Indiana Statesman For ISU students. About ISU students. By ISU students.
Volume 122, Issue 50
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015
Perone assists student in solving problems Adler Ingalsbe Reporter Indiana State University’s Al Perone has been helping students and staff with any problems that may occur in their lives and has found joy in assisting them with anything he can do. Perone is the current ombudsperson at ISU, a position described as someone who provides assistance to students who may have problems that need to be dealt with. He describes himself as a “student problem-solver.” “Any student with any issue can contact me. Issues usually fall into the following categories: personal, academic, behavioral or financial,” Perone said. “I work with students and staff to resolve these issues. Some issues are caused by the students or staff and others have issues thrust upon them.” Perone fulfills a number of other positions at Indiana State, including serving on a multitude of committees and teaching University 101 each fall, though he’s still available to help students and faculty members in need. “In the spring, I have been involved with the alternative spring break trips, where I have chaperoned at least a dozen trips. This spring I will be going to Costa Rica with a few dozen students,” Perone said. Even though he serves these roles today, this isn’t the first year he’s been involved with
ISU. He attended ISU as an undergraduate and became a faculty member the year after. “I attended as a student from 1977 to 1981 to achieve a BS in Business Administration and from 1981-1984 for a masters in Student Affairs in Higher Education. I then became a full-time employee at the University in 1984 and have held the following positions: Residence Hall director, assistant to the Dean of Students, assistant director of Student Life Programs, director of Student Activities and Organizations and now associate dean of Students/Ombudsperson,” Perone said. Perone said he’s been influenced by many different people throughout his career. “To name one person [who has influenced me] would be impossible. There have been many people that have been a great influence in my career from my family, to my colleagues, my supervisors and my many mentors at ISU and across the country,” Perone said. Perone said a few specific people have helped him at different points in his life — from growing up, to being a student and now to being a professional. “My sister was a huge influence on me growing and attending school. While in college, Ed Pease and George Redfearn were advisors to my fraternity and had a major impact on my career choice to stay in higher education.”
indianastatesman.com
Coed dorm room plan receives mixed feedback
Makyla Thompson Reporter
Al Perone thrives in helping students with any types of issues or problems that may occur (Photo by ISU Communications and marketing).
Perone said. “As a developing professional, I’ve continued to be influenced by Ed Pease, but Dr. Bob Elsey was a supervisor that taught me more about being a professional, Reid Kidder taught me how to be a great influence without steering the ship, while Will Keim taught me how to understand students and use my passion for students to guide me.” Now after years of being influenced by so many people,
President Obama’s senior advisor, David EXPAND As Axelrod brings his perspectives on
YOUR WORLD leadership as someone who worked 20 Indiana State University feet from the Oval Office, in a behindSPEAKER the-scenes look at life in the White House. SERIES Come hear more!
Perone is now the one helping influence people’s lives by helping them solve their problems. “I think the biggest help I am for students is that I listen to them and ask them questions. I try to get students to solve their own problems. I teach them how to navigate the university and only step in and become more involved when they are up against a wall,” he said.
Join Us
Feb.
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www.indstate.edu/speaker
Indiana State University is thinking about going coed for the dorm rooms in the future, but will start with the University Apartments to test it out. Many universities in the U.S. have decided to let men and women become roommates in the new coed dorm room decision. According to NBCNews.com the colleges who have already started the coed dorm room change are Wesleyan University, Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania, Oberlin College, Clark University and Stanford University. As of right now the only dorms that are coed at Indiana State are Hines, Jones, Erickson, Burford and Pickerl halls, which are only coed by floor. However, in the next few years that could all change. Jeff Kortman, the Residential Life assistant director, gave information on what Indiana State has planned as far as coed dorm rooms. “We are going to be doing some test piloting [for] some things with [coed rooms] here over the next couple of years,” Kortman said, “specifically gearing toward our upperclassmen in the University Apartments.” This plan is going to be beneficial for students and incoming students who may be transgendered, or do not really have a gender to identify with. The school is planning on being gender-flexible. “We are experiencing a lot more of those students not on our campus, but COED CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
For an evening with
David Axelrod
7 p.m. Tilson Auditorium This event is free & open to the public.
