April 13, 2015

April 13, 2015

ISSUE 15

THE OTHER SIDE OF HOMELESSNESS Homelessness can touch those you would least expect. Even students at IU Southeast.

OUT OF THE ORDINARY CREDITS

THE PLIGHT OF THE PART-TIME PROFESSOR

Classes on zombies, cyborgs, and The Hunger Games can help you earn your degree.

IUS adjunct professors struggle with not having the same benefits as those who are full time.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Spring Swinging 7

The spring season for IU Southeast’s women’s tennis team is upon us. What can we expect to see on the courts?

Quiet Places to study on Campus 8-9

With finals approaching we take a look at some of the more peaceful places to study on campus.

Life of an Adjunct 10-11

Are Adjunct professors being undervalued by college administrators.? Read and decide for yourself.

A Rock and A Hard place 12-16 The phrase ‘homeless person’ conjures a variety of images in peoples heads, but most of those images probably don’t involve college students.

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New Social Worker Position Filled 17

Counselor and Care Manager Karen Richie, was hired on Jan. 2 to help students and faculty deal with a wide range of problems.

Unique Classes 18-19

The Horizon takes a look at some of the more interesting and different classes offered to students.

New Media, Same Expectations 20 Staff reporter Charlyn Corum gives her opinion on the media and how she believes it can create unrealistic expectations.

Lobby for my Hobby 21

Staff reporter, Rain Hopkins discusses her passion for knitting

IN EVERY ISSUE Faces of IUS 4 Events 5 Diversions 23

Softball

SCOREBOARD

3/30 VS. St. Mary-of-the-Woods | Loss 11-10 3/30 VS. St. Mary-of-the-Woods | Win 8-7 3/31 @ Midway College | Win 10-0 3/31 @ Midway College | Win 25-0 4/4 @ Brescia University | Win 5-3 4/4 @ Brescia University | Win 10-3 4/6 VS. Asbury University | Win 11-0 4/6 VS. Asbury University | Loss 3-2

Baseball

3/30 VS. Marian University | Win 5-3 3/30 VS. Marian University | Win 6-3 3/31 VS. Miami Hamilton | Win 20-9 4/4 VS. Brescia University | Win 6-3 4/4 VS. Brescia University | Loss 3-0 4/6 VS. Brescia University | Win 4-3 4/6 VS. Brescia University | Loss 2-1

EDITORIAL AND PRODUCTION Indiana University Southeast 4201 Grant Line Road New Albany, Indiana 47150 Editor-in-Chief: Joel Stinnett Managing Editor: Zak Kerr News Editor: Haley Warwick Features Editor: Ethan Smith Sports Editor: Eli Lossner General Assignment Editor: Paige Thompson Photography Editor: Marisa Gartland Design Chief: Bekah White Advertising/Marketing Manager: Secoy Richey Director of Student Media/Adviser: Adam Maksl

Staff: Lynn Bailey Shelbi Beard Chelsey Carr Duncan Cooper Charlyn Corum Connor Edrington Mary Kate Hailer Kaetln Harrison Rain Hopkins Joseph Kauffman Kristin Kennedy Kathyrn Ross Josh Rowe Ryan Siener Blake Stewart Jordan Williams Kaylynn Williams

(812) 941-2253 horizon@ius.edu

edit for brevity, grammar and style, and may limit frequent letter writers.

The Horizon is partially funded by Student Activity Fees. The Horizon is a student-produced newspaper, published weekly during the fall and spring semesters. Editors must be enrolled in at least three credit hours and some are paid.

The Horizon welcomes contributions on all subjects. The Horizon is not an official publication of Indiana University Southeast, and therefore does not necessarily reflect its views.

To report a story idea or obtain information, call or email the Horizon.

Letters to the editors must be signed, include student’s major and class standing and be fewer than 300 words. The Horizon reserves the right to

Your first Issue of the Horizon is free. All subsequent copies cost $2 each.

The Horizon is a member of the Indiana Collegiate Press Association, Hoosier State Press Association, and the Associated Collegiate Press.

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POLICE

FACES OF IUS

BLOTTER

March 27 at 2:31 p.m.

An officer was dispatched to assist NAPD with a shoplifter who was running from the Walmart on McDonald Lane. The shoplifter was located and transported to jail.

March 27 at 8:29 p.m.

Officers received a report of an individual slumped over the wheel of a running vehicle in Magnolia Parking Lot. The responding officer found IUS student Timothy Stringer, 18, laying back in his driver’s seat and detected a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was searched; a small amount of marijuana was found. Stringer gave consent for his Orchard Lodge room to be searched, which resulted in negative findings. A citation for possession of marijuana was issued.

March 29 at 3:55 p.m.

An officer responded to a call for NAPD regarding an individual on Glenville Road finding a syringe on their property. The individual requested that officers retrieve it. The syringe was not a hypodermic needle.

March 29 at 9:20 p.m.

Officers were dispatched to Cedar Ridge Apartments to respond to a report of two men fighting with shovels. One party had already left when officers had arrived.

March 30 at 5:03 p.m.

An officer pulled over a vehicle for expired registration. The driver stated that they had the sticker, and had simply forgotten to put it on their license plate. Vehicle contained two small children not in car seats. Verbal warning issued.

April 1 at 7:32 p.m.

An officer was dispatched to the Evergreen West Parking Lot on a hit-and-run. The officer was able to obtain the license plate of the vehicle that fled the scene from a witness.

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SAM CHUMLEY

JACKSON KERLEY

Sam was working on throwing some bowls. Even though Sam already had one degree from IUS, he is back to pursue another.

Jackson was enjoying the nice weather and practicing his LARPing, or live action role playing.

ceramics senior

“I just like that my work becomes a part of people’s lives. It doesn’t matter to me if it gets broken, because I know it’s being used.”

computer science freshman

“I’m in the gamer’s society, and got into LARPing because I’m a gamer.”

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Chai Tea Latte Tea Party

Thunder Over Louisville

April 14 10 a.m. - noon Seneca Park

April 14 Rittz

7 p.m.

Diamond Pub Concert Hall Do you miss the days of fast rappers like Twista and Busta Rhymes? The southern rap gods have answered your prayers with Rittz. Crooked will be opening as part of the Southwest Kings Tour.

April 17

Kenny7 p.m.

Chesney

April 14

April 18 All Day Waterfront Park

April 14

GamerSociety: LARP Chai Tea Latte Tea 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

University Center N. Hoosier Room Live action role playing at its best with “Here Be Monsters”, You can get your physical game on as you brave your way through a Nero Dungeon filled with monsters.

April 18 Thunder

KFC Yum! Center

All Day Waterfront Park

For everyone who didn’t get to go to a beach this spring break, a Kenny Chesney concert may be the next best thing. With opening performances by Jake Owen and Chase Rice you may forget your still in Kentuckiana.

What do we really need to say about this? Its Thunder Over Louisville people! Fighter Jets rip through ocean blue skies to the tune of “Born in the USA.” Then we shoot off more fireworks than anyone in North America.

Party

10 a.m. - noon Seneca Park Who doesn’t like a tea party?

Especially one with complimentary tea sandwiches by Chef Ellen Gill McCarty, and tea from Banyan Tree Beverages.

April 18

April 15

Brass Band

Calling all Planeswalkers!

Bring your strongest deck to the Gamers Societies Magic: The Gathering, official game night.

Chance the Rapper

7:30-9 p.m.

Ogle Center, Stem Concert Hall

7:30 p.m.

The Louisville Palace

The Commonwealth Brass Band is an ensemble in residence at IU Southeast.

