UIndy Online program announced
By Olivia Pastrick MANAGING EDITOR
This summer, the University of Indianapolis announced the establishment of UIndy Online, which will develop several online, hybrid and face-to-face programs, according to UIndy 360. UIndy Online will offer flexible and personalized undergraduate and graduate programs in different formats in order to work with more students. It will join with Sease Institute, created by UIndy in 2019 to form a new academic unit at the university, according to UIndy 360. According to its website, Sease Institute “redefines the role of higher education in workforce development by generating custom corporate training solutions,” and it has partnerships with industry leaders in Central Indiana.
UIndy President Tanuja Singh said UIndy Online will continue the proud tradition of serving the community with relevant and impactful academic offerings, as well as providing a solution to the rapidly changing workforce. By having flexible degree programs, UIndy Online will be available to post-traditional students who may not have many other options. With the creation of this program, the search for the first dean of UIndy Online and Sease
UIndy Online will continue the proud tradition of serving the community ....
Institute is underway. According to UIndy 360, the dean will serve as UIndy’s chief online learning officer, and will join the Shaheen College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences and the College of Health Sciences as another college at the university. UIndy Online was created largely in order to meet the growing need for innovative educational experiences for post-traditional students, and is expected to accept its first students this winter and will be launching new graduate and undergraduate degree programs as well as stackable certificate programs.
UIndy Provost and Executive Vice President Chris Plouff said UIndy Online and Sease Institute meet the significant need for supporting all types of learners. He said the university will be able to better provide educational opportunities for people to engage with their learning no matter where they are in life or work.
Photo by Allison Cook
group of UIndy football players working as part of the move-in crew get together for a picture during first year student move-in during Welcome Week on Aug. 21.
Photo by Allison Cook
UIndy freshmen sit together at the All Campus Cookout, presented by the UIndy Police Department and Criminal Justice Department, in Schwitzer Park during welcome week.
Photo by Allison Cook
Office of Inclusive Excellence & Retention Strategy Belonging Fellow Desmonae Thomas welcomes new hounds to convocation at Nicoson Hall's entrance on Aug. 21.
Photo by Allison Cook
UIndy freshmen sit together at the All Campus Cookout, presented by the UIndy Police Department and Criminal Justice Department, in Schwitzer Park during welcome week.
Photo by Allison Cook University of Indianapolis President Tanuja Singh holds the university’s ceremonial mace to first year students to welcome new hounds at convocation in Nicoson Hall on Aug. 21.
School's in, phones are out
Senate Bill 185, passed in July, requires Indiana schools to make policies regarding phone usage
By Olivia Pastrick MANAGING EDITOR
Since I have been in school, teachers have constantly tried new ways to prevent students from being on our phones in classes — phone cubbies, detention, suspension. Now, the state legislature has passed a bill requiring all schools and corporations to adopt and implement a wireless communication device policy that governs student usage of those devices, according to the Indiana General Assembly website. Although this may be a sigh of relief to many teachers, it has caused some backlash and fear among students and parents. Senate Bill 185 aims to fix one problem, the literacy and learning crisis in the United States that impacts the 40% of all students across America who cannot read at a basic level, but it does not account for the safety that comes with students having their phones or other devices with them.
According to NPR, there can be exemptions for students with disabilities or students who may need it for an emergency. The article also says that supporters of SB 185 say it reduces distractions in classrooms as well as cyberbullying. Although it requires schools to create a policy, SB 185 does not define what the regulations need to be nor what constitutes an “emergency,” which creates a gray area for school corporations and students to navigate.
On one hand, I believe reducing the amount of time students spend on their phones rather than learning is beneficial. According to the ABC News, students have been struggling to catch up to where they “should be” since the COVID-19 pandemic, which is affecting low-income students and schools much more dramatically, the article says. The literacy and learning crisis in the U.S. is incredibly concerning, considering it is still going on years after the pandemic.
Given this, it seems like taking away distractions from students would be a perfect solution to fighting the literacy crisis — but it is never that simple.
My youngest brother is a high school student in Indiana where the policy states all personal communication devices must be turned off and placed in students’ lockers throughout the entire school day, with exceptions for students with an Individual Education Plan or 504 Plan.
