Aug. 25, 2021 | The Reflector

CMYK

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

100

I S S UE 1

AUGUST 25, 2021

reflector.uindy.edu

UIndy earns fifth year of distinction

By Kiara Conley ONLINE EDITOR

Photo by Justus O'Neil

Senior nursing students (left to right) John Disman, Makenzie Teke, Meriden Ross and Abigail Perkins collaborate as they transition information during a practical simulation.

Photo by Justus O'Neil

Senior nursing student Abigail Perkins administers an inhaler to the high fidelity mannequin as professors communicate health complications to Perkins through a P.A. system.

New changes to BSN curriculum

By Justus O’Neil

MANAGING EDITOR Until this year, the University of Indianapolis Bachelor of Science in Nursing curriculum has not undergone any major revisions for 20 years, according to Undergraduate Program Director for the School of Nursing Karen Elsea. With the changing senior population, Elsea, in collaboration with the entire nursing faculty and staff, has spent the past five years developing a new curriculum that is being introduced to current sophomore nursing students.

“A few years ago we realized that it’s been a very long time since we just took a fresh look at the curriculum,” Elsea said. “Let’s look at what’s happening in nursing now, and where we need to go.”

The nursing faculty and staff took a very slow and systematic approach when developing the new curriculum, including taking advice from accreditors, the Indiana State Board and community partners, according to Elsea.The nursing faculty and staff held a session with local nurse managers and educators where they

were able to ask what they are looking was also seen in student’s National for in new nursing graduates, Elsea said.

Council Licensure Examination “Many of them [local nurse managers (NCLEX) was more pharmacology. and educators] were very complimentary To address this need, Elsea said that an already, but there were some gaps introductory pharmacology class remains overall in some graduates’ skills,” in the curriculum, but they have added Elsea said. “Then we also did the same three one-credit-hour classes that focus sort of thing in our own minds just on pharmacology topics as well. b r a i n s t o r m i n g a b o u t w h a t we This curriculum change allows students want our UIndy nurses to look to get more exposure to pharmacology like.” and at the same time evaluate that After taking into account their various they have gained an understanding of methods of information gathering, the material, according to Elsea. The Elsea said that the new curriculum also nursing staff and moves the nursing faculty then took a pathophysiolog y Let's look at what's look at the existing course to the first curr iculum and happening in nursing now, semester of the compared the two. nursing program, and where we need to go." as opposed to the According to Elsea, they also looked third year, according at how graduates to Elsea. performed in nursing licensure, “We need them [nursing students] standardized testing within and outside to be able to understand abnormal of UIndy as well as what UIndy nursing disease processes so that we can build graduates were telling them about their on that foundational information as we experience post-graduation. go through the program,” Elsea said.

Elsea said that a major necessity “We also have a new health assessment for the curriculum overhaul that class and so the body systems they're

learning in health assessment match,pretty much weekly, what they're learning in the pathophysiology class.”

The nursing department, according to Elsea, is working with the biology department to ensure that both the microbiology class and pathophysiology class work together, as they are required during the same semester. Elsea said the course material being taught should build on each other in a better way with the changes that are being made.

Despite the lengthy process of overhauling the curriculum, Assistant Dean for the School of Nursing Tia Bell said that over the next couple of years, the department will gain valuable data that can be used to evaluate the changes that they have made to the curriculum.

“I’m very proud of the work that our faculty completed in developing this new curriculum and now starting this implementation process,” Bell said. “I’m looking forward to our evaluations once we get to that point. Did our changes meet the needs of our students? Did we go in the direction that we expected and are > See BSN on page 4

Fall changes to COVID policies Manuel, Vitangeli explain recent mask, vaccine mandates for fall semester

By Kassandra Darnell NEWS EDITOR

University of Indianapolis President Robert Manuel announced in an email at the beginning of August, changes to UIndy’s COVID-19 policies. As of Aug. 2, all individuals on campus are required to wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status, according to Manuel’s email. In a separate email, Manuel said that all students on campus are required to get the COVID-19 vaccine this fall as a response to the increase in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations caused by the Delta variant. Students must submit evidence of having received at least one dose of the vaccine, or an authorized exemption for medical or religious reasons, by Aug. 25. Evidence of a second dose, for those receiving a two-dose vaccine, must be submitted by Sept. 25, according to the email. In an Aug. 12 email to faculty and staff, Manuel said that all university employees also must submit proof of vaccination or an authorized exemption.

According to Manuel, the recent vaccination mandate was necessary because, despite incentives, not enough students had been vaccinated to keep those on campus safe.

“We were working with the public health officers, and their sense of what we should do was incentivize people to get the vaccine, help them understand that, one, it's good for their health, and two, it will allow us to have a community where the virus doesn't spread,” Manuel said. “We can have the activities that we wanted to have rather than mandate.

Getting closer to the opening of school and having put in a series of incentives— like the $500 book draw, some other sweepstakes that were there—we realized that the effect wasn't happening [at] the level that we wanted it to.”

