Sharps disposal poses a risk for students who need medical injections
By Ella Curlin elcurlin@iu.edu
In the minutes before her social psychology exam last semester, Shrayder Fischer, an IU junior studying clinical psychology, reached into her backpack for a pencil and accidentally pricked herself on a used needle.
“It like, bled all over my hand,” Fischer said. “I was like, ‘oh my gosh, everyone is looking at me, I have blood on me, I look so crazy.’”
This wasn’t the first time a used needle injured Fischer. Fischer has Type 1 diabetes, and from August 2023 to November 2024 she injected insulin up to six times a day, and constantly needed a container for the needles. If she forgot to pack a container, Fischer said she’d have to leave the needles in her bag.
“I can't even tell you how many times I would, like, dig through my backpack to either find a pen or a pencil or just a book, or even just to clean them out after a week or so, and I would poke myself with my needles,” Fischer said.
Used sharps, including hypodermic needles for medical injections, require safe storage in an FDAcleared container made of puncture-resistant, leakproof plastic. If thrown in the trash, used needles can cause injury and spread infection.
Some colleges, including the University of Iowa and DePaul University, install sharps boxes in public facilities like bathrooms. These containers, which are typically tamper-proof, can help provide safe disposal options for college students who take injections to treat medical conditions like diabetes, cancer, allergies or migraines.
Fischer said she’s never encountered options for sharps storage in any of IU’s public facilities. Neither has Lilly Grimes, a sophomore and founder of the Type One Society. Grimes injected insulin up to or more than a dozen times a day during her freshman year and often struggled to store her used needles.
“I would just have to carry used needles in my backpack or my purse,” Grimes said. “It's very scary, just like reaching in your bag, you could maybe poke yourself with a used needle.”
Grimes said carrying used needles her freshman year also became a source of social anxiety, and meant she frequently had to explain her medical circumstances to people she barely knew.
She was glad for the opportunity to increase visibility for diabetes, which she said can be a “silent struggle.”
But Grimes also wished she’d had disposal boxes in bathrooms on campus, which could also increase students’ awareness of conditions like diabetes while lifting the daily burden of needle disposal for students who use medical injections.
In 2023, current sophomore Lauren Holman gave a speech for her business presentations class about her experience carrying used needles home. Holman, who uses injections to treat eczema, told her class she wanted to improve disposal options on campus. Holman’s professor, Shelly Scott-Harmon, said she was startled that IU Bloomington did not have more options for sharps disposal.
SEE SHARPS, PAGE 4
‘Life saver’
A night at Bloomington’s winter emergency shelter
By Jack Forrest jhforres@iu.edu | @byjackforrest
Ben James has frostbite in his fingers. Pretty soon, he said, he could lose one of them.
The Bloomington resident has been without permanent shelter for four and a half years. In that time, he said, he’s been banned from Beacon’s Shalom Community Center and Wheeler Mission, local homeless shelters, and the public library. Two of those were after James got into confrontations with other people he said provoked him.
But James said he does what he can to help other unhoused people — he knows what it’s like to lay unconscious in the rain, stepped over by his fellow Bloomington residents.
SEE SHELTER, PAGE 5
IU receives letter threatening federal funds
The U.S. Department of Education warned 60 universities under investigation for alleged antisemitism
By Ella Curlin and Andrew Miller news@idsnews.com
The U.S. Department of Education said March 10 it sent letters to IU Bloomington and 59 other universities under investigation for “Title VI violations relating to antisemitic harassment and discrimination.” The department warned of enforcement including cutting federal funds. IU has not responded to a request for comment.
In February last year, the IDS obtained a letter sent in December 2023 from IU President Pamela Whitten to then-U.S. Rep. Jim Banks outlining IU’s safety measures and antisemitism prevention actions in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack.
That letter was in response to a November 2023 letter from Banks, who’s now a U.S. Senator, that warned IU could lose federal funding if it tolerated or condoned antisemitism. Many IU faculty members condemned Banks’ letter, saying it conflated pro-Palestinian political advocacy with antisemitism.
Reports of antisemitic incidents on college campuses have spiked since the start of the Israel-Hamas War in October 2023. At IU, Jewish students have reported encountering antisemitic harassment and threats.
The department’s civil rights office opened its investigation of IUB on Feb. 5, 2024, after Zachary Marschall, editor in chief of conservative media organization Campus Reform, filed a complaint about the university and several others. Marschall alleged IU didn’t adequately respond to antisemitism on campus.
Mark Bode, executive director of media relations at IU, said in February last year that IU was aware of and complying with the investigation.
In the department's March 11 press release, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said the universities under inves-
tigation could lose federal financial support.
“That support is a privilege and it is contingent on scrupulous adherence to federal antidiscrimination laws,” McMahon said.
On March 7, the Trump administration pulled $400 million in federal funding for Columbia University after continued high-profile protests, including large encampments last year.
That move followed a Jan. 29 executive order establishing new requirements for how officials and universities should respond to antisemitism. A White House statement published Jan. 30 about these executive orders characterized last year’s college protests as violent disruptions by “left-wing radicals” and “pro-Hamas aliens,” and indicated an intention to target those protesters for deportation and revoke student visas. Federal immigration agents March 8 detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist who is a lawful U.S. resident and previous graduate student at Columbia University, telling him his student visa was being revoked. He was later moved to an ICE processing center in Louisiana. A U.S. district judge blocked Khalil’s deportation March 11. Many protests, including one ongoing in Bloomington, are planned in response.
Refugees start over with support from community
By Nicole Blevins neblevin@iu.edu | @nblevins01
Editor’s Note: The Afghan refugees in this story requested to be identified by pseudonyms due to risks of their identity being tracked by the Taliban. The IDS took non-identifying photos of the subjects to have a visual element to the story without risking the safety of the subjects.
Pete Lenzen, 71, director of Bloomington Refugee Support Network, started his day with a coffee and pastry from Hive before driving seven Afghan refugees to their dental appointments in Indianapolis. He turned left out of the Hive parking lot and pulled up to the front doors of the Tulip Tree Apartments to pick up his first client, 27-year-old Zahra.
After getting into the front seat of Lenzen’s white 2024 Chrysler Pacifica, Zahra rode along to the next stop — an Afghan family’s home on the west side of Bloomington. Lailoma, 52, and four of her six children piled in, with all four kids cramming into the back three seats of the van.
Lailoma and Zahra greeted each other in Dari, a dialect of Persian. They have all met several times before, as Lenzen always
made a point to introduce Afghan families to each other who came to Bloomington as refugees.
“Hello, good morning!”
Lailoma said to Lenzen.
“Good morning,” he said.
Lailoma and her third oldest son, Amir, 17, had appointments. Sorosh, 15, Freshta, 12 and Mehronaz, 10, came along for the ride.
Lenzen thought it was good for the other kids to join so they could be exposed to different surroundings in the United States.
They began the nearly hour-long drive to Familia Dental, an office Lenzen chose because of its Medicaid insurance advertisement. Lenzen said for families coming to America to start over, appointments in Bloomington tend to be difficult to schedule and much more expensive. His goal for the families is to help them reach financial independence and he is committed to helping them in the meantime.
“He is like our grandfather, even though our grandfathers wouldn’t be as patient.
I love him.”
Zahra, Bloomington Refugee Support Network client
When Lenzen was a U.S. Navy Nuclear Engineering Officer in 1980, he helped to rescue men, women and children who were fleeing Vietnam by boat. He later went on to work with the United Nations in Seoul. There, he volunteered at Mother Teresa Missionaries of Charity to help abandoned women and children. When he returned to the U.S., he worked in various factories across the country but eventually joined his family in Bloomington when he retired in 2016 — the same year Diane Legomsky founded RSN. Lenzen learned about the organization and quickly decided to join as a board member the same year to give back to his community. He became the director in 2021. Through RSN, he and about 20 other volunteers have helped over 200 families find their footing in the U.S. after fleeing persecution from their home countries.
According to a report from the Office of Homeland Security Statistics, 60,050 refugees were admitted into the country during 2023, the same year Zahra came to the U.S. On Jan. 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order suspending the United States Refugee Ad-
COURTESY PHOTO Mehronaz, Zahra and Freshta wait in line to check out on Feb. 22, 2025, at Walmart across from Familia Dental in Indianapolis. Lenzen asked Zahra to take the young girls to buy erasers and colored pencils so they could draw while waiting for their mother and brother’s appointments to conclude.
missions Program for 90 days. U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead ruled to block Trump’s executive order on Feb. 25. However, The Associated Press reported Feb. 27 that refugee aid groups said their “cooperative arguments with the State Department had been cancelled,” claiming the Trump administration is trying to “circumvent” the court order. For Zahra and Lailoma’s family, leaving Afghanistan for the United States may have saved their lives.
*** Zahra was a student at American University of Afghanistan in Kabul when the Taliban attacked in August 2021. They had previously attacked the university in 2016. Zahra said the university was always under threat of the Taliban because they thought the students were being converted to Christianity by Americans.
Zahra was instructed to evacuate at midnight without saying goodbye to her family. She didn’t want them to worry, so she told them she was safe. She arrived at a camp in Kabul where she was told she would remain safe for seven days and was escorted to the airport to leave for Qatar.
SEE REFUGEES, PAGE 4
JACK FORREST | IDS
Beds and chairs sit inside First Christian Church's Great Room on Feb. 20, 2025, in Bloomington. Over 30 people without shelter stayed in the church that night.
‘Challenge the broligarchs’: community attends IU Women’s March
By Ella Curlin and Deshna Venkatachalam news@idsnews.com
Freshman Maggie Williams attended her first march in 2017 when her mom took her to the women’s march in Indianapolis.
“I stood in that day hoping and praying that I would not have to worry about the things that I was being told and listening to,” Williams said. “I’m still here. I’m 19, and I’m still worrying about them.”
On March 9, over 70 people gathered at Showalter Fountain for the IU Women’s March. Williams, organizer of the demonstration, collaborated with Theta Nu Xi, Women in Government, Girl Up at IU and IU Student Government to plan the event focused on community and solidarity.
Williams began planning the march in December when she started feeling a sense of helplessness following the 2024 election. She pitched the idea of a women’s march to multiple campus organizations, and since then, she’s regularly met with student leaders to arrange details.
Local bands Bachelorette and Opal performed live music and Pili’s Party Taco brought in a food truck. Club booths offered supplies for attendees to make posters.
Some demonstrators carried signs advocating for transgender rights, abortion access, equal pay and other political causes.
“Equal pay, cause we slay,” one read.
Junior Graciana Leonard, one of the attendees, held a sign reading, “Women’s rights are human rights” in pink and purple lettering.
Leonard said the state and federal governments are challenging women’s rights.
“I think it’s important to understand that reproduc-
tive rights are human rights for women,” Leonard said. “It’s not just a women’s issue; it’s a human right’s issue.”
After performances from the live bands, Williams introduced a speech from senior lecturer in the international studies department Nicole Serena Kousaleos, whose research has focused on gender violence and hu-
man rights.
Kousaleos encouraged attendees to speak out for women’s bodily autonomy.
“It is time to stand up and stand together, to stand shoulder to shoulder, to challenge the broligarchs who want to shut us up and tell us, ‘Your body, my choice,’” Kousaleos said.
Students Lucy Schoettle
ACTION ticket wins popular vote in IUSG executive election
By Kendall Geller kmgeller@iu.edu
The ACTION for IUSG ticket won the 2025 IU Student Government executive election, according to preliminary results released by IUSG Election Director Jack Tyndall. ACTION for IUSG received 54.38% of the total vote, while the second-place ticket, EMPOWER for IUSG, received 45.61%.
Sophomores Zach Goldberg and Ava Smith make up the ACTION ticket and emphasized three core pillars during their campaign: safety, community and success. President-elect Goldberg is the current secretary of federal relations under the FUSE administration, while Smith is new to IUSG but is involved in Greek life and IU Dance Marathon.
ACTION’s platform included hosting IUSG-sponsored events to increase its campus presence and expanding sexual assault prevention resources. They also claimed to support
measures bolstering financial accessibility, such as improving access to course materials and advocating for federal funding opportunities like Pell Grants by meeting with U.S. Congress ional representatives. A more detailed version of their platform can be found on the official policy document linked on their Instagram, @ actionforiusg.
Tyndall released preliminary voting results on the IUSG website just after 10 p.m. March 6, a little over 24 hours after voting closed on March 5. In a statement on
the IUSG website, Tyndall said there were 5,389 votes cast in the election, “a huge increase” from last spring.
