April 8, 2021 | Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com
IDS 'A lifelong friend': Remembering Patrick O'Meara By Haley Ryan haryan@iu.edu | @haley__ryan
Patrick O’Meara, vice president emeritus and professor emeritus who passed away on March 30 at the age of 83 according to an IU press release, was described as a diplomat, music lover, spokesperson and ambassador. According to the release, O’Meara came to IU in the 1960s from South Africa where he earned both a mas-
ter’s and doctoral degree in political science with a specialization in African politics. He began teaching as an assistant visiting professor in the Department of Political Science in 1970 and became the director of the African Studies Program in 1972. After being appointed vice president of International Affairs in 2007 by President Michael McRobbie, O’Meara led the effort to establish IU’s international strategic plan, one of the first for any college
or university in the nation, according to the release. O’Meara continued to serve IU as a special adviser to McRobbie and other members of the university after his academic retirement in 2011. He was known for his work in building and expanding IU’s international presence through the study abroad program and fostering relationships between IU and other universities, according to the release. Elaine Monaghan, a pro-
fessor of practice in the Media School, met O’Meara in the fall of 2013 while in Bloomington for the very first time. Monaghan said O’Meara was a part of the welcoming committee for potential hires for the university. During her visit, Monaghan said O’Meara took her to the Lilly archives and showed her an original copy of Auld Lang Syne by Robert Burns, the national poet of her homeland, Scotland. “The whole idea was, he
was like showing to me the depth and sort of cultural richness of IU,” Monaghan said. “I couldn't believe what I was looking at.” Monaghan said O’Meara was almost giddy with excitement knowing how much she would enjoy seeing the items in the Lilly archives. She said O’Meara was a principled person who wanted what was best for IU and took the time and trouble to really connect SEE O'MEARA, PAGE 6
IU junior dies in accidental fall
Elevate declared election winner
By Mary Claire Molloy marymoll@iu.edu | @mcmolloy7
An IU student died after falling four floors from an apartment balcony Friday morning, Bloomington police said. IU spokesperson Chuck Carney confirmed the death and identified the student as junior Jacob Schleinz. Monroe County Coroner Joani Shields ruled the fall an accident, citing the preliminary cause of death as “accidental blunt force trauma,” according to Indiana Public Media. Schleinz, 20, was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity and a student at the Kelley School of Business. He was from Champaign, Illinois. Around 5:42 a.m. Friday, police responded to a report that a man had fallen off a balcony at Urban Station Apartments on South Washington Street. Police said a woman told them she had been talking to Schleinz on her balcony when he suddenly fell over the railing. Officers found him lying on the sidewalk with significant injuries, Bloomington Police Department Capt. Ryan Pedigo said in an email Saturday morning. Schleinz was transported by ambulance to IU Health Bloomington Hospital, where he later died. Investigators are reviewing nearby surveillance cameras to see if footage of the incident was captured, Pedigo said. A GoFundMe has been set up to raise money for a memorial scholarship in Schleinz’s name. More than $97,000 has been raised so far.
Kelley finance professor dies suddenly By Cameron Garber garberc@iu.edu | @garber_cameron
IU Professor Craig Holden died from an unexpected medical emergency Saturday, according to an email sent Sunday to IU faculty and staff by Idalene Kesner, dean of the Kelley School of Business. Holden joined the Kelley School of Business in 1990 as a professor of finance and served as the chair of the Department of Finance at Kelley since 2018, according to the email. Holden was teaching two undergraduate courses, according to George Vlahakis, Associate director of communications at the Kelley School of Business. Students in Holden’s courses were notified of his passing in a message on Canvas, which also informed them that another professor will take over instructing for their courses. “The instructor is knowledgeable about the course material and we expect the transition to be as smooth as possible given the situation,” Vlahakis said in an email. Counselors from IU Counseling and Psychological Services were available to Holden’s students Monday April 5 during their regularly scheduled class. For students struggling with mental health or other related issues, the CAPS crisis line at 812855-5711 is available 24/7. Editor’s note: The Indiana Daily Student is working to put together obituaries for Schleinz and Holden. If you would like to share your memories of them, please reach out to news@idsnews. com and let us know the best way to contact you.
CHRIS MEYER | INDIANA UNIVERSITY
IU vice president emeritus Patrick O'Meara, 83, died Tuesday in Bloomington.