NEWS
Page 2
Falcons swoop in during demolition work
Kristi Ashby News Editor
Last year a pair of falcons swooped in and delayed the demolition of the Statesman Towers and now they are back. The demolition process has not yet been delayed, but the birds are being monitored by professor Dr. Steven Lima from the Biology Department in case they become an issue. Renascent Inc., the company in charge of the demolition, is aware of the falcons and is relying on ISU to keep an eye on the situation. “The school is taking care of the bird nest,” Rob Blevens, a dispatcher for the company, said. “We are aware and construction won’t be taking place for a couple months.” Preparations for the demolition will still be taking place though with hope that the activity will cause the birds to move and nest in a new area. The nest for the falcons was moved last fall to a new location in another building downtown to prepare for the Towers’ demolition. Bryan Duncan, the Capital Planning and Improvements director, confirmed that the falcons have again been spotted on the east tower of the Statesman Towers. “When demo starts on surroundi n g smaller buildings, we hope they leave for a new spot,” Duncan said. “We will monitor the tower to see if they are a pair and will mate and lay eggs on the tower. It’s our strong belief that the disruption will cause them to move.” ISU should know whether the birds have paired and laid eggs in late spring, around the time the wrecking ball is scheduled to arrive.
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015
Students discuss issues in Indiana capitol Steve Wininger Reporter More than 80 students, representing 19 groups from Indiana State University, got the chance to interact with lawmakers at the Indiana capitol during ISU Day at the State House Monday. Jennifer Monarch, a secondyear graduate student majoring in student affairs, said the trip is an opportunity for students to see how government works, speak with legislators and to watch as they discuss and debate state issues. The goal of the trip is to get students involved with how government works. It also gives legislators and students an opportunity to get to know each other, Monarch said. The trip helps close the gap of understanding between student and government. “When you can see how things work firsthand, it helps teach them a lot,” Monarch said.
The number of students attending this year’s trip was almost double last year’s attendance. One of the highlights of the trip, Monarch said, was when lawmakers and officials such as Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz and State Senator Phil Boots of Indiana District 23 talked with students. Legislators and students generally discussed education issues. Monarch also said there are some groups that have specific issues they discuss with legislators. Sophomore Radasia Blaylock, a social work major, said she attended the trip to represent her major. Blaylock had the opportunity to talk with legislators about issues concerning the group she represented. Income inequality and poverty were among the issues she
touched on. Blaylock said the highlight of her day was when they went into the chambers and got to see a resolution passed. She definitely recommends that students attend because it’s very educational. “It actually was pretty overwhelming at first when we walked into the building,” Blaylock said. She said the size of the building and its beauty and everyone dressed up running around and the banging of gavels was a lot at first. “There’s a lot going on in here,” Blaylock said. Blaylock is no stranger to politics and government, but was enlightened to see how things work inside government. She said the trip is a great chance for students to network and make connections. Blaylock understands that many students don’t connect
with politics, but she still finds it important for students to know who is running their town and their country. “If politics is not your deal, at least keep up with what’s going on, at least know who the president is and your mayor,” Blaylock said. Students don’t have to be deeply involved, but it’s a good idea to at least know the simple things and keep up to date with what is going on. “Whether they like it or not, politics is everywhere,” Blaylock said. While Monarch echoed the same sentiment, she also believes that students should not complain about the government unless they are willing to get involved to change it. “The only way to fix the system is to get involved instead of just complaining,” Monarch said.
Science Project:
Science building classrooms await renovation
Makyla Thompson Reporter
Students and faculty want Indiana State University to renovate the Science Building’s old, outdated classrooms, but because no company has bid on them yet they cannot start the reconstruction. This year ISU has plans to upgrade the classrooms in the Science Building in addition to the renovation of the roof that they are doing this summer. Students and teachers are ready for it. As for now they are waiting to see if anyone will bid on getting the classrooms renovated so that they can start planning. Diann McKee, the vice president for business affairs and finance and university treasurer, spoke about the possible changes to the Science Building. “There will also be upgrades in some of the classrooms,” McKee said. “We have not yet received bids for the classroom upgrades.”