Tyndall said in an email that IUSG bylaws require him to publicize results within 48 hours of the end of the voting period; however, these results are not final and are subject to change pending certification by the IUSG Supreme Court. This certification will take place prior to the inauguration on April 15, where the chief justice will swear in the president-elect and vice president-elect.
and Casey Krusch also advocated for bodily autonomy with signs protesting antiabortion laws.
In August 2023, Indiana implemented Senate Enrolled Act 1. SEA 1 eliminated all state licensure of abortion clinics and required them to be performed in licensed hospitals instead. Additionally, the law placed limits on
By Natalia Nelson nelsonnb@iu.edu
Despite Whitten’s 28% pay raise, her base salary sits at the lower end compared to that of other Big Ten presidents. The IU Board of Trustees gave President Pamela Whitten a 28% raise at its February meeting, bringing her salary up to $900,000 a year and extending her contract until 2031.
The board has awarded Whitten several bonuses since beginning her presidency in 2021 with an annual base salary of $650,000. It gave her a $162,500 bonus in August 2023 and a $175,500 bonus in August 2024.
Despite the raise, Whitten’s salary sits slightly below the Big Ten Conference’s average presidential base salary of $969,418. Her previous base salary made her the second lowest-paid Big Ten president, though that does not include bonuses, deferred compensation and at-risk pay, which can shake up the order.
Neeli Bendapudi has been Penn State’s president since 2022 with a base salary of $950,000. She is set to receive two five-year completion bonuses, the first being $1.25 million. The second, which she will receive in 2032, was increased Feb.
who has access to abortion services.
Abortions are only permitted if the procedure is necessary to prevent any serious health risk of the pregnant individual, if the fetus is diagnosed with a lethal fetal anomaly up until 20 weeks post-fertilization or until 10 weeks if the pregnancy is result of rape or incest.
Gigi Rivera, co-president of WIG, helped plan the women’s march. In 2022, Rivera protested Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s visit to campus. His visit included a discussion of Indiana’s near total abortion ban.
Rokita has campaigned for anti-abortion measures extensively, including coleading a multi-state coalition defending a Georgia law prohibiting most abortions after heartbeat, which usually occurs about 5-6 weeks after conception.
“By helping preserve prolife laws in other states, we can prevent precedents that might endanger pro-life laws here in Indiana,” Rokita said in a December press release.
Rivera said protesting Rokita’s 2022 visit inspired her to aid in planning this event, which she saw as an opportunity for community building on campus.
“We want women to feel like they have a community at this campus, in this town, as well as that they still take up space,” Rivera said. “Though there have been a lot of messages that discourage this in our government and our news recently, we all stay together.”
Williams’ mother and grandmother both attended the march to support her. Mary Pat Sharpe, her grandmother, was also politically active in college and hopes that advocacy for women’s rights won’t continue to be necessary.
In the meantime, Williams hopes to create a committee or club that continues this kind of advocacy. “I would not be standing here today if it weren’t for the efforts of the women that came before me. Those who stood up, never backed down and took blow after blow in an effort to get you all here to where we are today,” Williams said. “I will not go back.”
2024 by Penn State’s Board of Trustees to $1.5 million. Her annual retirement plan more than doubled last February from $255,000 to $555,000 a year. Ohio State’s Ted Carter Jr. received a $164,368 bonus to his $1.1 million base salary last August.
USC’s president Carol Folt has the highest base pay of the Big Ten at $1.4 million. USC is one of two private universities in the Big Ten, the other being Northwestern. Its president Michael Schill earned $405,139 between September 2022 and December 2022, but it is unclear what his base salary is. His predecessor Morton Schapiro made $1.2 million the same year.
Michigan’s president, Santa Ono, received a 28% raise in 2024 to bring his salary up to $1.3 million and a contract extension to remain president until 2032. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education’s August 2024 pay statistics, the raise would make him the fourth-highest-paid public university president in the nation.
Purdue’s Mung Chiang’s base salary is $420,000,
DESHNA VENKATACHALAM | IDS
A crowd gathers to shout chants about women’s rights and bodily autonomy March 9, 2025, at Showalter Fountain in Bloomington. IU freshman Maggie Williams organized the IU Women’s March.
DESHNA VENKATACHALAM | IDS
Bloomington-based rock band Opal performs at the IU Women’s March on March 9, 2025, at Showalter Fountain in Bloomington. IU freshman Maggie Williams invited them and another local band, Bachelorette, to perform.
DESHNA VENKATACHALAM | IDS
IU students Ella Dyer and Isha Elandassery pose with signs March 9, 2025, in front of the IU Auditorium in Bloomington. Many attendees of the IU Women’s March made signs with similar slogans.
JACK FORREST | IDS
The IU Student Government logo is pictured on a sign Sept. 30, 2024, in the IUSG office in the Indiana Memorial Union. The 2025 election results were announced late Thursday night, with the ACTION ticket winning.
The story behind Bloomington’s newest bakery for dogs
By Mike Badrov section@idsnews.com | @idsnews
The Little Black Dog Bakery is Bloomington’s newest culinary addition, but with a unique focus: it specializes in treats for dogs. Run entirely from her home kitchen, 33-year-old Bloomington native Claire Vesyoly brought her childhood passion to the community.
Vesyoly’s childhood love of dogs and her lifelong passion for baking inspired her to open the bakery. Her mother, Michele Stebbins, said baking was built into Vesyoly’s childhood.
“I’m from an ItalianAmerican family,” Stebbins said. “I’m from the East Coast, so lots of baking is going on there. You just do what you do, and then what you know rubs off on your kids.”
Vesyoly attended Ivy Tech Community College in Bloomington for culinary school. She created the blueprint for the bakery’s
future menu during a class assignment. Following her education, Vesyoly landed in the Bloomington restaurant circuit. She started at The Elm and ultimately became the head pastry chef at Feast Market & Cellar for about seven months. It was in the professional world that Vesyoly’s confidence in her future reached a new high.
“That was when it seemed real,” Vesyoly said. “It was really like, ‘Oh my god, I can do this. Like, I could actually do this.’”
That’s when she took the leap. Vesyoly left Feast in October with plans to start her own bakery — for people and pets — out of her kitchen. With no job, only scraps of a plan and a dream, Vesyoly pressed forward. She officially opened Little Black Dog in December of last year. Where others might be worried about their daughter leaving their job, Stebbins thought the move made perfect sense.
“It suits her perfectly,” Stebbins said. “Claire is always best on her own. Not that she doesn’t work well with others, but I think she is very creative, and so for her not to have to follow somebody else’s ideas and itinerary and schedule, it suits Claire.”
Vesyoly drew from French-Canadian techniques for the pastry base and her father’s Japanese background for design inspiration. She said her background in theater design helped with the overall incorporation of her creativity into the final designs. Vesyoly pointed out that her Salted S’mores Cake used the inspiration of Japanese shrines for its baked meringue toppings. Her menu now features 24 cakes, 22 cheesecakes, five different tarts, 12 pies, 11 different cookies, five brownie types, five quiches and 22 breakfast pastries. There’s another section of the menu which includes
nine different biscuits and six different cakes designed specifically for canine consumption.
The bakery would not be here without Vesyoly’s love for humankind’s furry friends. Dogs cannot have a lot of what humans eat, such as chocolate, so Vesyoly found workarounds that dogs would still enjoy.
In resourceful fashion, she went straight to the source: her very own little black dogs, Coffee and Fiona.
“Fiona will eat anything, but Coffee tends to be a little pickier,” Vesyoly said. “The tail starts to go, sniffs at it, he’ll take stuff and he’ll hide it. I usually figure if I find it later, it means he did not like it and if it is gone, then I assume he ate it, and I think he liked it.”
Vesyoly uses ingredients like peanut butter and honey for her dog treats to ensure that no pup walks away with an upset stomach. Local veterinarian Dr.
Vishnu Munagala said those ingredients are fine choices for dogs.
“Most of the times peanut butter and honey are very safe if they do not have xylitol which is very harmful,” Munagala said. “In moderation peanut butter is a great treat, and rarely do dogs have an allergy to peanuts.”
Vesyoly’s 15 different dog treats don’t include xylitol, a sugar found in some fruits, she said. She uses organic peanut butter which is safe for all dogs to devour.
Her trial and error paid off, along with her creative efforts. Little Black Dog Bakery is gaining traction in Bloomington, and Vesyoly has a stream of four to five orders per week from the community.
She once made a dogedible gender reveal cake where the dog would eat the outer layer to reveal the gender of the customer’s baby. Vesyoly said she finds joy in the more creative projects
and
Protesters march to court during hearing
By Safin Khatri and Ben LeGrand news@idsnews.com
Around 30 pro-Pales-
tinian protesters gathered outside the Monroe County Circuit Court’s doors March 11, waiting to enter in support of two IU Divestment Coalition organizers charged with disorderly conduct.
They stayed outside the doors for nearly an hour until about 2 p.m., ultimately let in for the short initial hearing. After the hearing, one protester said they had hoped the charges — two filed due to the organizers’ alleged disruption of a January Bloomington Faculty Council Meeting and one on the same day of a June Board of Trustees meeting — would be dropped.
A variety of reasons brought the protesters out to the courthouse, including supporting the organizers Anna Sowka and Camryn Tuggle, and to protest the recent crackdown against the pro-Palestinian movement nationwide.
Among those concerns was the recent detention of Columbia University graduate, Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder, for his involvement in the university’s protests and encampment regarding the IsraelHamas war.
“As the Trump admin-
istration escalates its repression, we recognize that this moment calls for unity amongst students, faculty, and staff,” the Instagram post announcing the protest read. “This moment demands labor to be withheld, it demands strikes, it demands that we fight for Mahmoud.”
The protest started noon Tuesday at Showalter Fountain, where speeches ultimately led into a march to the court hearing. Around 40 to 50 protesters participated in the march. Demonstrators, including students and faculty, donned keffiyehs and distributed masks to other attendees as they gathered and chanted.
“Free, free Palestine,” they chanted. Afterward, organizers stood on the fountain’s rim, condemned Khalil’s detention and urged protesters to not back down in case of retaliation from the university.
Right before 12:30 p.m., the protesters began their march down the Seventh Avenue sidewalk, passing Woodburn Hall, the Indiana Memorial Union, Chabad House of Bloomington and Sigma Chi Fraternity.
The Sigma Chi house, on cease and desist since Nov. 5 , played cornhole on the
front lawn and blasted the “Star-Spangled Banner” as protesters walked by.
The Trump Administration ordered the cancelation of $400 million in grants to Columbia University on March 7 due to the university’s alleged inaction to protect Jewish students.
On Monday, the Department of Education said it sent letters to IU and dozens of other universities threatening to pull federal funding if universities do not act regarding alleged “Title VI violations relating to antisemitic harassment and discrimination.”
IUPD monitored protesters as they marched through campus along Seventh Street and Indiana Avenue.
As the demonstrators marched down Kirkwood Avenue, they were met with mixed public reaction, with some drivers booing the crowd, while others honked their horns in support, garnering cheers from protesters. Several Monroe County Sheriff Deputies shadowed the demonstrators. At approximately 1 p.m., protesters arrived outside the Charlotte Zietlow Justice Center, which houses the Monroe Circuit Court where Sowka and Tuggle’s initial hearings were held.
Around 10 county sheriff deputies and bailiffs watched over the lobby of the building, as protesters were told they were not allowed to enter the court until 2 p.m. for the hearings.
“We were alerted there was a large crowd that was gathering near the courthouse and was heading to the Justice Building,” Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Colonel Randy Jackson said. “Just as a precautionary thing with the courts, we had some additional deputies come in just to make sure there wasn’t a problem because we weren’t really sure what the gathering was about.”
As the protesters waited outside the building, around eight people on the front lawn of a house across North College Avenue blasted “Born in the U.S.A.” by Bruce Springsteen, among other songs, and held an American flag directed at the protesters as they continued to boo them.
Protesters began filing into the courthouse, before entering the circuit court around 40 minutes later until 2 p.m. for the initial hearings. Every seat was taken in the courtroom.
The initial hearing was brief, and Circuit Court
Judge Mary Ellen Diekhoff didn’t drop the charges as a protester told the IDS they hoped would happen. Both organizers were assigned public defenders
The IDS spoke to both Sowka and Tuggle after the hearing, both declined to comment about their charges, but Tuggle gave a statement to the IDS about the movement.