While most events on campus this

school year will be in-person, including more than 90 percent of classes, according to Kory Vitangeli, vice president for student and campus affairs and dean of students, Manuel said the current COVID-19 policies on campus are constantly changing, in accordance with advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other experts.

“We take our cues from the state public health office, from the federal government, the CDC, and from a series of faculty, staff and infectious disease doctors who are on our advisory committee to look at what our response

to COVID-19 is….” Manuel said. “But the best course of action to keep as many people safe as we can is to review [policies] on a weekly basis and try to help everybody remember that we all want to get back to the same course of actions that we've had before. But we have to do that in a safe way.”

Vitangeli said that despite recent mandates, student activities will be as close as possible to the way they were before the pandemic. Welcome Week activities from previous years, such as the Playfair and movie showings in Key Stadium, will return, with alterations to comply with COVID-19 policies,

according to Vitangeli, as will traditional weekend programming.

“I think they'll be different and safe, but still have the same ultimate impact, which is trying to build community and have people get to know other people,” Vitangeli said. “One of the things we know happened last year, just out of the sheer fact of the change of COVID[-19] policies, was that individuals who were first-year students last year just really didn't get to meet the number of people that you typically would meet during your freshman year. I think that really impacted folks in terms of feeling a sense > See Policies on page 4

Graphic by Kiara Conley

For the fifth consecutive year, the University of Indianapolis has been recognized as a College of Distinction, according to UIndy 360.

Colleges of Distinction works as a resource to help guide students, parents and guidance counselors in finding the right university or college for them, according to Colleges of Distinction’s Fact Sheet.

Colleges of Distinction assesses universities and colleges on a different set of criteria with their four distinctions: engaged students, great teaching, vibrant communities and successful outcomes,according to the Fact Sheet. Colleges of Distinction use these criteria because they believe those are the fundamental elements of an effective undergraduate education, according to the Fact Sheet. To be considered as one of the institutions to receive the award, the university has to be nominated by someone, according to Interim V ice President and Provost Mar y Beth Bagg.

Nominations can come from a student at the institution, an alumni of the university or someone who knows the universit y and thinks they should be looked at for consideration for the award, Bagg said. “… It’s not sort of an automatic thing; they actually then look at u s a n d l o ok a t t h e k i n d s o f things that are offered and then there’s an assessment made on that,” Bagg said.

According to Bagg, this is a different way of evaluating the value of an institution beyond raw numbers and other metrics used by other ranking systems. She said the value of Colleges of Distinction is that it looks at the types of things that attract students to an institution beyond the numbers.

When talking to prospective students, Bagg said, she always tells them that a critical piece when looking at which college or university is right for them is to figure out what is most important to them in terms of how they will fit into a place and what the university offers that makes it feel like the right fit.

“It’s really hard to say what makes it a good fit for an individual; that’s really something you have to figure out and you have to decide, what do you want out of your college experience and what are the things you’re looking for,” Bagg said.

Receiving the recognition as a College of Distinction, Bagg said, shows that the university is consistent with its offerings.

“It isn’t just sort of a one-year blip on the radar but something that demonstrates that year after year, we are the kind of place that continues to offer those engagement pieces that are really the hallmark of who we are as a university,” Bagg said.

S he said that students also recognize these opportunities with responses from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) sent out every year to freshmen and seniors. Students are invited to participate in the sur vey asking them about student engagement.This allows the university to see the progression between a student’s freshman year to their senior year. The survey asks students about engagement or high-impact practices, such as clinicals, study abroad experiences and field experiences offered. These areas, along with a culminating senior experience benchmarks UIndy against other universities like it and universities in the region scoring high in those areas, Bagg said.

“That’s another way that we can say that this recognition by the Colleges of Distinction is underscored by other things that tell us that we’re doing the kinds of things that students value as an institution,” Bagg said.

WELCOME WEEK SPECIAL

2 THE REFLECTOR

Mini-play series returns and length, according to Leagre. Many of the plays are comedic, but some are more FEATURE EDITOR dramatic, according to Finch. “ We talk about themes of war, race, The stopwatch starts, the curtain rises, those kinds of things,” Finch said. “Some the actors walk onstage and perform. of them are just absolutely absurd pieces Within a minute, the performance is that seem to come out of nowhere and over and the audience is asked to choose then others have that absurd feeling to the next play. This continues for 23 more them. But then you look at the title and plays.This is “Too Much Light Makes the you step back from the play and you Baby Go Blind,” which has finally made realize, ‘Oh, this is what this is about.’ its return to campus after a year-long Everything we’re doing is super fun and hiatus due to the pandemic. everything has a really good message about The play, written by Greg Allen, is the future of the world.” a series of 24 neo-futurist mini-plays According to Leagre, there are five presented in the span of 48 minutes, cast members involved in the production, according to Assistant Theatre professor, as well as a stage manager and assistant Director and Producer James Leagre.They stage manager. The stage manager is started running the play series in 2018 UIndy alum Liesel Schmitz, according when Leagre obtained the rights to a to Leagre, who has also worked on the book of the scripts, Leagre said. play in the past. “[The play series] originated in “It’s interesting because each year, Chicago and I had been wanting to do it I don’t have a specific number of cast for years, but the rights weren’t available members. Literally in the auditions I just because they were still running it and [...] bring a bunch of these little plays in and there was a company I have them work in New York City them. And I cast running it and a the people that I feel company in Los ... you’re going to pull like they’re ready for Angeles running it,” Leagre said. something really unique this,” Leagre said.

