March 6, 2024 | The Reflector

THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF INDIANAPOLIS • FOUNDED 1922 • INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

School of Engineering hosts open house

Students in four engineering-based RSO's hosted the event for students in grades 7 through 12

By Elyssa Merrill BUSINESS MANAGER & DISTRIBUTION MANAGER

The University of Indianapolis R.B. Annis School of Engineering held an open house for community members between grades 7 through 12 to showcase what the department has to offer, according to a post on the School of Engineering’s Instagram. Held on Feb. 24, the open house ran from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with lunch and UIndy swag provided to those that attended. The Instagram post highlighted that the open house was led and organized by students within the engineering program, more specifically, the registered student organizations that are affiliated with the engineering program.

According to Associate Dean and Director of Engineering Ken Reid, the four RSOs that worked together to organize the event were the Society for Women Engineers, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the American Society for Mechanical Engineering, and the UIndy Racing Club. Reid said the event was run well by the students, creating events for those who attended—including the parents if they were interested.

“We just basically let our student organizations create an open house, figure out what activities should be done, who should we invite, what do we have for lunch, everything,” Reid said. “They did a great job. So not only did we invite students and their families, their parents came. So if you were to walk by any activity that was going on, you would see students and their parents all in there doing some hands-on engineering and it looked like everybody had a lot of fun.”

Being a new program, Reid said the intent was to open up engineering at UIndy to the community. According to Reid, they wanted to get people to learn more about the program, facilities and people that exist within the department by engaging in hands-on activities led by the RSOs. Associate Professor of Engineering Paul Talaga said that those who went to the open house participated in two of the various events held by the RSOs.

“The activities there were hands-on engineering activities,” Talaga said. “…

They were programming small robots to go through a little maze. Another one was they were making little marshmallow trebuchets out of popsicle sticks. …There was a rocket building activity in the afternoon, as well as a mousetrap race car from the race team.”

According to senior general engineering student and President of the UIndy RSO for the Society of Women Engineers Audrey Hotopp, it was not just those who signed up for the open house who participated in their events throughout the day. Hotopp also said their events held the attention of all that attended.

“For the activities we did invite not only the students but the parents and the guests that came with them,” Hotopp said. “So it was very hands-on from every standpoint. And then the student volunteers that came through the RSOs participated [in the events] as well. We had some competitions between students and then the guests for them, like catapults and stuff. … I honestly think the parents had a great time too.”

According to Reid, there has been a previous open house for the R.B. Annis School of Engineering, but none quite like this one. He stressed the importance of the students being involved within the process.

“… We've had one in the past,” Reid said. “That one was a little bit more formal, formal invitations went out. It was a program, we did some slides, that kind of thing. This one was just handson. Come in and try some things out. Probably the biggest difference though was that this one was run by students. The students did all the programming and figured out everything that we needed to do, and they really did a great job.”

Reid said he hopes this event was able to promote the department, generating more word of mouth and attraction for the community members and those that want to experience engineering in the future. Reid said the goal and benefit of hosting the open house was to get others within the community to see why the R.B. Annis School of Engineering believes it is the top engineering school in the area.

According to Hotopp, she believes there was a benefit of hosting and being an RSO that participated to allow those interested to be introduced into the world of engineering at a younger age than college. Beyond what is offered over

the summer, Hotopp said she hopes that these programs will promote retention of interest.

“We were just trying to open it up to more of the community and try to get some of those students involved so that as they go up in grades, they all want to come back and learn more, and it's kind of hopefully retaining them too,” Hotopp said. “Because I know at my middle school, that's when we started looking at colleges, so it's trying to just get them introduced young. That way they'll already have their foot in the door.”

According to Reid and Talaga, they both hope this event can be replicated in the future. With the engineering program being so new—just seven years old—the outcome of this event was great to get people through the door, Reid said.

“Yeah, it was such a success,” Reid said. “We'll just put it on the calendar every year.”

Honors College receives $6 million donation

By Derrick Jones STAFF WRITER

The University of Indianapolis Honors College received a $6 million commitment on Feb. 9 from Laura Strain, according to UIndy 360. In 2015, the Honors College was renamed after Strain and her husband, Ron, and has since been called the Ron and Laura Strain Honors College. Executive Director of the Honors College James Williams said the Honors College has a long history dating back to the late 1960s when it was just an honors program, but, when the program was endowed by Ron and Laura Strain in 2015, it became the Honors College. Williams said an honors college is essential to every student and university.

“We provide the students an

excellent opportunity to really take their education to the next level, to be more competitive,” Williams said.

“Whether that's getting students placed into graduate programs or to get students high-paying jobs, the whole purpose is to give students a richer and deeper experience in their education that otherwise would have not been possible.”

Williams said the Honors College is important to UIndy because it gives students a chance to study topics of interest to them through their Honors Projects. These Honors Projects require in-depth research and knowledge obtained through the student’s undergraduate studies, according to UIndy’s Honors College website.

Junior chemistry and biology major AJ Garrett said the Honors College has made a big impact in her

undergraduate career, allowing her to travel abroad to Istanbul, Turkey and Camino Santiago, Spain. Garrett said without the Honors College, she does not believe the things she has experienced would have been possible throughout her time at UIndy.

We provide students with an excellent opportunity to ... be more competitive."

“It's definitely helped me, I wouldn't have been able to do this research project if it hadn't been for them,” Garrett said. “So, I do a presidential scholars class and we had to interview a couple of professors around campus and see what they

were interested in … They [the Honors College] have also taken me to international trips, and it's sponsored. So like, for Spain, it was completely funded by donors, so that was all really nice. And the program has really just offered me a lot of experience that I don't think I would [have] had if I was not in the Honors College.”

According to Williams, the Honors College does not yet know how they will be using the funds because they still have to finish their strategic plan. Throughout the planning, they will be going through the honors program and seeing what changes may need to be made in the future. The $6 million dollar donation will be dispersed in equal payments and to different areas of the Honors College, according to Dr. Williams.

“The way an endowment works is

that whatever the endowment amount is, in this case $6 million, it never gets touched directly,” Williams said. “The idea is that that $6 million is allowed to continue to serve as an investment that grows and its growth indicates or dictates how much we can take out overtime to support the activities of the students in the Honors College.”

The donation was given to the Honors College right after the passing of Ron Strain, and Laura Strain said he would have wanted this for the university, according UIndy 360. Ron and Laura Strain spent their retirement traveling together across the globe, which inspired them to donate the $6 million, according to UIndy 360.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Strains for how they have given to transform our students,” Williams said.

Photo by Allison Cook Guests at the School of Engineering’s open house work to build a race car with CDs for wheels and a mousetrap as the motor. The event was completely organized by students.

Photo by Allison Cook

The UIndy School of Engineering’s open house visitors work on building a bottle rocket during the Feb. 24 event. The open house was led and organized by students within the engineering program and included several different activities throughout the day.

Keep college admissions test-optional

Requiring SAT, ACT scores for school admission consideration is an unfair, inaccurate stipulation

By Mia Lehmkuhl EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

I distinctly remember the relief I felt when the colleges I intended to apply to during my senior year became test-optional. I have always been a typical “good” student; I turned in my assignments on time, comprehended class material well and generally understood the public education system and what it needed from me. Despite this, I always dreaded standardized test season as a child and in my teens. The anxiety I had around my performance on these tests gave me my first panic attack in my sophomore year in high school, especially when standardized tests could play a significant role in my future looking ahead to higher education. That anxiety was furthered by the fact that I went to a very competitive, well-known public high school with class rankings—another aspect which can be considered in college admissions, according to the College Board—suddenly making my quest for a bachelor’s degree a cutthroat competition.

The culture of competition that was bred among me and my peers only contributed to stress and anxiety about my performance. Now, high school students are once again facing standardized testing being a requirement in several colleges’ admissions. Ivy League school Dartmouth reinstated standardized test score requirements for admission this year after making scores optional in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,according to NPR.

