Indiana Statesman For ISU students. About ISU students. By ISU students.
Friday, Jan. 22, 2016
Volume 123, Issue 45
indianastatesman.com
ISU says goodbye to one of its own Dajia Kirkland Features Editor
Gone yet not forgotten, Although we are apart, Your spirit lives within me, Forever in my heart. These are the words from the poem distributed on Jan. 19 during the memorial service of late ISU staff member Debbie “Dede” Brothers. The service in HMSU was filled with her family, coworkers and friends. Working as the information services supervisor, Debbie was known for her contagious smile and free-spirited personality. Stricken with physical and emotional pain in having to watch her husband Jerry Brothers battle cancer, this strongwilled woman came to work every day ready to help others. Information center attendant Jeremiah Edwards, a co-worker of Brothers said, “Debbie was always caring, compassionate,
and sympathetic toward others while she faced troubled times in her own life. I only knew and worked with her for less than a year, but I could tell that she cared for students as if we were her own kids. When working at the desk, she would buy us lunch out of her own pocket and not expect anything else in return. No matter what she was going through, she always made sure to keep herself in high spirits. She was the type of person to crack a joke at herself, even if no one else found it remotely funny; she would grin from ear to ear.” Debbie’s burial service took place in Clay City on Jan. 11. CrossWalk.com, one of Brothers’ favorite websites to visit, had posted lyrics to a song that touched the hearts of those close to her and was uploaded the day after her funeral. Brothers was also known for the personal touch she brought to her job.
“One of the most admirable traits that Debbie had that isn’t seen in most people today was that she would talk to anyone in a face-to-face setting. She would prefer to have a sit-down conversation rather than to call you on the phone. In a technology-savvy world, Debbie would rather sit and talk, and she took a genuine interest in anyone who stopped by her office,” said Pi Kappa Alpha Vice President of Administrative Affairs Jacob Robertson. One member of Debbie’s family made an emotional speech during her service in HMSU. As he made his way onto the stage, he gave thanks to everyone who had been by her side and supported their family. He announced to the audience how she would push through her pain and drive to work, honking the horn of her car as she passed his home every morning, letting them know that she was on her way to the
school to be with her extended family. HMSU event supervisor Michelle Lewis admired Brothers’ courage through adversity. “Debbie was a courageous woman. She was in a lot of pain, but she always came to work, never giving up and always praying her health would improve so she would be able to walk and do more things,” Lewis said. “She showed how strong of a woman she was when her husband Jerry was battling cancer, staying with him from beginning to end. It takes courage to watch a loved one slowly lose their battle to cancer, and Debbie was there for Jerry through it all. I would like Debbie to know that in our short time together, she was a true friend to me, and I will miss her every day until I see her again.” Brothers’ shoes will be difficult for another to fill in the HMSU. Her character and dazzling
Submitted Photo
Debbie Brothers worked as the information services supervisor. Known for her contagious smile and free-spirited personality.
smile will be remembered by many during this time of grief and celebration of her life. “Her laugh and smile is what I miss the most,” Lewis said. “We do not realize just how much someone impacts our lives until we cannot see or hear that person again.”
ISU’s multinational origins
Story on Page 3 Marissa Schmitter | Indiana Statesman
‘Melting pot’ got a whole new meaning when Indiana State students gathered together around the track inside the Rec Center to drape 81 flags from different countries.
HMSU rewire project continues Miguel Lewis Reporter
A project that began in November continues this semester in one of Indiana State University’s central buildings. The rewiring of rooms in the Hulman Memorial Student Union began Nov. 30, 2015, and renovation is expected to be complete before March 2016. Workers started by removing some of the old equipment from the ceilings of each room, one by one, to make room for the new equipment. Technicians are working around the clock installing new cable in the ceiling of each room. Indiana State initiated this project because the current speed, bandwidth and equipment cannot sustain what HMSU is preparing for in the future. Currently, ISU is cultivating a more unified communications system to satisfy user needs. “We are doing great things as a community here as ISU, espe-
cially when it comes to growth and expansion,” said Dominique Suggs, a senior information technology major. “Being an Office of Information Technology major, it means a lot to me to hear that ISU is renovating HMSU to be more suitable for incoming systems in the future.” According to the HMSU rewiring explanation, each room will take at most one hour to gut old cables and replace them with new ones. “I haven’t been in the first few floors of Hulman in a while, and I honestly had no idea that these renovations were taking place throughout the whole building,” said Michael Bacon, a senior exercise science major. “However, I am all for improvement and ISU’s commitment to a better campus for all. Otherwise we would not live up to our slogan, ‘More from day one.’ Even though construction of the fountain was not completed until after the expected date, ISU has never failed to come through for me.”
Statesman sports editor receives award Statesman Staff Report
Rob Lafary, sports editor for the Indiana Statesman, has won an award from the 2015 Better Newspaper Contest sponsored by the Hoosier State Press Association Foundation. Lafary placed second place in the sports writing division of the competition for a story he wrote on Lauren Hill, a 19-year-old basketball player battling brain cancer who realized her dream of playing in a college game for Mount St. Joseph University in November 2014. The Lawrenceburg, Indiana teen’s determination captured the attention of the national media, earned her the Pat Summitt Most Courageous Award and garnered her a nomination for ESPN’s Arthur Ashe Courage Award. She died April 10, 2015. On April 11, 2015, Lafary’s story received a first place award for Best Sports Column in the Indiana Collegiate Press Association contest. “The Indiana Statesman is fortunate to have someone of Rob’s caliber on staff,” said Martha
Milner, director of student publications at Indiana State University. “Rob is a talented writer and a valuable editor. It’s gratifying to see his hard work receive such a positive response.” Lafary, a junior from Versailles, also has experience working with other areas of the university’s Student Media. He has worked as a play-byplay announcer for the student radio station, WZIS-FM, and for the Indiana State Sports Network which broadcasts on ESPN 3. This past fall, he also became the play-by-play announcer for Indiana State women’s basketball. The HSPA Foundation, incorporated in 1999, serves the citizens of Indiana through newspapers. It exists to foster public understanding of the role of a free press in society, to increase public literacy, to enhance the ability of Indiana newspapers to fully educate and inform the public and to defend the principles of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Each year, the HSPA Foun-
Submitted photo
Rob Lafary placed second in sports writing division at the 2015 Better Newspaper Contest.
