I N D I A N A D A I LY S T U D E N T | F R I D AY, A U G . 2 8 , 2 0 1 5 | I D S N E W S . C O M
Indiana facing teacher scarcity
IDS
By Emily Beck emebeck@indiana.edu | @emebeck1
PHOTOS BY KATELYN ROWE | IDS
Patricia Yolanda Weave dances through the rows of audience members in the VIP section of Alumni Hall on Thursday. Weave was one of multiple acts to perform during the Pride Extravaganza Drag Show.
Stride with pride Drag queens perform in Alumni Hall to kick off celebration weekend By Lexia Banks lnbanks@indiana.edu | @LexiaBanks
Top DeAndre Jackson, Mr. Gay Indiana, whips off his wig during a performance at the Pride Extravaganza Drag Show. Bottom Raven, most known for being on “Ru Paul’s Drag Race,” performs during the Pride Extravanganza in Alumni Hall.
They owned the night with sequins, glitter and makeup as bright, bold and colorful as the rainbow lights flashing from the rafters of Indiana Memorial Union’s Alumni Hall. Drag queens from Bloomington and as far as Puerto Rico strutted down the runway and across the stage in Thursday’s Pride Extravaganza Drag Show. “A number of groups come to us and ask for support,” said Doug Bauder, office coordinator of IU’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Student Support Services. “We did not initiate this. This was — some of the community drag queens, I think, brought this together. They wanted to do something as a welcome event for incoming students, and they wanted to be out of the bar scene for younger students, wanted to do it on campus.” GLBTSSS was a sponsor of the event and one of the many service desks set up around the room, along with Spectrum, the Residence Halls Association and Positive Link HIV Services, which offered free HIV testing. “They did it in a residential hall last year, and it was so successful they thought they’d move it here,” Bauder said. “So it’s a welcome-back event for queer students and queer-friendly students — allies, of course. We thought it was a good idea when we heard about it last year and gave some money and did it again this year.” The doors opened for those with VIP tickets at 5:55 p.m. for a special meet and greet. At 6:15 p.m., the doors opened to the general public to peruse the various resource tables. Around 7:30 p.m., the red curtains closed and the lights dimmed, hushing the audience. Bloomington’s own Argenta Perón worked her way down the aisle in a skirt made of CDs that was quickly discarded by two male backup dancers as she launched into
A shrinking number of teachers across the state has left empty spots in some schools, especially in math, science and language positions. The number of teaching licenses issued in Indiana for the 2013-14 school year was down to 6,174, according to the Indiana Department of Education. Marc Lotter, the Indiana State Board of Education’s director of external relations, said the overall shortage is the result of a number of issues. Higher teacher expectations, lower pay, fewer college students studying education, the 2008 recession, retiring baby boomers, education reform and even a lower social status of teachers have all been cited as possible reasons for the shortage. “There’s not just one single cause,” Lotter said. Michael Hicks, an economics professor at Ball State University, said he thinks the shortage is simply a reflection of Indiana’s shrinking student enrollment. He said only one third of the state’s school corporations are growing, while the rest are either shrinking or stagnant. With fewer students, fewer teachers are needed. Hicks said the state’s teaching colleges are the ones with the biggest concerns because their enrollment numbers have suffered. “There are certainly schools having difficulty hiring,” he said, “but teachers’ colleges are facing a crisis because the monopoly they’ve held on teacher enrollment for 30 years has been fractured.” A budget plan signed by Gov. Mike Pence last May shifted the way money would be distributed to schools across the state. Under the plan, shrinking schools in urban and rural districts would receive fewer funds, while growing suburban schools would receive more. Hicks said this sort of legislation could potentially deter teachers from applying for jobs at schools that may end up laying them off within a few years. The average number of teacher retirements has doubled within recent years, according to the Indiana Public Retirement System. Accountability for student performance has increased, while pay has not. A beginning teacher salary is $33,574 in Indiana, according to the National Education Association, which reported that from 2002 to 2012 the average salaries for
SEE PRIDE, PAGE 6 SEE TEACHERS, PAGE 6
13 Bloomington events receive grant funding for 2016 Grant recipients Visit Bloomington will provide a combined total of $40,000 to 13 organizations for events to take place in 2016. Here are the winners of the grant.
Cassie Heeke
KIWANIS CLUB OF SOUTH CENTRAL INDIANA BALLOON FESTIVAL ARTISAN GUILDS OF BLOOMINGTON HOLIDAY SHOW MIDDLE COAST FILM FESTIVAL ARTS FAIR ON THE SQUARE LOTUS WORLD MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL USA INTERNATIONAL HARP COMPETITION
$3,000
HOOSIER HALF MARATHON
$3,000
ART & SOUL JURIED ART SHOW
$5,000
$4,500 $4,400
$4,200
$4,000
$3,700
$2,500
BLUES & BOOGIE WOOGIE PIANO FESTIVAL, $2,000 CARDINAL STAGE COMPANY HOLIDAY SHOW, $1,500 HILLBILLY HAIKU, $1,500 RAAS ROYALTY, $700 GRAPHIC BY ALEXA CHRYSSOVERGIS | IDS
NITY
The wait is over!
LIMESTONE COMEDY FESTIVAL
G ART TIN A R
2015–2016 SEASON
41
TICKETS ON SALE TODAY! 19
Thirteen annual Bloomington events have been chosen to receive portions of a $40,000 tourism marketing grant for 2016 from Visit Bloomington, according to a press release. The grant was developed to help promote and enhance new and existing events through marketing and advertising. Through these channels, the grant targets audiences outside a 50-mile radius of Monroe County. Applications for the grant were judged by a list of specific criteria. This included the ability to draw attendees from outside Monroe County, the ability to increase hotel occupancy and placement of the event during non-peak times of the year, according to the press release. The winners of the grant were Limestone Comedy Festival, awarded $5,000; Kiwanis Club of South Central Indiana Balloon Festival, awarded $4,500; Artisan Guilds of Bloomington Holiday Show, awarded $4,400; Middle
Coast Film Festival, awarded $4,200; Arts Fair on the Square, awarded $4,000; Lotus World Music & Arts Festival, awarded $3,700; USA International Harp Competition, awarded $3,000; Hoosier Half Marathon, awarded $3,000; Art & Soul Juried Art Show, awarded $2,500; Blues & Boogie Woogie Piano Festival, awarded $2,000; Cardinal Stage Company holiday show, awarded $1,500; Hillbilly Haiku, awarded $1,500; and Raas Royalty, awarded $700. Director of tourism for Visit Bloomington Julie Warren said in the press release this grant continues to be competitive because of the new events applying each year and former grant winners looking for new and innovative ways to reach audiences. “This grant is providing opportunities for audience development for each event but also overall growth to the local tourism industry, which will impact more than just these events,” Warren said in the press release.
INDIANA UNIVERSITY CE
CEL
From IDS reports
SI N
IUAUDITORIUM.COM