Based on the English style of Brass Bands with a repertoire selected to highlight this tradition.

The young Chi-Town rapper is coming to show Kentuckiana some love. Be sure to catch this show at the Louisville Palace venue. Also support local artist Jalin Roze who will be opening.

April 22

GamersSociety: WFPK: Waterfront Magic Night Wednesday 5 p.m.

University Center N. Commons

April 16

5:30 - 11:30 p.m.

Big Four Lawn, Waterfront

The coolest thing to happen in Louisville since the inception of Bourbon! Come see your favorite WFPK radio songs live!

April 26 Atmosphere 8 p.m.

Mercury Ballroom The dynamic hip-hop duo known simply as Atmosphere is coming to town. For hip-hop heads this show is a must.

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A Tale of Two Seasons

Women’s Tennis Hopes Spring Brings Improvement because this team is missing two of their allconference players from the fall season.

“It would be a real long shot to get an at-large bid.

There are only about five or six bids given out each season,” Sullivan said. “(It’s) not a realistic possibility The IU Southeast Woman’s Tennis team lost its of going to nationals without those players. spring opener (0-9), on March 29. at Wright State So the shift will focus more towards improvement University in Dayton, Ohio. They followed that loss of the team and what each player needs to work on with a (9-0) win against Kentucky Wesleyan on April to get better between now and the next conference 4. season, according to Sullivan.

Tennis season is broken up in to two sessions. One “Playing good competition and basically just using that starts in August and ends in October and picks this as a head start for entering the fall season,” up again in the spring.

Sullivan said.

Brian Sullivan is in his second season as head coach The team’s goal for this season is to make it to the of the Grenadiers. He currently has six active players conference tournament again and pull out a win. on the roster for the spring season, including one new “We want to win the conference championship again addition, freshman, Abigail Hurtgen. and we want to make sure of it because we have done Coach Sullivan said there are two players that are it many years in a row here,” Sullivan said. not playing this semester and it was important to find Sullivan emphasized the high level of competition someone to step up and give the team a full roster. his team will face this spring.

“It looks like Abby is going to be a good edition to “We are probably playing the most difficult spring the roster here this spring,” Sullivan said. schedule in school history,” he said.

Hurtgen said how excited she is to be a part of the Sullivan said that this schedule was intentional. tennis team at IU Southeast.

He wants to play against good competition which he “As a freshman, I’m looking forward to building says will help his team get better and get out of their bonds with my teammates and to make the best of the comfort zone. season,” Hurtgen said.

In the past, the Grenadiers matched up against Hurtgen said she hopes to win some matches and Bellarmine University and Southern Indiana prepare for next season.

University. Sullivan said that although they lost both “I want to help my teammates win conference next matches they were still close. year and go to nationals,” Hurtgen said.

Sullivan said the past four years the teams knew Sullivan also mentioned another young member of that they were going to the national tournament, the team. Whitney Batliner is the only sophomore on and now that nationals is all but off the table, team and was conference MVP last year.

Sullivan wonders what kind of “Just as a sophomore she motivational factors are there. played number one signals Sullivan added that and doubles,” Sullivan said.

Improving for next fall is a lot Sullivan talked about this less immediate so they have to spring season and what be out there ready to get better they hope to accomplish. without anything in front of “The mind set for this them. spring is we are still “If they can stay motivated playing tough, very tough that’s going to tell me a lot competition,” he said. about the personality of the The team won the team collectively,” Sullivan KIAC regular season said. championship last fall, The Grenadiers have won but got beat in the KIAC one match and lost one, so Abigail Hurtgen, freshman tournament championship. far this spring. Their overall That meant that the team record for the season is 9-5, did not qualify for an automatic bid to nationals. but without the possibility of going to nationals, they Sullivan said he hopes the team can play well will be looking forward to the fall, when the next enough this spring to possibly receive an at-large bid. season begins.

He said this was probably a long shot at best,

By MARY KATE HAILER Staff Reporter mhailer@ius.edu

I want to help my teammates win conference next year

UPCOMING SCHEDULE 4.13 4 p.m. @ Bellarmine Univ.

4.17 3 p.m. @ Indiana Wesleyan Doc Richards Classic 4.18 9 a.m. vs. Taylor Univ.

Doc Richards Classic @ Indiana Wesleyan 4.18 1 p.m. vs. Huntington Univ.

Doc Richards Classic @ Indiana Wesleyan 4.24 3 p.m. @ Marian Univ.

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QUIET PLACES TO STUDY Finals are coming.

By Charlyn Corum Staff reporter ccorum@ius.edu

Studying for exams can be time consuming and stressful. Distractions such as family, friends, roommates and pets can make hitting the books a difficult proposition. Sometimes the best thing to do when preparing for a big exam is to find a peaceful place. We asked IU Southeast students to share some of the places they go to study when they need some peace and quiet.

IU Southeast: Knobview Hall Knobview Hall recently got new furniture and Brooke Wessel, art history sophomore, said she likes to study here “because it is nice and relaxing.”

The new furniture is located on the second floor and is equipped with power outlets, computers and printers.

Lori Mundell, journalism sophomore, also likes studying in Knobview Hall, though she likes to study in empty classrooms because they are nice, quiet and great for group studying.

IU Southeast: Library Emily Friedman, political science senior, goes to the IU Southeast library to study.

“I know if I am home, I am not going to have the motivation to do so and I will be able to study without procrastinating,” she said.

Sydney Powell, graphic design sophomore, said she also likes to study in the library because it is peaceful and the couches are comfortable.

Starbucks Starbucks is where Shelby Kake, computer science and graphic design sophomore, said she goes to study.

“The atmosphere is super relaxing and the coffee is a perk,” she said.

Kake likes to order any seasonal drink that is being offered.

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Quills Coffee Shop

.

Andrew Dangler, advertisement senior, always goes to Quills Coffee Shop to study for school. He likes to study here because “the atmosphere and the quality of the drinks and service,” he said.

Dangler said he recommends people to try a Caramel Latte with almond milk.

Books-A-Million Jessie Martin, studio arts sophomore, said she likes to study at coffee shops because it helps her think and coffee helps her stay awake. “It makes me feel more professional and serious about my studying too for some reason,” she said.

Books-A-Million at the Green Tree Mall has a coffee shop that Martin said she likes to study. When she goes there her preferred drink is Raspberry Mocha.

A breezy place to study by the pond behind IU Southeast.

Bean Street Cody Tevis, graphic design sophomore, said he enjoys Bean Street Coffee Shop because it is not busy, has multiple power outlets and is quiet.

“It is really easy to focus and get work done,” Tevis said.

He said he likes to order White Mocha if he is tired and needs to focus, and Paris Tea if he is there to chill.

IU Southeast: Picnic Tables by Pond Bethany Hamilton, fine art freshman, said she enjoys to study anywhere outside at IU Southeast, though she said her favorite place to study outdoors is at a picnic table by the pond.

Hamilton said she finds the sounds of the water relaxing. .

The Struggle of the Adjunct WAKE UP, GO TEACH

...two classes at University A. Rush from your last class and teach two more at University B. Then grade, grade, grade. Go to bed. Wake up hours later and grade some more. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Though a slight exaggeration, this is the life of some adjunct instructors, who teach classes at universities on an ad hoc basis. They lack full-time status, often meaning their jobs come with no benefits. Stringing together different teaching gigs from different colleges, they sometimes earn wages barely above the poverty line. And it’s a growing problem.

According to the American Association of University Professors, more than

50 percent

of all university faculty nationwide are “contingent,” meaning they lack full-time status. At IU Southeast, more than half of the classes are taught by such faculty.

