Students speak out after Paris tragedy T h u r s d a y, n o v e m b e r 1 9 , 2 0 1 5 | U s i s h i e l d . c o m | v o l . 4 6 i s s u e 1 4
Racism
still
ex i sts
features@usishield.com @ShieldsterMegan
Peaceful rally sheds light on racial inequality, administration shows support
by armon siadat
amsiadat@eagles.usi.edu As a black student on USI’s campus, Danesha Shelton feels hurt, scared, frustrated and alone. “Every day, I am seeing acts of hate and horrors happening on college campuses across the United States and around the world,” she said. “Yet every day here at USI no one is discussing (those issues) and that bothers me.” Shelton started that discussion by hosting a peaceful protest Monday in the Student Life Lounge. The goal of the rally, titled “Let’s Talk About What It Means to Be Black,” was to create a dialogue between students and the university administration following Mizzou’s racial tensions escalating to national headlines. At Missouri University, students felt administrators weren’t properly addressing racially-charged incidents. The students held protests and formed the group Concerned Student 1950, which eventually led to the president’s resignation. Everyday, someone asks Shelton how she’s doing and she tells him or her she’s doing “good.” “Every day I lie,” the senior social work major said. “I am not good. My community is not good. But I say it anyway.” Shelton doesn’t feel she’s in a space that will allow her to speak her truth out of fear of being silenced because of racism. “I want the people not in
Photo by Alyssa Smith | The Shield
Briony Towler, president of Alpha Kappa Alpha, cries as she reflects on her experiences with racism on campus and shares it with others who attended the “Let’s Talk About What It Means to Be Black” peaceful rally on Monday in the UC East basement. Towler and many others shared the stage to talk about their concerns with racial injustices on campuses and to show solidarity with the University of Missouri.
the color community to not be afraid to engage with us,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to ask me a question because you don’t understand or don’t
by Megan Thorne
know. I’d rather you ask me than assume I’m something else (that) I’m not.” The protest, organized similar to an open mic night, invit-
ed students to tell their stories or share their fears. Students, faculty and administrators attending were asked to dress in all black. Briony Towler, president of Alpha Kappa Alpha, said she experiences the same racism on campus that her father experienced in the 1950s. Senior finance major Terrance Lewis said he looks up to Martin Luther King, Jr. and Provost Ronald Rochon. “Mizzou is our neighbor,” Radovich said. “They’re (just) hours away. If it can happen there, it can happen here.” She said that while the university doesn’t have “racial issues,” she wants the university community to discuss race relations on campus in order to abstain from creating that dynamic. “If something was to spark something major, we need to know that we would be safe as a collective student body— not just the black students and not just the allies to the black community—but every student needs to be safe on campus,” she said. “No student should have to choose between their education and safety.” Rochon, President Linda Bennett, Associate Provost for Student Affairs Marcia Kiessling, Dean Bryan Rush, Vice President for Finance and Administration Steve Bridges, Director of University Communications John Farless, Media Relations Specialist Ben Luttrull and Assistant Vice President for Marketing and Communications Kindra Strupp were in attendance at the protest.
Emily McAtee left Paris just hours before the city faced devastation Friday night. Her fellow classmates who are studying abroad at Harlaxton College from universities including USI and University of Evansville, however, were not so lucky. McAtee said she had just arrived in Monte Carlo, Monaco, with another student when she heard the news. “I thought to myself, ‘This is a nightmare. It can’t be real.’ I never would’ve imagined something so tragic happening so close to me, and my friends were still inside the city,” McAtee said. “It was horrifying, I still can’t believe it.” More than 130 people were killed and over 350 were wounded when eight terrorists bombed the Stade de France during a France vs. Germany soccer game, local restaurants and the Bataclan arena, all within 30 minutes. The junior management and marketing major said after touring Paris on Thursday for the university’s weekend trip, she was able to see the main tourist spots, which included Bataclan Hall, where one of the terrorists shot and killed at least 87 people. “It is quite surreal to imagine I was just there—such a magical city turned to horror in just hours,” McAtee said. “I had always grown up hearing about the magic of Paris, and Paris is indeed the city of love. It is undoubtedly shown through the reactions of everyone in Paris standing together through this hard time.” Many of McAtee’s fellow classmates remained in Paris and weren’t far from danger. “One shooting was 10 minutes from the hotel all the students were residing in,” McAtee said. “Fortunately, no students were around any of the acts of terrorism and everyone was safe in the hotel.” All 90 students were accounted for. “Paris will always hold a special place in my heart,” McAtee said, “before and even more after this act of terrorism.”