“The first year we How the did it, I cast four out of the show...” play works is that a people and it was all string on the back of female, which was the stage has the numbers one through interesting because there were some pieces 24 on pieces of paper, according to that they picked that were male oriented Leagre. Audience members are also given that actually worked even better because a program that is styled like a menu, they were females performing it.” where each play is given a small blurb “Too Much Light” will first be and number, Leagre said. Actors will performed at IndyFringe on Aug. 19, explain to the audience how the plays will 21, 27, 28 and Sept. 4 and 5. It will then work, and then the stage managers start be performed on Sept. 9 through 11 at a stopwatch, Leagre said. The audience UIndy. The UIndy performance is open shouts out which number they want to all students, faculty and staff, according performed and the actors perform the to UIndy Events. corresponding play, according to Leagre.

Finch said he believes that each of the T h e r e i s a l s o plays has a great message. He believes that s o m e a u d i e n c e p a r t i c i p a t i o n each audience member can pull something involved in the p l a y s , different away from the show. according to junior theater major Nick “So whether you’re someone who Finch. Some examples include being just got out of a relationship and you’re asked to ask the actors yes or no questions seeing how we talk about love, or if or to have the audience stand up and spin you’re someone who’s super into politics in a circle, according to Finch. and you’re seeing [what] our stance is on According to Leagre, at the end of the that, you’re going to pull something really entire show, the stage manager stops the unique out of the show, as well as just timer and announces how long it took getting this awesome experience of seeing to complete. In the past, if all 24 plays a bunch of actors just acting insane up on took longer to complete than 48 minutes, a stage,” Finch said. “Because of that, I’ve the UIndy Theatre Company bought fallen in love with the show and doing it the audience pizza. However, because of and I really hope that UIndy continues COVID-19, Leagre is unsure of what to do the show for years to come.” they will do this year.

Leagre said he brought the play Each mini-play is of a different genre series to UIndy to create a professional

By Hallie Gallinat

NEWS EDITOR

Photo by Jacob Walton

Junior theatre major Nick Finch, senior communication and theatre major Kielyn Tally and junior operations and supply chain management Refik Dogruyol major perform.

Photo by Jacob Walton

James Leagre, assistant theatre professor, director and producer runs a dress rehearsal on Aug. 17. A challenge of the play is they are restricted to perform in under 48 minutes.

experience for students in the UIndy Theatre Company, a professional offshoot of the Department of Theatre. Those participating also get a stipend pay from rehearsals and from the box office received at the IndyFringe Festival, a performing arts venue in Indianapolis, according to Leagre.

“The idea of being that, as a professor, if you’re one of the actresses in our department, we’re doing a show, you

audition, I might cast you in this role saying, ‘Well, she’s maybe not quite right for it, but this will be a good stretch,’ educationally. In the professional world, I don’t do that,” Leagre said. “ … I make it very clear when I hold auditions for the show and interview for stage managers, designers, all that, that I say, my educator hat is off. This is strictly professional. I’m only going to hire the people that are ready and capable of doing the job.”

The importance of mental health among professional athletes across globe SPORTS EDITOR

Simone Biles, the most decorated Olympic gymnast of all-time, shocked the country when she said enough is enough.

The 24-year-old gymnast announced in July she was stepping out of the Olympic team gymnastic finals to focus on her mental health. In a July press conference, Biles said athletes “have to protect our minds and our bodies, and not just go out and do what the world wants us to do.”

Her decision comes almost two months after four-time Grand Slam champion tennis superstar Naomi Osaka withdrew from the 2021 French Open to prioritize her mental health and take some time off the court. Osaka said in a June Instagram post that she had been

loved basketball. Some of my teammates were disappointed because they believed I had so much potential to be a successful basketball player. I received tremendous support from my friends and family, for which I am grateful.

What baffles me about Biles’ and Osaka’s decision is the criticism of people referring to them as “quitters” or “selfish.” As prominent athletes, Biles and Osaka are helping to bring mental health to the fore and setting an example for others to prioritize their well-being, which is not selfish.

