I N D I A N A D A I LY S T U D E N T | M O N D AY, M AY 1 1 , 2 0 1 5 | I D S N E W S . C O M
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Hoosiers triumph against Dirtbags IU wins series over Long Beach State By Michael Hughes michhugh@indiana.edu | @MichaelHughes94
YE WANG | IDS
Graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences celebrate Saturday in Memorial Stadium during the undergraduate commencement Saturday.
GRADUATION 2015
Looking forward Undergraduates say goodbye at commencement
Speaker offers words of wisdom to graduate students
By Tori Lawhorn
By Scott Tenefrancia
vlawhorn@indiana.edu | @torilawhorn
stenefra@indiana.edu
Several thousand students said goodbye to IU for the last time as undergraduates Saturday at IU’s Memorial Stadium. The IU undergraduate commencement speaker was alumna Sage Steele. She is currently in her second season as the host of NBA Countdown, ABC’s and ESPN’s flagship NBA studio show. She is also a central contributor to ESPN’s on-site NBA coverage at the NBA Finals, NBA Conference Finals and NBA All-Star Game. “I truly believe that if it weren’t for Indiana University, I would never have come close to achieving my career goals and dreams of being a sportscaster,” she said in a University press release. “Because of that, being invited to be the commencement speaker exactly 20 years after receiving my diploma from IU is the greatest honor I have ever received.” Several schools participated in the undergraduate ceremony, including the College of Arts and Sciences, the Kelley School of Business, the Jacobs School of Music and the Media School. Students who have completed the requirements for graduation by May 2015 and students who will complete the requirements by the end of the 2015 summer
IU President Michael McRobbie stood in front of a crowd sporting black robes and tassels varying in color. There was complete silence to honor students who died this year. However, this wasn’t a day for sorrow. Rather, it was one for celebration. “You have reached a significant milestone in your education,” he said. “We are very proud of you.” The graduate commencement ceremony for the class of 2015 took place in the John Mellencamp Pavilion on Friday. Along with the graduating students were thousands of family and friends in attendance. Alumnus C. David Allis was the commencement speaker for the ceremony. He received an honorary degree from President McRobbie prior to his speech to acknowledge the work done in his career. Allis, who received his Ph.D. in biology from IU in 1978, said he often looks back on his days as a student on the IU campus. He then offered four points of advice to the master’s and doctoral students receiving
SEE UNDERGRADS, PAGE 6
SEE GRADS, PAGE 6
For the second consecutive game, the Hoosiers fell behind in the first inning courtesy of a Brock Lundquist two-run home run. For the second consecutive game, IU fought back to win. Led by senior second baseman Casey Rodrigue, IU responded with eight runs to beat Long Beach State 8-5 and take the series. “When a team’s back is against the wall, it has to show its true colors,” Rodrigue said. “Maybe we like the pressure? Maybe we respond better to a pressure situation? That’s great because in the playoffs it’s magnified 100 times.” Rodrigue did everything Sunday, IU Coach Chris Lemonis said. He went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a triple, three runs scored and two RBIs. “It’s whatever we need at that moment,” Lemonis said. “If we need him to walk, he walks. If we need a two-out hit he’s getting a two-out hit.” In the third inning, IU just needed someone to get on base and extend the inning. The first two batters of the inning were retired on three combined pitches. Then, Rodrigue fell in an 0-2 hole, and it looked as though the IU starting pitcher Caleb Baragar was going to have to trot back out to the mound following a short rest after allowing Long Beach State to take a 3-0 lead. But then, Rodrigue got hit by a pitch, which sparked a two-run rally for the Hoosiers. “Watching him right now, he’s one of the better leadoffs in the country,” Lemonis said. Rodrigue partially credited his success at the plate Sunday to getting his foot down early in his swing. When a batter does this, he can square the ball up, making Rodrigue’s job of trying to drive the ball easier. He also said he was trying to be more patient at the plate, wait for his pitch and not swing at what the pitcher wants him to swing at. “Not being too over-aggressive really and just trying to get an inning going and get somebody on base,” Rodrigue said. “Because when you’re over-aggressive it’s a quick inning and more momentum goes to the other team.” SEE BASEBALL, PAGE 6
Location announced for Sept. music festival SCOTT TENEFRANCIA | IDS
Above President Michael McRobbie begins the ceremony by welcoming students and guests. Below Graduates move their tassels from right to left at the undergraduate commencement ceremony Saturday in Memorial Stadium.
Filling Memorial Stadium For more coverage of both of this weekend’s graduation ceremonies, see page 3
Scenes from the ceremonies To see more photos from the graduate and undergraduate ceremonies, see page 9
ECHO LU | IDS
By Anthony Broderick aebroder@indiana.edu | @aebrodakirk
In honor of Memorial Day weekend, Bloomington Early Music will be kick off its annual music festival starting May 22. Early Music Associates is a registered nonprofit organization whose main mission is to catalyze the performing arts in Bloomington and south central Indiana. The Bloomington Early Music Festival encourages and celebrates historically informed performance with an annual festival, seasonal concerts and numerous educational events in the region. It also aims to support emerging performing artists. The organization just announced the lineup of events that will take place at this year’s festival. According to Early Music Associates’ official website, the festival will include a series of six concerts by local, regional and national artists. Each musical act will be performing themed music from the Renaissance to the Baroque era. The Bloomington Early Music Festival will be a joint effort between Early Music Associates and the IU Jacobs School of Music’s Historical Performance Institute, Project Jumpstart and IU Student Organization Gamma Ut. There will be a pre-festival event Thursday, May 21, at Rachael’s Café. The theme of this event is pop music SEE MUSIC, PAGE 6