Monday, March 30, 2020
Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com
"Daddy Day Care," page 4 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
The news isn’t stopping. Neither are we.
'A little heartbreak' The pandemic has caused couples in Monroe County to postpone weddings, trim guest lists or elope. By Lauren McLaughlin lrmclaug@iu.edu | @LaurenM30831042
It’s no secret that the coronavirus affects daily lives, but for some, it affects one of the biggest days of their lives. Social distancing and pandemic-related travel anxiety has caused couples to postpone weddings, trim guest lists or elope. Unionville, Indiana, resident Briana Tomlinson said she was first concerned about her wedding at the beginning of March when cases started to increase in the U.S. and her older family members began to cancel their plans to attend. Tomlison said she and fiance Garrick John canceled their April 4 wedding after their venue, Hoosier Harvest Church in Martinsville, Indiana, informed them the number of guests did not fit Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regulations. The CDC had recently limited gatherings to 50, but the guest list was about 114, Tomlinson said. Courtney Sinclair Rose, a
Bloomington resident and wedding photographer, wrote a post on her website titled “Getting married during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” In the post, Rose suggested trimming the guest list, moving the wedding to later in 2020 or 2021 or eloping. The post was written when the CDC recommended gatherings of 50 or less, Rose said. She said she wanted clients to consider postponing or trimming the guest list, but most of her clients were not willing to trim the guest list and instead postponed. “A lot of these people have just at least a hundred friends and family members that they want to be there,” Rose said. “The thought of not having half of those people there was just not going to happen.” Tomlinson and John considered trimming the guest list but decided against it, Tomlinson said. “We kinda felt really bad to trim anybody who did continue to RSVP because it was a really close family,” she said.
FOOTBALL
They prepared to elope without the traditional wedding. They decided to invite around 40 guests this time, but President Donald Trump announced a 10 person limit the next day. Tomlinson and John rescheduled their original wedding for July, but Tomlinson said venues informed her even that was risky. “I’ve been pretty chill about it, because honestly we can’t help the circumstances we’ve been given,” Tomlinson said. “But now that it’s nearing my wedding day, I’m getting just a little bitter, just a little heartbreak feeling.” She said if the July wedding does not work, she and John will likely have their officiant marry them with a witness. “I wasn’t too upset about it,” John said. “I’m more upset that my fiance is not getting what she wants with everything.” IU has weddings venues such as Alumni Hall or Beck Chapel, but due to IU's closing, IU weddings during the spring semester were canceled, IU spokesperson Chuck Carney
COURTESY PHOTO
Briana Tomlinson and Garrick John pose for an engagement photo Nov. 1, 2019, in Broad Ripple, Indianapolis. Tomlinson and John had to cancel their wedding after being informed that their guest list did not fit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regulation of 50 people or less.