Yale is currently considering reinstating test score requirements, according to Axios, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology went back to requiring test scores in 2022, according to MIT News. Although NPR suggests that other colleges may not follow suit, I worry this sentiment might not last for long.

According to the College Board, the Scholastic Assessment Test—much more commonly referred to as the “SAT”— helps colleges compare students applying from different high schools. In theory, the test is supposed to showcase a student’s strengths and readiness for college. I disagree, and I am not the only one, for,

Standardized tests are not accurate measures of student learning ...

according to the National Education Association’s neaToday, standardized tests are not accurate measures of student learning and growth. However, the NEA says SAT/ACT (American College Testing) scores are typically more impactful when applying to more selective colleges, so it is no surprise to me that elite Ivy League colleges were the first to make the switch back.

The University of Indianapolis’s undergraduate admissions process is currently test-optional, per the university’s webpage. UIndy’s website states they chose to be test-optional because it “provides a flexible and holistic admissions process,” and I agree. While SAT/ACT

scores can bolster a college application, schools should remain test-optional, as the world of education has permanently changed since the COVID-19 pandemic. Many students’ educations were thrown for a loop—and this presents a unique opportunity to reform college admissions going forward to better suit students. I say, let students take the SAT or the ACT of their own volition and submit their scores as desired. An unsatisfactory test score should not determine a student’s level of college readiness or eligibility to go to an elite college, especially when considering the disparities between the test scores of students with different socio-economic statuses—a disparity highlighted in a report from CNBC. I could not imagine working hard for four years, juggling good grades, rigorous courses and extracurriculars just to be rejected because someone else was a better test taker. Not to mention, according to a paper published online by the University of California Los Angeles, it is estimated that 40%-60% of students are negatively affected by test anxiety. Requiring standardized test scores in college admissions has thus become increasingly outdated—even colleges do not consider test scores the most important factor in college applications, according to the College Board.

One could argue, “Well, how will students with similar applications be considered without test scores?” Let’s change the culture of standardized testing and be done with the negative connotations behind test performance students face. According to neaToday, performance-based assessments such as developing a thorough analysis of a topic

in an essay can allow students to show knowledge and skill through problemsolving, critical thinking and applying knowledge to real-world scenarios. That sounds a lot more useful to prepare students for college—or, you know, real

life—than trying to fit every student into one box—or one test. This, in turn, would allow students to choose how to show what they know, and I definitely would have jumped at that opportunity. I bet others would too.

Graphic

Daylight saving time needs to stay

By Olivia Hogsett STAFF WRITER

Debates have gone far in the United States Congress regarding whether or not the U.S. should follow daylight saving time standards. According to PewResearch, DST occurs twice a year in the U.S. and (in about) one-third of the world’s other countries. The time is adjusted to achieve longer evening daylight in summer by setting the clocks an hour ahead of the standard time. It would be absurd if the U.S. did not follow DST because it allows for more safety, time for outdoor activities, happier people and a better U.S. economy.

DST first came about in 1918 during World War I as an effort to save gas or oil used to fuel lamps by adding an hour more of daylight, according to Britannica’s Pro Con website. However, DST was abandoned shortly after its introduction in 1919. DST became the nation’s standard with the Uniform Time Act of 1966, as the act stated it was “To promote the observance of a uniform system of time throughout the United States,” according to the law’s text. This year's DST begins on March 10, 2024 at 2 a.m. when clocks “spring forward” one hour, according to Britannica, and will end on Nov. 3, 2024, when clocks will “fall back” to Standard Time, which the majority of the world follows. Britannica reports that in a 2020 poll, “55% of Americans said they are not disrupted by the time change, 28% reported a minor disruption and 13% said the change is a major disruption.” However, for the 13% who do not like the disruption but

want the sunlight to become permanent, they should be supporting bills like the Sunshine Protection Act of 2023 (H.R.1279).

According to Congress's website, this bill would have made daylight saving time the new, permanent standard time.

According to The Hill, both the House and Senate versions of the Sunshine Protection Act of 2023 unfortunately did not go very far as, “The Senate bill has been read twice and referred to a committee, while the House bill has only been referred to a subcommittee.”

However, other bills have tried to allow states to make the choice of what time standard they use. According to Congress’s website, Bill H.R.1474 was introduced in early 2023 and would have allowed states to elect to observe year-round daylight saving time. It had not moved past its introduction in the House.

Regardless of whether it becomes the new standard time or not, we can still reap the safety benefits of DST with the time changes in the Spring. According to Britannica, longer daylight hours makes driving much safer. More light means lower car accident rates and lowers the risk of pedestrians being hit by cars. The latter seems to speak for itself—if there is more light out in the evening, cars can see pedestrians walking much more easily, which saves lives.

work and children playing outside. Again, drivers are able to see people more easily.

ScienceDirect found in a study that “75% of pedestrian fatalities occur in darkness, and nearly 90% of the increase in pedestrian fatalities from 2009 to 2018 occurred in darkness.”And, when the day is lighter for longer and later, according to Britannica, people tend to participate in more outdoor activities after work. This means more exercise, family time

decrease in robberies following the shift to DST, with the largest impact (27%) during the sunset hours directly affected by the shift in daylight. It estimated that the 2007 extension resulted in $59 million per year in social cost of crime savings from avoided robberies.”I believe these statistics are groundbreaking because they suggest DST can do a lot to protect us, and why would we not want to reduce crime? I have also noticed a narrative on social media which suggests increased sunlight helps with depression. A lack of sunlight can lead to a condition called seasonal affective disorder, sometimes called “winter depression,” according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. This disorder, characterized by low mood, is most common during the winter months when there are fewer hours of daylight. Hopkins Medicine says on their website, “Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is a type of depression. It happens during certain seasons of the year—most often fall or winter. It is thought that shorter days and less daylight may trigger a chemical change in the brain leading to symptoms of depression. Light therapy and antidepressants can help treat SAD.”

people are active. I—and many others in the U.S.—will quite literally become depressed if DST ever goes away.

Another benefit to DST is the economic boost that sunlight brings. According to Britannica, the golf industry reported that one month of DST was worth $200 to $400 million due to the extended evening time that golfers can play. Additionally, the barbecue industry estimates their profits increase $150 million during one month of DST (and I know, personally, as soon as it feels a bit warmer, I want to have a summer barbecue outside). In 2007, an estimated $59 million was saved because fewer robberies were committed due to the sun being up later. If increased safety, decreased criminal activity and less depression for many people does not already legitimize DST, then the addition of economic boosts sure should legitimize a change in legislation.

While on the topic of safety, more daylight also means more safe time to be outside after work. Britannica says daylight in the evening makes it safer for joggers, people walking dogs after

and outdoor games, which in turn can increase physical and mental health. According to FindLaw, criminal activity is also lowered during daylight hours. FindLaw cites several studies which find a correlation between sunlight hours and decreased criminal activity. In particular, a 2015 study “found a 7%

According to nonprofit media outlet The Conversation, when sunlight hits a specific area of the retina in a person’s eyes, it triggers the release of serotonin (the “feel-good” chemical) in the brain. An increase in serotonin is linked to higher mood levels. DST brings increased daylight hours into the waking and working hours of a day, when most

Some may argue DST is bad for people’s health due to disrupted sleep schedules, according to Brittanica, but I think the overall safety benefits from the half-a-year outweighs the negatives. Other arguments say productivity drops the week after DST, and it also is expensive for some businesses, but, again, I think the positive variables are more significant than the negative possibilities.

All in all, the U.S. would fare worse if there were no daylight saving time. DST allows for more safety, time for outdoor activities, happier people and a better U.S. economy. If you too are for DST, I would urge you to reach out to your local politicians to let them know how you feel.

Corrections

"The Reflector" acknowledges its mistakes.

When a mistake occurs, we will print corrections here on the Opinion page.

If you catch a mistake, please contact us at reflector.uindy. edu

The opinions in this section do not necessarily reflect those of "The Reflector" staff.

What do you think?

