March 8, 2023 | The Reflector

Staying safe at Indianapolis bars, clubs

By Hannah Hadley NEWS EDITOR

A recent investigation from the Indianapolis Star—in conjunction with Fox 59—found that there have been “more than 600 reports of violence at Indianapolis bars, clubs and event centers since 2016.” These crimes include shootings, stabbings, assaults and rapes, according to the IndyStar.

Senior criminal justice major Jessica Esparza said she has experienced crime and violence firsthand at downtown Indianapolis bars and clubs. Esparza said she was drugged at a downtown bar on her birthday in November of last year.

“...I remember getting there," Esparza said. “And we had drunk a little bit before, but we got there, and I knew some people who were working there. So they just started giving us free drinks. And I wasn't paying attention to any of my drinks or anyone pouring any of my drinks. And I remember being there for not even an hour. I didn’t remember literally anything from that point on.”

One of her friends had to carry her to an Uber and then back to her apartment at the University of Indianapolis because she was unconscious after drinking at the bar, according to Esparza.

“She [My friend] said that I was telling her that I was gonna die and that I felt like I was overdosing…,” Esparza said. “The next thing I remember, I was at the hospital.”

Department Capt. Scott Hessong, who has been stationed in the downtown bar district for two years, said that violence at the bars and clubs in downtown Indianapolis has decreased in the past year.

“I think it’s [calling downtown bars and clubs violent is] somewhat of a misrepresentation,” Hessong said. “We really started tackling the problems and what was going on and meeting with those bar owners and managers, to the point where IMPD remonstrated against a few bars and started citing different experiences that were going on. We were successful. . . In the past even six months to a year, we've seen a huge difference in our bar crowd for the better.” Esparza said that in September 2021, she was assaulted at a party at a downtown club. According to Esparza, a man who she thought appeared to be under the influence of drugs tried several times to inappropriately touch her and her friend. After her friend confronted the man, he became aggressive, she said.

“She told him… ‘You need to go away; you need to stop touching her,’ and he pushed her,” Esparza said. “I had a drink in my hand, so I threw it at him. And he punched me in my face….” Esparza said the man kept fighting her and her friend until they rushed to their car and headed to a hospital. She said she sustained several injuries from the encounter.

“It was a bad, bad time,” Esparza said. “And nothing ever came of it because no one knew who he was.”

LGBTQ rights challenged

Indiana General Assembly addresses Bill 1608, limits freedoms of LGBTQ students and teachers

By Kassandra Darnell EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The Indiana State House Education Committee met on Feb. 20 to hear constituent testimony and make amendments to House Bill 1608: Human Sexuality Instruction. The bill states that a school, an employee or staff member of a school or a thirdparty vendor cannot teach students from kindergarten through third grade about human sexuality, according to the bill's text. HB 1608 defines a school as a public or charter school, a laboratory school, the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Indiana School for the Deaf.

The amendments to the bill on Feb. 20 allow teachers to respond to student questions about topics related to human sexuality. The bill also states that teachers may only refer to students using a name, title, pronoun or other identifiers inconsistent with the student’s sex if the student’s parents make a request for it in writing at the beginning of the school year. Students that are adults or emancipated minors may also make this request for themselves. Additionally, this bill would require schools to notify parents if students request to be referred to in ways that are inconsistent with their sex, and specifies that schools may not

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discipline teachers or staff if they refer to a student using an identifier that is consistent with their legal name, according to the bill’s text.

In response to this bill, the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana called for Hoosiers to “Pack the Statehouse” and gather outside of the committee chamber beginning at 7:20 a.m. on Feb. 20 while the committee was in session, according to the ACLU Indiana website. As hundreds of people stood outside the chamber holding up signs provided by the ACLU Indiana to show their support for the LGBTQ community—which would be predominantly affected by the bill, the crowd’s yells echoed up and down the halls of the Indiana Statehouse. The chamber gallery was full as well and the gathering could be heard from inside the chamber. The crowd cycled through several rally chants, including: “We say gay,” and “Hey, hey, ho, ho, transphobia has got to go.”

Natalie Morehouse is an Indianapolis resident, former teacher and part of the LGBTQ community. She stood amongst fellow protesters because she said that when she was teaching, she saw how important it was for students to have affirming teachers, spaces and schools. Morehouse said this bill breaks her heart because it is actively putting LGBTQ youth in harm’s way.

“Kids know who they are, they know

how they feel, they know what’s going on in their lives,” Morehouse said. “And so when we allow them to have spaces and affirming literature and affirming discussion areas, they’re much safer. They’re much less likely to commit suicide. They’re much more likely to do well in school, feel successful, and have high self-esteem…. I would say, to be completely blunt and honest, that they are signing the death certificates of many queer and trans youth in Indiana.”

The bill passed through the House of Representatives and into the Senate with a 65-29 vote after its third reading on Feb. 23, according to the Indiana General Assembly’s website. The first reading by the Senate Education and Career Development Committee was held on March 6, and there was no result as of Reflector press time. Democrat Sen. J.D. Ford is the ranking minority member on the committee, according to the official list of committee members. Ford is also the first and only current openly LGBTQ member of the Indiana General Assembly, according to his website, and was outside of the Statehouse shaking hands and greeting protesters waiting to enter the Statehouse the morning of Feb. 20. Despite the amendments, Ford said his opinion is that it is a terrible bill, especially as someone that has struggled with his own sexual identity.

Now, proponents of the bill are

saying we shouldn't even be having these conversations from Kindergarten to third grade, and in what we heard from testimonials and from the professionals is that this really isn't happening,” Ford said. “This really, to me, is a solution in search of a problem.”

UINDY MEN’S LACROSSE LGBTQ ARTISTS SPOTLIGHT Several candidates have put their name in the running for the 2023 Indianapolis mayoral election primaries. Check out Page 6 to learn more.

possibility some children may mention in class that they have two mothers or two fathers, which could result in classroom discussions regarding samesex parents. He said he thinks the main issue with the bill is that it perpetuates certain ideas of what people think a family should be. Ultimately, Ford said he does not think this bill rises to 3, 8 2 4, 5 6 7

The University of Indianapolis’ men’s lacrosse team has started their new season with a top-ten ranking and multiple victories. Go to Page 4 to read about the outlook for the rest of the season. > See NEWS > See SPORTS > See ENTERTAINMENT

The UIndy Office of Inclusive Excellence is highlighting LGBTQ artists in the “To Preserve and Protect” gallery. Take a look at Page 7 to get the details of this experience.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police

Photo by Erin Rostron

Cars go up and down Meridian Street in downtown Indianapolis with Monument Circle sitting in the background. Meridian Street houses several bars and clubs in the downtown Indy area, including the recently closed Tiki Bob's Cantina (pictured above, middle).

Photo by Kassandra Darnell

People protest against House Bill 1608 inside the Indiana Statehouse, holding signs and yelling chants. HB 1608 would limit education about the LGBTQ community in schools.

I don't go out anymore... I just don't feel safe anymore."

Discourse surrounding Carmel High School funding after viral TikTok videos

By Kassandra Darnell EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Two TikTok videos of Carmel High School went viral at the beginning of February. The videos showcased the many different facilities available at CHS and the sheer size of the high school.As a result,many conversations on social media surrounding the idea of CHS being too rich or questioning if it is ethical for the high school to have this much money. As a CHS alumna, I can easily say that the more important question is not if it is ethical, but why is it unethical?

Prior to attending the University of Indianapolis, I had lived in the same house in Carmel my entire life. I grew up watching the expensive changes Mayor Jim Brainard made (including spending millions of dollars on the city’s infrastructure, according to the IndyStar), and some of my earliest memories are of construction sites for roundabouts. In the fourth grade, my parents transferred me and my siblings into the Carmel Clay School system after going to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, a private catholic school on the Carmel-Westfield border,since Kindergarten because we could no longer afford it after the 2008 recession.

I am well aware that Carmel and its residents are predominantly white and very affluent, considering the median household

income is $119,772, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. During my adolescence, I was surrounded by peers who lived in large, luxurious houses, could always afford the newest clothes from high-end brands and drove Teslas and sports cars. Meanwhile, I rarely invited friends over whose parents were in a higher tax bracket because I was embarrassed by my house (which is honestly a perfectly good-sized home, but my perceptions were very distorted as a pre-teen surrounded by much wealthier friends). My siblings and I spent several years eating freeand-reduced lunches. My parents worked multiple jobs and my mother tirelessly studied for years in order to earn her doctorate so her children could receive free education at UIndy as a perk of her being a professor. I would not have been able to afford college otherwise and she will be in debt until the day she dies.Even so,I understand I am more well-off than other families.

