Aug. 19, 2020 | The Reflector

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THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF INDIANAPOLIS

6 feet If our nameplate is social distancing, you should too.

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AUGUST 19, 2020

Library reopens with changes

Krannert Memorial Library makes updates before start of classes on Aug. 24

reflector.uindy.edu

Letter from the editor: We adapt to COVID-19

By Noah Crenshaw EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Photo by Tony Reeves

Photo by Tony Reeves

University of Indianapolis Reference and Instruction Librarian Tedra Ritcher works behind protective Plexiglas shields at the ASK Desk in Krannert Memorial Library on Aug. 14.

As part of UIndy’s social distancing efforts, certain computers have been given signs that tell students not to use them. This has been done throughout several areas in the library.

By Hallie Gallinat

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR The Krannert Memorial Library has reopened to the students, staff and faculty of the University of Indianapolis, with new additions and policies to create a safe environment for studying. This was part of UIndy moving into Phase 1.5 of its reopening plan, according to an email sent by Vice President for Student and Campus Affairs and Dean of Students Kory Vitangeli on July 30.

Some policies have been changed.

For example, returned books have to be quarantined for three days before they can go back on the shelf, according to Library Director Marisa Albrecht. In addition, even if a student picks up or uses a book but does not want to check it out, they should bring it to staff members so that they can quarantine it, according to Albrecht.

“That might cause some problems. If a book is popular, it’s just not going to be available as quickly as maybe somebody needs it,” Albrecht said. “There’s no way to disinfect a book that’s safe. We can’t spray it with anything.”

According to Albrecht, students may

now request a chapter of a print book or Kim Wenning. However, physical journal to be scanned and sent to them. books can no longer be lent out due to Students, faculty and staff can file a request UIndy’s partner libraries not reopening through an interlibrary loan request and yet, according to Wenning. E-books by using the article or book request form, also cannot be shared as physical copies according to a document highlighting between libraries because libraries buy KML’s remote services. e-books in packages and they sign a “Beforehand, if you were a student contract saying only their users can use the at the university and we had a book or books, according to Wenning. However, a journal that was on the shelf and you specific chapters from e-books can be asked for it, we would just have you ordered, according to Wenning. come in and get it because we had a “Another reason is they [e-books] come lot of other work to do,” Albrecht said. in so many different formats, so it’s hard “But now we’re going to scan, so if you for them to send it to us in one format want a chapter of a if we can’t accept it book, even if it’s on in that format or the the shelf and you user can’t use it in that could come get it There’s no way to disinfect format,” Wenning [in person], we will said. “And another a book that’s safe. We can’t one [reason] is that a still scan it for you so that you don’t lot of the books like spray it with anything.” have to come into that we have in our the library.” databases are divided In the past, only up by chapter. So it distance students could have chapters would take a long time for us to create one or journals scanned and sent to them, big document with all of those chapters Albrecht said. These students did not together.” live in Indianapolis and were signed According to Albrecht, some up for online classes, according to departments, such as Admissions, Student Albrecht. However, this is now available Affairs and Professional Edge, will be to all students regardless of their status, occupying some of the study rooms this according to a document highlighting semester, changing the availability of some KML’s remote services. study rooms.This is being done to alleviate Most of the interlibrary loan system crowding in Schwitzer Student Center has remained unchanged due to the and to allow for more social distancing majority of it being done electronically, between students using the service and according to Resource Sharing Librarian staff, according to Albrecht. The yellow

SLAB promotes unity

By Madison Gomez ONLINE EDITOR

Over the summer of 2020, Assistant Director of Student Activities Bridget Webster and other faculty conducted two rounds of virtual interviews. According to Webster, her coworkers were selecting students who had a passion for helping others for board positions to form the newest campus student organization— the Student Leadership and Activities Board.

SLAB is a combination of Indianapolis Student Government, Campus Programming Board and Residence Hall Association. According to Webster, one of the big purposes of moving these organizations together was to help students know exactly where to go for any issue they had.

“They all did different things on campus, however, they all had the purpose of involving students, advocating for their voice,” Webster said. “So we decided to put these three together to funnel involvement into one channel. SLAB is a place for students to go and find involvement easily.”

Though the group may be starting from the ground up, Webster said the group is going in with excitement to this school year because of that. According to Webster, students on SLAB will be able to create their own experiences to an extent, and work all throughout

the year to have students learn more about their organization to continue to make improvements to serve UIndy’s community.

