Indiana Statesman For ISU students. About ISU students. By ISU students.
Monday, November 14, 2016
Indiana Statesman
@ISUstatesman
isustatesman
Volume 124, Issue 34
Conversations of diversity sparked on campus Adrienne Morris Reporter
ISU Communications and Marketing
Josh Powers talking about the ongoing race issues on the ISU campus.
In response to the ongoing racial diversity within Indiana State University, the event “Let’s Talk About Race in America” was created. On Nov. 10, the first of the three Let’s Talk About Race in America events took place in the Heritage Ballroom. The episodic documentary “Race: The Power of Illusion” was shown to faculty and students. The episode discussed the difference between races and how people are more alike than they are different. In the episode, the scientific side of race was analyzed in order to teach an individual that just because a person is a different race does not mean that they are different biologically. The documentary was shown to create a dialogue among the students and faculty of ISU. After the episode ended, people were asked to write down their impressions of the episode and discuss it with the members of their table.
The event began with an introduction from Vice President of Inclusive Excellence Josh Powers and ISU President Dan Bradley. President Bradley spoke about why a discussion about race is important. “The topic of race is not only important that we discuss it, but that we understand its origins,” Bradley said. In order to create a conversation about what the attendees tables discussed, they were asked to openly say their agreed upon statement and discuss it with another table. The conversations all contained elements that were learned in the documentary or were previously known prior to coming to the event. People who attended the event allowed themselves to become involved with the conversation and learn more about race. “I think we need this in places like Indiana where people are either one of two races and they are not very exposed to other people who are different races,” Alyaa Malibari said. The dialogue that was created
Sycamores can be found all over campus Leah Kennedy Reporter
Indiana State University takes Sycamores to a whole new level by branding themselves after the tree, and emblazoning its leaf all over campus. It is seen it on t-shirts, on the ground, on buildings and displayed proudly on social media, and you’re probably asking “Where are the trees?” Stephanie Krull, landscape and grounds manager at Indiana State University has answered that long asked question. ISU takes great pride in its landscaping. “There are 2,400 trees on campus,” Krull said. “We have about 1,400 seedlings on 17 tree farms around the periphery of campus. Our adjacent lots which are not part of campus have almost 1,000 trees on them as well.” There are red oaks, white oaks, maples, tulip trees, poplars, sycamores, and willows— just to name a few. Trees require a lot of care and upkeep, especially on a campus like Indiana State University’s. Krull stated that ISU staff “prune (the trees) continuously, and inspect for damaged or decaying limbs.” They also “do a complete hazard tree inventory every three years to check the overall health of our larger trees in order to remove trees that could potentially fail in a wind storm or the like that to prevent unexpected failures.” Krull also said they “fertilize trees, mulch around the root zones, and treat them for certain insects that could potentially kill the tree, like the Emerald Ash Borer.” ISU also has a “deep, well sourced irrigation (system) all over campus that help our trees survive the dry periods in spite of our sandy, quick draining soil,” Krull said. Many people know that ISU is a community-focused school that
because of the event allowed people to voice their feelings and also to gain a minor understanding of certain things that different races go through. “I was heartened by the dialogue. There was a lot of acceptance to hear each other. People were willing to put themselves out there. There seemed to be very good acceptance from everybody,” John Lentz said. Race is something that affects everyone and even some more than others. Many people often do not have somewhere to go to discuss their issues about race, but the Let’s Talk About Race event gave people the opportunity to do so. “This helps people process things a little easier. It allows people to express themselves across the table,” Lentz said. Let’s Talk About Race in America is a three-part event; the next one will be held on Nov. 15 in Heritage Hall. The second section will examine the concept in North America. The final section of the event will take place during the spring semester.
Ethics Bowl teach debate styles on moral issues Anthony Goelz Reporter
ISU Communications and Marketing
ISU Sycamores planting 2,400 Sycamore trees all over campus and branding themselves after the tree.