The point is, I understand what it’s like to envy the kids that live in Carmel,even though I was one of those kids myself. It’s hard not to when you see 15-year-olds running around with Louis Vuitton purses while your parents struggle to keep their house. But why are many of the families in Carmel so affluent to the point that the property taxes they pay are used to create a state-of-the-art high school with a population almost as large as UIndy (CHS’ student population is 5,414,

according to the Indiana Department of Education, and UIndy’s population is 5,600, according to the university’s website)? The answer is white flight, a phenomenon that resulted from white people moving out of predominantly minority-populated areas and neighborhoods into the suburbs, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Downtown Indianapolis in particular has a rich history of Black culture and historically Black neighborhoods,according to an article from The Reflector, and during the 1970s Hamilton County saw an increase in demand as white people, higher-income households and those with a college education moved out of Marion County,according to Savi.org. And with more families that fit these criteria moving into the area as a result of white flight, as well as the different improvements Mayor Brainard has made to the city since 1995, the increase of the city’s wealth doesn’t come as a surprise. Throughout my adolescence, I watched as more and more luxurious homes were built over old farmland on the West side of Carmel, which would ultimately lead to higher property taxes that could funnel into Carmel’s public school system. Since the city only has one public high school, a lot of funding is available for improvement. While the affluence of CHS is a result of systemic racism because of phenomena like white flight, that doesn’t mean racism isn’t still prevalent there today. More than

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70% of students at CHS are white and 3.6% are Black, according to NBCNews, and groups like Unify Carmel are working to prevent the Carmel Clay school system from using certain methods, such as supposed critical race theory, to teach about race and racism, according to the Carmel Current. I certainly heard more than enough racist remarks thrown around by students during my four years at CHS that ultimately went unnoticed by school officials, mostly because there are so few Black students that no one would have reported it.

CHS and all of its programs and amenities certainly seem excessive, especially in comparison to school systems that do not even receive the amount of funding needed to maintain facilities. CHS is still expanding today with its most recent addition being a renovation of the school’s auditorium. While I am grateful for all of the opportunities that were provided to me because I attended CHS, it’s also important to acknowledge why the students have access to these amenities and how we got here. For schools in the Indianapolis Public School system, even a fraction of the amount of funding that CHS receives could change lives. Maybe its time to consider if cities like Carmel should be sending their money elsewhere.

Pro/Con: Debating Congress age, term limits

By Anika Yoder FEATURE EDITOR

In Congress, Senate members are elected for a six year long term, and members of the House of Representatives are elected for two years in office according to the White House web page. Congress members are able to be reelected after each term which brings about the discussion surrounding the amount of times a Congressperson should be allowed to be up for reelection. Within the executive branch, the President is only able to serve two, four-year terms, according to the White House web page.

Congress not being given a limit on the amount of times they can be reelected has been a debate that concerns possible problems regarding the age and demographics of Congress overall. According to the Pew Research Center, the age of the Senate is getting older with the median age being 65.3 years which is up from last year’s 117th Congress median age of 64.8. This would seem indiscriminate; however, from the 115th Congress, which was from 2017-19, the Senate age median has gone from 62.4 to 65.3, according to the Pew Research Center. This providesaninterestinglookatthekindofpeople that are creating legislation, since, according to Axios,theaverageAmericanis20yearsyounger than the average House and Senate member. This is an important aspect of the makeup of Congress to understand because, though the average American is younger than the average Congressperson, the average voter turnout is based largely in the geriatric population, according to Bloomberg Government. The voters aged 65 and up,according to Bloomberg Government, in the 2016 and 2020 elections voted at an increased rate as opposed to younger voters. This ties into term limits, as with the

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older voters voting for the House and Senate members that represent their demographics, the Congress members stay in their seats come election time. If term limits were to be instilled, the people voting, no matter what age they are, would have to choose another candidate for their respective districts. This would make it so that the same legislators are not staying in their seats for decades and making changes or not making changes that do not reflect their constituents' needs.

Another topic related to the issue of lack of termlimits,isthatdistrictingwithinstatesallows for the same kind of individuals in Congress to keep their seats.Gerrymanderingis the practice of drawing districts to favor one political party or racial group,skews election results and makes electoral races less competitive, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Districts being drawn to favor a particular party and candidates allow for the people serving multiple terms to stay in their seats based on the people living in their districts that are drawn to favor a population.

The concept of gerrymanderingallows for the populations that candidatesruntorepresenttobethatofonlyone kind of population. If when drawing districts, a population of largely white or upper class citizens are placed deliberately into that district, then the only people that will be winning and continue to run within that district will be white or upper class. That is not truly representative of the other people casting their vote that do not fit that demographic.

Essentially,if Congress members are given term limits, then the other aspects that keep the legislators who are not representative of their states and districts in their seats will not be able to maintain them with term limits. In a country that is constantly evolving with diverse people vying for true and accurate representation, term limits are paramount to keeping the power in the hands of the voters.

By Olivia Pastrick ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Three in four Americans support setting a maximum age limit on members of Congress, and more than 4 in 10 think that the ages of political leaders is a problem, according to Business Insider. Part of the reason behind Americans’ concern with the age of representatives in Congress is the corruption and outdated ideologies that they may hold. Although this may be true for some in Congress, setting a cap on the age at which people can be in Congress will not eliminate this.

One concern in American politics is the influence of lobbyists, according to Brookings. Brookings said there are claims that it is common for novice legislators to fill their information and policy gaps by using lobbyists’ knowledge that advocates for special interest groups. Although there is nothing stopping older politicians from doing the same thing, setting an age limit for people in congress would not eliminate the political corruption in America,as some proponents of age limits may suggest.

Currently,as upheld in precedents set in Supreme Court rulings, the only way to make a term limit in the United States would be to make an amendment to the Constitution, according to Constitution Annotated. In 1969 and 1995 respectively, the Supreme Court held in Powell v. McCormack and U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton that neither Congress nor the states can add to the qualifications stipulated in the Constitution for membership in Congress, according to Constitution Annotated.

According to John David Rausch, Jr. from West Texas A&M University, there have been bills attempting to implement term limits in the United States Congress since the First Congress, which was from 1789-91. The House of Representatives

voted on two different versions of the bill: one that would limit a senator’s term to one year and limit them to five consecutive terms in a six-year span and another that would limit a member of the House to three consecutive terms in an eight-year span.Neither of these proposals gained any real traction at the time, and the bill died out until the mid-20th century, according to Rausch.

Some people may argue that since there are minimum age requirements that people must meet to run for Congress, there should also be a maximum age limit. According to the Borgen Project, the minimum age requirement in the Constitution is something adapted from England, although the exact ages are different.The Borgen Project also said that James Madison wrote in Federalist Paper No. 62 that the minimum age requirement was to give candidates enough lifetime to gain a “greater extent of information and stability of character.”

While this makes sense for setting a minimum age limit for Congress, the same logic does not apply to adding a maximum. Some people over the age of 79—the age usually proposed with an age limit—still have incredibly sharp minds, and should not be pushed out of a career if they are still capable to do it well simply on the basis of their age. According to Brookings, removing people from Congress only on the premise of their age is a “bad return on an investment of time spent learning and mastering the ins and outs of policy making in congress.”

Overall, I do not think setting a maximum age or term limit for people in congress would resolve nearly as many problems in American politics as people may think. Removing eligible people from congress only on the basis of their age is unreasonable and limits the power of the voter by taking away a viable candidate because of an uncontrollable factor.

By Olivia Pastrick ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

"Hogwarts Legacy" was released on Feb. 10 and was developed by Avalanche Software and published by Warner Bros. Games under the Portkey Games label, according to its website. The website said that the game is not a direct adaptation of the books and movies but is based in the same universe. The game’s website also said that author J.K. Rowling was not involved directly in the creation of the game, but since she is the creator of the Harry Potter universe, she did create the foundation for the game.

Rowling's connection to the game is important if you are worried about the ethics of playing it because of several controversies she’s been involved in. According to The Week, Rowling has been “liking” transphobic tweets since March 2018, and she has continued to do so since then. Additionally, Rowling has openly disagreed with bills and individuals seeking to make transitioning easier for transgender people. The Week reports that in March 2022 Rowling claimed that a bill in Scotland that sought to make transitioning easier for transgender individuals would harm vulnerable populations.

Rowling also has tweeted controversial comments on her account. On June 6, 2020, Rowling tweeted about an opinion article from Devex that used the phrase “people who menstruate." Rowling’s reply said ‘‘‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?’” This has been criticized as invalidating the existence of transgender men and nonbinary people who may still menstruate and not identify as women.