Having three staff advisors, including Webster, means that each of them can take on different roles for final decision making. Webster will be working mainly on social justice and engagement, as well as commuter engagement, Assistant Director of Student Affairs Nicole Schultz

WEBSTER will work on campus programs that include campus traditions and Assistant Director of Student Affairs Robbie Williford will work with the members who deal with residence life.

There will be public town hall meetings held twice a month, according to Webster, which will most likely be virtual.

According to Webster, although some of the events students hold may have to be virtual, Marketing and Major Programs

room on the first floor will also be used as a commuter lounge and offer services for commuters, according to Albrecht.

In order to comply with social distancing, some computers have been removed by IT, according to Reference and Instruction Librarian Tedra Ritcher.

Also, hand sanitizer stations have been added across campus, including inside the library, according to Ritcher. Plexiglas has been placed on the front desk and distancing lines have been added, according to Wenning.

KML plans to be consistent with the rest of campus in regard to UIndy’ s face mask policy. While in the library, as well as in any other building on campus, students, faculty and staff must wear a face mask, according to UIndy’s website. If students, faculty and staff do not have a mask, they are available at the front desk in the library, according to Albrecht.

Resources, such as databases, interlibrary loan and library instruction, are available remotely through MyUIndy, according to KML’s website. Students, faculty and staff may also schedule through KML’s website virtual one-onone appointments over Zoom or Google Meets if they have a question, according to a document highlighting KML’s remote services.

KML will resume its normal hours starting on Aug. 24 and will be open to anyone during the fall semester, according to Albrecht.

Welcome back, Greyhounds! Whether you are a freshman, returning or transfer student, faculty or staff member, alumna or the parent of a current student, I welcome you to the first issue of The Reflector for the 2020-21 academic year.

As we begin this academic year, I think it is important to talk about what 2020 has been and what the rest of the year will look like.

In the past eight months, we have seen the coronavirus pandemic upend every aspect of our lives. Nothing was immune, including the University of Indianapolis.

Roughly five months ago, as COVID-19 forced UIndy to extend spring break and move classes online, The Reflector was forced to make a decision we never thought we would have to make: to suspend our print issues for health and safety reasons, for the time being. This was the first time in our 97-year history we would not have a print issue.

Beginning immediately, we started publishing exclusively on our website.

While we have always published content on our website before, this would be the beginning of a period in which we didn’t have that content accompany a print issue.

Now, as we begin the new academic year, we will have our print issue back— in a manner of speaking.

For the fall semester, we will not have print newspapers available in our racks on campus. However, we will be publishing digital editions that can be accessed through the sidebar of our website or going to issuu.com/reflectoruindy. These digital editions are being made remotely so that we can still deliver the news to the UIndy community while being as safe as we can.

We also will be increasing our digital outreach so that you can access the news you are looking for. I encourage you to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at our handle, @ReflectorUIndy.

In addition, if you want to reach out to us with any questions or concerns you may have, or submit any news tips, letters to the editor, you can email us at reflector@uindy.edu, or email me directly at crenshawn@uindy.edu.

Thank you for staying with us during this trying time. I hope you are staying safe and healthy, and most importantly, I hope you are wearing a mask and are social distancing as much as you can to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Chair of SLAB and sophomore marketing major Abigail Gehres said their events should help people feel a little less isolated.

“I feel like going to events around campus, or even just virtual events, can help you in these hard times [to] connect with other people,” Gehres said.

Gehres said SLAB will personally help her gain a better perspective of campus and be able to connect with all Resident Student Organizations on campus more.

One issue Gehres could see is having the entire semester move online, but Gehres said she thinks SLAB could work around that by having virtual meetings.

SLAB has plans to open up the board further, according to Operations Chair of SLAB and senior psychology and international relations double major Craig-Anesu Chigadza. A SLAB council will be formed, with no GPA minimum, to try and include more student voices on the board to help make decisions, working directly with the executive board, Chigadza said.

What the SLAB council aims to do is to create opportunities to assist in campus programming, experiences such as leadership development, mentorship and building experiences in someone’s area of interest, according to their MyUIndy page. Application for the council will go live when school commences, Webster said, but SLAB’s MyUIndy page has the general campus leadership position > See SLAB on page 2

Graphic by Kiara Conley

2 THE REFLECTOR

WELCOME WEEK SPECIAL

AUGUST 19, 2020

Professor returns to advise board

History and Political Science department chair Edward Frantz rejoins Indiana Humanities board

By Hallie Gallinat

ENTERNTAINMENT EDITOR Edward Frantz, University of Indianapolis history and political science department chair and professor of history, has been elected to the board of Indiana Humanities.This is his second time being on the board since his first stint in 2013.

