BSU 03-18-21

YEAR LATER COVID-19: Faculty and students reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re going.

06 03.18.2021

ballstatedailynews.com

RYLAN CAPPER; MAGGIE GETZIN, DN

@bsudailynews

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03.18.21

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Did you miss it? Catch up on the news from March 12 - 14 on ...

BallStateDailyNews.com State launches Sober Ride program

Cardinals participate in season finale

Justice Institute announced partnerships with Uber and Lyft to provide free rides up to a $15 value in select cities. Bloomington, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, South Bend and West Lafayette were chosen based on where NCAA Tournament games are being held and the prevalence of impaired driving in those cities.

Gymnastics finished with a 195.650 score in a quad meet with the three Michigan-based Mid-American Conference schools. The 49.250 team mark on uneven bars was the second-highest in program history and best in 20 years. Freshman Victoria Henry and sophomore Megan Teter both scored a 9.900 on bars, tying for first place.

March 12: The Indiana Criminal

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, PHOTO COURTESY

Lloyd the cat dies from skin cancer

March 14: Ball State campus

TAILIYAH JOHNSON, DN FILE

icon Lloyd the cat died at age 14 two months after being diagnosed with nonmetastatic skin cancer. His owner, Jody Mason, believes he developed skin cancer after running into a car in 2019 and tearing up his nose. Mason made an Instagram post announcing his death, and students and alumni shared their favorite memories of Lloyd.

VOL. 100 ISSUE: 26 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.

EDITORIAL BOARD Zach Piatt, Editor-in-chief Taylor Smith, Managing Editor Grace McCormick, News Editor Nicole Thomas, Lifestyles Editor Ian Hansen, Sports Editor Jacob Musselman, Photo Editor Elissa Maudlin, Interim Opinion Editor Josh Bennett, Video Editor June Cooper, Social Media Editor John Lynch, Copy Director CREATIVE SERVICES Elliott DeRose, Creative Director Maggie Getzin, Print Design Editor Kamryn Tomlinson, Web Design Editor

March 13: Ball State

Old Dominion sweeps Ball State Baseball March 14: The Cardinals

concluded their season-opening 13-game road trip with three losses to Old Dominion, falling to 6-7 on the season. Ball State dropped the first two games of the series 6-3 and 10-5, respectively, before losing 2-1 in 10 innings in the series finale. The Cardinals will return for their home opener March 19 against Western Michigan.

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CORRECTION

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

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

4-DAY WEATHER

FORECAST Tyler Ryan, Weather forecaster, Benny Weather Group

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

RAIN SHOWERS

MOSTLY SUNNY

SUNNY

SUNNY

Hi: 55º Lo: 34º

Hi: 63º Lo: 40º

Hi: 52º Lo: 28º

Hi: 45º Lo: 28º

THIS WEEK: A quiet, dry weekend is in store, and it will remain dry to start next week as high pressure settles in.

Temperatures should remain above average, with highs in the low to mid 60s. The first few days of spring should feel very warm with plenty of sunshine expected.

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03.18.21

BEYOND GOING

GREEN These are the construction plans for the Rinard Orchid Greenhouse expansion. BALL STATE

UNIVERSITY AND ARCDESIGN P.C., PHOTO PROVIDED

Rinard Orchid Greenhouse staff shares collection anniversary and education center expansion plans.

Mackenzie Rupp and Eli Houser Reporters Indiana is known for its unpredictable weather. An average day in March could vary from freezing temperatures with 6 inches of snow to warm and sunny with clear skies. But in the middle of Indiana, people can escape to a tropical environment with more than 2,000 orchids at Ball State’s Rinard Orchid Greenhouse.

On March 20, 2021, the greenhouse will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its Wheeler-Thanhauser Orchid Collection, which was donated to the university by orchid collectors Goldie Wheeler of Indianapolis in 1969 and Al Thanhauser of Connecticut in 1982.

Although the original celebration plans involved a three-day event, the greenhouse decided to move to a one-day virtual event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re working with two local orchid societies and the Friends of the Rinard Orchid Greenhouse as a group to be able to provide a day of a conference where we offer special orchid speakers as guest speakers,” Cheryl LeBlanc, greenhouse curator, said.

LeBlanc said the majority of orchid community fans “are in the older age

Potted plants hang in the main room Feb. 10, 2021, at Rinard Orchid Greenhouse. The greenhouse expansion is expected to begin construction April 12 and end in the fall of 2021.