Adrienne Gilbert is one of the chemistry instructors who thinks that the repairs will be good for the Science Building. “I [definitely] think the repairs are positive things,” Gilbert said. “I’ve just recently joined the faculty this past fall and these improvements are very necessary.” Gilbert thinks that the roof replacement might make the building look “top notch.” The additional classroom renovation will make the Science Building a place students would want to sit and learn, she said. “Some universities might have worse facilities that are still in need of repairs,” Gilbert said. Gilbert also believes that the renovations of the classrooms would be good for the students and teachers. “There is talk of renovation of the lecture halls in the Science Building,” Gilbert said, “and they are very necessary. We have some really out-of-date setups.”
Gilbert hopes her reasoning will get the Science Building classroom renovation project some bids so that they can start right away. “There [are] classrooms where the seats [that] are set up are not the most engaging for students who might sit in the back 50 feet from the instructor,” Gilbert said. “But they are looking into ways to improve in that.” Some students agree that the renovations will be beneficial. Noella Mabah, a junior nursing major, thinks the repairs will make the building look much better. “I think it will be good,” Mabah said. “It’s for the better, and will make the building a much better place.” ISU hopes to renovate those classrooms over the summer along with the roof renovation, but won’t know for sure until the project receives more bids.
indianastatesman.com
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015 • Page 3
COED CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
campuses across the nation,” Kortman said, “and in an effort we are looking to create a gender-neutral housing policy. So that means that everyone in that room could be either gender.” “We are in the process of looking at doing that in the University Apartment units to where individuals could, if they wanted to, live with somebody of the opposite gender,” Kortman said. Students get to choose whether they would want to live with a person of the opposite sex or not. ISU is only trying the coed dorm room plan with the upperclassmen who live in the University Apartments because parents are already worried about the dorms on campus that have coed floors. “Students may be OK with that, but parents are not. There [are] a lot of parents [who] are concerned about the fact that we have co-gender floors,” Kortman said. “So many of them don’t agree or like that.” Bre Herring, a junior dietetics major,
thinks this is a cool idea. “I think it’s a good idea,” Herring said. “I feel like if you know who you want to go in with then you should do it. If you’re going to go in random then you should be put with the same gender.” Emily Bisch, a senior athletic training major, thinks students should make sure they are committed to this idea. “I think that you have to commit with that, but at the same time you have to know what you’re getting into,” Bisch said. “Let’s say me and my boyfriend are going to ISU and we want a room together, but three months in he turns out to be notso-great. And now I am breaking up with him, I would want to switch my room. Well that could cause a mess. So I think you should go in knowing that you are committing to at least a semester.”
“I think that you have to commit with that, but at the same time you have to know what you’re getting into.” Emily Bisch
OPINION
Page 4
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015
A Young Woman’s Guide to College
Group projects: College’s awkward phase stresses us out We know them, we dread them and we have a special stash of rich, Dove chocolates reserved for when they are assigned. There is no inspirational message that is heart-warming enough on the inside wrapper to make us enjoy group projects. They need to Columnist be handled with care and labeled “Fragile,” not only as a tribute to one of the most memorable holiday movies, “A Christmas Story,” but because their potential mental and emotional destruction is lethal. They leave the dedicated begging for lengthy peer reviews and a stress ball to relieve their newly generated anxiety. I used to think that when college came you could grow out of group projects much like we grow out of our awkward middle school years. When we are young and in the heart of forming friendships, group projects are interactive and a much-needed break from reading our ever-fascinating textbooks. Creating dioramas and crafty poster boards used to be a collaborative expression of personality and a quick way to spend our parents’ Staple’s Rewards.