Fans of the Harry Potter series also have begun to criticize racial prejudice. According to Seventeen, the eight Harry Potter movies total 1,207 minutes, of which racial minorities only speak for 5 minutes and 40 seconds.

Although the lack of representation for people of color is a glaring issue, there is also controversy surrounding the most prominent Asian character in the series, Cho Chang. According to HITC, the name Cho Chang comes from two different Asian cultures: Korean and Chinese. HITC calls this lazy naming, and it serves as evidence pointing toward a lack of consideration for minorities.

All of this comes into discussions surrounding "Hogwarts Legacy" and whether playing the game is ethical, considering the creator of this world repeatedly has been criticized for transphobia and racial prejudice. I think the most significant consideration in deciding whether playing the game is ethical is whether Rowling benefits. According to The Escapist, Rowling likely does benefit from the game, although she was not directly involved in the making of it. The Escapist said that since Rowling has so much leverage over what is created from Harry Potter, she likely profits in some way from the game, whether in royalty arrangements or in other ways.

Some people may argue that playing "Hogwarts Legacy" is not unethical because the author should not have anything to do with the work itself. If the creator of the universe is taken out of the picture entirely, and Harry Potter is examined as the game’s foundation, then there is less controversy surrounding it. While in some cases looking at a creative work beyond the perspective of the author, or what the author says about the work post-release, can be beneficial, consuming work from, and inherently supporting, an author criticized for transphobia and racism is controversial. This can be difficult for some people, including those who have enjoyed Harry Potter since before there was any controversy surrounding Rowling. "I understand the disappointment of those who enjoy Harry Potter, but I do not support Rowling’s words and actions. And I do not understand those who stand up for Rowling and say her behavior should not impact how people consume the body of work she has created or been connected to. If she benefits from something, as she likely does from "Hogwarts Legacy", I do not think playing the game can be ethically defended by saying that Rowling did not make the game.

... Limits are paramount to keeping the power in the hands of voters.

Headline Graphic by Breanna Emmett

2023 Indianapolis mayor candidates

Candidates have put their name in the running for the May 2 Indy mayoral primary election

By Anika Yoder FEATURE EDITOR

The Indianapolis mayoral election season is underway, and with the primaries coming in early May, there are several candidates looking to obtain the mayoral seat. According to Ballotpedia, there are 10 people running for mayor in the 2023 election: six Democratic candidates and four Republican candidates.

According to the University of Indianapolis Department of History & Political Science Chair, Professor of History and Director of the Institute of Civic Leadership and Mayoral Archives Ted Frantz, UIndy has archived mayoral information dating back to Richard Lugar, who was Indianapolis’ mayor in 1967. Lugar had a close working relationship with then UIndy President Gene E. Sease, which led to the beginning of the archival of Indianapolis mayoral papers and items relating to Indianapolis history. The collection of mayoral term information and Indianapolis historical records was developed and formed the Institute for Civic Leadership, according to Frantz.

“It was like one of the things that President Manuel inherited, and it was like, ‘What unique assets do we have at this institution?’ Frantz said. “That was one of them. So the Institute was set up to sort of promote the materials that we have in conjunction with those.”

The key democratic candidates to pay attention to are Mayor Joe Hogsett, as he is the incumbent having served two terms, and Indian a state Rep. Robin Shackleford, according to Associate Professor of Political Science Laura Merrifield Wilson. Shackleford is a legislator representing the city’s near east side according to Wilson, and, if elected, would be the first Black woman to be mayor of Indianapolis. Hogsett is a prolific fundraiser and is a well known commodity in the city with the name recognition, she said.

For the Republican candidates, Wilson said that the two strongest

contenders for the mayoral seat are Abdul-Hakim Shabazz, a local journalist and adjunct professor at UIndy, and Jefferson Shreve, a well known philanthropist and local Southside Indy businessman. Shabazz is a prominent figure in the community and Shreve’s time as an Indianapolis City Council member allows for public recognition as well, according to Wilson.

According to Frantz, not long ago, Indianapolis was a Republican city and Democrats struggled to find candidates who could be competitive against them. But for this year’s election, Frantz said the situation is not the same. It has been very hard to find a Republican candidate who will stand to run for office in Indianapolis for the past few elections, according to Frantz.

“...You've got an incumbent… Joe Hogsett,” Frantz said. “And he's definitely the presumptive favorite, both in terms of because he's the incumbent and the amount of money he has backing him. He'd be only the second mayor in modern Indianapolis to have more than two terms if he's successful in that reelection attempt.”

To prepare for the primaries, Wilson said that students need to make sure that they are registered to vote in Indiana. Voters must be registered 29 days before the election and can go to Indiana Voters.com to view their registration status, according to Wilson. Students at UIndy can change their voter registration to Indianapolis, she said. She said she recommends students to vote on their college campus using their UIndy address because students are in school nine to 10 months out of the year. Wilson also said it is important for students to make sure they are registered to vote and learn about the candidates if they vote on campus.

“These are competitive primaries, and they're crowded, quite frankly…,” Wilson said. “Either party has multiple options, so they want to learn more about the candidates and what they stand for, and how those issues and positions align with their own.”

Assessing safety protocol after MSU tragedy

By Michael Harrington BUSINESS MANAGER

A shooter opened fire at Michigan State University’s campus, killing three students and injuring others on Feb. 13, according to a release by the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety. Classes at MSU resumed on Feb. 20, according to a report from Nation Public Radio.

University of Indianapolis alumna and Michigan State University Piano Technician Mary Lapprand said that students have been uneasy since returning after the incident.

“You can tell a lot of the students are very on edge or very nervous, or out a lot of them, when they're walking outside, [are] kind of checking over their shoulder, which I've never noticed that type of reaction before or behavior before on campus,” Lapprand said. “So I think students are a little leery about being on campus and not feeling the safest right now, but still being very brave to return to classes, trying to return to normal so they can try to have some normalcy, some sense of normalcy back.

According to UIndy Acting Chief of Police Brandon Pate, shootings occur on college campuses because campuses are seen as an opportunity.

“It's a situation where you can cause the most disruption possible,” Pate said.

“It’s worth remembering that a lot of the shooters aren’t of the same mindset and framework that we are [and] that most people walking around probably are.They want to cause mass chaos and casualty incidents and things like that.”

Pate said that UIndy police are assessing the MSU shooting to make campus safer.

“We will sit down as an agency—the training department and myself—and we'll discuss what are the learning points that we can take from this,” Pate said.

“And I think that's how we make sure that we're constantly staying abreast of what's going on and making sure that we're prepared the best that we can be.”

UIndy freshman social work major Melanie Gomez said she feels unsafe after the recent shooting at MSU.

“It makes me feel sad and unsafe to be here,” Gomez said. “... I feel like anyone could get into the school, like anyone can come in and have a weapon and hurt a lot of people.”

According to UIndy freshman and business administration and management major April Perez-Gomez, the lack of lights around campus is a source of unease.

“...Some of the areas are pretty dark,” Perez-Gomez said. “There's barely any lighting and it makes it scary at night. It makes it feel a little uneasy… At night a majority of the [criminal] activity happens.”

stand firm or do anything is if you cannot get away and now you have to fight. And you fight as if there's no rules. Because there are no rules at that point.”

According to Lapprand, having close contact with campus police is in a student’s best interest.

“I feel as though every student on any college campus should always have campus police's number in their cell phone…not for any morbid reason, but just for your own personal safety,” Lapprand said.

According to Pate, the UIndy police department uses scenario training to prepare in the event of an active shooter.

together in the aftermath of the shooting and help their local college community is important.

“I think just being aware of your surroundings and also being aware of your community [is important], " Lapprand said. “I know a lot of the students who were victims of the shooting; they had friends within their classes. Everyone was checking on everyone else. It was just as though everyone came together… Fostering that sense of community, I think, is really helpful for any college student right now, to realize that you are not alone.”

Pate said the best thing students can do in an open area in the event of a shooter is to run to safety.

“...Sometimes people are hesitant to ask,‘What would you do in this particular scenario?’ when you have an open space like that—a theater, an atrium dining hall or something of that nature—you find an exit,” Pate said. “That's your plan. Okay. The plan of strategy is to run, is to get away. The only time that you would

“We do scenario training twice a year,” Pate said. “We'll add this [an active shooter] scenario as part of our training, where we will discuss, “Okay, we had the shooting incident, how long did it take to get eyes on the shooter? How long did it take to mitigate the threat? And then how long was it until medical intervention was applied and what did the communications look like?’ You know,‘What are the campus notifications looking like and how are those, are they effective?’So we do that with pretty much every major event that you see.”