With the rise in dependence upon part-time faculty, some adjuncts have fostered talks on forming unions or demonstrating.

On National Walkout Day, walking-out or teachingin—adjunct professors nationally took at stance on Feb. 25 to demonstrate against the work load adjuncts are responsible for, along with a lack of job security, lack of job benefits normally offered to fulltime faculty, and what they feel is unequal pay for the skills that they bring to the university.

While there was not a demonstration at IU Southeast during the National Adjunct Walkout Day, one IU Southeast adjunct instructor used this day to hold a teach-in at another campus where he also lectures.

Daniel Runnels, adjunct lecturer of Spanish, said creating awareness and encouraging people to talk about adjunct professors was the goal of the National Adjunct Walkout Day.

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Runnels said many adjuncts around the nation spent time that day not just walking out of their classroom, but holding sit-ins or teach-ins such as the one he and his colleagues at the University of Louisville held.

While participation of students was low that day at his teach-in event, he said they did accomplish having a rich discussion about adjunct positions at local universities and what could be improved.

“We had a great group discussion among the students, graduate students, faculty and even some administrators that were in attendance,” Runnels said.

In addition, Runnels said adjunct faculty are continuously working to raise awareness about the imbalance of duties adjuncts hold in comparison to compensation and benefits.

“Adjunct professors are teaching the vast majority of courses,” said Runnels. “I am a single man, and I’m getting by alright, but those with families, that can be a problem for them.”

Runnels said IU Southeast, like a lot of other institutions, relies heavily on adjunct faculty to teach their entry level and core classes. With all the weight upon them standing within the four walls of a classroom is an adjunct professor spread thin—often teaching at two or three college campuses in one semester, if not more.

“It is not uncommon for someone [an adjunct professor] to be teaching five classes a semester, if not more,” said Runnels. “I knew one guy who was even teaching seven classes in one semester.”

Runnels said the reason these adjunct professors are spreading themselves thin is because they are seeking adequate compensation in this career path of being a college professor.

Adjuncts bring to the classroom field experience and job experience that some full-time faculty members may not have Uric Dufrene, executive vice chancellor of Academic Affairs

By Haley Warwick News Editor hwarwick@ius.edu

“I think most of the time you’re paid about $2,000 to $2,500 per class, per semester, but that can depend on [the] college,” he said.

Runnels pointed out that this movement is not about pitting full-time faculty against part-time faculty, but rather this issue stems from pay, time off, lack of opportunity for advancement and job benefits.

“Full-time faculty are very hard working people, and they don’t just teach, they have other responsibilities such as research and boards they serve on.”

He also said that job benefit issues that adjuncts are creating awareness about are not new.

“This has been going on for a long time, this is not a new issue,” said Runnels.

Steve Bowman, adjunct lecturer of English and faculty senate member, said with the rise in rebuttal, if the entirety of the adjunct faculty at IU Southeast walked out, it would take over half of the faculty out of the teaching equation.

Bowman said according to the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, the number of adjunct faculty seems to fluctuate around

60 to 70 percent as of 2014 at IU Southeast.

He said the main reason he believes there is such a large number of adjuncts, is a flood of applicants with few full-time positions.

Bowman said often in an adjunct position there stands a professor holding a doctorate degree in their field.

“It’s often that the field is crowded and there are just not any full-time positions open, so you take an adjunct position, even if you qualify for more” Bowman said.

In addition, Bowman said, like many teaching professionals, he wants to help students grow—and like Runnels, he sees himself in this as a career, not just a stop along the way.

Bowman said he and many other professors he knows took time before and on National Adjunct Walkout Day at IU Southeast to talk to their classes about adjunct professors, and what they are hoping to accomplish.

“We talked about this issue to raise awareness, because honestly some students do not know this is even an issue,” Bowman said.

Bowman said that not only is the vast majority of classes at IU Southeast taught by adjunct faculty, but also these part-time facilitators are the ones giving the first impression of the campus and the programs it offers.

“A lot of classes they teach are the first impression students get, that’s a big responsibility,” said Bowman.

Ashley Neal, sociology senior, said many of her classes at IU Southeast have been taught by adjunct faculty and currently she is a student of Runnels.

She said Runnels talked to her class about the issues adjuncts are currently facing.

“He talked to us about what he and some other professors planned to do at UofL,” said Neal. “I have some friends that go to UofL, and their professors participated in different ways, they said it was a part of their freedom of speech, and freedom of the press.”

Neal said she has had adjunct professors at IU Southeast in the past, and said she could tell they were spread out among several campuses. She said they talked about how many different universities they taught at, and she feels this might hinder their ability to focus and teach their classes.

Uric Dufrene, executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, said there are practical reasons for hiring adjunct professors to teach courses at IU Southeast.

“Adjuncts bring to the classroom field experience and job experience that some full-time faculty members may not have,” Dufrene said.

Dufrene said these unique experiences that

adjuncts offer make valuable contributions at IU Southeast, which is a heavy factor in deciding what credentials a professor should have for specific classes.

“As we grow students, we do want to develop new programs, where we would hire more full-time [professors],” he said.

Dufrene cited the recent addition of the full-time public relations professor in the journalism program,

This has been going on for a long time, this is not a new issue Daniel Runnels, adjunct lecturer of Spanish

and said other programs will continue to grow as well.

While some feel there is a purpose for adjunct professors, others feel that universities may use the resource of adjuncts to a point of dependence.

Jacob Babb, assistant professor of English, said while there are many practical and important reasons for hiring adjunct professors to teach courses, sometimes it is easy to slip into dependence.

With so many positions filled by adjuncts, Babb said he talks to his students every semester about it, and many are still surprised so many classes at IU Southeast are being taught by adjuncts.

“I told the class this semester about the walkout, and about how many professors teaching that are adjuncts, and they were surprised,” he said.

Babb said recent retention research has shown that having more full-time faculty reaching students at the beginning of their college career is better for retention rates, which means more students graduate under a more controlled environment of full-time faculty.

Jazmin Bader, double major English and Spanish junior, said Runnels is one of the most involved professors she has had in regards to either full-time or part-time status, but she said due to him not solely working at IU Southeast, his office hours are shorter than that of a full-time professor.

Bader said while this has not affected Runnels performance or reliably, she feels having a stronger staff of full-time faculty would benefit IU Southeast.

A ROCK A HARD PLACE AND

By APRILE RICKERT Contributing Writer apmricke@ius.edu

Photo Illustration by Aprile Rickert

Homeless college students are often an overlooked demographic that face unique challenges in accessing higher education

Victoria Bennett had a plan.

In 2010, realizing that she needed to follow her dream of graduating with an IU degree, Bennett, then a political science student at Kennesaw State University near Atlanta, sold her house, gathered up her savings and prepared to move.

“One day I realized I’ve got an empty nest, my kids are grown, they’re off on their own, and I said ‘well, I’m going to go back home,’” she said. “’I’m going to go back to Indiana and get the degree I want.’”

She had a house in a good neighborhood, a brand new car and 20 years of experience as a paralegal.

She was, by many estimations, a responsible adult with a good cushion to help with the transition.

But just a year-and-a-half after moving, Bennett, still in school, found herself without a home or a permanent job.

“The first thing people think is, ‘Well what’d you do to get yourself in that spot,’” she said. “And I’m thinking to myself, ‘Absolutely nothing.’ I’ve lived probably the quietest life you’ll ever see. I don’t drink — I never have. I don’t smoke, I don’t do drugs — I don’t have any of those issues or those vices. And I find myself saying ‘well gee, I don’t even have a roof over my head.’ It was just baffling.”