dation recognizes the work of commercial and student newspapers in Indiana in its Better Newspaper Contest. In the collegiate division, the foundation offers first-, secondand third-place awards in five divisions: feature, news, opinion, photo and sports. Page designed by Hannah Boyd
NEWS
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Friday, Jan. 22, 2016 Page designed by Hannah Boyd
‘Back to the Future’ staple banned on campus Miguel Lewis Reporter
Even though it rolls rather than hovers, the hover board promised to be one of the most-dreamed-about inventions that every kid was hoping for, even college kids. However, as they became more popular problems began to arise and the decline of the hover board slowly began as its appearance debuted at ISU. Several ISU students who own hoverboards, such as sophomore automotive engineering major Shaq Breeding, were not so happy to hear about the ban that had been placed on them as they returned from break. “When I got the news, I can’t lie, it made me pretty mad, essentially because ISU put a ban on a toy. I could see if it were causing consistent unwanted disruptions at ISU, but I literally only used mine to get to class and back home to the University Apartments. The only reason I could think of for banning the hover board is for the incident that happened in the dorms involving one of the batteries of the board being caught on fire.” The hover board was believed to be one of the most entertaining inventions of its time, but not many people bared witness to the dangerous situations it was capable of causing. Michele Barrett, assistant chief of police at the ISU Police Department, said they were not the only department involved in banning the hover board. Other departments included ResLife and Hulman Memorial Student Union. Hover boards can put people in dangerous situations, but it was the damage
Tammy Ljungblad | Kansas City Star | TNS
Indiana State University recently banned the use of hoverboards on campus due to reports of the batteries causing fires. Hover boards have already caused damage in several buildings on campus.
dealt to the floor and walls of HMSU and dormitories that sealed the ban. “The main risk factor for the hover board was that it was a huge fire hazard,” Barrett said. “Currently, the ban on hover boards is campus-wide, but I don’t see any reason why the decision might not be revisited in the future. However, they are still banned, and use of them is unacceptable on campus.”
Chicago philanthropist’s foundation donates $2 million for transgender studies Dawn Rhodes
Chicago Tribune (TNS)
CHICAGO — Chicago billionaire philanthropist Jennifer Pritzker has donated $2 million to a Canadian university to establish a chair of transgender studies, believed to be the only such research position in global academia. The funding for the University of Victoria in British Columbia comes from Pritzker’s Tawani Foundation. Half of the money will support the chair position for five years, and the other half is pledged to match other donations to the program. Aaron Devor, a sociology professor who has studied transgender issues for three decades, was named inaugural chair. “Far too many trans and gender-nonconforming people still live in poverty and fear,” Devor said in a statement. “As the inaugural chair, I will act as a resource locally and internationally for those needing information for their own research or for policy development, as well as building linkages between community-based and academic scholars working in transgender studies.” Devor also is the founder of the university’s Transgender Archives, launched in 2012, which houses publications and memorabilia detailing the history and work of notable transgender and gender-nonconforming activists. The Tawani Foundation, a supporter of military personnel and history, is led by Pritzker, who is transgender and a retired Army lieutenant colonel. Much transgender research through-
out North America has been supported through philanthropy. Some of the first pushes for exploring transgender issues came through funding and support from the Erickson Educational Foundation, according to Devor. Reed Erickson, a transgender man, started the foundation in the early 1960s. Among other things, the organization sponsored the first symposiums of the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association, named for the doctor who worked with patients with gender dysphoria. That organization now is called the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. Two other similar academic positions studying transgender issues have been established but are no longer active, according to university officials. Both were in the Netherlands. An endocrinologist was chair of transsexology at The Free University of Amsterdam for 20 years, and a psychologist was chair of gender development and psychopathology at the University of Utrecht Medical Centre for 10 years. “The chair in transgender studies sets (University of Victoria) apart,” university President Jamie Cassels said in a statement. “I am proud of our campus community’s commitment to diversity, as well as grateful to Dr. Devor, Lt. Col. Pritzker, the Tawani Foundation and all those who help us continually learn and grow in a welcoming environment that promotes the rights and affirms the dignity of all persons.” ©2016 Chicago Tribune. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
After the ban was placed on the hover board, along with others, it was added to the list of things unacceptable as qualified by Motor Vehicle Regulations. Breeding offered some alternatives to the ban. “I think this ban should be lifted completely, but there should definitely be restrictions on its usage, like not being used in the dorms except for charging. I
think its use should be allowed outdoors though. That way whatever happens outside is strictly our responsibility,” Breeding said. There has been no talk about lifting the newest ban on the hover board, and just like any other regulation, students are expected to adhere to this one as they would others.
Court denies bid by Kentucky, other states, to block EPA emissions plan Curtis Tate
McClatchy Washington Bureau (TNS)
Charles Snavely, a former Arch Coal executive, to lead the state’s Energy and Environment Cabinet. Snavely has petitioned the EPA to reconsider the Clean Power Plan. Kentucky’s coal industry, particularly in its mountainous eastern region, has been battered by economic forces. It is more expensive to mine coal in eastern Kentucky, and it must compete with cheaper coal from western Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Wyoming. Eastern Kentucky coal isn’t even competitive within the state. In 2015, only 4 percent of the coal burned by its power plants came from the region, down from 32 percent in 1983, according to state data. Meanwhile, 39 percent of the coal Kentucky used last year came from other states. Coal itself faces competition from cheap and abundant natural gas produced through hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking. This month, Arch Coal, the second-largest coal producer in the country, filed for bankruptcy protection. Including Arch, four major coal producers have entered bankruptcy in the past year, and the largest, Peabody Energy, is not faring well. Elected officials in Kentucky and elsewhere have blamed Obama’s policies for coal’s decline. Last week, the Interior Department issued a moratorium on new coal leases on federal lands, a move decried by lawmakers from coal-producing and consuming states.