I can understand the desire of teachers to have students’ focus and engagement during school hours, but I also worry how this policy would affect students in the case of an active shooter or other emergency. An article from The Boston Globe uses the cases of Parkland, Fla. in 2018 and Uvalde, Texas in 2022 as prime examples in which students having their phones available saved lives. Of course nobody ever wants to think about the worst-case scenario, but, with the amount of school shootings in the U.S. every year of which there has been over 200 in the past 50 years, it is a valid concern.
On the other hand, both of my parents are teachers in an Indiana middle school where the same policy applies. They, as well as other teachers in the school system, are able to keep their phones on them during the school day, meaning if there was an emergency at the school, they could make phone calls. This is a small relief when thinking of the worst case scenario, but it is not a guaranteed safety. In the event of a school shooter, I think it would be best for students and teachers to have access to their phones so emergency services are absolutely contacted as soon as possible.
These two conflicting motivations make it difficult to choose a side. The literacy and learning crisis in the U.S. is very real, but so is the need for students and teachers to have the ability to get help quickly if the need arises, and there does not seem to be an easy solution that satisfies both sides.
ICO offers free Indy park concerts
By Luke Cooper ONLINE EDITOR
The Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra is scheduled to kick off its free park concert series at historic Garfield Park. The concert will take place on Sept. 4 at 7:30 p.m., according to the ICO’s website, followed by one at Riverside Park on Sept. 5 at 7:30 p.m. and one at Holiday Park on Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. The concerts are sponsored by the National Bank of Indianapolis and the Penrod Society.
Indy Parks experienced a late start to the concert season due to staffing issues, Public Information Officer for Indy Parks Savannah Harris said. Both Harris and the Development and Marketing Manager for the ICO Jessica Edwards said Indy Parks and the ICO are committed to serving the community.
“Every year we do three free parks concerts. … They tend to be in September, all within one week,” Edwards said. “The whole intention is that the three concerts are in different neighborhoods of Indianapolis so that we can serve a wide variety of community members.”
According to Edwards, the ICO has been putting on concerts at Garfield Park for years, a part of the efforts in offering these experiences to others in the Indy area. Harris explained it is still important for Indy Parks to provide low-cost experiences to the community. The orchestra has been working on targeting a general audience online, Edwards said.
“There’s not a specific target; it's for everyone,” Edwards said. “It’s for kids, it’s for older adults, it’s for middle-aged adults and everything in between.” Attendees can expect to hear pieces of music they might recognize from artists like Mozart, Edwards said. For that reason, Edwards believes the park concerts are an easy way to get into the ICO concert scene.
“I think the main thing people will notice is that at a free parks concert you might recognize more of the pieces,” Edwards said. “We try to pick repertoire that’s more recognizable, so it’s a better introduction. I think it’s a nice little bite-sized way to get introduced to the ICO.”
The park concerts run a little shorter than regular concerts put on by the ICO, which Edwards said
helps make the experience more family-friendly. A way to remove barriers for children and students if they wish to go to the payto-attend regular season concerts for the ICO is by showing their student ID to receive a free ticket, explained Edwards. Edwards expressed the importance of young people gaining an interest in classical music.
“We’re always looking for students to come to our shows, we want young people there,” Edwards said. “That’s the only way that classical music is going to continue.”
Since Garfield Park is the oldest park in Indianapolis and offers many amenities, Edwards recommends attendees arrive.
Edwards cited the conservatory, beautiful gardens and other activities within the park to make a day of it.
“We really have a lot of time and love put into it [Garfield Park],” Harris said. “ … Our conservatory is absolutely beautiful … the arts center as well. They kind of have rotating exhibits from local artists and so you can go in, explore, see what they have to offer. … So that’s definitely a great place to check out and then just walking the grounds too.”
Edwards explained it is encouraged people planning to attend a free park concert register online so the ICO can provide updates about weather if necessary. Attendees can register online at icomusic. org.