Lapprand said that for people to come

According to a report by NPR, MSU is reworking its syllabus to help students recover after the shooting. This included a lighter course load for students during their first week back to classes and an option to choose whether to receive credit for courses at the end of the semester.

Perez-Gomez said being able to go to the resources on campus for help, such as to the UIndy Police, is one of the things UIndy is doing to make students feel safe.

“Being able to go to people," PerezGomez said, "or having certain rooms here, or having a safe shelter makes me feel safer.”

Graphic by Olivia Cameron

It makes me feel sad and unsafe to be here."

Finishing the indoor season

UIndy’s track and field indoor team competes for the GLVC Indoor Conference Championships

By Connor Mahoney SPORTS EDITOR

Over a two-day-span, the University of Indianapolis men’s and women’s track and field teams competed in the Indoor Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships in the ARC, where the women placed second and the men finished third, according to UIndy Athletics. The Greyhounds had a combined eight gold medals between the two teams. Additionally, program records were broken for multiple events in the meet, according to UIndy Athletics. Senior pole vaulter Treyton Arnold said before the meet, the team— especially himself—was resting in the days prior to the GLVC Championships.

“This week, it’s [practice is] just taken lightly, it’s more of like a taper week,” Arnold said. “I know we’re jumping twice this week, but it’s just a lot less reps, making sure our bodies are staying healthy and ready to go.”

At the GLVC Championships, Arnold competed in the pole vault where he finished as the champion, resulting in a new record for the track and field indoor program, according to UIndy Athletics. This was not the first time Arnold has broken a record for the Greyhounds. He said has been putting on the best performances of his collegiate career this season.

“I just stopped letting things get to me,” Arnold said. “Last year, I had a really rough year. I did both indoor and outdoor conferences last year, and I was just putting expectations on myself way too high. This year, I really just kind of said, ‘Screw it.’ I’m not going to put any

expectations on myself. I should have fun. You don’t really perform better when you’re [not] having fun.”

In the coming weeks, the track and field individuals that have qualified for the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships will be traveling to Virginia on March 10-11, according to UIndy Athletics. Junior distance runner Emily Sonderman said with experience in nationals that those who get the opportunity to compete should soak in all that it has to offer.

“Take [nationals] all in; you [have] already made it as far as you can go, and

then have fun with it,” Sonderman said. “Not many people get the opportunity to [be there] just try your best. And whatever happens [happens.]”

According to

for the GLVC Championships.

For nationals, the NCAA usually takes a certain number of athletes where you must qualify for your individual event, Arnold said. He finished ranked 15th in the pole vault, stamping his ticket to go to Virginia for nationals later this month along with four other Greyhounds, according to UIndy Athletics.

After nationals, this will mark the end of the indoor track and field season before the team transitions to outdoor. Sonderman said she is excited to get a fresh start for the

outdoor season.

“For me personally, I haven’t ran that well indoors… [I am more] excited to get out t\here and go outdoors and prove myself more than I did this indoor season,” Sonderman said. “It’s given me more motivation to do better and train harder for outdoor [to] try and get those goals that I didn’t get for indoor.”

The outdoor season begins on March 31 with the chance to compete in Indianapolis in an open meet or in Cincinnati for an invitational meet, according to UIndy Athletics.

Lacrosse begins spring season

Stocks said the team is experienced and that their practices are really competitive. He said that the high level of competition at practice will better prepare the players for the competition they will see throughout their season.

“The practices are really competitive. So, it’s something that does a good job preparing us for the games,” Stocks said. “Since we compete so hard at practices and really get after each other, when it gets to game time there’s no surprises. I think sometimes our practices may be harder than the actual games.”

Billig said that the team is a very close-knit group and that his teammates are a major factor in his success at UIndy. According to UIndy Athletics, Billig is currently tied for the most points over a career in program history, as of The Reflector press time.

“It’s a lot of hard work,” Billig said. “It’s pretty cool, but I mean obviously a lot of the contributing factors are my teammates.”

Billig said that another reason for his success at UIndy is the older players that he played with his freshman year showed him how to be successful and a leader for this team.

on

campus.

spring season. Additionally, the Hounds next games will be played away from home. The next games for the team includes traveling to Walsh

By Olivia Pastrick ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

The University of Indianapolis men’s lacrosse team started their season on Feb. 4 by defeating Lake Erie University 2110, according to UIndy Athletics. Last season, the team made it to the NCAA tournament but fell short to LenoirRhyne University. Senior attacker Drew Billig said that the team learned a lot

from losing early in the tournament last year, but hopes to build off of the experience.

“Last year we got to learn a lot [about ourselves]…” Billig said. “Getting knocked out sucks, so we [have] a sour taste in our mouth and we can build off of that going into playoffs this year.”

According to UIndy Athletics, the team was ranked eighth in the initial United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) poll. Head Men’s

Lacrosse Coach Greg Stocks said that a top-ten ranking has become an expectation for the program.

“It’s kind of been our expectation,” Stocks said. “We’ve been in the top ten for the last few years now… it’s something that’s now expected and it’s something that we really pride ourselves upon.”

Billig said that the preseason ranking is a cool recognition, but that it also puts a target on their backs. Billig

and Stocks said that one of the team’s primary goals for the season is to win the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship along with making a run in the NCAA tournament.

“Looking back to last year, we got a lot of the same guys back, so we [have] a lot of chemistry already,” Billig said. “We’ve got a lot of experience mixed with some youth as well, so I’m looking to hopefully win our conference and make a run into the NCAA tournament.”

“Individually, I got named captain, so my big thing is trying to be more vocal on the team,” Billig said. “[I want to] lead a lot of the younger guys, and then even some of the juniors and seniors as well.”

According to UIndy Athletics, the team’s next home game will be their senior day on April 1 against Davenport University. Stocks said that he hopes there will be lots of support for the team at their home games this season.

“We’ve got some big games coming up, and I think it’s really exciting to be where we are right now and any support for home games, stuff like that, would be greatly appreciated,” Stocks said.

UIndy Athletics, Sonderman competed in the 400m

Photo contributed by Jacob Walton/UIndy Athletics University of Indianapolis runner Emily Sonderman gets set to take off in her race inside the ARC. The women’s side for track and field is currently ranked 20th in new standings.

Photo contributed by Ryan Thorpe/UIndy Athletics UIndy pole vaulter Treyton Arnold prepares to spring over the bar inside the ARC on the University of Indianapolis campus. Arnold’s mark for the nationals is now set at 5.02m.

It’s given me more motivation to do better and train harder for outdoor.”

Photo contributed by Jacob Walton/UIndy Athletics

University of Indianapolis senior forward Drew Billig looks to pass the ball to his teammate at Key Stadium

UIndy’s

The Greyhounds are currently 4-1 to start their 2023

University and Mercyhurst University.

Tennis takes on ITA tournament

After beating Barry University and advancing to the next round, the Greyhounds defeated Wayne State University 4-2 before losing to Saint Leo University in the final, according to UIndy Athletics.

“We celebrated a lot. But again, we knew that we still had one match to [try to] win… We tried to keep our composure and stay focused. We were all super proud of everybody…,” Destouet said. “I feel like the energy of the team during all the tournaments, the brotherhood, it was super important for us”

For the women’s side, they were defeated by Hawaii Pacific University in the first round, but later won matches against Flagler College and the University of Nebraska at Kearney, according to UIndy Athletics. Tabet said having the women’s team lose the first round was difficult but seeing the women’s team bounce back and learn from the loss made the trip worthwhile. Fifth-year women’s tennis player Anna Novikova said the team felt down and disappointed after the loss to the Sharks but the next day, the team met and set both an individual and team goal. Novikova said the next two days of the competition the team became a closer family.

By Arrianna Gupton EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

The University of Indianapolis men’s and women’s tennis teams have both recently competed in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division II Indoor Championship with the men’s team being runner-ups, according to UIndy Athletics. According to men’s and women’s tennis Head Coach Malik Tabet, both teams have been a pleasure to work with this year due to their great work ethic and willingness to compete.

Tabet said the men’s team has developed a strong culture and a strong fighting spirit this year.

“On the men’s side, playing at home, making it to the championship match

was definitely part of our expectations. We lost to a very good team,[and I’m] very proud of what my student-athletes have accomplished, especially in front of their home crowd,” Tabet said. “Every match was an electric atmosphere at the tennis center, and we really enjoyed this experience. And that’s all about what we’re trying to do as an institution, [is] give our student-athletes the best experience possible.”

