Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017 | Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com
Letter from the editor T
he Indiana Daily Student prides itself on its 150 years of independent journalism. We pride ourselves so much for it that it’s at the top of our website. Editorial independence gives us the protection to write stories that matter to students, such as how the University handles sexual assault cases, the understaffing of Counseling and Psychological Services and everything in between without oversight from the University. However, the Media School has started to make significant overreaching decisions that are threatening the independence of the IDS. This has all come to a
head with this week’s forced early resignation of our newsroom adviser and Director of Student Media Ron Johnson. Per our IU Student Media charter, signed by former University Chancellor Ken Gros Louis in 2005, the IDS and Arbutus yearbook are student-run organizations with a director appointed by the dean of the School of Journalism. But because they are student-run, all final decisions come down to the editor-in-chief. What students had no input on, though, was the “resignation” of Johnson, and what would come next.
For this academic year, Johnson took a 10 percent pay cut so the IDS could have a little more money. When that wasn’t enough, Johnson announced his resignation effective Jan. 1, 2018, so his salary, of which the IDS pays 75 percent, could continue funding the Daily Student’s operations. But for Media School Dean James Shanahan, Johnson’s departure wasn’t fast enough. The dean asked Johnson — with no warning or time to deliberate — to move his resignation date to Dec. 1, 2017. When he did not give a satisfactory answer, Johnson said, the dean
decided that Dec. 1 would be the date — a month earlier than planned. What sounds like a simple change of plans by a month speaks volumes to students, staff and alumni. Shanahan would not discuss the specifics of the decision, but he said it was purely financial. “The situation really is based out of financial consideration here,” Shanahan said in an interview with IDS editor-in-chief Jamie Zega. “We need to be able to move a little more quickly than is being moved right now.” SEE LETTER, PAGE 6
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IDS
VICTOR GAN | IDS
La Casa Latino Cultural Center constructs an altar to celebrate Dia de los Muertos. The event took place Wednesday evening in La Casa Cultural Center, First Nations Educational and Cultural Center, LGBTQ+ Culture Center and Canterbury House.
Life in death
Family, friends and hurricane victims honored in Día de los Muertos By Christine Stephenson cistephe@umail.iu.edu | @cistephenson23
T
he first floor of the La Casa Latino Cultural Center flooded with chatter and the smell of tamales and pan muerto, a sweet bread baked as part of the Día de los Muertos tradition. Students with faces painted like decorative skulls sat next to an elaborate altar filled with candles, fruit and items dedicated to loved ones who had died. Members of La Casa spent hours decorating the house as part of their Día de los Muertos celebration Wednesday night. Meaning Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos is a holiday primarily celebrated in Mexico that centers around family and friends gathering together to honor their deceased loved ones and support their spiritual journey. “It’s about remembering the people who came before us,” La Casa member Gonzalo Corral said. “It’s an important celebration because sometimes we forget our roots.”
“It’s a way to not only keep our loved ones alive in our hearts, but to also keep indigenous tradition alive.” Eric César Morales, La Casa member
Some visitors were not entirely familiar with the celebrations of Día de los Muertos. Some had never celebrated it until that night. For those who were new to the celebration, La Casa member Eric César Morales offered a simple explanation. “How many times do you die?” he asked the audience. The answer was three times. “The first is when your body dies, the second is when you’re buried, and the third is when you’re forgotten,” Morales said.
The goal of Día de los Muertos is to never have anyone reach their third death where they are forgotten, Morales said. People often place decorated altars in their homes to display items honoring loved one, Corral said. They also typically include items that are symbols of air, fire, earth and water. Candles, for example, can represent fire, and fruit can represent earth. Corral said that his favorite part of the day was getting together with friends to build the altar at La Casa, which paid homage particularly to the lives lost in recent natural disasters. On top of the altar were miniature flags of the areas affected, such as Mexico and Puerto Rico. There was also an altar set up in the First Nations Educational and Cultural Center where churros and hot chocolate were sold. The profits will be donated to victims of the hurricanes. SEE DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS, PAGE 6
Musician Ethan Gruska to perform at IU Auditorium By Adele Poudrier apoudrie@umail.iu.edu | @AdelePoudrier
Musician Ethan Gruska released his first solo album, "Slowmotionary" this year, creating raw and intimate music in a world that he said can feel so loud. Gruska will be Ray LaMontagne's special guest Nov. 4 at the IU Auditorium. His simplistic sound has gained recognition from publications such as the Los Angeles Times. One article included the headline, "L.A.'s next great writer? It might be Ethan Gruska." Gruska spoke to the Indiana Daily Student about releasing his first album and defining his sound. Indiana Daily Student How would you describe your sound? Gruska It’s hard to say. I guess for COURTESY PHOTO
SEE GRUSKA, PAGE 6
L.A. musician Ethan Gruska released his album “Slowmotionary” this year. Gruska will open for Ray LaMontagne at 8 p.m. Nov. 4 at the IU Auditorium.
this record, it’s just sort of this bare and vulnerable, dampened sound. There are just songs that have sparse and airy arrangements, but this is just this one record. I’ve worked on a lot of different kinds of music so it’s hard to describe a general sound, but this record is very sort of mellow and sparse. IDS With this being your first solo album after leaving the band Belle Brigade, what was important to you in defining your sound? Gruska This record for me was definitely a response to stuff that I had been doing with my other band with my sister. That band was all about energy and harmonies, and sort of fun and driving feeling. And I always wanted to make a record that sort of showed more of what I listened to when I was alone, which was Elliott Smith, Joni
Mitchell, Nick Drake. Those are the things I sort of gravitate toward when I’m just in a room by myself. So those were sort of the inspiration. And I just wanted to make a solo record that felt like me at the time and then that’s just sort of what came out. IDS A great deal of the album is very piano-based. Was there a reason you wanted it to be the primary instrument for this album? Gruska I grew up playing piano in my band Belle Brigade with my sister. I always played guitar, and I mainly wrote on guitar. That was just because, you know, I thought it was cooler when I was a teenager, but I actually don’t understand what I’m doing on guitar. Whereas on piano, I grew up SEE GRUSKA, PAGE 6
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NOV 11, 8 P.M. IU AUDITORIUM