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SPARK makes a lively
debut back to the Circle
By Allison Cook PHOTO EDITOR
If you are looking for a fun, free and welcoming place to explore in downtown Indianapolis, stop by Monument Circle to check out the return of SPARK on the Circle. Located on the northwest quadrant on the brick streets between the monument and sidewalk, visitors can enjoy free games, music, shade, food and drink and community starting at 11:00 a.m. until dusk, according to circlespark.org. SPARK on the Circle is the result of a partnership between Big Car Collaborative, Downtown Indy, the Capital Improvement Board many more, according to its website. Brandon Schaaf, an employee of Big Car Collaborative, said the goal is to cultivate lively energy and positive experiences for downtown residents and visitors. The environment attracts many tourists and creates a sense of community for the Indianapolis region, Schaaf said.
After the success of the 2023 season with over 78,000 visitors and 251 programming opportunities, according to FOX59, the public space has made its return for 2024 with extended hours and more intentional programming, hoping to be mindful of investments in public spaces and residents through the Downtown Resiliency Strategy, said Administrator of Programming and Public Use for the Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development Iris Dillon in an interview with FOX59.
“A lot of people come through who are from out of town or out of the country,” Schaaf said. “They just head straight to the circle, not knowing what they were going to find. Then they land on this, and then have a great time and, like, hang out here for hours.”
There is something for everybody to get involved with, Schaaf said, especially due to a lack of traffic since the area is blocked off.. Walking freely through Monument Circle is especially great this time of year, Schaaf said, and the live events cater to the social environment by closing parts of the circle for pedestrians only, pending demand.
“On Wednesdays, there's Lunch Break Live, that's like live music from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.,” Schaaf said. “There’s also the farmers market here on Wednesdays. That's a fun day, because three quarters of the circle is pedestrian only … there’s artist workshops, too, where artists will come and set up and run a workshop.”
I just think it's a good spot for everyone to come hang out ..."
AJ Walterman, a local employee on his lunch break, said he enjoys walking down to SPARK because of the social aspect, but also because it is peaceful during his free hour. He said he encourages the city to keep up spaces like SPARK during times of the year when the weather is most enjoyable.
However, not everyone was a fan of SPARK, as witnessed by former Republican Indianapolis Mayoral Candidate Jefferson Shreve whose major campaign point was to disband SPARK. In his campaign, he cited complaints and issues that businesses on the circle were facing, as well as a stop to the flow of traffic on the circle.
On the other hand, last year’s high numbers and engagement show how people of a variety of backgrounds, interests and ages were drawn together in the heart of the city, according to Big Car Co-founder and Executive Director Jim Walker in a press release from Downtown Indy.
“I just think it's a good spot for everyone to come and hang out, whether it's with friends or family,” Walterman said. “This would be a good spot if you were looking to meet people too. It might be a little bit more difficult once it gets cold, but at least during the summer and fall times, I think it's great.” Schaaf encourages college students to take advantage of the opportunities SPARK offers. The public space that SPARK uses works to ensure accessibility for everyone, eliminating any physical or financial barriers within its community.
“It kind of has its own little community too,” Schaaf said. “Especially when SPARK is full of people, there's a nice, like, playful vibe.”
SPARK goes through October, according to FOX59, with a modified version after Nov. 3 to complement downtown Indianapolis’ seasonal Circle of Lights and festive programming every Saturday and Sunday.
Graphic contributed by Breanna Emmett
Graphic contributed by Breanna Emmett
Hounds make history at the Olympics
By Caroline Krauch SPORTS EDITOR
The University of Indianapolis swim team had two student athletes travel with their respective countries in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France, according to UIndy Athletics. Cedric Buessing, a senior, competed for Germany in the 400-meter individual medley while Collins Saliboko, a sophomore, competed for Tanzania in the 100-meter freestyle. Buessing made it through the qualifying round and to finals, becoming the first Division II swimmer to make it to the finals at an Olympic event, according to UIndy Athletics. Buessing ended up finishing eighth in his final heat, according to the article. Saboko placed seventh in his preliminary heat, according to UIndy Athletics, placing him 71st overall among the world’s top swimmers.
After spending months practicing and training for different qualifiers, Buessing said he met his team in Berlin, Germany for training camp before heading to Paris. He said the team stayed in the Olympic Village and confirmed the beds were made of some sort of plastic, styrofoam material and were not comfortable.
While in Paris, Buessing said he participated in the Olympic culture including pin trading and supporting
other athletes at various events. Buessing said the experience was unlike any other, and was interesting to be around so many people focused on the same goals.