Although most people conjure the image of soup kitchens and “will work for food” signs when they think of homelessness, Bennett was in a situation like many others across the country who experience some housing insecurity while enrolled in college.

It’s hard to quantify the extent of the problem.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) asks students to indicate if they’ve experienced homelessness recently. In the 20122013 school year, more than 58,000 homeless students applied for aid.

But that figure is very likely underestimated, say organizations like the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth.

First, the figure only includes those who are applying for federal financial aid, leaving out those who might not realize there is aid available. It also misses students who might not realize they are homeless, such as those who live in their cars or “couch-surf” among friends’ homes.

Melissa Fry, director of the Applied Research and Education Center at IU Southeast and assistant professor of sociology, was part of a team that completed a research project in 2014 focused on homelessness and poverty in Southern Indiana.

She said it is very difficult to accurately count those in the community who may be homeless. Some populations, she said, don’t get counted.

“People who are couch surfing or doubling up with somebody else temporarily, they don’t get

It can be a very slippery slope. You can be humming along OK, not great but managing just fine, and then one unanticipated event can just lead someone into a total death spiral.

Jean Abshire, associate professor of political science

counted,” she said. “Or if you just don’t get found. And certainly people refuse to participate and don’t get counted.”

Advocacy organizations point to issues such as rising higher education and housing costs and a tough economy as reasons for increases in student homelessness. Sometimes events like a job loss can push students over the edge. That’s what happened to Bennett.

Photo Courtesy of Victoria Bennett

IUS alumna Victoria Bennett with faculty mentor Jean Abshire.

The Bottom Falling Out

In the summer of 2010, before moving to start at IU Southeast, Bennett had secured an apartment in the east end of Louisville and a job at a law firm downtown. She had chosen an adviser and asked about the best ways for her to succeed so when she started at IU Southeast in spring 2011. She was ready to go.

That first year, she worked full-time at the law firm, had a full course load at school and with a very active life on campus — she was in the Honors Program and co-chair of the Honors Program Student Advisory Board, a member of the Student Government Association, vice president for the College Democrats and volunteered through Campus Life.

Things seemed to be on the right track, until spring 2012.

“And that’s when the bottom fell out,” Bennett said.

Bennett’s employer had been flexible with her work schedule, working around classes. During one semester, they allowed her to leave for a class during the day and return to work afterward. She would then return to New Albany for the rest of her classes in the evening.

“I did that all semester,” she said. “It was tough, but I did it.”

But the flexibility didn’t last. She was forced to choose work or school.

“They just kind of put my back against the wall and said, ‘You either can come here or you can go to class, but you can’t do both,’” she said. “I was put in a very difficult situation.”

Bennett said she chose to stay in school because she had been in school for four years at that point, including the time spent in Georgia, and her goal of finishing with an IU degree was what brought her there in the first place.

Although Bennett had grants, scholarships and loans to help cover the cost of attending IU Southeast, she was unable to find another job quickly. By February of 2012, she had lost her apartment.

Bennett said during this time, she applied for public assistance and was turned down.

“I couldn’t get health coverage, I couldn’t get public assistance, and I couldn’t get unemployment,” she said. “They just kept telling me I didn’t qualify for anything. And the problem was they were looking at my income (from the previous year), and by their measures, I was not in need. They could see my income from Georgia and that was, you know, laughable that they’d think I’d even be asking for anything making that kind of money that I had been making.”

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The community is out there, and there are lots of services and support available, and they’re willing to give information if you’re stuck. But a lot of times, we don’t know where to start. So that becomes my job.

Without a permanent place to live, Bennett said she stayed with several different friends over the next six months and, for a time, in a hotel. Sometimes she stayed at school.

Eventually she opened up to someone on campus she had great trust in — Jean Abshire, associate professor of political science and Bennett’s adviser.

Abshire worked with others at IU Southeast to secure her one of the few single rooms in one of the lodges on campus. She paid the full rent and stayed there until she graduated in 2013.

“Before I got the housing on campus, there were a few nights I can recall just saying ‘I’m just going to stay in my car’ because who was I going to tell? Who was I going to say something to? It was difficult, scary — it was unnerving,” Bennett said. “So getting the housing on campus was just a godsend.”

Abshire said unfortunately, the series of events that led to Bennett’s struggle is common for not only college students but also for many Americans.

“It can be a very slippery slope,” she said. “You can be humming along OK, not great but managing just fine, and then one unanticipated event can just lead someone into a total death spiral.”

Helping students in need

Karen Richie, personal counselor/care manager at IU Southeast

Photo by Aprile Rickert

Bryan Jones, journalism senior, prepares dinner.

Jones has moved eight times in recent years, and for a while stayed on friends’ couches.

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Abshire said although in theory the resources are there to help those in need, they may be hard to find or difficult to navigate.

Abshire said her knowledge of Bennett’s and other students’ struggles finally led her to go to the campus administration, and she helped get the ball rolling on hiring a staff counselor/care manager on campus to help with these issues.

Karen Richie, a licensed clinical social worker, started in that position in January. She said she is working with others on campus to determine the greatest area of need for students.

“There was a gap in services for people who did struggle with housing instability, food instability, medical issues and struggling through college because they didn’t sleep well last night or they didn’t have any food to eat for three days,” she said.

She said students are referred to her through many channels — some through financial aid, some who have called the chancellor’s office seeking help, some through professors whom they have confided in.

“Were still trying to find out the greatest need on campus and how we can bridge that need,” she said. “We can’t put everyone into housing for free.

We understand that. We can’t feed everyone for free.

But we might be able to find some support to get you into housing at a lower cost or through the approval application that goes through a different department.

We might be able to find some food or shelters in the area, or we might be able to locate food that people have on hand here.”

Richie said she might have a scheduled therapy session with someone and find out the reason they’re in therapy might be related to other stressors, such as housing insecurity or financial struggles.

“So we kind of we go through Maslow’s Hierarchy — when you go all the way back to the bottom it goes security, safety and basic needs are the priority,”

WHERE TO GO

There’s more than one path for students to find the help they need. Below are some starting points.

Personal Counseling Services

UC South, room 243 Personal Counselor: Michael A. Day, Psy.D., HSPP micaday@ius.edu Counselor/Care Manager: Karen Richie, LCSW kerichie@ius.edu M-F (9 a.m. - 6 p.m.)

(812) 941-2244

Financial Aid Office

M-Th (8 a.m. - 6 p.m.), Fr (8 a.m. - 5 p.m.)

(812) 941-2546 financialaid@ius.edu

Adult Student Center

UC South, room 206 Kimberly Pelle Coordinator of Non-Traditional Student Programs (812) 941-2650 kpelle@ius.edu

Student Veterans Organization UC South, room 010 Seuth Chaleunphonh, adviser (812) 941-2319 schaleun@ius.edu

A student may feel more comfortable first talking to a trusted faculty or staff member, who will be able to help get the student in touch with one or more of the services above.

she said. “So I can’t do a lot of therapy on somebody who’s hungry. I can’t do a lot of therapy on somebody who’s actively using substances. That’s a struggle.

So we have to take it back a notch and go let’s kind of problem-solve around this area. And so we put everything else on hold and said let’s see who we can call and what we can do.”

“We look for the medical piece of it, the clinics and how that piece would go,” she said. “If the vehicle is your mode, let’s see if we can get you some gas money.”

She said there are organizations that can help with medical, housing, or transportation needs, for example.

“The community is out there,” she said. “And there are lots of services and support available, and they’re willing to give information if you’re stuck. But a lot of times, we don’t know where to start. So that’s become my job.”

