Dec. 11, 2013 | The Reflector

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STUDENTS MIND THEIR SMALL BUSINESSES

THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF INDIANAPOLIS

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92

I S S UE 6

UIndy offers new fellowship

By Leeann Doerflein FEATURE EDITOR

reflector.uindy.edu

DECEMBER 11, 2013

Burmese community grows

By James Figy NEWS EDITOR

Anna Sung Tial came to the United States as a refugee when she was 12, and now she studies international business at UIndy. Photo by Ben Zefeng Zhang

The University of Indianapolis recently approved the curriculum for the Woodrow Wilson M.B.A. Fellowship in Educational Leadership. According to program co-designers Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Programs in Teacher Education John Somers and Associate Professor and Coordinator of Undergraduate Finance Curriculum Rachel Smith, the UIndy program is the only one of its kind in the nation.

This program is the second Woodrow Wilson fellowship at UIndy. The Woodrow Wilson Indiana Teaching Fellowship has been active at UIndy for four years and, as planned, the funding for the program is set to shift to the State of Indiana in 2014.

The Woodrow Wilson foundation has provided funding for three years of students to go through the program. Each cohort will have 15 fellows who will be nominated by their home district or school for excellence in leadership and a desire SOMERS to help their school move forward.

Smith said that what sets this program apart from another program at Rice University is that UIndy’s program brings together business and education in a way that makes it unique.

“This is truly interdisciplinary,” Smith said. “What’s distinctive about it is other programs that we know of have two separate programs: you can get an MBA, you can get an education leadership master’s. But ours is truly integrated: you learn about business principles in the context of education.”

Another aspect of the program that is unique is the international component. Somers said that the funder for the grant wants to see U.S. schools on par with their overseas counterparts. Because of this, the MBA fellowship has an international travel component. Smith said that each cohort will get to travel abroad to a country that has successfully integrated the business and education communities.

Anna Sung Tial had never seen snow. Tial, a sophomore international business major, said that she used to play without her parents worrying where she was and used to walk everywhere, as did all of her friends and neighbors, because no one really needed a car.

But that was back in Burma,Tial said, before she, her mother and siblings moved more than 8,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean. That was before they had to run through the jungle to escape into Malaysia and load into a minivan packed with a dozen other people. That was before they boarded a plane and landed in the midwest United States among people with a completely different language and culture.That was before they moved from Battle Creek, Mich., where the U.S. government settled them, to Indianapolis, where a community of many Burmese ethnic groups was already flourishing.

That was before a lot of things for more than 115,000 refugees from Burma, including Tial, who have legally immigrated to the United States over the past decade and are now at various stages of integrating into American society.The University of Indianapolis is trying to help with this process, so students can succeed in school and in life.

Elaisa Vahnie, director of the Burmese American Community Institute, said that more than 15,000 of those refugees have ended up in Indiana. According to Vahnie, about 5,000 live in Fort Wayne, a few live in Nora and South Bend and about 10,000 live on the South side of Indianapolis, specifically in Perry Township.

According to Vahnie, the local government and residents have been very welcoming and understanding of cultural differences. He said that through a partnership with UIndy, BACI is developing tools to help speed the process and seeing more young people go to and succeed in college.

“It is a challenge; we know that. But this is also the opportunity we can come together and assist this community, so they can become contributing citizens wherever they are a part of,” he said. “And we are grateful to the people of Indiana, hoosiers, for their generosity. ... Refugees will continue to thrive, will continue to give back to the community.”

> See FELLOWSHIP on page 7

> See COMMUNITY on page 7

Campus discusses state’s proposed marriage amendment

By Anna Wieseman MANAGING EDITOR In response to the proposed amendment to the Indiana constitution to prevent gay marriage, the University of Indianapolis held a University Series community conversation on the issue.

The discussion was held on Dec. 4 with about 200 students, faculty and staff.

Audience members could ask questions of two panelists—Indiana Solicitor General Thomas Fisher and Assistant Professor of Political Science Maryam Stevenson.

The discussion was moderated by Dean of Ecumenical and Interfaith Programs Michael Cartwright.

The issue was House Joint Resolution 6, which proposes an amendment to Article 1 of the Indiana Constitution.

A synopsis of the resolution, which was handed out at the discussion, states “that only marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Indiana.”

ONLINE THIS WEEK at reflector.uindy.edu Campus group shows short films

The University of Indianapolis registered student organization Cru held an event entitled “Short Film Night” at 9 p.m. on Nov. 20. at the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center lecture hall.

Smoking policy campaign continues to have effects

During the second semester of the 2011-2012 academic year, the Indianapolis Student Government began a campaign to promote the University of Indianapolis’ smoke free policy. This campaign informed students about the policy and encouraged them to stand up to people not following the policy.

UIndy groups balance budgets

Due to increases in students and events, budgets are adjusted every year.

However, this year some University of Indianapolis groups have seen their funding stretched as a result of being asked to do more with the same funds.

OPINION 2

Photo by James Figy

(From left) Assistant Professor of Political Science Maryam Stevenson, Indiana Solicitor General Thomas Fisher and Michael Cartwright, dean of ecumenical and interfaith programs and associate professor of philosophy and religion, field a question from the audience at the conversation about HJR 6 on Dec. 4.

Although many universities in Indiana fortable speaking for the entire university have come out with official statements without first giving people a chance to about the resolution, UIndy has not made voice their opinions, because that is not a formal statement on this matter. his leadership style. Instead Manuel said President Robert Manuel initiated the he wanted to open up the issue to the discussion by saying that he is not com- university community to discuss and think

about critically.

Cartwright laid out some ground rules and explained what the university wanted the audience to get from this discussion and how he would help facilitate.

“My role on this occasion was simply to keep the conversation moving and to ensure that everybody could respect the conversation,” Cartwright said. “I did begin the event by encouraging everyone not to reenact the culture wars, and for everyone to take into account both a need for humility and a need to avoid arrogance.”

During the conversation, questions ranged from legal and procedural matters to how a person’s gender is defined.

Cartwright believes the discussion went well and said that some of the questions surprised him, in a good way.

“I was intrigued by the first question that was asked by a student, a child of two lesbian parents,” he said. “She was asking about the fact that she cannot have both of them [parents] listed for financial aid purposes. ... And I did not anticipate that

kind of question would come up but was pleased that a student who has been affected by this legal situation could ask a question like that.”

Cartwright believes that these types of discussions improve and allow UIndy to serve its real purpose as a university.

“I hope it [the discussion] is a good reminder that this is what universities are for.

Universities are for making information available, for educating and for enabling people to articulate their best thoughts,” Cartwright said. “... I hoped it would be a confidence booster.This is not something that we should be afraid of, but in fact it’s the kind of thing that we do when we’re doing what we do best.”

According to Cartwright, the next discussion will take place early next semester. The panel will consist of two UIndy faculty members from religion and philosophy, a retired rabbi, a United Methodist clergyman and a president of a Christian seminary, because this discussion will focus on the religious and social aspects of the issue.

HistoryIT opens new branch and hires students

By Quiaira Johnson STAFF WRITER

When University of Indianapolis President Robert Manuel announced the launch of a new website from the Institute for Civic Leadership and the Mayoral Archives on Oct. 9, he also announced a formal partnership with the company that made it possible, HistoryIT. Kristen Gwinn-Becker, CEO of HistoryIT, also announced that the company would open a branch near campus.

Histor yIT is headquartered in Portland, Maine, with branches in Evanston, Ill., Washington, D.C., and now Indianapolis.

“HistoryIT is a company that builds software and provides a range of services to digitize information in the historical record,” Gwinn-Becker said at the October announcement.

The purpose of the partnership between the University of Indianapolis and HistoryIT is to digitize the Indianapolis mayoral archives, making them more

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accessible to the public and providing opportunities for professional training for university students. The company just opened a branch in Indianapolis, which is considered the University of Indianapolis lab because the university has provided everything that is seen in the lab.

For the mayoral archives, the first major project of the Indianapolis branch, the company made a point to hire students from UIndy. Gwinn-Becker said at the October announcement that the new branch would hire 20 employees, 15 of them students.

“Last week, we opened our digital division lab just down the street. So it’s very convenient for students who would like to work there to learn what we’re doing, as well as be a part of the rapid digitization process that will create your entire archive digitally within the next year,” Gwinn-Becker said.

Sophomore computer science and physics major Hannah Vest said that she was one of the first students hired for the Indianapolis branch.

“Right now, I have been digitizing

FEATURE 9

archives, and we are moving into a phase of the project where people are having to enter in other data for the stuff that has been digitized,” Vest said.

Vest believes the partnership between the University of Indianapolis and HistoryIT is significant.

“I think this is important because it is going to help us [the university] get ahead of the curve, of an ongoing trend of digitizing information to make them more accessible,” Vest said. “HistoryIT has a really efficient way of doing these things.”

Vest explained the process of digitizing the mayoral files, saying that HistoryIT provides training to the student employees once they are hired.

“I take a box from the archives that I am assigned to—folders and files out of the Lugar collection, I type in the name of the folder and each document in the folder, label what it is and what is going on in it, and then I scan it and match the file name to the database,” Vest said.

“That’s the first phase, actually scanning them; that’s how you digitize them.”

Men’s basketball

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Photo by Annisa Nunn

HistoryIT employee Stephen Taylor works to digitize photographs for UIndy’s Mayoral Archives.

According to Vest, the mayoral archives project that they are working on closely with UIndy is anticipated to be completed

by September 2014.

Student directed productions

> See Page 6

OPINION

2 THE REFLECTOR

DECEMBER 11, 2013

Technology bans restrict learning

Policies that are designed to enhance education in the classroom can sometimes do the opposite

By Abby Gross EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Although our university is looking ahead to the future through initiatives such as Vision 2030, many of our classrooms—and professors—are still stuck in the Stone Age. Sure, we have projection screens, a few scattered flat screen televisions, ACE (when it works) and PowerPoint. Unfortunately, missing from many classrooms are the very technological tools that students use the most to learn: laptops and smart phones.

Of course, this isn’t a universal problem, as there certainly are professors who gladly welcome these devices into the classroom.

But on the other end of the spectrum are the strict professors who include in their syllabi—in all-caps, increased font size and harsh condemning language—warnings about how these devices are “strictly prohibited” due to their potential for “disrupting the learning environment.”

So, you want to “prohibit” my iPhone?

What about when you use a multisyllabic, intellectual word that I’ve never heard before and want to look up on my Merriam-Webster’s dictionary app?

Or when our class discussions lead to mentioning of some complex theory that I want to Google now, rather than later, and have more insight right at my fingertips?

And my computer is, as you say, “disruptive?”

But what if I want to save paper and take notes on Word, so I can organize them into coherent material for studying?

Or perhaps actually access the e-textbook I bought—the one with the ungodly expensive price tag—for your class, and follow along during your lecture?

Exactly what is disruptive about an engaged, connected student who readily uses technological tools to process and access relevant information during class… to learn? The answer is nothing, and the real disruption here is prohibiting these devices in today’s classrooms.

Our university needs to learn this lesson, and fast, because we are already behind. Many schools—high, middle and elementary schools alike—are already working with policies far more open to technology. As a university, we should be a progressive leader in these areas, experimenting with the changes in technology and using the potential in the devices nearly all of us own.

This potential already has been discovered. According to a February 2013 study by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, cell phones, namely smart phones, have “become central to the learning process” in America’s middle and secondary schools. In fact, 73 percent of Advanced Placement (AP) and National Writing Project (NWP)

Cartoon by James Figy

teachers reported using cell phones in the classroom.

In addition to these findings, many school districts already have adopted technology policies open to cell phones in the classroom, and some of these districts can be found right in Indianapolis. For example, Ben Davis High School currently has a “Bring Your Own Device,” or BYOD, policy that encourages students to bring their own technology devices to school “to be utilized in the classroom at the discretion of the teacher,” according to the school’s website.

If AP, NWP and local Indianapolis teachers are embracing smart phones for their value in the learning process, then why aren’t our professors?

My guess is that they’re scared. Scared they’ll lose us to a screen in our hands or on our desk. Scared that there is no way to monitor our activity on these devices.

Scared that we will take selfies, snapchat,

shop online, tweet, check Facebook, scroll through Pinterest…the list goes on.

Professors certainly have a right to be scared of these possibilities, but contrary to popular belief, they can leave their lecterns and walk around to monitor usage of these devices. Admittedly, there’s not much else one can do to ensure that a student is indeed using a smart phone or laptop for academic purposes. But rest assured that if a student does not want to pay attention in class, he or she is not going to pay attention in class, device or not.The result is always the same, whether it is eyes glued to a screen, a zoned out, about-to-drool-of-boredom gaze into nothingness or even a classic case of falling asleep in class. We are all paying to get an education. If some students want to waste their money by zoning out during class, that is their decision that will come with its own set of consequences. We should not prohibit technology just because it

comes with some of these risks.