Athletes for Hope, an organization committed to assisting and educating athletes, claims 35 percent of elite athletes suffer from a mental health crisis. Being on such a high pedestal may cause athletes to believe they will be forever scrutinized

After over 20 years of experience in academia and holding positions at several universities, the Dean of the Shaheen College of Arts and Sciences Patrick Van Fleet sits in a corner office in Good Hall recounting his first three weeks in this position at the University of Indianapolis. Van Fleet said he has met a lot of staff within Shaheen College and spent time listening to all they have to say. “ There’s a lot of folks to meet.I’ve met some fantastic people, all my meetings have been great; with the faculty, administrators, staff; it’s been wonderful,”Van Fleet said.“I can’t imagine a better first three weeks as far as being welcomed and people excited about trying things or continuing to work on student[s], working on initiatives that will make student experiences better.”

Associate Professor and Dean of the School of Education John Kuykendall was a co-chair on the search committee for the new dean of Shaheen College.

He said all of the finalists of the applicants for the dean position were very capable of the job, but what made Van Fleet stand out was how he handled things in his previous position that were similar to challenges within the Shaheen College.

“We liked his approach to motivate faculty and come up with creative ideas for new programs. And his experience was a little bit more in line with what we felt the Shaheen College needed at this time,” Kuykendall said. “He had realworld experience, real faculty leadership experience.”

B e f o r e U I n d y, Va n F l e e t said he graduated f rom Southern Illinois University with a doctorate in mathematics. He then went on to

VAN FLEET

Athletes are human too suffering from depression since winning the U.S. Open in 2018.

As a f ormer athlete my self, I understand Biles’ and Osaka’s decisions.

Since I was in eighth grade, my goal was to play four years of basketball. When freshman year of high school came around, I was excited. But after the first few practices, I realized my heart was not in it anymore.

I would have a great day at school. Then practice would roll around and I dreaded going.

I was not performing my best. That’s when I saw the shift in my mental health.

My energetic, bubbly personality had completely vanished. I realized I needed to prioritize my health, and the best way to do it was to step away. My classmates and teammates were taken aback by my decision because they knew how much I

Shaheen College welcomes new dean

By Kassandra Darnell

OPINION

By Giselle Valentin

AUGUST 25, 2021

for anything they do, which can result in anxiety and depression.

For the first time, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee brought a group of mental health specialists to Tokyo to accompany the gymnastics team, according to Team USA. I believe this is a step in the right direction and should be a requirement for all sports leagues so athletes can have daily evaluations. There should be a mental health break for three days every month between the long seasons dedicated to taking a mental break, at least once every month for two or three days.

Biles may have won 36 medals, and Osaka may have won seven titles, but these women are showing they are more than their athletic achievements. They are setting an example and raising awareness about mental health.

Jeff Bezos brings Amazon headquarters to all new heights

Graphic by Jazlyn Gomez

do his post doctorate at Vanderbilt University, where he was able to establish himself in a research setting while also teaching different math courses.

According to Van Fleet, he then taught at Sam Houston State University and did research at Texas A&M University, specializing in environmental research connected to the Department of Defense.

“I did a lot of traveling to Washington, D.C. You’re procuring money or meeting with people to talk about various projects our group’s working on, so I got two years of experience with politicians, lobbyists, agents, government agencies, bureaucrats, [and] learned some of those ropes, for better or for worse,” Van Fleet said. “...Somewhere in the middle of all that, I got to work with a student, instead of just directing this program, and we started doing some research, and I really got hooked on that.

It was clear to me that’s where I wanted my career to go, with undergraduate research.”

Van Fleet said he went on to take a position at the University of St. Thomas to direct their Center for Applied Math, where he helped to create a summer research program that was also involved with students from d i f f e re n t d e p a r t m e n t s a s we l l .

He said he later became the Chair of the Department of Mathematics and worked with students at the University of St. Thomas for the past 20 years.

Professor and Chair of Sociology and Director of Faculty Development Amanda Miller was another co-chair of the search committee. She said some things she enjoyed about Van Fleet was how personable he was during the interview process as well as his experience chairing multidisciplinary departments before UIndy.

“He seems to have a very good handle on the ways that schools like UIndy operate, as well as a vision for moving us forward,” Miller said. “ … We have many different departments that on the surface don’t seem to be necessarily related. But he fully expressed a belief that that was one of our strengths … he was fully on board and had some good ideas as well.”

WELCOME WEEK SPECIAL

3

THE REFLECTOR

AUGUST 25, 2021

Greyhounds defy the odds Student-athletes garner conference and national awards despite multiple pandemic obstacles

By Justus O’Neil

about what we’re doing and the sports that we are competing in.”

Soenen said it was a whirlwind of a Despite the majority of fall sports year athletically and academically, but the being moved to the spring and continued athletic staff backed up the programs and regulations f rom the COVID-19 tried to give athletes as close to a normal pandemic, the University of Indianapolis season as they could have.