RYLAN CAPPER, DN

category,” so greenhouse staff decided it would be safer to keep the event online.

The event will include a virtual tour of the greenhouse and breakout sessions, where attendees can ask guest speakers questions.

“We reached out to speakers that had topics that we thought would be of general interest to orchid growers of beginner or skilled nature,” LeBlanc said.

LeBlanc said Courtney Hackney, Jennifer McQuiston and Russ Vernon are the speakers chosen for the event.

Hackney will give a presentation on how to save dying plants, McQuiston will give one on growing orchids under artificial light and Vernon will talk about orchid conservation.

In recent years, LeBlanc said, the greenhouse has seen an increase in its number of visitors, with more than 6,000 conservatory visitors in 2019.

The education center had around 4,000 visitors in 2019, said Erica Forstater, environmental education and greenhouse coordinator.

The greenhouse is expanding its education center with construction beginning in April 2021. According to the current construction plan, the project will be completed by the spring 2022 semester.

See GREEN, 08

03

SGA

Sanburn vetoes eliminating slates On March 10, Ball State Student Government Association president Connor Sanburn vetoed an amendment eliminating slates.

Sanburn said slates allow for a peaceful transition of power and work best for Ball State. Senators who believed abolishing slates would promote voter turnout failed to meet the two-thirds majority required to overturn the veto.

National

Haaland confirmed as interior secretary The Senate voted 51-40 to confirm Deb Haaland to the position of U.S. Secretary of the Interior March 15, 2021. Haaland is the first person of Native American descent to hold any U.S. Cabinet position. She will oversee national relations with federally recognized tribes among other issues. Haaland is a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe.

Community

Food Bank CEO announces retirement Tim Kean, president and CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana, announced his retirement plans March 15. He will retire in December 2021 after leading the organization since 2012.

He said the Second Harvest Food Bank is set for a strong future of expanding community programming beyond his retirement.

ON BALLSTATEDAILYNEWS.COM: INDIANA EXPANDS COVID-19 VACCINE ELIGIBILITY

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A timeline of COVID-19 events on and off campus MARCH 6, 2020:

MARCH 11, 2020:

WHO declares coronavirus a pandemic

On-campus residence halls close

MARCH 29, 2020:

MAY 27, 2020:

Ball State’s plan to return to campus

Indiana governor imposes mask order

Indiana state health officials said the man with the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the state was in isolation after going to an Indianapolis hospital with mild symptoms. State Health Commissioner Kris Box said the man had likely contracted COVID-19 from a conference in Boston.

Ball State administrators made the decision to suspend in-person classes for the remainder of the spring 2020 semester amid coronavirus concerns.

Classes began full online instruction March 16, with university buildings and residence halls still open at the time. University events of 100 or more people were also suspended.

The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus crisis a pandemic. This came after COVID-19 cases were rising worldwide with slow national responses. In March, Italy was fighting 10,000 cases — the largest outbreak outside of China. The United States had passed 1,000 cases with outbreaks on both the East and West Coasts.

Ball State President Geoffrey Mearns announced in an email March 16, 2020, that on-campus students would be required to move out of residence halls by 5 p.m.

March 29. If students didn’t have a safe home to return to or were limited by travel restrictions, they could file a petition to stay on campus with housing and residence life staff.

The Board of Trustees voted to approve face-toface instruction beginning Aug. 24 for the fall 2020 semester. The board voted to cancel fall break and hold classes during Labor Day to provide 13 weeks of in-person instruction before Thanksgiving break. Mearns also said the university would adjust room assignments in residence halls to reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19.

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb announced a statewide face mask mandate would take effect July 27, joining many other states in measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. The order applies to anyone age 8 or older in all indoor public areas as well as outdoors where social distancing cannot be maintained.

JACOB MUSSELMAN, DN

CDC, PHOTO COURTESY

JACOB MUSSELMAN, DN

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MARCH 11, 2020:

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Ball State cancels in-person classes

4

Indiana’s first confirmed COVID-19 case

JULY 22, 2020:

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Ending the first week of classes for the fall 2020 semester, Mearns sent a campus-wide email that said the rising coronavirus case count was primarily the result of irresponsible actions by students. Mearns said he may temporarily suspend in-person instruction for fall 2020 classes if student behavior didn’t improve.