The men’s team started the tournament against the number one ranked team, Barry University, where the Greyhounds won the match 4-0, according to UIndy Athletics. Sophomore tennis player Edgar Destouet said after previously suffering a loss to Barry University last year, it was tough to have to face that team first in the competition.

“[We were] super excited at the end of the game. [Tennis SID] Jacob [Walton] just asked me some questions, to [ask] how it feels... It felt so good. It was tough to realize [the win],” Destouet said. “And then we went to the restaurant with all the team, we all ate together, the energy was so nice. We were all super happy, coach was super happy. But we tried to keep our composure for the rest of the tournament because it was just one

Presenting a new class

UIndy football announces the new 2023 recruiting class

By Connor Mahoney SPORTS EDITOR

Putting pen to paper, the University of Indianapolis football program announced their recruiting class for National Signing Day 2023 on Feb. 1, according to UIndy Athletics. UIndy Football Head Coach Chris Keevers said he is excited about this incoming class and what they can bring to the program.

“Every class, the number one thing you want to do is find UIndy fits [players that fit the program]; you’ve got to find people that fit our school and fit our program…,” Keevers said. “We want great students and great players and great people…. We brought in a bunch of UIndy fits and we brought in a bunch of guys that are really good students and good people [that] should make our football team better.”

The Greyhounds are welcoming 54 new players who will suit up this coming fall for the 2023 season, according to UIndy Athletics. This includes players on offense, defense and special teams. UIndy Football Offensive Coordinator Brad Wilson said that many of the players are coming from good programs.

“We’ve got a bunch of quality human beings that are coming into the program,” Wilson said. “A lot of them played multiple sports, which I think is valuable, some explosive players in that class to add to our offense. The transition from high school to college is always a

challenge but getting guys from quality programs that can come in here and compete [is important]. [I] really like how the class ended up.”

In addition to the new recruits bringing their talents to the program, the team hopes to continue to build its culture, according to Keevers and Wilson.

“For our kids that we attract to our program and bring into our program, they have to have a mentality of, ‘We’re going

With the new players coming into the program, the hope is they can learn from this Greyhound football culture, according to Keevers. For the next class, he said the recruiting has already started and will kick into high gear after the spring ball game.

“We started [recruiting] on Monday; it’s an evaluation period that really gets going after spring ball,” Keevers said. “We go out in April and hit schools and watch tape[s] and start making lists of guys we want to recruit. Then, we go during the summer, and then we hit camps. We all go out to camps all over the Midwest and watch kids and find players.”

Along with the announcements of the new recruiting class, the spring ball game has been confirmed for April 22 at Key Stadium, according to UIndy Athletics. Keevers said it’s an opportunity for the team to improve.

to come in and we’re going to work’… and [an] understanding [of] our culture from a workman standpoint [involves] working on the details and making sure we’re working together…,” Wilson said.

“There’s a lot of work that goes into it but you got to enjoy the time, the four or five years that you’re on campus. We have a strong program coming back; we feel really good about the kids returning.

So it’s all about adding new people [players] to that culture and continuing for that to grow.”

“[The spring ball game] is a chance to make our team better and our team [to] develop and get closer,” Keevers said. “It’s [a] really good time to improve. We have fun with [it].”

Wilson said he sees a major opportunity to improve the two weeks before the spring ball game in practices, runs and lifting. The spring ball game will be held at 1 p.m. at Key Stadium with an alumni tailgate beforehand. Keevers said the game is an opportunity for the players to enjoy playing together along with fans and come out and enjoy watching the game, too.

match. And I think we managed well to keep going in [the] tournament and stay focused on the process.”

Destouet stated the men’s team was nervous but despite the nerves there was an overall feeling of having nothing to lose and energy was high. According to sophomore tennis player Louis Picaud, going in he knew the team was prepared and knew they would play well.

“I did expect we would play very well, but I didn’t expect to destroy them like that. I think mentally we were way more motivated than them. We saw it on the court; we shoot for each other,” Picaud said. “I think it was a logical result. We really show[ed] them we were here on the court. And we were fighter[s], then after, against Wayne State, we kept the energy.”

“I think it was a good experience for the freshmen, and they [hadn’t seen] the national level because before this, we didn’t play that many matches against top teams. And also it was the first time that we played until clinch, so every match counts,” Novikova said. “And I think it really helped us to actually understand that it’s not [an] individual sport anymore. We’re playing as a team. It was a big learning process for all of us. Even though I’m [doing] my fifth season, every season you learn new things, and I think also we learn how to adapt to each other, how to support each other and we understand each other better now and then.”

Tabet stated he feels good about the overall state of both the men’s and women’s tennis teams and the program as a whole and being among the top ten teams in the nation is an accomplishment. According to UIndy Athletics, both the men’s and women’s teams will compete in Florida from March 15-19.

“I would like to thank everybody who came to support us, and also our coach and our assistant coaches,” Destouet said. “They were super. They tried to help us a lot, and obviously, it works.”

Spring golf commences

By Michael Harrington BUSINESS MANAGER

The University of Indianapolis women’s golf team is preparing for the upcoming season with their first chance to get on the course at a tournament in California, according to UIndy Men’s and Women’s Golf Head Coach Brent Nicoson. The team is looking toward building on what they accomplished last year, Nicoson said.

“We are excited to get going…,” Nicoson said. “We have been practicing indoors. It’s just time to get out and compete, we are excited to get back out and compete again.”

According to Nicoson, the tournament in California is going to be an opportunity for winning tournaments this spring. The spring season will help the team improve from where they were in the fall, Nicoson said.

“I thought the fall went average; we weren’t our best,” Nicoson said. “But we’re still ranked [in the] top 10 in the country so that’s exciting. We need to be in position to win more tournaments this spring, that’s why we’re excited to get to California.”

Senior golf player Catharina Graf said the team is focusing on their short-game to improve for the season. According to Graf, playing as much as possible is what will help the team make strides forward.

“We’re doing a lot of short-game focused practices right now to really get sharp around the greens and in the greens,” Graf said. “We’re trying to get out and play as much as possible, such as playing on score.”

According to Graf, the team needs to focus on minimizing the stakes when playing in order to be in a better position for the season.

“[We’re improving] consistency and avoiding bigger numbers,” Graf said. “[We’re focused on] minimizing the stakes and that will put us in a better position to win tournaments.”

Nicoson said the athletes are focusing on being more connected as a

team this season. According to Nicoson, the team is strong, but focusing on the small things will help them succeed.

“Last year, I felt like we got a little disconnected as we moved into [the] post season and we cannot do that this year,” Nicoson said. “We have to be very connected and very strong [together]... There was not anything wrong last year, but we need to be stronger in that area.”

Nicoson said that one of the reasons why the team is strong is the help they receive from the supporting staff with training. According to Nicoson, they help to consistently better the team throughout the seasons.

“Part of our success comes from our support staff,” Nicoson said. “Our strength [and] conditioning coaches, our athletic trainers, our academic advisors, I want to thank all of them for helping our team to be as strong as they can be, it’s not just us [the coaching staff.]”

Graf said that even though this is her last season at UIndy, she is looking forward to her future in golf.

“It is my last year with [UIndy] so obviously I am sad to be leaving, but at the same time there is going to be something new and I am excited for what is to come,” Graf said.

According to Nicoson, the team is continuing its strong history due to the athletes consistently picking up from the previous season. Nicoson said the team sees the value in being together and that helps them see the value in winning.

“They are seeing the value [of] togetherness…working through our weaknesses and being intentional about what we are doing every day, not just going through the motions,” Nicoson said. “This group does not want to lose and that is what I love and that is a continuation of all the groups before us. [That] is the biggest strong point about this group, none of them want to lose, including the coaching staff… I think that will help us match each other through the rest of the year.”

Graphic by Hannah Hadley

Photo contributed by Jacob Walton/UIndy Athletics

The University of Indianapolis men’s tennis team celebrates their win over Barry University. UIndy tennis player Edgar Destouet clinched the match for the Greyhounds inside the UIndy Tennis Center. The Greyhounds later went on to win their second match of the tournament before falling short in the final. The team is currently 9-1 for the spring season.

They were super. They tried to help us a lot, and obviously, it works.”

UIndy acknowledges land it is built on

The

University of Indianapolis announces land acknowledgment statement to recognize Indigenous land

By Hannah Biedess EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

An email was sent out on Feb. 16 by the Office of Inclusion and Equity announcing a land acknowledgment statement. The email said there is a task force of about 25 members that include faculty, staff and students working to create the statement.

The task force will be holding events open to the campus community in order to receive feedback, the email said, and there is a Google Form for those who are unable to attend the events.