As a future teacher, I know just how daunting this whole proposition is. I’ve taught classes full of students who had smart phones atop their desks. At first, it was disconcerting, and I was paranoid, gazing over my students’ shoulders, sure I would see a Twitter feed. But they proved me wrong: I was teaching English Language Learners, and they used their phones to look up words in the dictionary.

Their phones were the very lifelines to their acquisition of the language.

We need to understand that our future lies in technology, in devices like smart phones and laptops, but also in tools that have not even been created yet.We’ll never know exactly what 2030 will bring, but if we are envisioning and planning for it, we need to take advantage of the technology now to be better prepared for the future.

And what better place to embrace technology than in our very own classrooms?

Making insurance plans away from home

Student experiences diff iculty f inding insurance at the university after being dropped from parents’ coverage plan

By Mercadees Hempel STAFF WRITER My brother, sister and I all got cut off from insurance. It has been a stressful situation and a very sad one. Not just because a system that was built to help people like me let my family down, but also because of the responses I get from many people when I tell people this. I have heard, “This is why Obamacare needs to go away,” “It is all the government’s fault with this health care bill,” “This is why Obama needs to be impeached.”

These responses are also sad because they show that so many people do not realize it was actually a health plan that has been around since 1965 that cut us off. This program is Medicaid.

Medicaid was signed into legislation by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965 to help low-income families receive full medical coverage. I was on Medicaid my whole life until January of 2013. My parents made about $30 over the required income for a five person household, so I was cut off.

As if $30 was going to be enough to pay for allergy prescriptions, glasses, dental work and checkups, but that is a whole different argument.

A couple of months ago, we were told that because my brother and I were both 18 or older, our house was considered a three-person household. Because of this, my parents were told that they would have to pay $50 every month for my sister to have full coverage. My parents were fine with this because at least this way my brother and sister still had full coverage.

The supervisor then encouraged my

mother to apply for food stamps, because when applying for food stamps, all the people living in a household are counted, no matter the age. She was assured that we would be approved, that we qualified, so she did.

Not only were we denied the food stamps, but they closed the whole case.

No food stamps, no insurance, nothing.

In 2012, 48 million Americans did not have health insurance, and 46.5 million people lived in poverty, according to the Census Bureau. I am one of these Americans, and one of the terrifying things is the lack of resources on campus and elsewhere to help other students like me. I went to the Student Health Center here on campus to see if maybe there was a program that could help lead me in the right direction.

UIndy is great about helping students like me financially when it comes to tuition

and fees, so I thought maybe they could help with insurance, too.

I was told, however, there was neither one of these things. I was given a website called studentresources.com to help me do some research, but it was not easy to navigate, and I am still empty-handed.

College may be a time for more independence, and college students may be adults now, but the university is still a teaching institution and a place for students to learn and adapt. This has been one of the biggest changes in my life, and I cannot find anyone on campus to help me.

UIndy should not feel obligated to bless me with free insurance, but there should be something on campus to help guide me and other students about how to get insurance if we need it. Through college, we find education, we find internships and we find jobs.Why not insurance,

too? Why not have a help desk that can guide students in a more hands-on learning experience or answer our questions such as, “Are workers on campus going to be affected by Obamacare?” I have been here for almost a semester, and I do not know where or to whom to turn for any of this. This situation can be changed, and I believe it needs to be.

Insurance is a hot topic right now, but as the Republicans and the Democrats argue during meetings in Washington or during lunch right here on campus, there are students praying they do not wind up in a car accident, have an asthma attack or get injured while playing sports with friends because they cannot pay for the treatments. UIndy may not be able to change Medicaid, but it can help these students gain peace of mind by offering the guidance and support they need.

The Reflector sounds off on parking problems Many folks who live in the campus apartments want to have a personal parking space that is near their apartment. However, our school doesn’t allow this.

Scott Mitchell, Opinion Editor

I hate when people blatantly park in a spot that is just not a parking spot.

It is not that hard to find parking, and I say this as a commuter. It might take a little while but I promise that you will.

Leeann Doerflein, Feature Editor

Ben Z.F Chang, Photo Editor

I received a ticket in a place without a sign saying the lot was designated for particular permits.

Later, I was reimbursed by campus police. Still, I had to pay for a ticket for no reason.

Ally Holmes, Business Manager

I never really have to worry about finding a place to park. I do feel bad for the commuters, but they should really just leave earlier if they want a spot.

There are spots, but you just need to drive around for a while to find them.

Michael Rheinheimer, Editorial Assistant

Why aren’t there colorcoded maps of the parking lots? I still have no idea what color a specific lot is and I always look for the signs. Adventuring to a new parking lot is risky, and I wouldn’t do it.

Anna Wieseman, Managing Editor

As a resident student, if I park somewhere not designated for me, I’m ticketed. But commuters park in the lot behind my dorm and no one seems to care? I pay extra.

Why am I forced to park across campus?

Allison Gallagher, Entertainment Editor

The biggest problem I see is commuters parking in the residence hall parking lots. However, we really cannot complain too much, because we don’t pay for parking. Many of my friends at other schools pay quite a bit.

Kylee Crane, Online Editor

Behind the library there is a small space I’m not sure is a parking spot. Usually there is room for my little car, but sometimes other parkers waste space, and that really aggravates me.

Got a parking problem? We would love to hear from you. Contact us on Twitter at @ReflectorOpEd or use the hashtag #ReflectorOpEd or #UIndyparkingproblems.

Cartoon by Abby Gross

THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF INDIANAPOLIS

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STAFF DIRECTORY EDITORIAL STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF...................ABBY GROSS • grossa@uindy.edu MANAGING EDITOR...............ANNA WIESEMAN • wiesemana@uindy.edu NEWS EDITOR........................JAMES FIGY • figyj@uindy.edu SPORTS EDITOR......................AJ ROSE • ajrose@uindy.edu PHOTO EDITOR.......................ZEFENG ZHANG• zefzhang@uindy.edu OPINION EDITOR...................SCOTT MITCHELL • mitchells@uindy.edu FEATURE EDITOR...................LEEANN DOERFLEIN • doerfleinl@uindy.edu ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR....ALLISON GALLAGHER • gallaghera@uindy.edu BUSINESS MANAGER............ALLY HOLMES • holmesan@uindy.edu ONLINE EDITOR.....................KYLEE CRANE • cranek@uindy.edu DISTRIBUTION MANAGER...ANNISA NUNN • nunna@uindy.edu ART DIRECTOR......................STEPHANIE KIRKLING • kirklings@uindy.edu EDITORIAL ASSISTANT.........MICHAEL RHEINHEIMER • rheinheimerm@uindy.edu ADVISER................................JEANNE CRISWELL • jcriswell@uindy.edu

STAFF WRITERS KAMERON CASEY MERCADEES HEMPEL QUIAIRA JOHNSON OWEN KAELBLE ZI-SHIN LIN JON MATHIS TAYLOR RICHARDSON TORI YANT

NEWS

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THE REFLECTOR

DECEMBER 11, 2013

Campus prepares to talk about library renovations

By Ally Holmes BUSINESS MANAGER One component of Vision 2030 is the renovations for Krannert Memorial Library. Vice President for Student and Campus Affairs and Dean of Students Kory Vitangeli said that the renovations are in the planning stages and focus groups will happen next semester.

Earlier this semester, President Robert Manuel held a focus group with students and asked them to lay out their ideas.

Vitangeli said that in the focus group Manuel asked students what they would change to the library if it had to stay the way that it is now.

“I’m anticipating then that there’ll be more focus groups with faculty, staff and students to really talk about the library,” Vitangeli said. “That is kind of first on the list of the Vision 2030 things—to get going and get a process for what kind of changes will be done to the library.”

Library Director Matthew Shaw said that money has been allocated for the renovation and that a group has been formed to serve as a steering committee, but he thinks the process will be highly participatory.

“Really the library sort of serves the whole campus community and our faculty and our students. And also I think that

the new library will also be serving our surrounding community,” he said. “So we want this to be a process that really reimagines what we can do in the library to serve all of our constituents, and I think that our community is now part of that constituency.”

Shaw said that currently there is no specific projected timeline, but that this undertaking will require many months to complete.

“It’s going to be a long process. Of course, our challenge will b e t o c on tinue to deliver services all throughout that process.

It’s going to be a long time before it’s completed,” he said. “… It’s just so significant that it’s not going to be an eight-week affair. It’s not just going to be drapes and carpet.”

Shaw said that one of the things he will get to do as the library director is help shape the conversations around the changing role of libraries in the realm of academics.

“Libraries in general are changing, but I think academic libraries are really undergoing some significant changes

in as much as we still are wanting to be seen as the hub of information. But the way that we deliver that information has changed,” he said. “I think that we will have a smaller print presence [and] a much larger virtual presence.”

Shaw said that the library staff already has been working to have a larger virtual presence, but as the renovation process begins, the library will work aggressively to make more things available online.

“What that offers students, and faculty as well, is aroundthe-clock access, ” S haw said. “Because you don’t have to come into the library when it’s open to get to a resource when it’s available online. And you can log onto that from anywhere in the world. I do not think that value can be underestimated.”

However, Shaw said that KML will not be a library without books—a glorified computer lab.

“It should be a space that takes the very best of our print resources and the very best electronic sources and integrates those into an information environment

“It’s going to be a long process.

Of course, our challenge will be to continue to deliver services all throughout that process.”

that students and faculty can use to build he said. “I see that as a student-student other knowledge,” he said. thing, a student-faculty thing and maybe Shaw said that he expects that the a student-faculty-community thing. I value he will add will be that librarian’s think there’s something to be gained by perspective on where everything is going bringing in our surrounding community in terms of academic libraries. to the library.”

“We’ve changed. We’re certainly no Shaw said that many students’greatest longer just about making sure that all concern about the renovation is what will the books are in order. It’s a lot different happen to the egg chairs. now,” he said. “The changes, According to Shaw, the I think, for the library are egg chairs will probably be going to be transformative some of the few things that changes. I think they are goare preserved even through ing to be significant changes, the library renovations. not just in the way that the “The egg chairs are cool. place looks but what we do ... They are sort of iconic. A as a library.” lot of people associate them One thing Shaw said he with the library,”he said.“It’s wants to bring to the converfunny because I hear this on sation is a real concern about tours that people are giving… making sure the library has I always hear them mention spaces for students and facthe egg chairs as if that’s what ulty to study and learn. He said we did for a living: we are the SHAW that the hope for the renovakeepers of the egg chairs.”

Vitangeli said that students, faculty tions is that the library will become a place for people to connect around information and staff should keep looking for when the upcoming focus groups will take place and create knowledge.

“I think what we’re really going to next semester.

“Certainly we want to make it [the achieve here is, yes, we’ll have more technology; yes, we’ll have better fur- library] a place that everybody wants to niture and all of that; but I think at the go,” she said. “If people feel like they have end of the day what we’re really look- components of a new library that they ing for are spaces that invite people to want to share, [they need] to look for participate in collaborative learning,” those focus groups coming up.”

Charity fashion show raises money

By Kameron Casey STAFF WRITER

Photo by James Figy

Local author Rachel Kartz reads at the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library on Nov. 23 during an event organized by students in Assistant Professor of English Sal Pane’s Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop course.

Students organize readings for course

By Allison Gallagher ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Good Hall was the location of a poetry reading hosted by creative writing students on Nov. 18, featuring two readings, one from a student and the other from a local poet. This reading was the third of four readings that were hosted on and off campus by University of Indianapolis students in the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop as a part of their course.

Senior experience design and business major and creative writing minor Heather Zalewski and senior English literature and professional writing major with a creative writing minor Kristen Yates put together the Good Hall reading. The other readings were held at IndyReads Books, the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library and the Wheeler Arts Community Center, each with a published writer from the area and a student writer who was not taking the course.

“Our professor gave us a couple different locations as well as several authors we could ask to be like the headliners at the event,” Zalewski said.“I was working with Kristen [Yates], basically on organizing the event, marketing the event, and getting [the local poet] Chris Newgent, who was the headliner, as well as talking to Laura McGaughey, who was the student reader.”

McGaughey, a senior English major, read a piece entitled “For Grandma,” which tells a story within a story of her grandmother telling McGaughey, as a child, a bedtime story about a kitten looking for a drink of water.

Zalewski knew that she had wanted to have Newgent do the reading from the first time she heard him read.

“As soon as I saw Chris’ name, I thought, ‘We have to have Chris,’” Zalewski said. “So I asked our professor to talk to him and see if he would be willing to do it, and he [Newgent] said he would.”

Zalewski also said that Newgent brought with him a dark humor that attracted her, which the audience at the Evening with Authors reading heard through Newgent’s often-spicy word choices.

