Black History Month
Braiding through the
Boundaries .
New Muncie Education in Biracial Hair classes aim to bridge cultural gaps through hair experience. Elissa Maudlin Associate Lifestyles Editor In a room attached to the kitchen of Erica Robinson Moody’s home sits two salon chairs. A cabinet is filled with different colored hair dyes, an apron hangs on a hook near a large mirror and products stand in single-file lines on the counters. Her son, Brooklyn Moody, sits in a salon chair where his mom said he often falls asleep, while she takes a comb, twirls it tightly on a small section of his hair and creates a tight, springy curl an inch or two in length. Dozens of these curls lie across his head. Brooklyn’s hairstyle takes 45 minutes to style this way, and the style only stays for about a week — a reality for biracial hair. Erica is a stylist, and, while styling Brooklyn and her daughter Ayreonna’s hair may seem painless now, it hasn’t always been this way. During Brooklyn’s youth, Erica didn’t have as much education on textured hair, with only a chapter of her textbook in beauty school focusing on it. “There’d be times where I’d be like, ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry’… as I’m yanking on their heads trying to get their hair,” Erica
said. “They’re screaming and crying, and I feel bad.” After learning how to style biracial hair through advice from co-workers and family, educational resources on the internet and experience with her own children, Erica decided to lead a new class at her salon. Her first class of An Education in Biracial Hair Feb. 17 will focus on families and how to style textured hair of biracial family members while future classes will help biracial people style their own hair and teach stylists how to style textured hair. Through their own research, Erica and her business mentor, Heather Roundtree—who Erica met at a Women in Business event— noticed there were typically only white and Black salons in Muncie, but no salon that could do all types of hair. Erica’s husband, Neil Moody, noticed this as well. “You go into a Black barber shop, and you ask [the Black barber] to do a certain style, and [they say, ‘I can’t do that style’] because they’re not good with scissors — they just use clippers,” he said. “You go into a white shop to get your hair done, and they don’t know how to use clippers because they’re just using scissors.”
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Erica Robinson Moody laughs while doing her son Brooklyn’s hair Jan. 27. Erica’s mission statement for her classes is “bridging the cultural gaps in the beauty community,” and she is very focused on cultural hair education. MAYA WILKINS, DN
02.02.2022
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Did you miss it? Catch up on the news from Jan. 27- Feb. 1 ...
BallStateDailyNews.com From The Easterner to The Daily News
State students created and signed a massive get-well card for David Letterman after the Ball State alumnus underwent quintuple bypass surgery. A hundred pieces of signed poster board was used to make the giant card. If you have any Daily News memories you’d like to see highlighted, email news@bsudailynews.com.
Jan. 27: Indiana House Bill 1041, which would ban transgender women from playing women’s sports in schools, passed the Indiana House of Representatives Jan. 27 and will move to the state Senate for debate. Advocacy groups like Muncie Resists continue to oppose the bill, and the American Civil Liberties Union has said it will take it to court should it become law.
Cardinals upset No. 1 Hawai’i at home
Daily News alters print schedule for weather
Beginning Feb. 1, 2000, Ball
DIGITAL MEDIA REPOSITORY, PHOTO COURTESY
ELI HOUSER, DN
Jan. 29: Ball State Men’s Volleyball defeated Hawai’i 3-0. Senior outside attacker Kaleb Jenness led Ball State with 19 kills while senior outside attacker Nick Martinski paced the Cardinals with 12 digs and three blocks. The Cardinals hit .410 off 78 attacks against the Rainbow Warriors, and graduate student setter Quinn Isaacson recorded 40 assists. VOL. 101 ISSUE: 19 CONTACT THE DN Newsroom: 765-285-8245 Editor: 765-285-8249, editor@bsudailynews.com
The Ball State Daily News (USPS144-360), the Ball State student newspaper, publishes Thursdays during the academic year, except 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.
Trans sports bill passes Indiana House
EDITORIAL BOARD Taylor Smith, Editor-in-chief Connor Smith, Managing Editor Grace McCormick, News Editor Maya Wilkins, Lifestyles Editor Ian Hansen, Sports Editor John Lynch, Opinion Editor Adele Reich, Video Editor Rylan Capper, Photo Editor Emily Dodd, Social Media Editor Emily Hunter, Copy Director CREATIVE SERVICES Maggie Getzin, Creative Director Kamryn Tomlinson, Visual Editor Alex Hindenlang, Visual Editor
Feb. 1: A note from the editor: Due to the severe weather approaching, The Daily News altered its usual print schedule to publish one day earlier this week to allow for safe transportation and delivery of papers Wednesday morning prior to the predicted winter storm. Publication will return to normal next week, and the next edition of The Daily News will print Thursday, Feb. 10.
The Daily News offices are in AJ 278, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306-0481. Periodicals postage paid in Muncie, Indiana. TO ADVERTISE Call 765-285-8256 or email dailynewsads@bsu.edu between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday - Friday or visit ballstatedaily.com/advertise. TO SUBSCRIBE Call 765-285-8134 between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monay - Friday. Subscription rates: $45 for one year. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Daily News, AJ246, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306. TO DONATE Visit BallStateDailyNews.com.
JOIN THE DAILY NEWS Stop by room 278 in the Art and Journalism Building.
CORRECTION The Jan. 27 edition of The Daily News misspelled Ball State Women’s Basketball graduate student Chyna Latimer’s first name in a story about the team’s current season. To submit a correction, email editor@bsudailynews.com.
4-DAY WEATHER
FORECAST Tyler Ryan, Weather forecaster, Benny Weather Group
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
HEAVY SNOW
PARTLY SUNNY
MOSTLY SUNNY
MOSTLY SUNNY
Hi: 27º Lo: 10º
Hi: 15º Lo: -2º
Hi: 22º Lo: 14º
Hi: 32º Lo: 16º
THIS WEEK: No big chances for rain or snow are in the forecast next week. Weather looks to be dry and temperatures will climb towards near average temperatures after frigid weather this weekend.
