Monday, June 20, 2016 | Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com
ROAD TO RIO
IDS
Board accepts stadium upgrade By Andrew Hussey aphussey@indiana.edu | @thehussnetwork
SCOTT TENEFRANCIA | IDS
Amy Cozad, left, and Jessica Parratto, right, dive during the women’s synchronized 10-meter preliminaries June 18 at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Indianapolis.
LEADING THE PACK IU divers take top spots at Olympic trials Saturday
The IU Board of Trustees approved the $53 million renovation of Memorial Stadium on Friday. The project will enclose the south end zone to create a building to house the IU Excellence Academy. “We are not a building in search of mission,” IU Athletic Director Fred Glass said to the board. “We are a program and mission in search of a building.” The building is estimated to be completed in August 2018 and construction will begin after this year’s football season. The athletic department will completely fund the project from fundraising and other revenue streams. The academy is going to be part of the “circle of excellence” located at Memorial Stadium that includes the Wilkinson Performance Center and the Shuel Academic Center. “I think there’s no place in intercollegiate athletics where in one place on the athletics campus that we have access to those kinds of facilities to support our student-athletes,” Glass said. There also will be stadium renovations related to improving the stadium seating and restroom and concession accessibility for people with disabilities. Also, the public address
By Grace Palmieri
SEE STADIUM, PAGE 3
gpalmier@indiana.edu | @grace_palmieri
IU junior diver Michael Hixon and his synchro partner Sam Dorman had been training together just two months when they stepped on the board for their first dive Saturday morning at IUPUI Natatorium. In their first meet together the stakes were higher than ever — a spot on the United States Olympic team. The pair kept a lead through most of the preliminary and semifinal rounds and finished at the top of the pack, going into Wednesday’s finals. Dorman said he doesn’t even look at the scoreboard throughout the day, instead focusing on each individual dive. “I think we just tried to stay in the same groove we were in this morning,” he said after the semifinal round Saturday night. “We just did one dive at a time focusing on that dive, not the outcome.” With a combined score of 871.53 — through two rounds of six dives each — Hixon and Dorman have a comfortable edge on the second-place team. That team, of Troy Dumais and Kristian Ipsen, were likely the favorites to make it to Rio this year. They represented the U.S. with a bronze metal in London’s 2012 Olympics. Hixon and Dorman don’t see themselves as the underdogs, though. “We’ve been training hard and I think we proved that today,” Hixon said.
Other funding approved, page 2 The Board also approved the budget for the upcoming school year.
Arts Fair connects community, local artists Michael Hixon, left, and Samuel Dorman, right, dive during the men’s synchronized 3-meter springboard preliminaries June 18 at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Indianapolis.
Hixon, who took an Olympic redshirt at IU this past season, has earned a slew of national and international accolades. He transferred from Texas to IU after his freshman year — in which he won both the 1-meter and 3-meter national titles — to train with IU Coach Drew Johansen. Now, he has the chance for a possible Olympic berth in both synchronized and individual events. And he’s not the only one from SEE DIVING, PAGE 3
Police Department. In addition, other law enforcement officials were brought in from surrounding townships. Security officer Jim Graham said things were relatively quiet. “We’ve had a few little things like lost ID’s and people carrying around too much beer,” Graham SEE TASTE, PAGE 3
SEE FAIR, PAGE 3
10M Synchro Women’s Finals 30 minutes after men’s 3M synchro, Wednesday, June 22, IUPUI Natatorium Diver profile, page 5 Former IU diver Darian Schmidt competes Monday in the 3-meter springboard event
By Jonah Chester jbcheste@indiana.edu
STELLA DEVINA | IDS
The Payton Brothers perform during the Taste of Bloomington event Saturday.
Bloomington’s biggest projects each year. The Taste is organized by a large board of about 30 people who meet once a month throughout the year in order to organize the event. Most of the board members are local Bloomington entrepreneurs and civic leaders. One board member said each member brings his or her own strengths to the table. The
organization of the event also takes communication and a lot of emails sent back and forth. The Taste has many layers that need to work together in order to form a cohesive operation. One of the most crucial aspects of an event this large is the security. More than 50 security members were employed this year, many of whom were from the Bloomington
emkjones@indiana.edu | @emkkjones
A makeshift village of white tents encircled the Monroe County courthouse Saturday. Under the shade of each tent, artists greeted passersby and took an array of questions. Of the 110 artists present, each had been pre-approved by the Bloomington Playwrights Project, which is largely responsible for coordinating the fair every summer. Artistic mediums ranged from handmade jewelry to wind sculptures, and the crowd was well mixed: parents guiding children to various activities around the square, IU students browsing booths and retired couples stopping to make conversation. Charlie, Bloomington’s iconic red parrot, was also in attendance. At the Kids’ Art Center station, adult volunteers monitored children as they crafted “pet rocks” with markers and googly eyes. Middle school teacher Tina Goodlander helped out for much of the day and watched once-hesitant children become more talkative as their animals of choice materialized. “I attend Bloomington Playwright plays, which are awesome and so moving, and I thought it would be fun to volunteer,” Goodlander said before turning to a young girl. “Hey! You want to come make a pet rock with us?” BPP — Bloomington’s nonprofit with a focus on new plays — quickly reached volunteers in an email to its supporters, Goodlander said. IU student Emily Liu was also volunteering at the Pet Rock station. “With just simple stones, these kids can combine activity with imagination,” she said. “It’s nice to see.” For adults, activity options included more advanced crafts such as origami stars and painting instruction. Volunteer Tom Faulkner from the Lotus Education and Arts Foundation guided small groups through origami steps as part of the “One Million Stars to End Violence” project, in which stars are folded and collected from across the globe to create massive displays of “courage and light.” “The idea is that each person makes a star to put back into the sky, to help shine light into darkness,” Faulkner said. “In the U.S. there are only three cities participating, including Bloomington. We agreed to make 10,000 by next summer. After today, we’ll be well over 2,000.” Amidst the tutorials, artists — some from as far away as Michigan’s
3M Synchro Men's Finals 9 p.m., Wednesday, June 22, IUPUI Natatorium
Taste of Bloomington takes over downtown Thousands poured into the Showers Commons on Eighth and Morton streets this past Saturday to celebrate the annual Taste of Bloomington. People packed in shoulder to shoulder in order to enjoy the music and sample local food, both new and old. The Taste took over all of the Commons as vendors peddled their various foods and drinks in several white tents across the event space. The event was comprised of more than 30 vendors, many of whom are local Bloomington businesses and restaurants. Throughout the course of the day, thousands flocked to the commons in order to get a taste of the many diverse genres of cuisine Bloomington has to offer. “Everything has run totally smooth and people have had a really good time,” said Cindy Kinnarney, one of the operation directors for the Taste. “I’ve had people comment what a great event it is and for a great cause.” The cause is that of the Hoosier Hills Food Bank, a charitable organization that provides three million pounds of food annually to other nonprofits that help serve people in need and with low incomes. Part of the proceeds from the event benefit the food bank. Another portion of the proceeds goes to the Community Kitchen of Monroe County, which provides food directly to those in need. The event happens annually and is one of the city of
By Emily Jones