Tuesday, April 19, 2016 | Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com
Search for new dean begins From IDS reports
IDS ANNIE GARAU | IDS
DeAndra Yates sits on her son’s hospital bed March 5 at their home in Indianapolis. Her son, Dre Knox, was shot in the head in 2014 when he was 13 years old. Since then, he hasn’t been able to walk or talk. During the past two years, DeAndra has become a vocal advocate against gun violence.
The problem with shutting up DeAndra Yates’ son, Dre Knox, was shot in the head 2 years ago at a birthday party. He can no longer walk or talk, so DeAndra speaks for him. She calls herself ‘the mom that won’t shut up.’ By Annie Garau agarau@indiana.edu | @agarau6
INDIANAPOLIS — The house is filled with sounds as she expertly unwinds the plastic tube. Teenage boys roughhousing in the basement, women gossiping about cute men and then a small click as she connects the tube to the port leading into her son’s stomach. Without breaking conversation with her friends, DeAndra Yates pours a purée of watered-down banana mush into the measuring container and watches as it’s sucked down the twisting pipe and into the 15-yearold’s body. Leaning over her teenager’s hospital bed, she puts her face close to his. Dre Knox’s eyes float to the ceiling, his head lolling to the side as his mother kisses his cheek. “I love you,” she says. Dre doesn’t respond. In fact, it’s been more than two years since a word has crossed his lips. Ever since the birthday party, when bullets sliced through a crowd of teenagers, his only way of communicating has been through groans, incoherent cries and
sometimes a nod. He’s not the only quiet one. Witnesses have also stopped talking since the incident. DeAndra, though, has spoken to whomever will listen: police, reporters, activists and other parents. It’s been more than two years now, she will proudly tell anyone, and she still hasn’t shut up.
“If you know something, tell something. So no other mother has to sit here and give a press conference, begging and pleading for somebody to talk.” DeAndra Yates, gun awareness advocate
IU-Bloomington is putting on forums and receptions to meet three finalists for the vice provost for student affairs and dean of students position. The candidates are Teri Hall, associate vice president for campus life at Towson University; Beth Hellwig, vice chancellor of student affairs at University of WisconsinEau Claire; and Lori M. Reesor, a vice president for student affairs at the University of North Dakota. A search committee of 15 representatives from various parts of campus, including the IU Health Center, IU Police Department and IU Student Association, is seeking a replacement for current Dean of Students Harold “Pete” Goldsmith, who will be retiring June 30. The position entails directing the Division Student Affairs, supporting a campus climate conducive to learning and responsible citizenship, and overseeing 300 full-time staff members, according to a position specification posted to the executive vice president for University academic affairs website. Application reviews began March 15 and will continue until the position is filled, according to the website. Hall received her doctorate of philosophy in higher education administration and a minor in anthropology from IU in 1996. In addition to serving as Towson University’s associate vice president for campus life, she has been an assistant vice president for student involvement SEE CANDIDATES, PAGE 6
* * * It was Feb. 1, 2014, when chaperones asked a rowdy group to leave a birthday party. Minutes later, someone opened fire into the house filled with about 35 minors. Dre, then 13, was the only person hit. The bullet penetrated the bottom left side of his skull, causing severe and likely permanent brain damage. Though doctors told DeAndra that Dre likely wouldn’t live, she persisted in treatment, adding her son to America’s growing list of gun violence survivors. So far this year, 34 people have been killed with guns in Indianapolis, according to information from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police
Department. In the United States, an average of 297 people are shot each day, according to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Forty-eight of those victims are minors. Seven of those minors are killed, leaving 41 survivors. Some of them live with puffy scars, some with PTSD, some with feeding tubes and hospital beds. In the wake of these acts of violence, distraught parents are left to contemplate hospital bills and maybe funeral arrangements, case files and court dates. The dead, of course, can’t advocate SEE SHOOTING, PAGE 3
CANDIDATE FORUMS AND RECEPTIONS Teri Hall 4 p.m. forum 5 p.m. reception Wednesday IMU University Club Beth Hellwig 4 p.m. forum 5 p.m. reception April 25 IMU University Club Lori Reesor 4:30 p.m. forum 5:30 p.m. reception April 28 Whittenberger Auditorium
Swing College Democrats, Republicans debate backs up 5 roles for ‘Once’ By Laurel Demkovich
lfdemkov@indiana.edu | @laureldemkovich
By Maia Rabenold mrabenol@indiana.edu | @maialyra