WASHINGTON — A federal court has declined to put President Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan on hold, meaning Kentucky and other states that sued to block it must comply with it until the legal challenges are resolved. Under the plan, states must reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by one-third by 2030, meaning states that are heavy users of coal to produce electricity face having to move toward natural gas or renewable energy. Kentucky is a heavy producer and consumer of coal, which generates more than 90 percent of its electricity. Kentucky was one of 27 states that sued the Environmental Protection Agency to block Obama’s plan. They also asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to put the plan’s requirements on hold while the challenge moved through the courts. On Thursday, however, the appeals court denied the request. A spokesman for Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear, a Democrat, could not be reached to comment. Beshear’s predecessor, Jack Conway, joined the challenge to the plan, filed in October. Conway, also a Democrat, lost the Kentucky governor’s race in November to Republican Matt Bevin, in part because even pro-coal Democrats have become associated with Obama’s energy policies. ©2016 McClatchy Washington Bureau. Last month, Bevin appointed Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
FEATURES
Friday, Jan. 22, 2016
Page 3
79 nations, all Sycamores
Page designed by Grace Adams
Flag display celebrates ISU’s multicultural roots
Betsy Simon
ISU Communications and Marketing
Far from his home in China and unsure of what to expect when he first arrived at Indiana State University, Yin Chen felt a new sense of welcome when he watched this week as his native country’s flag was draped alongside the American flag and the national flags of 77 other countries represented on campus. Including countries from Australia to Zimbabwe, Indiana State’s newly installed permanent flag display brought the term ‘melting pot’ alive for Chen and dozens of other international and domestic students and school officials who attended the ceremony at the Student Recreation Center’s walking and jogging track. “Students from all around the world should be proud to have their native country’s flag here,” said Chen, a master of fine arts major from China who held the Jordanian flag during the ceremony, where a total of 81 flags were raised during ceremony, including 79 national flags, the Sycamore flag and Indiana’s state flag. Funded by the Center for Global Engagement and the Division of Student Affairs, the display offers all who view it an important reminder, said Chris McGrew, director of the Center for Global Engagement. “Indiana, Terre Haute, and most importantly, Indiana State University, is not one color, one way of life, one perspective, but an explosion of diversity of thought and being,” McGrew said. “As the Rec Center invites the campus community to exercise the body, these flags remind us to exercise our minds. We are challenged to seek out ideas, to be critical and examine those ideas and to recognize the strength in the variety of perspectives represented by those ideas. A university is not a place to feel safe from the exposure to other perspectives. It is a place to learn how to deal with our own perturbed ideas, how to recog-
Marissa Schmitter | Indiana State University
A total of 81 flags were raised — including 79 national flags, the Sycamore flag and Indiana’s state flag — during this ceremony.
nize that experiences bring a diversity of thinking that should be celebrated, not feared.” By welcoming international students to campus for at least eight decades, Indiana State President Dan Bradley said generations of Sycamores have developed a better understanding of the world they live in. “I am proud of the deep and progressive history our institution has had in serving a diverse student body and am pleased to help pay tribute to the 79 nations our students represent today,” he said. “It’s the diverse backgrounds of everyone on campus that makes our university so vibrant,” added Mike Licari, provost and vice president of academic affairs. “So, it’s important today that we celebrate with a visual display of 79 flags from around the world.” It was with the common goal of providing opportunities for the entire university community to develop a greater global competency through intercultural communication and interaction
that helped the Division of Student Affairs and the Center for Global Engagement to bring the flag display to life. “The partnership between Student Affairs and Global Engagement continues the intentional efforts designed to develop and connect students - to the institution and to each other,” said Brooks Moore, associate dean for student engagement, student activities and organizations. “This exhibit is part of a series of initiatives that help create a rhythm and pattern to university initiatives.” For Vernon Cheeks, president of the Student Government Association, the event was evidence of his university taking steps in the right direction toward inclusion and global engagement. “These flags represent each student at Indiana State University, and it is important to acknowledge students are welcomed and State celebrates different cultures,” he said. “We all come from different backgrounds and ethnicities. We
ISU musical production to tour Vietnam Statesman Staff Report
A partnership between Indiana State University’s School of Music and Department of Theater will offer students a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: to tour abroad. The spring 2016 production of Stephen Sondheim’s musical “COMPANY!” will take music and theater students enrolled in THTR 414 on a tour of Vietnam, beginning with Ho Chi Minh City and ending in Hanoi. Along the way, students will get to experience Vietnamese culture. Q: What provoked the idea of going to Vietnam? A: Drs. Brian Kilp (Music) and Paul DuongTran (Social Work) made exploratory trips to Vietnam a year ago. Social Work has taken students there twice and the Bro-Fowler Duo concerts are the first presentations given from the School of Music. Dr. Chris Berchild will be taking the student production of the musical “COMPANY!” to Vietnam in May 2016 and Dr. Brian Kilp is planning to take the ISU Faculty Brass Ensemble to Thailand and Vietnam in July 2016. We spent most of our time in the major cities of Ho Chi Minh City, Hué, Da Nang, and Hanoi. The people were incredibly
welcoming and were fantastic hosts, responding wonderfully to our music. Q: What were some of the cool things experienced while partaking on the trip? A: I loved the food in Vietnam. I ate exclusively Vietnamese food my entire time there. The traffic in the cities is amazing, and their rules of the road are completely different from our own. It was fascinating to see all the motor scooters merge with large vehicles and the complete lack of road rage. Q: From your perspective, what is the definition of music? A: The act of performing music along with teaching music is my profession. In this case, it is a language that bridges the gap between English and Vietnamese. Even when we couldn’t fully communicate with words, we were able to share our music with the students and faculty effectively at all of our concerts. During the trip, students and staff will be able to dine on Vietnamese cuisine, explore different cities and learn the culture of this historical land. For those who are partaking in the trip, they can expect to communicate with the citizens of Vietnam in this surreal and connecting manner.