Kirstyn Quandt
However, in college, the innovation falls behind a long list of requirements, expectations and rigorous presentations. Most students are here to learn and prepare for a prosperous future: most, but not all. You will always have one sleeping on your left and one texting and popping bubble gum on your right. These individuals are not here to excel, but to slide by with mediocrity. While this choice is fine for an individual, when they are asked to contribute to a group, it can hinder the project’s success and test your patience to a level you didn’t even know existed. I value and respect the idea that professors have in their minds — that not only will we turn in intellectually stimulating work, but that we will learn the value of teamwork and turn classmates into friends. It’s truly a heartwarming thought but 10 times out of 10 that isn’t what happens. When we are allowed to choose our partners, there is at least some satisfaction that we can align our work ethic and goals with similar ones in the class. All of that hope is thrown out and stomped on when random partners hold the fate of our semester in their hands. I often feel like Dory from “Finding Nemo,” trying so hard to find help in a sea of struggle. Members in a group are often divided
into three factions. You have the leaders, captains and those students who enjoy taking charge; they often lay out the timeline for the project as well as schedule and attend all meetings, most times by themselves. While others may view this member as controlling, when no one else is willing or able to put in the same effort, their complaints are not justified. It’s hard for these members to designate tasks and give up control because they have seen the glazed-over looks from other members and have wanted to cry a little bit each night as they are writing the entire group paper. It is hard to place something they value so much in the hands of someone who shows little interest. When schoolwork is on the top of your priority list, those with differing, lazy work ethics impede the progress of your group as a whole. Secondly, you have the individuals who like to take credit for things they had no contribution in; these partners are my favorite. I admire their guts. Sadly, these partners are the most abundant when it comes to group projects. We would gladly give them their deserved credit if they put their time, talents and efforts into the project wholeheartedly. When it isn’t deserved, however, it’s hard to willingly give. Finally, the third type of classmate is
Editorial Board
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015 Indiana State University www.indianastatesman.com Volume 122 Issue 50
Alex Modesitt Editor-in-Chief statesmaneditor@isustudentmedia.com Kristi Ashby News Editor statesmannews@isustudentmedia.com Kylie Adkins Opinions Editor statesmanopinions@isustudentmedia.com Rob Lafary Sports Editor statesmansports@isustudentmedia.com Kira Clouse Photo Editor statesmanphotos@isustudentmedia.com Carey Ford Chief Copy Editor The Indiana Statesman is the student newspaper of Indiana State University. It is published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during the academic school year. Two special issues are published during the summer. The paper is printed by the Tribune Star in Terre Haute, Ind.
the one you don’t see until the day of the presentation. When they walk to the front of the room with you, all other members skeptically glance their way wondering if they are lost, confused or even in the same class. The only minor glimpse of glory is group evaluations. It’s beautiful when you’re able to score and detail the exact contributions and the lack thereof from each classmate. I have never had my pen write in such fury or my emotions fly as high as they do during this time. It’s not to be spiteful or to offend a group member, but after investing so much time into something, it’s hard to let yourself forgive and forget. Call me crazy, but I like to earn good grades. I cringe when I don’t and feel accomplished when I receive an A, even better when there is a plus sign attached. With most other experiences, you have both good and bad. Group projects aren’t necessarily as equal. Depending on the type of person you are, the projects can be stressful, easy and sometimes rewarding. While they do teach you teamwork and efficiency, they only do those things if those are skills you want to refine and utilize. Otherwise, there is a solid divide between Netflix and networking.
Opinions Policy The opinions page of the Indiana Statesman offers an opportunity for the Indiana State University community to express its views. The opinions, individual and collective, expressed in the Statesman and the student staff’s selection or arrangement of content do not necessarily reflect the attitudes of the university, its Board of Trustees, administration, faculty or student body. The Statesman editorial board writes staff editorials and makes final decisions about news content. This newspaper serves
as a public forum for the ISU community. Make your opinion heard by submitting letters to the editor at statesmanopinions@isustudentmedia.com. Letters must be fewer than 500 words and include year in school, major and phone number for verification. Letters from non-student members of the campus community must also be verifiable. Letters will be published with the author’s name. The Statesman editorial board reserves the right to edit letters for length, libel, clarity and vulgarity.
indianastatesman.com
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015 • Page 5
Religious beliefs not exempt from criticism We’ve all had disagreements at one point or another, and I’m sure we all understand what it’s like to say something respectfully that someone else takes as an insult. As annoying as it can be, it’s our right to say these things. According to the First Amendment of the Bill Columnist of Rights no law can be enacted that prevents freedom of speech or the press. Most Americans know this right and don’t hesitate to exercise it, be it publicly or privately; but often people use freedom of speech to slander those with different views. So the question arises: do we have the right to insult others as well? The question came up after I read an article about an argument involving the pope, which involved people insulting and disrespecting each other’s religions. Pope Francis is taking a stance that advocates restraining free speech to anything that doesn’t insult religion.