Ball State Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Director of Housing and Residence Life Alan Hargrave announced in an email to Ball State’s residence hall population that students living in residence halls were now allowed to visit their friends in other residence halls while properly masked and socially distant. This was a reversal of a previous policy that said students were only allowed to visit people in their own residence hall.

Coronavirus visitation policy modified

NOV. 16, 2020:

Ball State issues spring 2021 COVID-19 testing requirements



Ball State Vice President for Student Affairs Ro-Anne Royer Engle announced in a campus-wide email that all students taking at least one on-campus class in the spring 2021 semester would be required to submit negative COVID-19 test results administered within seven days of returning to campus.

DEC. 11, 2020:

FDA approves PfizerBioNTech vaccine for emergency use

DEC. 12, 2020:

President Mearns tests positive for COVID-19 Mearns received a positive COVID-19 test result from a rapid-result PCR test, according to a Twitter statement from Ball State University. The statement said Mearns was experiencing no symptoms and quarantining with his wife, Jennifer Mearns, at their home.

Indiana opens vaccine eligibility to frontline health care workers, long-term care facility residents and firstresponders

REAGAN ALLEN, DN FILE

UNSPLASH, PHOTO COURTESY

JACOB MUSSELMAN, DN

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DEC. 14, 2020:



SEPT. 2, 2020:

Ball State issues COVID-19 warning



AUG. 28, 2020:

03.18.21

03.18.21

DEC. 18, 2020:

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FDA approves Moderna vaccine for emergency use

06

JAN. 8, 2021:

Indiana opens vaccine eligibility to ages 80+

FEB. 4, 2021:

Ball State expands testing options Royer Engle announced via email that Ball State would include rapid-result antigen tests in its COVID-19 testing options for students and faculty. Rapid-result tests are administered at Worthen Arena each Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday through a partnership with Passport Health.

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, PHOTO COURTESY

FEB. 27, 2021:

FDA approves Johnson & Johnson vaccine for emergency use

MARCH 3, 2021:

Commencement plan announced

4

DNNews

CHARLES MELTON, DN FILE

Mearns announced the schedule for inperson commencement ceremonies spread out through May 7, 8 and 15.

Ceremonies will be small with outdoor gatherings held at Scheumann Stadium.

Mearns said all graduates wishing to participate in commencement must register by March 29 and will receive four complimentary guest tickets.

Maya Wilkins Assistant News Editor

‘I want to protect those I love’ Some members of the Ball State community have been vaccinated for COVID-19, including President Geoffrey Mearns, who received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine March 11, one year after he announced campus would be shutting down due to the pandemic.

“Please get the vaccine. It’s safe, it’s effective and it’s the way in which we can all make a contribution toward defeating the pandemic,” Mearns said after receiving the vaccine.

Stan Sollars, senior lecturer of telecommunications, also received the vaccine recently. Sollars and his wife, both in the eligible age group at the time, received their first doses of the Moderna vaccine in February and recently got their second shots.

“My wife and I follow science,” Sollars said.

“We want to not just protect ourselves, but we want

Biden encourages states to open eligibility May 1

In his first prime-time address as president, Joe Biden encouraged all states to open COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to all adults by May 1. If most people are fully vaccinated by July 4, Biden suggested small gatherings without face masks might be safe by then.

about it. Buckrop said she has never had a serious negative reaction to a vaccine but wanted to make sure before getting one for COVID-19.

She got the first Pfizer vaccine dose March 4 at Ball Memorial Hospital and plans to get the second shot March 25.

Buckrop said the vaccination process was “very easy” and simple to schedule, and the appointment itself was fast. She received her vaccine, waited 15 minutes to see if she had any allergic reactions and scheduled her second appointment in less than an hour.

Buckrop said she strongly encourages everyone who can get the vaccine to do so as soon as their age group is eligible.

“I don’t think anybody wants to do this again,” she said. “Nobody wants to be shut down, nobody wants to be isolated, nobody wants to miss out.”

Faculty and students encourage others to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Before March 2020, the definition of “normal” was completely different. The gravity of the coronavirus pandemic was unknown, Zoom calls weren’t a thought and “face mask” was a football term. In the last year, millions of people in the United States have been infected by the virus, and hundreds of thousands have died. Now, there is hope for a return to normalcy.

Indiana K-12 teachers and school employees are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine as of March 15, 2021, and eligibility was expanded to Indiana residents age 45 and older March 16. The Indiana Department of Health will continue to lower age group eligibility over time with instruction from President Joe Biden to open vaccine eligibility to all adults by May 1, 2021.

