the shooting by James Holmes, an American who killed 12 people in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, as an example. Abufares also thinks people who kill others in the name of Islam aren’t really Muslims. “They are their own demonic self,” he said. Abufares’ goal as president of the Muslim Student Association is to spread the message that Islam is a religion of peace and the group is here with open hands to anyone in the community, including those who practice other faiths. “We are just like everyone else,” Abufares said. “We are just regular human beings; we just have a different faith.” Contact Patrick Calvert with any questions or concerns at pcalvert@bsu.edu.
STUDENTS, FACULTY RECALL TERROR ATTACKS
Everyone has different memories and recollections about what happened on Sept.11, 2001. The Daily News reached out to Ball State students and staff to see what they remember of the terror attack. Mary Freda Daily News Reporter
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“I think I was 4. I remember my mom leaving work early to pick me up from daycare and we went home and I remember her being upset, but I was too young to understand what was going on,” the freshman undecided major said.
“I was 7 years old when it happened. I [later] learned about 9/11 through my history classes. We talked about the events and what happened,” the firstyear psychology graduate student said. “I didn’t really vocalize I was Muslim at that time during classes just because I knew there’s still some underlying tension."
“Yikes, I was like 4. All I remember was we ... went up to do our assignment, or whatever they had us do on a computer back then. My mom was a secretary at my school so my mom was talking to one of the teachers and they weren’t necessarily freaking out, but I could tell something was wrong,” the sophomore statistics major said. “I do remember that it was very shocking.”
“All I really remember was I was in class and we were just learning our lesson or whatever and then next thing you know the teacher turned on the television,” the senior public relations major said. “I remember seeing the mayhem. I just knew it was an issue. I could tell something bad happened, everyone was crying.” DREW BECKER
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“I was in kindergarten. I remember coming home from school to my babysitter and I remember [the attack] being on the news and then one of the girls that was at the babysitter’s with me, her mom brought over a video of it and this is crazy,” the junior eleentary education major said. “She had pulled up a picture and the smoke of the Twin Towers had formed an outline of the devil and for some reason, that’s like what’s been the most prominent thing that stuck out to me.”
TYLER HALL “I was in first grade, so around seven,” the junior telecommunications major said. “I remember I was at school and I think there was an announcement and eventually we all left school early that day.” MUHANNAD ALDERAAN “I was 13 years old. I don’t remember exactly because I wasn’t here,” the senior business administration major, who is Muslim, said. “When I first came here I felt like everyone was going to hate me, but that wasn’t true. I heard it from the media and it was so terrible. Like when I saw everything in the media like a week after the day it happened, but it was so terrible and I don’t believe that it should happen to anyone.”
MALISSA TONG “I think I was in the sixth grade or fifth grade. I’m actually from New York. I was in school and I just remember my dad called my mom to get the kids out of school because we weren’t sure what was going on,” the doctoral piano student said. “I remember a few classmates who had parents working in the city, so that was like, ‘Oh my god, is my mom OK?’ kinda thing while we were in class. My dad works in the city, he’s an engineer, but that day fortunately, he was out fishing. So he was out in the water when he saw the planes hit and whatnot. But then after that we didn’t see him for three weeks, because all the engineers in the downtown area worked together to get things up and running again as quickly as possible.”
ALYSSA MONTGOMERY “[My memory of the day] is kinda muddy — I’m pretty sure I was in school when it happened and we got let out early,” the senior speech pathology major said. “My uncle Chris was in New York when it happened, so he pretty much witnessed it. But I don’t really remember a whole lot, but I’m pretty sure it was a devastating experience for my family since my uncle was in New York when it happened.” Contact Mary Freda with any questions at mafreda@bsu.edu.
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Sports
Page 6 // Sept. 9, 2016 @bsudailynews
Football to face IU for 1st time since 2012 Neu hopes game will help distinguish Ball State Colin Grylls Sports Editor When Ball State and Indiana University line up on the gridiron Saturday, players might feel like they’re looking in a mirror. Both Indiana-based teams wear variations of red and white, employ run-first offenses and have defenses that hope to be vastly improved from last season. Cardinal head coach Mike Neu said the game is an opportunity to distinguish his team from IU in the eyes of recruits. “We want to try and get as many kids as we can — not only from Indiana but from around the Midwest,” he said. “I’ve been very impressed with Indiana high school football, and this is a chance for us to go play at IU, where we’re talking to a lot of the same players.” The all-time series is almost even, with IU leading 4-3. Ball State, however, heads to Memorial Stadium in Bloomington looking for its fourth-consecutive victory against its Big Ten rival. The two programs haven’t met since 2012, when Ball State kicker Steven Schott kicked a 42-yard field goal as time expired to beat the Hoosiers 41-39.