APPRECIATING
OUR PAST
TO INSPIRE OUR
FUTURE
Special Anniversary Edition
Coming March 31, 2022
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Community
City of Muncie shares roadwork plan The Muncie Public Works Department announced a 2022 pavement plan for 63 different projects. Projects will include streets such as North New York Avenue, North Greenwood Avenue and South Mulberry Street, among others. In all, the project will cost more than $6 million. The city plans to partner with the federal and state governments to offset the cost by more than $3 million.
Indiana
Education bill passes Indiana House
Above: Fidget quilts hang on the wall in Angela Decker’s classroom Jan. 27 at Delta Middle School. The class will be making fidget quilts containing numerous stimulating parts like buttons and zippers. RYLAN CAPPER, DN Left: A student begins working on her project during Angela Decker’s family and consumer science class Jan. 27 at Delta Middle School. RYLAN CAPPER, DN Krystiana Brosher Digital News Editor
Delta Middle School teacher educates students on how to sew ‘fidget quilts’ for Alzheimer’s patients.
Walk into Angela Decker’s classroom, and you’ll see students not sitting at desks listening to a lecture, but singing along to Taylor Swift and sewing washcloths with their hands. One student finishes their project at the start of the class while another asks Decker for help on how to thread string. Decker, Delta Middle School family and consumer sciences teacher, started her career as an English teacher and said she is learning alongside her students this year. Her eighth grade classes are making “fidget quilts’’ to be used mostly by people with Alzheimer’s disease, and the quilts students make will be donated to local nursing homes including
Liberty Village, Signature HealthCARE, Woodlands, Water’s Edge and Brookside. “The idea is that [Alzheimer’s patients] just like to mess with things, so undoing buttons and having the textures and the ribbons [is helpful],” Decker said. Instead of working on the quilts at the beginning of the semester, Decker’s students are focused on smaller projects like washcloths and a pillow to learn the basics of sewing and to keep something of their own. “A lot of times, kids, especially this age, aren’t sure about giving something away that they’ve made when they made it,” Decker said. “If they have a pillow to take home first, I’m hoping it will be easier to part with [the fidget quilts].”
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Indiana House Bill 1134, an education bill that would limit how teachers can discuss topics like race and political affiliation, passed the Indiana House of Representatives Jan. 26. Drafted in response to a nationwide debate around critical race theory, the bill is nearly identical to one that was previously killed. It has since moved to the state Senate.
National
Black colleges receieve bomb threats At least a dozen historically Black colleges locked down or postponed classes after receiving bomb threats Feb. 1, the first day of Black History Month. Howard University in Washington, D.C., received threats two days in a row. Other colleges that received threats were Morgan State University, Kentucky State University, Jackson State University and several others.
ON BALLSTATEDAILYNEWS.COM: BOARD OF TRUSTEES ESTABLISHES NEW WELLBEING COMMITTEE
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STITCH
Continued from Page 03 Decker contacted a program manager from the Alzheimer’s Association who plans to talk to the students about Alzheimer’s disease and why fidget quilts are important. The Alzheimer’s Association is a nonprofit with a goal to end Alzheimer’s by accelerating research, driving risk reduction and early detection and maximizing quality care. Decker and her class received a $523.16 Robert P. Bell Grant from the Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County that made their project possible. She said she is using grant money to buy supplies like buttons, beads and thread, and many people have donated old sewing supplies they no longer use. Decker’s quilting project qualified for the Bell Grant because it meets the organization’s goal to support K-12 classrooms implementing creative and innovative ideas, said Carly Acree-Hill, program officer for the Community Foundation. A total of 14 grants have been awarded for the 2021-22 academic year, and more applicants are being reviewed. Five grants were awarded this
quarter — two to Burris Laboratory School, one to Selma Middle School, one to Indiana Academy of Mathematics, Science and the Humanities, and one to Delta Middle School.
I want them to see what they can do with their skills.” - ANGELA DECKER, Delta Middle School Family consumer sciences teacher
Acree-Hill works directly with the applicants and gives recommendations to the committee.
Members then vote on who should be awarded the grants. Acree-Hill said Decker’s application stood out to the committee. “I think the committee felt like [sewing] had been kind of a lost skill that was being taught in schools, so they really liked the aspect of creating or teaching or providing a life-long skill to these students,” Acree-Hill said. “But, what the committee also liked is that it was impacting the community as a whole.” Decker thinks the knowledge of sewing will go beyond her classroom for her students. She said hand sewing will help students who want to be surgeons or who want to work with cars. Surgeons stitch wounds that use sewing techniques, and cars sometimes need stitching done on the interior. Working with a sewing machine will also show students basic mechanics, which can help with any subject that involves moving parts and machines, Decker said. “There are a lot of things that I’m not trying to make it ‘girls do this and boys do this,’” she said. Decker said she was surprised with how many students were frustrated when they weren’t immediately “good” at working the sewing machine. Decker talks her students through the
process of what to do, is there to answer questions individually and reassures them throughout the process that a learning experience is a worthwhile experience. “I want them to see what they can do with their skills,” Decker said. Contact Krystiana Brosher with comments krystiana.brosher@bsu.edu or on Twitter @Krystiana_21.
Two students work together to sew washcloths Jan. 27 at Delta Middle School. The washcloths contain a bar of soap each, making them ready to use. RYLAN CAPPER, DN
RETURNING TO HER ROOTS Julie Griffith shares her Ball State undergraduate experience and goals as a trustee.
Griffith spoke with The Daily News to discuss her role as a trustee and her time at Ball State.
Q: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself? A: I grew up in a small town [called Scottsburg] in southeastern Indiana. As my brothers and I often say, we hit the parent jackpot because we had great, incredible parents. [I have] two brothers that I talk to every day, still. We had the typical experience of a small town … I was involved in all the high school activities and just had a wonderful upbringing there.
