FRIDAY, FEB. 22, 2019 | THEFRANKLINNEWS.COM
A GRAND
OPENING SCIENCE CENTER OPENS, FUNDS STILL NEEDED TO FINISH CAMPAIGN FOR THE SCIENCES PG. 6
FEATURE: MUSICAL MILESTONE PG. 8
FUTURE OF JOURNALISM PG. 11
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DUCKPIN BOWLING TO MAKE DEBUT IN DOWNTOWN FRANKLIN Building to house 10 bowling lanes, offer food service VICTORIA RATLIFF | STORY victoria.ratliff@franklincollege.edu
Soon Franklin will add another business to more appeal to the revitalization of Franklin. the list of downtown activities. From historic local restaurants like The Johnson County resident Pat Hagan plans Willard, to the notable downtown and the to establish a duckpin bowling alley at 27 Historic Artcraft Theatre — and now duckW. Monroe St. in downtown Franklin. After pin bowling — Rosie Chambers, executive purchasing the 10,000 square-foot building director of the Franklin Chamber of Comfor $250,000 in January 2017, Hagan figured merce, said the city is a well-rounded city Franklin needed duckpin bowling. that families can make their destination. The nearest “If there’s more duckpin bowling alley than one thing to do in is Action Duckpin one community, that’s Bowling, located at always a good thing,” the Fountain Square she said. Theatre Building in Kenneth Kosky, Indianapolis. director of tourism at “I enjoyed playing Festival Country Indiit at Fountain Square ana, Johnson County’s and thought it would tourism agency, said be a good addition the alley will also here,” Hagan said. provide a fun space Duckpin bowling is A new duckpin bowling alley will be for students. similar to traditional located at 27 W. Monroe St. in downtown “Duckpin bowling, bowling, but the ball Franklin. Pat Hagan purchased the site in like movies at the and pins are smaller Historic Artcraft January 2017. ABIGAIL LARKEN | PHOTO and much lighter in Theatre, will draw weight, making it more difficult to strike. people to downtown Franklin and, in turn, The building is still pending approval, support the downtown boutiques and other but will house 10 bowling lanes, as well as a businesses,” he said. basement and second floor. The business will Students, however, have yet to make up include beer and wine services, along with their mind about the business. concession-type food. Freshman Julia Rees said she isn’t quite “It seems like a good fit for this building,” sure what duckpin bowling is, but she is he said. excited to try it when it officially opens. Hagan, already a local business owner “I heard my boss talking about it and she of telecommunications company Blue Top said it was a lot of fun so I’m curious to see Communication, also plans on having plenty what the hype is all about,” Rees said. of televisions to air coverage of sporting Hagan hopes the duckpin bowling alley events. will open for business this spring for students This new attraction is expected to bring and Franklin residents to explore.
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INBRIEF COLLEGE FAMILY WEEKEND IN MARCH
Franklin College will host its annual family weekend on March 15 and 16. A new part of the family weekend campaign focuses on “#FamilyIs...” meaning anyone can be considered family, including parents, cousins, best friends and significant others. The college is encouraging students to invite whomever they consider family to participate in the weekend festivities. Activities will include the Black Student Union Fashion Show and a traditional poker night in the Branigin Room. The deadline for T-shirt orders and priority registration is Friday, March 1. ALUMNUS INDUCTED INTO INVENTORS HALL OF FAME A 1930 graduate of Franklin College will be inducted into a national hall of fame for inventors. This posthumous honor goes to alumnus James M. Sprague. He was responsible for 27 United States patents, several foreign patents and many discoveries in modern drugs. He was awarded an honorary doctorate of science from Franklin College in 1954. He died in 2000 at the age of 91. Sprague will be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame on May 2, 2019, at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. NIHF is a nonprofit organization founded by the United States Patent and Trademark Office to recognize individuals for their achievements and inventions.
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STUDENTS, FACULTY REFLECT ON PIVOT SUMMIT Ellington: Experience was a ‘huge success’ according to reviews ALIVIA BREWER | STORY alivia.brewer@franklincollege.edu
It’s been nearly one month since students completed the one-day Pivot pilot experience. Now, faculty, staff and students are reflecting on the Jan. 29 summit. Students under the new curriculum — including members of the class of 2022, new transfers and any student that has individually adopted the new curriculum were required to choose three class sessions to complete during the day. Courses ranged from cooking ramen noodles to drinking tea with President Thomas Minar. Pivot was created by SPARC, the Strategic Planning Around Reorganization of the Curriculum taskforce. Dean of Student Success and Retention Keri Ellington, a member of the taskforce, and other faculty gathered information from different college programs to create student workshops to prepare them for their professional lives. “Pivot was a huge success, and I’m looking forward to this becoming a regular thing here at the college,” Ellington said. Ellington knew the overall experience was a success because of a survey students were asked to complete afterward.