“The atmosphere was the loudest meet I've ever experienced,” Buessing said. “I mean college meets are pretty loud too, especially conference or even nationals, but I've never experienced such a loud, long meet. It was pretty fun in the village you have all those free food options, everybody's just there trying to relax in between their training sessions or competition sessions. It was kind of like a big training camp, everybody just trying to be there, stay in shape, have fun and experience it all. It was, I don't want to say peaceful, but it was awesome.”
Buessing said that being amongst elite competition motivated him and his teammates. He said there is a shared sense of excitement of what is to come, especially since it will be his last season swimming at UIndy.
“I'm pretty excited to come back, hopefully in good form and shape, and just have a great last year of racing with my friends,” Buessing said. “Just taking it all in, having fun with college meets.”
Saliboko had a similar experience and also spent three weeks in the Olympic Village with the other athletes. He did note that while the beds were not the biggest issue he faced,
the heat and lack of air conditioning did take a toll on some athletes, but coming from a hot country he felt comfortable enough most of the time. Saliboko noted the size of the village, saying there was a lot of walking in between areas to meet athletes to go to different arenas.
The village is holding different teams,” Saliboko said, “but you live in one village and really no one judges. You’re the same, you’re athletes and you're there for one reason, to represent your country. And the cheering of each team was amazing.”
Tanzania also provided its athletes with pins for trading, but Saliboko said they quickly ran out with over 150 other countries and athletes all wanting to trade. Saliboko said the French crowd was unlike any other, and there were times when other events would get halted for everyone to watch French swimmer, Leon Marchand, compete in the pool. Saliboko said the experience only motivated him further, getting him excited for what is to come. He said he is planning on working hard over the next four years to make it back to the Olympics.
“The best way I can describe it is I have this ‘Olympic high’ that I just want to keep going now,” Saliboko said. “I just took my break right now and when I'm back, I'm just gonna go full gas, get better in the next four years.”
Communiversity Women's golf is national champs
A book-club style course for everyone
By Elyssa Merrill OPINION EDITOR
Students at the University of Indianapolis and community members alike can enjoy an annual, online, book-club-style course titled Communiversity, according to UIndy’s Communiversity website. The course, in its ninth year, has a new book every year, Professor and Associate Chair of English Jennifer Camden said. While students can receive one credit for the course, community members can join for $10 with the intent to join people within and around the UIndy community which enables a collaborative process, Camden said.
The Communiversity course began with Camden and previous Co-Chair of the English Department Kyoko Amano after finding that people in their circles would often ask them for literature recommendations outside of work, Camden said. Within the college sphere, Camden said she heard students say they did not have the time, ability to commit or had a distaste of reading that prevented them from joining. Communiversity was created, Camden said with the hope of bringing interest and fun back into the classroom along with providing the college experience people are longing for.
is the book choice this semester that, while it may be daunting to some, said Camden, can hopefully be attainable. Additionally, for students taking the course who are not honors students, it is pass/fail without a letter grade, according to the Communiversity website. However, honors students interested in taking the course have additional coursework along with a letter grade at the end of the semester.
... We wanted to show how all disciplines can bring new perspectives to a novel."
“My hope is that people who might otherwise be intimidated by reading a novel that's that long and that old will know that we're gonna do it in really manageable weekly reading, five chapters a week,” Camden said. “And the assignment sequence is very simple … for most participants. At the start of the week you post your thoughts over the reading. …And then by the end of the week, you respond to two of your peers' posts in the online forum.”
For some participants, Camden said, they respond to more discussion posts — like her 90-year-old neighbor that responds to every single discussion post. For others, it is at their own pace with no meeting times and optional lectures. While this course is mostly a fun opportunity for people to take part in a bookclub-style discussion, there is also an opportunity to attend lectures by faculty, according to the website.
“What I think sets us apart from other kinds of big read programs is this very intentional bringing together of UIndy students with members of the community so that we can learn from each other,” Camden said. “And then another innovation that we brought to it was we decided another sort of thing that happens is that people think of literature as something that only English majors can read, and we wanted to show how all disciplines can bring new perspectives to a novel.”
