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THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF INDIANAPOLIS
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Booster shot required to return to campus By Kiara Conley & Kassandra Darnell ONLINE EDITOR & NEWS EDITOR
The University of Indianapolis has updated its COVID-19 policy for the Spring 2022 Semester. In an email sent on Dec. 22, 2021 from University President Robert Manuel, to be in compliance with the vaccination policy, students, faculty and staff with on-campus activities must have a booster shot or an eligible exemption. Updated vaccination documentation will need to be uploaded to Med+Proctor by March 1 or by the date eligible per the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines, according to Manuel’s email from Jan. 7, as the date of compliance will vary. Dean of Students and Vice President for Student and Campus Affairs Kory Vitangeli said the decision to require the booster is a result of Manuel consistently meeting with health professionals. “It just made sense, given that we were already requiring the vaccination in order to continue to keep our campus as safe as possible, which we've always kind of had that goal,” Vitangeli said. “And we just thought it was important to go ahead and take that step.” According to Vitangeli, the mask policy will remain the same, requiring students, faculty and staff to wear masks indoors. Events must also operate at 50% capacity, which includes running admissions events at a lower density in order to ensure social distancing, Vitangeli said. However, she said it is hard to determine if classes will have to go back to an online format. “I don't think anybody, unfortunately, can predict what the next few months are going to look like, and what the semester will look like,” Vitangeli said. “All I can say is our intention, really, is to try to be in person if we're able to, try to continue to keep campus open safely. But also, if things get to the point where it's safer to go virtual, certainly the university is prepared to do that as well.”
reflector.uindy.edu
FEBRUARY 9, 2022
Tuition increase for 2022-2023 President Manuel announces $1,280 tuition increase in next academic year By Jacob Walton
cost of attendance, and that the access to that for people who are in need of aid to EDITOR-IN-CHIEF help them stay here is Sunni [Manges] and the financial aid office,” Manuel The University of Indianapolis tuition said. “[It's] critical at this point, because will increase to $33,252 for the 2022we know that COVID[-19] continues 2023 academic year, according to an to impact the economic situation of so email from University President Rob many, [so] we want to be sure that we're Manuel on Jan. 21. Full-time tuition will helping them through those situations increase $1,280, and other costs, such as at this moment in time.” meal plans, room and board, and overall Prior to her new role in the Student student fees will increase $600.This is the Solution Center, Associate Vice largest tuition increase over the past four President for Retention Strategy Sunni years, during which time annual tuition Manges said she worked in the Office increases averaged $1,028, according to of the Registrar, the Office of Financial an article from The Reflector. Aid and within the Center for Advising Manuel said conversations about and Student Achievement (CASA), and tuition increases are always difficult, that experience is what makes her skill set especially during COVID-19, but that perfect to help students who are having increases have to be made for UIndy to issues. She said she has been busy, which continue to provide the desired level of shows that her office is important and in education. helping people, but that is both positive “Especially at a time like this, and negative, because it also shows how where we have to make sure that we're many students are dealing with financial, taking care of people in different ways, academic and mental health issues. and providing the According connectedness and to Manges, the the education that Student Solutions ... we have to find it we have, and to be Center is a one-stop good stewards of the necessary to make those shop for students tuition dollars that for a plethora of adjustments." come in, we have issues they may be to find it necessary having. She said one to make those of the significant adjustments,”Manuel said.“...If anybody advantages of her office is that now, finds themselves in need of conversations instead of a student being sent to different about affording their tuition, there's UIndy offices such as Financial Aid both the Office of Financial Aid, which and the Registrar, she and her team can has always been there, but now Sunni communicate on behalf of the student, Manges [associate vice president for speeding up the process. retention strategy] who put her name “You guys [students] don't have to do in that letter specifically. We hope they all the running around and guessing and [those concerned about affording their trying to figure it out and tell your story tuition] would reach out to her or to the 5,000 times,” Manges said. “You can just office [Students Solution Center] to have tell it to us once, and then we'll do the conversations about how to proceed.” work on your behalf to make sure that Manuel said in the email the increases you get your answers.” will be put toward UIndy programs and A lot of what Manges works with enhancements,ranging from COVID-19 is the financial side of students’ issues, responses, security expansion, wireless she said, so she has the ability to set up networks and healthcare expansions to payment plans herself that may be more academic and student support. He also flexible than those provided by the Office encouraged students who are struggling of Financial Aid. One of the largest parts financially to use the newly created of her role as associate vice president for Student Solution Center. retention strategy is to help students in “It's really important that they any way possible so they can stay here at [students] understand that the amount of the university, she said, and the biggest money we're giving back in financial aid part of keeping students at UIndy is the helps defray, for students that are here, the relationships around campus.