Eighty-five percent of participants strongly agreed that their Pivot sessions were engaging and a hands-on learning experience. “The student and facilitator feedback have been extremely positive,” Ellington said. Although the feedback on Ellington’s end was mainly positive, some students said they did not enjoy the day. Freshman Jennifer McGuire said she didn’t like being forced to participate in something that Catherine DeCleene, coordinator of student health didn’t help her in the end. center, teaches students how to knit during Pivot. “It seemed like a big waste of PHOTO SUBMITTED BY RENEE KEAN my time, and it was only new students who had to go through she enjoyed Pivot and all it had to offer. She it,” said McGuire, who completed workshops took multiple courses about time manageon the foundation of blues music and how to ment, yoga and how to dress professionally. stand out in employers’ eyes. “I liked Pivot because it was fun being Freshman Zayne Hashman echoed Mcable to spend a day learning about things we Guire’s comments. encounter in everyday life,” Walker said. “The classes consisted of common-sense stuff that I already knew how to do,” HashSEE PIVOT PG. 5 man said. Freshman Lindsey Walker, however, said
NEW PROGRAM AIMS TO BRING YOUTH TO CAMPUS Leadership program celebrates 25th anniversary with youth academy LACEY WATT | STORY lacey.watt@franklincollege.edu
The Johnson County Community Foundation presented Leadership Johnson County with a grant to kickstart a youth academy program on campus. Leadership Johnson County, housed at Franklin College, is celebrating its 25-year anniversary since its establishment. To commemorate the occasion, they are creating a youth leadership academy, which is partially funded by JCCF. The foundation donated $15,000 to initiate the Johnson Youth Leadership Academy at Franklin College. Gail Richards, chief executive officer of JCCF, said the college’s culture is surrounded by getting students involved in leadership, which is why she said the program would excel on the campus. “This would help everyone else in the
county be better leaders when they go to college,” Richards said. “It’s important to make the connection between what they are going to be doing in high school and then what they can do in college as a leader.” The academy will bring together select high school juniors and seniors from the six Johnson County high schools, two private schools and any home schools to the campus to learn and practice leadership skills. The experience will last five days, and the plan is to become involved with a community group project over the course of the academy. “We’ll have four program days, plus an opening retreat,” said Amy Kelsay, program coordinator for LJC Youth Leadership Academy. “They get to come here on campus, and learn about Johnson County as a whole, what makes up our community.”
Also, with completion of the program, each student will earn one college credit hour at Franklin College, and a graduation certificate. Applications for high school students to enter begin in February. In order to participate, students must live in Johnson County, be a junior or senior in high school when the program starts, commit to full participation, agree to all policies and procedure and pay a fee of $400. Financial aid and scholarships are available to students who want to join but may not be able to afford it. To be considered for the program, applications must be completed by March 15. From there, a selection committee will choose approximately three to five students from the six public schools, as well as five to eight students from private and home schools.
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WATER LEAKS AFFECT RESIDENCE HALL, ZTA SUITE Facilities staff work on long-term solution to leaking issues HOPE SHRUM | STORY hope.shrum@franklincollege.edu
After multiple water leaks in buildings across campus, Tom Patz, assistant vice president of physical facilities, is looking into a longterm solution to prevent future water leaks and damage. Trouble in the Greek suites The late summer heat last fall sparked a major issue in the Zeta Tau Alpha suite, located on the south side of Elsey Hall. Water from the air conditioning unit flooded the room several times. The flooding first started in September, but senior ZTA members Holly Short and Abbigail Lenhart said it wasn’t bad. After submitting an initial work order to the facilities department, the carpet was vacuumed, and the furniture was set out to dry. The suite flooded a second time in September — the night before recruitment, when several women were expected to visit the suite. The water was dripping so fast that an industrial size trashcan filled nearly halfway in just a short amount of time, according to Lenhart. The heat only added to the problem, Short said. The women had fans plugged into every outlet and air fresheners in attempt to combat the odor. In October, the suite flooded again, this time leaving standing water on the concrete underneath the carpet. “You could literally stomp on [the carpet] and water would come out of the floor,” Lenhart said.
This made meetings in the suite impossible. The cause of the heavy leakage was “condensate coming off of the air conditioning system of the building,” Patz said. Patz said he is working with an engineer about finding possible solutions to the problem. He and the engineer are looking into rerouting the condensate drain line. They hope to have a permanent fix in place by spring break, before the temperature starts to rise and air conditioning is turned on again.