Q: What drew you to come to Ball State for college? Grace McCormick News Editor Editor’s note: This Q&A article has been edited for clarity and brevity. Julie Griffith, the most recent member to join Ball State’s Board of Trustees after her appointment by Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, likes to tell people she “was raised on the sunny side of the Ohio River in Indiana.” Griffith currently serves as the Executive Vice President for Strategy, Partnerships and Outreach for the Indiana Innovation Institute. A 1979 Ball State political science alumna, she is a member of the Ball State Foundation board and the Dean’s Advisory Council for the College of Sciences and Humanities.
A: I visited other places, and it was a different
experience then than it is now. But this place felt like home to me. It was comfortable for me. I love the culture. I knew I’d get a great education here, and I did. It was just the right fit for me and, again, when I came here — I think I grew up in a town of 3,500 people — and Ball State had 15,000 at the time, so it’s five times the size of my hometown. It was a little overwhelming, but I always felt welcomed here.
Q: At the various institutes you’ve served, what were some of your professional responsibilities and projects?
A: I typically worked in really big organizations,
and now, I work for a startup. That’s been a wonderful experience for me. I would say, on the legislative front, when I was a lobbyist and did government and regulatory affairs for Duke Energy, we passed some pretty significant pieces of legislation I think were helpful to the company. Those were really fun, and it’s not just getting those things done, it’s the process that’s so important — the teamwork that it takes not only internally, but externally to make those things happen.
Q: What types of activities were you involved in as a student? A: Two things really stand out for me in terms
of things that were really formative to me, and one is something that doesn’t exist anymore — it was called the London Center program. We were on the quarter system then, and there were somewhere between 20 and 30 of us that spent a quarter in London. To be able to travel across Europe with those kinds of friends and learn so much about the cultures of other countries — to have that kind of experience — just really changed me in a good way. The other thing I did my senior year that really shaped me, in addition to all the other things you do as an undergraduate, is the internship program that I did through the [Department of Political Science]. I did an internship in the state Senate that started in December, and then we went through the end of that session, so that was a long year. It ended in April, which really kind of changed the trajectory of what I thought I
might do in my career over time, and I still have some really close friends that were also participating in that program that I still stay in touch with.
Q: When you graduated from Ball State, did you think you would return in any role? A: I knew I would be involved in some way. I just didn’t know how. Even when I lived in Houston for a while, I stayed engaged on the alumni level. If you would have asked me on graduation day, ‘Are you going to be involved … in whatever?’ I’m sure I didn’t envision that because I didn’t know what opportunities there were before me at the time, but I knew I’d stay engaged somehow.
Q: What type of impact would you like to leave on the Ball State community? A: I don’t think of it in terms of individual impact
because I think, in life, pretty much everything you do is a team sport. There are several other members of the Board of Trustees and the incredible leadership team that President Mearns has put together, so whatever impact I may have would be part of that team. Contact Grace Mccormick with comments at grmccormick@bsu.edu or on Twitter @graceMc564.
BALLSTATEDAILYNEWS.COM Read the full interview with Julie Griffith online.
DNSports AMBER PIETZ, DN PHOTO; AMBER PIETZ, DN PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
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Women’s Tennis
Cardinals defeat Butler, earn 2nd win Ball State defeated the Bulldogs 6-1 Jan. 30. The Cardinals won five of six singles matches and defeated Butler in two of three double matches. The pair of freshman Hannah Davies and junior Amy Kaplan defeated Butler freshmen Katie Beavin and Norah Balthazor 6-2. The Cardinals return to action against Louisville Feb. 4 at 4 p.m.
Men’s Basketball
Ball State defeats Broncos for 3rd win The Cardinals beat Western Michigan 83-72 Jan. 29. Redshirt junior forward Miryne Thomas scored a team-high 18 points while sophomore guard Tyler Cochran scored 14 points and contributed two steals. Freshman center Payton Sparks recorded a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds. Ball State outscored the Broncos 40-26 in points in the paint.
Gymnastics
Cardinals claim victory in beam performance
Hartford City and Muncie have put Luke Brown at the heart of their communities. 4 07
The Cardinals scored 195.850 to defeat Central Michigan (194.650) and Illinois State (194.525) Jan. 30. Ball State tallied five scores of 9.775 or higher on beam for a programrecord event score of 49.150, beating the previous mark of 49.125 set at the 2000 Mid-American Conference Championships and later tied in a 2015 performance against Bowling Green.
ON BALLSTATEDAILYNEWS.COM: CARDINALS WITHSTAND ADVERSITY TO DEFEAT BRONCOS
BOND BEYOND THE POOL
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Freshman Neely Agnew swims after a meet against Buffalo Jan. 29 at Lewellen Aquatic Center. The Cardinals lost the meet 158-141. ELI HOUSER, DN
Motivation and faith led Ball State Swimming and Diving head coach J. Agnew back to Muncie and freshman Neely Agnew to the pool.
Nate Grubb Reporter Neely Agnew made the pool deck her second home growing up. Watching her father J. Agnew coach at Yorktown High School and Purdue University was something she did often. Now, J. is the head coach of Ball State Swimming and Diving, and Neely’s swimming career has come full circle as she is in her first season with the Cardinals. Even when she wasn’t swimming, the nowredshirt freshman breaststroke swimmer knew there was something drawing her to the sport. “Being on the pool deck all the time, there’s something so special about it,” Neely said. “You can feel it in the air. Growing up, I just knew it was such a special part of my life. Sitting with my mom and sister at swim meets, encouraging ‘Coach Dad’ and his teams, I just knew it was special.” Despite long days at the pool in her youth, Neely said she didn’t get into swimming until her freshman year while attending William Henry Harrison High School in West Lafayette, Indiana. She grew up playing soccer and volleyball and credits her family and friends for encouraging her to take a leap of faith into the pool. “My freshman year, my sister, my dad and some friends convinced me to go for the swim team,” Neely said. “I am so thankful they did. Having the support of my dad pushing me along the way the whole time, there’s nothing like it.” Neely’s mother, Kelly Agnew, said Neely was motivated to swim because of her sister, Haley Agnew, now a senior at Purdue University. When Neely was a high school freshman, Kelly said, Haley begged her to swim and get involved in the sport. It was Haley’s senior year of high school, and she was ecstatic about the possibility of having a chance to compete with her sister. “She wanted to have one year on the high school team together,” Kelly said. “She said, ‘I don’t care
if you ever swim again, but let’s just have this year together,’ and she was hooked.” After a year at William Henry Harrison, Neely transferred to Yorktown and spent her final three years of high school there, specializing in the freestyle and breaststroke. As several offers from colleges arrived, Agnew kept one school in the back of her mind: Ball State.