Indiana Humanities is a statewide nonprofit organization that gives grants and conducts programs in public humanities, according to Indiana Humanities President and CEO Keira Amstutz. According to Frantz, there are humanities councils in every state and Indiana Humanities started a little over 50 years ago.

Indiana Humanities does work in the areas of history, literature, ethics, civics and law, Amstutz said. According to Frantz, the organization encourages Hoosiers to think, read and talk. Indiana Humanities accomplishes this by creating programs, providing grants for humanities programs and creating a space for people to connect, according to the organization’s website. “[Indiana Humanities] engages Hoosiers in public humanities or to create stronger, more vibrant communities,” Frantz said. “That’s like their boilerplate.”

The organization works on multiple programs at the same time, according to Amstutz. An example of its programs is INseparable, a current program, which aims to unify Hoosiers

living in rural, urban and suburban areas, according to the Indiana Humanities website.

According to Amstutz,Frantz attended programs and served as a scholar in some of the organization’s work. Frantz’s past work with Indiana Humanities has included giving a 10-minute speech about President Warren Harding at TILT: an Arts and Humanities Mixer, an event during which one arts expert and one humanities expert gave short lectures, according to the Indiana Humanities website.

“We realized, one, not only how interesting and talented he was, but how excited he was about our work statewide,” Amstutz said. “And that’s the way a lot of board members come to us. They’re program participants.

They’re engaged and active in the humanities community, and then they agree to join us in this context of providing additional service through board participation.”

The University of Indianapolis has collaborated previously with Indiana Humanities. According to Frantz, UIndy has hosted the annual Fairbanks Symposium since 2013.

“That’s another thing that’s been really great for both the university and for Indiana Humanities,” Frantz said.

“This past year, we did a great job of using the Suffrage Centennial as a way to talk about women’s civic leadership in Indianapolis. That was a phenomenal conversation, and we’ve had many, many others.”

Board members, including Frantz,

provide oversight to ensure that the organization is running properly, as well as help staff members and promote public humanities, according to Frantz.

The board also manages the organization financially and approves budgets and work plans, Amstutz said. In addition, Frantz works on two sub-committees: one that involves funding and one that involves grants, according to Amstutz.

“He is a board member, and every board member not only serves as a general advisor, as I was describing, but they also serve on sub-committees,” Amstutz said. “ That ’s a reall y important role, and it takes a lot of time. And it’s something, again, that D r. Frantz has been just excellent at.”

Frantz was newly elected to serve on the board in 2020 along with six other members. The occupations of these new members vary, from a professor at Purdue University to a director of membership and engagement at the Indianapolis Zoo, according to the Indiana Humanities website.

“You get all these people from different backgrounds. All of whom bring their insight… in a really collaborative way,” Frantz said. “That’s what makes, maybe, a service on this board different from some others where you might just typically be doing way more of that sort of checking the box on their financials and the other and making sure it’s run well. There’s so much innovative Photo contributed by Edward Frantz programming that you get to have input into that makes it particularly exciting and While on the board of Indiana Humanities, University of Indianapolis History and Political Science Department Chair and Professor of History Edward Frantz will serve as an advisor. engaging.”

OPINION

Being a student-athlete during a global pandemic

By Nathan Herbst OPINION EDITOR

I made peace with the possibility that my fall season could be canceled way back in the spring. As soon as the world began shutting down and everything seemed to change, I knew competitions would not be the same for a long time.

Of course, I had hoped things would turn out differently. As a cross country and indoor and outdoor track athlete, I am fortunate to have many opportunities to compete throughout the year. But as the spring came and went without an outdoor season, and I was forced to train alone at home, I found myself yearning for some sort of competition to greet me when I came back in the fall.

When it eventually became clear that a regular season would not be possible, I was saddened, but not surprised.

Athletes are supposed to be resilient.

When the race doesn’t go out as you planned, your body doesn’t respond the way you want or the other team just seems too far ahead, you’re supposed to grit your teeth and keep trying until you either win, lose or become too

exhausted to do anything else. But when life throws a curveball this size at you, there is little preparation the track or field can give you.