“I just want to say thank you to everyone who came out here, but especially in support of Mahmoud Khalil, who has been detained by ICE,” Tuggle said.
She also said she wants people to focus on Palestinians in Gaza and those impacted by Trump’s policies.
“I want everyone to keep their eyes on Gaza, Sudan and Kashmir and yes, free Palestine,” Tuggle said.
After the hearing, protesters gathered at the justice center’s steps. One organizer said that they’d continue their demonstrations, planning a protest that will take place from March 31 to April 4.
“I think that something like this can feel very isolating, and we want to show solidarity with our friends,” recent IU graduate Soha Vora said. “I hope that it sends a message to IU as well, to show that despite their attempts to silence us, we’ll show out in numbers and that we’re not afraid.”
she gets to work on for customers.
“I love being able to see what, what kind of things people want, and what kind of flavors they want, but being able to design it in a way where you send it off and they open that box, it’s a wow,” Vesyoly said.
Vesyoly will look to expand the business — still operating in her house — this summer in the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market at Showers Common. She’s confident her edge in being a bakery for dogs in Bloomington will help attract customers with pets in town.
“My whole family has been really supportive, and my mom has been a very big help, helping me learn how this all works and providing emotional inspiration since my childhood,” Vesyoly said. “I really have enjoyed my time with the bakery; it’s been wonderful, and a dream come true to be able to do this.”
Bike lane barriers to expand
By Jack Forrest jhforres@iu.edu
Bloomington is expanding its traffic barriers alongside East Third Street bike lanes, according to a press release March 7. The barriers, meant to improve safety and accessibility, will be installed in the painted buffer between the bike and vehicle lanes on South Indiana and South Rose Avenue. Weather permitting, the installation will take place over IU’s spring break from March 17-22,
barriers, a rubber vehicle stop and an engineered barrier called “CycleLane.” According to manufacturer TrafficLogix, CycleLane barriers are also made of rubber and include a two-sided design. The bicycle side is sloped to guide bikers back into their lane, while the motor vehicle side is elevated to keep motorists out. According to the release, the CycleLane barriers have been more durable than the rubber stops. During the expansion this March, the city will replace the rubber stops with CycleLane or similar barriers and fill in remaining gaps between Indiana and Rose Avenues. Barriers won’t be installed at bus stops, intersections with necessary turns or driveways, the release stated. The installation will require lane restrictions and flagging operations on East Third Street. Bloomington is also reinstalling four-way traffic stops on Seventh Street after a Bloomington Transit bus collided with a bicyclist in January. Last month, a city and county committee approved a plan outlining transportation needs through 2050, including community feedback about improvements to cycling infrastructure. The city adopted a “Safe Streets for All” plan last year, which aims to reduce deaths or serious injury on the roads to zero by 2039.
Little Black Dog Bakery owner Claire Vesyoly is pictured Jan. 26, 2025, in her home’s kitchen in Bloomington. Vesyoly began taking orders at her bakery in December 2024.
MCKENZIE VITALE | IDS
Protesters gather outside the Charlotte Zietlow Justice Center on March 11,
Tuggle,
“I and the rest of the class, her classmates, were like, this just makes sense. Why is this not a thing?” ScottHarmon said. “So I told her at the end of the semester, I said, ‘you know, if you ever want to pursue this, I'd be happy to support you in that any way I can.’”
Scott-Harmon said she
From Qatar she flew to Kurdistan, Iraq, where she lived for a year and a half continuing her studies and waiting for her U.S. visa to be approved. Zahra arrived in Bloomington in January 2023 through Exodus Refugee Immigration and enrolled at IU to complete her undergraduate degree in economics. She now texts with her family, who are still in Afghanistan, every morning and calls them at
worries for the safety of students, faculty and visitors alike, and she wants sharps disposal to be more publicly accessible on campus.
Beginning in spring 2024, Holman and Scott-Harmon met up to investigate solutions. But in the year since, Scott-Harmon said they haven’t made much progress.
Scott-Harmon first reached out to IU Housing,
least once a week. Zahra first met Lenzen about two months after resettling in Bloomington through a mutual friend who he previously helped with resettlement. Zahra needed a ride to her early morning medical check-up. Lenzen took the opportunity to assess her needs as a new refugee in the United States, like with all his clients. He helps them buy groceries, set up utilities, pay rent and assist with any medical needs.
When Lailoma’s family
and while the IU Housing website states that its center desks offer containers for needle disposal to residents, Scott-Harmon said representatives told them needle storage boxes were not installed in public locations due to concerns about tampering.
Scott-Harmon also said she contacted representatives with the Accessible Educational Services and the student health center, who
came to the U.S. through Exodus in January 2024, they spoke little English and didn’t have many resources. In Afghanistan, Lailoma’s husband, Zahid, 48, was a professional musician, but the Taliban did not respect musicians. He also helped women learn to play music and worked with Americans, two other reasons the Taliban could target Zahid specifically. They left to not only protect themselves, but the family they had to leave behind.
They flew to Dubai,
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did not provide her the locations of any publicly accessible sharps disposal boxes.
Drew Bogenschutz, director of AES, said over email that while AES works with students to provide classroom accessibility measures on a case-by-case basis, students are responsible for providing personal medical devices, including sharps storage containers. Julia Nowak, IU Police
Dubai to Kuwait, and Kuwait to Qatar, where they stayed for a total of 37 days. Their son Barez, 24, left 10 days before, spending 47 days in Qatar before they all came to the U.S. together.
Once they obtained their documents, they flew to Chicago, then to Indianapolis and received a ride from the airport to Bloomington. They stayed two weeks in the Homewood Suites hotel before finding permanent housing.
Lailoma and Zahid met
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Department patrol officer and public information officer, said over email that IU Environmental Health and Safety does not manage sharps boxes for personal medical use.
Scott-Harmon said she’s not sure where to turn.
“Everybody seems to think somebody else, you know, should be doing it,”
Scott-Harmon said. Fischer said she would
Lenzen through other Afghan families settled in Bloomington who worked with him in the past. The families told them Lenzen was like an angel. They brought Lenzen to Lailoma and Zahid’s home to introduce him, immediately offering them assistance. He helped them find a TV for the kids, buy a computer for work and school, set up a Wi-Fi network and has taken them several times to the grocery store and medical appointments. “Without Pete, it was
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like to see IU install sharps disposal boxes in campus buildings, to increase accessibility and take the burden off of people who need injections.
“Having any sort of illness or accessibility, quote unquote, issue, is hard enough as is,” Fischer said. “To not have a proper place to put the things that I need to survive is like, it kind of wears down.”
difficult to live here,” Zahid said.
The van was kept clean for Lenzen’s passengers, except for the salt stains on the floor mats and fingerprints on the air vents. A half-full drink from Wendy’s was left in the cup holder behind the front passenger seat, still frozen from being left in the van overnight.
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Amir had headphones around his neck and Sorosh kept one AirPod in his right ear. The girls downloaded a piano tiles music app on their mother’s phone to keep them busy, with the song “Please Please Please” by Sabrina Carpenter escaping from the speakers.
They arrived at Familia Dental just before 1 p.m., which was the time of Lailoma’s and Amir’s appointments. Zahra’s appointment wasn’t until 2 p.m.
When they walked into the small waiting room with 16 chairs, a wall-mounted TV played an old television series before it later switched to “Phineas and Ferb.” Three sticky hand toys were stuck to the ceiling.
Lenzen checked in the three appointments and grabbed two clipboards, pencils and paper for the girls to draw.
“He is like our grandfather, even though our grandfathers wouldn’t be as patient,” Zahra said. “I love him.”
Mehronaz said she wants to be a dancer and singer when she grows up. Freshta wants to be a doctor. Her favorite subject in school is math, but she found a talent with art, too.
The girls spent the rest of their time in the waiting room drawing, playing the piano game and watching cartoons on the TV. Sorosh kept the AirPod in his ear and mostly stared at his phone. Zahra began braiding Mehronaz’s hair before she was called back for her appointment.
Lailoma and Amir came out to the waiting room about 30 minutes later. The dentist handed them dental care supplies with rubber ducks and sticky hand toys included inside. The kids started slapping each other with them, their mother giving them a look of disapproval with a slight smirk beginning to show.
Mehronaz looked at the toys stuck to the ceiling as inspiration, as she managed to stick one right above where she was standing. Mischievously, she looked at her siblings.
“Now there’s four,” she said giggling.
All dental bills were paid by RSN, which spends nearly $10,000 each year for medical purposes, and a total of over $40,000 yearly to help with various needs. The 501(c)3 non-profit receives grants and donations from the city, local community foundations, charities, faith
On Feb. 20, James was one of 32 guests at the Bloomington Severe Winter Emergency Shelter, a temporary, entirely volunteerrun shelter which opens on nights of extreme cold conditions. It has fewer barriers to entry than other local shelters — no programs, no sobriety requirement and no bans. They even allow dogs.
Without it, he’d be left to the elements in a week which saw low temperatures in the single digits. The work of volunteers and heat of the Kirkwood Avenue church were what kept him and other unhoused people warm — and alive.
But Caleb Hoagland, shelter volunteer coordinator, said they need more volunteers. They need more donations. They need spring to come.
“I just don’t want to see people in my community freeze to death,” Hoagland said.
It’s 8:30 p.m. — check-in time.
“Send up the first two women, please!” Isabel Piedmont-Smith, this volunteer shift’s lead and city council vice president yelled.
Less than a week later, a person who claimed to be a former volunteer at the shelter demonstrated with a gun outside City Hall, distributing flyers with QR codes saying they were banned for criticizing city council members volunteering at a “shelter that they facilitated the conditions for creating.” That person also alleged other volunteers had misgendered them; Hoagland told The B Square Bulletin he wasn’t aware of those allegations. He added the shelter always makes an effort to priori-
communities, individuals and board members to help sponsor the families.
Zahid has been asked to perform several times at events since arriving in Bloomington. Two of his sons and youngest daughter have even joined, too, playing and singing a traditional Afghan song: “Sarzamine Man” by Dawood Sarkhosh, or “My Land.”
“I have become homeless,” the lyrics translate to English. “I have moved from one home to another. Without you, I have always been with sorrow shoulder to shoulder.”
Lailoma and Zahid gave up their livelihood to keep their family safe, but that meant starting again from nothing. Zahid wanted to start working right away but was encouraged to learn English before finding a job. He began work as a custodian for IU after five months of being in the U.S. They re-
tize transgender people and does not stand for that behavior.
For over the next hour, volunteers downstairs sent shelter guests in line outside up the steps and elevator to the hallway into First Christian Church’s Great Hall. Piedmont-Smith, along with two volunteers, greeted them.
To each new arrival, a volunteer asked which belongings they’d like stored in a separate room and which they’d like with them. Suitcases, bags and a shopping cart rigged with tarps and blankets were checked; a baby doll, a pillow and a small dog in a pink sweater named Sophia stayed with their owners.
Though the shelter is low barrier, no drugs are allowed inside. On the check-in table sat a needle disposal container. All medications are checked in at the front, too.
“An extra foot of space might not seem like anything to us, but to a woman who’s on the street who has, I guarantee you, experienced horrible trauma, that foot of space can make a huge difference.”
Caleb Hoagland, shelter volunteer coordinator
Next, the guests went through a metal detector check. Laurie Riggins, a lecturer at the IU School of Medicine who also volunteers at Beacon, operated the “magic wand.” “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Laurie,” she said before scanning one person. Volunteers knew another woman didn’t like the detector around her head, so Riggins made sure to oblige.
lied on financial support from Exodus and RSN in the meantime, but they lost their food stamps after Zahid had been working for two months.
His two oldest sons, Barez and Rezwan, 19, also got jobs as custodians to help support their family’s financial expenses, like rent, utilities and food. But Zahid was unexpectedly let go after six months of working. He has not been able to find a job since. Rezwan hopes he will eventually be able to enroll in university. Refugees coming to Indiana over the age of 18 are typically unable to go to high school because of the 40-credit requirement to graduate, even if they need more of an education. They are encouraged to work and obtain a GED, Lenzen said. However, Zahid said his daughters are happy to go to school. They are on track to receive more of an education than they would be able to in Afghanistan. Under the Taliban rule, girls are not to
have an education beyond sixth grade.
According to a report published by UNESCO in December 2024, 1.4 million girls in Afghanistan have been denied access to secondary education since 2021. Although primary school is still accessible, 1.1 million fewer girls have been enrolled since 2019. Since December 2022, 100,000 Afghan women have been denied access to higher education.