Ball State is special. It’s where I got my start. I met my wife here. I went to school here. I love Ball State — this is a place where my family was raised and feels comfortable.” - J. AGNEW, Ball State Swimming and Diving head coach Kelly said Ball State has been a special place for her and her husband since they met in their Philosophy 101 class. After receiving her master’s degree from Ball State in 2000, the Agnews moved 10 miles west to Yorktown. Following a seven-year career at Yorktown, J. was hired to become the assistant coach for Purdue, where he and his family spent 11 years before returning to Muncie in 2018 to become Ball State’s head coach.
“Ball State is special,” J. said. “It’s where I got my start. I met my wife here. I went to school here. I love Ball State — this is a place where my family was raised and feels comfortable. … I mean, this is my alma mater. This is my home. It was an opportunity I was excited about.” The familiarity of Muncie and a calling from God is what Neely said drove her to stay local and commit to Ball State. “I just knew it deep down,” Neely said. “It’s where my parents met — it’s just had a special place in our hearts. I’ve always just wanted to be a Cardinal. I just felt that’s where God was leading me to go. When he says to go, I follow, and Ball State it was.” Faith has always been valued in the Agnew family, and Kelly said it was a driving force in the decisions they have made as a family. “We’ve always gone wherever God has wanted us to go,” Kelly said. “We’ve always jumped feet first into wherever we were supposed to go — whether it was going to Purdue or coming home to Muncie.” Unlike her husband and daughters, Kelly never swam competitively but takes pride in being a
coach’s wife and a “team mom.” “I love being a wife — I love being a mom,” Kelly said. “Being a coach’s wife is so special — I feel like I get an extra 70 kids every year. There’s just something about being with a group of young adults and growing with them as well.” J. hasn’t yet had the chance to see Neely compete at the collegiate level, as Neely decided to redshirt her freshman year, meaning she can practice with the Cardinals but not compete. She’ll still have four years of eligibility starting in the 2022-23 season. “[Redshirting] was a hard decision, but it was the right one,” Neely said. “Knowing that I started later, having a year to catch up a little bit more — this is just a year to catch up and get fully up to speed with everyone.” Neely said she can’t wait to start competing for the school that started it all for her family. “I’m just so thankful I’m at Ball State,” Neely said. “I just really feel like it’s where I’m supposed to be. I can’t wait for these next few years.” Contact Nate Grubb with comments at nathaniel. grubb@bsu.edu or on Twitter @GrubbNate43.
farmers market at minnetrista: indoor market Every third Saturday now through April; 9 a.m.–Noon Connect with local vendors and discover fresh produce, plants, baked goods, and more!
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Luke Brown returns to his roots, coming back to where his basketball career started. Ian Hansen Sports Editor It’s a close game against Western Michigan Jan. 29, and in the second half, Luke Brown gets a steal. A fan yells, “Let’s go, Luke,” as he runs toward the basket. He’s fouled. The freshman guard makes both free throws. The next play, he receives a pass and makes a 3-pointer. The same fan yells, “Hartford City” — Brown’s hometown. The small city of 5,500 people, a 30-minute drive north of Muncie, represents the love the community has for Brown and the impact he made in his four years at Blackford High School from 2017-21. The journey of moving cities — becoming the fourth-highest scorer in Indiana high school basketball history and playing for Ball State Men’s Basketball — started when Brown was a little kid, practicing on an orange and white mini hoop with his father, Ted Brown. “[My dad] always told me he couldn’t really care less if I played or not, but he just knew that I loved it,” Luke said. “I remember when I was younger, he wouldn’t let me shoot because I always wanted to shoot like Kevin Durant or shoot like LeBron James. He would make me shoot with form in the basement and work on my shot.” Luke played for Bethesda Christian School in Brownsburg, Indiana, where the Browns had resided for the past 18 years, along with his recreational leagues. Those small moments, Luke said, are some of his favorites because they remind him of his roots. “I remember always being so nervous because when you try out for your first travel team … it’s always nerve-wracking,” Luke said. “I remember those days of tryouts and … usually making the teams … It always felt like your hard work was paying off.”
