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94
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reflector.uindy.edu
AUGUST 26, 2015
Dai-Jon Parker leaves his mark on UIndy community By Kylee Crane EDITOR-IN-CHIEF On the court or the field, or simply walking across campus, former senior guard Dai-Jon Parker could be seen with a bright smile on his face, something that friends and coaches say made a big impact even in his short time at the University of Indianapolis. Parker, who transferred to UIndy last fall from Vanderbilt University, passed away May 28 in a tubing accident. Men’s Basketball Head Coach Stan Gouard first met Parker while on a recruiting trip at Vanderbilt University. Gouard said he only had to spend little time with Parker to realize what an incredible person he was. “I spent a few hours with him, and it was [a] no brainer that I wanted him on our team, mainly because of his personality, his positive outlook on life,” Gouard said. “He had made a few mistakes at Vanderbilt, and he knew it was a second chance. Some things he said about his life made me feel special to bring him with me and build his life. Even in a short amount of time, he touched my life in a major way.” In his single basketball season at UIndy, Parker was one of only two Greyhounds to start in all 31 games. He scored in the double digits 14 times. Gouard said that not only his athleticism, but also his attitude, made him an incredible asset for the team. “[He was] unbelievable,”Gouard said. “I would define him as the perfect teammate. There wasn’t a day that he had a bad attitude in a game or even in practice. We all have bad days, but through it all he kept that smile of his and encouraged his teammates. Even in the games we lost, although there were few, he smiled because he knew there was light at the
end of the day. There’s a lot of pressure on these young men as student athletes, but he always came in and accepted that wholeheartedly.” Gouard credited Parker’s mother in her son’s success. “I talk to his [Parker’s] mother once a week, just to see how she is doing, because we are all dealing with it on a day-to-day basis; and I told her that I have never met a happier person in my entire life,” Gouard said. “I commended her for the way she raised him and how she helped teach him how he approached life on a daily basis.” Besides playing basketball, Parker chose to walk on and play football during the 2015 spring season. Redshirt sophomore defensive back Aeneas White met Parker before football and said that he knew right away that Parker was someone special. “I was introduced to him as one of [senior guard] Jordan Loyd’s friends, so I already figured he’d be a pretty cool guy,” White said. “I immediately realized he was a silly guy like myself, and that made me even closer with this guy.” White said that Parker motivated him to work harder, even though they were teammates for just a few weeks. “He was a teammate of mine for a short period of time, but for that, he was one to always bring the best competitor out of whoever he faced,” White said. “He was a freak athlete, and going against him in practice every day definitely made me a better player. And as a friend— I could go on for days— but he was a guy that always gave off happy vibes. I had never seen anyone stay in a bad mood when he was present. Even now that he’s gone, when I am down about anything, I find myself thinking about a fun time I had with him, and it brings a smile to my face.” Gouard said that teammates spend
Photo by Kameron Casey
Senior guard Dai-Jon Parker attempts a shot over Bellarmine junior forward George Suggs on Jan. 15, 2015. many hours together in practice, travelling to and from games, and even outside of the sport, and the team is dealing with its loss on a day-to-day basis. According to Gouard, Loyd recently changed his jersey number from 24 to 3, which was Parker’s. Gouard said Loyd and Parker had been friends since they were about eight years
old and played Amateur Athletic Union Boys Basketball together. “Dai-Jon [Parker] attended UIndy based on talking to Jordan [Loyd],” Gouard said. “He never came for a visit or anything before. He just came based on what he heard from his best friend. It takes time. Time is healing. We all refer-
New nursing program open to grad students By Jessica Hoover NEWS EDITOR
Photo by Kameron Casey
The Health Pavilion is one of many new changes to campus, and is set to open for the 2015-2016 school year. Other changes include, the library and a new basketball court.
Recent changes made to UIndy By Kameron Casey PHOTO EDITOR
The University of Indianapolis has undergone a number of changes since students left campus after the 2014-2015 academic year. Updates and renovations to the library, campus apartments, athletic facilities and finishing touches to the Health Pavilion have been underway since May. One of the biggest projects that faced the University was the library renovation. Krannert Memorial Library Director Matthew Shaw outlined many of the updates and improvements the library will have to offer. “The new library is going to be a beautiful, modern destination for our students, faculty and community,” Shaw said. “The newly-installed east curtain wall, along with the existing glass on the north side of the building, will bring natural light into the library and provide users with attractive views of the Smith Mall and downtown. A glass-enclosed grand staircase will connect all four floors and contribute to the feeling of contemporary openness. The library will also include a variety of comfortable and functional study furniture. Our iconic egg chairs will remain, alongside new pieces like the Brody Work Lounges— an in-
novative, self-contained study unit from Steelcase— which will be located on the third Floor.” There also have been improvements to the Frederick D. Hill University Archives and Special Collections, the Learning Lab, the ASK Desk, group study rooms and the 24-hour lab. The library also is adding a cafe, which may not be ready by Aug. 31 like the rest of the new library features, according to Shaw. He said that other than the possible delay regarding the cafe, there have not been any significant delays during the summer construction. “Our architects, builders and other contractors have been very committed to the aggressive renovation time line,” Shaw said. “Our building originally opened in 1977, and our partners were fully prepared to address issues as they arose. I have been extremely impressed by the diligence and cooperation of those involved in the renovation.” Along with the extensive library renovations, the university’s athletic facilities also have received major face lifts. Notably, Key Stadium, home venue to five sports, was resurfaced and painted to be able to house football, soccer and lacrosse practices and matches. According to Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Sue Willey, the university raised money to pay for the new turf. There also is a new basketball court
in Nicoson Hall, which was donated by Ray Skillman during the 2014-2015 season. Compared to the old court, the new one should be easier for athletes to compete on. “The new floor in Nicoson is completely redone,” Willey said. “This floor should be much easier on the athletes’ joints, as the old floor was very, very hard and had no give to it.” Willey said the court also will be home to some volleyball matches throughout the year. She said that throughout the busy summer, the only setback has been the new lacrosse practice field. “The practice field is behind schedule, due to weather, permits and other issues,” Willey said. “I know they will complete it as soon as possible, but it will, most likely, be the middle of October before it is usable.” Along with these improvements to the campus, the Health Pavilion is scheduled to be ready for the 2015-2016 school year. The pavilion will be home to all healthcare- and wellness-related academic programs. In addition to its academic purpose, it will also house clinical facilities for members of the surrounding community. The $28 million project is in its final stages, and workers have been seen moving classroom and other equipment into the building over the past few weeks.