have one thing in common though, we are Sycamores.” Although “being a tree” wasn’t an idea Lola Akinlaja initially embraced when she arrived at Indiana State in 2012, she soon found a home on campus. “The now Center for Global Engagement afforded me an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get out of my head and think on a global level,” said Akinlaja, who graduated in December with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. “At the welcome picnic, I got to meet and converse with students from countries all over the world. I have met and spoken with at least one person from each continent of the world. Some people are amazing if you would just take the time to know them.” She discovered that quickly at Indiana State, where the Center for Global Engagement felt like her home and its staff an extension of her family. “I remember always being able to go to Zach’s office to vent about anything, and I knew that if I needed anything in an
emergency, I could go there for help,” Akinlaja said. “The work being done there enticed me, so I was honored when I got the opportunity to work there. We started creating a community of like-minded people who were interested in sharing and enjoying the diversity of our relationships.” The flag hanging ceremony was a reminder to her that her alma mater is embracing these same values. “The audiences that I have gotten, as a member of the International Student Leadership Council, with people from the president’s office and even the president, have shown me a great deal of how much ISU embraces learning and change,” Akinlaja said. “We have been able to discuss a number of issues and witness steps taken to change them for the better. Even though there is always a ways to go, I am privileged to be a part of this ceremony because I believe that this is the dawn of a new level of enlightenment at ISU. I couldn’t be prouder to call Indiana State my alma mater.” Foreign countries represented in the display include: Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Burma-Myanmar, Cameroon, Canada, China, Republic of Congo, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, England, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, South Korea, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Togo, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Dropout becomes Sycamore leader Dajia Kirkland Features Editor
From a high school dropout to a Sycamore mentor with a major in Recreational Sports Management and Nonprofit Leadership, Khari Jones has started from the bottom and worked his way up to success. Growing up in Chicago, Illinois, Jones dropped out of high school during his senior year in 2009. Going through job after job, Jones was arrested for multiple misdemeanors. Over time, Khari focused his attention on basketball, changed his ways and hit the court. “If it wasn’t for basketball, I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you right now,” Jones said. “I wanted to play in high school, but I couldn’t because my grades were terrible, but I was always good at it. Basketball inspired me to go to college, and I believe that God used that situation to get me back in school. Coming where I came from, people thought going to college seemed impossible, and a lot of the guys that were engaged in the same type of crime that I was didn’t see any hope in it. I want to prove that you can have a positive life.” Jones believes that things like basketball can keep young boys out of trouble because, “instead of playing basketball, they could be out in the streets.” Jones earned his GED during the sum-
Dajia Kirkland | Indiana Statesman
Recreational sports management major Khari Jones.
mer of 2011 and enrolled in Harry S. Truman College. Jones describes his transition as “challenging,” but was ecstatic when he found out he made the basketball team, the thing that motivated him to take himself back to school. Jones stayed focused on his grades and was accepted into Joliet Junior College in the fall of 2012 and was also made one of three cap-
LEADER CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
OPINION
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Friday, Jan. 22, 2016 Page designed by Sarah Hall
Restrictive rules: Private colleges require unusal codes of conduct
Joe Lippard
Assistant Opinions Editor
In the United States, there are two types of colleges that students have to choose from: public and private. Public schools, also called state schools, receive tax money from the government in order to operate. Private universities, however, receive no funding from the government. Private colleges are often religious-based, and because they are not publically funded, the government cannot regulate them the way they can public colleges. As a result, these religious private schools have student codes of conduct that are pretty unusual. These codes of conduct make me shudder to think that people actually go to these schools, and they make me realize that I made the correct choice when choosing a college. Liberty University is often thought of as one of the nation’s most prominent Christian colleges. The Virginia university is a necessary campaign stop for many Republican presidential candidates so they can quote a few Bible verses and seem pious. Recently, Donald Trump spoke at the university. During his speech, Trump said the word “hell” several times. Several students on the social media app Yik Yak near Liberty called Trump out for using such language because the University has a policy against “obscene language.” According to Liberty University’s code of conduct, “obscene, profane or abusive language or behavior” will net a student a $250 fine and 18 hours of community service. Liberty University has a pretty bad practice of fining their students for making a mistake. For not going to a convocation, students are fined $10. Students are forced to attend all convocations on campus, including political rallies, even if they disagree with the politics of the person speaking. Being late for curfew — which is set at midnight on most nights with 12:30 in the morning being the latest — carries a fine of $10. For just visiting a student of the opposite sex alone off-campus, the student is fined $50. Going to a bar or any social gathering where alcohol is served gets a student fined $250 and requires community service. Possessing or consuming alcohol nets a student a $500 fine, 30 hours of community service and “possible administrative withdrawal.” The code of conduct gives no exception for those legally able to buy alcohol, so the rule applies to
students over 21. These rules apply to off-campus housing unaffiliated with the school as well. While movies rated below NC-17 are allowed, Liberty’s code of conduct advises that “caution should be used in viewing movie content rated R and PG-13.” Liberty University’s policies might be rough, but they seem to me to be little more than a moneymaking scheme. Just their tuition, room and board cost over $30,000. Pile these fines on top of that, and Liberty University makes quite a pretty penny. Of course, being a non-profit religious organization, they don’t pay taxes. So with all that extra money, Liberty University purchased an airport for $1.8 million on January 2 this year. Granted, the purchase was made to improve their aeronautics program, but since they don’t get money from the government, it shows how much money they make on students’ attendance at the school. Liberty University might be a money-making scheme, but there are worse schools out there. Take Pensacola Christian College, for example. PCC does not fine their students, but their policies are much more restrictive. Their code of conduct flat-out forbids dancing. Students are forbidden to listen to “jazz, rock, rap, R&B, pop, country, or contemporary Christian” music. Headphones or earbuds are not allowed. Video games rated above E-10 are not allowed. Movies and television are not allowed on campus. PCC states that not allowing students to watch television on campus allows them to focus on their studies, but it seems like a way to keep students ignorant of the outside world to me. Men and women aren’t allowed to touch. They must go to different beaches and use different stairwells and parking lots. PCC’s dress code is also pretty controlling. Students are not allowed to wear shirts with brands or any kind of graphics, unless it is PCC attire. Men are required to wear long pants for all activities. “Gothic dress styles, tattoos, body piercings or ear piercings, and unnatural hair colors” have all been deemed to be against “Christian values” and are forbidden. Men’s hair must be cut above the ears and cannot cover the eyebrows. Men are not allowed to wear necklaces or earrings. Women are not allowed to wear pants. They must have their formal attire approved. Women’s shoulders must be covered at all times, and sheer material is not allowed. Skirts cannot go above the kneecap. The only piercings that are allowed are two ear lobe piercings. PCC was also in the news when they told a student who was a victim of rape that it was her fault and
RULES CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
Sheneman | The Star Ledger
Should airport security use racial profiling?