Bleak House by Charles Dickens
Highlighted on the website are Associate Professor of History Chad Martin, Professor of Philosophy and Religion Johnathan Evans and Assistant Professor of Communication (Theatre) Grant Williams who will be hosting various lectures that those in the class and interested students outside of the course may also attend for L/P credit. The book is free of charge and on the Communiversity website, along with the registration link and . Anyone with questions is encouraged to email Camden at jcamden@uindy.edu.
By Caroline Krauch SPORTS EDITOR
The University of Indianapolis woThe University of Indianapolis women’s golf team defeated St. Mary’s University (Texas) to become the 2024 National Champions, according to UIndy Athletics. The article said the match was down to the wire, with the Hounds only beating St. Mary’s by one stroke to win the national title. Previous Assistant Coach, Daniela Gomez, said the win meant even more to the team after a rocky start to the tournament, placing seventh out of the eight teams that qualified for the finals. According to Gomez, the win came as a surprise given how they struggled in the first round, but it was a good learning experience for the team making it one of her favorite aspects.
“I feel like it was that part of seeing the girls already being all sad,” Gomez said, “crying and all of that and then seeing how their face changed like ‘We're gonna actually play’ so I feel it taught them and it taught us that you can't really give up.”
Once postseason play begins, Gomez said bonding and playing as a team become a bigger focus. They shift the focus of practice to what the team needs to fix and the best strategy for winning the match.
“We practice as a whole all the time because golf is a very individual sport,”
Gomez said. “During the season they might practice things that they have to work on like putting or whatever they need separately, but the postseason is more as a whole, we all go play nine holes or 18 holes together. We all go in the van, getting that sense of traveling together and getting closer to each other.”
Ava Ray, a junior on the team, agreed that the team became closer on the trip, which aided in their performance. The team arrived in Orlando days before play started, so the team had plenty of time to spend together.
“Once we got there I feel like the team really bonded because we finally had time to do things together,” Ray said. “I feel like we had a little bit of a bonding experience right before going into Nationals, and I think that was a really positive experience for us. It gave us that last little bit of umph right before going in.”
Ray said the team had expected to do better on days leading up to finals after having performed well in previous competitions???. After placing seventh, Ray said the team viewed the disappointing result as motivation and a reminder of the high level of play at which they are used to competing.
“It just showed that the teams that were in the final eight were definitely really good competition,” Ray said. “If we wanted to continue to move on, we were definitely going to have to put
our best foot forward and everyone was going to have to play well.”
Instead of letting the pressure get to them, Ray said the team had motivation, which made the win more rewarding. She said the team had a sense of excitement throughout the competition knowing the potential they had.
“I would honestly say my favorite part was the fact that we came into it feeling like the underdogs because we didn't really play that well in stroke play,” Ray said. “I feel like we all had motivation to do better in match play and, honestly, one of my favorite moments was when we all came off the course and we were talking about how we all played and we were so excited to get to the championship match.”
Once the team made it to the championship match, it came down to the wire, with it ending in sudden death play, according to UIndy Athletics. Ray said the team found motivation within themselves to pull out the win, and it was a learning experience for the group.
“It taught us to never underestimate ourselves,” Ray said. “Definitely going into this past year. We had lost three seniors, and we didn't know what the team was gonna look like we had no idea how good we would even be and then look at the results that we've achieved. I think going into this year staying with our heads down and continuing to work hard regardless of what tournament results may look like.”
Photo contributed by Andile Bekker
Senior Cedric Buessing stands poolside at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Buessing competed for Germany in the 400-meter individual medley and finished eighth in his final heat.
Photo contributed by Andile Bekker
Sophomore Collins Saliboko poses in front of the Olympic rings. Saliboko competed for Tanzania in the 100-meter freestyle and placed 71st overall in the world’s top swimmers.
Graphic contributed by Breanna Emmett
Photo contributed by UIndy Athletics
UIndy Women’s Golf team hoist their national championship trophies over their heads after defeating St. Mary’s University in the final match which went into sudden death play on May 25. The team now claims its third national title since 2015 and now seek their fourth.
WELCOME WEEK SPECIAL 4
24-25 UIndy department previews
Academic departments at UIndy share with The Reflector
By Olivia Pastrick & Caroline Krauch MANAGING EDITOR & SPORTS EDITOR
Art & Design According to Associate Professor and Department Chair of Art & Design Katherine Fries, the program will have new offerings for students this year, said, falling into three categories: events, new faculty and a new park on campus.