Assistant professor of Sociology

Colleen Wynn said that this acknowledgment is for all tribes with ancestral ties to Marion county. Wynn said there is no physical marker acknowledging the Indigenous land yet, but it does cover the entire University of Indianapolis campus.

The proposed land acknowledgment statement said, “The University of Indianapolis acknowledges that we live, work, and learn on the traditional homelands of the Miami, Shawnee, Peoria, Potawatomi, Kickapoo and Delaware peoples. We recognize that we, as a community, are beneficiaries of the United States government’s removal

of these tribes from their homelands. Furthermore, we recognize that this land remains a significant part of the Miami, Shawnee, Peoria, Potawatomi, Kickapoo and Delaware heritage landscapes today and that we, as a campus community, will care for the land in a manner that honors their traditions.”

Wynn said that the task force wants the land acknowledgment to be the first step and not the last step in better recognizing Indigenous contributions, both historically and contemporarily. She said the land acknowledgment is to recognize the importance of the land and the cultures. The task force hopes to create more engagement on campus for the indigenous groups, according to Wynn.

“Hopefully, in the future, the university will also be able to build out some actions that will embody the spirit of the land acknowledgment,” Wynn said.

Sophomore exercise science prephysical therapy major Emma Moore said the land acknowledgment statement is just the first step for recognizing Indigenous land and how to move forward. Moore said she joined the task force to give a different perspective and see if anything needed to be added.

“We are creating the land

acknowledgment to give respect to the tribes that were here originally,” Moore said. “And from here, once we get this established, then we'll be able to take action steps.”

Wynn said the university hopes this is the first step in doing a better job of understanding and respecting indigenous people and their cultures. One thing they hope to gain from this is more engagement with Indigenous

OR elective offered at UIndy

By Hannah Biedess EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

The University of Indianapolis is offering an operating room nursing elective which is a hands-on learning experience for nursing students thinking about going into the operating room, according to Assistant Professor of Nursing Toni Morris. The elective started in 2019 after a survey said students were interested in taking an operating room course, Morris said. The class is offered during the second summer session and meets once a week for seven weeks for seven to eight hours a day, she said. The students work closely with their clinical partner, Community Health Network, according to Morris.

“Five days they're in the classroom and two days, they're in an actual operating room with an actual nurse,”

Morris said. According to Morris, the elective is unique because they get hands-on experience in an operating room.

Students get to sanitize and put in protective gear or “scrub in” into surgery, according to Morris, and

able to scrub into surgery,” Morris said.

Senior nursing major Alyssa Albitz said students learned how to circulate, scrub and interview patients for their surgery or procedure. She said students taking the class get to practice the skills learned in a real OR.

“During the course, we were able to take a day for circulating and a day for scrubbing and we were paired with a nurse, and were able to practice those skills in a real OR,” Albitz said.

Senior nursing major Destiny Clark said the elective allowed her to gain a lot of foundational knowledge. She said she always wanted to be an OR nurse and this elective solidified that.

sometimes get to hold retractors and sterilely open things and help set up for surgeries. Morris said students are paired with a nurse and learn how to interview patients, position the patient and pass instruments to the surgeon.

“It's really [a] pretty amazing experience for an undergraduate to be

“But this helps lay foundational knowledge and it sets you apart if you apply to jobs and stuff,” Clark said.

Morris said the elective not only helps the students, but hospitals as well. Sometimes nurses think that they want to work in the operating room and then go through the training and realize that they do not want to, according to Morris, and this elective starts at the student level and allows them to get a feel of working in an operating room. Morris said that it costs the hospitals around $78,000 to fully train OR nurses that they do not get back.

“The burden of training nurses in the OR are largely on the hospitals, because nurses come to the hospital and if they don't have any OR training then they go through a six to nine month intensive program in the hospital system to learn the specialty of operating room nursing,” Morris said.

Morris said students are able to see if they like working in the OR and it saves hospitals time and money. She said the skills learned during this course apply to other specialties as well. Those could include maternity nursing, the intensive care unit and many more, Morris said.

“It's the skills that they learn that are very transferable and applicable to multiple other specialties in nursing,” Morris said.

people, as individuals and groups, she said.

“We hope that it might help us to strengthen ties that we already have with the tribal groups,” Wynn said. “...I think it's an important step in terms of equity and inclusion on campus.”

Moore said that this is a big step for the university as it shows that UIndy has a respect and understanding for the Indigenous population on campus.

She said she thinks that it will bring awareness to those populations, and then attract more students to attend. Moore said the task force is open to feedback.

“I strongly encourage everyone to read the acknowledgment act, and reach out to anyone who may be on the task force just to see what they can do in the upcoming action steps that we're going to be taking,” Moore said.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

By Anika Yoder FEATURE EDITOR

The University of Indianapolis has brought Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to campus, according to University Events. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is one of the fastest-growing self-defense arts in the world. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a highly effective martial art used in stand-up and ground defense, according to the University Events page.

This semester is the first year that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu sessions are offered to students and anyone who wants to join, according to Assistant Director and Head Volleyball Coach Jason Reed, who is also a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The martial art involves a person taking down a larger, stronger opponent and neutralizing them, Reed said. There is no kicking or striking and the practice involves all submissions via joints where the other person's body is in a position that could just prevent them from attacking, according to Reed.

As part of a campus initiative to provide opportunities for staff and students to get moving and engage in healthy activities, Reed said he and Network & Telecom Technician for Information Technology Michael Smiley were asked to help organize physical activities such as Noon Ball, a midday basketball session on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He said

can't get a group that wants to do some Jiu Jitsu and kind of offer that up to the rest of campus as a wellness initiative,” Reed said. “So I connected with Officer Pate, because I know he trains, and I know that there are people on staff that do Jiu Jitsu, and so it was kind of just, ‘Hey, why don't we see if we can get together and see if there's more students that might be interested.’”

According to Pate, sessions are formatted into what is called open mat, which is where there is no class, rather techniques are displayed to people watching and then participants engage in a light rolling session. The rolling session includes people getting into positional moves and getting out and neutralizing the opponent as well as work on competition style training.

“It's not like a structured cardio style class,” Pate said. “It's kind of like come together, hang out, show a technique and then just kind of wrestle around and work on the self defense aspect of it.”

Reed said that the perception with martial arts being perceived as violent, like with mixed martial arts, does not show the other side of the arts which involve a technical side to the sport that people do not see often. The mental component of the sport allows for people to be completely present, as opposed to other physical activities where people can disengage mentally, according

“It's you're trying to solve an ever evolving Rubik's Cube in terms of another person that's trying to immobilize something on you,” Reed Sessions are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. in the UIndy wrestling room in the basement of Ruth Lilly Fitness Center, according to University Events.

why don't we see if we

CaLUB hosts STEM Cafe in Lilly Science Hall

By Michael Harrington BUSINESS MANAGER

The University of Indianapolis Community for the Advancement of Learning and Understanding Biology hosts a weekly science, technology, engineering and mathematics cafe in Ruth Lilly Science Hall. The STEM Cafe offers students refreshments and a space to relax, according to UIndy CaLUB CoPresident and junior pre-med biology major Simone Wickware.

“The STEM Cafe is our weekly hours to chill out, hang out in the lobby, we have cookies, tea and hot chocolate,” Wickware said. “Typically we just watch a movie and do plant giveaways.”

Wickware said the STEM Cafe is a space for introverted students to hang out with interests in biology. According to Wickware, the small space the event is offered in caters towards more introverted students.

“It is offered for students who are more introverted because it is a really small lobby,” Wickware said. “We're plant oriented, animal oriented, [and visit] just to destress and feel a little bit homey.”

According to CaLUB Secretary and junior pre-med biology major Madison Elliott, the STEM Cafe was a way to discover biology. Elliott said it was also a way to meet new people on campus.

“[STEM Cafe] is how I discovered biology,” Elliott said. “I work in a lab, and then I started coming to the STEM Cafe every Thursday, and they said, ‘Hey, do you want to join?’”

Elliott said that the STEM Cafe is an opportunity for students to also learn more about Lilly Science Hall. The club allows students to see the more hidden parts of Lilly Science Hall, according to Elliott.

“I feel like if you are not a science major, you are not in Lilly a lot,” said Elliott. “People do not know how cool it is because we have all the animals which

are fun to look at.”

The STEM Cafe can also help students join the UIndy CaLUB if interested, according to Wickware. Elliott said because she frequently went to the STEM Cafe, she was offered a position on the UIndy CaLUB.

“There are job opportunities here as well. The staffing is homey and really close in a sense,” Wickware said. “If you need a job, we got you.”