Zach Davis Columnist
When we first meet somebody we usually do our best to get to know them. We talk about our favorite shows and movies, our favorite foods, what sports we like and many other things. Among everything we talk about we often talk about traveling to fun places, such as Europe. Unfortunately travel nowadays is not easy. Plane tickets are expensive and taking time off of work or school is not always easy. But the worst part of travel for some people isn’t the expenses or preparing to leave; instead it is the fear of getting detained at the airport. At the airport, everyone goes through a security check. There are metal detectors, Xray machines and sometimes even simple pat downs. If an individual seems suspicious then they will be pulled aside for additional screening. Usually this includes someone going through all of your luggage, checking your identity, a frisk and maybe a strip search. Putting suspicious people through additional screening doesn’t seem like a bad idea in theory. But an issue arises when we put the theory into practice. African-Americans, Hispanics and individuals from the Middle East are all
more likely to get stopped than someone who is Caucasian. The security teams at airports often practice racial profiling to decide who is going to be searched next. Now we have a problem. Stopping individuals of a certain race more often is not a good search method. Not everyone who is going to try shooting up an airport or hijacking a plane will be a minority race. The second issue is racial profiling assumes dangerous organizations such as ISIS are stupid. Terrorist organizations will do the same thing. Instead of sending Middle Eastern men to do something they will try sending a white male instead. Why? Because they are less likely to be stopped. That is just smart planning. Surprisingly many Americans, mostly the white population, agree with using racial profiling as a security measure at airports. Many feel because tensions are high with some parts of the world, such as the Middle East, that everyone from the region who so much as sneezes needs to be checked for a bomb. And that is asinine. Richard Reid, a white British male, was responsible for trying to detonate a shoe bomb only months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The only reason he wasn’t successful was because the bomb didn’t work right, thankfully. Reid would never have made it as far as he did nor would he have been such a threat if he were stopped by security. But because he was a white male he was less likely to be stopped to begin with.
Many people wonder how we should stop terrorists from getting on planes, especially if we stop racially profiling. The issue is, much like Reid converted to Islam, most things that are threatening don’t present themselves just by looking at them. Religion, alignment with an organization and even radical thoughts don’t always present themselves at an airport. Most people will change the way they act at an airport just so they don’t get stopped at security. Instead of using racial profiling to catch security threats we should rethink our security system and make it more thorough and fair. Maybe everyone should be frisked after they are x-rayed. Frisking everyone cuts out the issue of stopping minorities, and everyone is checked for something potentially dangerous instead of just a handful. Yes it might take an extra 5 or 10 minutes at the security check, which can be inconvenient for those who don’t plan ahead. Airports already recommend arriving really early for a flight to reduce the chance of someone missing their flight due to security checks. Racial profiling at airports is a useless tool. Many dangerous individuals don’t belong to the targeted races, and the targeted races are less likely to be attempting anything illegal. Instead of using racial profiling we need to start using a uniform security check that thoroughly checks everybody.
Vegetable lives matter: Evaluating vegan values
Jim Kreinhop Columnist
When practiced for virtuous reasons, veganism is an ideal devoid of logic, which has distorted many people’s understanding of life. If social media has become as much a vice to you as it has to me, then you may recall photos of cows followed by photos of steak, photos of chicks preceding
photos of a KFC bucket, and a caption along the lines of “Animals are friends, not food.” It’s easy for someone to sympathize with an animal destined for the slaughterhouse because we see ourselves in them. Animals have faces anatomically similar to ours, they mirror our capacity for resistance and they can vocalize pain. For these reasons, we can relate to a cow, a chick, a pig, a deer or whatever else is on your plate. We recognize their inherent will to live, and feel guilty when we eat them. But when a vegan picks their garden, they keenly misinterpret their unique diet as any less homicidal. To grow fruits and vegetables is to create life. Living, thriving organisms that we’ve raised are to be picked — killed — and then eaten. Mistakenly, this is considered different
from breeding animals for food — probably because carrots can’t scream. You and I may find the courage to ravage a grapevine before we’ll corner a chicken with a kitchen knife. It seems that not everyone truly understands the equality-of-life mantra they’ve been rehearsing. The idea is that all life is equal. One could say “equally valuable,” but that suggests that there’s value at all. Value is subjective. All life is equal in the sense that we — humans, plants, animals, bugs, bacteria, viruses, cancers, mold — are all mysteriously here serving the purpose of our own survival, everyone’s ultimate value. A partiality for life. Humans have an edge on upholding our values. Some time ago we had the idea to round up some animals, feed them so they’ll stay alive — a value we share — and kill them and eat them so we’ll stay
Editorial Board
Friday, Jan. 22, 2016 Indiana State University www.indianastatesman.com Volume 123 Issue 45
Carey Ford Editor-in-Chief statesmaneditor@isustudentmedia.com Kylie Adkins Opinions Editor statesmanopinions@isustudentmedia.com Dajia Kirkland Features Editor statesmanfeatures@isustudentmedia.com Rob Lafary Sports Editor statesmansports@isustudentmedia.com Marissa Schmitter Photo Editor statesmanphotos@isustudentmedia.com Matt Megenhardt 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.