By Emma Uber emmauber@iu.edu | @EmmaUber7
'I'm sure I'll experience this again' IU students recount experiences of anti-Asian racism By Phyllis Cha cha1@iu.edu | @phyllischa
He immigrated to the United States because his hometown was no longer safe for him. He left Asia seeking success, security and safety. That’s part of the reason Ardahbek Amantur made the decision to stay in the U.S. as a graduate student in IU’s Department of Central Eurasian Studies. Here, where immigrants seek better opportunities, he thought he would be safe. Here in Bloomington, he thought he would be safe from discrimination. But standing outside of a strip mall near College Mall on Feb. 27, with the palms of his hands bleeding and his glasses shattered on the concrete in front of him, he didn’t feel safe. Amantur, 29, who works as an Uber driver, said the incident started with an Uber ride, where five people tried to get into his car. He told them only four people could legally ride in his car and canceled the ride. Then, he said the man in the passenger seat refused to leave his car and asked him repeatedly, “Do you eat bats?” Amantur dialed 911 and asked the passenger to wait for police officers to arrive. Amantur said when he told the man the police were on the way, the man got out of the car and tried to tackle him. While avoiding the blow, Amantur fell on the concrete, scraping up his hands. The man took Amantur’s glasses, which had fallen to the ground, and smashed them, Amantur said. The police report of this event, obtained by the Indi-
ana Daily Student, matches Amantur’s account. Amantur’s call to the police reported the incident as an assault, but since he avoided the blow, the case is being investigated as vandalism for the broken glasses. Amantur said he believes the statement about bats was accusing him of bringing COVID-19 to the U.S., where he has lived since 2016. Like many immigrants, Amantur said he came to the U.S. to live what he had hoped would be a normal, safe life. Waiting for police officers to arrive, wet from the rain and his vision blurry without his glasses, all he could think was, “Why? What did I do wrong?” * * * Reported incidents of racism and violence against Asian and Asian-American people in the U.S. rose 150% in 2020, according to a study from California State University, San Bernadino. More than 3,800 hate incidents were reported to Stop AAPI Hate between March 2020 and February 2021. Stop AAPI Hate is an organization devoted to tracking incidents of hate, xenophobia and discrimination against Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders. The FBI tracks hate crimes, which are more narrowly defined and do not include people yelling racial slurs or racist crimes that are not charged as hate crimes. Shootings at three massage parlors and spas March 16 in Atlanta left eight people dead, six of whom were women of Asian descent, according to the New York Times. In Indiana, Asian and
Asian-Americans have faced hate crimes. According to a petition by the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, or NAPAWF, hate crimes against Asian people were reported in Plymouth, Chesterton, Mooresville and Martinsville, Indiana, in 2020. Bloomington is no exception to anti-Asian racism, despite being in Monroe County, which is progressive compared to surrounding areas. In 1999, Won-Joon Yoon, an IU graduate student from South Korea, was killed outside of the Korean United Methodist Church in Bloomington by a white supremacist during a three-day shooting spree in Indiana and Illnois that targeted Black, Jewish and Asian people. A year prior, the shooter spread white supremacist literature in Bloomington and on IU’s campus. Ellen Wu, the director of the Asian American Studies Program at IU, said she believes progressive towns have hardly addressed the fact that racism against the Asian community exists. Across the country, antiAsian violence has manifested as assault and murder. This violence has had serious effects on survivors of these crimes, who are left with trauma. Ellen Wu, the director of the Asian American Studies Program at IU, said there is a clear connection between the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in anti-Asian violence. She said she believes rhetoric used by certain politicians, such as “Chinese virus” and “kung flu,” has normalized racist language and behavior.
ABBIE GRESSLEY | IDS
Top Ardahbek Amantur, 29, is pictured outside of Sample Gates on Monday. Amantur immigrated to the U.S. for safety, but in February, he was the victim of a racist attack. ABBIE GRESSLEY | IDS
Left Jason Nguyen is pictured by the Willkie Center on Monday. When he experienced a racist comment at a C-Store, he didn't stand up for himself for fear of escalation, he said. ETHAN LEVY | IDS
Right Karen Cheng sits on the steps at Franklin Hall. As an Asian woman, Cheng said she has experienced fetishization and objectification.
Former President Donald Trump and some Republican lawmakers used these terms, despite protest from health officials. The would-be passenger’s question to Amantur, “Do you eat bats?” was rooted in a history of xenophobia in the U.S. which dates back to the 19th century, Wu said. During the economic instability of the 1860s and ‘70s, American workers blamed Chinese workers for taking their jobs, Wu said. She said American workers would make jokes that Chinese workers could get by on less hearty food by eating rats and rice. This racism persisted into the 20th century, Wu said, where U.S.-led wars against Asian countries encouraged rhetoric accusing Asian people of having subhuman cultures and practices. “That was really part of American culture in a lot of ways and really operated to dehumanize these Asian enemies in these wars,” Wu said. She said xenophobia in the U.S. has historically taken many forms. She said SEE AAPI, PAGE 6
This is the most recent version of this story as of press time, 11 a.m. April 7. Check idsnews.com/iusg for updates. The Elevate campaign won the election for the next IU Student Government president and vice president, according to preliminary results released by the IUSG Election Commission Tuesday night. The Inspire campaign was disqualified Tuesday night. The Elevate ticket features preliminary president Ky Freeman and vice president Madeline Dederichs, who are both juniors. Voting began Thursday morning and ended 10 p.m. Friday, but the IUSG Election Commission did not release results until Tuesday due to an unprecedented 23 total election complaints. The IUSG Supreme Court certifies the election. IUSG Election Commission coChair Lucy Newell said it’s unlikely the court will certify the results immediately because of the three outstanding complaints against the remaining tickets. The IUSG Election Commission accepted four complaints against the Inspire campaign, one complaint against the Elevate campaign and two complaints against the Legacy campaign, the commission said in an Instagram direct message. All accepted complaints will be investigated by the IUSG Election Commission, who will then require a two-thirds majority vote to find a ticket responsible for an election violation. The IUSG Election Commission found the Inspire campaign responsible for two election violations as of Tuesday. The two violations add up to 10 or more points deducted. Each election violation deducts a certain amount of points from a ticket, and a ticket may lose 10 points before being disqualified. In a statement to the Indiana Daily Student, the Inspire campaign said it feels confident it won the election by a significant margin, and the campaign plans to appeal the IUSG Election Commission’s decision to the IUSG Supreme Court. “Elections should be decided on votes, not points,” Inspire said in a statement to the IDS. “We remain confident that on April 15 Dorynn Mentor and Carling Louden will be inaugurated as the next Student Body President and Vice President.”
COURTESY PHOTO
Presidential candidate Ky Freeman, left, and vice presidential candidate Madeline Dederichs, right, pose for a photo. The Elevate campaign is the preliminary winner of next IU Student Government election for president and vice president.