Finding help with financial aid

For some students who find themselves in tough situations, federal aid might help to cover some of the costs of higher education. The amount of aid available

Photo Illustration by Aprile Rickert

to students in determined by a set of factors based on information entered yearly into the FAFSA. One particular problem some students may face, however, is the difficulty in proving oneself to be an “independent student” on the FAFSA, which may or may not result in more opportunities for federal aid, including loans.

This status means that the student does not have to report parental information on the FAFSA and is usually based on the student turning 24, although there are a number of other factors — such as veteran status — that would determine dependency status, Rachel Kynhoff, IU Southeast financial aid counselor, said.

Bryan Jones, journalism senior, just turned 24 at the end of the fall 2014 semester. He said this was the first semester he has been considered independent, even though, he said, he has not lived with either of his parents since he was 18 and does not rely on them financially.

“I thought I should have been considered an independent student [before that],” Jones said. “If I’m not relying on my parents’ income, then why am I considered dependent?”

Jones said he has moved eight times since moving

out of his mother’s house — sometimes staying with friends or family members, sometimes not having much of his own space to live in. He said sometimes, though, he must take whatever is available.

“It just depends on the place,” he said. “Sometimes I’m on couches, sometimes I’m on floor cushions.”

Traci Armes, director of financial aid at IU Southeast, said that there are many situations that can fall under different categories, but that doesn’t mean that the financial aid office can’t help students in tough situations.

She said there are questions on the FAFSA regarding homelessness, although the situations are not always clear-cut.

“We always look at the students on a student-bystudent case,” she said. “And we advise our students because we’re looking out for their best interests.

We don’t want to create extra barriers for students who already have barriers to get their education.

We’re here to help counsel them on their individual situations and what’s best for them.”

She said that students should first visit the financial aid office before making any changes to an existing FAFSA on their own.

“If things change, we would have the student come

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in and direct them on what needs to be changed on the FAFSA,” Armes said. “We would never advise the student to just go into the FAFSA and make changes on their own without talking with the financial aid office first, because that could mess up some other things.”

Jones said he was able to get additional help with school and living expenses through other financial aid. But despite being only about 22 credits away from graduating, he said he had to leave school to help care for his sister, who has cancer.

He said the stress — both with money and his family — are what led to him leaving school.

“I think I just needed a minute to kind of take it off and breathe,” he said.

Veronica Medina, assistant professor of sociology, was one of Jones’ mentors on campus. She said that situations like Jones’ can be difficult for students because worrying about schoolwork when basic needs like housing are in limbo can be very stressful.

“It’s just a tremendous amount of emotional stress, a lot of mental stress,” she said. “And I think it just takes time away from school because you’re trying to problem solve in the course of your day, like ‘What’s the next step for me.”

She said that she thinks that the campus does a good job at recognizing the additional needs IUS students may need, especially as many are firstgeneration college students and come from more working-class backgrounds.

“Just having that recognition that our students face greater financial struggle, and that sometimes they are torn between work and school is something that is just helpful for us as a campus to recognize,” she said. “That our students have barriers. They’re not impediments. They’re not deficiencies. But they do throw a wrench in what students’ plans are.”

Medina said she believes Jones has a lot of potential and hopes that one day, the support system he has at school will help him actualize his educational goals.

“He does have a very good support system at

Photo by Aprile Rickert

school,” she said. “I do really think that the faculty who care for him care for him a lot, and they want to see him succeed.”

Success with a little help

Bennett is currently working on finishing up a master’s degree at Arizona State University. After that, she said she plans to go to law school.

Looking back, Bennett said she doesn’t know how she did it, other than her drive to reach her goals.

“It was tough — I don’t know what kept pushing me,” Bennett said.

“I knew first and foremost I could not let that situation curtail or disrupt my ultimate goal of moving there in the first place and that was to obtain my degree from IU. That was all I knew. That was

I think I just needed a minute to kind of take it off and breathe.

Bryan Jones, journalism senior

Bryan Jones, journalism senior, at his boyfriend’s house in Louisville. Jones stays here about half of the time and has plans to move in May. all I focused on. And the hard times I think probably just propelled me even more to say ‘You’ve got to keep pushing.”

“During the day, when the campus was busy and buzzing, I just got and did my thing and said ‘OK, today’s another day, just go for it.’ Somehow I could push through. But it was probably one of the hardest times in my life.”

Bennett said that help — from Abshire, Residence Life and Housing, and others — kept her afloat and on path to meet her goals.

“Dr. Abshire, every chance she gets she’s saying, ‘You’re strong, and you’re remarkable, and you’re going to get through this — you’ve done such a great job,’” Bennett said. “But sometimes when you’re in the midst of it, it’s hard to step back and see what you’ve done.”

Abshire said she didn’t have a second thought to helping Bennett.

“As a human being, I feel like I have an obligation to other human beings,” Abshire said. “But also we have a commitment to our students as a campus community and as an institution.

“Victoria was and is a fabulous student, but no student, no matter how good, is going to be able to do their best when they’re facing huge life challenges like that.”

Abshire said although she never doubted that Bennett would push through the struggles and find success, she wasn’t sure at what cost.

“She is so determined and has so much strength and so much drive and motivation and focus, I never ever doubted her, but I was concerned about what toll it might take,” Abshire said.

“But Victoria is exceptional, and in that, she was kind of a good lesson or reminder for me that you can be somebody who does absolutely everything right, and you can still get caught in a trap.”

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IU Southeast Establishes New Counselor Position

By Rain Hopkins Staff Reporter rghopkin@ius.edu

For most students, a typical day includes something like going to class, getting lunch, and eventually going home to enjoy a decent dinner and homework (throw Netflix somewhere into that equation).

It is not often that we hear the stories of students who struggle to find a ride to school, or money to eat throughout the day, or even a place to sleep that evening.

So imagine the surprise when Jean Abshire, associate professor of political science and international studies, found one of her former students sleeping in University Center.

Abshire said she had, in the past, received reports of students who had faced struggles — such as being unable to afford necessary medications, living out of their cars, and even hunger issues. But this particular situation was a final straw for Abshire.

Abshire said she thinks that people very often wrongly dismiss those who have issues with poverty as having “screwed up”. This, Abshire said, is a major error.

“For her, it was a spiraling series of unfortunate events that weren’t a result of her making poor choices,” Abshire said.

Abshire also said she believes a student can’t really live up to their full potential when dealing with issues like this.

“We as an institution, IU Southeast, want very, very much for our students to succeed. That’s not going to happen as easily if they’re hungry, if they’re homeless, if they’re living in the dark or in the cold because they have no utilities, or if they have health problems because they can’t get the medications they need,” she said.

Personally, I like to maintain a challenge for myself. So giving myself a big job - like the document - that’s something I want to.

Karen Richie, Counselor and Care Manager

The student issues brought to Abshire’s, as well as other professors’, attention led her to suggest hiring an official on campus who is experienced in handling these sorts of situations.

“Part of my advocacy for a social worker position was obviously the need for some of our students, but also an understanding that the resources may be out there, but figuring out how to access and navigate them is a completely different set of challenges,” she said.

Abshire said it just made sense to her to advocate for someone on campus who better understood the social support services available in the community, and how to best and most easily access them.

So Abshire began reaching out. In administration, she contacted Executive Vice Chancellor Uric Dufrene, Interim Chancellor Barbara Bichelmeyer and Vice Chancellor Jason Meriwether.

“I basically just kind of reached a breaking point, and I just started firing off emails,” Abshire said.

Abshire said she was delighted by how quickly the responses came. She said shortly after she pitched the idea, an e-mail went out to all faculty asking for feedback.