alive. But sooner or later you’ll run out of meat and will need more animals. So, you put a couple of them in a corner and wait for them to finish making our dinner. By creating the right conditions to breed animals for consumption, one can survive a little bit longer, which is the point after all. Similarly, we found that it was possible to cultivate new life for lunch. Some curious creatures discovered that vegetables were healthy for us, and they didn’t taste too bad either. Instinctively, we went about learning to manufacture a miracle, raising innumerous lives until they were developed enough to destroy and devour. To reiterate, all lives are equal only because we all spawned from the same planet with the same inherent will to survive. Humans have the upper hand in the
VEGAN CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
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.
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RULES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 that she needed to repent for being raped. But this type of thing is allowed because these private universities don’t pay taxes. These universities basically work like churches — some even teach that the Earth is legitimately 6,000 years old — and those who go to these kinds of schools know what they’re getting themselves into when they do choose to go there.
VEGAN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 chance of survival because we get to choose who lives and who dies. Who do we value enough to let live? Where I grew up, hanging on the front of a prominent Catholic school is an anti-abortion banner that reads, “Respect ALL life.” Presumably they don’t want you to kill your baby, so to respect life must be to not kill. However, several of us remain carnivorous, relying on the nutrition and luxury of animal meat for sustenance. In America, you’ll find several proud pseudo-philosophers raising signs suggesting “All lives matter.” This usually occurs after someone has been shot and killed — a person, I might add. Yet, in medical science we exploit the life of bacteria by turn-
LEADER CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 tains on his team. Today, Jones is a Sycamore. In transferring from school to school, he says that making the move to Indiana State was “the best decision” he made in his life. Working at the African American Culture Center in the
So in a way, I don’t see anything wrong with students going to them. If someone wants to throw their money for college away on a private institution where they can’t watch television, so be it. For me personally, however, these schools are awful. Why would someone choose to go to a school where they can’t wear pants? I would have some serious misgivings about giving any of these universities any of my
money, and that’s why I chose a public university. At Indiana State, there are no set policies telling us how to dress that are even close to being as restrictive as these schools. We can use headphones and listen to whatever kind of music we want. We may not think it all the time, but it’s pretty good here. Just think, somewhere in Virginia, there’s someone doing community service because they dared to swear.
ing them into medicines to keep us alive and healthy. Inside this demographic of citizens want of wisdom, you’re likely to find a few hundred vegans who will tell you that he or she rejects the reliance on animals as food because, as well as their own, an animal’s life has value, and then, on their break from protest, chow down on some cauliflower whose life apparently has no value at all. All lives matter? I have seen kids killing bugs for fun. Equality of life? Can all life be equal but unequally valuable? It can and it is when you remember that value is subjective, then observe the reverence for humans in this whole charade. We humans, just as all other organisms on this earth, value keeping alive — keeping ourselves alive. That’s why human
abortions are frowned upon and chicken abortions are sunny-side-up. Nobody really “respects” all life. We wouldn’t have evolved if we “respected” all life. Darwinian theory shows that nice guys finish last. If we need to shoot cattle, fry chickens, pick apples or pluck peas from their pod so that we may eat that day, then there will be a multitude of deaths to postpone our own. The point is that any vegan who feels ethically righteous and morally upstanding because they choose to kill plants instead of animals for their own survival is terribly confused. Ultimately, you prefer to stay alive, and saving one life but taking another does not make you virtuous. It’s a matter of values and survival. You may have weaned yourself off cow, now it’s time you get off your high horse.
ISUcceed program, he mentors freshmen, helping them get accustomed to college life and encourages them to get involved on campus. Jones is also affiliated with the ICE, or Inclusive Excellence Committee, introducing the concept of diversity to students. Lastly, Khari dedicates some of his time to mentor
middle school students at Sarah Scott Middle School. During his long and challenging journey, Jones said that he grew a passion to motivate and inspire people to overcome their obstacles. He believes that ISU will help him continue to change lives as he goes through his academic career.
NFL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 The two teams in the NFC Championship game seem to match up quite well on paper. Both teams have great defenses, Carolina ranked second and Arizona ranked third, especially in the secondary, as well as solid offenses. MVP frontrunner Newton leads the Panthers offense alongside running back Jonathan Stewart who returned from injury last week and his two go-to targets in tight end Greg Olsen and wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. For the Cardinals, quarterback Carson Palmer, who got his first career playoff win against Green Bay last week, is the leader of the group, but has much more firepower than Newton. Wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and the Brown boys, John and Jaron, give him plenty of weapons to attack a Panther secondary that has one of the best cornerbacks in the game in Josh Norman. The Cardinals also feature running back David Johnson, who was lining up against the Sycamores last year when he was a part of the Northern Iowa program. Newton and Palmer were both Heisman Trophy winners and were selected with the first pick in their NFL Drafts, making it the first ever playoff matchup between number one picks and former Heisman award winners. The Panthers, being the home team with the best record in the NFL, are three point favorites, as of Thursday afternoon.