[He does] things behind the scenes that people don’t know — he might go visit somebody in the hospital who’s dying. He’s done that, or just reach out to the community in ways that typically most kids don’t do.” - TED BROWN, Luke Brown’s father From there, Luke, Ted, his mother, Amy, and his sister, Avery, who is studying for her master’s in speech pathology at Ball State, had to make a tough decision that shaped their futures: leaving Brownsburg to pursue Luke’s goals. Ted said he set out to find Luke the right coach who
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DNSports
Freshman guard Luke Brown stands on the court would give him a memorable experience. Ted’s cousin during a timeout Jan. 29 at Worthen Arena. Brown and 2019 Indiana Hoops Hall of Fame inductee, Jerry is the fourth-highest scoring player in Indiana high Hoover, was looking for a job after head-coaching school basketball history. RYLAN CAPPER, DN more than 10 programs throughout his career. With 430 wins, five sectional titles and a regional title, the 1952 Monticello High School graduate wasn’t quite ready to give up coaching just yet, and Ted knew the then-82year-old basketball star would be the perfect fit for Luke. Ted said he called Hoover and asked if he would ever get back into coaching when a job opened in Hartford City. After a phone call from Hoover informing Ted he got the job, his family made the move from Indianapolis to Hartford City and ended up in a town of fewer than 6,000 people. “I thank God all the time just for the community embracing me because I know how hard it is for kids and teenagers — and even parents — to embrace someone coming and taking a bunch of shots in games,” Luke said. “They really embraced my family and I, and it was a blessing from God that I went there because it was the best four years of my life.” While Luke amassed 3,011 points in four years, averaging 35 points as a sophomore, 32.3 as a junior and recording 950 total points as a senior — tied for second in the nation — it was more than what he accomplished on the court that connected him with the community. “That was the biggest thing for me,” Luke said. “It was so much fun getting to play for Blackford and for Hartford City, and the uprise we brought there was so much fun. Being fourth was cool, but the memories with the fans, the crowd and my community were definitely my favorite part.” After high school, Luke had to make another big decision regarding his education and basketball career. Ball State Men’s Basketball head coach James Whitford recruited Luke when he was a freshman in high school, and it was now time to give Whitford an answer. “The recruiting process for us goes all the way back to his freshman year,” Whitford said. “We’ve been up to the school probably eight, nine or 10 times over the course of his junior and senior year of high school. We got to know him really well.” Ultimately, Luke committed to Stetson University in Florida. He was there last summer until the fall but felt it wasn’t the best fit for him. “I decided that it was going to be best for me, in my situation, to look elsewhere,” Luke said. “Ball State really stood out because it was close to home, and coach Whitford had already recruited me throughout my whole high school career, so I wanted to come back and play closer to home, and I feel like this was a good fit for me.” As soon as Whitford saw Luke in the transfer portal, he called Luke to sit down for breakfast. He said he could tell in his first phone call with Luke that the trust Luke had in him hadn’t changed since the original recruiting cycle. “He called me 30 minutes after we ate and said, ‘Coach, I still want to do that visit, but I also want to know if I can just commit now,’” Whitford said. “So I said, ‘Of course, yes.’And then he went public with it.” In his short time with the Cardinals, Luke Brown has averaged 4.3 points in eight games. Whitford said his leadership will take him a long way in the program. “He’s a natural leader,” Whitford said. “I don’t have any question he’ll emerge as one for us, just like he has in every other program he’s been in.” Contact Ian Hansen with comments at Freshman guard Luke Brown dribbles the ball past Western Michigan junior guard Lamar Norman Jr. The Cardinals defeated imhansen@bsu.edu or on Twitter @ianh_2. the Broncos 83-72. RYLAN CAPPER, DN
SPLISH DNSports
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SPLASH Ball State Swimming and Diving compete side-by-side with Buffalo opponents, falling short with 158-141.
Ball State and Buffalo swimmers line up at the starting blocks Jan. 29 at Lewellen Aquatic Center. Buffalo defeated the Cardinals 158-141. ‘ RYLAN CAPPER, DN
Freshman Ashleigh Provan attempts an inward pike-style dive during a meet against Buffalo Jan. 29 at Lewellen Aquatic Center. Buffalo defeated the Cardinals 158-141. RYLAN CAPPER, DN
Above: Ball State and Buffalo swimmers streamline off the wall in an event during their meet Jan. 29. Buffalo defeated the Cardinals 158-141. RYLAN CAPPER, DN
Left: Ball State Swimming and Diving competitors swim cool down laps after a meet against Buffalo Jan. 29 at Lewellen Aquatic Center. Buffalo defeated theCardinals 158-141. RYLAN CAPPER, DN
DNLife
02.02.22 Black History Month
WHERE
WORLDS
Align
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Ball Bearings
Immigration Journey: Creating a new home When Ball State student Paola Fernandez Jimenez moved from Mexico to Sweden, she felt Swedish people didn’t like that she was Mexican. When she moved to the United States, she felt like people didn’t like that she couldn’t speak English very well. However, over time, Paola found “a sense of community in both of her homes.”
Ball Bearings
Housing Hope through innovation
Taylor Smith Editor-in-Chief
Vicki Veach, executive director of Muncie Downtown Development Partnership, said Muncie’s population is declining, but the new housing in White River Lofts is one way to fix the problem. It opened Nov. 14 and has rent topping at $1,600 per month. These areas are called “innovation districts,” said the Brooklyn Institute.
Ball Bearings
Building a local grape reputation
Braxton Williams shares how he hopes to help others through his book, “The Infinite Horizons.” KAMRYN TOMLINSON, DN; BRAXTON WILLIAMS, PHOTOS PROVIDED; GETTY IMAGES, ART ELEMENT COURTESY
ON BALLSTATEDAILYNEWS.COM: NOTABLE MOMENTS IN BLACK HISTORY
Larry Simmons is the co-owner of Muncie’s Tonne Winery, which sells 20-25 different seasonal wine blends, including cabernets and fruit-flavored blends. The winery opened in 2009, and the name came from Larry’s cousin and his wife. For the past 12 years, the wine has been made from grapes across the country but most often the Midwest.