Send your letters to the editor or other correspondence to reflector@uindy.edu

Graphic by Hannah Hadley

Women's History Month: A charge to action

By Mia Lehmkuhl EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

By presidential proclamation, Women’s History Month began as Women’s History Week in August 1981, according to The National WWII Museum New Orleans’ website; Congress passed Public Law 100-9 in 1987 which sought to designate the month of March for celebrating the accomplishments and contributions of women throughout U.S. history. Associate Professor of Political Science and Co-Director of the Gender Center Laura Merrifield Wilson said Women’s History Month means a lot, and it is important to consider why there is a month dedicated to women—especially since women make up a larger portion of the population. Merrifield Wilson said that while it is important to look back at the accomplishments of women from the past, the month can also serve as an inspiration for women and girls to break through genderrelated limitations, such as getting into politics.

everyone in the state of Indiana, even though our state legislature is overwhelmingly male,” Merrifield Wilson said. “… We know that there's value in symbolic representation.

And that's the idea, that having more women in elected office is beneficial because more women want to run for elected office, more women will be more politically engaged, more little girls will look up and see women in public office and say, ‘I can be that, I want to be that when I grow up, that's going to be me.’”

Little girls will look up and see women in public office and say ... 'that's going to be me.'"

“So when we think of the role that Women's History Month plays, I think it provides us two primary functions,” Merrifield Wilson said. “On one hand, it's the actual history. So it's looking back and looking for women in politics like Geraldine Ferraro and Jeanette Rankin—women who represented first. … I think it's also important to inspire and embrace and maybe challenge the seemingly current limitations of, well, we've never had a woman governor.” Since women make up a large portion of the population in Indiana (50.3%, according to U.S. Census Bureau data), Merrifield Wilson said the current state of Indiana’s government does not necessarily have a lot of representation in the form of women in public office. Additionally, according to Merrifield Wilson, there has never been a female governor in Indiana.

“Our state legislature represents

From a sociological perspective, Assistant Professor of Sociology Liz Ziff said the concept of intersectionality— the understanding of the way that different facets of one’s identity intersect to produce different social realities—gives way for individuals to have difficult conversations about social disparities, including gender disparities. Having the terms to describe these complex sociological concepts enables more voices to be at the table where their diverse experiences can be acknowledged, according to Ziff. “...In some of our more mainstream, even academic orientations towards questions about gender, that true intersectional lens kind of falls flat. We maybe talk about it, but it's not enacted,” Ziff said. “And again, we also still see some of those structural components where we maybe have pushed in, we can see or point to areas where there's more representation, or I think, a really, maybe mainstream and possibly familiar example is going to be the wage gap. So we talk about the wage gap a lot. And if we, you know, most of the time, the stuff that gets thrown out there is when we're looking at … men compared to women, right? But there's more to that picture.”

According to Ziff, things such as Women’s History Month can give more visibility to societal disparities and provide a space for acknowledgment and ways to push forward. Despite

> See Women's History on Page 8

Hands-on learning reshapes marketing

UIndy class MKTG 495 prepares students for the work force by providing practical experience

By Olivia Pastrick MANAGING EDITOR & NEWS EDITOR

One of the greatest things about the University of Indianapolis, according to Assistant Professor of Practice in Marketing Carissa Newton, is the hands-on experience students are able to get through their coursework. One of these classes is Marketing Strategy (MKTG 495), and Newton, as well as Director of Graduate Business Programs Eric Harvey and 1999 UIndy graduate Crystal Grave, recently worked to create a workbook for these students to use, according to UIndy 360.

Harvey said the School of Business had no social media presence when he was appointed as the Director of Graduate Business Programs in 2020. He said he knew this needed to change, so he hired Grave to begin working on the workbook. When he interviewed Newton for her position, Harvey said he wanted her to take on this class as part of her courses in order to bring the School of Business to social media. “We didn't have a LinkedIn—which is where business people operate—we didn't have Facebook or Twitter or Instagram, either,” Harvey said. “And so I had this project in mind where we would really try to launch through those channels to connect to our School of Business alumni, to our current graduate student body and our undergraduate student body.”

Newton said the class has a variety of different jobs the students’ can take on, including copywriting, analytics and graphic design. Harvey said the students have been successful so far in connecting the School of Business with alumni and industry professionals.

“The students in the classroom are managing the whole process as a marketing agency, and they're developing the content,” Harvey said. “They're deciding what the themes are going to be each month, they're doing the interviews of alumni, building the posts, and then they've got project managers assigned to different roles that are doing different parts of the work.”

Newton said she has always been passionate about making sure whatever she is teaching is something her students will find valuable when they are searching for a job. She said it can be frustrating for employers to take a risk on an applicant that does not have experience, and that she does not want her students to be in that position.

“That's one thing that I try to incorporate in all of my courses—I want them to walk away with some type of tangible experience, to say, ‘I can now do a social media campaign,’ or, ‘I can execute an email marketing campaign, I know how to build a marketing plan,’” Newton said. “It's hard, because a lot of the marketing topics, when you go through a degree program, you can hear lots of academic information, you can

participate in the classes and learn the science of marketing but, unless you're really doing it, it's very hard to go right into the workforce and be prepared.”

Marketing is a constantly evolving field, according to Newton, which is another thing she emphasizes in her classes. She said it is important for every student to become a lifelong learner and for them to constantly seek out new opportunities to learn—even after college.

“If I looked at my marketing career, when I started in the early career all the way to today, the only reason I knew some of that stuff, and what I do today, is because I was just a constant learner, I was always seeking out certifications,” Newton said. “I was always learning what trend was next and trying it out. I think that's important for the students to just have that instilled in what they do every day.”

The School of Business is very excited to embrace this opportunity for students, according to Harvey. He said this class is probably one of the best opportunities in the country for students to gain hands-on, applicable marketing experience.

“We're very excited because it's my feeling that this is probably one of the most complex and complete applied projects anywhere in the country, being done in the classroom by students,”Harvey said. “They're doing real business work. They're doing social media marketing on a live platform, operating as a marketing agency, and you would really have to do

that in a job anywhere else. But because we have this platform, they're able to get the experience in the classroom and I think it's probably the best opportunity in the country to do that.”

Newton said she is also looking for opportunities to expand this type of applied learning to other departments at UIndy, as well. She said she is always looking for ways to help other departments benefit from the things she and her students are learning throughout the class.

“One thing that I love about it, and

I would love to do, is offer it to other departments as well,” Newton said. “I've had conversations with [other departments] like … ‘I've got all these students that I can teach real-world things, how can we help you be more effective or do more with what you have to do?’ So if it's you in the marketing [department] in general, or if it's other departments or schools, we could potentially help because we're right here on campus, and we know the brand, we know the information and the students are anxious to learn.”

Photo contributed by Carissa Newton

The current class enrolled in MKTG 495: Marketing Strategy poses together with the workbook that was created for them to learn social media marketing strategies and tips.

Graphic by Breanna Emmett

Women’s golf receive a top ranking

UIndy’s women’s golf team are heading into the spring season ranked among top 5 nationally

By Caroline Krauch SPORTS EDITOR

The University of Indianapolis’women’s golf team recently received news— according to the Women’s Golf Coaches Association’s most recent poll, they are going into the spring season ranked 4th in the country. According to the GLVC sports website, UIndy’s team is the only one in the conference to be featured in the rankings. Head Coach Brent Nicoson said this high of a ranking no longer comes as a surprise to the team.

“I expect to be ranked number one every year,” Nicoson said, “That’s just a tribute to what the girls do. That’s just our expectation. We want to be the best team in the country every year.”

The girls team has this expectation after receiving a top ranking for the past 10 years, Nicoson said. He said, the WGCA rankings take into account statistics including margin of victory, tournament wins, head-to-head standings and stroke average combined. The team won their last three tournaments in the fall, which aided in the high recognition the team received going into the spring. Nicoson said a high ranking like this has little effect on the season itself; A team’s position will fluctuate depending on their results during the season. However, Nicoson pointed out that accolades like this look good to younger athletes who want to commit to a strong program.