If an actor is an understudy, they will typically have their own onstage role and practice their understudy role on the side in case of emergency. Luke Wygodny, however, is a swing in the musical “Once,” which is coming to the IU Auditorium on Tuesday night. He understudies five roles, each of which plays three to four instruments, and he has no onstage role of his own. During the 80 shows of the tour, Wygodny has not yet needed to perform for an audience. He spends every show in the basements of theaters practicing with the other understudies or out in the audience refreshing his memory of all five characters. “At the beginning of the tour, I would try to watch all five at the same time,” Wygodny said. “That’s when my mind wanted to explode a little bit. I’ve learned that it’s easier to just watch one person at a time, because you can’t take it all in at once.” The extra time Wygodny gets from not having to actually perform does have its benefits, he said. He has been able to travel. “Everywhere we go, the first thing I do is try to find a place where I can hike,” Wygodny said. “If it’s cold and there’s snow, I try to find a place where I can ski. I’m taking care of myself — I’m not SEE ONCE, PAGE 6
The College Democrats began their annual debate Monday evening with the College Republicans by recounting a 2012 scene in an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater. This scene started the debate’s first topic: gun control, specifically assault weapon regulation. “Assault weapons belong in theaters of war,” said Ari Hoffman, IU Democrats director of social events. “They don’t belong in movie theaters.” The College Republicans and the College Democrats also discussed United States’ involvement in Iraq and Syria and ratification of the Paris climate agreement. The groups met in Wright Formal Lounge and were joined by about 40 audience members and Brian DeLong, director of Indiana Debate and moderator for the night. Brian Gamache, IU Republicans chairman, debated the conservative side. Gamache argued having stricter regulations on weapons infringes on citizens’ Second Amendment rights. Gamache gave statistics on people killed during the past few years by guns versus how people were killed by using hands, fists or feet. The number of those killed without guns was 660 in 2014. “Almost three times as many people were killed by bare arms instead of people bearing arms,” Gamache said. Hoffman said there needs to be increased regulation on assault weapons. All rights have limits. Just as a citizen can’t call “fire” in a public place, a citizen should not be able to easily purchase an assault weapon, he said. “These things have to have limits when they infringe on the freedoms of other people to be able to operate with safety and with liberty that the Constitution guarantees them,”
DEONNA WEATHERLY | IDS
Ari Hoffman, democratic spokesperson for the College Democrats at Indiana University, speaks about the issues of guns getting into the wrong hands Monday at the Wright Formal Lounge.
Hoffman said. Gamache said the way to reduce gun violence in the U.S. is not through a piece of legislation, such as the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, but through sitting down and having a real conversation about it. “We need to make sure we’re actually having a conversation that’s going to have a real impact on reducing gun harm in this country,” Gamache said. The next topic debated was troop deployment in Syria and Iraq to fight ISIS. Nicole Keesling, IU Republicans’ external vice chairman, began the discussion. Keesling said she was in favor of troop deployment because the U.S. caused the spread of ISIS when it pulled out troops, destabilizing the region. She also said if ISIS is not stopped, it will continue to expand its violence across the world. When sending troops into these countries, Keesling said the U.S.
must work with other countries to defeat them. Debating the opposing side was IU Democrats President Kegan Ferguson. Ferguson said putting boots on the ground would not do anything in defeating ISIS. “I want you to remember that every time Nicole says ‘boots on the ground’ she’s talking about our families, our friends and the soldiers that would die on the lines fighting for our country,” Ferguson said. The final topic debated was the ratification of the Paris climate agreement. On the Democratic side was Mathi Tamilmani, IU Democrats’ treasurer. Tamilmani said climate change is hurting the U.S. economy and something needs to be done to attempt to solve it. Therefore, the U.S. should support the Paris climate agreement. “Climate change is slowly but surely — and as of late, not so slowly — becoming one of the
worst economic disasters we’ve ever faced in our countries,” Tamilmani said. On the Republican side was Reagan Kurk, IU Republicans’ technology director. Kurk agreed something needs to be done about climate change, but there need to be more additions to the agreement. Kurk said the agreement needs to be looked at by the Senate before the U.S. supports it. “It affects citizens,” Kurk said. “It affects you, and it affects me. We deserve to have a say on whether or not this agreement is ratified.” As he moderated the debate, DeLong said one of the best benefits of a debate like this is an increase in civil engagement. It’s an opportunity for people who disagree to come together and have civil discussions about it. “These students are our future leaders,” DeLong said. “They’re the ones who can turn things around.”