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SGA to host regional conference
‘Humble’ helping hand Men’s soccer team serves meals at Rescue Mission
by gabi wy news@usishield.com @ShieldsterGabi USI’s Student Government Association will host the Student Government Coalition Conference Friday and Saturday, involving over 100 students from 10 institutions including IUPUI, Hanover College, Indiana State University, Eastern Illinois University and branches of IU. Ball State University started the conference and hosted it for the past two years, then decided to open up the opportunity to other institutions. President Alexa Bueltel said she hopes the conference will network the university’s SGA with student governments from the surrounding region. “We decided this would be not just a great opportunity to showcase our student government and what we do and accomplish, but also just our university as a whole because it’s such a great place to be,” she said, as quoted in a previous article by The Shield. Bueltel said the conference begins 6 p.m. Friday with registration and networking in the Performance Center. Welcoming, icebreakers and roundtables end at 9 p.m. Registration begins at 8 a.m. Saturday morning, followed by a keynote presentation, breakout sessions, lunch, tours of campus and a closing session. “I’m really excited to see it all come together,” Bueltel said. Planning for this year’s conference has been in the works since summer, said conference committee member Morgan Fields. The Nursing and Health Professions Representative said the Dean of Students Office and Student Development Programs helped with supplies, funding and finding a speaker.
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24/7 campus lacks demand by gabi wy news@usishield.com @ShieldsterGabi Justin Kelly works best in the wee hours of the morning. As part of the 2010-2015 Strategic Plan, the university pushed toward the goal of a 24/7 campus. “The university should have (a 24/7 library), even if it’s a hassle,” the sophomore social work major said. “There are more people, like me, who are up later. Some people work better at that time.” Kelly lives in the apartments and said campus lacks food options when he’s up studying. “For me, the most aggravating part is not having something to eat super late,” he said. “It would be awesome if the C-Store was open 24/7.” Freshman history major Nick Engels said he had reservations about moving toward a 24/7 campus.
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Photo by alyssa smith | The Shield
Senior defender Lucas Woodford, along with other members of the men’s soccer team, serves meals during the dinner service at the Evansville Rescue Mission Nov. 4. The team has volunteered at the Rescue Mission the first Wednesday of every month for four years.
by sarah loesch sports@usishield.com @ShieldsterSarah As the holiday season approaches, the awareness for community members in need rises. The men’s soccer team, however, is aware of this need all year round as they serve meals at the Evansville Rescue Mission on the first Wednesday of every month. The only months where the team can’t always participate are June and July when so many team members return to their hometowns. Even during these months local members try to get a large enough group together to serve. Senior Lucas Woodford started this outreach program four years ago following his first season as a defender on the team, but this was not his first experience with helping the community. “I had done something like this a few times with my family and their small group with church,” the sport management major said. “One time I was there and I was just like, ‘I wonder if this is something the soccer guys would be interested in doing?’” Woodford doesn’t major in social services, but instead said his desire to help people comes from his family. “I think it is just how I was raised with my parents and also my church background,” he said. “I’ve been going to church with my parents since I was born. They raised me as someone who looks out for others and wants to serve others as much as
12% of households struggled to put food on the table in Indiana.
16% of people are food insecure in Vanderburgh county.
2014 Hunger statistics
14% of households are food insecure in the U.S.
200,000 nutrious meals were served by the Rescue Mission. Photo by alyssa smith | The Shield
Food insecurity refers to a persons lack of access to nutritional or safe food. These statistics come from feedingamerica.org and evansvillerescuemission.org.
possible.” The next step for Woodford, after discussing the idea with the Rescue Mission, was to approach the team’s head coach, Mat Santoro. Santoro said he knew the team could do more outreach and was pleased with the idea when Woodford asked him about policy regarding it.
“We wanted to do more (in the community),” Santoro said. “We were still kind of finding our way and (Woodford) came to us with this idea. It was an example of the leadership (Woodford) would continue to show during his time here.” Santoro said the coaching staff looks for good character in men, not just talented athletes. He knew
Woodford would fit with the team well. “He had a combination of humility and confidence,” Santoro said. After Santoro was on board, the time came for Woodford to introduce the topic to the team. “When I first introduced this with the guys, what I really wanted to get across was for them to realize how lucky they are (and)the opportunities we have to play soccer in college and come to a university like USI,” Woodford said. Part of what drew Woodford to the university to begin with was the fact that he knew other players with a plan to attend. He also saw how close the team was on one of his early visits. The team took Woodford’s idea and as a group were all on board. “The reaction from the guys was great. They were all really excited to do something like this,” Woodford said. “A lot of the guys took the opportunity how I wanted them to, as an opportunity to feel thankful for what we have at USI.” One of the players who was on the original team Woodford approached was Logan Ball. Ball met Woodford in eighth grade and said he has always wanted to help those around him. Ball said he thought going to the Rescue Mission was a great opportunity to serve those less fortunate in the community. “(The team) didn’t look at (community service) for attention,” Ball said.
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‘The Carrot and The Stick’ Campus Clarity holds rendered ineffective, completion encouraged by Armon Siadat amsiadat@eagles.usi.edu Rachal Sperka started the required Campus Clarity course Nov. 2—five weeks after the original deadline. Despite receiving an email from the Dean of Students Office stating there would be a hold on her account and she would be unable to register for classes if she didn’t complete it on time, Sperka said she never received a hold and is now enrolled in spring classes. The junior nursing major is one of several students enrolled in spring classes who didn’t receive
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a hold on their account. “(When) I registered for classes I didn’t complete the course,” she said. “I don’t think students were doing it because they were getting knowledge out of it, I think they were just doing it because they were required to.” She said most people she knows just kept clicking “Next” until they made it to the end of the course—something Associate Provost for Student Affairs Marcia Kiessling recognizes. The amount of students that clicked through Campus Clarity just to avoid the account hold is unfortunate, Kiessling said. “But if that was the only way we could even get them to look at that much, that’s better than
not having looked at anything,” she said. “I know some people just sort of complained about it—and I understand that, too—but others (through Yik Yak) kind of (supported) this approach (of adding a hold).” Kiessling said the goal of Campus Clarity was two-fold. “One was this educational effort to help create and maintain a safe environment for our students,” she said. “The other goal of it was to meet compliance regulations that are put forth to us by the Department of Education and Title IX, and that’s an important compliance regulation and so we really are required to do this.”
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