The Zeta Tau Alpha suite had multiple water leaks last semester. Facilities is looking for a long-term solution. HOPE SHRUM | PHOTO
Extreme weather leads to more leaks In the final days of January, Franklin experienced some of the coldest temperatures in several years. The Dietz Center saw the worst effects of the severe cold, according to Patz. Because of its heating and cooling lines that run along an exterior wall, water froze quicker in the rooms’ individual units. The real problem, however, came when the temperature rose rapidly in days following the polar vortex. The ice in the units thawed quickly, resulting in several leaks. This was the case for two rooms in Dietz,
PIVOT
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Faculty who taught the Pivot workshops also enjoyed the summit. The sessions during Pivot were created and taught by college faculty, who proposed their ideas to Ellington. Director of Career Services, Kirk Bixler, led courses on how to build skills and network. He also taught them how to prepare for future courses in which students learn how to make connections with businesses they could enter after college. “I love helping students get prepared for what comes after college and Pivot allowed me to do that,” he said. Freshman Allison Davis took Bixler’s course, along with two others called, “What to Do When They Don’t Let You Wear
Leggings to Work” and “Test Stress and Anxiety? Come learn to cope,” where she learned how to dress professionally in the work environment and how to relieve stress when things start to pile up. “I started actually using some of the things I learned in the classes,” Davis said. While Pivot was only a one-day pilot event this year, it will expand into a multi-day program in the future, Ellington said. She also hopes to address more concerns and model Pivot to better fit students’ needs. “We learned a lot, too, having now completed our inaugural Pivot summit, and we’ll use that information as we craft next year’s summit,” Ellington said.
Patz said. Two rooms were unoccupied for an extended period of time, and the lack of mantience allowed the lines to freeze. Facilities personnel isolated the leaks as soon as they were discovered to minimize water damage, Patz commented. The damage to the two rooms was limited to wet carpet and a damaged shelf in one room. The facilities department is working with engineers to add Glycol, a type of antifreeze, to Dietz’s heating system. “When we are aware of extreme temperatures in the forecast, we highly encourage students to leave their heating unit ‘on,’ even if they expect to be away for an extended period of time,” Patz said.
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Pivot was a huge success, and I’m looking forward to this becoming a regular thing at the college. KERI ELLINGTON, DEAN OF STUDENT SUCCESS AND RETENTION
C E L E B R AT I N G
SCIENCE College community builds new image for the sciences
ERICA IRISH | STORY
EMILY HALES | DESIGN
SHELBY MULLIS STORY + DESIGN
QUINN FITZGERALD | PHOTOS
ABIGAIL LARKEN | PHOTO
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n a dim-lit Branigin Room, hundreds of members from the college community united to commemorate the completion of the Franklin College Science Center and the beginning of a new era for modern science at the college. Ahead of a celebratory champagne toast, President Thomas Minar welcomed guests to the event on Feb. 8, with a reminder that the $17 million science center signifies a new time in the college’s development. “It will be more evident than ever that the pursuit starts here,” Minar said. “Franklin College is for students who want to innovate and make a difference in the world. This is where students come to learn and engage by doing.” As of late January, the college finished phase two of the science center’s construction — a complete interior renovation of Barnes Hall, the college’s original space for science students. This renovated space joins the newly constructed Lacy Labs extension of the 51,000-square-foot structure. The project, managed by the Hagerman Group, nearly doubled the amount of lab space available to students and introduced new state-of-the-art equipment, collaborative study spaces, a greenhouse and several other valuable amenities. Minar noted the college’s ongoing campaign for the sciences still needs community support, as the fund is $475,000 away from its $10 million target. The Campaign for the Sciences is the culmination of donations received for the science center’s construction. It pairs with a $17 million tax-exempt bond approved by the Franklin College Board of Trustees in 2017 that financed parts of the science center project. He announced the Branigin Foundation, under foundation president and Franklin College alumnus John Chiarotti, offered to match $225,000 if the college community raises the balance by May 1. The 270 guests then migrated across Dame Mall to the science center, where students, faculty and catering staff welcomed them to a series of lab demonstrations with refreshments afterward. Steve Browder, professor emeritus of biology, hosted the crowd in one of the center’s biology labs on the building’s first floor. There, he monitored two computerized microscopes, through which students will be
able to view samples and send digital images of the slide to their phones. Each computerized microscope cost more than $2,000, he said, and would not have been made available to the college without donor support. When Browder arrived at Franklin College in 1978, he said Barnes Hall hadn’t been renovated in 60 years, and it didn’t receive a facelift until 1987. “And now we have this,” Browder said. “It’s Students are able to utilize white boards for studying, which just a wonderful teaching are located in various collaborative areas throughout the science center. QUINN FITZGERALD | PHOTO space…it’s just much more student-friendly ners decided he wanted a smaller, more perthan any of the buildings we’ve ever had sonalized learning environment. The year he before.” arrived at Franklin College, administrators Several current students, like sophomore announced the science center project. psychology major Chelsey Arvin, agreed While he noted the science center is a with Browder. worthwhile investment for the college, ConSince the psychology department will ners said he hopes students will have more now operate in the science center instead of research opportunities to make the most use Old Main, Arvin said her schedule is more of the new amenities. centralized, making it easier to commit time “From a building standpoint, I can’t think to research across both