Between the administration gathering more information on the matter and Abshire’s constant attempts to follow up on the issue, eventually, Director of Personal Counseling Michael Day was contacted and asked to hire a person for the position.

“Nationwide there’s been a trend in universities that there are more students who are either homeless, who have unstable access to food, who have financial strains on them than in the past,” Day said.

Day said that even on our campus specifically, the faculty came forward and said they see more students struggling with living situations and financial situations than in the past.

He said that in one sense, it’s a good thing — meaning that college used to be mainly only for the wealthy.

But with the changing atmosphere, Day said many students get enough financial aid to be in school, but not enough to take care of other basic needs.

“It’s kind of hard to study and pay attention if you don’t know where you’re going to sleep,” Day said.

The position was advertised in November and interviews were made in December. On Jan. 2, 2015, Counselor and Care Manager Karen Richie was hired.

“I perform individual counseling, family counseling, couples counseling, group counseling — all versions of counseling. The other part of my job is the care management piece,” Richie said.

Richie said this part of her job entails locating resources. This even means bringing in resources for students, and for faculty who don’t know where to

We as an institution, IU Southeast, want very, very much for our students to succeed.

Jean Abshire, Political Science and International Studies professor

turn when students come to them with their issues.

“We’re looking to see if we can meet all those needs internally, or have resources that we can refer to externally,” she said.

This includes helping sponsor the Out of the Darkness walk that was held on April 9 on campus in support of suicide prevention.

Aside from the walk, personal counseling services have set up booths across from the library and in the cafeteria, and hosted a suicide prevention presentation and local mental health service fair on April 7 in University Center North.

Richie, who received her BA in psychology from IU Southeast, said she was very excited to be able to return to campus and see some familiar faces.

While the familiarity is nice, Richie said the job also presents her with some new, challenging tasks.

Richie said that personal counseling services want to work towards creating a possible food pantry or something of the sort on campus, where students are able to find something to eat in emergency situations.

“We don’t have all of that worked out yet, because there’s so many different bylaws and rules and all these different things that we have to review,” Richie said.

Another goal of the program, and a goal of Richie, is to create an electronic document that is able to cross-reference resources in the area that can be updated and changed when needed.

Richie said it seems like a big project, but she has her fingers crossed.

“Personally, I like to maintain a challenge for myself. So giving myself a big job — like the document — that’s something I want to keep working towards,” Richie said.

Richie said students who wish to speak with her are always welcome to stop by her office in the Personal Counseling Center on the third floor of University Center.

She can also be reached by the phone at (812) 9412244 and by email at kerichie@ius.edu.

Reading, Writing, and Zombie Survival Unique Classes Offer Uncommon Ways to Earn Your Degree

By JORDAN WILLIAMS Staff Reporter jormwill@ius.edu Finding a way to engage occasionally disinterested students in frequently sleep-inducing subjects is a practiced skill that often times requires both a strategic lesson plan and a charming knowledge of certain source material.

For some professors, lecturing about general studies from generalized textbooks, watered down with charts and diagrams, is as uninviting to them as it is for the students listening. This has inspired some faculty members to become creative with their course curriculum’s.

With hundreds of classes being taught on campus, students are given an exciting variety of courses, some of which are pieced together for the sake of managing a new approach to tedious subject matter and others focused on fusing the popular culture of today and tomorrow with existing academia.

Jean Abshire, associate professor of political science and international studies, is one of many staff members with a finger on the pulse of what is or isn’t relevant when it comes to enchanting the interests of classes, which is what led to her piecing together a political science class centered on the notable franchise, The Hunger Games.

“We use the books to look at the various cultural phenomena of the world,” Abshire said. “The course compares and contrasts how the real world measures up with the fictional world of The Hunger Games.”

The class was constructed with the intent of students being able to better understand the conflicting relationships that exist between citizens and government.

The goals of the class surround the wide variety of societal issues, ranging from means of protests and revolutions, to issues regarding justice and the difficulties of rebuilding society post-conflict.

Abshire is interested in exploring the possibilities of having similar courses in the near future, but is foremost concerned with certain bits of criteria being met before committing to teaching a corresponding course.

“For me to do something like this again, there needs to be something with compelling story and explicit political themes that I can draw on,” Abshire said. “It’s fun, not fluff.”

On the other side of campus, in a different department, English professor Jeremy Wells is prepping for a class he will be teaching this fall that will be similar to Abshire’s in obscurity, but very different in core material.

Wells, who is currently teaching a well-received course dedicated to hand-picked works from one of America’s most influential authors, William Faulkner, will be experimenting in subject matter that is relatively new to him in his lectured course focusing on zombies, cyborgs, and most things post humanity.

The class, which will be an upper level seminar, will

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explore social issues ranging from the understanding of what it means to be human in today’s revolutionary society due to the recent advancements in prosthetic limbs and artificial intelligence, to the digital reanimation of dead celebrities and the recent cultural obsession with all things zombie related.

“The class will read books and look at films in which either cyborgs or zombies are represented,” Wells said.

“We are going to think about and discuss the long tradition of literary representation of these figures, starting with Frankenstein.”

In part, the class will be designed to further understand these examples of science fiction that are likely to

We use the books to look at the various cultural phenomena of the world, the course compares and contrasts how the real world measures up with the fictional world of The Hunger Games.

Jean Abshire, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Studies

forever remain in that particular canon, but the main focus of the class seems to rely on one certain curiosity.

“The big question is, especially with zombies: why now? Why is the idea of a zombie so popular? What’s going on,” Wells said.

Wells is hopeful that the course will end up being much more than a senior seminar available to only English majoring students and will ultimately act as a jumping off point for it, and courses like it, to be taught in the near future, which would allow students from the different schools on campus an opportunity to take such a class.

“I would like to offer this as an elective credit or two-hundred level course that anyone could take,” Wells said.

He is optimistic that the course could someday be seen as a general education credit and be offered to a variety of students as a necessary requirement for their degree.

“Science students really getting an opportunity to get a literature credit studying cyborgs and zombies - so disease, medicine, technology, and literature; it would be their chance to be in a literature class that is right up their alley,” Wells said.

“I, and my colleagues in English, we’re thinking long term.”

Michael Hutchins, professor of German and International Studies, is also doing his best to provide new avenues of engagement to students interested in Germanic studies through emphasis on Grimm folklore and German fairy tales.

The course, which has been taught on campus since 2012, focuses on reading the entire collection of the Grimm fairy tales, which adds up to 200 stories or so, each being roughly half a page.

“It’s mainly the collection of stories found in the book and then some secondary literature having to do with it,” Hutchins said.

Similar to the actual interests of the non-fictional Brothers Grimm, Hutchins distinctly put together the course syllabus with the intent some of the lesson plan focusing on the specifics of linguistics and the rest dedicated to the chewy center of the course description, the Grimm fairy tales.

“We talk about the Grimms and their contributions to folklore studies and then also we talk about their contributions to linguistics because they were not just folklorists; they actually composed a grammar of German that went into several editions,” Hutchins said.

The course is currently taught half in English and half in German, seeing as the only students enrolled are those pursuing German as their major or foreign language requirement.

However Hutchins hopes that with the popularity of the course spreading he will be able to able to offer an exclusively English version for students that express interest in learning the folklore of the course and not the linguistics.

“I would love to have more English speaking students join the class and if I would be happy to offer it again if there is a demand for it,” Hutchins said.

For information on any interesting courses being offered during future semesters, visit ius.edu and access the bulletin board, where students can find classes fitting to their interests by searching with a specific word or even key phrase.

Above: One of the novels that Wells will use in the class.