Zachery Davis
This isn’t a fair request. Religion cannot be exempted from the right of free speech. Our freedom of speech was implemented so we are able to disagree with each other and not be persecuted for said disagreements. Granted I am not by any means encouraging everyone to go out and insult religion because yes it is rude, but we cannot claim religion is so special we can’t make negative comments about it. What if those comments are threats? ‘Free speech’ means we can say whatever we want, right? There are a few exceptions and this is one of them. All of the exceptions have been brought to and determined by the Supreme Court and every instance shares the same basic principle: you can’t do it if it endangers someone. Every precedent that restricts freedom of speech has been created to maintain the safety of everyone involved and if the comment breaches the threshold of safety or national security then it is illegal.
For example, in the case of “Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire” the precedent was set that nothing can be said that has “a direct tendency to cause acts of violence by the person to whom, individually, the remark [was] addressed.” To clear up this muddled mess the Supreme Court declared that it is not protected in the First Amendment to say anything that harms an individual or disrupts peace. Insulting a religion is not threatening it, but rather disagreeing in a rude manner. It’s not kind to insult anything but that is not what is in question; what is in question is whether or not it is fair for religion to be treated specially. It isn’t. Religion should not have special protection because it’s a belief. If we do this then we have to guarantee protection to political parties because they have beliefs as well. We shouldn’t for them, ei-
Not only would this solve the problem of insulting religion, but it might trickle into politics in the future as well.
ther. Many people, especially in the political realm, view contrasting comments and arguments as disrespect. This would keep us from being able to properly question candidates and party members, those in office and anything that would have to deal with a belief. To help the pope get his point across while offering a solution, why don’t we try this: in our schools we should put an emphasis on teaching students how to respectfully hold conversation and disagree. Not only would this solve the problem of insulting religion, but it might trickle into politics in the future as well. Then we wouldn’t have to worry about asking for exemption of free speech and instead focus on different problems. So no, it is not okay to just outright insult someone for what they believe in, and Pope Francis got that right. But what he got wrong is asking for special exemption to be enacted for religion. Nothing should have such a special exclusion from a fundamental right like freedom of speech and we shouldn’t ask for that. Instead we need to focus on being more polite with our speech and each other.
Super Bowl Sunday: Are we rewarding bad behavior? A record number of viewers tuned in Sunday for the Super Bowl, and since then it seems as though the Internet is a conglomerate of Patriots, Tom Brady and Katy Perry. This has been an especially unlucky year for the NFL, but their ratings couldn’t be higher. This Opinions would seem like we are celebrating bad behavior. Editor As far as the NFL goes on the whole, we’ve had Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson and the Patriots basically ignoring the conventional rules of morality. I had hoped that with such an awful
Kylie Adkins
year, maybe people wouldn’t watch the Super Bowl, but boy I was proved wrong. It seems most people here in the Midwest watched it mainly to watch the Patriots lose due to the recent allegations of cheating, but we could have no such luck. Every year the Super Bowl is the mostwatched event in the world and this seems like we are just rewarding bad behavior. The Patriots deflated balls during their play-off game with the Colts, and because the proof came out too late, the Patriots were still able to participate in the biggest event of the year. Do they really deserve the fame and glory that goes along with another Super Bowl win? Sure, they may suffer in the draft picks, but they still won the Super Bowl
and they still get another ring. Even if the deflation didn’t have an effect on the game, it sure says a lot about the team’s confidence that they had to deflate them in the first place. Cheating is cheating and the Patriots basically got off scot-free. One way to really stick it to the man would have been to not watch the Super Bowl at all, just boycott it and do something better and more productive with your time. Read a book or actually talk with your friends. By watching the Super Bowl, we just put more money into the NFL and the large broadcast conglomerates. I’m sure that money could be put to better use than 30-second commercials designed to peddle a product. Now, the Super Bowl isn’t all bad. It’s
a way for fans, friends and family to come together over a common interest, and when the right people are playing, it could be a very sportsman-like game that can be incredibly exciting for fans and non-fans alike. It has always been a prestigious honor to even play in the Super Bowl, let alone win it. This entire past year just devalues the Super Bowl, maybe not future Super Bowls, but this particular one does not mean much. I hope the NFL will focus on some moral development or at least take on better policies to deal with these issues that have come out of the woodwork. Maybe then the Super Bowl will deserve my time and the money that goes along with my viewing.