disciplines. of anything else a student could want,” he “People are going to see all of the incredisaid. “But Franklin does need more research ble research everyone is doing,” Arvin, a host opportunities for students so that we can at the president’s circle event, said about the have a stronger community and better science center. “It’s good for them to see that practice.” students have a place to do that here.” Fellow chemistry student Jade Harris, in And beyond the practical benefits, senior her third year at Franklin College, said the chemistry major Blaine Conners said the industry-standard equipment will require science center will grow the college’s image some adjustments, as it is a part of the stuas a reputable school for students considering dents’ daily routine. STEM — science, technology, engineering “We can do a lot more with a lot less,” and mathematics. Harris said. “The science center is a good Conners, a Franklin native, attended investment by the college, but it’s going to Purdue University for one year before transbe a couple of years until we really optimize ferring to Franklin College. After taking a its use.” running start class on campus, he said he did As for the community’s oldest members not consider the college an option because its and alumni, like 82-year-old Spencer Vawter curriculum prioritized the liberal arts. of Indianapolis, the science center signifies a “From what I knew and what most kids newfound potential in a place close to heart. at my school knew was that Franklin was Vawter, who retired from the medical deknown much more for teaching and journalvices industry 15 years ago, said the evening ism,” he said. “I never considered Franklin was his first chance to see the completed College a STEM college.” center. He said his career was only made But after spending a year at Purdue, Conpossible when he graduated from Franklin
This is where students come to learn and engage by doing. PRESIDENT THOMAS MINAR
College in 1959 with a degree in physics. Now, Vawter said, companies are demanding more of colleges and universities. “I’m glad to see the school putting an emphasis on the sciences,” he said. “I walked out of here in ’59 and got a very, very good
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Music instructor celebrates her 32nd birthday with 32 concerts STORY + PHOTOS | QUINN FITZGERALD
A Franklin College piano professor will turn 32 this year, and she is performing 32 piano concerts leading up to her birthday. Coincidence? Actually, yes. In the last 18 months, Clare Longendyke, lecturer of music and director of piano studio, created schedules, reserved venues and booked travels for performances. She booked a total of 32 concerts –– four full tours, on top of additional performances, before her birthday in May. “It’s a personal challenge I’ve set for myself,” Longendyke said. “I’ve said ‘yes’ to every opportunity that comes my way.” She already traveled to Minneapolis, her hometown, for her first three concerts. Two of them were at colleges and one was for the Schubert Club of Minnesota –– a prestigious music organization that hosts concerts, music education programs and museum exhibits, to name a few. “I won their young artist competition a few years ago, so they invited me back to perform there as a winner,” she said. Longendyke recently returned from a trip to Boston after playing six more concerts. At the end of the month, she will head to Maine where she will play two concerts at Bates College as well as three other performances in the area. Her biggest endeavor will be in late March when she will perform eight concerts –– sometimes twice in the same day –– in San Francisco, California. Although she played for an orchestra twice in one month last fall, Longendyke said she
DESIGN | SHELBY MULLIS
has never done anything like these tours. “[Performing with the orchestra] was a first for me as well. That was about the most challenging thing I’ve done to date,” she said. “And now [the concert series] is it.” In completely new territory, Longendyke said she does not know what to expect once her tours end. “I don’t know how I’m going to feel at the end,” she said. “I don’t know if I’m going to say, ‘That was awesome,’ or, ‘I’m never going to do that again.’” While her tours take her all across the country, Longendyke isn’t new to traveling. In her mid-20s, she started making a living off teaching in Paris, France. She’s also traveled to Canada, Mexico and numerous other countries in Europe. Longendyke received her bachelor’s degree in music, piano performance and French from Boston University. After a few years abroad, she returned to the country at the age of 25 to Indiana University for her master’s degree in music and piano performance. Since joining the Franklin College community in 2016, Longendyke has attracted a number of students to both her classes and her private lessons. Two days a week, from early morning to late evening and even into the night, she dedicates her time to teaching. Two years ago, Longendyke began performing for her students as a part of her class, which soon grew into a piano series for the college. Musicians from other schools,
like Indiana University, also perform for her students and anyone else who wishes to attend the concerts. “When I was teaching at IU, there was a component of the syllabus I really admired, which was to ask students to attend piano recitals by IU students for free and then the students had to write a critique,” she said. The piano series, Longendyke said, allows her to include a related writing assignment in her class, one of three reasons for creating the series. From the performances, she asks students to reflect on what they experienced. “I also believe in creating opportunities for pianists to perform and for young students, in particular, to hear free, live classical music,” she said. “The third point is that a lot of Franklin community members started attending the concerts, and it was a way for the college to engrain itself more actively in the community, which is something I value.” When not teaching in Franklin, hopping on the next plane or performing on stage, Longendyke practices piano between 20 to 35 hours a week. Staying busy stems from her desire to continually challenge herself. Personal growth, Longendyke said, doesn’t always come in a big package. She advises anyone, from child to adult, not to push themselves too much. “In general, finding ways to explore room for personal growth and development and leaving the door open to surprise yourself is a beautiful part of life,” Longendyke said. “I value the fact I’m only 31 years old and already feel that.”