Right: Politics & Conflict in the Hunger Games will be offered during the second summer session.

Grow your skills in

Public Relations New Major and Minor

Take courses like social media strategies, visual communications, crisis management and PR writing. Work on a campaign for a real client.

New Class for Fall 2015 JOUR-J 321 Principles of PR offered Tuesday/Thursday 6-7:15 p.m.

No prerequisites required.

Sign up today!

For more info about the major or minor, contact Adam Maksl, Ph.D. amaksl@ius.edu 812-941-2892

Stop Letting Media Dictate Your Life

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of looking in the mirror and feeling like I am not up to par with the “typical girl.”

Opinions...

By Charlyn Corum Staff Reporter ccorum@ius.edu

What is wrong with me?

My relationship is not like Olive and Todd from Easy A, my social life is not close to Jess from New Girl and my body will never look like Jennifer Aniston’s.

Every waking moment the media tells us who to be, what to like and what the ideal body appearance is.

People soak it up until it becomes their reality.

Subconsciously, people try to fulfill the media’s expectations, but continuously feel like something is missing or not up to par.

Women have movie nights with friends and watch romance movies that depict a man who has a chiseled body, nice car, manly voice, stable job and who goes above and beyond to buy corny gifts.

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Naturally, women are going to seek men who fit Show the media that everyone should be seen this definition. equally unless their actions give you reasons to view Let us be honest, these men are few and far bethem differently. tween and the men in the movies normally kick ass Take Bill Cosby for an example, I think this man to look that amazing. is funny and a great actor, but hearing he sexually For an example, Taylor Lautner had a strict assaulted young girls makes me view him differently. workout routine so he could be ripped for the movie, This factor does not change his talent, it changes “New Moon.” his morality.

Men look at magazines with models in them and There is a huge difference between disliking think that they are going to score some stick figure someone for a moral choice than bashing someone for girl with double D boobs and a tight ass, but unless having a ratchet haircut.

Photoshop has stepped up its game and can now Articles should not be written about how Lady alter live women, you are out of luck.

Gaga called Adele “a fat cow” but it should be about Children watch Disney television shows and think how Lady Gaga does not like Adele’s music and why. that their parents are neglecting them.

Why does her weight even matter?

They don’t live in a mansion, have a smart-phone, When celebrities are posting about another celeba walk in closet or access to their parent’s credit rity’s talents on social media, they should be giving card. Shame on parents for neglecting their children, constructive criticism, not bashing them for things right? Wrong. that do not alter their talent.

The media teaches For example, children that objects Amanda Bynes tweetare a symbol of love, ed about different but this is false. celebrities being ugly.

According to Why? Does she have dictionary.com The nothing better to do definition of love is than bully others and “a feeling of warm what is this teaching personal attachment young children? or deep affection, as It seems that the for a parent, child, or media is missing friend. “ the true meaning of People who are raistalent. ing children in today’s Talent does not society have a bumpy discriminate. road ahead of them Talent is given to due to the media. people who earn the This is unfair to partitle. ents because percentNext time you are age wise, the majority feeling low about of society is people yourself, realize who cannot offer their that the media has family a million dollar an askew definition Charlyn Corum, Staff Reporter life. of talent, love and I do not know about self-appearance. you, but sometimes I Not waking up next feel like screaming beto a man with chiscause according to the media, the spotlight will never eled abs and a Ferrari is not going to make or break shin on the little people in a positive way. you.

The media is not reality and as long as it keeps We are just human and each and every one of us shunning celebrities for having bad skin complexion, has to create our own reality and see the media as it poor income or bad beach bodies, people are always is, an elaborated story. going to be searching for the unpractical.

Everyone needs to be more like Tina from Bobs I do not know about you but I am about tired of Burgers. looking in the mirror and feeling like I am not up to She does not have the perfect body, face or friends par with the “typical girl.” but she thinks she is smart, strong and sensual.

I believe that instead of humans letting the media So stop mourning about your poor skin complexion dictate how we see life we should dictate how the or excess weight and go out into the world and let media should see the world. your charm bomb explode just like Tina.

Everyone needs to be more like Tina from Bobs Burgers. She does not have the perfect body, face or friends but she thinks she is smart, strong and sensual.

LET ME LOBBY FOR MY HOBBY

KNITTING

By RAIN HOPKINS Staff Reporter rghopkin@ius.edu

Keeping up with five classes, waking up at 6 a.m. for a thankless job, only to quit and start over somewhere else, and trying to find balance within my personal life, has resulted in a fairly stressful Spring 2015 semester.

These past few months have had me feeling as if I was just going through the motions. The hurried, hectic, seven-things-to-do-each-night motions. I was so focused on going to work, going to class and squeezing in family time, that in my downtime, I actually had no idea what to do with myself. It killed me to know I was being productive in ways I HAD to be productive, and was neglecting being productive with things I wanted to do.

I’ve always considered free-writing my hobby.

To me, there used to be nothing like finding a spot, drinking a cup of coffee and writing until my hand cramped up. I was doing so much writing for my classes that even looking at my journal annoyed me. I

Let Me Lobby For My Hobby is a new monthly series highlighting a student’s hobbies and interests. Have an interesting hobby?

Submit ideas to zakerr@ius.edu knew it was time to explore another hobby, something I could do easily in my free time, but still feel like I was being productive.

For Christmas, my mother had knit most of the family scarves all on her own. I thought this was pretty awesome, especially since the scarves looked even more perfect than anything I ever found in stores. I knew knitting was sort of a recent hobby my mother had picked up, and she seemed to have progressed pretty quickly. So a couple of months ago while I was visiting my mother, I watched her do her knitting thing and realized: this was it. This is the hobby I was looking for. It’s simple enough to do during my free time. It allowed room for creativity, and the feeling of accomplishment. When I created an entire scarf or hat or blanket, it would give me the little confidence-boost I needed.

I was going to be a knitter.

That was a weird thing for me to grasp at first. To be completely honest, I even cracked a few grandma jokes at my mother when she first started knitting.

But aside from the old-lady stigma attached to knitting, I was actually really excited. With my mother as my mentor, I asked her why she picked up the hobby.

“I just wanted to see if I could actually do it,” she said.

For the most part she taught herself via YouTube.

And being a new grandmother/babysitter, plus working full-time, can make for a pretty crazy schedule.

Knitting is a sort of release for her.

“There’s something about the repetitive motions

that is very Zen for me,” she said. “Sometimes if I get in the zone, I don’t even have to look at my hands to knit.”

I haven’t gotten to that point yet. At first, knitting was insanely stressful for me. My mother provided me with my first set of needles and plenty of yarn to get me going on my first scarf. It was red with gold sparkles, and it was a hot mess. My first time knitting, I was sitting on my mother’s couch, and she had to help me out at least six times after having royally screwed up. But a basic stitch is a pretty easy thing to pick up when you’re doing it twenty-six times per row, so by the end of the night I was good to go.

Since then, I’ve improved a decent amount. I’m still not a knitting wizard - I’m using the same basic stitch and all I’ve made so far are scarves, but I love it. It’s simple enough to where I really believe anyone can do it, but has enough room for creativity that you make some pretty unique things. Aside from that, there are knitting techniques all over the internet, so it’s also easy to learn.

Picking up a new hobby really has helped me out this semester. I’ve never been one of those people who is really good at everything they do. I’ve been so afraid to try out new things that tennis and writing have been my go-to’s for years now. And you can burn out of anything, no matter how much you love it. So as lame as it sounds, knitting came into my life at just the right time.

And with it being so cheap, I’ll never buy another thirty-dollar scarf again.