MARCH 11, 2021:

‘Doing all that you can’ Ball State President Geoffrey Mearns gets his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine March 11, 2021, at IU Ball Memorial Hospital.

Mearns received the vaccine on the one-year anniversary of his announcement to cancel in-person classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. JADEN WHITEMAN, DN to protect relatives of ours who have some health challenges and also friends of ours as well.”

Sollars said he felt no side effects after the first shot, but he did after the second. He had a headache, a fever and muscle aches for about two days after he received his second dose. Before getting the second shot, Sollars was warned about the side effects, so he planned activities for his classes that would not require meeting in person.

Sollars said getting the vaccine “is well worth it,” and he has been actively sharing the benefits of receiving it on Facebook.

“I want people to know to get the shot,” Sollars said. “I want people to get vaccinated. Let’s get this pandemic over with so that we can get on with our lives.”

Another vaccinated faculty member is Jackie Buckrop, special assistant for academic operations and communication studies professor.

“There’s one major reason [I chose to be vaccinated],” Buckrop said. “I want to protect myself,

but, more importantly, I want to protect those I love.”

Before signing up for an appointment, Buckrop

We want to not just protect ourselves, but we want to protect relatives of ours who have some health challenges and also friends of ours as well.”

- STAN SOLLARS, Senior telecommunications lecturer said, she researched the vaccine and asked professors in Ball State’s biology department

Senior nursing major Emma Corwin said she got the Moderna vaccine in mid-January at the Hendricks County fairgrounds.

“When I first got the email that the vaccine was available for [nursing] students, I immediately signed up,” Corwin said.

She got the vaccine to protect herself and the patients she serves, Corwin said, but also because she hopes it will end the pandemic.

Like Buckrop, Corwin said signing up for the vaccine was “incredibly easy.” She went through the same process — getting her vaccine, waiting to see if she had an allergic reaction and scheduling her next appointment.

After the first shot, Corwin said, she did not feel any side effects, but she did after the second shot.

She had a low-grade fever and felt tired, which are common side effects of the second shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“I recommend that people should get vaccinated when it’s their time in order to protect the people around them,” Corwin said. “Once herd immunity is reached, things can go back to the way they were.”

Another nursing major who received the vaccine is senior Lauren Hamil. She said she decided to get the vaccine because she interacts with a variety of

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MARCH 15, 2021:

Indiana opens vaccine eligibility to K-12 teachers and school employees

MARCH 16, 2021:

Indiana opens vaccine eligibility to ages 45+ MADELINE GROSH, DN FILE

03.18.21

DNNews

MARCH 16, 2021:

Off-campus organization events suspended In a campus-wide email, Royer Engle said student organizations won’t be approved for in-person social events for off-campus locations until further notice, including fraternity houses.

This was in response to reports of large off-campus social gatherings with no physical distancing or face masks the previous weekend.



patients and she wants to protect her family and friends from the virus.

Hamil received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine in January at Ball Memorial Hospital after receiving an email that directed her to schedule an appointment on the hospital’s website.

She said she did not experience any side effects after the vaccination and felt “very lucky for that.”

Hamil also recommends everyone gets vaccinated at some point.

“It’s so comforting knowing that you’re doing all that you can to keep your family — like your parents and grandparents — safe from the virus,” Hamil said.

‘I want my life back’ Ava Peterson, junior business analytics major, received her first dose of the Moderna vaccine at Walmart March 7.

“I wanted to get the vaccine because I want my life back,” Peterson said. “I feel like I’ve been really careful this whole time, and I didn’t want to end up getting [the coronavirus].”

Peterson said she was on the waitlist for the vaccine for a month before she called Walmart and asked if she could receive it. Walmart was prioritizing student teachers, which Peterson is not, so her wait time was longer.

She said it took her about an hour to get vaccinated, including arriving, checking in and waiting to see if she had an allergic reaction. The only side effect Peterson said she experienced was mild fatigue and a sore arm.

“That’s pretty common with your first shot, so I didn’t experience anything too crazy,” Peterson said. “I would definitely do it 12 times over again.”

McKenna Crews, senior social studies education major, also received the Moderna vaccine at Walmart after being put on the standby list. Crews is a student teacher at Muncie Central High School and said she wanted to get vaccinated to protect her students, coworkers, family and friends.