According to Wickware, the STEM Cafe will offer snacks, desserts, movies and Legos for future events. In the future, the STEM Cafe is going to have more seasonal decorations and will even have a tie-dye contest according to Elliott.

“Right now we're in the middle of taking down our February theme, which was Valentine's Day and Black History Month, then we're going to be putting up St. Patrick's Day and Women's History Month,” said Elliott. “We have a tie dye event coming up on the ninth, that will be first floor Lilly, for people to come to.”

Graphic by Breanna Emmett

Greenhouse assistant Cymphanie Rowell, holds one of the plants they give away weekly to Stem Cafe guests. The Stem Cafe is every

from

UIndy nursing students learn the principles of a sterile surgical preparation and practice their skills in the simulation lab with mannequins working on leg and abdominal prep.

Graphic by Breanna Emmett

Photo contributed by Toni Morris

It's really a pretty amazing experience for an undergraduate..."

Photo by Erin Rostron

LGBTQ artists featured in gallery from OIE

By Grace Lichty ONLINE EDITOR

The University of Indianapolis Office of Inclusive Excellence is hosting the “To Preserve and Protect” gallery in the Intercultural Engagement Center, according to curator of the Intercultural Engagement Center and junior studio art major Primrose Paul.

According to Paul, the “To Preserve and Protect” gallery is currently featuring an exhibition showcasing art about the lived history of people in the LGBTQ community. Paul said that she asked LGBTQ student artists at UIndy to show how they feel about their community in their art for the exhibit so people are able to see different facets of being a part of that community.

One of the artists featured in the exhibit is sophomore studio art major Grayson O’Connell. According to O’Connell, being featured in the exhibition is a great opportunity, and draws attention to their artwork.

O’Connell also said it is a big

stepping stone for their own future exhibitions.

“I think that this exhibition was a really impactful exhibition because it’s all about protecting minority groups or yourself, like your identity, and who you are as a person,”

O’Connell said. “That allows for someone [who sees] the gallery to get a glimpse on who someone is as a person and the struggles they go through.”

According to Paul, this is the second exhibit she has hosted in the gallery. The first one was called “An Ode to Blackness” and featured black artists that focused their work around their community, according to Paul. Paul said that her goal with the gallery has been to showcase activism through different points of view.

Paul said that in the process of creating the gallery exhibits, she researches and interviews artists to learn about their work and their stories. She said she puts out a call for artists outside the campus community to bring their art as well as student artists. According to Paul, the gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the week for anyone who wants to check it out.

“The whole [gallery was created] because this was supposed to be a multicultural center, and when we first moved in here, the walls had nothing,” Paul said. “So it was kind of like someone giving you a space, and then you have to figure out what to do with the space. So that’s how I came up with this idea. I went to Dr. Smith, who is our director, and I told her about the idea of having a gallery, and she was on board, and that’s kind of how this all came to life.”

According to Paul, the gallery exhibit also functions as a classroom that professors can book classes in. This combines art and education for an environment that stimulates

learning, according to Paul. Paul said this gallery is a place on campus where students feel safe and connected with the community on campus. This gallery on campus is open to all students and faculty. O’Connell said that the gallery is a great way for students to create connections in the art field. They also said that

it is a great way for anyone to learn from other artists and put themselves out there.

“Being able to get an insight as to how people create this art and who they are as a person can open their eyes to the art world more,” O’Connell said. “As students, I think that’s a really important step, to show your artwork as you’re coming out.”

Two-person production of ‘Treasure Island’

By Olivia Pastrick ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

The University of Indianapolis Theatre Department will put on a two-person performance of “Treasure Island” on March 24-26 in Ransburg Auditorium. According to the director of “Treasure Island”and Assistant Professor of Theatre at UIndy James Leagre, the play will challenge the actors and provide them with a very different experience than they would normally get from a theatre production.

“[Performing with two actors] is probably the biggest challenge, but that’s also what I love about introducing [“Treasure Island”] at the college level,” Leagre said. “This gives [the actors] an experience that really pushes them.”

First-year music therapy major

Anna Miles will be playing the roles of Jim Hawkins, Blind Pew and Captain Smollett in the play. Miles said that she differentiates the characters to herself and the audience by changing her mindset as she changes costumes.

“I’m usually [playing] Jim and … I just try to keep myself in the mindset of ‘I’m a young boy on a treasure hunt,’” Miles said. “And then when it’s time to switch characters… when [I] take off the costume [I] have to take that mindset off too—put the new one on, put the new mindset on. I take off Jim, I put on Blind Pew and now I’m a weird pirate guy.”

In addition to performing three roles, Miles said that one of the challenges for her will be putting up and moving pieces of the set during the performance. According to Miles, this is usually something that a technical crew would do, but is something that she and the other

actors will be doing in Treasure Island.

“I’m excited to sort of be in charge of the technical side of things, too, because typically you have a tech crew for that,” Miles said. “[Typically,] they move the different pieces onto the stage, take them off, switch the scenery, but it’s our job to do it. So I think it’ll also allow me to appreciate their job more, because doing it while also being in character will definitely be a challenge.”

According to Leagre, one of the goals of the performance is to teach the audience about theatre. He said that since there are only two actors playing several roles, he hopes that the transitions between characters will be seamless and will seem impossible to the audience.

“For example, [the audience knows] for the most part it’s the same actor playing all of these roles, but they get to see in front of them these actors turn

into different characters in the way that they change their voice and the way that they use their bodies, but then also costume changes,” Leagre said. “And one of the things we really try to push hard is almost tricking the audience into making it seem like it’s impossible to do what we did, meaning our costume changes are so quick, literally a character goes off and another one comes back on and it’s the same actor.”

Leagre said that another one of his goals is to spark interest in classic literature for the young audiences that the play is geared towards. He said that the play cannot include everything that happens in the novel, but there are cues from the actors that suggest there is more in the book than what the audience will be seeing.

“It’s obviously an abridged version of the classic story, and the idea behind it, or goal, is … to spark interest in

classic literature,” Leagre said. “Because obviously in an hour we cannot tell the whole story of ‘Treasure Island,’ but we also build into it, in the performance itself, and the script itself, where it encourages the kids to want to read it.”

Miles said that since “Treasure Island” is designed to be a touring production for local elementary schools, the actors also interact with the audience. She said that the actors walk through the audience as well as bring audience members to the stage to play small roles along with the actors.

“Treasure Island” will take place March 24-26 in Ransburg Auditorium. Miles said that she hopes it will be a fun show as well as something the audience can learn something from.

“I think that it’s a really great experience,” Miles said. “I think you learn a lot about people, and I hope people come to see the show.”

‘Messages and Conversations’ Faculty Artist Series Concert

UIndy

By Logan McInnes STAFF WRITER

The “Messages and Conversations” Faculty Artist Concert will be held March 6 in the University of Indianapolis’ Ruth Lilly Performance Hall.The concert will feature faculty performers and composers, including Doctor of Musical Arts and Adjunct Instructor at UIndy Meadow Bridgham as a composer.

According to Bridgham,the “Messages and Conversations” concert is their first performance since their DMA recital at Yale University. Bridgham said that they are looking forward to presenting their music again and that this concert is an ideal opportunity to do so.

Assistant Professor of Music at UIndy Eileen Mah was the one that came up with the theme for the “Messages and Conversations” concert, according to Mah. She said that while typically she would come up with a theme before selecting pieces to be played at the concert, it went the opposite way for

“Messages and Conversations.”

“In this case, the pieces came first,” Mah said. “But I was able to find a theme in them, which is lovely. And it’s nice to approach concerts from both directions, because sometimes we don’t realize the themes that are there until afterward, and then we can bring those out.”

According to Mah, she had her granddaughter and two best friends in mind when coming up with the theme for “Messages and Conversations.” She said in the pieces for the concert, she saw that there were specific ideas of what the composer was trying to convey, or talk about, through the music, which reminded her of playing music with her granddaughter and best friends.

“... This trio is sort of like a musical representation of us getting together and having conversations both through words and through music,” Mah said.

According to Mah, this concert will showcase faculty composers and performers, as well as the broader ideas behind the concert. Mah said that part

of the idea of the theme is that music is not only for the musicians, but can also have meaning to students and others attending the concert. She said that although students often attend concerts for the Lecture/Performance credit, it is wonderful when they are surprised and inspired to go to more concerts in the future for their own enjoyment rather than receiving the credit.