Events include a lecture series with special guests and L/P credit, the “Night Calls” gallery opening, a Halloween costume contest and a Student Art Sale, Fries said. The “Night Calls” Gallery, hosted in the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center Gallery from Sept. 9 to Oct. 25, will showcase a selection of 18 photographs by Rebecca Norris Webb, a poet from Rushville, Indiana. A reception for the exhibition will be on Oct. 3 from 4-6 p.m.
Fries said the most exciting new feature coming from Art & Design is Greyhound Park — a new place for the UIndy community to gather between Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center and Krannert Memorial Library. Fries said the park was designed by Co-Chair of the Art & Design Department James Viewegh in collaboration with Student Affairs.
“All of these efforts are designed to give our students opportunities, experiences and program offerings,” Fries said. “Every single one of these things were created with the idea, “What can we bring to our students? What can we have here to share with our students?”
Criminal Justice
Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice and Associate Professor Kevin Whiteacre said the most exciting developments coming to the department this year are new faculty members.
Adjunct Professor Jordan Oliver is an assistant U.S. attorney and will be teaching a criminal evidence course this fall.
Oliver said he has been a guest instructor in other classes, and he is excited to teach his own class for the first time. Right now, Oliver deals with criminal evidence in every aspect of his job, which he said gives him a unique perspective to bring to students.
Holly Sims-Bruno is also joining the criminal justice department as a full-time professor after serving as an online adjunct previously, and she will be teaching a corrections course, Whiteacre said.
Communication
UIndy Theatre season kicks off in September, according to Director of UIndy Theatre and Assistant Professor Grant Williams. “All in Good Timing” is its first performance and will run from Sept. 19-21, and “Circle Mirror Transformation” will be Nov. 14-16. Williams said there will also be exciting performances to look for in the second semester.
Chemistry Chair of the Chemistry Department and Associate Professor David StyersBarnett said although the chemistry department does not have any new faculty or programs this year, it is strengthening many of its existing offerings such as research programs and personalized degrees.
Styers-Barnett said students have been able to do the Swift Undergraduate Research Experience, a summer research program that takes place in May where students work on chemistry-related projects and conduct research full time. He said this opportunity is available to students of any major as long as their project is chemistry-focused.
Although there are no new concentrations this year, Styers-Barnett said there have been new concentrations added in recent years that are beginning to grow. He said a chemistry degree by itself can provide many opportunities, but there are also concentrations that students can add to focus on their career goals or interests. Concentrations like biochemistry have been around for a long time, Styers-Barnett said, but forensic chemistry and industrial chemistry are still relatively new. A key feature of the industrial chemistry concentration is the partnerships the department has with industries around Indianapolis, the biggest one being with Roche Academy and Roche Diagnostics. Roche hires UIndy students for internships, which can lead to full-time job opportunities after graduation, Styers-Barnett said.
“We have people at Eli Lilly for pharmaceuticals that we work with,” Styers-Barnett said. “We have people at the Heritage Group, which is more of a materials company, so they got their start working on things like concrete, and they also do environmental chemistry work. That's just a few of the folks around town that we try to work with to help students get experiences that they need for whatever kind of career that they want to have.”
Styers-Barnett added that the concentrations in the chemistry major add flexibility and gives students the opportunity to to design their degree in order to be most successful after graduation. He said it is rewarding to get emails from alumni who have said the classes and opportunities the UIndy chemistry department provided to them helped them excel in graduate degrees or careers.
“We are, like a lot of departments here on campus, very student-focused, and we're all undergraduate,” Styers-Barnett said. “We're very much a department that is looking to work with students on every aspect of what we do, whether it's designing sets of classes, doing independent research projects … or trying to choose electives that will help make sense or provide them with a new passion they didn't know they had. That's what we want to do, we want to make sure our students are successful.”
English Professor and Chair of the English Department Molly Martin is most excited for this year is the new experiential requirement for English students. She said this will help students get workplace experience on campus while working on the skills they will need in the future.
Although students have not had to do this previously, Martin said the requirement is flexible and could be accomplished through an internship, student teaching or a study abroad course.
Associate Chair of the English Department and Professor Jen Camden said she is looking forward to the study abroad experiences coming this year. Camden, Martin and Associate Professor Barney Haney will be teaching a class on Welsh literature during the spring semester, including a trip to Wales over spring break.