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ence what he has done because his legacy will carry on. When a person comes into your life like Dai-Jon, it’s something you never forget.” As soon as the news of Parker’s death was released, Gouard said, the entire university reached out to comfort the team, and he is very grateful for President Robert Manuel, Dean of Students Kory Vitangeli, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Sue Willey and all other administrative support. The university helped send the entire team to Louisiana for Parker’s funeral. Parker was also 11 credit hours away from graduating, according to Gouard, and was determined to receive his degree. Next May, he will receive an honorary degree and his mother will walk in his honor at commencement. Gouard said that he had many personal favorite memories of Parker, but last Thanksgiving left a lasting impression on him. “I had players over for Thanksgiving last year,” Gouard said. “My wife, my wife’s best friend and my brother were all cooking. The entire team came in around the same time, and everybody headed to the basement to hang out and play video games. Everybody except Dai- Jon. He had never met my wife or any of them, but [he] walked right into the kitchen and gave them all a hug. He stayed in the kitchen the entire time they were cooking. He tried to help cook, clean and set the table for dinner. My wife turned to me and said, ‘He is such a good kid.’ “It was an unbelievable experience and shows that he never met a stranger. That’s just how he was as a person. He always wanted people to smile. The world lost a great person, but we were blessed here at UIndy because he was a tremendous impact, not on just me, but the entire university.”
The University of Indianapolis has developed a new nursing program created for students who already have graduated with a different degree to attain their Bachelor of Science in Nursing. The Second Degree Accelerated BSN Program can be completed in as little as 15 months. School of Nursing Undergraduate Programs Director Cheryl Conces said that the shortened time taken to earn the degree is ideal for adult learners, who may have families or other responsibilities. “This is a nice option, if you already have a degree, for those kinds of folks to pop into something that’s accelerated for them,” Conces said. “That way they don’t have to spend four years trying to get a degree.” The program started as the Accelerated Master’s Program, then evolved into what it is today. The major difference between the two programs is that, while the AMP required students to take Master of S cience in Nursing courses, the new program gives students the option to apply to MSN courses either during the program or after.The switch to the Second Degree Accelerated BSN Program was made mostly because of the influence of the nursing students at UIndy. “We got feedback from the students that they wanted to complete their BSN, work as an RN [Registered Nurse] and have an option of having a master’s degree,” Conces said, “because most of the people in the workforce are BSN degree people. We were able to get approval this past summer to change it to a Second Degree Accelerated BSN Program, so
that’s what we’re calling it now.” Since most graduate students applying to this program would have all of their general education credits, this allows for the program to focus primarily on both clinical and non-clinical nursing courses. The program uses a combination of courses, lab simulations and clinical practice experiences to help prepare students for life as a nurse. School of Nursing Admissions and Curriculum Counselor Brandon Doty, who is academic advisor for the program, said that depending on what the student’s previous degree was in, the student might have to take certain prerequisites before applying to be in the Second Degree Accelerated BSN Program. “Based on what you’ve done in your past, you may have a number of prereqs that you have to do that are specific only to the nursing core,”Doty said.“For example, there are four sciences, there is a math component and then there is a psychology component that they have to have completed before they can even begin the nursing program itself.” Another requirement to be admitted to the Second Degree Accelerated BSN Program is, that a student must have a non-nursing bachelor’s degree with a cumulative grade point average of 2.82 or higher. If the applicant’s GPA is lower, then he or she would be required to take up to 12 credit hours of prerequisites. Other programs that UIndy’s School of Nursing offers include the traditional BSN, the RN to BSN program, multiple MSN programs and the Doctor of Nursing Practice program. More information on these and the Second Degree Accelerated BSN Program, is available at www.uindy.edu/ nursing.
“This is a nice option, if you already have a degree, for those kinds of folks to pop into something that’s accelerated for them. That way they don’t have to spend four years trying to get a degree.”
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