Crews said she received the vaccine because Walmart was giving first preference to school

employees, but, at the time, teachers had not been cleared for the vaccine. Indiana Health Commissioner Kris Box announced Feb. 24 in a press conference the state would ensure vaccine clinics aren’t being too generous with their waitlists in allowing people not yet eligible under state guidelines to sign up.

Crews got her first dose of the vaccine Feb. 15 and her second dose March 15. She said staff members at Walmart “were wonderful and so helpful” in prioritizing people most at risk for developing COVID-19 and added that she is relying on other people to get their vaccinations so she doesn’t contract the virus.

HOW TO MAKE A COVID-19 VACCINATION APPOINTMENT Once you’re eligible for a free COVID-19 vaccine in Indiana, schedule an appointment by visiting OurShot.in.gov or calling 211 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

Source: Indiana State Department of Health

“I also got the vaccine to help kids like me who could be killed by this from not having a [strong] immune system,” she said.

After being vaccinated, Crews said, she did not experience any serious side effects, but her arm was sore, and she had some fatigue.

Crews recommends everyone get the vaccine when they are eligible unless they have a medical condition that will prevent them from getting it. If enough people get vaccinated, she believes an end to the pandemic is in sight.

“Keep wearing your masks, stay home, don’t go to parties and get your vaccine when you are able to,” Crews said. “Do it for the people you love if you don’t do it for yourself.”

Contact Maya Wilkins with comments at mrwilkins@bsu.edu or on Twitter @mayawilkinss.

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GREEN

Continued from Page 03

CONNECT WITH THE RINARD ORCHID GREENHOUSE ONLINE The greenhouse is on Facebook: Rinard Orchid Greenhouse - Ball State University.

Follow the greenhouse on Instagram @bsurogh.

To attend the greenhouse birthday celebration, register at centralios.org.

To donate to the greenhouse expansion project, visit bsu.edu/give, or choose “Greenhouse Renovation Project” to donate during One Ball State Day April 6, 2021.

Source: Ball State Rinard Orchid Greenhouse

The Rinard Orchid Greenhouse will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its orchid collection March 20, 2021. The greenhouse has the largest collegiate collection of orchids in the United States.

RYLAN CAPPER, DN

“We’ll have a lot more space — a bigger space to be able to do programming,” Forstater said.

“Right now, we’re kind of dependent on what’s available on campus.”

Forstater said the expansion will include an environmental education center, where on-campus organizations and other Muncie clubs will be able to meet. The annual plant sale, which started in 2011, will also take place there.

For the annual plant sale, volunteers and plant donors prepare plants, and the funds raised go directly to the greenhouse’s education programs,

We’ll have a lot more space — a bigger space to be able to do programming. Right now, we’re kind of dependent on what’s available on campus.”

- ERICA FORSTATER, Environmental education and greenhouse coordinator LeBlanc said in an email.

“We would absolutely use it for field trips, as a meeting place and an education area,” Forstater said. “It’s going to have a wet lab portion [for experiments] as well so we can get as messy as we need in there.”

LeBlanc said the wet lab will include “sinks,

counters and equipment for projects that involve soil, water, plant material and many other components of our natural world.”

The greenhouse expansion is expected to begin construction April 12 and end in the fall 2021 semester. Parts of the greenhouse will remain fenced off during construction for the public’s safety, according to construction documents from Ball State’s Facilities Planning and Management Office.

The west wall of the greenhouse will be torn down in the construction process, which will expose the plants inside to unregulated temperatures. Temporary walls will be put up to “maintain proper climate control,” LeBlanc said.

According to the American Orchid Society, day temperatures 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit are best for cool orchids, and 80-90 degrees is best for warm orchids. During the night, temperatures 5055 degrees for cool species and 65-70 degrees for warm species ensure proper growth. The Rinard Orchid Greenhouse has both varieties of orchids and different rooms for each species.

LeBlanc said the greenhouse has one entryway door and one exit door that is for emergencies, but, during construction, it will become the primary entrance.

Fundraising for the expansion began in 2018, and 90 percent of the $1.25 million required funds were raised by September 2020, according to the greenhouse’s website. LeBlanc said the greenhouse is still accepting donations for the project, and new plants, animals and art pieces will be brought into the conservatory after the expansion.

Contact Mackenzie Rupp with comments at msrupp@bsu.edu or on Twitter at @kenzieer18.

Contact Eli Houser with comments at ejhouser@bsu.edu.

