IDS Thursday, May 26, 2022
Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com
Fun things to do in Bloomington, p. 3
Law banning transgender girls in sports passes
TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
The Indiana Statehouse is located in downtown Indianapolis. A law banning transgender girls in school sports pushes through despite Gov. Eric Holcomb’s veto. By Meghana Rachamadugu megracha@iu.edu
The Indiana state legislature overturned Governor Eric Holcomb’s veto of House Bill 1041, which prevents transgender girls from joining girls’ school sports, in a technical session May 24, according to an Indy Star article. The original veto occurred in late March.
The House voted 67-28 and the Senate voted 32-15 to override the veto. In Indiana, the legislature can override a veto with a two-thirds majority in both chambers. “This is a policy that we feel is appropriate. We don’t like to get the state of Indiana sued, but it happens from time to time,” Temporary Senate President Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, said in
the Indy Star article. According to the article, HB 1041 author Michelle Davis, R-Whiteland, said in a Statehouse session that the bill was designed to maintain fair competition between the girls’ sports teams. The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed a lawsuit over the bill on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of
Indiana. The lawsuit asserts the bill violates Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause. In justifying his veto, Holcomb said in the article that the bill didn’t guarantee commitment to fairness in K-12 sports and a lawsuit was a likely response to such news. According to the article, almost immediately after Holcomb’s veto, Republi-
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Trayce Jackson-Davis withdraws from NBA draft, returns to Indiana By Emma Pawlitz epawlitz@iu.edu | @emmapawlitz
Indiana men’s basketball junior Trayce Jackson-Davis announced on Friday that he will return to Bloomington for the 2022-2023 season. The news comes one day after it was announced that Jackson-Davis was unable to participate in various events at the NBA Combine due to a positive COVID-19 test. Jackson-Davis declared for the NBA draft on April 9 with the option to withdraw by June 1 and return to school. The NBA Com-
bine, an important step in the draft process consisting of workouts and interviews with teams, individual athletic testing and 5v5 scrimmages, began on Monday, May 16 and will conclude on Sunday, May 22. Jackson-Davis was invited to the combine, but his name was not listed on the individual test results or the 5v5 rosters that came out later in the week. It was released on Thursday that the junior forward had tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in the week, resulting in his ineligibility for the re-
maining events. Entering the draft process was deemed a wise decision for Jackson-Davis by many fans and media members, as he would have the chance to receive feedback from scouts and coaches on which he could base his choice to stay in the draft or return to Bloomington. After the recent cancellations and lost opportunities, though, Jackson-Davis declared the ever-famous words, “I’m back.” Jackson-Davis’ return places Indiana as a strong Big Ten title contender and
a preseason top-25 candidate. As far as individual accolades are concerned, he will also likely be in the running for Big Ten Player of the Year, the Karl Malone Award and the Wooden Award. Jackson-Davis is currently top-10 all time in rebounds, blocked shots and field goal percentage on the Indiana men’s basketball leaderboards. He stands 15th on the all-time scoring list with 1,588 points and has a chance to end up top3 all time if he can duplicate or improve his scoring from last season.
cans began contacting lawmakers, working to overturn the veto. The article noted that Davis and other representatives wore pink in support of girls' sports. It said Democrats wore similar attire but many had pro-choice buttons on as well — possibly alluding to a special session on the topic of abortion. In the article, Senate Mi-
All charges dropped in 2020 Lake Monroe case
IDS FILE PHOTO BY IZZY MYSZAK
Vauhxx Booker stands with his attorneys Aug. 2, 2021, in front of the Monroe County Courthouse. The charges against Sean Purdy, Jerry Cox and Booker for the July 2020 incident at Monroe Lake have been dropped. By Marissa Meador megracha@iu.edu
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Ali Patberg returns to Indiana basketball By Amanda Foster amakfost@iu.edu | @amandafoster_15
Throughout Ali Patberg’s time at Indiana, she became one of the faces of Indiana women’s basketball. After the team lost in the Sweet Sixteen in March, ending the 2021-22 season and Patberg’s collegiate career, fans had one thing on their minds: “Coach” Ali Patberg. Friday morning, that thought became reality as Patberg was named a team and recruitment coordinator for Indiana. The news
came less than two days after the announcement that Ashley Williams, Indiana’s assistant coach who was heavily involved in scouting and recruitment, took a job at North Carolina State University. Patberg was drafted 34th overall by the Indiana Fever in the 2022 WNBA Draft but was waived before the season began. Now, instead of traveling overseas to continue her professional career, the Columbus, Indiana native will stay in her home state and begin her coach-
ing career. “I would like to say thank you to Coach Moren and the rest of the staff for believing and trusting me as I begin my college coaching career,” Patberg said in a press release. “I will learn and grow as a professional from one of the best staffs in college basketball and continue to be a part of the Indiana program, which holds such a special place in my heart." During her time as an Indiana player, Patberg led the Hoosiers to back-to-back Sweet Sixteen appearances
and three NCAA tournaments. She started in 123 games, scored 1,752 career points — good for ninth in all-time scoring — and was one of three Hoosiers all-time to earn four All-Big honors in her Indiana career. Patberg was also a twotime finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award, given to the top point guard in college basketball, and a Women’s Basketball Coaches Association honorable menSEE PATBERG, PAGE 4
nority Leader Greg Taylor said the bill was “blatantly discriminatory” and said those who voted in favor threw “children under the bus.” The state Democratic party chair, Mike Schmuhl, said in the article that the bill was a “national party purity test.” The law will go into effect on July 1.
Special Prosecuting Attorney Sonia Leerkamp made a motion to dismiss all charges regarding a racist confrontation in 2020 at Lake Monroe between Sean Purdy, Jerry Cox and Vauhxx Booker, according to a case file released May 18. The case was resolved through restorative justice, which is a process of understanding, accountability and repairing harm to victims, according to the Center for Community Justice in the case file. After all individuals agreed to the restorative justice process, Purdy and Cox accepted personal responsibility for their actions as
the Center for Community Justice facilitated discussion. It is the first time a case has used restorative justice in Indiana. In a dispute over whether or not Booker was trespassing on Purdy’s property in the summer of 2020, Purdy and Cox physically assaulted Booker and yelled racial slurs. Purdy was charged with criminal confinement with bodily injury, battery with moderate injury and intimidation. Cox was charged with aiding, inducing or causing criminal confinement and battery, as well as two counts of battery and intimidation, which are misdemeanors. SEE 2020 CASE, PAGE 4