OPINION
EDITORIAL | READY FOR THE WORKFORCE?
While unemployment rate stagnates, students should consider job quality
Students must prepare to demand more of themselves and of their future employers to ensure a fulfilling career. THE FRANKLIN EDITORIAL BOARD
As President Donald Trump touted in his State of the Union address Feb. 9, there is much to celebrate in the American economy. Unemployment rate stands at just 4.0 percent, representing 6.5 million unemployed people, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And for those who have achieved a bachelor’s degree, the rate is almost halved, totaling at 2.4 percent in January 2019. Good news can be shared at Franklin College. Of its most recent post-graduate survey results, covering 199 out of 202 graduates in the class of 2017, 72 percent found full-time employment. Thirteen percent enrolled in graduate school. But important questions remain regarding the quality of these positions. Inquiries also surround the level of fulfillment students earn after incurring years of emotional stress, as well as accelerated professional and financial development. A 2018 report by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, for example, showed that students who do not secure a job prior to graduation can spend seven months on a search. Others suggest the fault lies at the center of millennial and Gen Z life: an existence defined by abnormal workloads that,
through the force of the internet, might demand increased emotional investment from young professionals, derailing confidence and career focus. This is the argument presented by Anne Helen Peterson in her Buzzfeed column, “How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation.” The article was widely shared after its publication in January 2019, setting a bleak, if important, reminder to young people as they set off for the new year. While her column largely describes a group aged 22 to 30, she offers critical observations of the growing Gen Z population that now defines many students at Franklin. “These students,” she writes about her time as a professor teaching Gen Z students, “were convinced that their first job out of college would not only determine their career trajectory, but also their intrinsic value for the rest of their lives.” Kirk Bixler, director of career development, and Jill Novotny, director of professional development and employer relations, spend their days promoting student success across the college. This includes consulting students daily to ensure they feel prepared to secure a worthwhile career and say no to paths that might result in dissatisfaction. A primary mission in this regard is to promote internet services and virtual networking opportunities, namely through LinkedIn. “One of the biggest challenges for me is to get students to actually use that stuff,” Bixler said. “The challenge is there’s so much out there that I think sometimes students have a hard time deciding which is the right
tool to use.” Bixler said only 21 percent of students activated their accounts on Handshake, a new program introduced by the college last fall to connect current students directly to job opportunities. Of the students with activated accounts, 43 percent managed to post a complete profile, which includes a student resume, experience and more. As the cost of college continues to rise, it’s important that students consider the reasons behind their investment. Rather than embed themselves exclusively in academia — particularly for students not driven by post-graduate programs — students should prepare to brand themselves, network and negotiate for equitable job opportunities. It’s also important to consider the entrepreneurial spirit, made even more realistic through affordable and widespread advancements like the internet, to create employment opportunities that defy accepted conventions for young people. Finding happiness is possible, if students remember to demand equal treatment and, conversely, make key sacrifices to promote their personal image. “Students really do have to pay attention to that building of the brand,” Bixler said. “If they’re going to start a LinkedIn profile or a profile on some other service, they really do need to keep up with it, and even after they graduate.”
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AGAINST ALL ODDS, THE CRAFT WILL FIND A WAY What’s next for journalism after layoffs sweep newsrooms, set tone for 2019 Twitter lit up with the totals throughout the night, ticking up and up with each hour. In late January, news organizaERICA IRISH tions far and wide announced waves of layoffs, the result of newsroom downsizing and budget cuts. BuzzFeed — a hyper-modern platform that has staggered traditional media since its inception — let go of 250 employees. Vice, an alternative news source, said goodbye to 250 more. And Gannett, the largest media conglomerate in the country and parent company to the Indianapolis Star, laid off 400 employees across the country, including several at its Indiana newspapers. The latest reports show some 2,200 jobs were lost in this round of layoffs, setting a tone for 2019 that certainly isn’t an improvement from 2018. Last year saw the highest number of job cuts across media organizations since 2009, totaling at more than 15,470 jobs lost, according to a report by Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc.
