Thursday, July 8, 2021

Page 1

Thursday, July 8, 2021

IDS Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com

See 'Black Voices' pg. 3

Pamela Whitten takes office

July 1 By Phyllis Cha cha1@iu.edu | @phyllischa

COURTNEY STAPLETON | IDS

Vauhxx Booker talks about his past as an activist in People’s Park on Sept. 4, 2020. Booker reflected on the incident at Lake Monroe on the one year anniversary of the encounter.

Pamela S. Whitten took office as IU’s 19th president and as IU’s first female president July 1. Whitten is replacing IU president Michael McRobbie, who announced plans to retire. Whitten had been the president of Kennesaw State University since 2018 and previously served as the senior vice president for academic affairs and provost for the University of Georgia. She has also worked in the University of Kansas and Michigan State University medical departments. She has a Ph.D. in communication studies from Kansas, Master of Arts in communication from the University of Kentucky and a Bachelor of Science in management from Tulane. Whitten was appointed by the IU Board of Trustees after an extensive search.

Vauhxx Booker reflects on Lake Monroe incident Cause for Where is his case now? By Kaitlyn Radde kradde@iu.edu | @kaityradde

Vauhxx Booker, a human rights advocate who is Black, went to Lake Monroe to watch the lunar eclipse one year ago on July 4, 2020. Booker and the group he was with took a shortcut to get to the destination, and Sean Purdy claimed they were trespassing on private property. Booker believed he was on public property but decided to apologize and move forward to avoid escalation, and Purdy gave his group a ride to the site. However, the group allegedly blocked off the beach as more people began to arrive, so Booker and a friend decided to go back and talk to them again. Booker said the group became aggressive, so he and his friend began to leave. But as they began to walk away, two from the group allegedly ambushed him and dragged him back. Ultimately, some of the men in the videos Booker posted on Facebook pinned him against a tree, physically attacked him and yelled racist slurs at him, Booker said. He alleges the group attempted to lynch him and told people around them to “get a noose,” among other slurs and threats. Once bystanders had intervened to end the encounter, Booker called 911, which transferred him to the

Department of Natural Resources. No arrests were made. A few days later, the FBI opened a hate crime investigation into the encounter. Little information about the investigation has been made public, and the FBI could not be reached for comment. Booker said the FBI has deferred to state prosecutors. “Given the history of Indiana and the racism that’s still present, federal prosecution would be preferable,” Booker said. Booker said the events at Lake Monroe were the most traumatic events of his life, and he is living with it and working through it every day. “For everyone else, this happened a year ago,” Booker said. “For me, it’s everyday.” Two of the alleged attackers, Sean Purdy and Jerry Cox, Jr., are facing felony charges including criminal confinement, battery and intimidation. They called the allegations a “smear campaign” and allege that Booker was the instigator, which Booker and his attorney have denied. After all four criminal court judges of Monroe Circuit Court and Monroe County Prosecutor Erika Oliphant recused themselves from the case in July 2020 to avoid conflicts of interest and concerns of bias against the defendants, the Indiana Supreme Court appoint-

ed Johnson Superior Court Judge Lance Hamner to preside over the case. He then appointed Hamilton County Prosecutor Sonia Leerkamp in Aug. 2020. Now, a year later, the case is still pending due to this process and delays related to the coronavirus. In Nov. 2020, Hamner said a trial would begin in the spring, but no formal trial has yet been scheduled. Booker said the criminal justice system is punitive, not restorative, and unequipped to deal with the humanity of individuals. Booker said he was victimized not only by his alleged attackers, but also by the criminal justice system’s response, specifically the Department of Natural Resources. “They seemed to elevate the importance of property rights above the harm that was done to me,” Booker said. Booker said he has also experienced victim blaming by some members of the community over the past year, such as searching his background for criminality to explain away his alleged attackers’ behavior. Meanwhile, he said, his alleged attackers' backgrounds weren’t scrutinized. “It all pointed to what Dr. King often referred to as the stigmata of Blackness, where America demonizes Black people and it justifies our oppression through some kind

of innate criminality,” Booker said. “The reality is that Black people are human, and that we shouldn’t have to be saintly or even innocent to be afforded justice in America.” Booker said the way he was treated in the aftermath of the incident exemplifies why so many victims never come forward. At the same time, other members of the community showed up in support of Booker at a protest July 6, 2020, in response to the encounter. Booker said he was moved by the support. “But it’s always also disappointing that the wheels of justice have to be greased by political unrest,” he added. At that protest, Christi Bennett hit two protesters with her car. One of them, Chaz Mottinger, suffered a head injury and was unresponsive at the scene but has since recovered. Bennett, 66, was charged with two counts of criminal recklessness committed with a deadly weapon and two charges of leaving the scene of an accident. As of publication, no trial has been scheduled. Booker said violence is always shocking, but that to say he was surprised would be to say that he hadn’t been paying attention to reality and history. “Healing comes from accountability, and accountability is not the same as punishment,” Booker said.