An event like this demands a different kind of response, one that many with an athletic background may find hard to summon: patience and hope. You cannot outrun a national emergency. You cannot out-train a global pandemic. In the face of uncertainty, neither impulsive behavior nor immediate action can do much to get

For many of us, being an athlete is the very core of who we are. you through the hard time to come.

Instead, the game changes to one of endurance, consistency and perseverance.

Careful preparation and planning for a long off-season become the new priorities as the athletic department, coaches and student-athletes must consider the new role we all have to play during a season with COVID-19.

At first, it can be hard to look at

anything but the negatives. But as busy as college athletes are, taking a step back to do some thinking can be quite helpful.

The rush of practice, competition, classes and jobs can leave little time for introspection, for asking yourself why you’re doing what you’re doing. This extra time off has been a poignant reminder of all the blessings I sometimes take for granted and for which I need to be more grateful.

For many of us, being an athlete is the very core of who we are. The first thing we tell strangers is “I’m a cross country runner”or “I play basketball”or “I wrestle.”

Our lives revolve around our craft and practice schedule. Without those, we can feel aimless or empty.

The lack of an organized, competitive outlet for our effort and energy is a new feeling for most of us, but it’s important to remember that we’ll experience this again sooner than we might like: when we graduate. That time may be farther off for some of us than others, but if there’s one thing we can take from this experience, it’s that our seasons won’t last forever.

Sooner or later, we all will have to step off the field for the last time. What are we going to do before then?

SLAB from page 1 interest form open as well.

According to Webster and Chigdaza, SLAB will help present ideas to faculty to make changes on campus, but will still focus on sports teams, residence halls, programming and getting people on campus to talk about important issues.

Chigdaza said having commuters feel included and having social justice be upheld on campus are just some of the important issues the board will see, and they have dedicated positions that will listen to these areas.

One very important thing Chigadza sees being a part of SLAB this year is providing incoming freshmen with the same Greyhound experience the rest of the students have had, despite the pandemic.

“The freshmen that are coming in [during] a time where nobody else has experienced it,” Chigadza said. “So the opportunity to be at the table where those decisions were made, to have that opportunity to be on the front lines, per

se, of engaging those freshman students and being able to give them the typical Greyhound experience that we’ve all had was extremely, extremely attractive to me [when] applying [to] and accepting the

CHIGADZA position.”

Chigdaza saw COVID-19 as a fast track or changed the plans of how SLAB was going to be implemented. Chigadza said one cannot always look at the

pandemic and say it ruined every plan, rather it has provided some opportunities to become more efficient, to become more understanding and considerate of the situations others may be in.

“We might be physically distant, but as Greyhounds, we want to exist in the same space ideologically.Which is sharing what is most important and what is going to drive us forward as a campus community,” Chigdaza said.

With time, Webster said she hopes to reach more faculty and staff and share with them why SLAB is important to campus. Webster said the members of the board are passionate about helping others and being involved in the UIndy community. Webster said she hopes that students will see this passion, recognize the SLAB board members and will want to voice student concerns to them.

If students need to contact SLAB, they can be reached on Instagram and Twitter at their handle, @UIndySLAB, and through email at slab@uindy.edu.

Have an idea for a story?

Want to send in a tip?

Contact at: reflector@uindy.edu

All ideas welcome!

WELCOME WEEK SPECIAL

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THE REFLECTOR

AUGUST 19 , 2020

NCAA cancels fall championships

GLVC shifts football, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, volleyball competitions to spring of 2021

By Jacob Walton SPORTS EDITOR

The 2020 NCAA Fall Sports Championships have been canceled due to concerns about COVID-19, the organization announced on Aug. 5. This follows both the 2020 NCAA Winter Championships and the 2020 NCAA Spring Championships being canceled due to the same concerns.

This came after the GLVC’s July 27 announcement, that Football, Men’s Soccer, Women’s Soccer and Volleyball would be moved to the spring season to compete, while the other fall sports would be permitted to compete on schedule by the discretion of each university. Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Scott Young said that the GLVC’s decision was about safety.

“It’s definitely not the decision we were hoping for or looking for, but [was] completely understandable,” Young said. “[It] provided us [with] the best opportunity to keep our campus community safe, not just the University of Indianapolis, but also the other campuses and communities within our conference.”