FEATURES
Page 6
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015
Sunny sophomore conquers condition Meredith Wettersten overcomes seizures, surgery and therapy to return to ISU
Libby Roerig
ISU Communications and Marketing For some students, school is simply a necessary objective to cross off one’s list on the way to a career. For theater major Meredith Wettersten, returning to Indiana State University this semester was the motivation she needed to battle through months of grueling rehabilitation after being partially paralyzed by a stroke. Her journey back to friends and classes began last summer when she underwent cuttingedge brain surgery aimed at stopping the seizures Meredith, a sophomore from Carmel, Indiana, had endured most of her life. “Meredith was a happy, healthy fourth-grader when she started having seizures,” said Meredith’s mother, Kim. “She had participated in gymnastics, soccer, softball, basketball, dance, and she loved to swim, mostly for fun, but she swam on a neighborhood team in the summers.” Local doctors immediately realized Meredith’s case was unusual and referred her to specialists at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. The seizures — all types and as many as 24 a month — didn’t impact Meredith’s daily life, but doctors were concerned about the long-term effects. “Between her local team of doctors and her Cleveland Clinic team of doctors, they tried everything over the years to stop Meredith’s seizures,” Kim said. “She was — and still is — on maximum doses of two anti-seizure medications, and she has endured numerous infusions of a high dose autoimmune drug.” Doctors also looked for a surgical solution, but the Wetter-
stens were told each year they could not pinpoint the exact location in the brain where the seizures were originating and even if they could, the surgery was just too risky. Then, in the summer of 2013, a new neurosurgeon at the Cleveland Clinic evaluated Meredith to see if she was a candidate for an invasive procedure that would identify the area causing the seizures. During the procedure, doctors would implant electrodes in targeted areas of Meredith’s brain, and then monitor her seizures to locate the exact source. “Meredith was so excited to be leaving for Indiana State University in August of that summer that we decided to postpone the lengthy and invasive evaluation until after her first year of college,” Kim said. Meredith thrived during that first year as a Sycamore. “It was a lot of fun. I wasn’t really homesick at all. I met a group of four really close friends and we did everything together,” she said. Meredith was able to take several classes in her major and even worked with the stage crew and was assistant stage manager for productions. “I’ve always been passionate about theater,” she said. “I’m a really shy person, so I like becoming someone else on stage.” As the academic year wrapped up, Meredith didn’t think twice about her impending brain surgery. “I wasn’t really worried about the surgery at all, because they had said you’ll have the surgery and go back to school in the fall,” she said. “So, I was like, ‘OK. Let’s do this.’” Prior to the surgery, Meredith spent three weeks in the hospital for a battery of tests, including
Meredith Wettersten is glad to find herself back at ISU after having to miss the fall semester due to complications from brain surgery last summer (Photo by ISU Communications and Marketing).
the invasive test that might offer a miracle. “After the evaluation, Meredith’s case was presented to a team of doctors and medical staff. We were told there was standing-room only with about 50 people in the room,” Kim said. “It was unanimously determined that they could safely remove the problem area and that she would be back at ISU by the time school started in August. She would not agree to the surgery otherwise. Getting back to school was her priority.” The surgery on July 8, 2014, was a success, and doctors were able to remove a portion of her
insular cortex. Since then, Meredith has only had two seizures — compared to the 170 she would have had during the same time prior to the surgery. However, after she woke up from surgery, Meredith had total hemiparesis — or paralysis — on the entire left side of her body, her dominant side. It was determined she had suffered an ischemic stroke during the surgery. “Even then, the doctors were like, ‘This will take just a couple of weeks to get over. You’ll still be able to go back to school in the fall.’ So I wasn’t too concerned about it,” Meredith said.
“It was a bummer, but I think my mom was more upset than I was.” Indeed. Kim describes the events as a “nightmare.” “I’m a pretty optimistic person in general,” Meredith said. “I was like, ‘I’ll go to rehab and get walking.’ I thought I’d be back in school by fall. They never really told us they thought it would be a long-term recovery.” But during a case evaluation with her team of doctors and rehabilitation team, they finally told her it would be a long road to recovery. SOPHOMORE CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
indianastatesman.com SOPHOMORE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6
“They said, ‘There’s no way you’re going back in the fall.’ I got really upset. It was the only time I got upset,” Meredith said. “After having freedom for a year, I wanted that again.” In usual form, though, Meredith regained her sunny disposition and started taking recovery one day at a time. “I just got over not going back to school and did my therapy,” she said. The months of therapy were filled with strides and setbacks. “When I first started occupational therapy, it was really slow. My occupational therapist would try everything, and my arm just wouldn’t move at all,” Meredith said. “Once it started moving, there was more you could do with it. It was really amazing they could get me walking again and get my arm moving.” Meredith continues her occupational therapy exercises to improve her arm and hand movements. “Her surgeon has told [us] that he believes she will regain function except for, perhaps fine motor skills, but with her determination and hard work, anything is possible,” Kim said.