Zahra completed her undergraduate degree at IU during the summer of 2024 and began her graduate studies in international affairs in the fall. She wants to be an advocate for refugees in the U.S. who have to completely transform their lives.
“This life is not luxury for us,” Zahra said. “This is not our dream.”
She had to leave behind a large family, festivals and celebrations. The transition to living alone, eating by herself and having to do everything independently is
Riggins said the shelter serves people with a wide range of temperaments and mental illnesses, which makes it important for volunteers to be present and not rush. She pays special attention to learning names and making eye contact with guests, she said, because people walking by on the street often don’t even look at unhoused people. Each guest got a number or letter to mark their belongings and bed. The shelter, which started in 2024 as a collaboration between local faith communities, prioritizes women because of a lack of sufficient shelter tailored to them. In 2023, shortly before the start of the Bloomington Severe Winter Emergency Shelter, Wheeler Mission closed its emergency women’s shelter. Hoagland said while fewer women experience homelessness than men, they tend to have worse experiences on the street.
Next, they let in men who are elderly or otherwise medically frail. Then come all other unhoused men. The shelter also allows guests to reserve spots in advance during periods of cold like this week. The volunteers’ work began about an hour before
check-in. They set out mattresses in lines in the Great Room, fitting each with sheets, pillows and a blanket. Next to the beds they set chairs for guests to put their belongings with a piece of tape reading the number or letter. They also set out coffee, earplugs and snacks donated from local churches.
When guests finished in the hallway, volunteer Kaity Crow, a social work major at IU, directed them where to go. There were a few adjustments, including for a couple who came together and a pair of friends who wanted to be by each other, but the guests began to grab snacks and settle in the 30 beds.
But the night wasn’t over yet. A guest put a Bodyarmor sports drink in the automated external defibrillator box, which volunteers worried would automatically call emergency services. A man showed up downstairs yelling for his shopping cart. The guest who’d checked it in admitted it was the other man’s, and the volunteers returned it.
One woman, a shelter guest, began yelling at another man — she was having a “bad day,” as some volunteers described it. So they moved her mattress farther
cording to Islamic law. Halal markets exclude products with alcohol or pork derivatives. Meat and poultry have to be slaughtered in a specific way to minimize suffering and ensure cleanliness.
The boys stayed in the car, but everyone else went inside.
“Do you want to get gummy bears?” Lenzen asked Mehronaz.
“Uh, yeah,” she replied. “Lailoma do you need something?” he asked.
She shook her head no.
“Only gummy bears for them,” he said. Zahra walked around the corner with Chilli Chatka chips, Slanty chips and a big smile on her face.
“These are my favorite snacks,” she said.
She grabbed two Barbican drinks, too. Her mother used to drink them, and it reminded her of home.
Freshta picked out a pack of Buldak spicy ramen noodles and went to find Slanty chips like Zahra. Mehronaz carried spicy ramen, gummy bears and two packs of fennel seeds for her mother. They walked out of the store, into the van and began the journey home to Bloomington. The crinkle of the snack bags and crunch of the chips emerged immediately after leaving the parking lot. Lenzen talked with Zahra about her life and asked her to help translate for Lailoma. From the first moment they met, he truly wanted to understand.
not the life she would have chosen.
She said she desperately wants to see her parents and siblings again, to help them come to the United States, but she cannot go back to Afghanistan. ***
After the appointments concluded, they went oneby-one into the van. Lenzen punched in the directions to Bloomington, but offered an idea he knew the girls couldn’t resist.
“Maybe we have to stop at Wendy’s or something and get chicken nuggets,” he said.
Gasps came from the back seat.
“I know, here, this is Shams,” he said. “We’ll stop and get some Halal gummy bears.”
More gasps sounded, even louder than the last.
Lenzen drove everyone to Shams Halal Market in Indianapolis, an Afghan owned shop that provides permissible and clean products ac-
away from her neighbor to accommodate her.
“An extra foot of space might not seem like anything to us, but to a woman who’s on the street who has, I guarantee you, experienced horrible trauma, that foot of space can make a huge difference,” Hoagland, the volunteer coordinator, said.
While the shelter doesn’t issue bans, coordinators sometimes schedule meetings with guests to mutually resolve issues, Hoagland said. He said approaching conflict boils down to empathy — understanding the unhoused guests can spend over 13 and a half hours, or more, every day in the cold without food, bathrooms or a place to go.
“I would be in a shitty mood too,” he said.
Hoagland was there that evening filling in for another volunteer who couldn’t make it, in addition to his shift the next morning. A veteran and former wine director for a liquor store chain, he fills in whenever the shelter needs someone — which he had more time for since quitting his last job a few weeks before.
Downstairs though, there were more people in line — people the shelter couldn’t house. Hoagland said in situations like this, he calls the Stride Center, which transports people to other shelters.
Though the shelter has an official capacity of 30, up from 20 when it started, Hoagland said they can sometimes make room for a few more. It’s a “judgment call,” he said, based on who shows up and how the night is going. That evening, the shelter let in a woman who arrived after check-in and a man who previously had frostbite and was medically frail for a total of 32 guests.
Hoagland worries the homelessness crisis will
He dropped each of them off before receiving a phone call from another family who needed to buy groceries. He said “yes” and drove them to the store.
Lenzen didn’t get home until 8 p.m., typical for his job. He still made time to walk three miles around his neighborhood, something he tries to do daily to help his physical and mental health. It allows him to process how to help every family the best he can.
He returned around 9 p.m., got ready to sleep and listened about halfway through the NPR News Hour before he drifted off. He was awake by 5:30 the next morning and out the door by 7 a.m. His email signature contains a quote from author Amit Ray. Along with following his Christian faith, the quote reminds him why he chooses to wake up each morning, work 12-hour days and be there for each text or phone call.
“Compassion is contagious. Every moment we choose compassion, we move towards a better world.”
only get worse, putting more strain on shelters. He pointed to potential federal funding cuts and a lack of housing as reasons why the city needs more emergency shelters.
“We can fill out all the rapid rehousing forms we want,” Hoagland said. “We’re not building more houses.” By around 10:30 p.m., volunteers turned off most of the lights in the Great Room. Different volunteers would stay throughout the night. Hoagland left shortly before 11 p.m. He’d be back for his scheduled shift in three hours.
Shelter guests took their morning smoke break before the sun came up, around 6:15 a.m. Volunteer Eli Marti stood outside with them. Marti got connected with the shelter through their church, First United Methodist. They worked the morning shift before the first-year IU student’s 9 a.m. class. Marti, who tries to volunteer once a week, is “terrible with names.” But they know the names and faces of the people the shelter serves.
“I want to keep helping these people, and I want to keep making sure people are okay to the best of my ability,” Marti said. “Sometimes it’s not much. Sometimes it’s just being here.”
Guests had to be checked out by 7 a.m. before the church’s morning programs for children, Hoagland said. That’s also before the sun’s fully up, and an hour before the Shalom Center opens. As guests filtered out, volunteers began cleaning the Great Room and its beds. They collected the bedding in bags, which 81-year-old IU biology instructor Dan Watts came and collected later that morning in his red 2014 Ford Fusion.
NICOLE BLEVINS | IDS Zahra braids Mehronaz’s hair Feb. 22, 2025, before she is called for her appointment. Mehronaz stuck a sticky hand to the ceiling while she waited for her appointment to begin.
COURTESY PHOTO
Pete Lenzen holds one of his clients’ children while they wait for a medical appointment. Lenzen has dedicated his life to helping refugee families resettle in Bloomington.
NICOLE BLEVINS | IDS
The group arrives at Familia Dental on Feb. 22, 2025, in Indianapolis. Lenzen chose to take his clients here because it accepts Medicaid and offers cheaper services to uninsured families than dental offices in Bloomington.
JACK FORREST | IDS
Dan Watts’ car is seen filled with bags of laundry Feb. 21, 2025, outside
First Christian Church in Bloomington. Watts took bags of sheets to be laundered at Wheeler Mission.
ERRANT ERIC
Indiana must adopt a more conservative approach to education
is
Eric Cannon (he/him)
If the proposed state budget passes, Indiana public schools anticipate losing $371 million in funding over the next three years. Although this is a reduction from the $1.9 billion loss projected before amendments, the impact remains “extremely negative,” Michael Beresford, superintendent of Carmel Clay Schools in Carmel, Indiana, said to Indiana Public Media.
“It is bad policy, especially in light of the teacher and staff shortages we continue to battle across Indiana,” Beresford said.
In this legislative session, the budget, Senate Bill 1, is one of several proposed bills targeting public education. Together, these bills reflect the efficiencydriven approach to government championed by Gov. Mike Braun. In his State of the State address, he said, “All governments need to do
Joaquin Baerga (he/him)
is a sophomore studying journalism.
One of my roommates thinks tater tots are the worst form of french fries. Once he dropped that bomb in the group chat, everyone quickly disagreed, arguing the food item shouldn’t be considered fries in the first place.
Yes, they are both fried potatoes, but I think it feels wrong to use the terms interchangeably. Tater tots feel more like a breakfast item, and fries are the quintessential compliment for a burger. Although my roommate and I jabbed at each other through text, for the most part it was a healthy debate.
As much as I hate my roommate’s take, I appreciate him for bringing it up. It might seem like a waste of time to participate in this tater tot vs. french fry debate or argue whether a hot dog is a sandwich, but I believe it’s good practice.
Hot Takes resurfaced at the IDS last year after a seven-month-long hiatus. Now, they’re seemingly back in full swing. I believe that, as long as the takes and subsequent
more with less.” However, to serve students better, Indiana must adopt a more conservative approach to government — one that protects and strengthens public education.
In a previous column discussing efforts to streamline the federal government, I argued efficiency often translates to deregulation and dismantling. Thus, a seemingly efficient approach can serve as a Trojan horse for a regressive one that backtracks investments in community institutions.
“School corporations augment what they get from the state through local referendums,” Chad Lochmiller, a professor at the IU School of Education, said in an interview. “These are additional property taxes to provide specific educational programs.”
But Senate Bill 1 would limit how much local governments can raise property taxes, and over three years, Monroe County Community School Corporation could lose $8,329,650 in funding.
In 2023, the Indiana Daily Student reported that MCCSC used funds raised from property taxes to cover preschool costs, tests, textbooks and technology for lowerincome students and families. In 2022, a similar referendum contributed to higher teacher and staff wages.
Eliminating schools’ ability to augment their revenue will cause a “Chesterton’s fence” scenario. This is a scenario — named for conservative thinker G.K. Chesterton — in which one discovers why a structure was built only after they’ve destroyed it. For example, a farmer realizes a fence’s purpose only after it’s been destroyed, and wolves invade his pastures. In the past weeks, this is why federal agencies have been rehiring employees whose positions were eliminated. National security concerns, like wolves (and no one to manage nuclear weapons), reared their heads. Similarly, Indiana will likely need to reinvest in public education in the coming years if it divests $371
million now. After Kansas slashed state revenue by $700 million in 2012, only part of which contributed to education, state legislators repealed the cuts by 2017.
Like Kansas schools a decade ago, schools across Indiana, including in Bloomington, will have to decide which limbs they can amputate.
“When we cut half a dozen coaching positions, all of the booster clubs came to us and said, ‘We’ll raise the money to fund that position,’ and they did,” Martin Stressman, who was a school district superintendent in Kansas at the time, said in an interview with NPR. “But nobody lines up when you reduce three custodial positions.”
Already cash-strapped schools that supplement teachers’ salaries through property taxes will face an exaggerated teacher shortage and greater position turnover.
“If you have teacher salaries in a local school corporation that are partially raised
because of referendum dollars, which is the case in many corporations in the state, those salaries or positions have to be reduced,” Lochmiller said.
In his State of the State address, Braun recognized the impact of funding cuts on a local level and promised to “continue to have important discussions with local governments about how to protect vital services like police, fire and schools.”
Evidently, these conversations lowered cuts to education from $1.9 billion to $371 million, but conversations must continue. Even without this bill, Monroe County Community schools eliminated staff for “resource optimization” last year. The result of doing more with less is doing less with less. Although effectiveness is the end goal of efficiency, the best effects for students and educators would come from an approach that conserves investment in public schools. This approach would prioritize stability over streamlining, and stability for stu-
Debating the meaningless has meaning to it
debates remain respectful, it’s a fun and engaging section of the newspaper, and we should strive to keep it running consistently. It could encourage newspaper readers to share their own hot takes on lighter issues. Interesting insights can come from debates unrelated to sensitive topics like politics, healthcare, or education.