Young said that the cancellation by the NCAA is intended to keep studentathletes around the country safe.

“When you have to look at the whole grand scheme of things of, how much do you allow the studentathletes to do daily and then how much COVID[-19] testing does that require?

Is that feasible from an institutional standpoint?,” Young said. “Is that a good decision when you were starting to see a lack of testing becoming available in our country, and in our community? So [we are] making sure that the decisions we make, while they’re very difficult decisions, [are] we’re making the decisions that are best for the long term of the University of Indianapolis, [and] best for the health and safety of our student-athletes?”

The NCAA announced that studentathletes would retain their eligibility if their team completes 50% or less of their scheduled competitions. Young said that scholarships are going to be a challenging discussion for both coaches

Graphic by Madison Gomez

and for student-athletes in their choice to return or not.

“Unfortunately, I feel like that’s going to put our coaches in tough places sometimes to have those conversations,” Young said. “Do you bring someone back for an additional year and not bring in one of your incoming recruits and then just try that balancing equation?”

With four fall sports being moved to the spring to compete, Young said it is going to be very difficult to figure out how that will work and that it is the job of the UIndy Athleti cs Administration to solve the issue and not the coaches. He said that they are going to be creative and do everything they can to allow fall and spring sports

to coincide with each other during the spring season.

Head Football Coach Chris Keevers said that football being moved was not a surprise to him. He said that the focus of the team is making a new plan and working to become a better football team.

Keevers said he wants the team to lead by example for the campus.

“We want our kids to be role models for the social distancing, for all the protocols, for wearing a mask,” Keevers said. “I want our kids to show our community how badly we want to play by being role models. If it’s wearing our masks, it’s with not going to all the parties, staying away from big groups, by being six feet apart and slowing our social life down so we

can play in the spring.”

Young said that they are working with each sport to find out what is going to work for them. He said every sport is different and putting everyone on the same plan would not work.Young said it is the caliber of the coaches at UIndy that is going to give the Hounds an advantage. .

“The fortunate thing is that the University of Indianapolis... [has] great coaches and they’re going to be able to be really creative, and they’re going to be able to help their student-athletes get better, and I think that’s a luxury,” Young said. “I think when the springtime rolls around, I think we’re going to be at a huge advantage just because of the great people we have here at the University of

Indianapolis.”

Young said that he is doing his best to absorb as much information as he can and trying to relay as much useful information to the community as possible. He said that the information is changing rapidly and it makes it tough to get out the correct information. However that through everything the goal of UIndy Athletics has not changed Young said.

“I think the message is that the priorities of our program... will remain the same,” Young said. “We will always focus on winning in the classroom, winning as students, winning as people and winning as athletes. No matter what’s placed in front of us, those expectations and those standards will never change.”

By Taylor Strnad

things for his family. Prior to UIndy, Burris was the head coach for his alma mater, Olney Central College, a junior college in Illinois, for 15 years winning 252 games from 2005 to 2020, according to UIndy Athletics.

When Corsaro called Burris about the position, Burris said it was a no brainer. He said that it was time for a change and he wanted to be at the four-year college level.

“I have gone through experiences, both good and bad, in my 20 years as a coach,” Burris said. “At the same time, I just want to feed off of these young guys and [being] the old man on the staff at 41, I get to come in and feel young again.”

Burris said that the GLVC is the

“I’ve known the history of UIndy, I’ve played them a couple of times when I was at Butler [University],” Jones said.

“I know what type of program it is and what kind of things they’ve done the past few years, so for me, it was pretty [much a] no brainer.”

Jones played for five years at Butler prior to playing professionally for the Canton Charge, the G-league affiliate for the Cleveland Cavaliers he said. Due to back issues, he stepped away from his professional career to coach. Prior to coming to UIndy, he spent two years coaching at Indiana University Kokomo, he said.

The plan for Jones is to win both conference and national championships while here at UIndy.The current coaching staff has won throughout their career everywhere they’ve been, according to Jones.

“We don’t see [any] reason why that should change coming here so we all have that one goal and that’s to win as students, win as players and in general,” Jones said.

Jones will be the youngest coach on staff and he said that he is all ears when it comes to learning from his colleagues, Burris and Corsaro.

“I’m still young myself—this is only my third-year coaching—[and] for me to be in this position right now, I’m super grateful,” Jones said.

Jones said that his first day at UIndy is Sept. 1. He said he is looking forward to getting to campus, meeting all the guys and getting back to his regular routine.