According to Vice President for athletic programs continued to garner numerous awards. These awards include Intercollegiate Athletics Scott Young, Academic All-American, Athletic All- this season was challenging, but UIndy American, Honor Roll and even National gave students the chance to practice and compete, which is where athletes made Champions.

UIndy Women’s lacrosse, ranked first in the most of their opportunities. “ Ever y body real l y made the the nation, is one of the athletic programs that houses student-athlete award commitment to be successful during winners, including senior midfielder very challenging times,” Young said. “The Jessica Soenen, who was awarded 2019 university gave us the ability to practice All GLIAC Second Team as well as the and compete, and the students and coaches 2020 Academic Honor Roll. According just ran with that. They’re the reason to Soenen, the past year and a half proved we were so successful.”

Young said that the coaching staff to be unique, but she and her team were experienced a sort able to adapt to the of culture shock as situation at hand.

“It’s nice to be It’s nice to be recognized they were forced to change how they recognized for the work that you’ve put for the work you’ve put into operate, but they did an amazing job into it,”Soenen said. it...” of that. According “It’s one of those to Young, he took things where there are so many other girls that have put in on the responsibility of putting UIndy athletics in the best place to be just as much work, so as a team we can see the work that is put in by everybody. successful and making sure coaches It’s a team effort, because when you’re and athletes just had to do their jobs. playing a team sport, it takes everyone Putting policies in place, working with sports medicine staff and team physicians to get you there.”

Due to players being taken out of provided students and coaches that competition for COVID-19 related opportunity, Young said.

“I truly believe that as the University reasons, Soenen said that it gave other players the opportunity to step up, possibly of Indianapolis, everyone should be in a way that they might not have been focused on winning in everything able to otherwise. According to Soenen, we do,” Young said. “I want all of our everyone had to push themselves to fulfill student athletes and staff to be winners in their role due to the gaps that impact everything they do. If you focus all of your life challenges on winning, then you’ll players left.

“It shows that we as a school, as a be successful.”

According to Young, studentwhole athletic community, we really care about what we’re doing because in a year athletes and coaches took more pride in , like this it would have been just as easy winning their awards this year because of to write it off, to stop and to not do it,” the different challenges that COVID-19 Soenen said. “Through all the awards that imposed on their respective seasons. As have been won across the board this year, the 2021-2022 athletic season begins this it really shows that we as a school care fall, Young said he is looking forward to

MANAGING EDITOR

Photo contributed by UIndy Athletics

Senior golfer Oliver Mast follows through after a wedge shot in the GLVC Tournament this past spring. Mast finished in third place in the 2021 All-GLVC and was voted GLVC player of the year. The Greyhounds finished with a score of 581, 1 stroke ahead of Maryville.

a closer to normal year and having people in the stands again.

Fifth year men’s golfer Oliver Mast said that the 2019-2020 year was both demanding and took physical toughness to persevere. Mast was awarded with the Paragon Award this past season, which is awarded to a student in the GLVC who had high academic, athletic and leadership success, according to Mast.

“I’d like to think that I busted my tail the past four years trying to make myself a better person, better teammate, better student, better golfer,” Mast said. “That award instilled some confidence in me, my leadership abilities, my athletic abilities [and] my drive as far as education goes.”

Mast said that he is not the only person on the Men’s Golf team that

has had success when it comes to these kinds of awards. Younger teammates look at these awards and see what it takes to be a good student-athlete, Mast said.

“When you come to UIndy, you’re going to get a great education, you’re going to have great coaches, but you’re going to have the chance to prove that you’re the best of the best because we are the of the best,” Mast said.

“The piece that we’re just starting to work through more and more, and there’ll be a pretty quick update to that is that you can’t represent anything that’s affiliated with tobacco, alcohol or gambling because those are in NCAA banned products,” Young said. “I think that’s going to cause a little bit of a challenge because Barstool Sports is affiliated with gambling. That’s probably good to be going away quickly.”

According to Jackie Paquette, associate director for athletics and senior woman administrator for student support, the biggest issue that faces the athletes pursuing these NIL deals is lack of attention to the guidelines put forth by UIndy. She said that students seeking advice helps alleviate this issue.

“I think that the biggest way to combat that is transparency,” Paquette said. “Are the student-athletes coming to us and asking the right questions about utilizing their name, image and likeness and how they can gain from that? I think that that’s where it starts is that they need to come to us.”

According to Young, he had plenty of time to develop the guidelines for UIndy as he was one of the people on the NCAA Division II legislative committee that helped write the legislation for the NIL. He said this allowed him to think through plans and be prepared for when the policy went into effect.

Being in Indianapolis, and especially at UIndy, changes the way this may affect the athletes, according to Paquette. She said that due to the numerous large schools located in Indianapolis, studentathletes may not have as many of the same opportunities as if they were in a smaller town. However, Young said he does worry

about the effect this policy could have on recruiting. He said that one of the main pillars of this policy is that it will not provide a recruiting advantage, but that it is not a reality.