The layoffs also hit close to home, when three employees lost their jobs at the Indianapolis Star in Gannett’s downsizing. Amanda Kingsbury, a writer and editor who worked at the newspaper for a decade, said she woke up the morning of Jan. 23 — the day she lost a job that she said brought her “the best 10 years of her life” — thinking about what outfit would be most appropriate for facing a layoff. She opted for a simple arrangement: ripped jeans, boots and a sweater. Then came a tap on the shoulder, a polite, but difficult, conversation in a tiny room, and the end of a chapter at the publication. Kingsbury said journalists have been faced with these hard decisions for some time, dating back the last 10 years. “These problems with the industry are the result of bad businesss decisions and a lack of vision,” Kingsbury said. “There is a divisiveness, but I also don’t think that divisiveness is anything new.” Mere days after the layoffs at the Indianapolis Star, the New Yorker magazine published a stark piece on the topic, titled with an ambiguous question: “Does Journalism Have A Future?”
Journalism as it is today is “edgier, and needier, and angrier,” the article suggests. This, the article continues, is alienating readers from those behind the newspaper. Less people subscribe. Newspapers downsize. The cycle continues, seemingly without end. It’s clear this era of fear lingers with journalists young and old. But every action will be met with a greater, more powerful reaction. And the resilience of the journalism community, particularly by those at the heart of it, is both obvious and inspiring. While there may not be an immediate cure for this long-term ailment, slow-acting change is possible. The solution demands learning new skills, defying old traditions and crafting cutting-edge business models. And for the young journalists who seek to fill this need and want to build a lasting career, Kingsbury has one piece of advice. “Reporters need to have an idea of how to track their digital success, as a way to start building those deep connections with your sources,” she said. Maybe a newspaper won’t look like a newspaper in a decade. But as long as there are people committed to thorough, passionate storytelling, the craft will find a way.
REALITY CHECK | WHEN YOU REALIZE YOU MADE IT
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College is about learning who you are, but there isn’t a tight deadline Students often hear that college should be a time for growing and learning. Like most people, CAROLINA I was told I PUGA MENDOZA would face many temptations and decisions that would shape my future. But few reassured me that I would have more than four years to do so. Dean of Student Success and Retention Keri Ellington, for example, said she started college wanting to be a writer and photographer for the nature magazine National Geographic. As a first-generation student, she graduated from Ball State University with majors in journalism and Spanish. It was at that time when her life took several unexpected turns. After she became a resident assistant, she said she became captivated by higher education. Later, she pursued a master’s degree in higher educa-
tion from Indiana University of Bloomington. It took her another seven years, she said, to feel comfortable saying she found herself. “I think that being open to learning from others is an important piece as you are trying to figure out who you are and whom you are trying to be and the impact you want to leave,” Ellington said. As someone who shifts between cultures — one in America, the other grounded in Mexico — I often change what I like, my appearance and who I am to feel accepted. As a teenager in Mexico, I let the people around me influence my behavior. And once I started to fit the mold, my family moved to the United States, which offered a whole new set of trends, ideas and fashion trends to which I needed to adapt. In my last year at Fishers High School, most of my life felt uncharted. Now, as a first-year college student, I am often afraid the deadline to “figure it out” is coming to an end before I have a chance to react. But these are irrational fears that I and
“Lightbulbs light up at different times for different people.” KERI ELLINGTON
many others learn to avoid and, over time, to which we adapt. While factors like privilege certainly play a role in how quickly you find yourself, many students respond to the future with the same answer: I don’t know. There’s still a long way ahead of learning and making mistakes. As Ellington suggests, students should welcome getting lost before knowing where they must go. “I think you have to be open to the process of ambiguity and not having all the answers right in front of you, and for different people that happens at different times with different experiences,” Ellington said. “Lightbulbs light up at different times for different people.”
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TO DO | PRESERVING SCENES FROM THE PAST
Franklin’s Canary Creek Cinemas showcases new movies in a retro space Drive-in theaters are no longer commonplace in American culture. What was once a pivotal part of family ARIANA LOVITT and adolescent life in the 1950s and 1960s is now considered retro, often left to stagnate across dead parking lots in America’s small towns. However, some hope to revive the culture and introduce a new generation to old-fashioned interests. In the 1990s, for example, small groups experimented with guerrilla or DIY drive-in theaters, in which they would build temporary drive-in venues from scratch and show movies to friends. Indiana currently boasts 19 drive-in theaters, and Franklin’s Canary Creek Cinemas is easily one of the most prolific. Canary Creek, located on Mallory Parkway just beyond the Franklin Kohl’s, first opened its doors in 1999 as an indoor theater. Two drive-in screens were added to the property in 2005.