“There’s that idea of conversation and the human communication that happens through music …” Mah said. “When [the performers] were playing during the pandemic in an empty hall, they were just being recorded and streamed. They all said this felt so strange, and [they] had to bow because we were videotaping it. . . It was so weird to just come out and pretend that people were clapping and bowing. We need [an audience] in order for communication to happen. Sometimes we’re just shouting into the wind, but it really helps to have some kind of recipient there.”

Photo by MaKenna Maschino UIndy OIE’s ‘ To Preserve and Protect’ gallery features a variety of works from artists in the LGBTQ community. The gallery will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. throughout the semester.

Photo by Erin Rostron

Dennisse Bravo-Perez in costume as Dr. Livesy at a rehearsal for ‘Treasure Island.’ Dr. Livesy is one of the many roles she will play in the performance of ‘Treasure Island,’ which will be in Ransburg Auditorium March 24-26.

Graphic by Hannah Hadley

... It’s all about protecting minority groups or yourself, your identity...”

Photo by Erin Rostron

Zachary Schneider dressed as Jim Hawkins and Dennisse Bravo-Perez as Dr. Livesy at a rehearsal looking at a treasure map used in ‘Treasure Island.’ They are one of the sets of the two-person casts for ‘Treasure Island.’

Music Department’s Faculty Artist Series concert highlights human connection through music

Marijuana legalization fails in Indiana

House bills 1039, legalizing, and 1297, decriminalizing, both die in the Indiana State Congress

By Olivia Cameron MANAGING EDITOR

In the State of Indiana, neither medical nor recreational use of cannabis is legal. In January 2023, bills that would decriminalize cannabis use were proposed in both the House of Representatives and Senate: House Bill 1039: Medical and Adult Use Cannabis and Senate Bill 237: Medical Cannabis.

HB 1039 was authored by Republican Rep. Jake Teshka and coauthored by Republican Reps. Steve Bartels and Doug Miller, as well as Democrat Rep. Justin Moed. The bill

Safety from Page 1

Hessong said IMPD has seen a reduction in fights at bars and clubs downtown after increasing police presence. He said that an additional 16 officers and two supervisors are employed—alongside the typical IMPD presence—every Friday and Saturday night to patrol the bar and club district downtown. Additionally, the police monitor city surveillance cameras to prevent crime before it happens. An individual watches the camera footage remotely and alerts the police if suspicious activity is occurring, according to Hessong. He said the cameras recently aided in identifying a suspect in a shooting incident outside of a downtown bar.

Esparza said that people who do want to go to bars and clubs should stay close to their friends, travel in numbers, watch their drinks and remove themselves from the situation or get a security guard if they become uncomfortable.

“Everyone should just look out for each other as much as they can,” Esparza said, “especially because we're all in college. We're all so young. Everybody's just trying to have a good time. No one wants bad things like that happening to them.”

Hessong said people going to the

permits the recreational use of cannabis by persons at least 21 years of age and those with a serious medical condition, but only after marijuana is “removed as a federal schedule 1 controlled substance.”

The bill also created a cannabis program for the manufacturing and sale of products, and the Indiana Cannabis Commission to oversee the program. Money from taxes on cannabis products would go to the state general fund. No further progress was made after the bill was referred to the Indiana State House of Representatives Committee on Public Health on Jan. 9.

SB 237 was authored by Democrat

Sen. Greg Taylor. The bill “establishes a medical marijuana program and permits caregivers and patients who have received a physician recommendation to possess a certain quantity of marijuana for treatment of certain medical conditions.”

It also creates a regulatory agency that would oversee the program. No further action has been taken with the bill since

Jan. 11 when it was referred to the Indiana State Senate Committee on Health and Provider Services. Taylor said he began supporting the legalization of medical marijuana because it became apparent to him that cannabis can have medicinal purposes. According to Taylor, people who suffer from anxiety, pain from cancer treatment and other physical ailments can benefit from using cannabis.

“I think to keep this kind of pain or, if you will, anxiety treatment away from people is not justified,” Taylor said. “And we need to become a state that understands that not every medicine that will work for one individual works well or the same for other individuals.”

Even if medical marijuana is legalized, problems that already exist such as black markets and substance abuse could still be around, Taylor said. According to Taylor, the good outweighs the bad.

“First of all, it's going to help people who have ailments that can be treated with cannabis,”Taylor said. “Then you've got the whole thing associated with social justice reform when it comes to incarcerated communities, impoverished communities and people who have been incarcerated for mere possession of cannabis in the past. And then you have the economic benefit that the state taxpayers would see from the revenue associated with taxing the product.”

bars and clubs downtown should have a buddy system, plan trusted pickup rides before drinking and say something if they see something suspicious. To stay safe, he said, people should not drink to excess or bring their weapons when going out for entertainment.

“In my opinion, downtown is safe,” Hessong said. “Downtown Indianapolis consists of 5% of the crime [in the city].... I would beg to differ that most large cities across our nation can't even come close to that. We want people to come downtown [and] have a good time. Spend money of course, but also be safe and responsible at the same time. Everybody's in this together— the community’s in with the police.”

Esparza said her experiences with the downtown Indianapolis clubs and bars have left her afraid to go out for entertainment.

“I don’t go out anymore,” Esparza said. “I don’t drink anymore… I just don't feel safe anymore.”

Crimes can be reported to IMPD by calling 911 or the department’s non-emergency number at 317-3273811, according to IMPD. People can also report crimes anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 317-262TIPS (8477) or by downloading the Crime Stoppers app.

LGBTQ from Page 1

the level of importance in Indiana and that there are more important topics to discuss.

“We know that our students are not doing well, just with their mental health,” Ford said. “We know that. That's prepandemic; the pandemic exacerbated that…. I serve on the Child Fatality Review Committee, and the number one leading cause of death in our state for kids 10 to 14 is student suicide. Fifteen to 17, the number one leading cause of death in our state is motor vehicle accidents, followed then by student suicide. Just those numbers alone indicate to us that there is a severe problem in our state. And you might be thinking, 'Well, those are older kids, this isn't K-3. What I would say is that that particular issue rises to the level of our attention, not this.”

Jay Webb, an Indianapolis resident that was part of the crowd assembled outside of the committee chamber on Feb. 20, said they oppose this bill because they believe it is important for the LGBTQ community to be talked about in schools. They said representation is everything because they did not have that growing up in a sheltered environment and know first-hand how harmful that can be.

“You can’t imagine how hurtful it is to be a young, queer person and not feel represented, or to not have books that show you, and not have teachers that

support you outright,” Webb said. “That kind of wound goes deep and it lasts for a long time. You’re hurting kids in ways that you can’t even fathom. Don’t do that.”

Regardless of his own stances on the bill, Ford said that he has had constituents reach out to him both in favor of and against the bill. He said he reads all of the emails he receives, listens to phone calls and meets with lobbyists to weigh the pros and cons and really understand what he is voting on and how it will impact the people in his district.

“We have multiple people that have reached out even before it's reached the Senate side, which doesn't happen all the time,” Ford said. “So this really has my district abuzz. And I actually had some students reach out and say, 'I can't vote yet. But I want you to know as a student where I stand on this bill,' and I love that. I guess if there's one positive thing about 1608, the one thing I can say is that students are reaching out and saying, 'I can't vote yet, but I am paying attention. And I ask that you vote against this bill.'”

Ford said the number one consequence if HB 1608 passes is that people will flee the profession of teaching. There are currently 1,400 open teaching positions in Indiana, according to Ford, and that should be one of the legislature’s priorities.

“The long-term consequences of this are teachers who are faced with a situation… thinking to themselves, 'How

am I going to handle this? Am I gonna get in trouble? Am I gonna violate state law?'” Ford said. “Some people are like, 'I don't want that pressure. I don't need that pressure,' and may just exit the teaching profession altogether, which would then further exacerbate the 1,400 open positions in our state. So I think that alone is enough for us to put the brakes on this.”

Imani Jones is another Indianapolis resident who attended the rally in the Statehouse on Feb. 20. Jones identifies as queer and nonbinary and has been working with kids in schools since they graduated college. They said that their impact working in a school, particularly a predominantly Black school, is important because it shows children that are potentially LGBTQ that it is possible to be an LGBTQ adult and be themselves in these spaces. However, Jones said bills like this one makes them not want to live in Indiana.

“I’ve lived in Indiana since I was a very young child,” Jones said. “This is my home state, so to come here and be in the most progressive city in Indiana and still be experiencing the [stuff] that I was experiencing somewhere else is really disheartening. I just hope that things progress so I can stay here because I love Indiana. I love the state. My family is here. I just want to be able to stay here and be comfortable and be myself.”

Graphic by Breanna Emmett

...it's going to help people who have ailments that can be treated with cannabis."