One of my favorite series on social media is SubwayTakes with Kareem Rahma. It features ordinary people on the New York City subway sharing their personal opinions on just about anything. While some of them seem outrageous at first, they’re always given a chance to justify their opinions. As the host, Rahma usually responds with “100% agree” or “100% disagree,” and this usually leads to interesting and entertaining dialogue.
I recently encountered a TikTok of someone on the series arguing that pets should have human names. Like humans, pets grow up, and the man doesn’t like the idea of infantilizing them with names like “Checkers”
and “Butters.” The man’s dog, Marcus, is 6 years old, making his biological age around 44. Although Rahma initially disagreed with the take, he conceded that it makes sense for pets to have human names once they grow up. I think it’s silly, but it’s definitely good food for thought.
Reading the past Hot Takes, I encountered an interesting debate between IDS sports editor Mateo FuentesRohwer and news editor Jack Forrest. Fuentes-Rohwer hailed Thanksgiving as the best holiday, citing anticipation as it prepares you for the holiday season. On the other hand, Forrest claimed it’s “the most character-less holiday around.”
I don’t feel strongly about Thanksgiving; it’s just okay for me. However, both editors raised compelling points, and did so without trashing anyone on the opposite end of the spectrum.
Our lives could always use levity, and these kinds of discussions about everyday topics can be fun and healthy. This kind of debate is significantly absent in modern politics. Just this past Fri-
dents and teachers relies on stability of funding. To avoid worsening Indiana’s teacher shortage and turnover, state legislators can maintain investments in public education. In this way, teachers can afford to remain in the same district over time, students can attend schools without fear of their shutting down and parents can raise children in communities with a steady approach to education.
A conservative approach is one grounded in an attitude of conservation, which includes upkeep.
“If you leave a white post alone, it will soon be a black post,” Chesterton said. “If you particularly want it to be white, you must be always painting it again.”
This represents the conservative approach that Indiana needs to take — one that maintains our public school system in the full sense of maintenance. But that requires continually investing in the paint.
ericcann@iu.edu
day, President Trump had a heated discussion in the Oval Office with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. It started out as a cordial exchange and later exploded into an argument with mentions of World War III.
Not only did this discussion threaten to sever ties between the U.S. and Ukraine, but it also caused a divide between the left and right in America. The left saw it as a
The NCAA’s duplicity
disgrace for Trump, while the right praised him and J.D. Vance for being tough and putting America first.
Maria Bucur (she/her) is the John V. Hill professor of history at Indiana University Bloomington.
Shortly after Donald Trump issued an executive order that defined gender to be identical with sex assigned at birth, the NCAA hurried to embrace transphobia. A day after Trump banned trans athletes’ participation in accordance with their identity via executive order, on February 6, 2025, the Board of Governors issued a statement that claimed to offer access to all who wanted to participate in sports while explicitly excluding an entire category of human beings. That is, because eligibility requirements were made to align exactly with the transexclusionary language of the Trump administration. The economic and political giant that is NCAA, with a membership of over half a million people, initiated of its own accord a policy that denies a growing category of people in our country the ability to live according to the same rights and obligations of all other people, forcing them into self-understandings and relationships that fundamentally violate their human rights.
But that is not all. NCAA has “collegiate” in its title. It is not just a large sports industry. Its principles include delivering “safe, fair and inclusive competition.” Ultimately, it wants to “provide a world-class athletics and academic experience for student-athletes that fosters lifelong well-being.”
This is the United States in 2025. A state in which bullying and violence is elevated to the level of operating principle.
The duplicity of these statements in the face of the discrimination the organization has signed on to needs to be called out. How does the dehumanization of trans athletes accord with fostering lifelong well-being for all student-athletes? And what does the deafening silence about this action from all educational institutions
in the country mean?
Lambda Legal condemned the action and has been working to challenge transphobia in schools. But what are the rest of us doing? At the very least, all who participate in or attend NCAA sports need to understand explicitly that they are part of the problem. A football player might say “what does this have to do with me?” A basketball fan might balk at the idea that their season ticket contributes to the problem. But that is how such system-wide discrimination works. It is abstract and far away only if we willfully push the reality of discrimination out of mind, it-
We’re not all political leaders negotiating ceasefires or peace deals, but we are opinionated beings. The way we go about sharing our opinions can affect others, especially if we treat debates like arguments instead of discussions. We may feel strongly about our opinions, but that doesn’t give us permission to attack or belittle people who don’t think like us. With this in mind, I encourage everyone to practice debating small things. Tell your friends you hate Star Wars, or you think pickles belong on pizza. Just remember to remain respectful and listen.
self an act of discrimination. Both authoritarian and democratic regimes have a long history of such behavior. There are no innocent bystanders in these systems.
We are all, in some measure, the authors of the framework that continues to work while we do not call it out. We are not innocent, nor are we victims forced to just watch with our heads down. Each of us can abstain from participating in the activities of an organization that fundamentally excludes a whole category of humans from taking part, even as the NCAA and universities tout their commitment to access for all. Every time you cheer for your team, remember
jbaerga@iu.edu
you are cheering for transphobia. Every time you spend money buying merchandise with your team’s logo on it, you are buying into bullying and violence. This is not what sports are supposed to be about. This is not what higher education is supposed to be about. You can stop perpetrating this violence and you can become an agent of “safe, fair and inclusive competition.” But not by ignoring the reality in front of us. We need to start by stating clearly what is at stake with this new policy and then begin imagining how to truly include all student athletes.
mbucur@iu.edu
The Indiana Statehouse is pictured Jan. 4, 2021, in Indianapolis. In his State of the State address, Gov. Mike Braun said “All governments need to do more with less.”
ILLUSTRATION BY MADHUMITHA MANIMARAN
JOAQUIN’S JOURNALS
GUEST COLUMN
International Women’s Day Conference empowers IU women
By Abby Whited abwhited@iu.edu
On March 8, dozens of women of all ages gathered in the Wendell W. Wright Education Building to celebrate the strengths of womanhood at the International Women’s Day Conference hosted by the Office of International Studies. They wore matching T-shirts as they listened to a powerful keynote speech, attended several workshops and engaged in conversations about furthering female empowerment. The conference was centered around a specific theme; “Future in Focus: Understanding Women’s Strengths and Unlocking Potential.”
Conference co-chairs and IU students Feihong Yu, a second year Master’s student, and Hyun Ji Kim, a senior, planned the day’s events.
The conference began with a presentation from its keynote speaker, Mary Maker, a South Sudanese refugee and education activist. During her time as a student at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, Maker founded the non-profit organization Elimisha Kakuma, which works to provide refugees who have graduated high school with opportunities to pursue higher education.
She is also a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. In her speech, Maker detailed her life story and how her experience growing up in a Kenyan
refugee camp led her to prioritize education for girls and refugees.
Throughout her speech, Maker also recited several poems she’s written about her experiences. One poem expressed her admiration for her late mother’s strength, resilience and embodiment of African culture, as well as the ways in which her mother’s spirit remains with her.
“Her song can noise cancel the sirens seducing my people to the sea and the propaganda seeking to erase her soul,” Maker said. “She can be the voice that allows me to sleep, and the soundtrack to my dreams.”
Maker said in an interview she viewed her late mother as a symbol of hope and planned her speech around that idea. When planning this particular speech, she said she found it important to offer the audience a comprehensive glimpse into who she was as a person. Maker detailed her past struggles by sharing her writing and poetry about her experience as a woman and refugee, including visuals depicting life in a refugee camp.
“I love poetry,” Maker said. “I write a lot of poetry, and for this event I started writing poems based on what it is to be a woman. My inspiration comes from so many things.”
In another part of Maker’s speech, she encouraged her audience to consider the women who have impacted their lives. She urged audience members to close their eyes and think of a
specific woman and how she has contributed to their lives.
The auditorium grew silent as attendees closed their eyes. Every person was transported to a reminiscence of special memories, and the room was filled with an energy of emotional reverence.
“The women that give us conviction every day, the women that remind us that we can do anything in the world, the woman that takes you out to lunch or buys you the new dress, who
gives you the best gift on Christmas,” Maker said to help the audience visualize.
“I want you to hold on to that woman and understand the role that she plays in your life and the conviction that she gives you every single time.”
After Maker’s speech, attendees could visit various workshops on topics like solo traveling, soft skills in the digital age and mindfulness at work. Yu and Kim said all 15 workshops were led by staff or doctoral students from different
By Joey Sills sillsj@iu.edu
On March 6,I watched
“The Texas Chain Saw Massacre,” the original one from 1974, at the IU Cinema on a 35mm presentation the university just happened to have in its archives. The cinema was specifically seeking out a damaged print, something that would emulate the subversive, grimy style of grindhouse theaters from the 1970s. That is, the exact sort of theater that would’ve been interested, without hesitation, in showing the exact sort of violent exploitation feature Tobe Hooper’s independent horror film represents. It was a packed showing, maybe the most packed I’ve seen at the IU Cinema in a while. It was a perfect demonstration of the ability for a theater experience to totally upend the way one watches a film. “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” is one of my favorite horror movies ever; I’d seen it maybe two or three times, at least, before this showing. And yet, despite knowing everything that was going to happen, despite having already been scared by it once and twice and even three times over, I still felt like I was watching the film for the first time ever.
Sean Baker, after accepting the Oscar for Best Director for “Anora” at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony, brought this topic into the spotlight when he used his speech to proselytize the importance
of the theater experience.
“Where did we fall in love with movies? At the movie theater,” he said. “In a time when the world can feel very divided, this is more important than ever: it’s a communal experience you simply don’t get at home.”
It’s no secret the movie theater business has experienced a notable downturn since COVID-19 forced most of them to shut their doors. But it’s also important to understand the decline of the movie theater has been a slow one: even here in Bloomington, there’s a long history of venues — many of them independently owned — that have closed, leaving behind a legacy shrouded in relative obscurity. The Von Lee Cinema, for example, built in 1928 as the Ritz Theatre and renamed 20 years later, was bought out by Kerasotes Theatres in 1976. Operations were suspended in 2000 after Kerasotes built two multiplexes in the city. If you’ve never heard of Kerasotes — which once operated 957 screens at 95 locations across the country — you’d be forgiven: it too no longer exists, bought out by AMC Theatres in 2010 and shuttered just last year. It’s the sort of irony that makes you wonder what it was all for.
Which makes it all the more depressing that the Von Lee is now known primarily for being the site of a Noodles & Company on Kirkwood Avenue. I just can’t think of a better image of late-stage capitalism completely consuming our
cultural landscape. Still, despite it all, the cinema experience, however laboriously, lives on. Independent theaters are still operating and thriving throughout the country. The IU Cinema is a perfect example but so is the Buskirk-Chumley in downtown Bloomington or the Kan-Kan Cinema and Living Room Theaters in Indianapolis. Cicada Cinema, a local pop-up “theater” that regularly shows films at various bars, coffeehouses and galleries around town, demonstrates the desire, however niche, for alternative options. I enjoy going to AMC as much as anyone else; I have AMC A-List for that reason. But these left-ofmainstream options — of which I’ve probably not even named a fraction — are vital. The cinematic ecosystem, for lack of a better phrase, can only thrive with the existence of avant-garde arthouse films and weird, offbeat midnight movies. We need a place to yell at the screen together while watching “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” every year just as much as we need a place to take our kids to go and see “Paddington in Peru.”
And it all comes back to the fact that, at their root, movie theaters are important because it is important to experience movies communally. The ability to watch movies at home is an amazing one, and there’s a thriving community of home media enthusiasts. But they were
meant to be seen, first and foremost, in a cinema with a whole crowd of other people, just as one was meant to see “Nighthawks” or “The Starry Night” in a public art museum. Humans are social animals. We desire collectivity. It’s for this reason that I find the act of experiencing art with other people to be so immensely life-affirming. It’s something we’ve been doing since we somehow, by some unexplainable miracle of evolution, figured out how to create pigments and decided to draw hunting scenes on the walls of caves.
I love watching a movie with a crowd of people. I love it when we all have the same reactions at the same moments. I also love it when people have different reactions at different moments because we’re a diverse species and it’s only natural. I love it when the entire auditorium is silent and totally engrossed in a movie we’re all going to leave the theater calling a masterpiece. Maybe I don’t totally love when people talk during a movie, or crinkle their candy wrappers during a movie, or chew too loudly during a movie, but that’s okay because this is exactly what being in a crowd of people experiencing life is all about.