DNLife
02.02.22
HAIR
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Continued from Page 01 Neil said he believes the only way to make everyone — such as biracial and foster families — feel comfortable asking questions about hair is to “have [the hairstyling] all under one roof,” with stylists able to work with different kinds of hair. Kristopher Nevings, previous beauty student of Erica’s and one of the people helping Erica with her classes, said he learned the bare minimum about textured hair in his textbook at beauty school. “It’s 2022, and we still haven’t seen any kind of change or [diversification] in what beauty standards and beauty schools are being taught,” Nevings said. Erica said when she had biracial children, she felt “in the dark,” despite being a hair professional. She said she thinks having a place to talk about biracial hair, ask questions and not feel judged will help people feel more at ease. “White people are scared to ask Black people how to do hair. Black people are not necessarily willing to talk to white people about it,” Erica said. “They’re also scared to ask white people how to do certain types of things with hair, too. There is still this block where nobody’s communicating with each other.” For Neil, he feels the Black community holds a sensitivity when it comes to their hair. When he was growing up, it was common to hear that if a Black person allowed a white stylist to touch their hair, the Black person’s hair would fall out, Neil said. “What they got that from though [is], normally, if they went to somebody who was Caucasian and got their hair cut, [the Black person] would say, ‘Just cut this much off,’ and [the white stylist] would cut it all the way up … because it was a different texture of hair [and would curl up],” Neil said. “So it became, ‘Don’t touch my hair.’” Ayreonna said she’s uncomfortable with people touching her hair, and Brooklyn said
Brooklyn Moody sits in a chair in his mother, Erica’s, salon after she did his hair Jan. 27. The salon is located in the family’s home, but the first class will be held at Cafe at the Crossing in Muncie. RYLAN CAPPER, DN
You go into a Black barber shop, and you ask [the Black barber] to do a certain style, and [they say, ‘I can’t do that style’] because they’re not good with scissors — they just use clippers. ” - NEIL MOODY, Erica’s husband
DIFFERENT TYPES OF HAIR
Source: Medical News Today
people touch his hair “all the time.” He said that he, along with the Black community as a whole, doesn’t like people touching his hair, but that those people— in his experience, white people — don’t care. Nevings said this was “intrusive” when he experienced it in his childhood. “When I would sit [in my grandmother’s] salon, most of the people sitting around were older white men, and they would just gawk at my hair … they would go in and just touch it without asking,” Nevings said. “Even as a kid it bothered me, but I didn’t know how to articulate that.” Nevings believes loved ones being able to do their biracial child’s hair contributes to parents’ ability to teach their kids to love their hair, as his
Erica Robinson Moody poses for a photo with her family Jan. 27 at her salon. The family also has two pets. RYLAN CAPPER, DN grandmother did for him. He wants to be a part of these classes because they allow him to help other biracial people with their hair — help he said he didn’t have growing up with a process that was difficult for him. Erica wants her classes to be a place without judgment where people can ask questions. She said when she was learning, she didn’t want to feel stupid when asking questions. She didn’t want people to judge her, thinking she should know how to do her kids’ hair. “I am in a lot of Facebook groups for mixed families … but, even on there, I see people who will put, ‘Please no negative comments’ or ‘I just need positive reinforcement,’” Erica said, “because some people will talk crap about their first time doing a hairstyle or the learning process, or they think they should’ve used a different product or a different tool.” Roundtree saw how “emotional” the struggling biracial families were about their stories. Being a mother herself, she’d feel “like [she] was failing a little bit” if she couldn’t do her children’s hair, and she finds the hope Erica gives to the families most impactful, she said. “To see the excitement and the hope that she’s giving people in something [as] small as being able to fix their kids’ hair … makes me tear up every time because if you can give hope to somebody … you can change their entire life,” Roundtree said. Along with the two other versions of the class, Erica plans on continuing her effort to change the beauty industry by learning how to do the hair of “as many people who don’t look like [her] as possible.” She said the biracial hair classes are “just the tip of the iceberg.” Contact Elissa Maudlin with comments at ejmaudlin@bsu.edu or on Twitter @ejmaudlin.
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DNLife
Braxton Williams shares how he hopes to help others through his book, “The Infinite Horizons.”
Every afternoon, when the bell rang for lunchtime and his classmates’ stomachs grumbled at the thought of the chips in their lunchboxes, Braxton Williams swung his backpack over his shoulder and made his way to reading class. Throughout grade school and until Williams was a high school freshman, the 2020 Ball State sociology alumnus and poet struggled with his reading and writing skills. His teachers took extra time with him to get him up to speed, working on his comprehension and reading capability while other students played kickball during recess. However, Williams still found it difficult to find confidence in what he wrote. “Everyone writes little notes and stuff in their notebook, but mine was never artsy or metaphoric or anything like that,” Williams said. “I was never confident with my reading and writing skills until I took a creative writing course my senior year with Miss Mustafah. That’s when I started actually writing creatively and artistically.” When Williams moved from the south suburbs of Chicago to Muncie and began his college career as a nursing major in 2017, his focus shifted more toward studying for the Clinical Performance Assessment Tool (CPAT) than expressing himself through stanzas. After two and a half years of lessons about anatomy and how to insert catheters, though, Williams discovered his passion was elsewhere. “I took the CPAT, and I didn’t pass,” Williams said, “but I wasn’t sad about it. I took that as a sign that I probably wasn’t passionate about nursing to begin with.” After talking to a friend about his interests, she and Williams decided switching his major to sociology would be a good idea, and his understanding of the world began to develop. He immersed himself in classes on race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality and women’s history, learning things he said made him feel both invigorated and mentally exhausted. “With sociology, not only do you learn a lot about the world, but in that comes a mirror of learning about yourself as well, which I never really thought
about in great depth until I started going to these classes,” Williams said. “They really opened me up to a world outside of myself. They opened my heart to accepting myself and accepting others.” After switching his major, Williams realized he had more room in his schedule for electives, so he decided to take a creative writing class with Michael Begnal, assistant teaching professor of English. One course opened the door to dozens more, Williams said, and he then decided to take poetry writing with Peter Davis, assistant teaching professor of English. “He was terrific,” Davis said. “He was obviously a very nice guy, came to class, but he was also willing to share his thoughts and participate. I knew, even before class was over, that he had something more to say — the motivation and the desire to [say more].” After 16 weeks of writing different types of poems, Davis instructed his class to compile a series of 10-15 of their favorites into a chapbook — a short collection of an individual’s poems and visuals in a tiny paper book— as their final project. Each student had to bring at least five to swap with others in the class.