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03.18.21

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Shutting down The Big Apple Ball State student photographer reflects on experience amid pandemic lockdown in New York City. 10

Photos by KRISTIN TRIPLETT, CONTRIBUTOR

ON BYTEBSU.COM: WRAPPED UP S1E5: GOLDEN GLOBES RATINGS

DNLife

03.18.21

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Kristin Triplett Contributor

Student photographs NYC days before “new normal.”

In early March 2020, I took a spring break trip to New York City. Like many people, it had always been my dream to visit the city. The trip had been planned for a few months, and I was excited for it to finally become a reality.

At the time, the full dangers of COVID-19 had yet to be recognized in the United States.

I remember looking at photos from other countries affected by the virus in my journalism classes, but it all still felt so distant. With only a few cases present in the States, mask mandates, social distancing and lockdowns had yet to be enforced. As a group, we decided to continue on with our trip and take extra precautions along the way.

As we now know, New York City became the epicenter for the virus. The week I was there was the week the city began shutting down. I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the first time, and the museum shut down a few days later. My group saw a Broadway show one Tuesday night, and the entirety of Broadway shut down two days later.

There was a parallel of moods seen throughout New York City. On one hand, there was a feeling that a storm was coming, especially for those living and working in the city.

Some people were beginning to take precautions by wearing masks and gloves while themes of isolation and distancing were already emerging.

11 03.18.21

DNLife

Because my trip overlapped into the week following Ball State’s spring break, I missed what would be some of my last in-person classes for a while.

Looking back, however, it was a historic time to be in New York City. I was very lucky that no one in my group got sick and that we were able to quarantine afterwards.

I’m also thankful that I could use my photography to bring back memories of what it was like to be there as a college student experiencing the city and the incoming virus all at the same time. These are photos that I’ll hold on to throughout my lifetime.

Contact Kristin Triplett with comments at kltriplett@bsu.edu.

However, there were still a lot of moments that really showed the spirit of New York City — drummers playing in the subways, street vendors interacting with tourists and people eating happily in restaurants.

I remember getting emails about Ball State moving to online courses one night while in my hotel room. I messaged with friends who were still in Muncie about how quickly everything seemed to change.

It felt like everything back at school would be different than how I left it. A new normal was being put into place.

DNSports

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Redshirt junior forward Miryne Thomas shoots a 3-pointer during the first half of the quarterfinal game of the Mid-American Conference Tournament against Toledo March 11, 2021, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. The Cardinals lost to the Rockets 91-89 in overtime.

MIRYNE’S LEGACY

JACOB MUSSELMAN; KAMRYN TOMLINSON, DN

How a kid from Cleveland made a lasting impact on his community Ian Hansen Sports Editor It’s a simple merge on Interstate 77, one of the main highways through Cleveland. Two left turns and one right turn is Cleveland Central Catholic High School, where Ball State redshirt junior forward Miryne Thomas played high school basketball and was a four-year letterwinner on the school’s varsity boys’ basketball team.

There is a parking lot surrounded by a large church, a middle school and the high school.

Through the high school’s main entrance and up the stairs, people are greeted by rows of flags representing colleges that have connected with its students. The Cleveland skyline is visible in the distance.

After Ball State’s Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinal game against Toledo March 11, 2021, in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, where he grew up watching LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Thomas’ journey came full circle as he returned home to where it all started.

“My excitement level is through the roof,” Thomas said prior to the game. “I am just so excited to hear familiar voices and see familiar faces ... It’ll be [exciting] to be in that Cleveland atmosphere.”

Thomas saw his mother, sister — who recently

had a baby — and nephew — who he hadn’t seen since Christmas. Among the familiar faces he saw was Cleveland Central Catholic varsity boys’ basketball head coach Jordan Duke, who is a father figure and mentor for Thomas.

“Coach Duke humbled every player that he had,” Thomas said. “He treated guys exactly the same, no matter what. He really taught us off of the court lessons on how to be men, such as dressing properly on game day.”

Growing up the youngest in the family and without a father, Thomas said, his childhood wasn’t always easy. He saw a lot of violence, drugs and crime.

“It was rough,” Thomas said. “There are a lot of different challenges. There [was] a lot of crime.

There [are] a lot of different things people go through, and I faced a lot of adversity coming up.

It is just something that I reflect on. Today is gone, and you can only focus on tomorrow.”

Despite what Thomas went through, Duke had his back.