“His style of writing is just awesome to me. He always has humor in it, whether it’s the dark, funny humor or the lighthearted humor,”Zalewski said.“…You can still see his humor in the piece he had written for The Bourbon Review, and that was about dealing with his mom’s death. He still has those underlying tones in there. Just those certain word choices he has, you have certain writers that figure out the writing you like, that you want to be like, that you gravitate towards them.”

Assistant Professor of English Sal Pane, who taught the course, said that his role was simply to oversee the students, but otherwise, they made all the decisions when setting the Good Hall reading, as well as the others.

The students were required to go to and write about five readings during the semester, some of which were those their classmates hosted.

“They went into town, scoured other readings and for homework they decided who they wanted, what kind of readings they wanted, and they chose local Indianapolis writers,” Pane said. “Then they picked a venue and began the social media campaign and began the flyers and all that. From my end, I just oversaw, but they’ve put in a lot of hours from the start of the semester on.”

The University of Indianapolis Social Work Association hosted its first fashion show on Dec. 2 in the Schwitzer Student Center Atrium. The show featured items that were created by women in Cambodia and sold by the nonprofit organization Center for Global Impact. UIndy students modeled the items.

The Center for Global impact became involved with the Social Work Association through University of Indianapolis senior Vanessa Alexander. Her father started the organization to advocate for women in Cambodia because of the high level of poverty and risk of human trafficking.

According to Alexander, CGI came to be when a Cambodian woman died of AIDS, not because she could not afford the medication, but because she could not afford the transportation to receive the free medicine. It began with four women who made pillow covers and has since grown significantly. Today, the items, as well as more information, can be found online at centerforglobalimpact.org.

“We are trying to connect social work, criminal justice and sociology with CGI and everything we do,” Alexander said.

During the fashion show, Alexander explained that CGI takes women who are at risk or have been trafficked and gives them new hope. It gives them an opportunity to get out of situations in which they normally would be powerless. SWA members believed that with this event they could connect these organizations, bring light to the situation and inspire students to become advocates.

Alexander said that the organization put up flyers and used word of mouth to get the word out. She said that even with the upcoming break, a good number of students came to the event, but reaching any student is a success.

“Even if they hear one thing about human trafficking, poverty or about advocating, it will stick with them,” Al-

Photo by Kameron Casey

A model from the Social Work Association shows off items from Center for Global Impact, a nonprofit that raises money for women in Cambodia, at a fashion show Dec. 2 in the Schwitzer Student Center Atrium. exander said. was about much more than fashion.

Alexander, along with the social work According to Alexander, the show was and criminal justice departments, recruit- about a foundation that aims to empower ed student models for the fashion show. women in powerless positions. She said Women walked down the runway that it was about a foundation that has showing off an array of items, includ- grown 10 times its initial size and now ing satchels, scarves, dresses and purses. helps more than 40 women. Most imThese, along with some of the pillowcases portantly, she said, it was about advocacy. and other assorted items, were available “The whole goal is to have people for purchase after the show, and many become more aware and advocate,” Alstudents in attendance made their way exander said. “Whether it’s for [those to the tables to view them. affected by] human trafficking, poverty While the festivities were intended or something else, being an advocate to be fun and upbeat, Alexander and the is so important because you are raising other speakers from SWA wanted to make awareness for people who can’t stand up clear to those in attendance that the event for themselves.”

“From my end, I just oversaw, but they’ve put in a lot of hours from the start of the semester on.”

Less than 5 minutes from campus, east on Hanna Ave to Main Street.

Hours: Mon 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Tues-Fri 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

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SPORTS

4 THE REFLECTOR

UIndy wrestlers win at Li Littl Littlee State

Five different Greyhounds claim championships

By Allison Gallagher ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Photo by Ben Zefeng Zhang

New wooden lockers for the men’s basketball team’s locker room, installed this year, are one of many recent upgrades for teams in Greyhound athletics.

Greyhound athletics raise money

By Michael Rheinheimer EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

In her tenure at the University of Indianapolis, Sue Willey, vice president for intercollegiate athletics, has seen a lot of positive change for the school’s athletics.

Among those are the new lockers for both men’s and women’s basketball, as well as new uniforms for both men’s and women’s golf.

Key Stadium and Baumgartner Field both also received new sound systems, which, according to Willey, are important for the players. “[Before the new systems] it would be like, here we have this great product, but we can’t really talk about it ... because of a sub-par sound system. There were a lot of events out there, so that was a priority,” Willey said.

According to Willey, a new editing system for football was purchased last year, and next year, men’s basketball will send game recordings to be edited by a third party in order to save time.

The men’s basketball team was also able to put together funds for its new lockers.

“That was a project that the [men’s] basketball team took on, and they basically had people purchasing a locker. It didn’t come out of our budget. A former

basketball player wants to purchase that locker and have their name on it,” Willey said.

When uniforms are replaced often depends on the sport.

“You play golf in a polo shirt, [so] you’re going to have new uniforms every year. It’s not much to a uniform. Some teams rotate them. You might have a new home set every two-to-three years, and you might have an away set every two-to-three years,” Willey said.

If something extra, such as new travel uniforms, is desired but does not fit into the athletic department’s budget, the team begins fundraising or appeals to the Greyhound Club. The Greyhound Club is made up of UIndy alumni who support student athletics through donations.

The man responsible for raising donations is Matt Donovan, senior associate athletic director for development.

“Basically, I oversee our charitable giving program … the Greyhound Club, and oversee sponsorships,”Donovan said.

Donovan’s role is to raise money for the teams’ needs such as trips for special tournaments, projects and small enhancements.

The money provided from the Greyhound Club, according to Donovan, is recorded and deposited into the Greyhound Club account for the team the

Women’s basketball wins over Cedarville

Greyhounds extend season record to 6-2 overall

By Quiaira Johnson STAFF WRITER It all began with a 3-pointer by senior guard Katy McIntosh, and from that point, the University of Indianapolis women’s basketball team never looked back as they defeated the Cedarville University Yellow Jackets on Saturday Dec. 7, 81-51. The Greyhounds defeated the Yellow Jackets in many phases statistically, including 38 points in the paint and off of turnovers. The Greyhounds also saw a boost from their bench, which contributed 43 points to UIndy’s total score.

Eleven different players scored for the Greyhounds in their victory. The team was led by McIntosh, who finished with 11 points and four assists. Senior guard Shelby Wall was the only other Greyhound to finish in double figures with 11 points as well.

In the first half, the Greyhounds jumped out to an early lead, 12-2, with a 3-pointer by Wall with 14:34 remaining in the half. UIndy kept up its scoring attack throughout the half and by halftime was up by 21 points, 45-24.

In the second half, although the points scored by both teams were much closer than in the first half, the Greyhounds extended their lead. With 3:12 remaining, the Greyhounds reached their largest lead of the game at 35 points, with a layup by senior guard Rose Savela. Savela finished the contest with nine points, which was a season-high for the senior.

The Greyhounds also won 102-72 the weekend before on Nov. 30 against the Wayne State University Warriors in Nicoson Hall. McIntosh led the team with 28 points, including going 16-of17 from the free-throw line. McIntosh’s point total was a career high, as she was also one make short of the program record for made free throws in a game.

McIntosh was pleased with the team’s performance against Wayne State and said that she wanted to start and finish the game with intensity.

“I just wanted to bring a lot of enthusiasm to the table. We started off a

game before that really flat,” McIntosh said. “I just wanted to come out, do a lot of defensive pressure, and get my team kind of hyped to play.”

The Greyhounds suffered an 87-80 loss the previous weekend on Nov. 23 against the Purdue University Calumet Peregrines. Head Women’s Basketball Coach Constantin Popa said that the team worked to improve its defense after the loss against the Peregrines.

“We made some changes on our defense a little bit—put a little more pressure on the ball on the outside by the three-point line,” Popa said. “We are looking to push the ball more and get some easy layups and fast breaks with our guards, which we [made] some changes that helped with this last game [against Wayne State].”

McIntosh said the win was an important one for the Greyhounds and her outlook for the rest of the season.

“This was a big region game, so we knew we had to come in after the loss [against the Peregrines] and get back on track. I am really confident that we can go very far and have a really good rest of the season, and go really far in the tournament and conference,” McIntosh said.

“We beat a pretty good team by a pretty good amount of points. I think as long as we play like that—play like we’re capable of playing—we should do pretty well in the remainder of the season.”

Popa said the team still has things to work on.

“We still have a long way to go.

Obviously we have a couple more nonconference games before we start our conference; so this is going to get us well prepared for the conference games once that starts in January,”Popa said.“We take one game and day at a time and just try to improve and learn from stuff that we’ve done well and start to work on things we didn’t do so well. Every day, we learn something from the past and, hopefully, something new.”

The Greyhounds will be back on the road Dec. 16 against the Lincoln Memorial University Railsplitters. Tipoff is set to take place at 6 p.m.

donor wants the gift to support. If the donor gives an unrestricted gift, the money is used at Willey’s discretion.

“That money is used for things like [rain gear], things that are above and beyond,” Donovan said.

“A lot of the time, what we’re trying to do is raise sponsorship dollars. We use mail, phone-a-thons (separate from the university’s phone-a-thon), and direct solicitation during the winter. In the spring, we look for sponsorships, which we are now executing,” Donovan said.

According to Willey, the Greyhound Club, along with other boosters and sponsors such as Pepsi-Cola, has raised about $300,000-$400,000.

Despite this amount, Willey said that the athletic department still needs many upgrades.

“I don’t think of what we have. I think of what we need,” she said. “The floor in Nicoson [Hall] needs to be replaced, [and] the turf [in Key Stadium] is two years past the expiration date.”

Willey said the money spent on the athletic department is for the good of the university.

“The university sees the benefit of student-athletes,” Willey said. “They have a higher graduation rate. We can be competitive and comparable to the bigger schools.”

Success was found by the University of Indianapolis wrestling team on Saturday Dec. 7 at the 54th Annual Little State Tournament, as five individuals finished as champions in their respective weight classes.

Finishing as champions for the Greyhounds in their weight classes included redshirt senior Alex Johns at 125, redshirt sophomore Josh Kieffer at 133, junior Justin Kieffer at 141, and seniors Cameryn Brady and Jeff ff Weiss at 149 and 165, respectively. Coming up short, but still earning runner-up positions in their respective weight classes for UIndy, included freshman Sheldon Struble, redshirt senior Shelby Mappes, and senior Evan Wooding, at 157, 174 and 285, respectively.

Each Greyhound who finished first in his respective weight class went the day undefeated en route to individual titles. The five Greyhound champions who won on the day represented five of the first six weight classes, presenting an early dominance as a program at the tournament.

The Greyhound wrestling team also had five wrestlers who finished within the top six of their weight class brackets in the tournament. Redshirt junior Taylor Scott (197) at third, senior Weston Davis (165) and redshirt freshman Brian Snyder (285) at fourth, junior Clayton Monebrake (165) at fifth, and freshman Jared Boehm (197) at sixth all placed at the tournament.

In the days leading up to Little State, the Greyhounds claimed the No. 9 position in the first regular-season National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II Wrestling Coaches’ Poll released Dec. 5. Johns and Brady also were individually ranked fourth in their weight classes, 125 and 149, respectively.

The Greyhounds competed at the Lake

Erie Duals on Nov. 23, finishing with two losses and one win.

The win came first over the Alderson Broaddus University Battlers 40-11, with the Greyhounds taking eight of 10 bouts in the match. Falls came from Johns, Weiss, Scott and redshirt senior George Lopez. Brady also won by a technical fall 18–2, while Struble and Mappes won by major decision.

Following the win, the team lost to both the Ashland University Eagles and the Lake Erie College Storm, falling 29–15 and 31–13, respectively. Brady, Johns and Weiss all claimed wins against Ashland.

In the matchup with Lake Erie, the team won three of 10 bouts, as Brady Brady, Johns and Wooding all claimed wins.

Head Wrestling Coach Jason Warthan said that prior to the Lake Erie dual, the wrestling team had been working and preparing for that dual as they would have any other.

“Looking at last week’s performances, we’re pinpointing some areas where a group of guys did not do well, or certain situations where as a team we can improve, and we’re working on those,” Warthan said.

Brady emphasized on the team’s desire to improve through practice and paying attention to things that they could improve on.

“Like he [Warthan] said, we’re working on the same old stuff. [We are] still learning from last week, from the Ashland Open, and trying to correct the mistakes we made this past weekend, and hopefully do better this weekend [at the Little State Tournament],” Brady said.

The Greyhound wrestlers will return home to Nicoson Hall Dec. 14-15 to host the 35th Annual Midwest Classic.