Two-time All-America Honorable Mention junior Anci Dy said that although the team was expecting a good ranking, the top-five placement came as a pleasant surprise. She said the rankings are a good

way for the team to see how they compare to other teams at the beginning of the season, and also as a reference point during competition season. The goal of the team remains the same: to continue to climb the ranks and remain one of the top programs.

“To be in the top five is a really great place for us to be right now,” Dy said. “It gives us good momentum going into the spring. We just hope we keep climbing up the ranks.”

Nicoson said that the men’s team holds themselves to the same high standard as the women’s team.Though they are not ranked as high, he said the men’s team has a lot of potential given their age. According to Nicoson, there are a lot of younger guys on the team who have just started their college careers and have a lot of room to grow. Nicoson said that almost, if not all, of the starters for the men’s team are freshmen or underclassmen.

“So we’re [men’s team] very, very young,”Nicoson said.“The men will be one sophomore and four freshmen or all five freshmen. They’re back in the top five in the region. They’re up to fourth and 28th in the country with that younger team.”

The culture of the women’s program this year is unique and a testament to the dedication of the golfers according to Nicoson. The women’s team might receive more accolades as the season progresses, but he is proud of the progress both teams have made and the success they have already experienced before their spring seasons start.Both of the teams have worked hard to be in the positions they are in, Nicoson said, and these rankings are proof of that work.

“This is probably one of the best allaround cultures I’ve had in my career,” Nicoson said. “Both men and women.

The

They’ve worked their butts off, it’s time to go put it into play, and they’re ready to. And that’s what I love, they’re just ready to go play.”

According to Nicoson, there should be a lot of excitement to come in the golf

climb the ranks and remain one of the top

season with both team’s having potential to make it far into postseason play. The women’s and men’s golf team started the spring season Feb. 26 in Florida at the Lynn Invitational according to UIndy Athletics. The women’s team finished

the 2024 spring

in eighth place, with Dy placing in the top 10 individually. According to UIndy Athletics, the team will take on the Findlay Spring Invitational in Richmond, Kentucky on March 18 and 19.

O’Connor breaks record

UIndy infielder breaks career RBI record against Cedarville

By Derrick Jones STAFF WRITER

During the Softball Music City Invitational, infielder Emily O’Connor made history in the fifth inning by driving one of her teammates for her 194th career RBI (runs batted in). She surpassed the record of her former teammate Gianni Iannantone for the all-time RBI record, according to an article by UIndy Athletics.

O’Connor did not originally know she broke the record and said that usually her dad informs her of when she breaks records. O’Connor said this record was definitely a team effort.

“I felt like that record, the RBI one specifically, you can’t do that without runners on and so it definitely was a team record that was broken,” O’Connor said.

According to Head Coach Melissa Frost, O’Connor has always been enthusiastic about her teammates. She said O’Connor appreciates her teammates dearly giving them a lot of credit for her success and has always put them first.

“She’s is a powerful hitter, supplies a lot of juice [energy], stirs the offense up,” Frost said. “When she broke the record … the first thing she said was ‘My teammates have to be on base for me to get the RBI record.’ So, I think that that just kind of shows you that she likes to give credit where credit is due with her teammates.”

O’Connor has been playing softball for the past 14 years and has enjoyed every moment. Before her high school season was over, O’Connor was originally planning on attending Eastern Michigan but later decommitted to go to UIndy instead.

“I was going to go to Eastern Michigan to play softball,” O’Connor said. “In the junior year span of my high school career, I really saw myself develop more as a player and wanted more competition. After a tough conversation with that coach of Eastern Michigan I decided to decommit. And in that process it was getting late to commit to schools so, and I think like the next weekend of travel ball, I went like over 20 [on base percentage?] probably and during one of those tournaments, Coach Frost saw me play and just saw something in me that she wanted for her program.” O’Connor said she is very happy to be at UIndy and is glad she made the right choice. With the new record of RBI’s being 194, she plans on training her mindset to get better each day to

My goal for this year was to just be more mindful of my teammates.”

break another record.

“Just the mindset of getting like better each day, just the mindset of getting like one person better and the aspect that once you have that like mindset every day, you see like avenues of ways you can get 1% better in weight training and hitting the ball and mentality training and just being a teammate type of thing like being 1% better of a teammate every day.”

With this being O’Connor’s final year on the team, she wants to be mindful of her teammates and the future of the UIndy Softball Program. After graduation, she plans on being a part of the Athletes in Action Organization in Albania.

“My goal for this year was to just be more mindful of my teammates,” O’Connor said. “This is my last year, so like leaving a legacy of personal avenues and not a physical one. Being aware of my victories and other things, and really just celebrating that or being a rock for them during those times. It’s very real and bittersweet, the feeling of having the last year of doing things but having something that they can remember me for, like being more of a teammate record-breaker than a statistical record-breaker.”

The UIndy Softball Team is currently standing at 13 wins and two losses, and are ranked 10th according to the National Fastpitch Coaches Associations (NFCA) Poll. They are scheduled to play next at Wayne State on March 10.

Photo contributed by UIndy Athletics

Junior Anci Dy poses with Head Coach Brent Nicoson after being named all-tournament at the DBU Classic in the fall golfing season.

women’s golf team hopes to continue to

programs during

season.

Photo contributed by UIndy Athletics

Fifth year senior infielder Emily O’Connor gets ready to swing at the plate during a Feb. 11 game against Mercyhurst University at Beech Grove High School. O’Connor says plans on being a part of the Athletes in Action Organization in Albania after graduation.

Mens basketball prepares for postseason

The mens basketball team preps for GLVC tournament hoping to make it far into postseason

By Olivia Pastrick MANAGING EDITOR & NEWS EDITOR

The University of Indianapolis men’s basketball team is looking ahead to postseason games, with the GLVC tournament beginning March 7 in St. Charles, Missouri, according to UIndy Athletics. The team is currently ranked first in the conference, according to the GLVC website, but according to redshirtjunior guard Jarvis Walker, the team focuses more on themselves than their ranking.

“Our biggest thing is UIndy versus UIndy,” Walker said.

“We know what we can do when our mind’s right and when we’re playing as a team. We go out there and do what we do, so rankings or all that doesn’t matter in the sense of like, that’s not something that we think about or we don’t go into the game thinking, ‘Oh, we got to do this, this and this for the ranking.’”

each other out,” Corsaro said. “That said, the character of this team has really been highlighted by the fact that we’ve stuck together and we’ve gone 14-3 in our last 17 games, and I think we’re clicking at the right time that in the postseason.”

Walker said the obstacles the team faced, especially in the early part of the season, helped the team find another gear. The team were 2-4 early, according to UIndy Athletics, but according to Walker, those losses taught them what losing feels like and how much they want to fight to win games.

I think that we’re clicking at the right time and that’s in the postseason.”

“This year with some of the losses, I would say the adversity has helped us learn more about ourselves and dig deeper, fight for our games, face adversity, because we know the feeling of losing,” Walker said. “Losing close ones like at Lewis [University], where we lost by like, one point going off the game winner, I think those things are helping and feeling those right now as we go into the postseason.”

The season began with a rough start, according to men’s basketball Head Coach Paul Corsaro, but he said the team is starting to click at the right time as they head into the postseason. Corsaro said this season’s schedule is the hardest he has had in his time as an assistant or head coach, but the team has battled the adversity well.

“I knew there was going to be some growing pains early as we figured

Walker said the team has incredible chemistry, which contributes to the team’s success. He said spending time with the team helps everyone understand each other better on and off the court and inspires them to make better plays during games. Corsaro said that the team’s chemistry aids in the success they have had this season and the team has a strong family atmosphere.

Despite the team’s record of 19-

7, both Corsaro and Walker said the team has areas to improve on as they head into the conference tournament. Walker said having room to develop at this point in the season is a good thing and keeps them from being stagnant.

“I think every area we still have places to grow, which coach has talked about it, and he’s talked about how it’s great that we have areas to

improve,” Walker said. “I think by this time last season, we were really crisp in what we were doing, but I think having growth going into the postseason is really good, just because constant improvement is always an adjustment.”

