THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2015
IDS
Why you didn’t want to miss last Sunday’s
‘GoT’
INDIANA DAILY STUDENT | IDSNEWS.COM
MEN’S BASKETBALL
New Hoosier brings depth By Andy Wittry awittry@indiana.edu | @AndyWittry
ANNIE GARAU | IDS
Members of Prism Community, a GLBTQ social group, sit on a playground during their weekly Tuesday gathering at Unitarian Universalist Church. They are making efforts toward education reform in Monroe County.
A lesson for teachers By Annie Garau agarau@indiana.edu | @agarau6
They’re tired of feeling threatened and isolated. They’re fed up with the micro aggressions in class. They’re sick of being discounted because of their ages, and they’re sick of feeling like they don’t belong. For all of these reasons, members of Bloomington Prism Youth Community are about to give their teachers a lesson. Prism Community is a social group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and allied youth ages 12 through 20. They do fun things, like go to Kings Island, but they also have a much deeper purpose — to educate and to advocate. “We specifically noticed a lack of education in the teaching staff and how some teachers would want to be educated but just didn’t know the terms or know where to go to get that education,” Spencer, the president of the group, said. “So we wanted to offer specific opportunities for them to learn about lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer problems.” One of the problems group members have experienced is teachers unknowingly making cisnormative comments, or comments which assume everyone’s personal identity conforms with what society expects of their gender, in class. “Like in one of my classes there was a picture of an author and the teacher goes, ‘Oh, ladies, isn’t this guy attractive?’” Becca, the group’s vice president who just graduated from middle school, said. “It’s just hard to feel included when everything goes back to heteronormativity and when I don’t fit in with that generalization.”
Another example happened when a class was discussing Adam’s apples. One student mentioned girls don’t have them, to which the teacher replied, “Yeah, you want to stay away from girls with Adam’s apples.” In health classes, even the curriculum is often devoted solely to straight, or cisgender or cissexual, students. “Heterosexuals do deserve to learn about sexual health,” Isaac, the chair of the education and training committee, said. “But, then again, as a bisexual trans guy, I deserve to know what should I do too. What sorts of options are available for me? I didn’t even know that internal condoms existed until like 3 months ago.” Addressing obviously hurtful comments made by other students is another instance when group members feel teachers often fall short. “A lot of teachers will just intervene and tell students to stop,” Laura Ingram, the group’s adult leader and founder, said. “Instead, they could take it as a teachable moment and be like, ‘Ok wait. What are you actually trying to say? Because you just called your homework gay, and homework can’t have a sexuality.’” These disciplinary problems became especially obvious this past semester when students at Bloomington High School North started the “Hands Up for Heterosexuality” club, a straight pride group. Group members say it’s actions like this that make them feel unsafe. “In gym class, when you’re told boys over here and girls over here, the people who don’t fit in or feel comfortable with one of those groups are worried what would happen if they went to the one they actu-
ally identify with,” Becca said. This same discomfort is felt when transgender youth have to go to the bathroom or change their clothes. Every time Isaac has to use the restroom, he has to trek to the school office bathrooms, on the opposite side of the building from all of his classes. He changes for gym in the coach’s office. He didn’t try out for the track team because he knew they would stick him with the girls. “We need to change the rules, and then if we can stick up for those policies it might start to change mindsets,” he said. “Then people might start to think, ‘Wow, that’s kind of dumb that I bug them for using the bathroom. They just have to pee.’” In order to make that change, the group has started a summer campaign. They recently received a city grant they will use to develop training programs for professionals who serve young people and create online resources they can use when they are unsure of how to deal with a certain situation. “There are lot’s of decisions being made about youth,” Isaac said. “What kind of teaching is used, what kind of language we’re exposed to and that kind of thing. But they’re speaking to people who used to be youth without asking the kids what’s best for you.” Another part of their campaign includes community-wide education nights. The next one, “Going Beyond the LGBT,” will take place June 9. “My goal is to create a space for them in order to be heard,” Ingram said. “These kids are incredibly wellspoken and thoughtful and intelligent, and they’re just going to set the world on fire with awesomeness.”
Those who know him call him “Moose” or “The Big Puppy.” On IU’s roster, he’ll be listed by his given name, Max Bielfeldt. IU filled one of its two open scholarships for next season Tuesday evening when Bielfeldt, a graduate transfer from Michigan, committed to IU over Iowa State and Nebraska. He won an appeal which allowed him to transfer within the Big Ten after a scholarship wasn’t available for him to continue his career at Michigan. The 6-foot-8, 245-pound forward will spend his final year of eligibility in Bloomington, where he’ll add size, experience and depth to the Hoosiers’ frontcourt, which took a hit when forwards Hanner Mosquera-Perea and Devin Davis were dismissed from the team in May. Because Bielfeldt graduated from Michigan this spring and will enroll in a graduate program at IU, he’s eligible to play immediately. Stu Douglass, a former Michigan guard who now plays professionally in Israel, was a senior in 2011-12 when Bielfeldt was a redshirt freshman. Douglass formed his first impression of the power forward during open gyms before the season started. “He wasn’t shy about pushing people around and being strong down low,” Douglass said. “He came in and made his presence felt. You definitely took notice of him.” The Wolverines didn’t SEE BIELFELDT, PAGE 4
Trustees approve tuition freeze By Suzanne Grossman spgrossm@indiana.edu | @suzannepaige6
Gealt reflects on her time at IU Art Museum By Anthony Broderick aebroder@umail.iu.edu | @aebrodakirck
Current IU Art Museum Director Adelheid “Heidi” Gealt is preparing to retire after dedicating more than 40 years of her life to the museum. Gealt announced she would be stepping down as the art museum director in May 2014. Her time as the museum director will end June 30. Gealt has been the IU Art Museum Director since 1987 and has been working at the museum since 1972. “It’s a very difficult and challenging job,” Gealt said. “When I first started the job years back, I didn’t think I would be able to do or handle that kind of work.” Looking back at everything she did at IU during the past few decades, Gealt said she is very pleased with the goals she and her staff achieved for the museum. “I think the museum achieved
The IU Board of Trustees put on a public forum to discuss IU President Michael McRobbie’s tuition fee proposal, but no comments were made, which resulted in board approval. At the end of May, McRobbie recommended to the board that tuition rates for in-state IUBloomington students should not increase for the next two years. The trustees then conducted a forum June 3 at the IU-Purdue University Indianapolis Campus Center to hear any comments from trustees or the general public. Before comments were made, McRobbie and Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of IU, MaryFrances McCourt, presented their plans. In his presentation, McRobbie outlined how the University’s plans aligned with the state’s agenda to get more students from Indiana to graduate and graduate on time. “State leaders have called upon Indiana’s public universities and colleges to produce more Hoosier graduates who have the skills necessary to succeed in today’s global job market,” McRobbie said. “They have also called on us to do more to ensure that students persist to graduate and complete their degrees on time. Our response to these challenges
IDS FILE PHOTO
SEE GEALT, PAGE 7
IU Art Museum Director Heidi Gealt explores the meaning of "impressionist" art using "Le Bassin d'Argenteuil" by Claude Monet. The 1874 oil-on-canvas was painted from a bridge overlooking the river, near Paris, and a popular getaway from urban life. Gealt said Monet, as an impressionist, helped create a new way to see the world using a new way to create art.
SEE TRUSTEES, PAGE 2