UIndy will welcome 29 different fferent teams ff representing the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II, III and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The Classic is set to begin at 10 a.m.

SPORTS

Men’s basketball wins, ready for Puerto Rico

By AJ Rose SPORTS EDITOR In a game that was completely onesided statistically, the University of Indianapolis men’s basketball team knocked off the Indiana University Northwest Redhawks at home on Saturday Dec. 7, by a lopsided score of 109-39.

In the first half, the Greyhounds got things rolling early, scoring 26-straight points until the Redhawks finally made their first points of the game with a pair of free throws.

Head Men’s Basketball Coach Stan Gouard said jumping out to such a lead was “huge” for his players.

“We talked about coming out the gate being a dominant team, being aggressive on both ends of the court, and setting the tone instead of waiting to see how they [Redhawks] were going to play before we decide how we were going to play. So I thought we did that,” Gouard said.

At the end of the first half, the Greyhounds led by a score of 50-14. UIndy outshot Northwest in the half, making fifteen shots compared to the Redhawks’ six.The Greyhounds also provided a strong defensive performance in the half, forcing 17 turnovers against the Redhawks.

Gouard said he thought the defense did a great job in forcing turnovers and that they were able to control the tempo of the game very well.

In the second half, the Greyhounds did not let up on their scoring attack, extending their lead as far as 70 points with 59 seconds remaining. The defense kept up their intensity as well, forcing another nine turnovers. By the end of the game, the turnovers caused by UIndy’s defense led to 41 of the Greyhounds’ point total.

Following the victory, Gouard said he thought the team did a great job staying mentally focused prior to the start of the game.

“We didn’t overlook these guys [Redhawks], despite their record,”Gouard said.

“From a mental aspect we approached the game the way you should approach it.”

Overall, the Greyhounds had seven players score in double figures in the game.

5 DECEMBER 11, 2013

Volleyball falls in NCAA DII playoffs

2013 GLVC champs end season in Allendale

By Scott Mitchell OPINION EDITOR

Photo by Ben Zefeng Zhang

Senior guard Reece Cheatham drives in for a layup against the University of Cincinnati Clermont College.

UIndy was led by senior forward Leland Brown, who contributed 20 points to the Greyhounds’ victory.

Brown credited his teammates for his performance and said that he thought the team moved the ball around well, which led to amount of players who scored a lot.

Gouard said he was pleased with how well the team played together.

“I thought we did a great job of sharing the basketball tonight,” Gouard said. “It’s easy to go out tonight—for one guy to be selfish and get points—but we had seven guys in double figures. That is awesome.”

The Greyhounds will travel out of the

United Sates to Puerto Rico next week on Dec. 17, where they will face a pair of teams from the country.

Brown said he is looking forward to the experience.

“It’s going to be great,” Brown said.

“We are going to have a lot of fun playing new people from a whole different area. So it is going to be a lot of fun—get a couple of wins down there and enjoy ourselves.”

UIndy will return to action in the U.S. on Jan. 3, when they will travel to open up Great Lakes Valley Conference play against the Missouri S&T Miners. Game time is set to begin at 8:30 p.m.

and then had a one-year stay at Franklin Community High School in 2009-2010.

During that time, Barrick returned to school and began working on obtaining a bachelor of science and master of arts in teaching degree at UIndy. In 2010, he graduated from the university and was offered a position as the head strength and conditioning coach for the Greyhounds.

He accepted, but this position had not previously existed, and that brought complications.

“Getting a program off the ground is always a challenge,” Barrick said. “You have to get the coaches to buy in, you have to get athletes to buy in and you have to break everyone down and build them back up.”

According to UIndy Baseball Graduate Assistant Coach Scott Lawley, the initial resistance to the Olympic lifts was evident in some coaches and athletes.

Athletes were sore in places where they had not been before, and coaches were hesitant to trust Barrick with a job they had previously controlled. But as success set in, athletes and coaches came to trust in Barrick’s philosophy.

“Being here two years before Steve got here, and three years after he got here, I’ve seen freshmen that wouldn’t normally turn out to be anything gain definition, athleticism, and become key parts in every sport’s success,” Lawley said.

Lawley believes that the recent success of UIndy sports correlates with the influence of the weight program Barrick has brought to the school.

Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach Stephen Linzmeier agrees with Lawley, and said that every team has gotten better and stronger, and the numbers prove it.

UIndy finished 20th in the Learfield

Sports Directors’ Cup in Barrick’s first year at UIndy. The next two years, UIndy finished fifth and then seventh, while also grabbing the first-place Great Lakes Valley Conference All-Sports Trophy both years. But even with these accomplishments credited to Barrick and his staff ’s hard work, Barrick said impacting the post-graduation success of the student athletes is most important to him. His favorite memories are of former athletes returning to the university and telling him about their accomplishments after graduation.

“That is the biggest thing I’m in this for—trying to help young student athletes become better people when they get out of here and go into the workforce,” Barrick said.

Besides his knowledge of and devotion to strength and conditioning, Barrick’s dedication to the student athletes is one of the things that impress those around him most of all.

“He’s in here [at] 5:30 [a.m.] to 5:30 [p.m.] every single day, sometimes even later than that,” Lawley said. “It’s amazing interning with him, seeing the drain that he puts on his body putting workouts together and working with teams. For him to come to work every day and not be in the worst mood ever is pretty amazing.

He’ll do whatever he has to do to help you.”

According to Barrick, the family atmosphere keeps him grounded at UIndy. As a homegrown Hoosier, he said he could not imagine leaving Central Indiana. Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Sue Willey said she recognizes Barrick’s passion for and participation in the culture of success at UIndy. Willey said she strives to keep good people at the school.

“No matter what,” Willey said, “I will fight to the death to keep Steve Barrick.”

The semifinal game of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Midwest Regional tournament on Dec. 6 went to the Ferris State University Bulldogs in a five set win, 3-2, over the University of Indianapolis volleyball team.

The Greyhounds stole the first set 25-21, but the Bulldogs responded with tough front line defense, taking the next two sets, 25-16 and 25-15, respectively.

The Greyhounds rallied in the fourth set, 25-18, forcing a fifth set.The Greyhounds were not able to pull out a win in the final set, however, falling 15-10 to the Bulldogs.

The Greyhounds recorded 91 digs in the match, including 26 from junior defensive specialist Kimberly Trojan. Junior setter Meghan Binkerd put up 41 assists on the night and added seven kills to the Greyhounds’ total of 55. Sophomore outside hitter Hailey Brown and senior middle blocker Brittany Anglemyer each tallied 14 kills.

In the first round of the tournament, the Greyhounds drew the Northwood University Timberwolves. Head Volleyball Coach Jason Reed said the Greyhounds were going into the match with the game plan of “slowing down” the Timberwolves’ first team All-American sophomore outside hitter Juliia Pakhomenko. Pakhomenko tallied 26 kills in the game, but the Greyhounds prevailed in four sets.

The Greyhounds had five players finish with double-digit digs. Brown had 15 digs and 14 kills in the game, and Binkerd had 11 digs along with 46 assists and five kills.

The week before, serving and passing were the keys to the Greyhounds’ 3-1 victory over the Truman State University Bulldogs on Nov. 24 in Romeoville, Ill. The win gave the Greyhounds their second Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament championship in the past three years.

“It feels great,” Reed said. “I really feel like we’ve come together. We’ve been exercising our game plan really well. Our fight and effort have been phenomenal.

There’s nothing negative that I can say.

The girls are playing really well at the right time of year.”

The Greyhounds faced Truman State for the second time in the month of November with the first match ending in a hard-fought five set Greyhound victory. Binkerd knew that the Bulldogs would be tough opponents going in to the championship but was proud of the Greyhounds’ focus.

“Truman is a team that is very scrappy.

They never go away. Even when you have a big lead, they keep fighting. Knowing we had a lead in the game, we still didn’t get content and that helped us to finish,” Binkerd said.

The Greyhounds tallied 84 digs and six aces against the Bulldogs. They also had four players with double-digit kills, including Brown, who tallied 22 kills in the match, and senior outside hitter Kenzie Bruggeman, who had 10 kills along with 20 digs.

In the semifinal match on Nov. 23, the Greyhounds defeated the Rockhurst University Hawks in four sets.The Hawks had taken down UIndy in the previous season in the 2012 GLVC Championship Tournament, and according to Binkerd, the team was not going to let that happen again.

“Everyone that played last year knew that we couldn’t overlook them this year and we needed to give them the respect they deserved, and we did. We took care of business,” Binkerd said.

Anglemyer finished the set with 12 kills on just 17 attempts, good for a .647 hitting percentage, while Bruggeman tacked on 12 kills and 16 digs.

The Greyhounds shut out the Missouri S&T Miners on Nov. 22, winning the match 3-0. UIndy suffered a 3-0 loss at the hands of the Miners at the beginning of the season, and according to Binkerd, the team was eager to put that behind them.

Brown had 16 kills in the game on a .481 hitting percentage. Binkerd tallied 38 assists and seven digs in the three sets, and Bruggeman had nine digs and 11 kills.

The Greyhounds finished their 2013 season with an overall record of 25-10, while finishing 15-3 in the GLVC.

Strength coach improves athletics

A heavy bar rests on the floor. It is held in rough hands connected to tense arms.

The chest is out, eyes ahead, core tight, knees bent and feet balanced. Strong, perfectly still, the body waits. Then, with one controlled upward explosion, the bar and weight are lifted from the floor to a resting place on the shoulders, just above the collarbone. The weight returns to the floor, and the body and mind reset for another repetition.

This is an example of how one type of “Olympic lift” is carried out in the University of Indianapolis athletics weight room. These lifts are put into place by Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Steve Barrick to create a sound, strong and explosive body for student athletes.

Beyond the weight room, Barrick also strives to give UIndy student athletes balanced and healthy lifestyles.

According to Barrick, his passion for fitness started before middle school when his father bought him a Joe Weider universal machine that stayed in the back of his childhood home where he would do various exercises including squats and bench. Barrick’s love for fitness continued as he competed as a student athlete at Center Grove High School in Greenwood, Ind. Franklin College gave Barrick the opportunity to play football after high school, and in 2002 he graduated from Franklin with a degree in sociology, but fitness was still on his mind.

After graduation, Barrick sought a strength and conditioning position and landed a job as a football and strength coach at Indian Creek High School in Trafalgar, Ind. He spent several years there

The results of weightlifting Below is a chart on the number of GLVC postseason appearances and conference championships by UIndy athletics since 2006. The charts represent the improvements in those numbers since the hire of Steve Barrick in 2010.

40

Seasons from 2006-2009 Seasons from 2010-2013

35

Number of championships

By Scott Mitchell OPINION EDITOR

30

*Graph does not account for sports that are still in 2013 season

25 20 15 10 5 0

Postseason appearances

Conference championships

Source: http://athletics.uindy.edu Graphic by Anna Wieseman

ENTERTAINMENT

6

DECEMBER 11, 2013

THE REFLECTOR

REVIEWS

THE RATINGS

CLASSIC

GREAT

MEDIOCRE

BAD

HORRIBLE

1 MOVIE

JEAN 2 BRITNEY CD

CAFE 3 BISCUITS RESTAURANT

4 BOOK

OF LIGHTS 5 CIRCLE ADVENTURES

>> The world that comes alive on the screen is an insane, dystopian society that exploits its young adults to fight to death. That being said, “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” was spellbinding.

Based off the book series of the same name, which I enjoy, I found protagonist Katniss to be too whiny in them. In the movie version of “Catching Fire,” she is the opposite. She does not spend time bemoaning how hard it is to be trapped between two men in the Peeta/Gale love triangle. Instead, she channels her anger at the situation into making her a positive female role model who takes charge. Nowhere is this more evident than when she is thrown back into the Hunger Games.

This time, though, she has to face the victors of past games, victors who won by killing their opponents, not by threatening to commit suicide. Despite a few minor details being left out, the tone of the book is transferred to the screen perfectly. I recommend “Catching Fire” to anyone looking for a great movie.

>> As ironic as it sounds coming from someone who primarily enjoys listening to rap and hip-hop, I actually enjoy some of Britney Spears’ music. In her latest album, “Britney Jean,” however, I don’t know if I am quite ready to say the same. Throughout the album, no unique tracks jump out as classics, and it feels as if quite a few tracks are just her voice added with a mix of techno and house music. This obviously is great music for dancing, but not for a normal listening basis. “It Should Be Easy,” one of the tracks off the pop star’s album featuring will.i.am, was nowhere near the same level of its predecessor track by the duo, “Scream & Shout.” The only track that I did enjoy personally was the shortest one, which is called “Tik Tik Boom” featuring Atlanta rapper T.I. The song had a nice beat, and it was nice to hear T.I. in another collaboration with a big music star such as Spears. Overall, this album wasn’t horrible, but nothing special, and was average at best.