“If a quarterback at [the University of ] Alabama is getting nearly a million dollars and a quarterback for Clemson [University] is going to be on a Dr Pepper commercial that’s going to be a recruiting tool for Alabama and

Clemson,” Young said. “ … You just saw that the one guy left high school early to go to [The] Ohio State [University] because of opportunities through name, image likeness. It’s going to be a recruiting tool for sure.”

Pertaining to UIndy student-athletes, Young said he is most concerned about athletes not getting the guidance they need to get the most out of their NIL agreements and to stay safe from

legal issues.

“I would recommend, if you’re going to sign any kind of big agreement, you need to consult with legal advice to make sure that you are getting the best of your opportunity, but also not putting yourself in a bad place,” Young said. “I think we have very bright, intelligent studentathletes and we have some that will fall directly for ‘I can get this’ and they’ll not read into the fine details.”

NOTE: To be considered for publication, letters must include a valid name and telephone number, which will be verified. Letters are subject to condensation and editing to remove profanity. Submission of a letter gives The Reflector permission to publish it in print or online.

chased with prior approval for 50 cents each by contacting The Reflector business manager. Taking multiple copies of this paper may constitute theft, and anyone who does so may be subject to prosecution and/or university discipline.

Advertisers: The Reflector welcomes advertisers both on and off campus. Advertising rates vary according to the patron’s specifications. For advertising, contact 317-788-2517.

Contact Us: The Reflector office 317-788-3269 Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 317-788-3269 after hours.

Readers: You are entitled to a single copy of this paper. Additional copies may be pur-

THE REFLECTOR • 1400 EAST HANNA AVENUE INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA 46227

New NCAA policy poses issues

By Jacob Walton EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

One of the most debated topics in all of sports is regarding NCAA studentathletes and whether or not they should be able to profit monetarily from being a student-athlete. June 30 the NCAA announced in a press release, starting July 1, all student-athletes would have permission to benefit from their name, image and likeness (NIL) across all three divisions. With that decision comes restrictions; student-athletes must obey the law of their state, are able to use an agent for NIL opportunities and all NIL activities have to be reported to the institution of the athletes according to the release. According to Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Scott Young, the University of Indianapolis has its own restrictions on top of those presented by the NCAA. “The primary restrictions are basically using the institution’s logo, uniform name to make money,” Young said. “If I tried to do that for an outside camp, I couldn’t name it the Scott Young University of Indianapolis basketball camp, it would just have to be the Scott Young camp. If you’re representing the institution, you have to pay the institution a fee to use their name and licensing for their logos. ” One of the first companies to take advantage of the new NIL rules was Barstool Sports, a sports media company, which created the “Barstool Athletes” program July 1, according to a tweet by Dave Portnoy, the president of Barstool Sports. However, according to Young, NCAA policies may restrict athletes from joining the program. ..

THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF INDIANAPOLIS

The Reflector is a student publication, and the opinions contained herein are not necessarily those of the University of Indianapolis. The Reflector is dedicated to providing news to the university community fairly and accurately.

Letters to the editor, suggestions, corrections, story ideas and other correspondence should be addressed to The Reflector, Esch Hall, Room 333, or sent via electronic mail to reflector@uindy. edu.

STAFF DIRECTORY EDITORS / MANAGERS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF....................JACOB WALTON • waltonja@uindy.edu MANAGING EDITOR................JUSTUS O’NEIL • oneilj@uindy.edu NEWS EDITOR.........................KASSANDRA DARNELL • darnellk@uindy.edu SPORTS EDITOR.......................GISELLE VALENTIN • valenting@uindy.edu OPINION EDITOR.....................OLIVA CAMERON • camerono@uindy.edu FEATURE EDITOR.....................HALLIE GALLINAT • gallinath@uindy.edu ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR.......TBD ONLINE EDITOR.......................KIARA CONLEY • conleykf@uindy.edu PHOTO EDITOR........................TBD ART DIRECTOR.........................JAZLYN GOMEZ • gomezj@uindy.edu BUSINESS MANAGER..............TBD DISTRIBUTION MANAGER.......TBD ADVISER..................................JEANNE CRISWELL • jcriswell@uindy.edu

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS

4 THE REFLECTOR

WELCOME WEEK SPECIAL

AUGUST 25, 2021

Continued growth on campus Schwitzer adds on new fitness center, student engagement space, re-locates McCleary Chapel

By Jacob Walton EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The University of Indianapolis was hit just as hard as any other college or university by the COVID-19 pandemic, but that did not slow the growth and development of the campus according to Kory Vitangeli, vice president for student and campus affairs and dean of students.

She said that even as classes went online, UIndy continued to push along with its plans of improving campus and in the fall, Greyhound students are getting to see the fruition of that effort.