If you can find a horizon to stare into, what lies ahead is the infinite horizons — multiple worlds align. It’s something that takes your breath away, a place where you can see everything.” - BRAXTON WILLIAMS, 2020 Ball State sociology alumnus and poet
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Tuesdays of every month Once his chapbook was complete, Williams shared a photo of his work to his Instagram story, but the response he received was unexpected, he said. He began selling more copies of his chapbook for $5 — then $10 — until he ran out of money for printing in Bracken Library. “I never did it again,” Williams said, “but [sharing my writing] kind of stemmed from there.”
See HORIZONS, 14
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DNOpinion
02.02.22
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Maya Wilkins
Columnist, “Girlboss’d” Maya Wilkins is a junior journalism news major and writes “Girlboss’d” for The Daily News. Her views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper.
Losing my grandmother has been difficult, but not because we were close.
I
t was Dec. 7, 2021. Around 9 a.m., I awoke to multiple missed calls and a text from my dad telling me there was an emergency and to call him as soon as possible. I had hardly slept the night before, almost like I knew something was wrong. Disoriented and confused, I called him. My heart was racing, and I was not expecting the news I was about to get. After the phone rang for what felt like an eternity, he picked up, and I could immediately tell he too had hardly slept. It sounded like he had been crying. My Granny Rose died that morning. Nothing could have prepared me for that news. Last I knew, my grandmother was happy and healthy. She wasn’t very old. She didn’t have any severe or serious medical conditions. She was fine. She was supposed to have more time, but she didn’t. GETTY IMAGES, PHOTOS COURTESY; MAGGIE GETZIN, PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
Out of all my grandparents, Granny Rose was not the one I was closest with. Honestly, my relationship with her was the most strained compared to my relationships with my other grandparents. It had almost always been that way, and you would think it would make the loss easier, but it actually made it a lot harder. Granny Rose and I never truly bonded over anything. I would talk politics with my Papa Doug, watch college basketball with my Grandpa Tim and talk about my faith with my Grandma Pat. Granny Rose always seemed a little distant toward me and my sisters, and I never felt like I could talk about my life with her like I could with my other grandparents, so I gave up trying. My sisters and I each have a middle name based on one of our grandparents, so the only connection I had to her was through mine: Rose. I had nothing in common with my grandmother besides my middle name, and I never tried to find anything else. I would go on shopping trips with my grandparents and make conversation with my Papa Doug, and when
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we went out to eat, I talked to my sisters instead. I don’t remember the last time I said “I love you” to her or gave her a hug before she died. And now, every day, I wish I tried harder with her. When I called my dad that morning, the first thing I felt was guilt. Before I even had time to grieve, I was consumed with guilt I couldn’t shake, guilt that made me feel like I couldn’t grieve, that I wasn’t worthy of feeling those emotions. After all, I’m the granddaughter who never tried to get closer with my grandmother. I’m the granddaughter who failed her. How could I mourn her death when I constantly wished for a better grandmother when she was alive? Very few people acted like her loss should have been easy on me, but the voices in my head were consumed with what I could have done better. I have been way too hard on myself, and I’ve taught myself I’m not allowed to be upset or take the time I need to mourn. I have to get over it. This whole time I’ve been trying to grieve, I’ve felt like I had to be strong, like I had to be the sister who keeps her emotions in check, the grandkid my Papa Doug can count on to help plan the celebration of life — the one who can call him to just check in. I am all those things, but I also want to allow myself to be locked in my room, sobbing about what I lost and what could have been. I want to take a day for myself to watch my Granny Rose’s favorite shows and eat her favorite foods. I want to read her friends’ comments and messages to me on Facebook without feeling overwhelming guilt about what I should have done differently. I want to grieve in a healthy way — to be able to acknowledge this isn’t all my fault, that there were two people in this relationship, and she gave up trying just as soon as I did. I’ve tried each of these methods time and time again over the last month and a half, but I can’t do it any longer. I can’t shake the guilt I’m feeling, and the feeling is too painful to talk about, so I bottle it up and try to act as if I’m fine.
02.02.22
DNOpinion
I am mourning the death of Granny Rose, but the entire time I’ve attempted to grieve, I’ve made myself feel like an imposter. I wish for more time with her, time to make everything right and for me to mature, grow and be the granddaughter I am capable of being. I wish I could go easier on myself and allow myself to not feel guilty, but I can’t do it. I wish I hadn’t realized that so late, that I hadn’t been so bitter and could have improved my relationship with her rather than using it as an example of what not to do. Granny Rose wasn’t a perfect woman, wife, mother or grandmother, but she was my granny and a huge part of my life. No matter how much I wished for a different or better relationship with her, she was what I had, and I loved her for that. I love my Granny Rose. I probably love her more now than I did six months ago, or even a month and a half ago when I first learned she was gone. I have learned a lot about how I want to build relationships with my future spouse, children and grandchildren through the ones Granny Rose had with my Papa Doug, my mom, my sisters and myself — but I also remember how difficult it was for me to bond with her. I wish I could say I have the answer to grieving without guilt, that I have tuned out the voices in my head telling me to get over it, but I don’t. I talk to my Granny Rose every night in my dreams, trying to repair what we broke many years ago. I know she’s gone and I know it won’t make a difference, but I feel like I owe it to her and my Papa Doug, who lost the woman he loved for almost 50 years and who I admire more than anyone else. I don’t know if I’ll ever truly move on or stop feeling guilty, but maybe that’s how Granny Rose would have wanted it. Maybe she’s listening to everything I’m saying, and maybe we’ll laugh about it one day when I pass away and can be with her again. I’m not trying to move on anymore, but I’m also not going to try to forget her. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to go a night without thinking of Granny Rose, and that’s OK. I am allowed to grieve, and I am going to grieve until I learn to do it without feeling guilty anymore. Contact Maya Wilkins with comments at mrwilkins@bsu.edu or on Twitter @mayawilkinss.
