CMYK
THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF INDIANAPOLIS
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VOL.
94
I S S UE 7
FEBRUARY 10, 2016
reflector.uindy.edu
Sanders wins UIndy straw poll By Robbie Hadley & Reid Lorey BUSINESS MANAGER & STAFF WRITER In a straw poll conducted by The Reflector, Vermont Senator and Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (D) was the most popular candidate, with 33.3 percent of the overall student vote, more than the next two most-popular candidates combined. In second place was New York businessman Donald Trump (R) with an even 15 percent and third was Florida neurosurgeon Ben Carson (R) with 12.6 percent of the vote. Despite Sanders’ large victory, Republican candidates still received 56.1 percent of the overall vote to the Democratic candidates’ 43.9 percent. Second place for the Democratic nomination was former U.S. Secretary of State and Senator from New York Hillary Clinton with 8.5 percent of the vote. Politically, there were nearly twice as many students who identified as Republican, 42.7 percent, as identified as Democratic, 24 percent, with another 22 percent identifying as Independent. In the poll, students were asked to pick their preference for political candidate from either the Democratic or Republican Party as will be done in the upcoming Indiana primary in May. They also were
Reflector Student Political Poll Results Ben Carson 12.6%
Ted Cruz 7.7% Republican 42.7% Rand Paul 2.4% Mike Huckabee 1.6% Martin O'Malley 2.0% Marco Rubio 8.9% John Kasich 0.4% Jim Gilmore 0.4% Jeb Bush 4.1%
Bernie Sanders 33.3%
Independent 22.4%
Hillary Clinton 8.5%
Carly Fiorina 2.0%
Donald Trump 15.0% Chris Christie 0.4%
asked to provide their year, major, political party and intention to vote. Nearly 250 students provided countable results for the poll. Assistant Professor of History and Political Science Laura Albright was surprised by the number of outlier candidates who gained votes. “I think there are some interesting results,” Albright said. “Some of the smaller candidates that you wouldn’t think would have that kind of pull got votes. One for Kasich [ John Kasich, R-Ohio], five for O’Malley [Martin O’Malley, D-Md.], maybe even four for
Democrat 24.0%
Huckabee [Mike Huckabee, R-Ark.]. The fact that people found those candidates to be the most intriguing speaks to the ideological spread of the candidates who are available this season. Trump being a high [vote]-getter, [is] not surprising. Sanders, absolutely not surprising. We see Sanders really pulling for the 18-22 demographic, and that is really clear here.” Sanders has had considerable support from the college-age demographic throughout his campaign. In a Feb. 2 report by “The Atlantic,” he defeated Hillary Clinton, with 84 percent of the vote among people under 30 at exit polling conducted
UIndy tuition increases By Kylee Crane EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
University of Indianapolis students will see a 3.9 percent increase in tuition for the 2016-2017 academic year, but they also will see that money invested back into their collegiate careers. A campus-wide email sent on Feb. 5 included a letter from President Robert Manuel announcing that the full-time tuition rate would increase from $25,910 to $26,920. In addition, the standard residence room rate will increase from $4,740 to $4,928, and the 14 meal plan will increase from $4,594 to $4,720. Summer session tuition will remain the same at $295 per credit hour. According to Manuel, the decision to keep the summer rate constant was an easy one, because the university would like to see more students enroll in the summer program to advance toward their
ONLINE THIS WEEK at reflector.uindy.edu
Professor shares her experience through words, images, sounds “It’s been kind of an incredible life so far. And I have heard one of my daughters say, ‘If it was over tomorrow, it has been a good ride,’” said Professor of Physical Therapy Julie Gahimer during her Sharing My Story speech on Jan. 25. Gahimer was asked by Office Manager of Ecumenical and Interfaith Programs Cindy Sturgeon to speak to guests as part of the Sharing My Story series.
Scholarships and financial aid help students avoid debt The University of Indianapolis offers scholarships and financial aid to help students pay for college, as well as provide resources to find outside scholarships. According to Associate Vice President for Financial Aid Linda Handy, all together students at UIndy receive $99 million in financial aid, including grants, loans and scholarships.
OPINION 2
Not Indicated 11.0%
four-year degree. The academic year tuition increase is the result of the increased costs of mandatory operating expenses. “Very little operating expenses are covered by endowment,” Manuel said. “Things like heating and air conditioning, improved security in buildings—like cameras and keys—and healthcare and insurance for faculty and staff are some of our necessities. And those things never get cheaper.” Most of the increases in operating expenses come from the salaries of the faculty and staff. Executive Vice President for Campus Affairs and Enrollment Services Mark Weigand said that the university works hard to find a way to please the majority. “We currently hold a student-faculty ratio of 11:1, which is something we are very proud of,” he said. “In order to keep that, we have to be able to increase salaries to keep faculty. We are conscious of
the students and wanting them to achieve, but we also have to compete for faculty, so it is a balancing act.” Even with all the necessary expenses, Manuel said that the university strives to be a “good steward” and prioritizes the students. Forty cents of every dollar goes back to the students through scholarships and academic services. According to Manuel, students will be able to see how the money is going back to the students when they receive their financial aid information in the coming months. “We are, and want to be, mindful of the students’ indebtness to the university, but also [want to] provide them with all the resources we can,” Manuel said. “I think we have found a good mix of that.” As mentioned in the campus-wide email, students are strongly urged to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid by March 10. Students can find links to applications at uindy.edu/financial-aid.