The biggest changes students will see in the fall semester is in Schwitzer Student Center, which will now contain a brand-new 14 thousand square foot fitness center on its second floor, according to Vitangeli. She said the goal was to tie the academic, co-curricular and interdisciplinary sides of campus into one space.Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Jason Dudich said that the new center, set to open up in mid-Sept., is an investment into not only the students but the staff as well.

“It's an investment in the campus and in the facilities to provide a health and wellness center for students, faculty and staff,” Dudich said. “Ruth Lilly had provided that service for a long time, but we realized we needed to make an investment to recruit students as well as retain students and offer a more updated and modernized facility for working out and for fitness.”

According to Vitangeli, Ruth Lilly Fitness Center will remain open for the time being while they await flooring for the new fitness center. Dudich said that students already spend a large amount of time in the student center due to important locations such as the dining hall, Center for Advising Student Achievement (CASA) and the bookstore and that the move not only allows for a much larger facility than the one previously located in Ruth Lilly, but it also centralizes a lot of the functions around campus.

“We're trying to be as mindful and resourceful with the space we have; we felt that space was the right size to place that

BSN from page 1 our students meeting their expectations once they graduated?”

According to Bell, the format used to create the new curriculum was set in an ideal experience so that everyone was part of the process and that all voices within the school of nursing were heard.

“We wanted to make sure that we were in alignment with where nursing seems to be going as a profession, healthcare, as well as the institute of medicine,” Bell said. “This gives us an opportunity to provide a program within the university. that is aligned with that.”

Policies from page 1

of community and feeling like they knew their classmates."

Students on campus, according to Vitangeli, have had great tolerance for policy changes and understand that tough decisions must be made to keep students safe.

“People have always done what they have to do to keep campus safe, even though we all might not like it. We all do it because we want to remain on campus.

We don't want to shut down and have to go [virtual] again,”Vitangeli said.“I have from the very beginning been impressed with the way that UIndy students have shown resilience, have complied with the policies."

According to Vitangeli, vaccine clinics for those on campus will run through Aug. 30, and possibly more clinics in Sept. Students will have the opportunity to get vaccinated during move-in week and the first week of classes, Vitangeli said, and testing will be available for those who have chosen not to get vaccinated.

fitness center in there and have it as part of the Schwitzer Student Center,” Dudich said. “More people can be engaged. It's more upfront when we show prospective students around as well as students who are going in there to grab something to eat before or after and can work out in the same facility.”

The location of the new fitness center will be where UIndy IT was previously located, according to Dudich. IT will now be located in the basement of Esch Hall, Dudich said, as a product of consolidation of space and understanding that IT did not need as large of a facility as they had.

The second of the major changes in the student center revolves around Interfaith services, as the University Chapel, formerly McCleary Chapel, has found a new home, according to Vitangeli. Before this year, the University Chapel on the second floor of Schwitzer would host services and other events for organized religion on campus. Now the university has partnered with the University Heights Church, which is undergoing renovations on the first floor in order to build the University Church, Vitangeli said. This area on the first floor will also contain the acumentical interfaith offices and the chaplins’ offices, she said.

“We'll have lounge space for students, some really nice hang out areas, chaplins’ offices,” Vitangeli said. “Then we’ll use the sanctuary for our religious services as well.Thursday night chapel will be in that space, as well as the Monday afternoon services and any type of religious service or gatherings would take place in that space in the University Church in University Heights.”

With the now-vacated space on the second floor of Schwitzer, the university is opening up more student engagement spaces, similar to renovations done to the downstairs of Schwizter in years prior, according to Vitangeli.

“We’ve heard loud and clear from student life surveys that students want more space where they can hang out, study, have student organization meetings, etc.,” Vitangeli said. “That will be opened up for programming space; there will be a stage in there for weekend programs, and there will be comfortable space where students can just study and

Graphic by Hallie Gallinat

hang out in as well.”

The final of the changes students are expected to see within the student center are the concepts offered within dining, according to Vitangeli. This past year, ACE’s Place, a sub and wrap shop, was moved into the dining hall, leaving one of the three shops open. Now after listening to the student population, a new food option is arriving: a vegan and vegetarian restaurant named Hanna Garden, according to Vitangeli. Dudich said that they trust Quest Food Services, which handles dining on campus, with these decisions.

“We're excited that Quest [Food Services], our food service provider, is thinking ahead in that way. We work with them hand-in-hand on how those areas are set up, how they're functioning in terms of what offerings are there,” Dudich said. “They're always thinking about how to keep students engaged with on-campus meal service, whether it be in the traditional dining hall setting that we all see, or in the food court area, or the quick stops that are there. They came to us and said, 'Hey, we've got some ideas to upgrade some things within Schwitzer.’”

The student center is not the only location on campus receiving changes, according to Vitangeli. Certain art students will now have their classes in a new home, the former facilities building located northwest of Cory Bretz Hall, according to Vitangeli.

These new facilities, now located across the street from the campus police station, allow for the “dirty arts,” Vitangeli said, such as woodworking, clay and pottery, to take place in a new building, dubbed the Art and Design Annex.