>> Biscuits Cafe is an unexpected delight. This Mexican breakfast cafe surprised me in every aspect, and I left happily surprised and very full. From the menu to the service, Biscuits Cafe delivers wonderfully all around. My waitress was patient and helpful as I tried to order, but it was one of the cafe’s regular patrons who decided that as a newbie to Biscuits, I should order the spicy biscuits and gravy.

Regretfully, that customer left well before I could thank him for his advice. I found that my spicy biscuits and gravy was absolutely spectacular, and this is coming from a picky eater, too. The gravy was delicious, with a thick and spicy mixture, and the biscuits were flaky and soft like Pillsbury Grands’ homestyle biscuits. My large plate of biscuits and gravy barely broke $10 after tax, making Biscuits affordable as well as delicious. I would recommend Biscuits Cafe to anyone who wants to enjoy a twist on the everyday breakfast/ brunch meal that can be afforded on a college budget.

>> This book was not at all what I expected. Frankly, it was much worse.

The title describes exactly what the book does, but the description suggests that the book’s objective will put the youth culture in the context of the political climate at that time. But “1963”does not do that at all.

It is just a bunch of quotes from interviews of musicians, artists and fashion designers divided into chapters, with a brief section about the historical context. This book may be interesting to a fan of ‘60s music, art or fashion, or someone who has lived through the ‘60s and wants a walk down memory lane. However, I wanted to learn about how the youth culture of the time influenced politics and read about that history, so I was greatly disappointed. In the brief moment when the book talked about John F. Kennedy’s assassination, the book offered one quote and quickly moved on to the Beatles playing “The Ed Sullivan Show.”This book has little depth and seems thrown together. If you want to learn about the culture, look elsewhere.

>> The moment has finally arrived, and now the world’s largest non-tree Christmas tree is lit. For 51 years, the Circle of Lights has been a wonderful display to bring in the holiday season.

No matter how old you are or how many times you’ve seen the tree, it is exciting to see Monument Circle all lit up every year for the holidays. The 242-foot tree is completed with 4,784 lights and 52 garland strands that dazzle Monument Circle. Downtown was packed Nov. 29 as thousands of Hoosiers came out, braving the cold to sing and celebrate the beginning of the Christmas season.

It was a night full of entertainment, and even Santa Claus himself took time away from the North Pole to say hello to the crowd. After the tree was lit, one would think Monument Circle could not get any brighter, but then fireworks filled the night sky. The Circle of Lights is a spectacular sight that is unique to Indiana, a tradition that all Hoosiers should experience some time in their life.

Michael Rheinheimer • Editorial Assistant

AJ Rose • Sports Editor

Taylor Richardson • Staff Writer

Leeann Doerflein • Feature Editor

Tori Yant • Staff Writer

IF YOU LIKE THIS, CHECK OUT: “LOGAN’S RUN” OR “A NEW HOPE”

IF YOU LIKE THIS, CHECK OUT: “PRISM” BY KATY PERRY

1035 BROAD RIPPLE AVE. INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46220

IF YOU LIKE THIS, CHECK OUT: “1963: THE YEAR THAT WAS” BY ANDREW COOK

IF YOU LIKE THIS, CHECK OUT: THE INDY ZOO’S CHRISTMAS AT THE ZOO

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE

1963: THE YEAR OF THE REVOLUTION

Masterclass piano recital educates students

By Owen Kaelble STAFF WRITER

A piano masterclass led by pianist and University of Indianapolis Associate Adjunct Professor of Music Minju Choi was held on Nov. 22.

A masterclass is a tutoring session from an expert to a gifted performer.

The performer plays the piece and then is given advice by the expert on how to improve.

In this case, the youngest performer was in fourth grade and the oldest was a high school senior. Most masterclasses, including this one, are held in public.

The first song was the first-ever recital performance for 10-year-old Abby Ko, who played a piece composed by Joseph Haydn. According to Choi, no performer ever forgets his or her first recital.

“My mom had a piano school, and I lived in a home with seven pianos,” she said.

Choi has been teaching since she was in high school, when she taught alongside her mother, and has taught at UIndy since 2010. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Juilliard and has performed around the world. She said she believes the most rewarding part of being a teacher is watching the growth of the students.

“I’m witnessing one step further in their piano education to become a better pianist, “ she said.

According to Choi, the most important part of being a teacher is instilling confidence.

“It comes down to how they [the students] communicate through music

Mirrors inspire student’s senior photo exhibition

By Mia Lin STAFF WRITER

Photo by Mia Lin

Music professor Minju Choi explains the purpose of a masterclass to the audience at her Nov. 22 class. and giving them the confidence that they have something good and worth sharing,” she said.

Choi said that her student musicians can use any feelings of stage fright to their advantage.

“The more you perform, the more you are able to control your nervousness and utilize the nervous energy into something positive on stage,” she said.

Senior sports management major Cole Quyle was impressed with all the pianists and especially enjoyed the second song, “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2” by Franz Liszt, which has appeared in some of his favorite cartoons.

“I thought the performers did a really good job and I learned more about piano

than I thought I would in a day,” he said.

Choi said another goal of a masterclass is for the player to improve their piece by being taught by an expert.

“You talk about what was great about their playing and some things you were thinking about during the performance,” she said.

However, Choi also said that her tips are just suggestions, and it is the musician’s decision whether to accept them or not.

While the audience and the performer can come away with some newfound knowledge, the performer, according to Choi, also has a duty for the stage.

“They have a responsibility,” she said.

“As a musician to share their music and say something beautiful.”

Senior fine arts major Jessica Stucky held her senior thesis exhibition on Dec. 2. The exhibition, which features photographs of mirrors, ran from Dec. 2 to Dec. 6 in the Schwitzer Student Center Gallery.

Stucky’s inspiration to use mirrors came gradually and took a while to finalize into her senior project, she said.

“I hadn’t completely decided on my senior thesis project, but I had started working with car rearview mirrors, and I did use some car rearview mirror group pictures in my senior show,” Stucky said.

She said that about two years ago she began taking pictures using the rearview mirror of a vehicle. That idea originally stemmed from an artist who was taking pictures out of car windows as he passed buildings. Stucky decided to take her pictures of the buildings in the rear view mirror to show them behind the car.

“I wanted to show where we had passed on the way to where we were going,” she said.

She then began to incorporate larger mirrors which were three feet wide by five feet tall. She said that her motivation was to find a mirror that looked similar in length to a door, to show viewers that they were going through another portal into a different dimension.

The show was not without obstacles and challenges. One of the challenge Stucky said she had was that in the process

of setting up for the show, two mirrors broke. Eventually she did use mirror fragments in her photos, but at that time the broken mirrors were a hassle.

“I wasn’t trying to use pieces of mirrors yet, so when I was on a shoot and my mirror broke, I had to stop and go get another one, try to do a different shoot at another time because I wasn’t at a point when I was trying to incorporate that [the shards] into my shoot,” Stucky said.

Another obstacle sometimes came when she was capturing the rearview mirror pictures.

“There are times where if we pass something too quickly, we can’t get the picture. Or if you hit a bump in the road, you can’t quite get that picture if the roads are a little uneven,” Stucky said.

Associate Professor of Art and Design Donna Adams, who served as Stucky’s faculty advisor, witnessed the senior’s project developing.

“She was pursuing this interest in mirrors looking backward as she’s going forward,” Adams said. “That slowly developed, became a more in-depth subject she was exploring, which lasted a couple of years. I’ve known of her increasing interest over a two year period, which was amazing.”

Adams also praised Stucky’s exhibit, saying that the work Stucky put forth in her photography was a reflection of her meeting high standards.

“She’s one of those rare students who combines intellect, enthusiasm, hard work and creativity,” Adams said. “She’s going to go far.”

Students gain experience through directing

By Mercadees Hempel STAFF WRITER

Contributed by Brad Wright

(l-r) Junior Kyle Mishler and senior Will Schnabel perform a scene in the play “Moonlight and Magnolias.”

Student Directed Productions’ last show was Dec. 7, the last night student directors could watch their masterpieces play out on stage.

SDPs occur once a year alternating semesters. Three to four students who have completed the Directing I course are chosen to direct any production of their choice.

Potential directors have to fill out applications, turn in the scripts of the plays they would like to direct and explain their concepts and ideas to the professors who interview them.

This year, juniors Elise Campagna, Daryl Hollonquest, India Van Camp and senior Ross Percell were chosen as directors.

Every show is a compilation of four short plays. Campagna’s choice was “None of the Above,”by Jenny Lyn Bader, and was the first play performed. Hollonquest’s choice, “Intermission,” by Daniel Melt-

zer, was second. Van Camp’s adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe’s short story “The Cask of Amontillado” was third. Percell’s choice, “Moonlight and Magnolias,” by Ron Hutchinson, was last.

The students’ responsibilities included more than just choosing the plays. They were in charge of casting, call backs, setting up rehearsal schedules, blocking and guiding their designers and actors. While the tasks were daunting, the students said they gained something out of the experience.

“Having the responsibility of being in charge is scary,” Van Camp said. “But it’s so amazing. It’s like your vision [that] people get to help you build, and you get to see something get created, and it’s amazing to be a part of something that’s bigger than yourself.”

Percell said that the chance to direct gave him hands-on experience with what happens in all facets of putting a show together, such as working with designers, costumes, blocking and lighting.

“I got to see what designers are thinking,”he said.“I got to see what was impor-

tant to a director. I think most importantly during tech weekend, I figured out what is annoying. As an actor, I will be a little bit more respectful of people’s efforts.”

Campagna said directing is beneficial in learning the thought processes of others involved in different departments.

“Being on this side [of theatre] really allows you to see what kind of people you like to work with,” she said. “[It] allows you to be that kind of person when you are doing other jobs.”

Hollonquest had directed in the past for SDPs, but he said every chance to direct helps him get better as a director and in the end something special is created.

“The best part about it for me, personally, is the end of the directing process, which is when the show opens,” he said.

“It reminds me a lot of if you have a kid at birth and you’re raising it, and opening night is like when your kid goes off to kindergarten for the first time … You helped raise that thing, and now it’s able to go and operate on its own. That’s my favorite part: knowing when it’s ready to take on the world.”

NEWS

7

THE REFLECTOR

DECEMBER 11, 2013

Speaker discusses oddities of the Gettysburg Address

By Michael Rheinheimer EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Brian Dirck, professor of history at Anderson University and Lincoln scholar, spoke at the University of Indianapolis Dec. 4 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address by then President Abraham Lincoln.

Although Dirck’s lecture was originally scheduled for the exact date of the address, Nov. 19, he had to reschedule due to a family emergency.This lecture was the last of the history department’s new series for this semester, but the department plans to continue the series next semester with three more lectures.

During the lecture, Dirck discussed the “three ways this speech was weird.” His first point was that the Gettysburg Address was weird because Lincoln himself gave the speech.

“Now to you and I, growing up with the modern presidency, that seems rather strange. Presidents do this all the time.

Probably, every other day President Obama, or Clinton before him, did this … but that is a modern understanding of the presidency. It was unusual for an American president in Lincoln’s time to give a public speech,” Dirck said.

According to Dirck, Lincoln was invited to the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery as a formality.The true keynote speaker was Edward Everett, then president of Harvard University.

“The fact is, they probably didn’t think he [Lincoln] was going to accept, because

Graphic by Wes Bausmith, Los Angeles Times/MCT

presidents just didn’t do that,” he said.

Dirck’s second point was the risk that Lincoln took in giving the speech.

“The way the myth is written … Lincoln understands that this is an opportune moment to tell America what it [the Civil War] was all about,” Dirck said.

Dirck reminded the audience that presidents are just as liable to make fools of themselves as anyone else, referencing the story of Lincoln touring the battlefield at Antietam, which is considered the bloodiest day in American history.

“It could have been argued that Lincoln was responsible for their deaths. He gave the order to send them in. So he became very depressed,” Dirck said.

According to Dirck, an old friend who had accompanied Lincoln on the tour began singing at that point to cheer up

the president. The partisan press of the time caught word of the singing and told the readers that Lincoln sang “bawdy barroom ditties” and even that the president “danced a jig upon the dead.”

“What if Abraham Lincoln had gone to Gettysburg that day … and done something dumb?” Dirck asked. “... Lincoln took a great risk in even going to Gettysburg.”

Dirck’s final point was that the speech itself was considered an oddity by the standards of the time.

Everett’s speech, given before Lincoln’s, lasted for two hours. Dirck read the opening paragraph, then stopped to comment on how boring the speech was.

“Are you asleep yet? The first time I read it, I was putting forks in my eyes,” he said.

Lincoln’s speech, on the other hand, lasted only two minutes. According to Dirck, Everett later wrote to Lincoln saying that his shorter speech was the better of the two.