Corsaro said the team is focusing on taking the end of the season one game at a time and improving a little bit every day, whether that is

in a game or in practice. The team continuing to work on the things they need to improve and honing in on their strengths will lead them to success, according to Corsaro.

“If we take it a day at a time and do our very best every single day and not look back but not look forward, we will dominate the moment,” Corsaro said. “And that’s all in what puts you in the best position to have success.”

UIndy’s 2024 Hall of Fame ceremony

By Mia Lehmkuhl EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The University of Indianapolis Athletic Department and Greyhound Club celebrated the new inductees being welcomed to the 2024 UIndy Athletics Hall of Fame according to UIndy Athletics. According to Senior Associate Athletic Director for Development Matt Donovan, the Hall of Fame Induction is an annual event where several individuals, as well as one team are recognized for successful careers as student athletes or athletes beyond college. These individuals, along with one team, are all selected by a Hall of Fame committee which consists of previous inductees, according to Donovan. This year, the Hall of Fame ceremony was held on Feb. 10, according to UIndy Athletics.

“The Hall of Fame takes the opportunity to really recognize the individuals and the team for what they what they achieved, and the significance and the excellence during their tenure and time and UIndy,” Donovan said. “And, it’s a great event, which brings those individuals obviously, who are being recognized back to campus along with their family and friends, who get the opportunity to see them be recognized in that environment and setting.”

Among the five individuals honored, one person is chosen for the “I” Person of the Year award, the most significant award presented to an individual outside of being inducted into the Hall of Fame, according to Donovan. This award is given to an individual who had success outside of their time as a student athlete. Donovan said the committee sifts through a large number of nominees to narrow it down. This year’s inductees include Kristina Comer, Justin Hueber, Kristen Lanier, Ted Liette, Bob Smock, the 2009 Women’s Volleyball team and “I” Person of the Year Kim Jones. Choosing winners is not an easy process and there is a lot of thought that goes into the selections that end up being made according to Donovan..

“... it’s a tedious process, as you can imagine, there’s quite a few people that are in a nominations folder,” Donovan said. “And so that committee has to really go through and select those individuals that are of the merit to make it to their ballot, and then from their ballot, go to a voting process.”

Photo by Allison Cook

Junior guard Jarvis Walker dribbles in for a layup during the men’s basketball game on Feb. 24 game against Rockhurst University.

The team is currently ranked first in the GLVC conference with a record of 14-3 and will play next March 7 in the GLVC tournament.

Graphic by Breanna Emmett

UIndy student advocates for trans youth

By Brid Peoples ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Through opportunities at UIndy and guidance from faculty members, University of Indianapolis senior Giselle Avila, a public health major, discovered a passion for health education advocacy. She has made plans to continue in the field postgraduation. Avila shared that in the spring of 2023, she took the class on healthcare policy law and advocacy taught by Director of Public Health Program Heidi Hancher-Rauch, where she found her passion for health education advocacy.

“Going into health I've already always had this passion for advocacy work,” Avila said. “Doctor [Hancher-] Rauch also shares that passion, so it was great being able to work with her and develop those skills with someone who's more seasoned and experienced.”

Hancher-Rauch mentioned that she hadn't taught Avila before the spring of 2023 but observed qualities in her that indicated a future involvement in advocacy. According to HancherRauch, certain students find inspiration

when introduced to advocacy. “A lot of students are scared to death of health policy and health advocacy and they think, ‘Oh my gosh, this is not anything that I want to do,’” HancherRauch said. “… [Giselle] would just bring in these examples of things that she was doing in the community and how she was involved. With her, she really just latched on to the advocacy area.”

"For an assignment, Avila recounted being assigned the task of analyzing proposed legislation related to public health. During this assignment, she focused on Senate Bill 480. This bill prohibits physicians in Indiana from offering gender-affirming healthcare to transgender minors by restricting doctors from prescribing puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and other medications.

According to Avila, her decision to delve into advocacy-centered work stemmed from the observation that other classmates were not focusing on such initiatives. Initially, she had intended to concentrate on reproductive rights, but she ultimately shifted her focus to LGBTQ+ healthcare.

“Being a part of the community …

I felt like this was a very important thing to talk about,” Avila said. “We're not talking about like the health care of youth. And yeah, so I picked it and ran with it, and it's great.”

With mentoring from HancherRauch, Avila made the decision to campaign for the position of Advocacy

Director for the 2023-2024 term within the Indiana chapter of the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE).

As outlined on the SOPHE website, the chapter aims to “promote, encourage, and contribute to the advancement of the health of all people and to advance the health education profession.”

Avila said she plans to work with SOPHE post-graduation, and her work now as advocacy director focuses on educating the public on how to find their legislator and representatives. Her position as Advocacy Director has been ongoing for a year, according to Avila. Avila said. “Educating people on how to find your legislator here, your representatives, and how to get involved with them and furthering that education,” Avila said.

According to Hancher-Rauch, every October there is a national advocacy summit for the SOPHE in Washington D.C. Last October, Avila traveled with Hancher-Rauch to the conference and presented some of her work relating to her advocacy on Indiana Senate Bill 480.

Avila said there were insightful speakers at the event and that, one speaker, a young woman, lectured about the great work she was doing specifically regarding increasing the number of youth voters. Avila said it was great to see other young people engaged and interested in health advocacy.

According to Avila, one important thing that is overlooked in public health is the idea that everything in society’s

By Olivia Cameron ONLINE EDITOR

Those eager for spring to begin can find all of the season’s best features at the Indiana Flower and Patio Show. For 66 years, the Flower and Patio Show has provided a space for landscapers to showcase their craft and inspire others, according to a fact sheet provided by Coles Marketing.

The festivities will kick off with a preview gala called “Noble Evening in the Garden” on March 8 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. The event is presented by The National Bank of Indianapolis and hosted by Noble Auxiliary. All proceeds from the event will benefit Noble of Indiana, an organization with a mission to “expand opportunities and enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities and their families through individualized services,” according to the organization’s website.

From March 9 to 17, the Indiana State Fairgrounds and Event Center’s West Pavillion and Exposition Hall will display gardens, decks and more, according to the Flower and Patio

Show website. Features of the show include the opportunity to ask the Purdue Extension Master Gardeners gardening questions, “Build Your Own Terrarium,” shopping at the Plant Market and drinks at the Oberfields Tulip Tavern. Eighteen different landscping companies will be displaying featured gardens, including Heath Outdoor, the parent company of Diggs Garden Center. Amy Lapka, a retail developer for Heath Outdoor, said the company will be displaying a garden and selling retail items at the Flower and Patio Show. According to Lapka, the event allows landscapers to reach the public, and guests have the opportunity to view different styles for their projects.

The

Flower and Patio

Show is a great way for guests to just be inspired..."

get inspiration.” In addition to landscapes, the Flower and Patio Show will also have gardening experts and floral professionals giving presentations and answering audience questions, according to the fact sheet. Design manager at Banner Flower House Michelle Soupley, has been part of the show periodically since 2006. Soupley said throughout the past couple of years doing stage shows with other florists she has helped people learn about floral design. Show topics this year include floral design in different historical eras and how bouquets are done in other countries, according to Soupley.

“The flower and patio show is a great way for guests to just be inspired by what they can do with their spaces,” Lapka said. “There's always really cool stuff there … I think most people go, not necessarily to pick out a landscaper for a project, but just to

“My favorite thing is seeing other florists being involved and getting inspiration,” Soupley said. “They do some really dramatic displays and I just get inspired from it.”

Lapka said the event is inspiring to her as she has a passion for creating environments. According to Lapka, going to the Flower and Patio Show

is like a mini adventure because of all the different landscapes; There are plants, trees, fire pits, hot tubs and more on display during the event.

The fun thing about the Flower and Patio Show is taking the outside inside, she said.

“It's inspiring and exciting and gets you ready for the spring,” Lapka said. “If you're looking forward to warm weather and working in your yard, and you need a little boost of inspiration, this is definitely it.”