DNLife
02.02.22
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HOROSCOPE FOR FEBRUARY 2, 2022 Written by: Nancy Black
ARIES March 21-April 19 Today is a 7 — Review priorities and monitor conditions. A pathway to realizing a dream appears. Revise plans. Organize and coordinate. Prepare and plot. Grab a lucky opportunity. TAURUS April 20-May 20 Today is a 9 — Connect and collaborate with friends and allies. Teamwork can realize a shared dream. You’re spurred to take action. Push to advance a bold possibility.
GEMINI May 21-June 20 Today is a 9 — A professional project develops and expands. Do the preparation behind the scenes to facilitate success. Put love into your work. You’re gaining respect. CANCER June 21-July 22 Today is an 8 — Advance your educational exploration to the next level. Make long-distance connections. Investigate new perspectives and vantage points. Discover treasure hiding in plain sight.
HORIZONS Continued from Page 11
He began researching the process of selfpublishing and discovered Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) program, which allows users to self-publish e-books and paperbacks for free. He took advantage of the opportunity to write on his own time, publish at his own pace and pay as little as possible to turn his book into a reality. Williams hit the peak of his work in summer 2020, but an unexpected emergency room visit put a pause in his progress. His kidneys were functioning at 7 percent of their capacity. “I was diagnosed with kidney failure, which was a huge shift to my motivation of doing things I really wanted to do,” Williams said. “I want to do everything I can before I pass away.” After a month of dialysis, Williams was healthy enough to begin writing again. On Sept. 18, 2020, he self-published “The Infinite
His poems tended to be positive in a way that they were encouraging. I really appreciated the positivity in what Braxton was doing, and it seemed to me that he was consciously trying to add something beautiful to the world.” - PETER DAVIS, Ball State assistant teaching professor of English
LEO July 23-Aug. 22 Today is a 9 — Monitor budgets and financial details. Handle administrative tasks like legal matters or taxes. Collaborate for family prosperity. Save what you can. Grow shared accounts together.
LIBRA Sept. 23-Oct. 22 Today is a 9 — Profit from meticulous attention to detail. Put love into your work. Prioritize health. Practice to strengthen your physical performance. Exercise body, mind and spirit.
VIRGO Aug. 23-Sept. 22 Today is an 8 — Get farther with a partner. Empathy calms anxiety. Strategize together. Collaborate and share the rewards. You don’t have to do everything. Support each other.
SCORPIO Oct. 23-Nov. 21 Today is an 8 — Enjoy time with someone beloved. Prioritize fun and relaxation. Savor favorite flavors. Listen to creative muses. Weave a delectable romantic enchantment. Share your heart.
Horizons” on Amazon. In 124 pages, Williams aims to capture the importance of the “natural swaying of the good and bad” in one paperback book packed with poems, photographs and pages to write and reflect on his words. Williams said he defines the infinite horizons as the balance many strive to achieve in their lives, the beauty in our favorite city’s skyline and how the clouds dance with the sea. Through analysis and understanding of these infinite horizons, Williams said, it is possible to develop a better understanding of life and who we are meant to become. “If you can find a horizon to stare into, what lies ahead is the infinite horizons — multiple worlds align,” he said. “It’s something that takes your breath away, a place where you can see everything.” When he recalls reading the poems Williams submitted for class, Davis said one thing that always stood out was the feelings Williams brought out through his words. While most poets tend to write about struggles and hardships, Davis said, Williams always hoped for happiness. “His poems tended to be positive in a way that they were encouraging,” Davis said. “I really appreciated the positivity in what [Davis] was doing, and it seemed to me that he was consciously trying to add something beautiful to the world.” In his letter to his readers, Williams said he doesn’t believe the time is ever right — there is no knowing when to search for your infinite horizons — but he believes there is a right time to read the right words. “Trust the journey,” Williams said. “Sometimes, you have to carve your own opportunities. Life, especially at our age, is constantly filled with something new. You really only have one life. I want to do as much as possible and create and express as much as I can, and hopefully help other people along the way.” Contact Taylor Smith with comments at tnsmith6@bsu.edu or on Twitter @taywrites.
SAGITTARIUS Nov. 22-Dec. 21 Today is an 8 — Physical action gets results, especially with domestic projects. Fix something before it breaks. It’s amazing what you can do with a coat of paint.
AQUARIUS Jan. 20-Feb. 18 Today is a 9 — Completion leads to profits. Meet or beat deadlines and financial goals. Physical action gets lucrative results. Wheel and deal. Sign on the dotted line.
CAPRICORN Dec. 22-Jan. 19 Today is a 9 — Words come easily. Capture your thoughts and ideas. Write and develop. Edit and refine. You can solve a challenging intellectual puzzle. Make powerful connections.
PICES Feb. 19-March 20 Love empowers you into action to go for what you truly want. Pursue your own passion. Listen to your heart. Dreams lie within reach.
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CROSSWORD EDITED BY RICH NORRIS AND JOYCE LEWIS; SUDOKU BY MICHAEL MEPHAM ACROSS Clues start here ACROSS 1 Show for Hoda Kotb 6 Role on “The Good Doctor” 9 Dunne or Castle 10 Siskel’s cohost 12 Tilts 13 Actor Tom __ 14 “That’s funny!” in a chat room 15 Actor Jamie __ 16 “Law & __” 19 Malik S’s role on “The Neighborhood” 23 “The Donna __ Show” 24 __ Diaz; “Brooklyn NineNine” role 25 Role on “The Beverly Hillbillies” 28 Late great game show host 30 Mercury or Saturn 31 Maxine __; role on “CSI: Vegas” 32 Pencil’s core
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DOWN 1 “From Dusk __ Dawn”; George Clooney film 2 Nabisco snack 3 Popular game show 4 Curry, for one 5 “__, Dear” 6 Accessory for Don Ho 7 Pauser’s syllables 8 Dined 10 Get it wrong 11 Star of “Evening Shade” 13 “__ 54, Where Are You?” 15 __ up; disgusted
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