Sophomore exercise science major Ellen Thomas said that she thought Dirck’s lecture was interesting and well-received by those in attendance.

“I feel like he’d be a good teacher to have. He was very excited and entertaining,” Thomas said.

Freshman education major Chelsea Yeadon said that she had an interest in becoming a history teacher, so she really enjoyed the lecture.

“He had a really good voice,” she said.

“I learned a lot more about Lincoln than I did before.”

Students organize pirate event

By Annisa Nunn DISTRIBUTION MANAGER The experience design program at the University of Indianapolis hosted the event “Pirates: Which crew will you choose?” on Nov. 19. Participants chose a ship to be loyal to, played real pirate games, learned how to make hard tack and participated in other activities.

Freshman sports management major Trae Cole said that he enjoyed earning Lecture/Performance credit for becoming a pirate for a day.

“It was good. Everyone likes to learn about pirates—best L/P I’ve been to,” Cole said.

Freshman art education major Torie Howell is in the Experience Design 101 course that worked to put together the event. According to Howell, not only was the event enjoyable but doing all of the preparation and research for the event was just as fun.

“It [the course] is completely educational. I am a very visual person, so it aids my education,” Howell said. “I look

forward to the class.”

Howell said that the class was set up like the event, so the students chose which crew they wanted to be loyal to.

She said that as the class went on, a story developed with setbacks and blessings, just like a game of chutes and ladders.

The students assumed roles and learned about navigation and how to tie riggings.

Howell said that the class is not just fun and games, though. It requires a portfolio as a final project that includes everything they have learned. They also have to develop a first-person composite character based on historical facts.

“It’s a lot of work, but I’m very glad,” Howell said.

Director of Experience Design and Associate Professor of History Samantha Meigs said that experience design is used in museums, event planning, themed hospitality and attractions. According to Meigs, experience design also is useful for interactive marketing, and the field in general is quite large.

“What I am doing in this class is one example of experience design. The field itself is bigger than just history, but it is

a way of actually engaging people,” she said. “It is a way to engage, entertain and educate.”

Students can choose to major or minor in experience design or can choose it as a concentration. The option has been available for about six years and is interdisciplinary, so it is intended to be able to mix with students’ other interests.

There are three tracks that can be chosen: design, research or management. The classes require no prerequisites, so anyone can take them as a general core credit.

Junior experience design major Austin Baker said that he enjoys how there is a new topic each semester, so he and his classmates have opportunities to create many different experiences.

Baker said that the courses are always unique because the students get to design completely different worlds each semester.

Over the past year they have built futuristic distopias and recreated the crusades.

“It is a really good major, because it is interdisciplinary. You get people that are in theatre, communication, history or archeology,” Baker said. “There are all kinds of people, and it works well for events.”

States, approximately 40,000 are Chin and 50,000 Karen, with the rest made up of almost every other ethnic group, including Burman.

In Indianapolis, most of the refugees are Chin. However, Vahnie said that his organization encourages diversity and inclusiveness, so that no one is discriminated against for any reason.

“In short, yes, Chin are the majority, 80 percent in central Indiana,” he said.

“But it is still very diverse, representative of almost all ethnic groups in Burma.”

To Jane Gelhausen, director of International and Cultural Affairs for the mayor’s office, this growing diversity is just another way Indianapolis is tied to the rest of the world.

“We’re just so globally connected, and that wasn’t the case decades ago, but that’s the case today,” she said. “Mayor Ballard is very passionate about making sure that our city is advancing on a global level.”

Gelhausen said that she helps organize conferences for the city’s resettlement agencies, Exodus Refugee Immigration and Catholic Charities, and helps them get more grants.

“Those two organizations would be responsible for picking them up at the airport, settling them into an apartment, helping them to find a job, getting their kids enrolled, providing orientation on a number of topics...” she said. “They cover topics from the very basics to the long-term goal of helping them become U.S. citizens.”

However, Gelhausen said that the new refugees probably receive as much support from the close to 25 Burmese church communities, grocery stores, restaurants and other refugee-operated businesses and organizations on the South side.

According to Vahnie, the U.S. govern-

ment initially decided to send refugees to Indiana because a small community of Burmese refugees, rooted in higher education, already existed here. He said that it started when a distant relative of his, who left Burma many years ago seeking political asylum, came to the state in the 1990s and started a program with Indiana University. Beginning in 1996, he said, the program brought about five students each year to IU for intensive English training; -then the students could apply to colleges.

In 2003, Vahnie first came to the United States to participate in the program. Afterwards he earned a degree at IU. Since then, he has been a proponent of education, which he believes is the best tool to advance the community.

“Education is the most important thing for everything, politically—societal change and economic sustainability,” he said. “Education is the key.”

FELLOWSHIP from page 1 She said the first cohort will travel to According to Director of the WoodSwitzerland. row Wilson Indiana Teaching FellowSomers and Smith have been design- ship Program and Assistant Professor of ing the program since October 2012, Education Deborah Sachs, starting on when the Woodrow Wilson National day one, fellows get the unique experiFellowship Program approached UIndy to ence of being in the classroom for an create a program that integrates business entire school year, whereas comparable and education and emphasizes bringing programs typically have one semester of schools up to international standards. student teaching. The fellows are placed According to Somers, the MBA at middle and high schools in Wayne, fellowship looks at school leadership Decatur and Perry townships. through a different lens.

Associate Director of He said that he and Smith the Woodrow Wilson Indeconstructed the MBA diana Teaching Fellowship curriculum and the iLEAD Program and Assistant principal preparation proProfessor Jean Lee said that gram curriculum to make an because of this year-long entirely new program that experience in the classroom, marries the two areas. Also, UIndy fellows stand out faculty from the schools of from other newly trained business and education will teachers. teach collaboratively.

According to the fellowSomers and Smith met ship webpage, the fellows with administrators from have a 100 percent placemany central Indiana schools ment rate upon graduation SMITH to get feedback on program from the program. And as part details and to ask whether this program of the agreement, the fellows teach at a would interest them for their qualified high-need school district in Indiana for faculty. According to Smith, getting three years following graduation. the administrators involved is a vital Both the teaching fellowship and component. the MBA fellowship have mentoring “We want mechanisms and to make sure Super Saturdays the fellow that for professional comes in does development something in when they learn his or her from each other school that and professionals will help that in their fields. school make According to change,” Lee, the compoSmith said. nent that likely “ W hen the makes UIndy’s fellows are teaching fellowdoing their field projects, they are con- ship most attractive for administrators and sulting with their cooperating principals prospective fellows is its Project-Based to see how they can move the school Learning model that all of the fellows are forward.” taught to implement in their classrooms.

Smith said that this program is in line Lee said that administrators have taken with President Robert Manuel’s vision notice of the experience that UIndy felfor the university, especially in regard to lows have and consider them to be more the partnerships. She said that these links seasoned than other new teachers. to the community with schools and the Sachs said that she has noticed a business world will help UIndy be an even similar phenomenon and the wide range larger anchor in the city. of experience that fellows get with PBL. “The strategic plan of President “Project Based Learning is something Manuel is to really connect with the that we do well that no other university community, and this makes connections is doing,” Sachs said. “School administrato other industries and this is a way that tors are calling us because they want our we are able to serve and expand education fellows, because they know how to teach even further,” Smith said.

PBL. So they actually design, implement Somers said that the program will the project and become comfortable with have many benefits for UIndy, such as the model.” attracting more students to the education In addition, Lee said that the PBL and business programs and showing the project must have a service component community and the world that UIndy is and integrate a partner from the commua hub for innovation. nity to help fellows realize that teaching “We think it will bring prestige to the takes a village. university,” Somers said. “... We think it “Part of what the PBL requires is that blends really well with the Woodrow they need to involve a community partner, Wilson Teaching Fellowship, and it is so that what the student is learning is not a best practice in terms of teaching and just taught by the teacher but is integrated leadership.” with the needs or the challenge that the UIndy’s teaching fellowship is also community partner has,” Lee said. “I a unique program. UIndy was the first think that this steps up a notch, in terms private school in the state to become a of getting the fellows to see that teaching part of the program and is among only five isn’t an isolated thing in the walls of your schools that have a fellowship in Indiana. classroom.”

“We want to make sure the fellow that comes in does something in his or her school that will help that school make change.”

BURMESE from page 1 Persecution and the past

According to Vahnie, the situation in Burma, which is officially called the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, has been an ongoing struggle ever since the country declared independence from British rule in 1948. Since then, he said, the country has seen multiple governments toppled.

Many different ethnic groups live in Burma, including the Chin, Karen, Kachin, Karenni, Rhakine, Shan and Mon. However, the Burman ethnic group, which comprises nearly 70 percent of the population, controls the country.

According to Vahnie, the Chin are mostly Christian, while the most popular religion in Burma is Buddhism, so the government’s ethnic cleansing policies target them.

“It’s really deeply rooted in the ethnic conflicts, which started even before the independence, basically between the Burman and Karen. So after the independence, it continued this pattern of the military being used to persecute or deprive the rights of ethno-minorities, including the Karen or Chin, I can say, up to today,” he said. “So that is why people flee from Burma.”

Tial said that she was young when she left Burma, but she still despises the government, because of how it dictated to the minorities and tried to intimidate them. She said that the Burmese refugees will not call their home country Myanmar, but some go even further.

“Although since we’re from Burma, we’re supposed to be called Burmese,”she said. “But since we don’t like the government, that’s why we call ourselves Chin.”

According to Vahnie, of the 115,000 refugees that have come to the United

Education and the future

Director of Community Programs Marianna Foulkrod oversees the university’s partnership with BACI and instructs the UIndy students who volunteer with the organization as a part of their service learning.

She said that she first became aware of the Burmese community simply by living on the South side, at times when she would take her daughter to get vaccinations or sign up for school.

As a sociologist, Foulkrod said that she wanted to understand what implications this influx of refugees had on UIndy as part of the community.

“I sat down and thought to myself, how can I educate my students at the University of Indianapolis about this social change?” she said. “... From all the partnerships that we have, we somehow got connected

with the Burmese-American Community Institute.”

According to Foulkrod, the 15 or so UIndy students who work with BACI have helped tutor Burmese students at Southport High School and helped write a guide to living in the United States by compiling feedback from community leaders, employers and residents.

Vahnie said that the English version of the guide is finished, but he is still working to translate it into Burmese and Chin.

Tial said that starting out in middle school helped her, because she was able learn English before the course work got even more challenging. However, she said that trying to complete assignments while learning the language they were written in was very difficult.

“I tried to look at the dictionary, but translating everything, it doesn’t make sense in Chin, too,” she said. “So sometimes I would cry, because it’s like I really wanted to finish the homework and get a good grade, but I couldn’t.”

According to Tial, she still has a few issues with language sometimes, but that has not stopped her. She said that some of her friends were discouraged and decided not to go college, if they even finished high school.

“There are a few friends who decided not to go to college, because they are not proficient enough in English or they have to support their family,”she said.“Because they can’t find a good job, at least two or three people have to work in a family to support themselves.”

Vahnie said that many refugees work in low-skill, labor-intensive jobs at warehouses and factories, even if they earned college degrees back in Burma, and the only way to change that is through higher education.

Vahnie said that he has seen a jump in the number of students deciding to go to college. According to Vahnie, only 20 percent of high school graduates from the Burmese community in Perry Township decided to go to college in 2010, but last year the number grew to 57 percent.

“We are very pleased to see that notable rising number of college-going rates among the students,” he said.

For the past two summers, BACI has hosted the Upward College Scholars Program at UIndy, and in 2012 Tial was able to take part in it.

“We are very lucky that we are close to the University of Indianapolis,” Vahnie said. “And I can see a lot of opportunities where we can work together to contribute to the development of this community.”

Foulkrod said that she believes plenty of work is still left to help the recently arrived refugees, as well as those still to come. She said that the university has received an AmeriCorp planning grant and she is working to create a program for UIndy students that would further serve the refugee community in the area.

“Given that our president is all about— a large part of the Vision 2030 is about— the development of the South side, this complements that vision,” she said.

According to Foulkrod, this is an opportunity for faculty, staff and administrators just as much as it is for students, because this group of people is in the university’s metaphorical backyard.

And with about 1,000 refugees arriving every year, Foulkrod said, we as a community cannot afford to ignore the challenges and opportunities until it is too late.

“One day, we’re going to have 30,000 refugees,” she said. “And people are going to wake up.”

NATION & WORLD

8 THE REFLECTOR

DECEMBER 11, 2013

South Africa mourns death of NEWS Nelson Mandela, its ‘greatest son’ BRIEFS

By Robyn Dixon LOS ANGELES TIMES

JOHANNESBURG(MCT)—Dressed in black against a twilight-blue background, a somber South African President Jacob Zuma appeared on television to give his countrymen the news they had long dreaded.

