March 4, 2021
IDS
Gotta win 'em all Cut out collectible IU & Purdue basketball cards before they face off, p. 7
Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com
CREATIVE COMMONS FILE PHOTO
The Bluebird wasn’t operating safely.
Then it shut down — for one day.
IU-B gave nearly 27,000 tests last week, 31 positive 30,000 tests
1% positivity 0.75
20
0.5 10
0.25
0
0 Jan. 24
Feb. 21
IU COVID-19 DASHBOARD SOURCE GRAPHIC BY CARSON TERBUSH | IDS
Alleged sexual battery at Phi Psi By Mary Claire Molloy marymoll@iu.edu | @mcmolloy7
Story and photo by Hannah Dailey hanjohn@iu.edu | @hannah__dailey
Colorful lights flashing, smoke machines blasting, a crowd of nearly 200 dancing college students shouting at each other over the music — at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13, Bloomington’s famed Bluebird nightclub looked exactly like what you’d expect from a live music venue where John Mellencamp and John Prine once dominated the stage. College-aged guys held up bottles of beer and young women jumped up on the railings to have a better view of Hank Ruff, the night’s performer. If they were lucky, the local country star would reach down and touch their hands. At one point, he invited an audience member onstage and challenged him to a shotgun race. Either because he was too drunk or had been pushed, one man in the crowd fell into the people around him before hitting the ground. Another man at a table of six fell backward, taking his stool with him. “I am so blacked out right now!” he announced. Aside from the “Keep masks on & Social Distance” signs hung here and there, there were barely any clues that the Bluebird was operating through something that would’ve been
incomprehensible to this same crowd of live music lovers a year ago — a deadly pandemic. Dozens of people were squeezed into approximately 15 tables placed about three feet apart from each other, the backs of people from neighboring tables just inches away from each other. No temperature checks were administered at the door that night. Almost 100% of the people in attendance squished shoulder to shoulder into just 10% of the floorspace. All of them were singing, drinking and dancing. None of them were wearing masks. Three weeks prior on Jan. 19, the Bluebird posted a picture of that week’s lineup on Instagram with the caption: “As always, socially distanced tables, temp checks at the door, masks required.”
Top photo Local country artist Hank Ruff singles out the saxophonist in his band Feb. 13 at the Bluebird for the audience to applaud. Large in-person gatherings, like the crowd of around 200 people attending Ruff 's show, are not advisable per CDC guidelines.
“As part of our normal follow-up procedure after receiving a complaint, we had conversations with the Bluebird and discussed possible options to increase compliance with the health regulations involving Covid,” Caudill said in an email. “As a result, the Bluebird voluntarily closed to create a stronger compliance plan for their business.” The nightclub reopened one day later. A new sign was added to the door, reading “STAY AT TABLE NO STANDING.” * * *
* * * Three days after the Indiana Daily Student filed requests with the Monroe County Health Department for records of health department and Security Pro 24/7 compliance checks of the nightclub, the Bluebird voluntarily shut down Feb. 25. After a year of staying open, they closed to develop a COVID-19 safety plan, said Penny Caudill, Monroe County Health Department administrator.
The pandemic has presented many live music venue owners, like the Bluebird’s David Kubiak, with a difficult choice: stay open and possibly jeopardize public safety, or close down and possibly go out of business. When the coronavirus pandemic first hit the United States, local music venues across the country shut down. Large inperson gatherings, like the typical crowds in attendance at live
music shows, were no longer advisable per CDC guidelines. The same went for Monroe County, which had 10,000 total cases of COVID-19 and 165 deaths as of March 1. Three blocks over from the Bluebird, Blockhouse Bar closed in March to wait out the pandemic. So did its next door neighbor, the Bishop. And so did the Bluebird — for three months. While other venues have been closed indefinitely for nearly a year, the Bluebird announced its reopening in a June Instagram post and has been holding concerts ever since. Owner David Kubiak said the venue, which used to hold more than 700 people, has been operating at a limited capacity between 100 and 200 people. “We’re just trying to keep our doors open,” Kubiak said. “It’s an extremely difficult time for all businesses.” Gov. Eric Holcomb’s Feb. 2 executive order states that businesses such as nightclubs are allowed to stay open but are expected to take protective measures to ensure social distancing and provide sanitation products. “All patrons must remain seated while consuming food and/or drink or when otherSEE BLUEBIRD, PAGE 6
Tattoo artists, piercers continue in pandemic By Christina Avery averycm@iu.edu | @christym_avery
The coronavirus pandemic has limited physical contact and social interaction in most parts of life, but receiving a tattoo or piercing cannot be done from 6 feet away. While adjustments have had to be made to ensure safety, Bloomington’s tattoo and piercing shops are still working with restrictions. In a time when skin-to-skin contact is rare, body art such as tattoos and piercings requires physical touch. Brant Dailey, a tattoo artist at Moon and Dagger Tattoo, said operations haven’t changed much since the pandemic. Tattoo shops are sterile environments already because artists are trained in how to handle bloodborne illnesses, he said. To keep his shop safe, Dailey said he’s taking the recommended precautions such as sanitizing anything people touch, wearing masks and limiting the number of people in the shop. He said one benefit of the pandemic is requiring appointments, providing him the opportunity to spend more time crafting a piece. “You can take a little more time on drawing something, where before we would do a lot of walk-ins,” Dailey said. “Somebody might walk in