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015 • Page 7 After a decade of specialized medical evaluation and treatment, Meredith is no stranger to hospitals. And she, in return, is no stranger to the doctors and nurses who treated her. “The nurses would always comment about my smile — I always had a smile on my face,” she said. “I’m just naturally a happy person.” So much so, one doctor wanted to evaluate her for being too upbeat in the face of such medical challenges. He said she must have been suppressing her true feelings. “During her time at [Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana], Meredith was repeatedly asked the scale of one-10 questions — with 10 being the worst — about anger, sadness, frustration. For each question, each time, she said zero or one,” Kim said. “The story here is about a medical miracle with both a good and a horrible outcome. But more importantly, it is about a young girl ... from 9 years old to 19 years old, who has endured every type of medical poking and prodding imaginable, who remains upbeat and who has done everything her doctors have asked her to do without complaint or a ‘woe is me’ attitude.”
Page 8
SPORTS
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015
Nationally ranked Northern Iowa downs Indiana State Ace Hunt ISU Athletic Media Relations The Indiana State Sycamores limited the visiting and nationally ranked No. 14/15 Northern Iowa Panthers to just 26.9 percent shooting in the second half but it proved to not be enough as UNI earned a 61-51 victory inside Hulman Center. The Sycamores fell to 11-12, 7-4 MVC while Northern Iowa improved to 21-2, 10-1 MVC. Indiana State will remain in third place while the Panthers take a half-game lead in the overall standings over Wichita State. Devonte Brown paced the team with 14 points as he hit 5-of-10 shots from the field, including a 3-pointer to go with five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Jake Kitchell scored seven points and pulled down nine rebounds in the contest while adding three assists. Seven different Sycamores hit one 3-pointer each. UNI owned a narrow 34-30 edge on the glass while each team turned the ball over 12 times. Brenton Scott took advantage of an early UNI turnover to stake the Sycamores to a quick 2-0 advantage which was answered by a 3-pointer from Seth Tuttle. After UNi stretched the lead to four, Brown knocked the lead down to one with a trifecta of his own. The Panthers scored inside and Gant hit another Sycamore triple to level the score at eight with 14:14 to go. The Panthers scored the game’s next nine points before a Tre’ Bennett 3-pointer at the 10:16 mark drew the Sycamores within 17-11. It would prove to be a 6-0 Indiana State run before consecutive layups by Brown and TJ Bell got the Trees within six points. Khristian Smith kept the Sycamores within striking distance with a 3-pointer at the fourminute mark and a Brown layup made it 28-22 as the clock ticked towards the two-minute mark. UNI scored the final five points of the half to take a 33-22 lead into the locker room. Brown scored seven points in the first half to pace Indiana State. The game was played at a continuous rate for most of the first half as the first media timeout was not taken until the 6:15 mark on
Above: Junior guard Devonte Brown and sophomore forward TJ Bell try to contain UNI’s premier post player, Seth Tuttle. Below: Senior forward Justin Gant attempts to take the ball inside against Tuttle (Photo by ISU Communications and Marketing).
the clock. Jeremy Morgan hit a 3-pointer early after halftime to make it an 8-0 Panther run around the half but Kitchell hit short jumper to get the Sycamores within 36-24 with 18:15 to go. A Jespersen 3-pointer at the 9:59 mark ran the Panther lead out to 49-31, but the Sycamores scored a layup by Brown and then consecutive charity tosses by Etherington and Brown to get within 49-35 at the 8:30 mark. After UNI ran the advantage back out to 16 points, Kitchell scored on an open layup with 6:28 to go to cut the Panther edge down to 51-37. After Tuttle was whistled for an offensive foul, Khristian Smith diced through the lane on the next possession to get the Sycamores within 12. Smith then scored again off the feed from Kitchell in response to a pair of Nate Buss charity tosses and UNI led 53-41. The Sycamores continued to battle when Kitchell stepped out to hit a 3-pointer with three minutes remaining to cut the UNI lead down to 57-46. Seth Tuttle paced the Panthers with 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Indiana State hits the road on Saturday when they travel to Loyola. Tip-off at the Gentile Center is set for 4 p.m.