Those who do not garden should still attend the show to treat themselves, Soupley said. Going to the Flower and Patio Show allows one to cheat time, according to Soupley, because even if it is gray outside there are blooming flowers on display inside. She said it is fun to go and get a touch of spring.

“In March, it's really gray and gloomy [in Indiana],” Soupley said. “People are just getting tired of being inside … I would just go to get some color and just some relaxation time,” According to the website, there will also be a deck-building competition called "Deck Wars". Tickets can be purchased on the Indiana Flower and Patio Show website.

Student-led gallery opens

Graduate students lead new therapeutic art exhibition, 'Origins of Healing'

By Michael Harrington FEATURE EDITOR

art exhibition at the University of Indianapolis. “Origins of Healing,” held by UIndy’s ArtTherapy Student Organization, went from Feb. 9 through 22, according to a flyer put up by the registered student organization. The exhibition displayed art from UIndy graduate students and was in the Art & Design Annex’s Dee Schaad Student Gallery UIndy art therapy graduate student and President of ATSO Olive Harmeyer said they were the curator for “Origins of Healing.” The exhibition was a part of one of the larger projects the RSO puts on, according to Harmeyer, and was an opportunity to bring the artists and local community together. Harmeyer said the exhibition was a way for artists to highlight life-changing moments in their lives.

“I sort of wanted to play on that with the idea of narrative art therapy, which is sort of understanding the individual and their story of existence,”Harmeyer said.“So,with that idea, I asked for everyone to send in pieces of work that were very sentimental to them about their development, not only as an artist but also as an art therapist. There's a very common theme with our therapists where, during undergrad, we make a lot of art about ourselves and our healing process and we sort of learn about art therapy through making art that is

healing to us, by putting our trauma and our difficulties in life and our feelings and

According to Vice President of ATSO and art therapy graduate student Hannah Krodel, who was also a featured artist, the pieces she submitted were a way to convey her physical struggles. She said her pieces “By Candlelight” and “The X-Ray” were

“They

stop hurting and things like that.”

Like Krodel, Harmeyer said their work came from their time as an undergraduate student.Their painting “Rebirth”is inspired by their identity as a nonbinary person, according to Harmeyer,and their interactive sculpture is also inspired by their identity. During the pandemic, Harmeyer said they had to metaphorically rebirth themselves after coming to terms with their gender expression.

“‘Rebirth’ was a painting about me coming to the realization that I was nonbinary, which I have been out as a queer person since I was 13 or 14,” Harmeyer said. “So, that was already always deeply ingrained in my identity and I never really felt like I had to come out, it just sort of happened. Meanwhile, being nonbinary… I love women and I identify with women to an extent, but it never felt right and I felt like a fraud, but I just assumed it was because I was queer … I sort of felt like I had to have a rebirth when I had to have a coming out.”

Krodel said that art therapy, much like what was displayed at “Origins of Healing,” is a good way for her to cope. During Krodel’s time as an undergraduate, she studied behavioral sciences and, according to Krodel,there is a link between art therapy and sociology. According to the flyer, the exhibition had a closing reception on Feb. 16 from 5 to 9 p.m., and while the event may be over, Krodel said she hopes viewers can not only see how art therapists can advocate for themselves, but also draw inspiration.

day-to-day lives is related to public health. Avila said those in office are not properly educated on these issues.

“Absolutely anything, from the sidewalks to where you live and the access you have to grocery stores, every little thing is tied back to public health,” Avila said. “What we don't realize is that the impact that has on marginalized communities and when we have people who are in office who don't have the public's best interest at heart, then nothing good is gonna come out of that.”

If students are interested in getting involved in healthcare advocacy work, there are many opportunities available on campus, according to Hancher-Rauch. The registered student organization Eta Sigma Gamma is involved in research, advocacy and training to promote the ideals of health education.

“I think there's always the space for students to get involved … We're all doing advocacy work, because all policy is health policy, everything impacts health,” Hancher-Rauch said. “Students can always reach out if they're interested in that kind of thing."

Talking points:

By Elyssa Merrill DISTRIBUTION MANAGER & BUSINESS MANAGER

Whether English is someone’s second language, they are not a native speaker or they simply find it challenging,the University of Indianapolis Writing Lab’s Conversation Circles provide a supportive resource on campus to practice conversational skills, as outlined on the Writing Lab's website. The site says they intend to create a space where students can practice the English language, learn more,ask about UIndy and meet native English speakers they can rely on around campus. With various meeting times for the second semester, students can meet on Google Meet with one of the Englishspeaking facilitators who host the meetings after an appointment is requested.

According to Associate Director of the UIndy Writing Lab Dawn Hershberger, the writing lab has been hosting Conversation Circles since 2015. She said she felt international students were at a disadvantage in the classroom if they struggled with the English language. While they moved to Google Meet due to the pandemic, the writing lab has continued to use Google Meet for safety and inclusivity.

“ … We kind of kept things online,” Hershberger said. “It also allows us to have other people participating in the community and things too. We've had students from Belize who've participated, we've had some students from Mexico who participated. They just kind of found it online and asked if they could join. … It also expands the program a little bit and lets people be able to take advantage of it who wouldn't be able to otherwise.”

While the sessions are there to help promote understanding and comprehension of the English language, junior criminal justice major Jenna Taghikhani said they can do so much more. As a previous facilitator for Conversation Circles, Taghikhani said more than learning occurs during meetings “…It allows newer students and students that don't know English as well … to be able to get together and just practice conversational English with each other,”Taghikhani said.“I think this also helps them form friendships with each other. And even with me, as someone that facilitates the circle,I think just overall it promotes togetherness and learning. There's a lot of learning that gets done.”

Additionally, Hershberger said that another point of emphasis can be placed on cultural exchange. Those attending Conversation Circles can ask questions and learn from and about each other,according to Hershberger, and it also allows the facilitator to learn about the cultures of the people requesting aid.

“

…We're hoping it's a way of promoting friendship and kind of a feeling of inclusivity on campus for these students who might feel maybe a little lost," Hershberger said. “I mean, I can't imagine going to a whole other country and being stuck in the middle of a whole other thing and having to learn. So, it's kind of just to help out with that. It's not about acclimation—it's about inclusivity. So it's about sharing cultures, and letting them feel comfortable being themselves and being able to promote who they are.”

If you or someone you know is interested in attending a session,contact Dawn Hershberger at hershberger@uindy.edu.

AVILA

Headline graphic by Olivia Cameron

emotions onto a canvas or into a sculpture or into an illustration.”

Photo by Breanna Emmett

UIndy's "Origins of Healing" featured several artworks created by the ATSO, such as the hanging piece titled “Polyester Womb” made by ATSO President Olive Harmeyer. created during her time as an undergraduate.

are actually about my scoliosis and how I handled that,” Krodel said. “A lot of times when I make art, I don't know what it's about until I analyze it afterwards. With the one that sort of looked like an X-ray, I knew what that one was about, but the other one about the doll, the way I positioned her is how sometimes I have to position myself to help my lower back

BSA makes a comeback with Open Mic Night

By Michael Harrington FEATURE EDITOR

The University of Indianapolis heard poetry, song and more from students in the African American community in Krannert Memorial Library. The event, held Feb. 29 from 7-9 p.m., according to UIndy Events, was officially called “Black History Month - KML Open Mic Series: Co-hosted by the Black Student Association.”The night allowed for performers to have a three-minute time slot to perform, according to UIndy Events.

Black Student Association Vice President and sophomore psychology major DesMonaé Thomas said in the past BSA held open mic nights, but as board members changed over time, the nights came to a halt. Thomas said she sees this as an opportunity to remind UIndy that BSA is still active in the community and wants to make more students aware of its presence.

“When we had found out that BSA used to host open mic nights and we saw that the KML was hosting an open mic night, we thought it’d be a great opportunity to collaborate with them and everyone on the board,” Thomas

said. “This is our first year holding these positions, so right now we want to build back that tradition of open mic nights consistently. So right now, we’re going to use this opportunity as a starting point in how to navigate it from here.”