As Franklin’s only movie theater doubling as a drive-in, owner Mike Rembusch hopes to offer a memorable experience that moviegoers can’t find at competing theaters. That mission, Rembusch said, came from his father, who gave him his first job in the movie business and built five drive-in theaters in the early 1960s. Rembusch owned the Historic Artcraft Theater in Franklin before selling the business to Franklin Heritage for restoration in 2004. But the deal also enabled him to build a space better equipped to maximize screen time, adding more options for audiences. “The ability to play more than one picture at the same time in the complex is the same reason for multi-screen theaters, and at the Artcraft we simply weren’t able to do that,” Rembusch said. While Canary Creek’s drive-in theater may not seem like the most popular venue, the summer months — or, the drive-in’s peak season — often see a larger crowd than any other time of the year. Last year, the theater sold 40,000 tickets between May and August. The risk of losing customers is a real fear, especially for a small-town business owner
The entrance to the indoor theaters at Canary Creek Cinemas welcomes guests to blockbuster movies in a retro space. PEYTAN MILLS | PHOTO
specializing in the old-fashioned. But Rembusch said much of his work depends on an audience’s love of film. The retro venue, Rembusch said, is an added bonus. “There has to be a want to see in the audience,” Rembusch said. “We depend on Hollywood to produce and market pictures that are exciting and that people want to see.”
BEYOND THE BEAT | MUTLICULTURAL MUSIC
Listeners who appreciate multilingual music overcome the “America first” era Infusing other cultures into popular songs is not a new concept, whether the artist records multilingual lyrics or produces a rhythmic KARA SIMON guitar riff. And multicultural music has noticeably made a mark on American pop culture. For example, “Despacito” took mainstream pop radio by storm in 2017. The song grew so much in popularity that it’s tied with the iconic “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston for most consecutive weeks at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Despite such achievements, some American listeners remain hesitant. K-pop is just one of the many genres that faces discrimination because of its stylistic differences and, of course, its foreign language. Listeners who wish to familiarize themselves with multicultural music might
see the Korean lyrics as a barrier rather than a respectable art form, subjecting K-pop to aversion and ridicule. This is nothing new. Ritchie Valens, a 1950s rock-and-roll artist from California, experienced similar judgement in his career. But with tracks like “Donna” and “La Bamba” to his name, Valens proved multicultural music can succeed with American audiences. Today, many could argue, our country molds listeners to follow an “America first” mentality. President Donald Trump underscores this mentality with his persistent demands for border wall funding. In his State of the Union address on Feb. 5, Trump repeatedly spoke of our country’s unity. While this ideal is worth discussing, it ignores the growing division in our country over matters such as nationality, language and the security of our borders. While listening to music in a different language is a challenge, a quick Google search can easily alleviate that obstacle. More importantly, listening to international
RELATED LISTENS “Serendipity” by BTS “Neverland” by Holland “La Bamba” by Ritchie Valens “Como la Flor” by Selena music is an opportunity to expand beyond the familiar and achieve the unity envisioned by our nation’s top leaders. Experiencing common melodies within cultures from around the globe makes for enjoyable music, but also a way to grow a once-limited perspective on reality.
SPORTS
SOFTBALL, BASEBALL TEAMS GEAR UP FOR WEEKEND START TO SEASON Grizzlies hopeful for another trip to championships TAYLOR WOOTEN | STORY taylor.wooten@franklincollege.edu
With a new head coach and five players on the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference’s list of “Players to Watch,” the Grizzlies softball team is ready to hit a home run in its first game Feb. 23 against Birmingham Southern College in Maryville, Tennessee. The “Players to Watch” list includes seniors Monica Collins, Shelby Mager and Justice Carmichael, junior Kayla Selzer and sophomore Natalie Weber. As a team, a major challenge during training has been to solidify teamwork, adjust to the new coaching staff and put in work despite the inclement weather. “Most of the time we’re in the gym,” said head softball coach Brad Jones. He replaced former coach Butch Zike. “At this point we’ve only been out three times, and one time it was 34 degrees and raining; so, it’s a struggle to get as much done as you want.” After the team earned its first HCAC Championship title and took its first stab at the NCAA DIII national tournament, Zike retired. In the HCAC pre-season coaches’ poll, the Grizzlies were projected to finish third, right behind Transylvania University and Mount St. Joseph University. “I think being ranked third is motivating us to work harder and prove everybody wrong with the rankings,” Carmichael said. “Every team lost some good players, so I think if we go out and play with everything we have, we
will be the conference champions again.” The baseball team is also preparing for the start of its spring season. After a snowy and rainy pre-season spring training, the team will head to Jacksonville, Illinois, Feb. 23 to kick off the 2019 season with games against Elmhurst College, MacMurray College and Aurora University. Several returning players were named to the First Team All-HCAC for the 2018 season, including seniors Sam Claycamp and Drew Naumovich and juniors Nick Wright, Jarrod Smith and Alex Mis. “Last year we were a power hitting team that led the country in home runs, runs batted in and total runs per game,” Claycamp said. “This year, hopefully, we can continue that trend, but it’s baseball, so we’ll see how things go.” Despite losing two important pitchers, the team has another duo of great pitchers in addition to new, strong freshmen pitchers. Coached by reigning HCAC Coach of the Year Lance Marshall and following a 39-5 record season, the Grizzles believe they are set for great things this year with their aim set high. “We have a goal this year of making it to the World Series, and that kind of trumps everything else,” Claycamp said. “There isn’t a higher achievement as a team. I think that’s the highest goal for everyone this season, but we have to take it a game at a time to play our best baseball.”