said. Carney said IU is uncertain about wedding plans in the summer. He said couples who scheduled their IU wedding later in the summer have a better chance of avoiding coronavirus effects. "We're closely monitoring the guidance from our state and national leaders," Carney said. "For the moment, it's uncertain." Perry Fowler, one of the owners of The Barn on Maryland Ridge, a Bloomington wedding venue, said there has been one cancellation and a couple postponements. Before CDC recommendations limited gathering to 10 people, he said some couple SEE WEDDINGS, PAGE 7
INDY 500
Swann to transfer to IU for final season By Aiden Kantner akantner@iu.edu | @aidenkantner
Although the IU football team has had to stop recruiting, the team found a commitment from a graduate transfer with ties to Indiana: former Stanford University defensive end Jovan Swann. As a senior at Stanford, Swann started nine games and finished with 32 tackles, eight tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. He was an All-Pac-12 honorable mention and a two-time All-Pac-12 Academic Team member. In total, Swann amassed 18.5 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception in three years in Palo Alto, California. Swann, who in 2015 won an Indiana state title with Center Grove High School in Greenwood, announced his intent to transfer to the Hoosiers on Twitter as a homecoming of sorts. “I am staying home this time and am committed to Indiana UniverSEE SWANN, PAGE 7
When I left the newsroom March 11 — the Wednesday before spring break — I watered my two succulents, Terri and Sammy, and left them sitting on my desk with the hope I’d be able to care for them again in three weeks. I thought the country might be able to reverse the course of COVID-19 and life could quickly return to normal, but as we all know, so much has changed since then. Classes were moved online for the rest of the semester. Restaurants shut down their dining areas. Spring commencement was canceled. The entire state of Indiana was told to stay home. The IDS, however, is doing everything it can to keep readers updated in a world where information seems to change by the hour. Although sports are canceled and almost everything is closed, we still have news to break and stories to tell. We will continue publishing regular content for the rest of the semester. But there will be one major change: The IDS will not be printing physical copies of the paper through at least May 4 for health and safety reasons. We want to limit any COVID-19 exposure that might come to our newsroom staff, delivery drivers or readers if we were to continue newsstand distribution. Instead, we encourage you to read from home. Starting Monday, we will resume publishing digital papers that can be accessed through Issuu, as they are every Monday and Thursday. We hope this will provide a quality alternative for our print-focused readers and help maintain a record of life at IU during the coronavirus. We expect our next print edition will be the May 8 graduation edition, and we’ll let you know if that changes. But things aren’t all bad. While our physical presence around Bloomington will decrease, we are doing everything we can to increase our digital outreach and bring you the information you want. We now have a landing page on our website dedicated exclusively to coverage of the coronavirus, with stories such as our interactive map tracking statewide COVID-19 cases and, if you’re looking for a break from coronavirus news, a quiz that will give you suggestions for longform stories to read that aren’t about the pandemic. We also started a Facebook group called “Bloomington, IU Coronavirus Updates | IDS” to give the community a chance to ask questions, offer news tips and connect with others. We hope you’ll consider joining. Additionally, you can tell us about what your life looks like during the coronavirus pandemic by sending 500 words or fewer to letters@idsnews.com for our new perspectives series. Do you have coronavirus? Was your wedding canceled? Are you struggling to keep track of time from your childhood bedroom? We want to know it all. Our daily newsletters will continue, and you can sign up here to get news about the coronavirus sent to your inbox each morning. As always, I can be reached at editor@idsnews.com for questions, concerns and news tips — or if you’re bored at home and just want to say hi. Thank you for sticking with the IDS during this time. We hope you are staying safe and healthy.
Lydia Gerike Editor-in-chief
FILE PHOTO BY ROSE BYTHROW | IDS
Fernando Alonso leads the pack during the 2017 Indianapolis 500. The 2020 Indianapolis 500 was moved Thursday to Aug. 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Indy 500 and GMR Grand Prix postponed, concerts canceled
Summer classes to be online, events canceled By Kyra Miller kymill@iu.edu | @kyra_ky94
By Sam Bodnar sbodnar@iu.edu | @sgbod13
This year’s Indianapolis 500 has been postponed until Aug. 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indycar announced Thursday. "The Month of May at IMS is my favorite time of year, and like
our fans, I'm disappointed we've had to reschedule the Indy 500," Roger Penske, the owner of Indycar and IMS, said in a statement. The 104th running of the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" was originally scheduled for May 24. This marks the first time since 1946 that the Indy 500 will not take place on Memorial Day weekend.
All concerts surrounding the weekend, which included artists such as Luke Bryan and Martin Garrix, were also canceled. The GMR Grand Prix was also rescheduled for July 4. Practice sessions for the ontrack action are scheduled for Aug. 12-13. Fast Friday is slated for Aug. 14 and the Qualifications for Aug. 15-16.
IU summer classes will be online, according to an email from IU Provost Lauren Robel on Thursday. Summer credits include clinical placements, internships and other courses. In the email, Robel said she recommends students contact deans and individual academic SEE SUMMER, PAGE 7