Paris, PAGE 3
rally, PAGE 3
SGA hosts ‘phenomenal’ conference by zackary willem zmwillem@eagles.usi.edu The university’s SGA hosted the third annual Student Government Association Coalition Conference Nov. 14. “The event was phenomenal,” SGA President Alexa Bueltel said. “The amount of colleges and students that came out far exceeded my expectations.” More than 100 SGA members from 12 colleges attended the event, exceeding Bueltel’s initial hopes of ten colleges. “I felt like the attendants could take the ideas we talked about and bring them back to their own colleges,” Bueltel said. The SGA implemented one large change from past years to this year’s conference. “What we did was we added an extra day to the conference,” Bueltel said. “I just felt like one day isn’t enough time to talk about everything.” SGA booked speaker, comedian, author and host Stan Pearson II as the conference’s keynote speaker.
View it online now
University gets (physics)cal Board of Trustees approves new science major
At the conference, Pearson spoke about “Five Ways to Lead With Purpose,” “Developing Your Gift” and “Discovering Your Sexy From the Inside Out.” Pearson also held his workshop, which is the “Five step guide to Rehearse, Remix and Revive the way you lead.” “The message I wanted to convey was for people to find their own gift and to use that gift to benefit others,” he said. Pearson said he successfully conveyed his message and had a great experience. “What I care about is the message I give my listeners,” he said. “I felt like they all understood and accepted what I talked about.” Pearson also announced IUPUI as the winner of the bid to host the 2016 Student Government Association Coalition Conference. “I found the keynote speaker very engaging; he took taboo topics and made them open to talk about, which isn’t something many speakers can do,” said Niki DaSillva, president of the IUPUI SGA.
by zackary willem zmwillem@eagles.usi.edu A new Physics major was added to the Pott College of Science, Engineering and Education to help give students more diverse options, said Kent Sheller. “I’ve been waiting 17 years for this major,” said Scheller, an associate professor of physics. “It will better improve the current minor that we offer in physics.” The Board of Trustees approved the new major, but it has yet to be approved by the Commission of Higher Education. Scheller said the major should be implemented in the fall 2016 semester. “The new major will be like any other degree,” Scheller said. “I don’t know why it’s taken so long to implement the degree, either. This is something that public institutions are sorely missing. (University of Evansville) has a physics degree as should all comprehensive universities.” The Pott College of Science, Engineering and Education had students attend graduate school with only minors in physics, but Scheller said the major will better prepare
Photo by alyssa smith | The Shield
Junior biology major Hasan Shahin checks the temperature of boiling water during a physics lab on Monday. A new physics degree is waiting to be approved by the Commission of Higher Education and is said to be available to students in fall 2016.
these students. “This addition will enable us to recruit the highest performing students in our area,” he said. The college currently offers four different tracks that physics majors can follow. The computational track and the applied track are of-
SGA conference, PAGE 3
A GUIDE TO USI ATHLETICS | FALL 2015 EDITION
Take Our Quiz! WHAT INTRAMURAL TEAM SHOULD YOU BE A PART OF?
fered for students entering the workforce. Students can also choose a traditional graduate school track or a teaching track. “We are developing the new major with these tracks to give majors very diverse options,” Scheller said. The department plans to
spend $8,000 for purchasing new lab equipment and material for the new degree, said William Elliott, chair of the Geology and Physics Department. About 75 percent of students who major in biophysics go to pre-med or graduate school, Elliott said.
Physics degree, PAGE 3
pick up the fall 2015 edition of
THE TALON
A guide to USI athletics