I love going to the movie theater because I love existing among other people. It’s the beauty of the human experience in microcosm and it must, and I have no doubt that it will, endure.
academic departments.
Each circled back to the event’s theme: encouraging women to harness their inner strengths and unlock their full potential.
Mai-Lin Poon, associate director for international student life at OIS, emphasized the importance of hosting a diversity of workshop topics.
“They may be some topics that people really need and topics that aren’t necessarily paid attention to, especially when it comes to women,”
Poon said.
After the sessions, the event concluded with a reception for attendees to network and socialize with each other. Guests could help themselves to free food, T-shirts, tote bags and stickers.
“We want the attendees to leave the conference with something in their mind, like what kind of strengths they understand of themselves and what kind of power they have,” Yu said. “And they can also use that to help others.”
COLUMN: Independent films won the 2025 Academy Awards
By Sophie Albert soalbert@iu.edu
The 97th Academy Awards, held March 2, proved to be a celebration of independent films with big wins for “Anora,” “The Brutalist,” “Flow,” “A Real Pain,” “The Substance” and “Conclave.” Even “Anora” and “The Brutalist” alone had a combined win of eight awards, while big name movies like “Wicked” and “Dune: Part Two” won much fewer (two awards each) and in more technical categories. This significant win for independent films suggests these movies may be getting a resurgence after many years of being set aside.
Independent films first took over the industry in the 1990s with movies like “Pulp Fiction,” “The Virgin Suicides” and “Hard Eight.”
At this time, film festivals were built specifically around finding new voices for studios to fund. However the popularity of these films started to decrease drastically in the 2000s when studios stopped looking for completely independent filmmakers and instead brought their own studio films to festivals, weeding out smaller filmmakers from the festival market.
Compared to big-name films, independent films have always been at a disadvantage, especially due to their tight budgets.
“Anora” had a budget of only $6 million. While this still seems like a significant amount of money, when you compare it to the estimated $145 million budget for “Wicked,” it exemplifies how little $6 million is in the film industry. And yet, despite this major difference in budgets, “Anora” still managed to sweep the night, winning awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Directing, Best Film Editing, Best Writing (Original Screenplay) and, most notably, Best Picture. “Flow,” the Latvian animated film, had a budget of less than $4 million and was animated entirely on Blender, a free open-source software. Comparatively, most Pixar films are animated using a variety of high-grade and in-house software, including Autodesk Maya and RenderMan, and typically have a budget of around $200 million. Once again, “Flow” pulled ahead
of its big-name competitors, including “Inside Out 2,” winning the award for Best Animated Feature Film. Independent films have much less resources than those produced by wellknown studios. Rather than let this be a limitation, independent filmmakers embrace their restrictions and use creativity to work around these problems, making original and distinctive films. While independent films have gotten nominations in the past, they tend to lose to bigger productions, so it is refreshing to finally see independent filmmakers’ inventiveness get recognized by big awards shows.
Neon, the independent film production and distribution company that distributed “Anora,” has now won two Best Picture Academy Awards, the first being for “Parasite” in 2020. This is an achievement that not even big studios like Disney or Netflix have accomplished. Additionally, in accepting four awards for “Anora” during a single night, Sean Baker, the director, writer, editor and producer of the film, achieved a feat only accomplished by one other person, Walt Disney. However, Baker became the first person to ever receive four Academy Awards for a singular film.
Baker told reporters after the Oscars: “We always jump into these projects knowing we will have to compete with films that have budgets almost 100 times what we shot our film for, when we’re actually able to...get into the same room as films such as ‘Wicked,’ it means we’re doing something right.” This new recognition of independent films shows that there’s a bright future for the medium. I believe we are starting to make our way back to the thriving scene for independent films of the ‘90s with studios like Neon and A24 going back to film festivals’ origins by searching for one-ofa-kind stories to fund and distribute worldwide.
Hopefully this trend will continue in the future, and we will see a rise of independent films getting wider theatrical releases and higher recognition. This will also pave the way for more independent filmmakers to be able to bring their stories to life and become successful filmmakers.
ABBY WHITED | IDS
Education activist and South Sudanese refugee Mary Maker recites a poem at the International Women’s Day Conference on March 8, 2025, at the IU School of Education. The keynote speaker said she loves poetry and wanted to share her experience as a woman refugee with the audience.
COLUMN: An ode to the movie theater experience
ILLUSTRATION BY ALAYNA WILKENING
COLUMN: 4 standout looks from this year’s Oscars
By Abby Whited
abwhited@iu.edu
The 97th Academy Awards ceremony was certainly filled with memorable moments: Mikey Madison won Best Actress for her role in “Anora,” Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande opened the ceremony with a captivating performance of “Defying Gravity” and Adrien Brody delivered what felt like the longest acceptance speech in Oscars history. While I look forward to standout moments like these at the ceremony each year, I am always more excited about the event’s fashion.
The looks I enjoyed the most this year tended to be either classically timeless or uniquely refreshing deviations from typical black suit and modest dress attire. In no particular order, here are four of my favorite looks from this year’s Oscars.
1. Jeff Goldblum in Prada Jeff Goldblum has proven himself to be someone who refuses to blend into the background
of any scene. He has been shining on the red carpet this awards season, and his looks at recent events built up high expectations for his Oscars look; he certainly did not disappoint. Goldblum has served as a stunning example in the case for why men should take creative fashion risks beyond the basic black suit. Recently, Goldblum has sported bright colors, contrasting patterns and statement shoes, all of which reflect the grandiosity of his character, the Wizard, in “Wicked.” Goldbum’s Prada outfit contained pieces that, when separated, may seem like they would clash together; however, it is this very uniqueness that made the outfit chaotically cohesive. Goldblum wore a cream colored, slightly oversized suit jacket over a campy floral shirt. Accessories included a black bowtie, black glasses, a lavender scarf, a delicate Vacheron Constantin timepiece and a purple orchid on the lapel. The classic simplicity of the black pants and loafers left space for the eccentricity of
the rest of the outfit to shine.
This look is a refreshing instance of what can happen when men take fashion risks on the red carpet. Goldblum’s easy confidence only added to its bold visual impact.
2. Da’Vine Joy Randolph in Tamara Ralph Da’Vine Joy Randolph made waves throughout the entertainment industry last year when she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Mary Lamb in “The Holdovers,” making her the 12th woman in the history of the award category to win an Oscar, a Critics’ Choice Award, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA and a SAG award all in one year.
“For so long I’ve always wanted to be different, and now I realize I just need to be myself,” Randolph said in her 2024 Oscars acceptance speech.
Her 2024 win secured her a spot as a presenter in the 2025 ceremony, which stirred excitement as to what she would wear next year.
Randolph attended this year’s Oscars in a gorgeous
black gown by Tamara Ralph. In a striking color and design contrast to her Louis Vuitton dress from last year’s ceremony, this dress featured a sleek, elegant silhouette. The gown consisted of a structured corset adorned in beadwork and a floor-length silk skirt, accessorized by silver jewelry and a long sash which draped over her neck and reached the floor. To me, this look was the embodiment of classic Hollywood glam with a twist of personality, and Randolph wore the design well.
3. Demi Moore in custom Armani Privé
At the conclusion of a successful award season for Demi Moore, the actress wore a custom silver gown by Armani Privé for her final look. Although she did not secure the award for Best Actress for her role as Elisabeth Sparkle in “The Substance,” she did win a spot in my top four favorite looks of the night.
With anything Moore wears, my question is always
whether the outfit is actually good or if she is just so beautiful that she can make anything look glamorous.
But Moore’s red carpet look was an already gorgeous dress which was only amplified by her beauty. The gown had a classic, feminine silhouette reminiscent of Old Hollywood glamor. The draping of fabric at her waist gave an exaggerated hip effect which created an almost statuesque shape with sparkles and drama. I loved the extravagant simplicity of this look.
4. Colman Domingo in Valentino Colman Domingo is no stranger to delivering standout looks on the red carpet, and this year’s Oscars were no exception. He has come to be known for his impeccable red carpet style, and his looks serve as perfect examples of meticulous, thoughtful creativity in fashion. When attending this year’s Oscars as a nominee for Best Actor for his work in “Sing Sing,” Domingo continued his consistent
affiliation with Valentino on the red carpet. The red double-breasted suit he wore to the ceremony was both striking and chic; the contrast between the red suit and its black lapels was dramatic and bold, and the distinctive wraparound sash around the waist distinguished this look even further as a refreshing difference from the typical silhouette of a traditional black suit. Red-tinted sunglasses gave the look a feeling of effortless charm and ease. I would have loved to write more about the fashion from this year’s Oscars red carpet, but honestly, there were not many looks that stood out to me in an exciting way. My favorite red carpet looks tended to be well-executed fashion risks and classic looks with a hint of the actor’s unique flair; to me, the fashion at this year’s ceremony felt bland for the most part. In my opinion, the above picks blended the formality the event required as well as the creativity of the actors and films being celebrated.
DANA PLEASANT AND THE ACADEMY
TRAE PATTON AND THE ACADEMY
MARK VON HOLDEN AND THE ACADEMY
ETIENNE LAURENT AND THE ACADEMY
COLUMN: Woodson leaves Indiana a winner. He wants the same for the team.
By Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer matfuent@iu.edu | @mateo_frohwer
It was a long, turbulent regular season for Indiana men’s basketball — and no one knew that better than Mike Woodson. The Hoosiers head coach faced his share of criticism this year, whether it was from the student section chanting “fire Woodson” during a 94-69 defeat to Illinois or persistent boos inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall throughout a losing streak that temporarily derailed Indiana’s season.
Part of the disappointment stemmed from the Hoosiers’ preseason expectations. They entered the 2024-25 season with the No. 2 transfer class in the country, according to 247Sports, and ranked No. 14 in The Associated Press top 25 poll after the first week.
However, after their 70-67 defeat to then-No. 24 Michigan on Feb. 8, the Hoosiers were 14-10 overall and 5-8 in the Big Ten — a drastic difference from where many Indiana fans likely expected them to be at that position in the season.
But March 8, none of that anger and frustration mattered. As a tribute video played on the video board, honoring Woodson following his final game inside Assembly Hall as the head coach of Indiana, the Hoosier faithful voiced their appreciation with a standing ovation and loud cheers.
To make the moment
even sweeter, Indiana had just secured the 66-60 victory over Ohio State on senior day in Bloomington, likely cementing its place in the NCAA Tournament in two weeks.
For Woodson, it also marked the end of a tumultuous four seasons inside Assembly Hall that he wants people to remember for one thing.
“You know, I just want the program to be successful,” Woodson said postgame.
“That’s all. That’s all I ever thought about when I took the job, and that’s how I feel now, you know.”
As of now, Woodson has backed up his talk.
The loss to Michigan was the first game following the announcement he would leave the program at the end of the season. Since then, Indiana has won five of its last seven, including wins over then-No. 11 Michigan State and then-No. 13 Purdue. The only losses came by 4 points to UCLA and 9 points to Oregon.
Player performances have certainly improved in that seven-game stretch, but Woodson’s impact also can’t be understated. He’s consistently relied upon his three Indiana natives — senior forward Luke Goode and fifthyear guards Trey Galloway and Anthony Leal. In response, the veterans have delivered, and Indiana is reaping the rewards.
“I wasn’t going to take them out at the end,” Woodson said. “I mean, if you lose,
you want to lose with your seniors on the floor.”
On March 8, Galloway nailed a deep 3-pointer with under a minute and a half to go, pushing the Hoosiers’ lead to 5 points. He also crossed the 1,000-career points threshold, etching his name in program history.
Leal and Goode’s performances were far more muted, but not any less impactful. Both players secured eight rebounds, tying a career high for Goode and marking a new career high for Leal.
As a team, Indiana failed to shoot the ball well, logging splits of 35.2% from the field and 25% from beyond the arc. Defensively is where they truly shone.
The Hoosiers forced 10 turnovers and outrebounded the Buckeyes 40 to 31. Entering the contest, junior guard Bruce Thornton and freshman guard John Mobley Jr. averaged 17.8 points and 13.4 points, respectively. On March 8, the backcourt duo only managed 16 combined points on 5-for-21 shooting.