“Regardless if it was rides, money, food, clothes or whatever, [Thomas] knew he could lean on me or anybody else to get those things and give him the support he needs to stay on track,” Duke said.

“That is what I am here for, and that is what I do.”

Cleveland Central Catholic High School Athletic

Director Maggie Lash said one of the traits she admires most about Duke is how anybody who might need something can go right to him.

I try to influence the young people coming up, and going through the high schools and going through the same thing I was going through — just trying to give them tips on how to be better and more prepared.”

- MIRYNE THOMAS, Redshirt junior forward “I think [the player and coach dynamic] is more important than teaching the typical basketball skills,” Lash said. “That is one of the best things about coach Duke — he isn’t just about basketball.

Every kid that has come through our program will say the same thing.”

From a basketball standpoint, Duke said, he had to have honest conversations with Thomas on what he wanted to gain from the sport. Thomas always wanted to play at the Division I level and believes Duke’s coaching style put him in the best shape of his life.

“The biggest thing with coach Duke was him preparing us for the professional mindset,” Thomas said. “On the basketball aspect, it was exciting because it was the most I ever ran or the most I dunked the ball. We got up the floor really fast, and we played together.”

During Thomas’ time at Cleveland Central Catholic, he led the Ironmen to a regional final and two district championships. Thomas’ transformation throughout his career, specifically his drive to get in shape and become ready to play basketball in college, is what impressed Duke the most.

“He went through a body transformation when he was with me,” Duke said. “He was extremely skinny and small. His dedication to wanting to play Division I basketball was through the roof. He was able to really work out, and he was dedicated to being in the gym and the weight room.”

Beyond basketball, Thomas’ childhood struggles inspired him to give back to his community.

See LEGACY, 14

ON BALLSTATEDAILYNEWS.COM: CONFIDENCE IS HIGH FOR BALL STATE WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

CRIMSON TO

CARDINAL How Lacy Wood took over Ball State Softball Drew Pierce Reporter Two weeks before the fall 2020 semester, Lacy Wood received a phone call from Ball State Athletics personnel telling her she would become the next head coach of Ball State Softball. After hanging up the phone, Wood realized she would have to move her life from her Boston apartment to the Crossroads of America nearly 900 miles away.

Her job became official Aug. 24, 2020. With the fall semester already underway, Wood didn’t have much time to settle into her new role, but within a couple days of arriving in Muncie, she was already getting to work.

The hardships that come with a new job were piled on top of a global pandemic, which meant Wood couldn’t meet her new players in person. Having previously worked on the coaching staff at Harvard University, she moved from a place she had called home for nearly five years “My priority was making sure that the girls knew that they were taken care of,” Wood said. “Zoom meetings with the team was a priority. I literally spent the next week before we were allowed to do practices just doing one-on-one phone calls. I wanted to make sure that I had a conversation with every single student-athlete.”

A 2007 graduate of Louisville University, Wood played catcher before graduating and was inducted into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019. After graduating, Wood coached locally and eventually found herself back at her alma mater in 2012 when she took on a volunteer role on Louisville’s coaching staff and helped lead them to a 55-5 record and a Big East Title.

Wood said her passion for coaching started with that opportunity,

13 but the moment she realized it would be a sustainable career was when she became the head softball coach at Presentation Academy High School in Louisville, Kentucky.

“They had just recently lost their head coach two or three weeks prior to the season starting,” Wood said. “After two days of coaching, I knew that I wanted to find a way to coach. I didn’t know at what level, but I knew I wanted to pursue it.”

After her time with Presentation Academy, Wood spent three seasons coaching at Eastern Kentucky University before joining Harvard as an assistant coach in 2016. She attributes a lot of her progress throughout her coaching career to Harvard head coach Jenny Allard.

“The first couple years was a lot of learning and growing,” Wood said. “The last two years I was there, I knew the next step for me was

Our administration has done a fantastic job of just preparing us. The expectations that we have in daily life — we are just going to put them in a travel setting with the softball program. I am really excited. We are going to learn a lot about the persona of this team. It is going to be exciting to watch.”

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- LACY WOOD, Ball State Softball head coach to take over my own program. A lot of the things that Jenny put on my plate prepared me to take over a program of my own.”

As the Ivy League’s longest-tenured coach, Allard has more than 25 years of coaching experience at Harvard. She said much of her success comes from her organization and efficiency.