Graphic by Kyle Dunbar
at the Iowa caucuses. He also pulled 58 percent of the 30-44 year old demographic in the same poll. Sophomore political science major Jason Marshall, who was a Sanders supporter in the poll, explained why he thought Sanders has such a large appeal with younger voters. “The young people don’t have faith in the system anymore,” Marshall said. “I think that is why Bernie Sanders is so appealing to the younger people. I think we are going to see a lot more young voters coming out, which is going to heavily influence it [the Indiana presidential primary].”
According to the straw poll, the young voter turnout would be much higher than the usual percentage. The Indiana Secretary of State’s statistics for 2008, the last year with primaries for both political parties, showed a 40 percent voter turnout statewide with all possible voters. Marion County was even lower at 37 percent. Young voters’ turnout is typically much lower than that. In The Reflector’s straw poll, 48 percent of students indicated that they would vote, and only 15 percent said that they would not. Albright said she was still disappointed with these voter turnout numbers. “The intention to vote kind of concerns me,” Albright said. “Roughly 48 percent said they would, although maybe people are still making up their minds and trying to look up the candidates.” With the 2016 presidential election just starting primary voting, there is a long road ahead until the final nominees are determined. Marshall took a guess at who he believed the nominees would be. “It is going to be real close between Bernie and Clinton,” he said. “I think Secretary Clinton might pull it out. I say it will be her and Marco Rubio [R-Fla.] in the general election.” More detailed statistics on outlier candidates, votes by political party and intention to vote are available in the complete polling results at reflector.uindy.edu.
Private College Tuition Comparison University
2014 - 2015
2015 - 2016
DePauw
$42,050
$44,678
Earlham
$42,000
$44,390
Rose Hulman
$40,449
$41,865
Wabash
$37,100
$39,330
Butler
$34,750
$37,010
Valparaiso
$33,680
$35,030
Hanover
$32,423
$34,514
University of Evansville
$30,900
$32,946
Franklin
$28,000
$28,840
Anderson
$26,770
$27,520
University of Indianapolis
$25,154
$25,910 Graphic by Kyle Dunbar
Faculty discuss MEGA Center, developments While MEGA Center concept embraced, Faculty Senate advise against elimination of two positions in International Division By Mercadees Hempel & Mikayla Kleinpeter MANAGING EDITOR & STAFF WRITER With the University of Indianapolis becoming more diverse and with more students wanting to experience study abroad, Dean of College of the Arts and Sciences Jennifer Drake, Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Bill Dynes and several other leaders on campus will be working on a campus-wide concept designed to promote international relations and connections. It also will ensure that certain programs across campus will be able to coordinate their efforts in these areas. This concept has been named the Multicultural Engagement and Global Awareness (MEGA) Center. Dynes said that last spring, an international and multicultural task force was put together to help meet the needs of students and the campus in terms of cultural diversity. The task force was divided into three subcommittees as well: programming, entrepreneurship and student experience. Dynes said the three committees did their own individual research and found that while different and exciting things were happening on campus, programs and diverse students
SPORTS 4
ENTERTAINMENT 6
were not connecting and oftentimes did not know what was happening in other groups. So, after further research, the idea of the MEGA Center was developed last fall. Dynes said the MEGA Center is not going to be a physical space, but more of a concept promoted on campus to enhance global and international relations among students and tie together programs that are related to global and international relations. According to Drake and Dynes, the programs that will be included in the MEGA Center are International Division, Service Learning and Civic Engagement, Interdisciplinary Programs, Department of Global Languages and Cross Cultural Studies and Global Partnerships. “It’s an opportunity to tie those areas together,” Dynes said, “so that we’re supporting one another, finding new kinds of resources, and hopefully, developing fresh new opportunities for our students, both our domestic students who want to do cool things and for our international students who come here and really want to be a part of our community.” The MEGA Center also will help connect students and faculty interested in traveling abroad, global studies and subjects dealing with diversity. While the plans for the MEGA Center are still open-ended according to Dynes and Drake, there is confidence in the benefits the center will
FEATURE 7
bring to students in the long run. Director of the International Division Mimi Chase said she believes the MEGA Center will promote teamwork and create interesting things for the campus. “I think it gives us an opportunity ... to pull people together who have been doing really good work in different areas,” she said. “But now, already, I’m seeing outcomes from it where we talk in different areas, and we each have a different perspective on how these things might be accomplished. And then it turns out that by working together, we’re going to be able to move more things forward, I think.” Associate Professor of International Relations and Chair of the Department of History and Political Science Milind Thakar is one of many faculty members who support the idea of the MEGA Center. However, he and other faculty members, including Associate Professor of Sociology Jim Pennell, became concerned when they were told two positions in the International Division would be eliminated. Chase said the two positions that were going to be eliminated were the Study Abroad Advisor and International Student Advisor. Faculty were concerned because of the work the International Division does. Chase said that within the International Division, the Office of International Stu-
UIndy for Riley Dance Marathon
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dents and Scholars’s work is immigration based. The International Student Advisor is in charge of monitoring the students for immigration purposes, that international students receive all of their immigration needs and benefits and help international students fill out all the necessary paperwork for Visas, health insurance and more. The office also works with visiting scholars and with hiring the faculty and staff at the university who are not U.S citizens or residents. The second office within the International Division is the Office of Study Abroad. The office is in charge of making sure that destinations are safe, paperwork is completed and all parties are prepared for emergencies.The Study Abroad Advisor also helps students find programs that they would like to take part in at UIndy or helps them arrange to participate in a program through another college. Chase said the positions are very specialized and when she learned that the positions were going to be eliminated, she worried about providing students with what they need. “I would say that my greatest concern was to ensure that our students’ needs be met,” she said. “We have a lot of international students on our F1 Visa program, and we have the requirement to provide
> See MEGA CENTER on page 3
New Art Gallery
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