“I haven’t coached or really been on a basketball court since about March 15,” Jones said. “I really just want to get back

New coaching additions MANAGING EDITOR

Both the University of Indianapolis men’s and women’s basketball teams have now finalized their respective coaching staff for the 2020-21 academic year.

New Head Men’s Basketball Coach Paul Corsaro brought in two additions while four-year Head Women’s Basketball Coach Kristin Wodrich brought one.

Newly hired Assistant Women’s Photo contributed by Indiana University Kokomo Athletics Basketball Coach Chrissy Roberts is a former Division I basketball player and Newly-hired University of Indianapolis Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach Roosevelt Jones talks to his players during a huddle at the last university he worked at, IU Kokomo. coach from Eastern Kentucky University.

She spent 11 years as the Colonel’s head coach, winning 122 games and leading them to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship game twice, according to UIndy Athletics. Before coming to UIndy, Roberts took a year off from coaching, she said. Roberts said the coaches, location and people are all things that brought her to UIndy.

“I’m big on being surrounded by good people,” Roberts said. “Everyone that I have met at UIndy, and in Indianapolis in general, have been amazing.”

In her first season with the Greyhounds, she said she wants to be a part of helping to develop her student-athletes into great people, in addition to great players. She said she is excited about the evolution of the coaching staff alongside the players as well as being able to learn from the other coaches.

Like Roberts, new Assistant Men’s Photo contributed by Eastern Kentucky Athletics Basketball Coach Mike Burris said the location of UIndy is one of the things Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach Chrissy Roberts coaches from the sidelines at her previous school, Eastern Kentucky University, which is where she spent her athletic career. that brought him here and offered many

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The culture here is phenomenal, and I wanted to be a part of that." best Division II basketball league and a goal of his is to compete and win at the conference championship. According to Burris, Corsaro’s energy is contagious.

“The culture has to be a championship culture every day, and that’s been established with coach [Corsaro],” Burris said. “The culture here is phenomenal, and I wanted to be a part of that. The goal here is to win every day, as people, students and then on the court.”

Burris and Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach Roosevelt Jones’ alike said the decision to come to UIndy was a no brainer.

STAFF DIRECTORY EDITORS / MANAGERS

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF....................NOAH CRENSHAW • crenshawn@uindy.edu MANAGING EDITOR................TAYLOR STRNAD • strnadt@uindy.edu NEWS EDITOR.........................KIARA CONELY• conleykf@uindy.edu SPORTS EDITOR.......................JACOB WALTON • waltonja@uindy.edu OPINION EDITOR.....................NATHAN HERBST• herbstn@uindy.edu FEATURE EDITOR.....................NOAH FIELDS • fieldsn@uindy.edu ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR.......HALLIE GALLINAT • gallinath@uindy.edu ONLINE EDITOR.......................MADISON GOMEZ • gomezm@uindy.edu PHOTO EDITOR........................TBD ART DIRECTOR.........................ETHAN GERLING • gerlinge@uindy.edu BUSINESS MANAGER..............TBD DISTRIBUTION MANAGER.......TBD ADVISER..................................JEANNE CRISWELL • jcriswell@uindy.edu

TONY REEVES................reevesra@uindy.edu

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WELCOME WEEK SPECIAL

THE REFLECTOR

AUGUST 19, 2020

Protecting UIndy’s campus COVID-19 protocols will help with keeping campus safe

By Noah Fields FEATURE EDITOR

This semester at the University of Indianapolis, the goal is to protect the campus community, according to University President Robert Manuel.

With that, UIndy has implemented specific protocols given the COVID-19 pandemic, Manuel said.

If someone on campus feels ill, has not received a positive COVID-19 test and they have not been notified of coming into contact with someone who tested positive, then those students, faculty and staff can reach out to the Health and Wellness Center, according to Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and UIndy COVID-19 Task Force Co-Chairman Neil Perdue.

However, if someone on campus does not feel well and shows symptoms, or suspects they have come in contact with someone who has tested positive, then the next step for them depends on whether or not they are a student, faculty or staff, according to Perdue.

Students who have tested positive for COVID-19 should reach out to Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students Kory Vitangeli, and faculty and staff should report to the Director of Human Resources Erin Farrell, according to Perdue.

“What they [Vitangeli and Farrell]

do is they have a series of questions that they’ll ask to gather some more information from you,” Perdue said.