illness of songbirds unknown By Laura Gerber laurgerb@iu.edu | @lauragerberr

An undetermined bird illness is in 53 Indiana counties, including Monroe County. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources documented that 285 birds have died from the disease since late May, Allisyn Gillet, Indiana state ornithologist, said at DNR media call. Gillet said The actual number of affected birds could be in the thousands, Gillet said. The Indiana DNR began getting reports of sick and dead songbirds in Monroe County in late May, Gillet said. There are now reports of songbirds dying from unknown causes in Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Washington D.C. “I have not seen songbirds die by such large numbers before,” Gillet said. The sick songbirds have eye discharge, crustiness and swelling. They also show neurological probSEE SONGBIRDS, PAGE 5

McRobbie reflects on his 14-year presidency By Luke Christopher Norton lcnorton@iu.edu | @ByLCNorton

Former IU President Michael McRobbie took office July 1, 2007. Before he was named IU’s 18th president, McRobbie served in multiple roles at IU including Vice President for Research, Vice President for Academic Affairs and interim Provost prior to his selection by IU’s Board of Trustees. Upon his selection, members of IU’s faculty such as Bart Ng, then-president of the IUPUI Faculty Council, and Rosalie Vermette, then-vice president of the IUPUI Faculty Council, expressed optimism after McRobbie said he looked forward to working with IUPUI in his first news conference as IU’s President-elect. At the time, IUPUI and IUBloomington had a tense relationship. IU-Bloomington had been named the university’s flagship campus in 2005, and Vermette believed this deflated any notion that the university’s campuses were equal. Ng and Vermette believed McRobbie had an understanding of IUPUI’s situation, but Ng stressed that he would be judged by his actions rather than his promises. Others, such as Betsy Henke, then-president of the IU Student Association, expressed disappointment in McRobbie’s selection, citing a lack of response to her requests for a meeting. “It’s not just a view, it’s the truth.

ETHAN LEVY | IDS

Then-IU President Michael McRobbie at IU Bloomington's undergraduate commencement ceremony May 8, 2021. McRobbie served as IU's president for 14 years.

He is not involved enough,” Henke told the Indiana Daily Student in 2007. McRobbie toured IU’s regional campuses and medical centers in the months after being named president-elect. He was surprised at the amount of statewide support IU receives, he told the IDS in 2007. “I was just really struck by the enormous influence and importance this institution has in the state,” McRobbie said. While McRobbie’s presidency began July 1, 2007, he was not officially inaugurated until October. Joined by friends, family, faculty, past presidents and more, McRobbie laid out his vision for the university. In his inaugural address, McRob-

bie spoke of goals such as upgrading residence halls at IU-Bloomington, increasing cooperation between IU’s campuses, bringing greater educational opportunity to Indiana and increasing graduation rates. “I accept these challenges with enthusiasm, though I harbor no illusions that they will be easy. I ask every faculty member, staff member, and student, every alumnus and friend of IU, indeed every citizen of Indiana to join me in this pursuit of excellence,” McRobbie said. *** McRobbie served as IU’s president for 14 years, announcing his intention to retire after the conclusion of the 2020-21 school year in August 2020. His presidency saw the global

financial crisis of 2007-08, the establishment of new schools and academic programs, construction and renovation of university facilities, rising tuition, mold outbreaks in residential halls, the renaming of campus sites, graduate workers calling for an end to IU’s mandatory fees, IU’s bicentennial and the COVID-19 pandemic. Multiple individuals, such as Gov. Eric Holcomb, Sen. Todd Young R-Ind, IU Distinguished Professor Ellen Ketterson and Mary Sue Coleman, former Association of American Universities president, released statements praising McRobbie upon the announcement of his retirement. “During President Michael McRobbie's tenure, the state of Indiana has benefited in incalculable ways. From Indiana University's ever-increasing engagement in transformational economic development projects to improving our international standing abroad, Michael's leadership has enhanced the Hoosier state's reputation globally,” Holcomb said. Others, such as Cole Nelson, a Graduate Workers Coalition activist, were critical of McRobbie’s presidency. “President McRobbie has made no recognizable effort to promise and secure a living wage for graduate workers or, for that matter, even consider us a priority worth acSEE MCROBBIE, PAGE 5

IU's NIL policy went into effect last week By Evan Gerike egerike@iu.edu | @EvanGerike

IU released its Name, Image and Likeness policy in a press release June 30, to guide athletes in NIL opportunities following an interim policy being adopted by the NCAA that allows athletes to make money based on their NIL. The policy went into effect July 1. “Dating back to the creation of the IU Athletics NIL Task Force last August, our department has been laser-focused on being at the forefront when it comes to preparing for and supporting our students' NIL opportunities when this day arrived,” IU athletic director Scott Dolson said in the release. “Now that it is here, this comprehensive policy is our latest step and provides a roadmap for our students to maximize their opportunities while also protecting their eligibility to compete in intercollegiate athletics.” SEE POLICY, PAGE 5


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