takes great pride in its community service and giving back. That focus extends to the trees. “We collect most of the leaves from our trees and compost them near the community garden. The gardeners are then able to use the compost to grow their vegetables,” Krull said. The trees also improve air quality. For the past 20 years, Indiana State University has been planting trees and bringing nature to an ever growing city. Their plans will not stop anytime soon as they extend up to 50 years from now. “There has been a concerted effort to create a green, urban forested campus that will decrease our heat island effect, and improve our runoff of storm water,”
Krull said. Trees are grown off campus on tree farms and then transplanted to the campus for better chances of their growing. In addition to trees, there are several types of other foliage. “We (Indiana State University) try to plant shrubs and perennials that will provide habitat for wildlife, as we are a certified wildlife friendly campus by the Indiana Wildlife Federation. Many of the shrubs, for example, have berries that the birds enjoy throughout the winter. We have several native plant gardens, two butterfly gardens, many floral display areas, a koi and goldfish pond with plantings, a roof garden over our computer server, a sensory garden and
a community garden with over 150 plots for personal gardening,” Krull said. The trees provide homes for many squirrels and chipmunks, who have a vital role in the ecosystem of the campus. Krull said they “like to eat tulip bulbs” and “the occasional chipmunk chews a hole through the liner of the Koi pond.” Krull, pointed out her love for the job and the campus. “I love my job creating a beautiful, park-like campus for the students and staff at ISU, and hope it is always a priority here. I think it makes life and work so much more enjoyable to have nature close by and living amongst us,” she said.
The Ethics Bowl is a debate style competition where teams are given ethical dilemmas to consider. The teams then discuss the best, most ethical way to go about handling the situations. The teams are then judged based on a set criteria. The Ethics Bowl took place on Nov. 10 at 5 p.m. in Federal Hall. The contestants’ arguments are judged based on intelligibility, depth, focus and judgment. Intelligibility is based on how clear and logical the argument is. Depth is the understanding the team’s show of the subject. Focus is how well the team stays on topic. Finally, judgement is how ethically sound the argument is. Many of the questions were about topics such as cheating on schoolwork or business practices. According to Greg Bierly, the executive director of the Honors Program and one of the judges, the most challenging part of judging this competition was “where the dilemma that was presented was so confining that both groups presented similar arguments or one group just expanded on the previous argument.” Bierly also said that in these cases the panel judged based on “who presented a more full case or more sophisticated sort of defense on principle.” The competition was divided into multiple rounds. First, the groups were divided into two groups of six. The groups would then debate one on one until three groups remained. Then the three would make a statement
SEE ETHICS, PAGE 3
Students causally lunch with President Bradley Ashton Hensley Reporter
Each month, random students are sent an invitation to have lunch with Indiana State University President Daniel Bradley. Students who receive the invitation are encouraged to bring along a guest to sit down for a casual and free lunch with the president. On Nov. 10, nine students met at the Generations restaurant located at the Hulman Center and received a nametag and a seat at a reserved table. Once everyone had gotten their food, President Bradley introduced himself and became acquainted with everyone at the table. After Bradley explained that the purpose of the lunch was to give students a chance to talk to him about ISU, what they like and dislike.
The students in attendance were a mixture of undergraduates and graduates. Bradley encouraged conversation whether it was about sports or more pressing issues on campus. One topic brought up was the renovations taking place on campus. With the other resident halls currently being upgraded, students were curious as to if and when the Lincoln Quads would also receive renovations. Bradley briefly discussed an attempted renovation of the quads and followed up with a prediction that in about five years the quads would not be renovated, but demolished and replaced. Bradley asked the students about their opinions on some of the accommodations ISU has to offer, such as the Rec Center. He received positive feedback as the students informed him that they thought the campus altogether was great. Bradley
was interested to hear from the attending freshmen and how they thought college life differed so far from high school. The lunch conversation held a balance of business matters and casual topics. One of the students told Bradley that the educators at ISU were impeccable. However, along with the praise the students gave Bradley for ISU, there were also a few complaints and suggestions brought up. One of the older students present suggested starting organizations for the campus’s older students and for the students who were veterans. Bradley responded by informing the student of who they could talk to in order start such an organization. One of the more casual topics brought up was that of everyone’s plans for the holiday. While the students did not have any significant travel plans, Bradley announced that he and his wife will be vis-
iting Cuba, specifically its parks and wildlife reserves. This one-on-one interaction provided students with a chance to put a face and personality to the university president instead of him just being a figurehead on campus. President Bradley has been having these lunches for years, though he admitted that it is sometimes difficult to find students who want to attend. He said that the method of choosing was simply picking names at random from the student roster and sending out the invitations. As a final story, Bradley told the students that it had not started out as a lunchtime event. “At first I was inviting students to a breakfast event,” Bradley said. “As the months passed I realized students didn’t want to come. So I changed it to a lunchtime event.”