WILLIS
Continued from page 1 When the ESPN 3-star recruit got invited to a kickoff dinner at IU during the summer after a high school camp, he went to the event planning on committing that night. Indiana was Willis’ first and only offer, and he had been to visit several times. He had gotten close with the former coaching staff there. But it was when Willis tried to make his commitment as a defensive lineman that he learned the Hoosiers weren’t on the same page. “I had made my decision after that camp, but when I tried to do it, they said ‘Hold on,’” Willis said. Willis knows it was a stretch for former Ball State coach Pete Lembo to offer him a scholarship. He played both offense and defense his first two years of high school but didn’t play any defensive line his junior
The Cardinals beat Georgia State 31-21 in their opener this year, and the Hoosiers topped Florid International 34-13. Both teams won after attempting fewer than 30 passes, rushing more than 50 times and limiting their opponents to fewer than 100 yards on the ground, though IU head coach Kevin Wilson is skeptical about the Cardinals’ run-heavy play-calling. “[Ball State] has only got one game with the new staff,” Wilson said. “They attacked Georgia State a certain way. How much of their offense have you seen yet?” The Cardinals came out ready to throw, but had to adjust after early miscues. On their first two possessions, sophomore quarterback Riley Neal threw two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown. The defense, which allowed the sixthmost pass yards per game (292.5) in the country last season, intercepted a pass of its own on the next drive. Neal finished with just 130 passing yards, but added 48 yards on the ground. Neu said he was proud of his team’s recovery. IU also overcame early struggles by scoring 22 consecutive points after trailing 13-12 at the end of the third quarter. One year removed from allowing the secondmost pass yards per game (313.8), the defense stepped up with three interceptions
— two of which were returned for touchdowns. Wilson said his players, a generation or two younger than him, were raised in an environment that helps them bounce back. “We live with kids that are waiting for the new iPhone — things change so fast,” he said. “I think kids are used to change. Old people, we’re used to habitual things, do it this way, do it over and over and over. Our team seems to have the ability to be adaptable.” While both offenses emphasized the running game — the Cardinals ran for 325 yards and IU racked up 246 — Ball State has a running-back-by-committee and IU plans on using junior Devine Redding as a feature back. Redding, however, is in danger of losing touches to his teammates because he’s struggled to hold onto the football. “He’s regressing,” Wilson said. “Had the ball on the ground. On the ground again [in practice]. He had 100-yard games four times in a row, which is getting ready not to happen the next time he puts it on the ground because we have about nine guys there. He is getting ready to start seeing the bench.” Though Wilson is going to give Redding another shot, Neu’s hands are tied; senior Ball State safety Corey Hall is suspended
for the first half. He was ejected after a targeting penalty in the second half against Georgia State, and NCAA rules require him to sit out the first half against IU. “He’s an aggressive guy and made an aggressive mistake,” Neu said. “It wasn’t intentional. The rule is what it is … but that’s not Corey Hall.” Junior defensive tackle Kevin Willis, however, is ready to go. He anchors a defensive line that helped limit Georgia State to 77 rushing yards. He was recruited by IU to play offensive line, but committed to play at Ball State because then-coach Pete Lembo let him play defense. “Ever since the team found out we were playing IU, it’s all about we own this state,” he said. “Indiana is Ball State’s state. And we’re going to do our best to beat IU.” Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. in Memorial Stadium in Bloomington and the game will be broadcast on ESPNews. But viewers at home will need to play close attention to the game — a quick glance might not be enough to tell the two teams apart. Jake Fox contributed to this article.
or senior seasons. “Obviously, I didn’t have much D-line film,” Willis said. “But [Lembo] based it off of the camps I went to and when I worked at D-line. He had enough trust in me, and these coaches have enough trust in me now to make me a starter. So I’m very thankful.” In his first two years under Lembo, Willis played in 18 games (13 starts) and recorded 27 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack and a fumble recovery. Ball State went through a total coaching turnover in the offseason, leaving the returning players to audition for their jobs again. First-year head coach Mike Neu was impressed with Willis and his weight room numbers right away. “[Willis] is one of those guys that comes ready to work every day,” Neu said. “He’s very consistent, always has a great attitude. I know he wants to have success, and he’s been a lot of fun to work with.
We count on him heavily to anchor the middle of our defense.” Willis only had one tackle in a seasonopening, 31-21 win over Georgia State last weekend, but was a big part of Ball State holding the Panthers to 77 rushing yards. Defensive line coach Keith McKenzie said Willis is a talent he’s glad to have. “I think I could get more out of [Willis],” McKenzie said. “He’s a good football player, and I think he’s an all-conference talent. My job right now is to push his limits, to push his ceiling. It’s going to be a big challenge for him.” It’s easy to see that Willis is well-liked and respected in the Cardinals’ locker room. “A smart kid,” redshirt junior defensive end Anthony Winbush called him. He’s a high-character guy, Neu said, and will do anything you ask on or off the football field. “He appreciates every opportunity he
gets to play the game,” Neu added. “This is going to be a great opportunity for him — as it is for all our guys — to go take on IU.” Willis has a lot of family and friends from Indiana and outside the state coming to the game on Saturday. He will take the field at Memorial Stadium with his Ball State teammates as a visitor. Three years ago, Willis was a letter of intent away from it being his home field. Willis becoming a Hoosier didn’t work out. But in hindsight, it did work out for him, and Willis couldn’t be happier with the way that it did. “I’m not a big boaster or anything, but I think I would come out and be very excited and happy [if we won],” he said. “It will be good to see my friends at IU, and it would also be good to kind of rub it in their face, too.”
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