“I feel like if students feel like they belong and students have the relationship [with] and students have that connection to the university, they're going to do what they can and find ways and work with us to help make it happen,” Manges said. “I think even if a student needs some additional assistance, but they don't feel a connection to the university, it's not worth their time to search those out and talk to me and find a way to make it happen, they're gonna leave. I think having that sense of belonging and community and connection to the university is the absolute number one thing that we need to do with retention.” Manges said that another important aspect of student life where she has seen changes is the behavioral tendencies of students, so her office does a lot of work to help students, and help faculty
understand the new generation of college students. She said that there have been, and will continue to be, rapid changes in the way students interact with the university due to COVID-19. “We're all behaving differently than we did and I could see that especially in the freshman and sophomore classes that came through, versus the freshmen and sophomores that are now juniors and seniors. Their behavior was very different,”Manges said.“[Some] students are a little bit more leery about going out, and then you have students that want all online; and then you have the exact opposite . . . students that want everything in the classroom and everything in between. And you can't really cater to everybody, and there has to be a balance with those.” > See Tuition on page 8
P. Gold Foundation. Despite this being a one time grant, Morris said they were working on a sustainability plan to ensure they can continue doing it in the future and all the students can have a coat for the ceremony.
that they gave us that they all wanted to be included.” Students will only have two tickets each that they can give to friends and/or family to attend the ceremony. Morrell said that at the ceremony, students will
of healthcare and the care that we provide to patients,” Morrell said. “It’s kind of a rite of passage as well as a celebration for these students as they continue through nursing school.” Morris said that students saying the oath and participating in the ceremony is important as it helps them remember to keep their focus on humanism while working with patients. It is important for nurses to take this oath before they begin working with patients rather than at the end of their training because they would be taking it too late, Morris said. She said that younger nursing students should pay attention to the ceremony to see the oath they will be taking. “We would definitely encourage younger nursing students to watch it because that’s going to be them, or anybody that’s even interested in nursing, that they would watch the ceremony just to get them excited about this rite of passage and then know what they are going to be experiencing in the near future too,” Morris said.
Graphic by Jazlyn Gomez
Nursing department white coat ceremony By Molly Church
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR The School of Nursing at the University of Indianapolis will hold its first white coat ceremony this semester for junior nursing students, Associate Professor of the School of Nursing Briyana Morrell said. She said the ceremony celebrates the students and acknowledges their work while also pressing on the importance of putting the patient first.The ceremony was originally set for Feb. 4 and has been rescheduled for Feb. 15 due to inclement weather. “Nursing school is really tough and it [the ceremony] is a way to come back to our why we’re nurses, the importance of the role of nursing and to let our students know that we’re here to support them, that we value them and we value the work that they’ll do,” Morrell said. Assistant Professor of the School of Nursing Toni Morris said this ceremony was made possible this year due to a one-time $1000 grant from the Arnold
MORRELL “We are working on a sustainability plan. So not everybody chooses to buy a coat…. We thought it would be best if we moved to the sustainability of trying to make sure we have coats available so that everybody that wants to participate
can regardless if they have the ability or want to buy one,” Morris said. Nursing faculty wanted to be able to include all the students in this ceremony, Morris said, but because of COVID-19 and limitations on space, only junior nursing students could participate this year. However, Morris said the ceremony will be streaming to allow those who cannot be at the ceremony to watch. “The biggest driving factor of limitation was time, and then just the resources to put on a ceremony that would accommodate over 200 people. We really looked at every possible way that we could possibly do that [include everyone] and we really wanted to, but it just wasn’t feasible. I would say that there was deep regret that we couldn’t include the whole entire student body because this was our inaugural one,” Morris said. “The best we can do is start implementing it now and move forward. I guess that’s where I see that it’s extremely meaningful to students and that they’re excited to participate in it because of that response
MORRIS come up on stage and get a coat and a pin and they will say a professional oath. “They [the students] … take an oath, which indicates their understanding of the professional responsibilities that they have and also discusses the sacred nature