“My fellow South Africans,” he intoned. “Our beloved Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the founding president of our democratic nation, has departed.”

With that announcement, delivered about 11:35 p.m., Dec. 5, South Africa learned that it had lost its greatest figure: its first black president, the leader of the movement to end the apartheid system of racial discrimination and a man known to most as simply Madiba.

“Our nation has lost its greatest son,” Zuma said. “Our people have lost a father.”

Mandela, 95, never recovered after being admitted to a hospital in June with the latest of several severe bouts of pneumonia. Although doctors managed to stabilize his condition, he remained in critical health until the end. He was released from the hospital in September and was treated at his home in the Johannesburg suburb of Houghton.

Zuma said he died there peacefully at 8:50 p.m., Dec. 5.

Almost immediately, people began to converge around the house to pay their respects, to be a part of history or simply because they didn’t know what else to do.

They were white and black, many still in their pajamas, some flying South African flags from their cars.

“Everybody’s heart is with the old man,” said Prince Maphumulo, 43, who drove more than 60 miles to the home when he heard the news. Maphumulo, a soldier in the South African army, was wearing a jacket from Mandela’s African National Congress.

“We are actually not surprised in South Africa by now because he has been sick for a very, very long time,” he said.

“We’ve been expecting this any time.”But he added: “His legacy is incomparable anywhere in the world. He’s a world

Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, delivers remarks at a program in Washington, D.C., in this file photo from May 16, 2005. Mandela died on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013. (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT) icon. He’s the liberator of South Africa.

He managed to do miracles. That man changed his country without spilling any blood. ...He used his power the right way.”

Melissa Hoffman, who also drove to the house, said she had been on the phone Thursday night with a South African friend who had moved to Australia.

The conversation was interrupted when the friend received a text message from another South African, who had moved to Canada. She read the text to Hoffman: Nelson Mandela had died.

“It’s so huge, it’s just so big,” Hoffman said of the news. “In a way, it feels surreal, but in another way, it’s been coming for such a long time.”

In recent days, Mandela’s family appeared to prepare the nation for its hero’s death. His daughter, Makaziwe Mandela, had said Tuesday that Mandela was on his deathbed.

“Tata is still with us, strong, courageous,” she told state-owned television, using the Xhosa word for father.“Even for a lack of a better word, on his ‘deathbed’he

enrichment or occupational skills, such as “Cardiac Arrest, Resuscitation Science, and Hypothermia.”

Perna said she was a bit surprised by the results.

“Four percent is low. I didn’t expect it to be quite this low,” she said.

But Ed Rock, who heads Penn’s MOOC initiative, called the findings “entirely unsurprising and not at all troubling.

Four or five percent of 1.6 million (current users) is still 80,000 people, and 80,000 people is a huge number to educate.”

Rock, senior adviser to the president and provost and director of open course initiatives, also said those who do not complete have gotten something from the experience.

The majority of MOOC users are doing it for leisure learning or job development, so it’s not surprising that few finish, said Cathy Sandeen, vice president for education attainment and innovation at the American Council on Education.

“There is a place for MOOCs in terms of degree attainment, but it’s probably a smaller component overall than we might have originally thought,” she said.

Rock acknowledged that educators have a way to go in learning how best to fit MOOCs into the educational mission.

Penn has partnered with 10 high schools locally and nationally whose teachers are using Penn’s calculus course to supplement classroom learning.

“Our hope is our material will be of value. We won’t know that unless [high school teachers] try it out and tell us,” he said. “We believe these materials have the potential to revolutionize education, but they’re only going to work in a partnership.”

Perna, whose team includes researchers Alan Ruby, Robert Boruch, Nicole Wang, Janie Scull, Chad Evans and Seher Ahmad, agreed that MOOCs could benefit society. She cited the case of a neighbor who is taking a management MOOC with co-workers, who meet each week to discuss what they’ve learned.

“I think there is something there,” she said, “but we need to understand better what that contribution is. Penn is clearly committed to exploring these issues.”

By Kevin G. Hall McCLATCHY WASHINGTON BUREAU

is teaching us lessons: lessons in patience, in love, lessons of tolerance. Every moment I get with him, I’m amazed. There are times where I have to pinch myself that I come from this man who is a fighter even though you can see he is struggling, but fighting spirit is still there with him.”

As Mandela’s health worsened Dec. 5, family members, including two of his granddaughters, and close friends visited the home.There were reports that a family meeting had been called at the house, but these were denied by family members.

Although it was clear that Mandela had been fading, Zuma’s announcement came without warning for most people.

And in a country where people tend to go to bed relatively early, many probably were asleep by the time the president went on TV. “He is now resting. He is now at peace,” Zuma said.

Shortly after 2 a.m., a long, slowmoving convoy left Mandela’s home, escorted by dozens of police officers on motorcycles riding in a V formation with their lights flashing. A black van carried Mandela’s coffin, draped in the national flag.

Low-flying helicopters hovered overhead as the procession pulled onto the highway to Pretoria. A handful of late-night onlookers recorded the somber moment with their cellphone cameras.

Zuma said that the nation’s flags would be lowered to half staff until after his funeral.

Mandela is expected to be buried in a private family cemetery in his home village of Qunu in the Eastern Cape, not far from his birth village of Mvezo.

Zuma appealed to his countrymen to look beyond their grief, to strive for the future of the country and to be what Mandela would have wanted them to be.

“Although we knew that this day would come, nothing can diminish our sense of a profound and enduring loss,” Zuma said in his speech from the government building in Pretoria. “This is the moment of our deepest sorrow.” © 2013 Los Angeles Times. Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com. Distributed by MCT Information Services.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service

NATION

Roughly 1 in 10 Obamacare enrollments still flawed, officials say

WASHINGTON — Roughly 10 percent of the enrollment forms the federal health insurance website submits to insurance companies include errors, an administration official said Dec. 6, claiming progress on fixing a critical piece of the troubled online marketplace.

The error rate for the so-called 834 forms, which relay consumers’ personal information to the insurance company they have selected, may have been as high as a quarter of all transactions in October and November, before a flurry of repairs to the HealthCare.gov website, said Julie Bataille, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

-Tribune Washington Bureau

WORLD Rebel group in Syria is holding nuns, Arab newspaper reports

BEIRUT —Syrian rebels are demanding the release of 1,000 female government detainees in exchange for the freedom of a group of Greek Orthodox nuns being held by opposition forces, according to an account published Dec. 6 in a pan-Arab newspaper.

The proposed swap indicates that the nuns are now hostages—contradicting earlier opposition assertions that the sisters were evacuated for their own safety during heavy fighting early last week in Maaloula, a Christian landmark town outside Damascus.

Hostage-taking and kidnapping, often with sectarian overtones, have become defining characteristics of Syria’s more than 2-year-old civil conflict. The fate of two kidnapped Christian bishops, thought seized by opposition forces in April, remains publicly unknown.

-Los Angeles Times Distributed by MCT Information Services

Research discovers Jobless rate hits five-year low limitations of MOOCs Labor Department report shows unemployment rate at seven percent

By Susan Snyder THE PHILADELPHIA ENQUIRER

PHILADELPHIA(MCT)—The University of Pennsylvania is at the forefront of a movement to experiment with free open online courses, but the undertaking, as its own researchers are finding out, has yielded mixed results.

While Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have attracted millions of viewers and been heralded as a potential way to address skyrocketing tuition, very few of their viewers—four percent on average—actually complete the courses, according to the latest study by researchers in Penn’s Graduate School of Education.

Many who register drop off after the first week or two, the researchers found in a study they will present Thursday at a MOOC conference at the University of Texas, Arlington. About half who registered viewed at least one lecture.

The results come on the heels of another Penn study, released last month, that showed a vast majority of students enrolled in MOOCs already hold college degrees and are taking the courses primarily to advance in their jobs, which called into question the notion that the courses were providing greater access to the world’s underprivileged.

“The technology offers some promise of a new approach to addressing both” costs and access, said Laura Perna, a lead researcher on the new study.“We just don’t know to what extent this is going to be more than a promise.”

The researchers looked at 1 million users who registered for the 16 free courses offered from June 2012 to June 2013, among them “Calculus: Single Variable,” “Greek and Roman Mythology,” and “Fundamentals of Pharmacology.” The classes were taught by Penn professors and offered in partnership with Coursera, a California-based online education company and a pioneer in MOOCs. The study, conducted by the newly created Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy at Penn, delved into when users enter and leave courses and when and how they participate. The courses varied in use of quizzes and homework and instruction time. Completion rates were slightly higher in courses with smaller workloads.

Most courses focused on personal

© 2013 The Philadelphia Inquirer. Visit The Philadelphia Inquirer at www.philly. com. Distributed by MCT Information Services.

WASHINGTON(MCT)—Employers added a solid 203,000 jobs in November, driving down the unemployment rate three-tenths of a percentage point to seven percent, the lowest it’s been since November 2008, the Labor Department said Friday.

The healthy jobs report came a day after the Commerce Department revised upward the growth estimates for July through September, determining the economy grew at a surprisingly strong annual pace of 3.6 percent. Also Friday, the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index rose sharply, suggesting shoppers may be ready to loosen holiday purse strings.

“This is an unambiguously strong jobs report. Businesses are getting their groove back and stepping up their hiring. Most encouraging is that the job gains are across most industries,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist for forecaster Moody’s Analytics. “It is still premature to conclude the job market is off and running.”

November job gains were broad, across most sectors of the economy and included a slight upward revision to prior months’ jobs numbers that put October hiring at 200,000. Professional and business services grew by 35,000 jobs in November.

Manufacturing, which had seen sluggish hiring over much of the year, saw 27,000 new jobs last month.

Mainstream economists had expected about 185,000 new hires and only a slight dip in the jobless rate. The strong numbers and other data could cause the Federal Reserve to take its foot off of the accelerator when it meets on Dec. 17-18 to consider tapering off on its $85 billion-a-month in bond purchases to stimulate the economy.

The spate of recent positive data suggests the economic recovery is still gathering steam and could return to greater normalcy—if Washington stays out of the way.

“The budget battles in Washington could still derail confidence and the job market early next year. But if lawmakers can simply do no damage, everything is coming together for a much better job market and economy next year,” said Zandi.

Senate and House of Representatives budget negotiations have sparked cautious optimism of a small deal next week that could remove the threat of another government shutdown and potential debt default.

The White House praised the Friday report.

“With solid job growth in November—in addition to strong data on manufacturing activity and auto sales—it is clear that the recovery continues to gain traction,” Jason Furman, head of the Council of Economic Advisers, said in a statement.

Republicans, who are resisting the administration’s efforts to extend unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed, used the report to argue the strengthening economy does not need further government support.

“Today’s report includes positive signs that should discourage calls for more emergency government stimulus,“ House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said in a statement. “Instead, what our economy needs is more pro-growth solutions that get government out of the way.”

Deeper in the report, however, there was ammunition for supporters of another extension of jobless benefits for the longterm unemployed.

“The share of unemployed workers who have been out of work for more than six months increased in November from 36.1 percent to 37.3 percent. Today, the longterm unemployment rate is more than double the average rate in 2007,” Elise Gould, an economist with the center-left Economic Policy Institute, wrote in an analysis of the jobs report.

Arguably the most unexpected part of Friday’s report was the sharp drop in the unemployment rate.

“Biggest surprise in my view: Big drop in the U.S. unemployment rate to 7.0 percent was far larger than expected,” said Scott Anderson, chief economist for San Francisco-based Bank of the West, adding: “This is a solid payroll report any way you slice and dice it. Job creation is accelerating into the New Year.”

The labor force participation rate held steady, albeit at a depressed rate, suggesting that the drop in the jobless rate was not because of people exiting the workforce.

The jobless rate is derived from a survey of households, and while the results are volatile from month to month, more people reported in November that they were employed and far fewer reported they were unemployed.

Equally heartening in Friday’s report was the strong manufacturing numbers.

The sector had powered recovery in late 2011 and early 2012 but then went slack.

“The strong manufacturing jobs numbers for November—which were the strongest since March 2012—were consistent with the recent pickup in new orders and production for the sector,” said Chad Moutray, chief economist for the National Association of Manufacturers.

“This is definitely an encouraging sign, particularly given the hesitance of many business leaders of late to add new workers given uncertainties in the market. In fact, with these job gains, manufacturing employment has pierced the 12 million mark since April 2009.”

The construction sector also posted surprisingly robust numbers for November, adding 17,000 jobs as cold winter months approached. The sector has struggled to recover as housing has bumped along and lagged the broader recovery. ©2013 McClatchy Washington Bureau.

Visit the McClatchy Washington Bureau at www.mcclatchydc.com. Distributed by MCT Information Services.