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Los Angeles Times Crossword

Across 1 Software versions that probably have bugs 6 Deer sir?

10 Long-running TV forensic series 13 Reason for some food recalls 14 Tractor brand 15 Gavel sound 16 King of ragtime 18 California’s Santa __ Mountains 19 2,000 pounds 20 Lee in the frozen foods section 21 Gives off 23 Presley film set in Sin City 26 Noisy insect

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29 Seuss’ “Horton __ a Who!” 30 In any way 31 Artist Francisco 33 Right-angled pipes 36 Penalty flag thrower 37 Sincere 40 Promise to repay, for short 41 The “E” in FEMA: Abbr.

43 Fez and fedora 44 Speaks scratchily 46 “Sour grapes” storyteller 48 Multi-room accommodations 49 One chasing outlaws for money 53 Domed home 54 Zip, as a Ziploc 55 Static jolt

58 Bikini top 59 Counter wipers, or what the starts of 16-, 23and 49-Across are 63 Lanai wreath 64 Preface, briefly 65 Yeas and nays 66 Mass. clock setting 67 Mix, as a salad 68 Make into a statute Down 1 Unsurpassed, or surpass 2 Danish shoe company 3 Animated character 4 Mountain hgt.

5 Isn’t used, as machinery 6 Leaf under a petal 7 Phone book no.

8 Tycoon Onassis

9 Swiss convention city 10 Site for online bargain hunters 11 Legendary sleigh rider 12 “Not interested” 14 Animated kid explorer 17 Morning cup 22 For a __ pittance 23 Actor Kilmer 24 “Now I remember” 25 Caspian and Black 26 Handle with __ 27 Gossip column couple 28 17-Down with hot milk 31 Boardroom diagram 32 Toronto’s prov.

34 More than trot 35 Figure (out), slangily 38 Shout between ships 39 Soul mate 42 Nevada city 45 Word before base or ball 47 “Cut that out!”

48 Fantasy baseball datum 49 Holy Scriptures 50 Fairy tale baddies 51 Password creators 52 Fictional sleuth Wolfe 55 Second of four rhyming Greek letters 56 Actor Baldwin 57 Hissed “Hey!” 60 “Is that __?”: “Are you declining?”

61 Pair in a qt.

62 Took first place

Horoscopes

By Nancy Black Tribune Media Services

Aries (March 21-April 19) -- Get organized. Talk with friends gets further than action today. Support someone with a hardship. Don’t react blindly. Check the big picture. Use something you’ve been saving. Resist temptation to spend.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) -- Keep practicing. Get to breakthroughs by having breakdowns. Fail! And then show up. Loved ones are there for you. Follow through, even if you don’t feel like it. Get expert assistance and coaching.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) -Professional obstacles arise.

Persistent efforts eventually get through. Read the manual. Take frequent nature breaks to recharge your spirit. Advise an impetuous person to keep at it. Listen and learn.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- Delays could stall a home project. Something you’re trying doesn’t work. Get feedback from family. Hunt for bargains with the extra time. Clean drawers, closets and attics. Sort, file and organize.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) -Take a break in your travels.

More study is required. Obstacles and delays abound.

Slow down and avoid an accident. Play by the book. Do the homework. You have what you need. Carelessness could get expensive.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -- Romance tickles your fancy. The plot thickens.

Plan your next move. Know who said what to whom.

List all the reasons why not.

Forward progress is possible. Write intimate secrets and consider sharing them.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) -- Take one step at a time.

Keep on, despite financial setbacks or obstacles. Don’t hurry, but don’t stop either. Take time to research the road ahead. Make sure your intentions are known.

Count your blessings, and your assets.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Persistence and determination can unlock doors.

Patience is required ... or you could try again later.

In a disagreement about priorities, fulfill financial obligations. Do what you said, without losing your temper.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Take it easy ... slow and steady wins the race. Consider potential problems before acting. Plan, and then revise to include forgotten resources. Logistical problems can be solved. Avoid provoking jealousy. Keep your word and gain respect.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Focus on immediate objecSidestep obstacles at work. Slow to avoid breakage. Take time to finish an old job before beginning the next. Reassure someone who’s anxious. Your partner’s full of good ideas.

Don’t take on new debt.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- Self-discipline with personal ritual enriches the experience. Abandon procrastination. Make a decision you can live with. Don’t buy gadgets. Gain strength with repetition. The feeling of success ebbs and flows.

Anticipate resistance.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- Practice healthy diet and exercise routines. Engage in an open inquiry. Consider your core values and motivations. Accept assistance.

Don’t give up. Apply elbow grease to deep cleaning.

Release some baggage.

Lighten up, physically, mentally and spiritually.

k s

Work for The Horizon, just like Cub Reporter!

Contact Paige Thompson, thompaig@ius.edu

Want to see your work on this page?

We’re looking for student-drawn comics to publish in The Horizon.

Interested? E-mail Joel Stinnett, joelstin@ius.edu Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9.

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Arts Council of Southern Indiana

By LYNN BAILEY Staff Reporter lfbailey@ius.edu Watercolors paintings, abstract art, still-lifes and artwork with rich, rigid texture encompasses the walls of The Arts Council of Southern Indiana (ACSI). Where artists go to promote their work and volunteer to assist with art related projects within the community. ACSI helps artists promote their work, and offer classes for up and coming artists.

And not just visual arts, but anything artistic.

ACSI was formerly Paul Moosemiller’s House. It features a Greek Revival, solid-brick construction.

ACSI is located in a building that was built in 1855 by John B Crawford, in the East Spring Historic District.

Nevenka Hartinovic’s framed Seeking water color painting

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Photo by Jordan Williams

Which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Julie Schweitzer an IU Southeast Alumni and the executive director of ACSI discussed how her IU Southeast education has made her grow as an artist and what ACSI does.

“My education at IUS has been a tremendous help with my art career. Professors like Jonas Howard and Bryan Jones taught me how to conjugated and hang artwork. How an artist truly learns by volunteering,” Schweitzer said. “A lot of my classmates have had to work in other places because in Indiana they didn’t have a place for artists to work and live. Here at The Arts Council we give artist a place to work and live locally. Art transcends geographical and racial bounds.”

Schweitzer said that ACSI has over 300 artists and hosts eight on-site art shows in a calendar year. They also host eight off-site art shows a year, collaborating with different art organizations. These organizations are Jeffersonville Art Alliance, Yest fest and Batialla Society.

Nevenka Hartinovic is an abstract artist that uses bright, bold colors in her abstract paintings. She is from Croatia, an independent country across from Italy. She left Croatia in 1998 because she felt that the country was going downhill. At first, she lived in Canada but after her husband received a job in Jeffersontown she came to the United States.

Hartinovic also uses watercolor for still-lifes, such

as leaves, flowers and fruits. She has been an artist for more than 20 years. Hartinovic spoke about what makes are her style of artwork unique.

“Color. Bright colors makes my art unique, I like blending bright colors. Magenta is my favorite color to use, I also like reds and greens as well.”

Although, she has been an artist for 20 years she studied economics in college because her father did not approve of her pursuing art as her main career path.

Hartinovoic started her arts education at the Water Tower Museum. There she was taught how to hang artwork properly. Now her artwork is featured and sold at the Jen Jobe Art Gallery in the Mellwood Art Center, which is less than a mile from where she began at the Water Tower Museum.

For more information about The Arts Council of Southern Indiana call 812-949-4238 Or go to http://artscouncilsi.org/

The Arts Council of Southern Indiana has over 300 artists and hosts eight on-site art shows in a calendar year.

Photo by Jordan Williams