“They will make a handoff to our contact tracing lead.”

Director of Contact Tracing Gurinder Hohl said the contact tracing team consists of public health graduate assistants who are specifically trained to assist her. She said when she and her team receive a student, faculty or staff member’s information, the team will contact them by phone or e-mail. The team will interview them regarding symptoms, testing and exposure, Hohl said. According to Hohl, the purpose of contact tracing is to look at the individuals at the center of an infection, as well as those with which the individuals have been in contact.

“The reason we do that is not only to provide guidance to the person who is infected, but also to those who may have come in contact with this infected individual so that they can follow precautions,” Hohl said.

Depending upon the level of the symptoms, infected or exposed individuals are to self-isolate for 10 to 14 days, according to Hohl. Manuel said that the university has made arrangements with a hotel in which students will have the opportunity to quarantine, as well as having the option to do so from their homes.

The hotel is monitored and managed,

and food service delivery will be coordinated, Manuel said. On-campus apartment residents may have the opportunity to quarantine in their apartments, he said. Quarantine spaces will depend on the specific situations of these students, according to Vitangeli.

The university will report positive cases to the Marion County Health Department and the Indiana State Department of Health, according to Manuel.This will get positive COVID-19 test results into the state’s contact tracing system and allow affected individuals and those who have come in contact with them to be notified if possible, Manuel said.

For students, faculty and staff who will be on campus, the university will provide items such as reusable masks, hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes, according to Perdue. The university will work with the Office of Student Affairs to confirm the on-campus locations where commuter students can receive their items, Perdue said. Faculty who are teaching in-person classes will receive kits with helpful materials and staff members will get their materials from their department hubs, according to Perdue.

“This is a community reality,” Manuel said.“....We need everybody’s cooperation to ensure that we are following the best guidance the public health officials are giving us to make sure that we are safe and secure.”

Graphic by Noah Fields

Residence Life prepares for students

By Jacob Walton SPORTS EDITOR

With the arrival of students to campus in the fall also arrives the risk of COVID-19 spreading within residence halls and campus apartments.

The University of Indianapolis’ Residence Life staff has implemented several new rules in order to combat the spread of COVID-19 within these locations.

According to Assistant Director of Residence Life Kyle Johnson, ResLife is doing ever ything

they can to bring a great ResLife experience while also keeping students safe.

“I think all in all, we’re still going to be working to provide the residential experience. We know our students are coming and they’re anxious, they’re nervous,” Johnson said. “The semester was cut short, whether you were in high school or whether you were here at UIndy... so we want to make sure we provide everything we can.”

Johnson said that one of the biggest components that will change in the residence halls and in the apartments is within the shared bathrooms and common areas. He said that signage and other tools are going to be used to help enforce social distancing within bathrooms. Some furniture and other objects have also been removed from the common areas in order to enforce

social distancing.

“When students come back, they’re gonna see, if you’ve been in that space before, [that] not all the typical furniture is going to be there,” Johnson said. “We worked to put markers on the

We know our students are coming and they’re anxious, they’re nervous.” ground, so our staff and students know where the furniture pieces should be placed, to make sure that they’re socially distanced.”

Another change to the residential experience is the guest policy, according to Johnson. Before the

campus closed, if you were a resident in a campus apartment or dorm you were allowed within any other apartment or dorm. Now, you are only allowed into your own building. Johnson said that this change is supposed to combat the number of people exiting and entering the building.

According to Assistant Director of Student Affairs Ayla Wilder, the campus apartments and dorms are going to have similar experiences with some differences.

“So things like our exercise areas, our lounges, will look the same, things will be socially distanced,” Wilder said. “There’ll be a time and a place, or a time that students can work out. There’ll be extra cleaning to take precautions. Our guest policy is going to look similar to the residence halls as well.”

Johnson said that his biggest piece of advice for students is to follow the rules set in place as they were put in place for a reason. He said that all the information they are using is coming from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health officials and that ResLife is wanting to make sure everyone is safe.

“It’s just really important things to know and it’s all going to be new to us,” Johnson said. “There’s no handbook that we can pull out that says ‘this is how to do residence life during COVID-19 or during a pandemic.’ Unfortunately, we don’t have that…. It’s going to be all of us holding each other accountable, coming together as a community to see what we can do, to get through these difficult times.”

— A Public Service Announcement from The Reflector —