FEATURE

9

THE REFLECTOR

DECEMBER 11, 2013

Students mind their small businesses

By Leeann Doerflein FEATURE EDITOR From going to class and studying to running their own businesses, University of Indianapolis students succeed in many areas. Junior international business major Rawan Aldosari, senior communication major Sam Withers and senior communication and psychology major Kathlene Denhard are three students who run businesses in addition to managing their course loads and other responsibilities.

Aldosari said she began her photography business in her home country of Saudi Arabia and has found quite a bit of success in her business. She said she Photo contributed by Kathlene Denhard was reluctant to leave it behind to study at Cleaning supplies, blankets and other necessities donated for Kathlene Denhard’s nonprofit Kans for Kids are piled and ready to make baskets for kids at IPS #114.

UIndy, but she values getting an education and sees a place for both in her future. “When people see the photo, they know beyond just being their teacher. He is also Denhard runs a nonprofit called Kans like a big brother.

Because she is an international student, it is not fake.” for Kids. She started the company in 2011 “Seeing these kids smile in happi- while she was working as a YMCA site In addition to doing what she loves, she cannot formally continue her business while studying during the year, but she has Aldosari has gained money and some- ness while they tell me about their latest director for the youth enrichment proachievements is priceless,” Withers said. gram at IPS #114. According to Denhard thing that is less tangible. five employees do so while she is away.

“There are two sides to the profit— “We cry, we laugh, we gossip, we tell each the school has an extremely high rate of Her photography has spread to the surrounding region, and she photographs there is the experience and the money other anything that is on our minds. And students who get free and reduced price in Dubai and Bahrain. Aldosari initially profit,” Aldosari said. “And the most by building this relationship of trust with lunches and some of the students commarketed her business on Blackberry important thing is the people that I meet them, they are able to completely open up plained to her that they were hungry. She Messenger. Since then, her work has and become a friends with later. There to me and I can teach them in the way that started out with just stocking a closet with spread by word of mouth from custom- are so many brides who I photographed I know will be best fit for their learning snacks for the kids, but she was inspired ers and her social media accounts on their wedding and we are friends now.” styles and their potential success.” to do more.

Although some people get tired of Withers owns a violin and mandolin Instagram and Twitter.

She said that she ended up starting the She mainly concentrates on what she studio in his hometown of Columbus, Ind. things from their childhood, Withers said program when she learned that a grant terms start-of-life photography with her He started Withers String Studio when that he still loves sharing his passion for that allowed School #114 to put together business, focusing on newborns and wed- he was a sophomore in high school, but music and passing knowledge on to his baskets fell through. dings. She said that her work is well-liked he has been giving lessons to friends and students even after 10 years.

“Working with the children on a daily “It is a passion for me, and I will never basis, I knew how important those baskets because she uses a modern, European family since age 12. He said that his busistyle rather than the more old-fashioned ness has taken off more since he started stop teaching. I started doing it so young were to the families,” Denhard said. “I style that other Saudi photographers use. college, and he has even had to let some because I was too young to get a real job, asked what I could do to help.”

Aldosari said that her work is unique students go because of school and other and I wanted money. It was the single That first year, Denhard said that Kans because she talks to her subjects to make work commitments. He has a partnership best reason for me to start teaching at the for Kids was quickly thrown together with them feel comfortable and as a result her with the Columbus Philharmonic and time. However I was only 12,” Withers the help of her family, Central Hall and also teaches summer classes there, which said. “I am now 22 and cannot believe other community partners. It was still photos look more natural.

“When she [the bride] smiled it was in turn refers more students to his studio. what it has turned out to be. I definitely able to feed 30 families for three weeks as Withers said that he has a special is a chapter of my life that I am not sure well as open a food pantry in the school. real, when she laughed it was real: this is what made me popular,” Aldosari said. relationship with his students that goes will ever end.”

Kans for Kids started out as a program

that just assembled Christmas baskets that included nonperishable food items, cleaning supplies and a ham or turkey for needy families. However, it has expanded to include donations for Christmas toys, coats and blankets as well as a year-round food pantry at the school. Denhard said that this expansion is due in no small part to her partnership with UIndy.

“Kans for Kids would not be anywhere near what it is today without the help of the University of Indianapolis and every single person that has helped us,” she said.

“I genuinely cannot thank them enough.”

This year, the UIndy men’s basketball team is partnering with Kans for Kids to throw a Christmas party for 15 student athletes from IPS #114 who cannot afford new uniforms. This is only one thing that the campus community has done to help out Kans for Kids.

Denhard said that she has always found joy in giving and that running Kans for Kids has been rewarding.

“The first year Kans for Kids delivered the baskets to IPS #114, I had a parent come up to me hysterically crying and say, ‘Because of this, I have a gift to give my child this year,’”Denhard said.“I could not control my tears at that point. I lost it. To this day, that still gives me goosebumps.”

Denhard said that she never envisioned herself as head of a nonprofit and did not have a clear path for her future before Kans for Kids and UIndy.

“My life perspective was never a very clear thing to me until I started Kans for Kids. I had an idea of what I wanted to do with my life, and let me tell you, the thought of founding a nonprofit never crossed my mind,” she said. “I know when I leave the University of Indianapolis, I will leave with the biggest smile knowing that I went to school having no idea who I would be when I came out, and now as a senior getting ready to graduate, I have found myself.”

Faculty leagues create Veterans share experiences, connections on campus adjust to life back at home

By Kylee Crane ONLINE EDITOR

Softball swung in successfully and volleyball was a big hit with the faculty as the University of Indianapolis tried out recreational leagues this past summer and fall.

Executive Administrative Assistant in the President’s Office Shanna Brinegar and Executive Assistant to the Executive Vice President and Provost Laura Irmer teamed up to organize both leagues. However, both gave credit to multiple people who assisted in making the softball and volleyball leagues possible.

Irmer said that many people have been helpful in making the leagues possible, including Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities and Operations Bob Brubeck, graduate students, volleyball players and those who stepped up to be captains.

“Ever yone was so supportive and active and played a part in making this happen,” said Irmer.

According to Brinegar, approximately 40 participated in volleyball and 45-50 played softball. Irmer said the responses from the faculty have been positive.

“We have had very great feedback from the faculty and we have even had a few who did not participate in the first round who have since been in the office and have said they definitely plan to sign up for softball in the spring,” Irmer said.

Brinegar said the positive responses have led to increased interaction across campus and helped bring about more community involvement.

“We played Tuesday nights and then Wednesday morning. It was the thing everyone was talking about. It was a lot of fun to reflect on what happened the night before,” Brinegar said. “We had two staff members in the bookstore who were very involved in softball and I think that helped connect them to the campus more and make them feel more in the community.”

Jeffrey Shaw, sales associate for the bookstore, played every Tuesday night.

He said that it helped him meet others he does not directly work with. “[Softball] was very successful because it got a collection of staff [and] faculty together, and we got to know each other.

Without the leagues, I wouldn’t have met so many great people from the campus. It was a blast getting to know them, ” Shaw

said.“It was really awesome that President Manuel took time out to participate in these leagues. It has been nice getting to know him over the course of the seasons and beating him when he unfortunately is not on my team.”

Besides increasing communication on campus, James Bellew, professor in the Krannert School of Physical Therapy, said the leagues were a success in many ways.

“The leagues were very successful in that they offered faculty and staff an opportunity for interaction outside of work hours and activity that involved physical activity, teamwork, friendly competition and collegiality.”

The weekly softball and volleyball matches created fond memories for the faculty, some that Bellew was glad to share.

“I remember watching the big hitters, Lee Everett and Ed Jones, slug it out of the park like Babe Ruth,” Bellew said.

Shaw shared a few memories from his weeks spent on the diamond.

“I just thoroughly enjoyed playing shortstop in softball, because in the recreational leagues that I am in, I don’t normally play the infield,”Shaw said. “Seeing how close our team became over the weeks was pretty awesome. We were a competitive bunch, so we meshed well together.”

Irmer said that many are anticipating what will come next for the faculty leagues and coming together in other ways.

“We will definitely continue softball this spring and summer and the volleyball league for next year. We have had talk of kickball, although that is not officially in motion and it is hard to work on that at this time of year. We also have a small group that is training together for the mini marathon,” Irmer said.

Faculty have also been brainstorming ideas for sports they could all come together and compete in.

“I would like to see wrestling,” Bellew said, joking.“It would be fun to participate in kickball, touch football and possibly bowling.”

Many participants, including Shaw, said they cannot wait to return to the competition and believe that the leagues have been a smashing success.

“No doubt about it. I am counting down the days until we can get back on the diamond. A couple of my teammates and I are planning to start throwing the softball during the winter,” Shaw said.

“I think that shows how effective the leagues have been.”

“No doubt about it. I am counting down the days until we can get back on the diamond.”

UIndy facilitates transition to civilian life with extra f inancial aid

By Allison Gallagher ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR The University of Indianapolis has a sizable veteran student population.

Currently, 110 UIndy students benefit from extra veterans’ financial aid from the university.

Grades and Registration Coordinator Kathy West is in charge of veteran affairs for the campus and explained how veterans qualify for benefits to the university.

“The Post-9/11 Bill, also known as Chapter 33, is a benefit that they offer to veterans who were in the military after 9/11,” West said. “They have to serve 36 months in order to receive this benefit at 100 percent.”

West explained that with the Post9/11 Bill, veterans have their tuition covered by Veteran Affairs, which will cover about $19,000 per year.The amount does not cover all of the tuition, which designates UIndy as a yellow ribbon school. A yellow ribbon school covers the portion of the tuition that the VA benefits do not. Of the 110 students receiving veteran benefits, 65 students are using the full Post-9/11 benefits, while 25 of the students using the benefits are either children or spouses of military veterans.

West said that the university believes that offering veterans benefits allows them a chance to get back to a normal civilian life and continue their education.

“I think it is very important for veterans coming back from overseas to be able to start a new life,” West said.

“Not only that, but if the veteran themselves is not interested in continuing their education, they can always transfer their eligibility—their benefits—to their children or to their spouse.”

Private Jose Sanchez, a junior political science major, is one such student veteran who has started his life anew at UIndy.

Sanchez originally enlisted in the military in October 2001 and has served three tours in Iraq starting in 2007, with the most recent ending in June of this year. During the first tour, he and his unit helped construct a school for Iraqi children.

“After the school was built, we brought in a bunch of textbooks, paper, pens, pencils—different things that were needed for a school. We had provided security on

Photo contributed by Jose Sanchez

Jose Sanchez, third from the left, stands with his brothers in arms in Iraq during one of his three tours. the first day it was open,” Sanchez said.

“Seeing all those kids come into a brand new school, the first time back to school in three years since the fighting began, seeing the looks on their faces and how happy they were to actually be able to go to school while most kids dread going to school at their age—they were just ecstatic to be going to school—that was probably the best moment I had overseas.”

Sergeant Joseph Keller, a senior criminal justice major, served tours in the Iraqi cities of Baghdad and Baqubah.

His outlook on the war and what he saw was what he called realistic. He saw both n e g a t i ve a n d positive aspects in the experience.

“On the negative side, you would see conflict, and the people and locals fighting each other,” Keller said.

“However, on a more positive note, you see American troops working through the blood, sweat and tears and working long hours to secure Iraqi freedom.”

Both Sanchez and Keller talked about the readjustment to civilian life once they returned from Iraq. For Sanchez, it was more the small things that took time to get used to.

“I would say the driving is a lot different,” Sanchez said. “I drive a Jeep now, and it’s a regular old Jeep, as opposed to overseas. I’d drive an up-armored vehicle that was almost two-and-half tons, or

“... it is very important for veterans coming back from overseas to be able to start a new life.”

something like that. It takes a lot longer to stop, and the turns are much harder, so the driving is a lot different. Also, there are no stoplights over there. So here I sometimes forget to look up for that little stoplight. It is the small details that can be the most stressful.”

Upon returning home, Keller’s initial issue was finding employment and adjusting to the civilian work culture which contrasts sharply with his experience overseas.

“It was tough to find a job, although it is tough for anyone to find a job. The military is very regimental—as in, you get up early, work your butt off, and there is the expectation that you’re to give it your all,” Keller said.

Keller said that on the job, his drive and military work ethic made him stand apart from the less motivated individuals.

“When I got the first job after returning from overseas, I was still running with that kind of mentality and as a result, [I] was very energetic,” Keller said. “I stood out against the other employees who were more sluggish.”

For both men, serving gave them a sense of pride in their country as well as a chance to see the world through another lens. Sanchez said that his time overseas gave him a new perspective.

“I would say that my experience overall has changed because of the locations I’ve been to ... it changed my perspective as far as the way I’ve seen the world and as far as my patriotism goes,” Sanchez said.

“I’m a lot more patriotic now that I’ve served my country.”

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