and 20 minutes later have a tattoo.” For the most part, he said business has been steady and many clients are returning customers. Some are collectors, interested in the vintage flash designs from the early 1900s-on that cover the shop. Other customers stop in when coming to Bloomington to visit family. Dailey said about 30 to 40% of people get meaningful tattoos related to the pandemic. Sunflowers have also been a common request recently. “A lot of people just want something that looks cool," Dailey said. Jamie Rio, Evil by the Needle co-owner and piercer, said she isn’t doing piercings on facial areas underneath a mask, like nose or lip, to keep her clients safe. She’s also keeping guests to a minimum and doing appointments only. Many people get piercings as a stress reliever or fun activity, and it brings her satisfaction to put a smile on customers’ faces, Rio said, and she feels comfortable keeping the shop open because she feels there’s little risk if people obey the rules. Though many businesses have faced financial difficulties, Rio said Evil by the Needle has been generally successful through the
The Indiana University Police Department is investigating a sexual battery that allegedly occurred at Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house Feb. 17. The incident was originally reported as a rape, but police received new information that categorized it as a sexual battery, Deputy Chief Shannon Bunger said Tuesday afternoon. Sexual battery includes “forcible fondling” or inappropriate touching, but is not considered rape under the law, Bunger said. Under Indiana law, rape involves penetration while sexual battery is non-consensual sexual touching. Both are felonies. No arrests have been made and police have yet to speak with the suspect, who is a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, Bunger said. IU spokesperson Chuck Carney said members of Phi Kappa Psi originally reported the incident to the Office of Student Conduct, who then notified IUPD. Bunger said the woman wishes to remain anonymous and has not spoken with police. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual harassment or abuse, a list of resources is available at www. idsnews.com/sexual-assaultresources.
Hoosiers 55+ able to get vaccine By Lauren McLaughlin lrmclaug@iu.edu | @l_mclaughlin8
KATHARINE KHAMHAENGWONG | IDS
Tattoo artist Kae Hutchens gives a tattoo to Kava Seek on Feb. 23 at Crystal Moon Body Arts in Bloomington. Hutchens is the shop's tattoo artist and has been tattooing for 15 years.
pandemic. During the initial shutdown, they sold merchandise to make extra income, she said. “We got very lucky,” Rio said. Crystal Moon, a new tattoo shop located at 410 W. Kirkwood Ave., opened Feb. 19. Piercer and owner Annie Buechlein said she planned on opening her own shop after the pandemic ended, but did so sooner out of necessity. “It’s definitely not the time I would have chosen, but it’s the time the universe decided,” Buechlein said. She said many locals have told her that since the pan-
demic began they've decided to buy jewelry from local businesses instead of shopping online. Buechlein said body art is a way for some of her customers to ease anxiety and depression amid current circumstances. Buechlein said she strives to make her shop a healing sanctuary. “People were like, ‘I don’t know, it could be the end of the world, and I’ve always wanted my belly button pierced, so damn it, I’m going to go get my belly button pierced,’" Buechlein said. Getting a tattoo or piercing is intimate and vulnerable in itself, she said. The hard-
est part, she said, has been avoiding contact with people outside of what’s necessary. Buechlein said usually after she pierces someone, they’ll hug — something she can’t do anymore. Despite necessary COVID-19 protocols, Buechlein said the connection isn’t all lost behind the barriers of gloves and masks. “Someone is putting their body in your hands and trusting you to do something to them,” Buechlein said. “Knowing that it’s going to hurt and trusting that you’re going to hurt them but something beautiful is going to come out of that pain.”
Indiana residents 55 and older could register to receive the COVID-19 vaccine beginning Tuesday, according to the Indiana State Department of Health website. The vaccine was previously only available to Hoosiers 60 years and older along with healthcare personnel, longterm care facility residents, youth facility workers and first responders, according to the ISDH vaccine eligibility plan. Individuals who want to receive the COVID-19 vaccine can schedule an appointment through the ISDH website. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends all individuals receive the vaccine to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. In Indiana, there have been more than 12,100 COVID-19 deaths since March 2020, according to the ISDH COVID-19 Dashboard. About 1 million Indiana residents are waiting for their second vaccine dose, while about 590,000 are fully vaccinated, according to the Indiana vaccine dashboard. The Food and Drug Administration recently approved the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which will soon come to Indiana, according to WTHR. The state has not yet determined the eligibility date for residents 50 to 54 years old.