“I was a very different head coach than [Wood] had worked for previously,” Allard said. “We had different styles. My style of coaching has to do with being as organized, as structured and as efficient as we can be. I think she had to adopt that a little bit more.”

4See SOFTBALL, 14

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Ball State Softball head coach Lacy Wood talks with her players before batting practice March 17, 2021, at First Merchants Ballpark Complex. In Wood’s time as an assistant coach at Harvard, the Crimson went 101-81. JACOB MUSSELMAN, DN

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SOFTBALL Continued from Page 13

Wood is just the latest assistant coach from Allard’s former staff members to run their own collegiate program. Schools where her colleagues have moved on to head coaching jobs include Yale, Brown, Covenant College and, most recently, Ball State.

“My responsibility is to help an assistant coach become a head coach,” Allard said. “I am basically training them to leave — to go be a head coach. There were several things that came through on [Wood’s] resume and application that I was specifically looking for.”

The biggest thing about Wood’s coaching that stuck out to Allard was her ability to coach offense. In Wood’s inaugural season with

LEGACY Continued from Page 12

He participated in the King Kennedy Boys and Girls Club of America — just down the street from his high school.

“I had the Boys and Girls Club before I started playing basketball,” Thomas said. “It taught me life skills, and how to do small things, or how to maintain myself and how to prepare yourself for school, study habits and proper things like that.”

Leo Hyland, Cleveland Central Catholic president, said Thomas was a positive presence in the school, and his contributions outside of basketball will leave him ready for life after college.

“We encourage all of our students to get involved,” Hyland said.

“That is part of our mission here — to develop their faith and for them to take that into action. I think he did a great job of that, and, by the time he was ready to launch here, he was all set.”

Lash said she knows how time-consuming being a student-athlete is and praised Thomas for continuously giving back to his community.

“The one thing about Miryne as a student-athlete was that he wasn’t just involved in Central Catholic,” Lash said. “He was involved with the community and giving back. I thought it was great seeing him grow in that role of being that man who wanted to give back to the community.”

Carol Troxell, Cleveland Central Catholic business teacher, taught Thomas throughout his time as a student and thought his personality is what makes him special. She said he was always smiling and brought nothing but positivity to the classroom.

“It is always wonderful to see [students] coming full circle

Harvard, the Crimson went 16-4 in Ivy League play. Once Wood settled into Allard’s coaching style, she was promoted from assistant coach to associate coach. Allard said it was clear her presence was improving the team on and off the field.

“She was just a really good coach,” Allard said. “I thought she had some personal qualities and the ability to connect with the studentathletes in a way that was important to me. We are in the business of developing people — it’s not just the softball piece. It is really being present with them and caring about them.”

In her first season donning the cardinal and white of Ball State, Wood’s players are confident in her abilities to successfully help them develop their game. Redshirt sophomore catcher/utility player and 2021 team captain Jazmyne Armendariz said Wood has done a great job of keeping the team organized despite the nuances that come with navigating COVID-19.

“Just from the beginning of the year, we were a team that really and be successful and productive members of society,” Troxell said. “Doing what they love on top of it is above and beyond what you would expect.”

Thomas is the way he is, he said, because he wants to inspire

needed structure, and [Wood] brought that to us,” Armendariz said. “I am feeling pretty confident. We are walking into the MAC with a chip on our shoulder. I am excited because we have a lot of talent.”

Despite the adversity she has faced with moving and adapting to COVID-19, Wood said, she is optimistic about the unprecedented 2021 season.

“Our administration has done a fantastic job of just preparing us,” Wood said. “The expectations that we have in daily life — we are just going to put them in a travel setting with the softball program.

I am really excited. We are going to learn a lot about the persona of this team. It is going to be exciting to watch.”

Contact Drew Pierce with comments at dlpierce2@bsu.edu or on Twitter @drewpierce.

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The one thing about Miryne as a student-athlete was that he wasn’t just involved in Central Catholic. He was involved with the community and giving back. I thought it was great seeing him grow in that role of being that man who wanted to give back to the community.”

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“I try to influence the young people coming up, and going through the high schools and going through the same thing I was going through,” Thomas said. “Just trying to give them tips on how to be better and more prepared.”

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Jordan Duke, Central Catholic High School boys’ basketball head coach, stands in the gymnasium at CCHS March 10, 2021, in Cleveland. Miryne Thomas attended CCHS from 2014-17 and played for Duke all four years. JACOB MUSSELMAN, DN

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