“Part of it [the value] is seeing the world,” Martin said. “We really value global travel and local travel as well, any opportunities to experience things in general.”
Etchings and the Kellogg Writer Series will be available to students this
All of these efforts are designed to give our students opportunities."
year through the English department, which offers new opportunities for students, Martin said. The deadline to submit to Etchings is Sept. 10, and it is a blind-submission process where each submission is judged without the entrant’s name attached to it. During the second semester, Martin said the Kellogg Writer Series has a great lineup of female writers, including UIndy Professor Liz Whiteacre, who has a poetry book coming out.
Another project the department will be continuing is a collaboration with the art department, where they take a historically-significant, out-of-print novel and edit it, add footnotes and a critical introduction, Camden said. A student artist will create artwork for the novel, and this fall the students in English 385: Book Editing and Publishing will create the text, choose fonts, decide the layout, as well as other apects of book production.
“They’ll be doing all the pieces of book production that we don't often think about and that students wouldn't always have an opportunity to do,” Camden said. “In some ways, the curriculum changes are just making more visible in our curriculum what we've already done, and highlighting that this is what we do at UIndy that's really unique to our program.”
Global Languages
The global languages department will continue to offer three languages:
Spanish, French and German, and will host new and old events, according to Department Chair Ava Maria Ferreira.
The department will be hosting movie nights once a month throughout the semester which are available for L/P credits, according to Ferreira. She said they will host a Spanish Conversation Circle again this year, which includes meeting once a week at a public library with the option to attend online.
Ferreira said the department will also experiment with having students work directly with a medical clinic as translators on the East side of Indianapolis. She is piloting it in one of her classes, and students will go through background checks and an interview process since the work will involve sensitive information. Depending on the success of the trial, Ferreira said the project may become available to to more classes and areas of the school.
Math
This year, Chair of the Department and Associate Professor Livia Hummel said the math department is partnering with Indiana DataMind, which is hosted at Purdue University. UIndy students will participate in the corporate partners program and will be working on a data project with a company, according to Hummel. She said there will also be students participating in the DataMind seminar, an online, asynchronous class which is open to anyone. Hummel said the benefit for students is it exposes them to skills they may not see in class and gives them a chance to work with an industry partner. According to her, students will work with students from across the U.S. in a real-world environment with the hope of potential job opportunities in the future.
Music
According to Department Chair Dr. Rebecca Sorley, the music department is anticipating a new degree starting in January called Music Industry. The major would focus on music technology and the business side of the music industry. She said most music majors have a primary instrument, but this will be a good option for those who may not have one.
The faculty artist concert series is continuing this year and occurs every Monday night. The first event is Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. and will feature Director of Jazz Studies Mark O’Connor. All Faculty Artist Concert Series performances will be available for L/P credits.
She said every year the winner of the American Pianist Association Jazz Competition performs at the school. The school has a partnership with the Indianapolis-based American Piano Association, according to the website. Isaiah Thompson was the winner of the American Pianists Award in 2023 according to UIndy’s website.
Physics
According to Department Chair and Associate Professor of Physics Leah Courtland, the department will be setting open hours for the observatory
and hosting science movie nights. She said by having more events open will build more community, which is a huge focus in the department.
Courtland said the department has changed some of its math requirements to make earth and environmental science majors and minors more accessible to students. She said they are working to ensure required courses will be offered with the possibility of offering other credit-bearing courses, such as those in health and science.
Religion and Philosophy
According to Assistant Department Chair and Assistant Professor Lacey Davidson, the Center for Ethics is a big focus for the religion and philosophy department this semester. The Center for Ethics hosts events outside the classroom that students can attend for L/P credits, Davidson said.
She said the newest addition to the ethics center is the Kevin R. Armstrong Ethical Leadership Award. The second inaugural award will be announced in the spring and provides students a role model of a leader in the community.
She said there will also be a panel in the fall that will focus on artificial intelligence and ethics. According to Davidson, it is important to have opportunities outside the classroom to give students examples of individuals successful in their careers.
“A lot of times the panels that happen outside of the classroom give someone a really specific and concrete way that those skills and knowledge base that they developed through the class can be applied in their life,” Davidson said.