With that in mind, Indiana State students were also asked to predict the outcome of this game, as well as their reasoning for why they think it’ll turn out that way. Brothers said the game will be close due to both teams being two of the best, especially on the defensive side of the ball, but thinks Carolina will win in the end because of their MVP candidate quarterback. “Carolina, 34 — Arizona, 31,” Brothers stated. “Since week seven it’s been pretty apparent that these are the best two teams in football. Arizona and Carolina are both capable of playing at an elite level on both sides of the ball. All that being said, Cam Newton is probably the best player in football; now all he has to do is go prove it.” Senior Daniel Gabbard also thinks Carolina will make their way to San Francisco for Super Bowl 50, but unlike Brothers, he thinks the game will be low scoring. “Carolina over Arizona, 1713. I’m taking Carolina, but this one is sort of a coin toss,” he said. “I like Newton better than Palmer, Arizona’s offensive weapons better than Carolina’s, both defenses are top notch, but I’m giving the nod to the Panthers because I think Cam Newton is on a mission this year.” Junior Kelli Buchanan is picking the Panthers to hold the George Halas Trophy when it’s all said and done because of family ties. “Carolina, 28 — Arizona, 24. My aunt is a lifelong Carolina Panthers fan, so I’m rooting for them,” she said. “I think this is their year to win it all.”
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Page 6
ISU men prepare for in-state rival Aces Zach Rainey Reporter
After dropping their last two games on the road against Wichita State and Southern Illinois, the Indiana State men’s basketball team looks to get back on the right track in front of their home crowd this weekend as the Sycamores prepare to host the Evansville Purple Aces on Sunday. Going in to last weekend’s matchup against the Shockers, the Sycamores were winners in seven of their previous eight games, including a win over a very good Northern Iowa team. With the Sycamores in position to be viewed as a legitimate threat as a Missouri Valley Conference champion, ISU played like one against Wichita State in the first half on Sunday but ultimately fell by 20. The Purple Aces visit Terre Haute and are 6-1 in conference play with a 17-3 record overall. Their lone conference loss came at the hands of the Shockers, losing by three in Wichita. The Purple Aces have two of the conference’s top-four leading scorers in D.J Balentine and Egidijus Mockevicius. Balentine currently holds the top spot as the conference’s leading scorer with 21.2 points per game. The task of guarding Balentine will most likely be up to Devonte Brown, who is arguably the team’s quickest defender. The real question will be whether Brown can play effective defense on Balentine and still do everything he is counted on to do on the offenseive end, since it will no doubt take a lot of energy to keep up with the conference’s leading-scorer. It’s the 6-10 senior Mockevicius that should worry the Sycamores most. Mockevicius leads the nation in rebounding with 14 per game and can score the basketball just as effectively, averaging 17.4 points per game on 67 percent shooting. He is also
the team’s anchor in the paint, averaging 2.75 blocks per game. Mockevicius does most of his scoring within five feet of the basket so it will be crucial that the Sycamores counter the nation’s leading rebounder with a big body of their own to battle down low and prevent second chance points. We’ve seen that Coach Lansing likes to go with “small ball’ lineups when his big men are in foul trouble, but with a player that has the skill and size of Mockevicius, Lansing will almost be forced to keep a true big man on the floor at all times. On Monday, Mockevicius was named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week for the fifth time this season after a 2112 performance against Drake and a 13 point, 20 rebound effort against Illinois State. The Purple Aces have another reliable player in Jaylon Brown. Brown often takes a backseat to Balentine and Mockevicius when it comes to attention and recognition, but don’t be fooled. The Purple Aces are far from a two-man team and Brown exemplifies that, averaging 11 points per game, and his efforts on the defensive end shouldn’t go unnoticed. Mislav Brzoja is another player to look out for. He is a key bench player for the Purple Aces and is commonly out there at the end of games despite having not started any this season. Expect to see a lot of Emondre Rickman in this game for the Sycamores. Starting center Brandon Murphy gets into foul trouble quite often, so it will be interesting to see whether it’s Niels Bunschoten or Rickman first off the bench to replace Murphy if needed. The Sycamores and Purple Aces tip off at the Hulman Center on Sunday at 4 p.m., which follows the women’s game being played at noon. The men’s game can be seen worldwide on ESPNU.
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Friday, Jan. 22, 2016 Page designed by Grace Adams
Sycamore women hoping to regroup this weekend Rob Lafary Sports Editor
Two losses on the road inside Missouri Valley Conference play puts Indiana State women’s basketball back in Terre Haute this week in need of a win or two as the Sycamores host MVC foes Loyola and Bradley. An 80-55 loss on Friday and a 53-42 loss on Sunday against top conference teams Drake and Northern Iowa respectively, dropped the Sycamores to 2-3 inside Valley play and 6-10 overall on the season, prompting discussion on where the concerns currently lie within the team. Perhaps the biggest concern — one ISU cannot control — is the current health status of two key players, freshman guard Jennifer Mackowiak and sophomore forward Ashley Taia, who both suffered sprained ankles this past weekend in Iowa. Mackowiak is averaging 10.5 points in games against MVC schools while Taia is averaging 7.3 points against the MVC and just under 11 points per game overall this season. Their absence was noticeable against both Drake and UNI as the Sycamores struggled on the offensive end turning in consecutive sub-60 point performances. Mackowiak and Taia’s statuses are still uncertain this weekend, but regardless if they play or not, Indiana State must address concerns that are within its control, especially on the offensive end. The Sycamores are shooting just 36 percent from the field and 29 percent from beyond the arc, which are numbers that do not bode well against a Loyola team that is in the upper half of the MVC rankings in terms of scoring defense and is currently first in
ISU Communications & Marketing
The Sycamore women’s basketball team regroups with Head Coach Joey Wells.