“Something that I tried to emphasize to the team early in the season when we were going through our scoring ruts was it doesn’t matter how much we score, how well we shoot,” Goode said. “We should still be able to win games when it’s ugly. For us to be in a must-win game for our postseason hopes, first, Senior Night at home, too, and to come out and play the defense we did — it’s a testament to how
much we’ve grown as a team together.”
Woodson spoke of this level of defense back at Hoosier Hysteria in 2022, when he uttered the common phrase “defense wins championships.” But for Woodson, this wasn’t just some clich é — he was on the staff of the 2003-04 Detroit Pistons squad that won the NBA Finals, one which held opponents to a league-best 83.5 points per game.
While Woodson and Indiana have never experienced the same level of success in his four years at the helm, his defensive mantra seems
to finally be taking shape just as his coaching career for the Hoosiers is ending. With the postseason next on the docket, this is nothing but a good sign for Indiana moving forward.
In seven of their previous eight contests, the Hoosiers have held their opponents to under 74 points. It’s not a coincidence they have five wins in that stretch.
So, Indiana awaits a rematch with Oregon in the Big Ten Tournament. Its berth in the NCAA Tournament is likely clinched, but why stop for the bare minimum?
Each win in the confer-
ence tournament is a resume booster, which coincides with a better seeding in March Madness. String together a couple of wins against top competition, and who knows where Indiana will be — maybe even competing for a Big Ten Tournament title. That’s what Woodson has planned. “You know, we still have an opportunity to win the Big Ten Tournament,” Woodson said. “Just like the other 14 teams that will be in it. That’s all I’m thinking about at this point. You know, nothing else.”
TRINITY MACKENZIE | IDS
Indiana head coach Mike Woodson coaches from the sideline in a game against Ohio State on March 8, 2025, inside
Crossword By Calvin Josenhans & Ronak Monga
BLISS
HARRY BLISS
Ellison returns to Indiana in new coaching role
By Daniel Flick danflick@iu.edu | @bydanielflick
When Indiana football took the field for its first spring practice March 8 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Justice Ellison took his rightful place with the team’s offense.
But Ellison, who’s out of eligibility after leading the Hoosiers with 159 carries for 848 rushing yards as a fifthyear senior in 2024, wasn’t wearing his crimson helmet or No. 6 jersey.
Instead, he sported a sweatsuit — fit for his new role on the Hoosiers’ coaching staff.
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said during his press conference March 8 that Ellison is expected to be a quality control coach or graduate assistant, but his official title has not been finalized. According to an Indiana Athletics spokesperson March
10, Ellison is a graduate assistant.
Ellison texted Cignetti approximately one month to a month and a half ago, Cignetti said, with hopes of talking. They set up a meeting, and Ellison informed Cignetti of his future intentions.
With help from Indiana Athletic Director Scott Dolson, Indiana brought Ellison onboard.
“He decided that he was done with football, and he wanted to coach,” Cignetti said. “He was one of our leaders last year, and Scott created the opportunity within our organization for him to help us coach as a graduate assistant or a quality control coach. So, he will help coach (John) Miller with the running backs, and he’ll do a good job.”
Ellison, who spent the first four seasons of his career at Wake Forest Univer-
sity, was the first player to commit to Indiana after the program hired Cignetti on Nov. 30, 2023. He was named an All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2024 after finishing in the top 10 in the conference in both rushing yards and touchdowns.
While Indiana didn’t have designated team captains, Ellison attended the pregame coin toss each week, signifying his status as a team leader. Now, he’s back in a mentor role — and learning under Cignetti while starting his coaching career.
“He’s taught me how to be a man, to be the same guy every single day,” Ellison said about Cignetti on Dec. 17 of last year. “He’s a guy I watch all the time and I kind of see how he handles when we do well and we don’t do well. Coach Cignetti has taught me so much in one year. I’m thankful to be at a place
for sure.” And as the
Rose House LuMin & St. Thomas Lutheran Church
Rose House LuMin and St. Thomas Lutheran Church invite you to experience life together with us. We are an inclusive Christian community who values the faith, gifts, and ministry of all God’s people. We seek justice, serve our neighbors, and love boldly.
Sunday: 8:30 a.m. & 11 a.m.
@ St. Thomas Lutheran Church
3800 E. Third St.
Tuesday: 6:30 p.m. Dinner & Devotions @ Rose House LuMin 314 S. Rose Ave.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Bloomington Young Single Adult Branch
2411 E. Second St.
To Contact: Send message from website maps.churchofjesuschrist.org/ wards/237973
Sunday: 12:30 p.m.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has four congregations in Bloomington—Three family wards and our young single adult branch for college students. This info is for the YSA Branch. Weekday religious classes at 333 S. Highland Ave, Bloomington IN 47401, next to campus.
More info at churchofjesuschrist.org.
Lutheran - Missouri Synod
University Lutheran Church and LCMS U Student Center
607 E. Seventh St. 812-336-5387 indianalutheran.com facebook.com/ULutheranIU instagram.com/uluindiana
Sunday: 9:15 a.m.: Sunday Bible Class
10:30 a.m.: Sunday Divine Service
Wednesday: 7 p.m.: Wednesday Evening Service
Student Center open daily: 9 a.m. - 10 p.m.
The LCMS home of campus ministry at IU, our mission is to serve all college students with the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ, located across from Dunn Meadow and the IMU. The Student Center is open daily for study, recreation, and prayer. For full schedule, visit our website.
Rev. Timothy Winterstein - Campus Pastor
United Methodist
Jubilee
219 E. Fourth St. 812-332-6396 jubileebloomington.org
Facebook: First United Methodist Church of Bloomington, IN
Instagram: @jubileebloomington
Sunday: 9:30 a.m., Classic Worship
11:45 a.m., Contemporary Worship
Wednesday: 7:30 p.m., College & Young Adult Dinner
Jubilee is a Christ-centered community open and affirming to all. We gather on Wednesdays at First United Methodist (219 E. 4th St.) for free food, honest discussion, worship, and hanging out. Small groups, service projects, social events (bonfires, game nights, book clubs, etc.), outreach retreats, and leadership opportunities all play a significant role in our rhythm of doing life together.
Markus Dickinson - jubilee@fumcb.org
Inter-Denominational
Redeemer Community Church
111 S. Kimble Dr. 812-269-8975 redeemerbloomington.org facebook.com/RedeemerBtown
Instagram & Twitter: @RedeemerBtown
Sunday: 9 a.m., 11 a.m.
Redeemer is a gospel-centered community on mission. Our vision is to see the gospel of Jesus Christ transform everything: our lives, our church, our city, and our world. We want to be instruments of gospel change in Bloomington and beyond.
Chris Jones - Lead Pastor
3800 E. Third St. 812-332-5252 Stlconline.org lcmiu.net
2121 N. Dunn St. 812-332-2248 nc3family.org Facebook.com/nc3family
Sunday: 10 a.m., Worship 11 a.m., College Class
Come learn about historic Christian teaching on theology, ethics, and culture. We offer an alternative to the post-modern ideologies and teachings you often see in your lives today.
Shane Himes, PHD - Senior Minister
Christian Science Church
2425 E. Third St. 812-332-0536 bloomingtonchristianscience.com facebook.com/e3rdStreet
Sunday Church Service: 10 - 11 a.m.
Wednesday Testimony Meeting: 7 - 8 p.m.
Orthodox All Saints Orthodox Christian Church
6004 S. Fairfax Rd. 812-824-3600 allsaintsbloomington.org webbrk1@gmail.com Youtube video of services on website
Sunday: 9 a.m.: Sunday Matins 10 a.m.:
Father Peter Jon Gillquist Thomas Przybyla - Pastoral Assistant
Bahá'í Faith
Bloomington Bahá'í Community and Bahá’í IU Association
424 S. College Mall Rd. 812-331-1863 bloomingtoninbahais.org facebook.com/Baháí-Community-of-
Mon. - Fri. Reading Room: Noon - 2 p.m.
Interested in spirituality and healing? We welcome you to our church to explore how you can address issues spiritually and experience healing. Knowing God loves, guides and cares for each one gives a sense of peace and joy. We appreciate the Christian Science Monitor news magazine for its integrity, fairness and compassion. (Christian Science Monitor) csmonitor.com Christian Science
The Bahá'í Association of IU
to share the Teachings and Principles of the Founder, Bahá'u'lláh, that promote the "Oneness of Mankind" and the Peace and Harmony of the Planet through advancing the "security, prosperity, wealth and tranquility of all peoples."
Karen Pollock Dan Enslow
with Coach Cignetti
Hoosiers seek
to build on their College Football Playoff appearance from last season, Ellison gets at least one more year to share a workspace with Cignetti.
BEN FITZSIMONS | IDS
Then-graduate student running back Justice Ellison runs the ball against Michigan on Nov. 9, 2024, at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. Ellison joined the Hoosiers’ coaching staff ahead of the upcoming season. Paid Advertising
Nesci nets 2 goals, leads Indiana over Oakland
By Noah Gerkey ngerkey@iu.edu | noah_gerk
Michael Nesci is no stranger to the big moment.
The freshman forward has delivered for Indiana men’s soccer in big time moments early in his career. A winner in the 85th minute against the University of Kentucky and an equalizer against the University of Notre Dame were two of the biggest moments not just for him, but for the entire squad last season.
While March 9 against Oakland University was just a spring match, Nesci continued to show the same promise and drive that he brought to the team this past fall. The Hoosiers defeated the Golden Grizzlies 4-1 at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington.
As soon as the final horn sounded, cheers rained down from the stands of Bill
Armstrong Stadium. Those cheers were present for most of the afternoon as Indiana men’s soccer gave the Hoosier faithful a lot to cheer about.
From the opening whistle to the final horn, Indiana was in control. Nesci was the leading force of the Hoosiers’ attack.
Within the first possession, freshman forward Easton Bogard took a through ball deep in Oakland’s box from junior forward Palmer Ault and drew a penalty.
Nesci netted the penalty to put Indiana up 1-0 in just the second minute of game action.
The Hoosiers were looking to score every time they had possession. By the 18th minute, Indiana had taken five shots on the goal. The first 30 minutes of action ended with the score still sitting at 1-0. Indiana had
Society of Friends (Quaker)
Bloomington Friends Meeting
3820 E. Moores Pike 812-336-4581
bloomingtonfriendsmeeting.org
Facebook: Bloomington Friends Meeting
Sunday (in person & Zoom) :
9:45 a.m., Hymn singing
10:30 a.m., Meeting for Worship
10:45 a.m., Sunday School
(Children join worship 10:30-10:45)
11:30 a.m., Refreshments and Fellowship
12:30 p.m., Events (see website)
Wednesday (Zoom Only) :
7 p.m., Meeting for worship for Peace
Friday (Zoom Only) :
9 a.m., Meeting for worship
We practice traditional Quaker worship, gathering in silence with occasional Spirit-led vocal ministry by fellow worshipers. We are an inclusive community with a rich variety of belief and no prescribed creed. We are actively involved in peace action, social justice causes, and environmental concerns.
Peter Burkholder - Clerk burkhold@indiana.edu
Non-Denominational
Christ Community Church
503 S. High St. 812-332-0502 cccbloomington.org
facebook.com/christcommunitybtown
Instagram: @christcommunitybtown
Sunday: 9:15 a.m., Educational Hour
10:30 a.m., Worship Service
We are a diverse community of Christ-followers, including many IU students, faculty and staff. Together we are committed to sharing the redeeming grace and transforming truth of Jesus Christ in this college town.
Bob Whitaker - Senior Pastor Adam deWeber - Worship Pastor Dan Waugh - Adult Ministry Pastor
Christian Student Fellowship
1968 N. David Baker Ave. 812-332-8972 csfindiana.org
Instagram: @csfindiana
Monday - Friday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Christian Student Fellowship (CSF) exists as a Christ-centered community focused on helping students truly know Jesus Christ. Our ministry operates from an on-campus house where students can live. Reach out to schedule a tour of the house or a visit to our Thursday night worship service!
Ben Geiger - Lead Campus Minister
Stephanie Michael - Campus Minister
Joe Durnil - Associate Campus Minister
Hailee Lutz - Office Manager
forced seven shots on the goal and created numerous offensive opportunities, it just couldn’t capitalize.
The Hoosiers continued to be aggressive on the offensive side of things in the second period but couldn’t convert on any of the chances. The second period of action was sloppy for both squads, but Nesci continued to push the pace to give Indiana chances.
In the short break before the third period began, the Hoosiers huddled up along the sideline. Nesci and fellow freshman Charlie Heuer were visibly and audibly sending a message to the rest of the squad — the intensity and effort needed to take a step up.