She also said the religion department will host an event called the Showers Lecture in the Spring and will feature an individual who is conducting research within the Christian tradition.
Sociology
The sociology department had a couple of major changes over the summer. Chair of the Department of Sociology and Professor Amanda Miller said the department incorporated National Association of Colleges and Employers competencies into the syllabi. Miller said NACE is an organization that brings together colleges and employers with a goal of ensuring students have skill sets employers are looking for by the time they graduate. Another goal, according to Miller, is to not only prepare students to be sociologists but employees as well. Additionally, the department added three graduate certificates for 4-plus1 students in sociology. She said the programs are meant for master’s students who may want additional preparation or for working adults who want to add to their expertise without the full commitment of a master's degree. The three new programs are social work, nonprofit leadership and DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging). Anyone in the community can apply to these programs. She encourages students to stop by Good Hall 219 to learn more.
What happened as Democrats wrapped up final day of convention
By A.D. Quig AKRON NEWS-REPORTER, COLO. (TNS)
CHICAGO — We’ve made it, Chicago. The politicians and delegates are packing up, as are out-of-town protesters, journalists,and TV hosts.Road closures are opening back up and the United Center will soon be back to its regularly scheduled programming.Beyoncé fans hopeful about a surprise performance put their mirrored cowboy hats away.
Talk now turns to how the city performed, and possibly, whether the Democratic National Convention may return. Pressure was on both demonstrators to deliver numbers and make their message go national and law enforcement to protect
the city and not violate any protesters’ constitutional rights.The Tribune’s protest team checked in on both Thursday.
Gov. JB Pritzker, who has embraced his role as dutiful host and unabashed basher of former President Donald Trump, was “relentless”in pushing national Democrats to bring the DNC to Chicago. “I’m a competitor,” he told Politico’s Jonathan Martin on Tuesday. He seems ready to do it again.
Though back-to-back conventions are unusual in the modern era, Pritzker noted that there was precedent: the 1940 and 1944 conventions, where Franklin Roosevelt was nominated, both took place at the old Chicago Stadium (so was Roosevelt’s first nomination in 1932). The same happened in 1952 and 1956, when native son Adlai Stevenson won the nomination at the International Amphitheatre (formerly at
42nd and Halsted).
Madison Square Garden in New York City also hosted back to back conventions to nominate Jimmy Carter.
“I know there are local press here who are going to say,‘Oh, we’re bidding on 2028 already.’ But I – it has happened,” he said.
“It hasn’t happened in recent history, the back-to-back in one city hasn’t occurred, but it could.And as you all can see,Chicago’s a great city to have a convention in.”
Party officials will gather for a postconvention wrap-up meeting later this morning.
Here’s what happened yesterday
Kamala Harris formally accepted the nomination to become the Democrats’ presidential pick.
Unlike nominees before her, Harris did not run the primary gauntlet, starving many Americans of the chance to learn her
story or the priorities that could shape her presidency. Her acceptance speech — and many of the interstitial videos that have played through the last four days inside the United Center — introduced her life story.
On her policy list: Passing and signing the bi-partisan border deal, a voting rights bill that would limit gerrymandering named after the late Congressman John Lewis,and enshrining abortion access.She also reiterated her support for a cease-fire in Gaza.
For Democrats, the good vibes of the week will fade and hard work will begin.
“This is not going to be easy,” Pritzker told fellow Democrats earlier Thursday. “It’s a lot of fun over at the United Center, and we feel the momentum of it all, but it’s going to take a lot of work. Seventy-five days.
Seventy-five days, not too many.”
Despite the support of Mayor Brandon
Johnson and several Illinois legislators, at the conclusion of the night, a pressure campaign from uncommitted delegates to get a Palestinian American a speaking slot on Thursday was unsuccessful. During the portion of Harris’speech about Gaza, a few attendees yelled “Free Palestine!” Illinoisans got multiple speaking slots during the convention’s final night: Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi addressed Trump’s foreign policy stance, former Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan joined several other prosecutors who worked with Harris to praise her efforts to protect homeowners during the foreclosure crisis. Former Congressman Adam Kinzinger, a Republican and neverTrumper, defended Democrats as patriots and said Trump “suffocated the soul” of his party.
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