indianastatesman.com
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015 • Page 9
Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir accepts invitation to visit White House Indiana State University’s women’s basketball graduate assistant and former player Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir has accepted an invitation to meet with members of the White House senior administration on Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Abdul-Qaadir, who is a practicing Muslim, was hand-selected to meet with White House senior officials as part of the Muslim American Leaders Meeting. She previously visited the White House in September 2009 as a special guest for an Iftar dinner after Ramadan, a Muslim observance. She is regarded as the first MuslimAmerican collegiate women’s basketball player who played completely covered — except for her hands — and while wearing a hijab. “I am truly honored to receive an invitation to meet with other MuslimAmericans and White House senior officials,” Abdul-Qaadir said. “It is very special to be asked to return to the White House and be an ambassador for young Muslim-American women and athletes.” A graduate of the University of Memphis — where she graduated Magna
Women’s basketball graduate assistant Abdul-Qaadir accepted an invitation to meet with the White House senior administration (Photo by ISU Communications and Marketing).
Cum Laude with a degree in Health and Human Performance — AbdulQaadir used her final season of collegiate eligibility with the Sycamores in 2013-14. She was named the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Year, a MVC First Team honoree and a MVC Scholar Athlete second team selection.
In her lone season at Indiana State, she ranks 10th all-time in single season scoring 454 points and averaged a teamhigh 14.2 points guiding her team to an MVC Regular Season Championship last season. She held a .396 field goal percentage, dished out a team-high 140 assists and picked up 62 steals while
compiling over 1,000 points in her fiveyear playing career. In addition, Abdul-Qaadir earned a combined seven MVC Player, Newcomer and Scholar Athlete of the Week awards. The Springfield, Massachusetts, native remained in Terre Haute following her playing career and began a one-year role as the graduate assistant/director of operations role for the Indiana State women’s basketball team. She will graduate in May with a master’s degree in coaching. Abdul-Qaadir boasts an impressive basketball resume as she broke the Massachusetts state scoring record for both males and females, scoring over 3,000 career points. She played point guard for four seasons at Memphis where she earned C-USA All-Academic honors. As a redshirt freshman, Abdul-Qaadir was the female recipient of the “Most Courageous” Award from the United States Basketball Writers Association at the 2011 Final Four. Story by ISU Athletic Media Relations
Page 10 • Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015
Brenton Scott picks up his second MVC Newcomer of The Week honor
Ace Hunt
ISU Athletic Media Relaions Indiana State University redshirt freshman Brenton Scott has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week following his standout performances against Evansville and Bradley. It is the second weekly honor for Scott this season and the fourth in the last five weeks for a Sycamore. Scott paced the Sycamores with 16.5 points, 6 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game average on the road against Evansville and back home versus Bradley. He hit 10-of-19 field goal attempts, was 6-of-10 from distance and added a 7-of-8 mark from the free-throw line. Scott led the Sycamores in scoring in both games, including a 20-point outburst against the Purple Aces. He hit 6-of-10 shots from the field, including a 3-of-4 mark from 3-point range. He added a 5-of-6 mark from the free throw line along with a team-best of seven rebounds and four assists. Against Bradley, he scored 13 points as he once again hit a trio of 3-pointers as well as five assists
indianastatesman.com
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Brenton Scott was awarded MVC Newcomer of the Week honor (Photo by ISU Communications and Marketing).
and three steals. All three of his 3-pointers against Bradley came in the opening moments of the second half when the Sycamores erased a three-point halftime deficit and turned it into a nine-point lead midway through the stanza. The Sycamores will return to action Saturday at 4 p.m. as they take on Loyola on the road.
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Dr. Doom deems impending economic year positive
Left: Professor of Economics, Dr. Robert Guell, also known as “Dr. Doom” presented a rather optimistic economic forecast for 2015 during the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce’s annual Groundhog Day Economic Forecast. Other speakers included David Oppedahl, a senior business economist from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, as well as Brian Conley, the owner of Conley Real Eastate Appraisals (Photos by Gary Macadaeg).