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Thursday, August 29, 2019
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Women’s Equality March 2019 Payton Jarrett Reporter
The League of Women Voters of Vigo County hosted the eighth annual Women’s Equality Day March at ISU. Monday, Aug. 26, Indiana State held the Women’s Equality Day March, a civic non-partisan event uniting the campus and community to commemorate 99 years since the passage of the 19th Amendment, granting all American women the right to vote. Guests of all ages and all genders were promoted the opportunity to register to vote, and were educated on the figures of the past who have advocated for this right. The event’s organizer, Marsha Miller, says, “We feel that no one should feel excluded from learning about what the struggle was and still is for women in America.” The Pre-March rally took place on the corner of Chestnut and 9th Street, where guests decorated posters to carry on their march through campus.
To include everyone who wished to participate, a tram was provided for those who have difficulty walking. Miller believes in the importance of marching to visibly recognize the progression of the suffragist movement so that it may instill a deeper impact on those who attend the event. “ISU seemed to be the natural place to join the community, the university, and other entities together and has worked really well ever since its start here in 2012,” says Miller. The event concluded at DeDe Plaza where light refreshments were served and a brief program where speakers reemphasized the suffragist’s efforts of the 19th century to the present day. Guests were then granted the final opportunity for voter registration and to sign petitions for causes provided by other guests. “Women’s Equality Day has taught me the importance of having the right to vote and I’m glad I got the chance to empathize for the people of the past who have struggled to do so,” said sophomore Darryl Black.
Tiarra Taylor | Indiana Statesman
Annual Women’s March for Equality continued despite the rain on Monday, August 26. This year commemorated 99 years since the 19th Amendment was passed, giving American women the right to vote.
Deedee Morrison’s ‘Our River-Our Future’ sculpture inspires students, honors the Wabash Brea Haller Reporter
The Deedee Morrison sculpture was unveiled in early May and made for a nice surprise for new and returning students to see. The Wabash River served inspired artist Deedee Morrison, who is from South Carolina, to create this piece of art. Ultimately, she named the sculpture “Our River-Our Future.” It stands outside the front of the Indiana State University College of Health and Human Services. Saabirah Muhammad | Indiana Statesman
Indiana State sees enrollment decrease this fall
A new approach to access: ISU enrollment reflects emphasis on admitting students with better likelihood of graduating. ISU’s new admissions philosophy focusing on student success produced the result university officials expected — a decline in total enrollment. But the institution showed increases in retention, diversity, and academic quality. Total enrollment is 12,146 for the current academic year. The change of approach, which reflects best practices nationwide, emphasizes not how many students show up as freshmen but how many walk across the stage at graduation with a degree. That metric is also a priority for the state of Indiana, which has emphasized student success and graduation through performance funding. Dr. Jason Trainer, Vice Pro-
vost for Enrollment Management, who joined the university in March, said the institution is committed to graduating a higher percentage of Sycamores. It is no longer just about enrolling a large freshman class. “Our work is heavily focused on creating environments where students are likely to succeed,” Trainer said. “The stakes for our students and their families are life-changing. We serve a student population that includes a high percentage of first-generation, Pell-eligible and minority students.” The value of a degree from Indiana State University shows in what students do next. “Ninety-five percent of all Indiana State graduates are employed or pursuing graduate education within six months of graduation,” Trainer said. “Those graduates are earning an average
salary of more than $47,000.” As the number of high school graduates begins to drop across the nation, it is increasingly difficult to grow enrollments with past practices, Trainer said. ISU’s strategy is a combination of improving retention rates of current students while identifying specific initiatives to target growth of traditional, transfer, graduate, online, and international students. Students not admitted are encouraged to attend community college and reapply to Indiana State in a year or two. Some other enrollment statistics compared to last year: One-year retention rate is up 3 percentage points Diversity of the freshman class is up 3 percentage points Grade point averages are up for the incoming freshman class. ISU Marketing
According to the Tribune Star, ““Our River — Our Future” features steel circular patterns laser cut to represent the Wabash River’s diatoms, single-cell organisms that are key indicators of the health and well-being of an environment. The meandering of the Wabash River is reflected in the overall shape of the sculpture. The new sculpture, which stands 15 1/2 feet tall and six feet wide, can be seen along North Fifth Street near the newly-redesigned east entrance of the College of Health and Human Services.” Morrison told reporters for the Tribune Star, “A lot of my
work starts with the environment. I think the relationship to the river is really important to the vitality of a city.” “I was surprised when I first saw the new sculpture outside the new building. It’s cool to have a fresh piece of art to look at on campus and I thought it was really cool that it was inspired by the Wabash River,” said Indiana State University nursing student, Karsen Root. The Deedee art piece adds a nice touch of style to Indiana State’s campus. It is the seventh Art Spaces sculpture on ISU’s campus, and the 20th in Terre Haute.
13th annual Bat Festival set for Sept. 21 at Indiana State Bat friends are invited to the 13th annual Indiana Bat Festival on Sept. 21 on the Indiana State University campus. Sponsored by the university’s Center for Bat Research, Outreach, and Conservation, the free event’s theme this year is “Always Hanging Out! The Busy Social Lives of Bats,” focusing on bat social networks and behaviors. “Most bats are extremely social, just like humans,” said Joy O’Keefe, associate professor of biology and director of the bat center. “Bats hang out in groups in their roosts, whether under the bark of a dead tree, under the large leaf of a tropical plant, on the ceiling of a cave or in the rafters of a barn.” Some bats live in harems, where a male defends his roost and a small group of females against intrusion by other males, she added. Other bats live in large maternity colonies of hundreds — or even thousands — of moms and their pups roosting together during the pregnancy and lactation periods. “When pups of the maternal colonies are able to fly, the group disbands into smaller factions, and males may form bachelor colonies,” O’Keefe said. “Bats also fly together in search of food, sometimes sharing information about the whereabouts of a good patch of mayflies on a stream or trees with the best ripe fruits.” The bat festival will feature opportunities to see live bats and raptors and listen to guest speakers discuss how bats socialize, as well as children’s activities such as face painting, “cave” exploration and origami, information on building bat boxes, silent auction, bake sale
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