GAMES IN REVIEW SWIMMING & DIVING 1st of 6 HCAC Championship
MEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Bluffton W, 72-67
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Bluffton W, 83-56
MEN’S TENNIS vs. Cornell College L, 7-2
MEN’S TRACK & FIELD 8th of 10 HCAC Indoor Championship
UPCOMING GAMES MEN’S & WOMEN’S TENNIS 2/23 @ Alma College
TRACK & FIELD 2/23 @ Fred Wilt Invititational
LACROSSE 3/2 vs. Alma
BASEBALL 3/1 vs. Albion Following a 39-5 record season last spring, the Grizzlies are training hard in hopes of making it to the College World Series. DANIELLE NUCKOLS | PHOTO
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D I V I N G
HEAD F I R ST German diver reflects on diving and what brought her to Franklin College
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HOPE SHRUM | STORY
f one thing is certain, it’s that chlorine is hard to get out of your blood. That’s according to Andrew Hendricks, head swimming and diving coach, but it appears true of one Franklin College diver who, despite all the places she’s traveled, landed in a pool in Franklin, Indiana. Freshman Maggie Hutzky, 19, moved to the United States from Germany when she was just 15 years old. After her parents got divorced, she and her family moved to the United States to be closer to extended family. Upon arriving to the states, she moved to Nevada for two years before going to Colorado where she graduated high school. Shortly after, she spent her first semester of college at the University of Jamestown in North Dakota before realizing Franklin College was where she was meant to be. “I needed a change, and [Franklin] seemed like a good fit,” Hutzky said. “I really liked the coaches here.” Hutzky previously turned down an offer to swim at Franklin because she had plans to attend the University of Nevada. After she broke her ankle and lost a scholarship to dive, she decided to attend the University of Jamestown.
EMILY HALES | DESIGN
CLAIRE CASTILLO | PHOTO
She is studying exercise science and biology and is still deciding whether she wants to be a physical therapist or a coroner. Outside of class, Hutzky is in the pool — more specifically, she’s leaping from the diving board. When Hutzky first came to Franklin at the start of the spring semester, she was immediately a part of the team. Hendricks partly credits the team’s intensive training trip to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for that.
I needed a change, and [Franklin] seemed like a good fit. FRESHMAN MAGGIE HUTZKY “I think it helped her a lot because it immediately made her one of the team,” Hendricks said. Hutzky said the best part of Franklin thus far are the people she’s met, specifically on the team. “The team has been great,” she said. “Everybody is super, super nice and really supportive of each other.”
Already, her diving teammates are quick to voice their support of their new teammate. Senior diver Will Combs said Hutzky brings a positive energy to the sport. “Screwing up or trying something new can result in a belly flop,” Combs said. “But she hopes high and encourages us to try new stuff, even when we’re scared.” The same aspects that can make diving scary also make the sport thrilling for Hutzky, who said she likes the mental toughness of the sport. She loves the thrill of jumping off the 3-meter diving board and performing different flips, twists and tricks. In high school, Hutzky was a gymnast and competitive cheerleader. She also wrestled with her twin brother, Mark, at one time. Her competitiveness is what she said drives her — something that drove her to diving more than eight years ago. “I think it’s hard to get chlorine out of your blood when you’ve been a swimmer or diver for a long time,” Hendricks said of Hutzky. “She certainly missed [the sport] and wanted a new opportunity. You know, I think it was just a win-win for us and for her.”
LAST LOOK CARLY MORRIS, FRESHMAN
Morris checks a singo (musical bingo) card during an event hosted by the Student Entertainment Board Feb. 12. “My favorite part of being a part of S.E.B. is being able to plan and help out with events that other students can enjoy,” Morris said. QUINN FITZGERALD I COVER + BACK PHOTO