BSA Secretary and sophomore elementary education major Rava’Jonnae Turner said she was in charge of increasing awareness of the Open Mic Night. The event is a way to amplify Black voices within a primarily white institution, such as UIndy, according to Turner. “A lot of people are shy to step up to show what they have in the store,” Turner said. “So I feel like with the Open Mic … that it would give other black people time to [say] ‘Let me just show what I have. Let me just show everybody what I’ve been hiding,’ and I just feel like that’s a great thing to do, especially at a PWI school.”

as Open Mic Night takes commitment and communication. Communicating with an external organization can be difficult, but it pays off in the end with a successful event, she said.

“I’ve learned that it takes patience, it takes commitment,” Turner said.

“Also, it takes communication. You have to communicate with either organization that you’re partnering with because if you don’t have that communication, words can get crossed, dates can get crossed, times can get crossed and it takes patience.”

BSA Head of Community Outreach and sophomore communication major Addison Mosley said that she thinks of this as a way to reintroduce BSA into the UIndy community.

Turner said setting up an event such

“BSA hasn’t had a lot of events, and we also haven’t been able to do stuff just because of funding and time and we also had to rebuild BSA,” Mosley said. “We wanted to do something that wasn’t too much, that wasn’t overwhelming, but also to show our presence … So it was a good event to just partner with to be

like, ‘Hey, this is BSA’s introduction’ and still have that community of people who go to the open mics.”

Thomas said she was also in charge of budgeting and helped to schedule the event. For the event. However, Thomas said she worked on a poem where she touches on personal aspects within her life.

“It [her poem] is pretty much about how dreams can affect the choices you make,”Thomas said. “You can sit in your room and dream a lot, dream about a big fancy house, dream about the fanciest car, but it’s all about the choices you make and how you reach those dreams. And I have made a few choices in my life that affected the dreams that I wanted. So I pretty much just wanted to put that in words and express myself and get some relief and comfort.”

Mosley, who is the event’s master of ceremonies, said she feels inspired to express herself when seeing performers on stage. Mosley said she hopes the event will make her more comfortable presenting and wants the event to inspire others to find their voice.

“I just want to get very, very comfortable with it, especially since I’m a communication major, and I want to be on TV and things like that,” Mosley said. “… I think for UIndy, I want everybody to have a good time. I want everybody to feel like they’re open and welcomed into this really safe community. I will say UIndy has a community and it makes you feel at home when you’re here, so I want everybody to feel like they’re at home and they’re comfortable and they’re protected in that space.”

Turner said the event conveys BSA’s values as an organization. It shows African American students coming together and showing their presence within the community, according to Turner.

“It conveys [Black Students] coming together and to be a part of something that’s with everybody,” Turner said. “It’s not just Black people, BSA or trying to get other people to come and not just have it as a Black organization on a PWI school. We’re trying to get everybody together and with this event, that’s what we’re trying to convey.”

According to Thomas, following the success of the Open Mic Night, social events such as this are going to happen in the future. This event shows that BSA is here for students as a resource and as a way to find community, Thomas said.

“I’m hoping this event can let everyone know that we are still here, we are new, we’re developing, but we would still like your support and your encouragement to help us build ourselves back up because BSA used to bring a lot of people together,” Thomas said. “We just want to bring that back to the Black community on campus at this PWI. So I’m hoping it lets people know that we are trying, we do see you, we do hear you, and we are doing this for you.”

Students who are interested in joining BSA can message the account @uindy_bsa on Instagram for more information. Students can also email any members to join, according to Mosley.

Maggie Graber delivers lecture on poetry

Author Maggie Graber performs poetry reading as part of UIndy’s Kellogg Writers Series

By Brid Peoples ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Award-winning poet and teacher Maggie Graber spoke to students, faculty and the wider community at the University of Indianapolis about her craft and debut poetry collection, as part of the Kellogg’s Writers Series at UIndy.

According to Associate Professor of English Barney Haney, the Kellogg Writers Series was created in the 1990s, and the aim of the series is to bring different and diverse writers to campus to speak to students. Students and the wider community get the opportunity to meet authors, ask them questions and listen to them lecture. Haney also teaches a Kellogg

Writers Series class, where students can interview authors as part of a podcast.

“I started teaching a class that’s like a Kellogg Writers Series class, and it teaches the students how to run the series,” Haney said. “They’re also doing the podcasts and writing the podcast questions.”

According to Graber’s website, she is a queer millennial poet born and raised in the greater Chicago area in Valparaiso, Indiana. Graber’s website states her debut poetry collection, “Swan Hammer: An Instructor’s Guide” was published in 2022. Graber has a diverse background, as she has been a wilderness therapy field guide, an English teacher, an outdoor educator, a farmhand and a radio DJ.

Haney said he invited Graber

to speak at UIndy due to a recommendation from a colleague.

Haney said Graber’s perspective as a young, queer Midwesterner would speak to a lot of people in the UIndy community. Describing the themes in “Swan Lake,” Haney said Graber explores the way time, place and friendship interact.

In her work, and when you read it...it’s almost like we’re eavsdropping

Haney described that Graber’s work focuses on the past, present and future in a way which leaves the reader feeling that they are

experiencing those moments themselves.

“In her work, and when you read it, like there’s a plainspokeness to it that feels like a friend is talking with you,” Haney said. “And it’s [the collection] are super intimate…It’s almost like we’re eavesdropping on something.”

In Graber’s public lecture, she said the earliest poem in the collection was written in 2007 and the latest in 2020. According to Graber the collection chronicles her coming of age and grappling with the world around her. Graber said the body of poems means something different to her now that they have been published for others to read.

“I have a different relationship with the book now that it’s out in

the world and people can read it and form their own relationships with it that are outside of the material being that I am,” Graber said.

According to Haney, the Writers Series is valuable to students because they get to talk to authors about topics that are deeply human, and they are getting to the kinds of truths about life that can only be experienced through art. Haney said that through the Writers Series, people can hear something that could change the way they understand themselves in the world.

“And I have seen it happen for students in there,” Haney said. “And it’s absolutely—it sounds magical, but it’s really like a profound experience that can happen, for the audience coming to these events.”

Conclusion to Maas’s ‘Crescent City’ trilogy underwhelms

By Breanna Emmett ART DIRECTOR

This review contains vague spoilers.

Fans of Sarah J. Maas have been anticipating the arrival of her conclusion to the “Crescent City” trilogy, “House of Flame and Shadow,” for over two years. With a thrilling cliffhanger to the second book in the series, “House of Sky and Breath,” promising a crossover to Maas’ other adored series, the hype around this book was unanimous among her readers. I have been a fan of Maas’epic fantasy series for over a decade, and having read her other fifteen books, I have to say—I found HOFAS to be incredibly underwhelming.

Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed reading this book. With over 800 pages in length (and five exclusive bonus chapters scattered about online), I devoured this book and

its bonus content in under two weeks.

It was a joy to see the conclusion to the story of main character Bryce Quinlan, a half-fae party girl who is hellbent on saving her friends and the world from a government of god-like power. It was still a classic Sarah J. Maas story filled with intense action, passionate romance, incredible worldbuilding and lovable, complex characters. All of it is told through a very entertaining and beautiful writing style. Still, there were aspects of the plot and pacing that felt rushed.

Maas is typically a master of multiple point-of-view storytelling, weaving different plot points from different character’s arcs into the overarching plot. This was not my experience with HOFAS.

I absolutely adore reading multiple points of view, but when I am getting multiple POV shifts within the same chapter, I feel like my brain is melting. There is so much jumping around from character to

character at such a rapid pace, I craved a moment to take a breath and linger with the character for a little longer.

It would have been more bearable if I cared more about our side characters, but so much of their stories were spent unsuccessfully scrambling to just figure out how to aid in what would certainly be a final showdown against the villainous Asteri or fixing personal issues that they caused (looking at you,Ithan and Tharion.)