the conference and 20th in the country in blocked shots per game with 5.6. Sophomore forward Ryaen Johnson leads the team with 28 blocks on the season while junior forward Taylor Manuel has 22 and freshman guard Dakota Vann has 20. Junior guard Taylor Johnson has also been a defensive nuisance, picking up a little over two steals per night. Loyola (8-8, 4-1 MVC) is only slightly better however than ISU on the offensive end, which plays well into the Sycamores’ defensive-minded game plan. The Ramblers shoot 43 percent as a team but only 24 percent from the 3-point line. Manuel leads the scoring efforts at 15.3 points per game and Taylor Johnson averages 14.4. The Ramblers have shocked many who are followers of the MVC in the women’s basketball ranks. The team was picked to finish eighth in the preseason conference poll but are currently in a tie for second place. Drake and Northern Iowa lead the MVC with a 5-1 mark. Loyola fell for the first time in MVC play this past Sunday against preseason frontrunner Missouri State. Sunday’s matchup for ISU against Bradley looks better
on paper when it comes to favoring the Sycamores. Bradley sits at 1-4 in the MVC and 5-11 overall. The Braves broke a six-game skid on Sunday with a 50-44 win over Wichita State. It was just the second MVC game in which the team scored 50 points or more. Early season scoring output pads the season statistics for Bradley who average 58 points per game, only .3 points less than Indiana State however the Braves are allowing nearly 65 per contest. Offensively, Bradley shoots just 35 percent from the field and 27 percent from threepoint range. The team has also struggled from the freethrow line and are shooting a 67 percent clip from there. Anneke Schlueter leads the team in scoring at 11.1 points per game and is only one of two players to have played in all 16 contests for the Braves. She is shooting though just 33 percent from the floor. Two wins for Indiana State puts them right back in contention near the top of the MVC as the Sycamores currently sit in fourth place. Friday’s game begins at 7:05 with Sunday’s game slated for a 12 p.m. tip. Both games will be on ESPN3 and can be heard on 1230 AM WIBQ.
Sycamores weigh in on potential Super Bowl opponents Adler Ingalsbe
Assistant Sports Editor
With a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, the New England Patriots will travel to Denver to take on the Broncos for the AFC Championship, while the Arizona Cardinals will make the long flight to Carolina to go up against the Panthers in the NFC Championship bout. The two games feature the four teams that have been the best throughout the entire NFL season, as well as some intriguing storylines leading up to the matchups on the field. Starting with the AFC Championship game between the Patriots and Broncos, the game has been built up to be the Manning-Brady Bowl, even though it’s really about Tom Brady versus the Broncos defense, which is ranked first in the NFL. For Colts fans, many of which can be found on the campus of Indiana State, their love for Peyton and hatred for Tom makes this game a must-see. The Patriots defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, 27-20 in the divisional round of the playoffs, but the game was handled without any difficulty despite only winning by a single touchdown. The Broncos weren’t as fortu-
nate in their game against the Steelers, as it came down to the wire. Denver ultimately held on for a 23-16 win, setting up the 17th matchup between Manning and Brady. Brady and the Patriots hold an 11-5 record against Manning over their years, even though Peyton has thrown for more touchdowns and yards in their head-to-head matchups. While Brady has seemingly dominated Manning, No. 18 is 2-2 against his rival in the playoffs, both wins coming in AFC Championships that led to two of his three Super Bowl appearances with the Colts. Denver and New England played each other in the regular season when the Broncos won a snowy, overtime thriller 30-24 in Week 12. Both teams were without key players as Manning was sidelined for the Broncos while the Patriots were without star wide receivers Danny Amendola and Julian Edleman and also saw tight end Rob Gronkowski leave the game early due to a knee injury. Senior Austin Brothers doesn’t think the Broncos will have much of a chance against New England with the difference in quarterback play being the main reason, despite him
being a lifelong Broncos fan. “Broncos, 9 — Patriots, 24. The game will be a battle of field position, defense, and long field goal attempts in the thin altitude of mile-high,” Brothers said. “It will also come down to that fact that Tom Brady is still a quality quarterback and Peyton Manning is not. If the game is in the balance, Brady can still make plays; Manning cannot.” Sophomore Brennan Greer agrees with Brothers’ prediction, but thinks the Patriots getting guys such as Gronkowski, Amendola and Edleman back will be the difference in the game. “Patriots will win 28-17,” said a confident Greer. “The Patriots defense is a little underrated and them (New England) having a lot of their offensive weapons back will make them a tough team to beat.” Junior Lacy Berger took the route most Peyton Manning and Colts fans would, picking the Broncos due to the love the state of Indiana has for him and the rivalry with the Patriots. “Denver wins 24-21. I’m picking them because Peyton is a former Colt, and I have been a big Colts fan my entire life.” The NFC Championship game between the Arizona Car-
dinals and the Carolina Panthers may end up being the better game of the two. Despite it not getting as many headlines as the AFC Championship game, the game features the two best teams from the 2015-16 NFL season. Carolina was 15-1, giving them the best overall record, but Arizona wasn’t too far off with their 13-3 record, which was the second best in the NFL. Arizona led last week’s divisional game against Green Bay 20-13 with less than a minute to go, and the Packers backed up against their own goal line, facing a 4th and 20. After scrambling around for a few seconds, Green Bay’s quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw one deep down the left sideline, which was hauled in by Jeff Janis. After a play and a penalty, the Packers had five seconds on the clock with the ball on Arizona’s 41yard line, giving them one last chance at getting the ball in the end zone to force the game to overtime. Rodgers took the snap, rolled to his left and went back to the Green Bay 45-yard line before throwing it as high and as hard as he could, while getting hit by Cardinals’ linebacker Markus Golden. The ball was seemingly in the air forever,
but ended up in the hands of a leaping Janis, who sent the game into overtime with the catch. After flipping and re-flipping the coin to see who would get the ball first in overtime, the Cardinals eventually got the ball into the hands in one of their all-time best player’s hands, Larry Fitzgerald, who took the ball down to the 5-yard line and eventually got a shovel pass from Carson Palmer, sending them to the NFC Championship. Carolina, on the other hand, seemed to have their game against the Seattle Seahawks all but won when they went into the locker room at halftime with a 31-0 lead. The Panthers looked great in the first half in all phases of the game but that took a 180-degree turn when they came out to begin the third quarter. Seattle roared back with 24 unanswered points. The game ultimately came down to whether or not Carolina would be able to handle an onside kick with just over a minute remaining. Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis Sr. had no issues handling the kick, setting up a date with the Cardinals for a chance to go to the big dance.
NFL CONTINUED ON PAGE 5