According to Dudich, it is about finding the right space for the right program with moves like this. The assessment of how much space a program needs and the continued reassessment of that is something Dudich said they are constantly looking at, especially with UIndy’s limited space.

“We look at our space on an annual basis. [Asking questions like] is this the right amount of space for this program?

Has the program changed, which requires more space, have accreditation requirements changed for programs that

require more space or different types of space?” Dudich said. “We're always talking about that and we're having those discussions with the administration, with the academic side as to how best to utilize our space.”

Dudich said that with all the changes on campus the goal is not to impede upon student experiences or learning. He said they do their best to get these projects done during the summer and asks for students to be patient as changes come.

“Just give us a little bit of time.There's a little bit more we need to get done to finish it….” Dudich said. “You can't snap your fingers and all of a sudden you get the product on your door the next day. We're dealing with a little bit of a supply chain issue, but just bear with us, they're going to be very exciting spaces.

I think the students and the faculty and staff are going to be very excited when they see those and to be able to show that this was not only donor support but also university resources that are making investments in the campus so that students enjoy it.”

upperclassmen as well. Nichols said there at all kinds of different classes, and are sophomores and incoming freshmen hopefully… as we expand the university's in the suites. knowledge and the faculty's knowledge According to Nichols, having the of this, we will learn of other classes that opportunity for social and emotional we didn't even know about that might development in Stonewall Suites is be good options for people.” important. She said she believes having Junior criminal justice and psychology people living in the suites with others major and resident assistant Arrianna with similar backgrounds and a mix of Martinez plans programs for the suites. freshmen and upperclassmen will be nice.

Martinez said that in addition to Students residing in Stonewall Suites LGBTQ students, allies can also join must be enrolled in certain courses to Stonewall Suites. remain in the LLC, according to the “I'm an ally, and that's why I UIndy website. These courses are from decided to be... interviewed to be the different departments and include LLC RA,” Martinez said. “Because it's courses such as also important to LGBTQ Health have people who and Gender Issues aren't part of the I feel like this will be a in Law and Society, community. So if according to the it's hard to advocate, place for people to feel website. then the allies can safe..."

“One of the advocate for them.” things that I think Nichols said she makes this one a hopes that the LLC little different from some of the others will continue and find connections for that we have—[such as] a biology LLC, students around campus, as well as or we have had a nursing or an honors— increase the number of members in the where it feels a little more obvious what future. classes those students take together “I think we're certainly hoping that because they take nursing classes or this is one that will continue and that, biology classes or honors classes,”Nichols by having freshmen and upperclassmen, said. “Whereas here, we've been looking ... we will kind of continue to build this for classes that may be of interest to them, continuum of individuals who [can say,] classes that they don't necessarily have to 'I've been here for my first year, and now touch on LGBTQ issues but that does I'm going to be kind of the mentor to help and gives different perspectives… somebody as they're coming to campus,’” Across the board, we're up for looking Nichols said. “Hopefully, we'll be able

to build up our numbers a little more, though we have great numbers for our first time through.”

Nichols said that the Stonewall Suites are important to campus because although UIndy’s campus has a long history of support, she believes there are individuals on campus who want more than an extracurricular activity for support.

“Having an opportunity to live with people who have similar experiences will be really important, especially [because] they might be coming from rural areas where they didn't have a whole lot of resources,” Nichols said.

“They might be coming to a new city— they're coming to this new campus, and giving them the opportunity to make connections with individuals who are going to be supportive of them as well.”

Martinez hopes more students will join the LLC. She hopes that, along with more LGBTQ students, more allies will join as well. In addition, her goal for the year is to help members feel comfortable in the space.

“I believe [the LLC is] important because, I mean, some people don't have a safe space at home, so this is their home away from home,”Martinez said.“People are coming into college to experience new things, and I feel like this will be a place for people to feel safe, have a home and be able to [have] experience[s] with other people.”

New LGBTQ LLC opens

By Hallie Gallinat FEATURE EDITOR

Stonewall Suites joins five other University of Indianapolis Living Learning Communities this fall. This new LLC serves students of the LGBTQ community and allies, according to UIndy’s website.

Living learning communities, or LLCs, are communities where students with similar academic interests can learn and socialize together, according to UIndy’s website. Alison Nichols, the interim program director of the occupational therapy doctorate program, said this LLC gives students of the LGBTQ community an opportunity to live and attend classes together.

According to Nichols, who has been involved with Stonewall Suites for about nine months, this LLC has been in development for over a year. Nichols said she believes LLCs have been helpful in giving students, particularly freshmen, the chance to build a community.

“For example, we have a nursing LLC, and nursing can be really challenging in terms of the academic coursework, just having people that they're able to easily connect with and find somebody to talk to and work with on some of that content,” Nichols said.

Some UIndy LLCs are only available to incoming freshmen, according to Nichols, but this LLC is available to