If their character arcs had more of an impact on the main plot of the book, it would be reasonable to get these side stories. Instead, it felt like an obvious set up for future books set in this world, with consequences that had little or no effect on the main plot of this book.

For what is supposed to be an epic conclusion featuring the main cast of heroes overthrowing an impossibly powerful government, the final battle lacked any stakes. At no point did I feel

that the characters were in any real danger. There were two close calls with the main cast, and in both cases, the characters were saved by miraculous circumstances—with a main character suddenly discovering he had healing abilities lying dormant all this time. Truly, I expected better from Maas.

At certain points, I felt like I was reading an early draft of what this novel could have been—and I think there is a reason for that. According to TODAY, Maas had scrapped the entire first draft of HOFAS, refusing to give readers her “second-grade”work and choosing to start over.With the obligations of deadlines and strict publishing schedules, I imagine that Maas was under a lot of pressure to meet her deadline after making this decision. While it might have been for the benefit of the story, it also limited how much time she had to truly make it the best it could be.

Even with all of its flaws, I greatly enjoyed reading HOFAS. The multiverse

crossover elements were absolutely thrilling and it was so refreshing to see characters from other series through Bryce’s perspective. Additionally, seeing the conclusion of her growth and healing from trauma through all three books in the series—and the growth of her companions—was absolutely inspiring. As always, I will be counting down the days until Maas decides to bless the world with another one of her stories.

The Goods: Great delivery of crossover elements.

A fitting conclusion to the trilogy. Good writing quality.

The Bads:

• Lazy plot elements save characters from death.

• Novel felt rushed.

• Too many rapid POV switches.

Photo by Allison Cook

Junior elementary education major Jayonna Dean reads an original poem at the Feb. 29 KML Open Mic Night co-hosted by the Black Student Association. The event aimed to create a feeling of community and inspire others to find their creative voice.

Photo by Allison Cook Junior elementary education major Jayonna Dean raises her hand to participate in a game hosted by the Black Student Association during the KML Open Mic Night series.

Graphic by Mariana Fletes-Cuevas

UIndy enrollment deadline extended due to FAFSA

Deadline to put down deposit now June 1

By Michael Harrington FEATURE EDITOR

The enrollment deadline has been extended for prospective students thinking about commiting to the University of Indianapolis, according to an announcement from UIndy 360. Originally May 1, the deadline for submitting the deposit in order to commit to UIndy has been extended to June 1, following the overhauls made to the FAFSA last December. Following the changes, UIndy will send out financial aid packages in March and April instead of November, according to UIndy 360. UIndy Senior Director of Admissions Megan Godsey said the decision to extend the date for commitment stemmed from how late financial aid information will come out. She said the extension was made so potential students do not feel rushed to commit after receiving financial aid information.

“We know that financial aid is a big factor in students' decision making,” Godsey said. “[Because] they won’t have the information as soon as we would have liked, we decided to extend the deadline to ensure that students have all of the information to make their best decision moving forward regarding the institution they decide to enroll in.”

According to Director of Financial Aid Nathan Lohr, the FAFSA’s overhaul has a significant impact on the timing of which students receive financial aid. As the department has yet to receive FAFSA information from the Department of Education, there is uncertainty regarding when the Office of Financial Aid will be able to create financial aid packages, Lohr said.

for most students moving forward. The other main benefit of the changes to the FAFSA is that it should make more students eligible for federal grants, both in terms of number of students that are eligible and in the amount that they're eligible to receive.”

According to Schuetz, an overhaul on this scale has not occurred within the FAFSA before. The last time something like this occurred was a decade ago, Schuetz said, and it gave students more time to apply, rather than affecting admissions and financial aid. The only other time the date for enrollment was extended occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Schuetz.

“About 10 years ago, they [the Department of Education] started opening the FAFSA on Oct. 1, and students could fill out their applications and they still had until May 1 to decide,” Schuetz said. “It didn't change our decision-making timeline, but it allowed students to have information earlier than that. The only other time that schools made any adjustments to the decision date … was when the pandemic hit.”

According to Schuetz and Lohr, the decision to extend the deadline was the result of collaboration between the Office of Financial Aid and the Office of Admissions. Lohr said that the decision was made in order to offer an affordable education to students and shows the long-time collaboration between the two entities.

We want to make [UIndy] an affordable option for you."

“We haven't received any official results from the Department of Education yet and don't have an official date of when we will,” Lohr said. “We are anticipating receiving the financial aid information by mid-March. But what that means is that we don't have the information that we need yet to determine what financial aid a student is going to be eligible for next year.”

Interim Vice President of Enrollment Management Steve Schuetz said UIndy’s response to FAFSA’s overhaul and access issues was a contingency plan. Following a calculation error in the FAFSA, their original and backup plans for awards had to be altered, according to Schuetz. He said this will also affect when current students get their financial aid information.

“The other thing that's going to be important for current UIndy students to know is that because this timeline is pushing back our ability to get new students’ awards out, it will also push back our ability to get current students renewal awards because students have to fill out the FAFSA each and every year,” Schuetz said.“It's impacted you and other current students and your ability to get the information in and get it in a timely manner. So that means that we probably won't get information out to our current students until May.”

According to the Current Student FAFSA Update by the Office of Financial Aid, as a result of the changes, current students may have to register for fall classes before receiving financial aid. Despite this, the Office of Financial Aid said UIndy is committed to providing students with consistent financial aid packages. Lohr said the changes within the FAFSA will be beneficial to students for the foreseeable future.

“I think right now it can cause some delays and challenges for students,” Lohr said. “I think in the long term it's going to be beneficial. The process to complete the FAFSA should be much simpler

“We've been collaborating from the beginning, and I think one of the big areas where we work together is in communication,” Lohr said. “We want to make sure that students and families who are considering UIndy know what's going on and know what they need to do in order to maximize their financial aid eligibility here at the university. It's been a real collaborative effort to make sure that the messages that we're sharing keep students informed and keep families informed so that they know that we are here not just to provide an affordable education, but we're here to support them and be here as a resource to help them through.”

Godsey said that despite the challenges which occurred within the FAFSA earlier this year, student deposit numbers are similar to last year. The issues due to FAFSA should not be a deterrent for prospective students, Godsey said, and all students should submit their FAFSA before April 15 for the best results.

“We want students to utilize any federal and state funding that they may qualify for, but that FAFSA data does help us, as a private institution, to seek out additional institutional funding that they may qualify for,” Godsey said. “While there might be some frustrations, it's important to stick with it and get the FAFSA submitted so that way we can receive those results and then provide them with the best financial offer that is going to make it as affordable as possible for them.”

Godsey said this decision shows that while UIndy may be a private university, it is willing to work with students to afford tuition. The awards and scholarships offered can make first-generation students’ dreams a reality, according to Godsey.

“We understand we are a private institution, so our sticker price can sometimes scare folks and again, kind of deter them from even going through the application process,” Godsey said. “But we realize that we want to make this an affordable option for them, and I think with the different awards and scholarships that we have implemented over the years will really help make that a reality for students.”

Women's History from Page 3

this, Ziff said that, in our society, when trying to celebrate a population, it almost enables individuals to not do deeper work addressing these issues.

“Do you have maybe implicit biases that are misogynistic, or sexist or whatever it might be?” Ziff said.

“I think asking those really hard questions about, you know, how do we ensure that there's equal pay for equal work, regardless of a person's background? But then it goes even deeper. How are we making sure that the education system is truly equal for all people, and that there's this access to opportunity and access to whatever skill development there needs to be? So it really quickly ballooned out to a

lot of like, huge structural issues, that can be very overwhelming.”

Ziff said to take the month as a personal challenge to learn more and dig deeper into how the world can be experienced differently by different groups of women. Additionally, Merrifield Wilson said Women’s History Month is not just about thinking about what has happened, but can also serve as a charge to action to do more—and this sentiment does not extend exclusively to women.

“I would say a lot of times we think of things like this, like Women's History Month really just matters to women,” Merrifield Wilson said. “And that would be wrong.”