The message seemed to resonate with each of the Hoosiers, as Indiana took control in the third period. Within the first minute of the period, Indiana was on
City Church 1200 N. Russell Rd. 812-336-5958
citychurchbloomington.org
tiktok: @citychurchbtown
Instagram: @citychurchbtown
Sunday Service: 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m., 11:45 a.m.
City Church is a multicultural church on the east side of Bloomington. We provide transportation from campus. Our college and young adult ministry meets on Tuesday nights.
David Norris - Pastor
Sacred Heart Church
615 N. Fairview St. 812-345-5239 sacredheartbloomington.org facebook.com/sacredheartbloomington
Sunday: 10:30 a.m.: Refreshments and Fellowship 10:45 a.m.: Worship Service Tue., Wed., Thu.: Midweek Meals (Check Facebook)
Sacred Heart is a nondenominational church that seeks to follow Jesus by acting justly, loving mercy and walking humbly with God. We strive to be a safe, inclusive community where you can bring your doubts, questions, struggles, and joys before a loving God and find true belonging. All are welcome! Dan Caldwell
Episcopal (Anglican)
Canterbury Mission
719 E. Seventh St. 812-822-1335 IUCanterbury.org facebook.com/ECMatIU
Canterbury: Assertively open & affirming; unapologetically Christian, we proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ by promoting justice, equality, peace, love and striving to be the change God wants to see in our world.
Ed Bird - Chaplain/Priest
Independent Baptist
Lifeway Baptist Church
7821 W. State Road 46 812-876-6072 lifewaybaptistchurch.org facebook.com/lifewayellettsville
Sunday: 9 a.m., Bible Study Classes
10 a.m., Morning Service 5 p.m., Evening Service
*Free transportation provided. Please call if you need a ride to church.
Student Ministry: Meeting for Bible study throughout the month. Contact Rosh Dhanawade at bluhenrosh@gmail.com for more information.
Steven VonBokern - Senior Pastor Rosh Dhanawade - IU Coordinator 302-561-0108 bluhenrosh@gmail.com
the attack and Nesci played a perfect through-ball to sophomore midfielder Jacopo Fedrizzi, who delivered a strike to the far-right corner of the net to extend the Indiana lead.
Oakland had a chance to cut into the lead with a corner kick in the 62nd minute. The ball sailed high, and Nesci headed it away and out of danger. Not only did the header clear the ball, but it was also a perfect set up pass for Heuer, who beat the keeper on a 1-on-1 breakaway to extend the Hoosier lead.
Less than a minute later, Nesci finished a goal of his own. The ball flew off his right foot and bent around the Oakland defender, clipping the right post before finding its way into the back of the net.
A celebratory jump and embrace with his teammates capped off Nesci’s day. He was later subbed off to end
the match. Nesci’s impact was apparent as he scored or assisted on three of Indiana’s four goals and contributed on 12 of the 17 shots on the goal. Their 4-1 victory over Oakland improved the Hoo-
United Church of Christ and American Baptist Churches-USA First United Church 2420 E. Third St. 812-332-4439 firstuc.org facebook.com/firstuc
Sunday: 10:30 a.m., Worship
Monday: 10 a.m. via Zoom, Bible Study
We are an Open, Welcoming, and Affirming community of love and acceptance dedicated to welcoming the diversity of God’s beloved. We exist to empower, challenge, and encourage one another to live out Jesus’ ways (compassion, truth, and justice) authentically as human beings in community to create a better world.
Rev. Jessica Petersen-Mutai Senior Minister
Baptist Emmanuel Church
1503 W. That Rd. 812-824-2768 Emmanuelbloom.com Instagram & Facebook: @EmmanuelBloomington
Sunday: 9:15 a.m., Fellowship
Sunday: 10 a.m., Worship Groups: Various times
Emmanuel is a multigenerational church of all types of people. Whether you are questioning faith or have followed Jesus for years, we exist to help fuel a passion for following Jesus as we gather together, grow in community, and go make disciples.
John Winders - Lead Pastor
Second Baptist Church
321 N. Rogers St. 812-327-1467 sbcbloomington.org facebook.com/2ndbaptistbloomington youtube.com/@secondbaptist churchbloomington
Sunday Service: 10 a.m., In house and on Facebook/YouTube Sunday School: 8:45 - 9:45 a.m. Bible Study: Available In House and on Zoom Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m., Thursdays, Noon
Please come and worship with us. We are in training for reigning with Christ! Need a ride? Call our Church bus at 812-3271467 before 8 a.m. on Sunday
Rev. Dr. Bruce R. Rose - Pastor Tallie Schroeder - Secretary
Unitarian Universalist Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington 2120 N. Fee Ln. 812-332-3695 uubloomington.org facebook.com/uubloomington
Sunday: 9:30 & 11:30 a.m. via in person or livestream We’re a multi dynamic congregation actively working towards a more just and loving world. We draw inspiration from world religions and diverse spiritual traditions. Our vision is “Seeking the Spirit, Building Community, Changing the World.” A LGBTQA+, Dementia Friendly, Welcoming Congregation to all ages and groups and a Certified Green Sanctuary.
Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Rose House LuMin & St. Thomas Lutheran Church
3800 E. Third St. 812-332-5252 Stlconline.org lcmiu.net
together with us. We are an inclusive Christian community who values the faith, gifts, and ministry of all God’s people. We seek justice, serve our neighbors, and love boldly.
Discover a vibrant, welcoming community at Unity of Bloomington – “a positive path for spiritual living”. Our center offers a space for spiritual growth; embracing all with open arms. We proudly affirm and welcome the LGBTQ+ community, fostering love, acceptance, and inclusion. Join our loving congregation, where everyone is valued and encouraged to explore their spiritual journey. At Unity of Bloomington, all are welcome and together we thrive!
Minnassa Gabon - Spiritual Leader
Phyllis Wickliff - Music Director
Reformed Protestant
Trinity Reformed Church 2401 S. Endwright Rd. 812-825-2684 trinityreformed.org lucas@trinityreformed.org facebook.com/trinitychurchbloom
sier’s record to 2-0 in the spring season. Indiana will return to the pitch at 3.30 p.m. April 5 against Saint Louis University at the Worldwide Technology Soccer Park in Fenton, Missouri.
JACOB SPUDICH | IDS Freshman forward Michael Nesci attempts to deflect a pass in a game against the University of Dayton on Sept. 9, 2024, at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington. Nesci
Galloway’s heroics lift Indiana over Ohio State
Fifth-year senior guard Trey Gallway brought the heat, defeating Ohio State in a close game, 66-60
By Daniel Flick danflick@iu.edu | @bydanielflick
As the Indiana men’s basketball team took the floor for the final time before tipoff March 8 against Ohio State, fifth-year senior guard Trey Galloway took his usual place at the front of a long, Cream and Crimson-colored line.
Just under two and a half hours later, Galloway brought up the rear of the Hoosiers’ postgame handshake line — after he had already high-fived or hugged all his teammates and assistant coaches.
In between, Galloway tied for the team lead with 16 points, eclipsed 1,000 points scored for his career and hit perhaps the biggest shot of his IU career — a deep 3-pointer with less than a minute and a half remaining to give the Hoosiers a 5-point lead — en route to a crucial 66-60 victory over Ohio State at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Regardless of how Galloway played, March 8 promised to be the 72nd and final home game of his college career. He ended with an exclamation point — and, most important to him, a victory.
“What I’ll remember the most is winning and going out as a winner at Assembly Hall,” Galloway said postgame.
Galloway has played 139 career games at Indiana, the most in program history. He’s the 56th Hoosier to score at least 1,000 points. And the Culver, Indiana, native is one of only two Hoosiers — alongside fifth-year senior guard Anthony Leal — who have been with the team for head coach Mike Woodson’s entire four-year tenure.
Indiana has endured highs and lows with Woodson, who’s stepping down at the end of the season. The same is true for Galloway, who faced a barrage
of boos at various points in his final season. At one point during Indiana’s 9469 loss to Illinois on Jan. 14, fans cheered when Galloway went to the bench and booed when his face was shown on the video board.
With his game-sealing 3-pointer March 8, Galloway turned anxiety into euphoria. It’s the reaction Woodson feels Galloway has long deserved.
“For the fans to sit in here and boo him during the time that they booed him, it just wasn’t right,” Woodson said. “It just wasn’t. Because that kid competes. He gives his heart. Have nothing but respect and love for Trey Galloway.”
Galloway, however, said he was unfazed by the crowd’s disdain for him.
“I think just the biggest thing, like my dad’s always telling me, ‘If you listen to the crowd, you’re going to be sitting with them,’” Galloway said. “That really hit home. I was like, you can’t really worry about what’s going on outside. All I care about is what’s in the locker room with me, and really just trusting that my teammates trust me to make plays and no matter what was said, or what was going on, it doesn’t really matter.”
The two sitting next to Galloway at the postgame podium, Leal and senior forward Luke Goode, each audibly supported the message from Galloway’s dad, Mark.
“Because that kid competes. He gives his heart. Have nothing but respect and love for Trey Galloway.”
Head coach Mike Woodson
It’s more than coach speak. At the under-4 media timeout, Indiana public address announcer Jeremy Gray noted Galloway eclipsed 1,000 career points
on a 3-pointer 30 seconds prior. Most fans — and sophomore guard Gabe Cupps — clapped their hands to recognize the accomplishment.
Galloway remained locked into the Hoosiers’ huddle. He lifted his hands, but only to pass a Gatorade bottle back to one of the team managers.
Indiana, which trailed 5654 at the time of the huddle, finished the game on a 12-4 run to take an NCAA Tournament resume-boosting victory. Galloway’s deep triple was the Hoosiers’ last made field goal, as it forced Ohio State to foul on each of Indiana’s remaining possessions.
Yet, while Galloway’s finish may have been storybook, his start wasn’t.
The 6-foot-5, 205-pound Galloway missed each of his first three attempts. His first points came on a tip-in with just over 12 and a half minutes remaining in the opening half, and he made a free throw 30 seconds later. But he didn’t score for over nine minutes thereafter.
Galloway hit a pair of floaters inside the final three minutes to finish with 7 points in the first half. However, his momentum didn’t immediately carry over. He didn’t score for the first eight and a half minutes of the second half, but he ultimately made three 3-pointers to finish with 16 points, tied for his second-most in a game this season.
A rollercoaster of emotions and scoring spells followed Galloway around March 8. His veteran poise helped him overcome it — and guide the Hoosiers to their fifth win in the past seven games.
“We’ve had a lot of highs and a lot of lows through our career,” Leal said postgame. “For him to continue working and doing what he does well and just being super reliable for our team has been really big, not just this year,
but in previous years. I know when he does what he does well, our team plays a lot better.”
Through the thrilling heights and deafening valleys, Galloway hasn’t lost his hustle. He earned the nickname “Crazy Man” from Woodson during the 2021-22 season, their first year together, because he was “all over the place,” Woodson said.
Woodson didn’t know how Galloway was going to play on a nightly basis, but he knew Galloway would compete — after all, it’s all he’s ever done.
Galloway’s legacy in Bloomington hasn’t been finalized. The Hoosiers have more business to handle, starting with their Big Ten
Tournament opener at noon March 13 against Oregon inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
But one chapter closed March 8. Galloway won’t play another second of competitive basketball at Assembly Hall. His outing ended with what Woodson dubbed “the biggest shot of the game,” a fitting culmination for a player with more sweat equity in the program than most.
As senior day ceremonies began postgame, the mood turned reflective. Woodson eyed the seniors’ jerseys scattered in frames across Branch McCracken Court, and he took extra time while staring at Galloway’s white No. 32 thread. Perhaps his mind went to the 80 wins they’ve had together or the tough times in which they’ve publicly supported one another. Or maybe he thought about the maturation of “Crazy Man” into a two-time team captain at one of college basketball’s most prestigious institutions. Galloway has more to pen in his final farewell to Indiana. He’s now driving the proverbial boat of a oncesunken ship headed toward March Madness. But amidst his various identities and extensive list of accolades, Galloway’s calling card hasn’t changed.
“I mean, the only way you can remember Trey is that he plays hard,” Woodson said. “He competes. And you would be fooling yourself if you think anything else.”
TRINITY MACKENZIE | IDS
Graduate student guard Trey Galloway points at the shot clock during a game against Ohio State on March 8, 2025, inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. Galloway drained the game-winning 3-pointer against the Buckeyes.
