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MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016 Vol. 129 / No. 31

ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSIT Y’S NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1888

Deaf cheerleader makes herself heard Student uses voice throughout her life, even when she couldn’t hear it MORGAN KUNIEJ Features Editor | @moekuniej

A

l t h o u g h Illinois State University freshman cheerleader Lily Watts couldn’t hear the squeaking of basketball shoes or the sound of her own singing voice for many years, she has been cheering since she was 8 years old and singing since middle school.

Watts grew up in Mapleton, Ill., near Peoria, and she participated in everything from softball and volleyball to cheerleading and singing and acting. It was not until age 16 that Watts realized something was off, when friends at school began to tease her for having a lisp and being ditzy.

“I thought I had ADHD because I felt like I had a focusing problem, I couldn’t focus on what people were saying,” Watts said. “I really felt like I was dumb, like I just needed extra help.”

As an only child with a stay-at-home mom, the communication in her home was mostly one-on-one.

“I read lips very well because that’s how I compensated all these years,” Watts said. “If a teacher was giving a lecture in class I would just look at my book and start writing notes, I wouldn’t even pay attention to what the teacher was saying.”

Finishing high school with a 3.2 GPA, getting good grades was never an issue for Watts.

Watts’ best childhood friend, Audrey Durham, has been in numerous classes with Watts and has known her since sixth grade.

“Teachers were shocked to find out Lily had a severe hearing impairment,” Durham said.

“We all thought she was choosing not to pay attention, but instead she was paying attention ten times more than the average student.”

Fed up with being teased to the point where Watts was nervous to talk in front of the class, she talked to her mom about what to do and her mom suggested they get her hearing checked.

After two audiograms, Watts was diagnosed with bilateral sensorineural profound hearing loss in November 2014, the fall of her junior year in high school. Doctors estimated the progressive hearing loss began around the time she was 6 or 7, and the cause is completely unknown.

“I knew I was not going to wear hearing aids, because of the look of it, I was very insecure of people judging me for wearing them,” Watts said.

Watts’ doctor, Dr. James Klemens, told her she qualified for a cochlear implant shortly after she was diagnosed. He left the decision up to Watts, who was struggling to accept her diagnosis.

“I was still in a lot of denial and frustration, and I had been kind of depressed,” Watts said.

In January 2015, after talking with her hearing specialist, Rebecca Snook, Watts’ mindset was changed forever. Watts was inspired by Snook’s career helping hearing-impaired kids meet their needs. Snook told Watts she went to ISU and has a degree in special education — specialist in deaf and hard of hearing, and Watts had always wanted to come to ISU to try out for the cheerleading team.

“Instantly the denial stage was over, it was in five seconds that I was like, ‘That’s what I want to do with my life,’” Watts said. “She’s the reason why my attitude changed. She is the one that absolutely changed my life, led me in the right direction.”

At this point, she knew what she would major in at ISU. Watts is currently working toward a degree in special education deaf and hard of hearing, and she hopes to become a deaf education teacher in the future.

Watts decided to go through with the cochlear implant procedure, but in order to do so she would go through the extensive process of a five-hour psych evaluation, a hearing aid trial, two vaccines, therapy and much more.

The surgical procedure was finally completed in October 2015, but Watts had to wait one month for the scar tissue to heal until the implant could be turned on.

“The main reason I got the implant was because I wanted to talk normal, and I didn’t want people to judge the way I talked,” Watts said.

Three weeks after surgery, Watts performed a lead role in “Seussical the Musical,” her school play, and won the award for best female performance of the year.

“I could not hear myself at all,” Watts said.

“I was probably hearing 10 percent at the time of the musical.” see WATTS page 6

Monica Mendoza | Vidette Photographer

Freshman special education — specialist in deaf and hard of hearing major Lily Watts is a deaf cheerleader at ISU.

What’s next for university construction

Redbird Plaza, Mennonite College of Nursing complex have been developing throughout the fall semester MALLORY LOVINGS News Reporter | @MalloryLovings

Illinois State University is continuing to revamp its grounds with new additions to the southwest end of campus.

A big addition coming to campus is a new facility for the Mennonite College of Nursing program. It will be across the street from the State Farm Hall of Business and next door to Student Fitness Center.

Another addition, Redbird Plaza, will be located behind Fell Hall and across the street from the Student Fitness Center.

“Redbird Square will be a gathering place on the Quad for the Illinois State University community to unite in times of joy and sorrow and after graduation as a campus landmark with

significant memories attached,” as stated in the Redbird Plaza Rambo Site Justification document.

The gathering area will display a bronzed Reggie Redbird head in the middle of it, as well as three pedestals presenting the university hymn, the ISU fight song and the university seal.

The planning for the plaza started in 2015 after the Board of Trustees approved a $750,000 plan in February 2014 for the demolition of the former Rambo House.

Later on, $150,000 was added to the demolition plan, and the project was officially named Redbird Plaza on Feb. 19.

“Construction work is currently underway with a target completion and official dedication ceremony being planned in the spring of 2017,” stated the justification document.

The other project development is the Mennonite College of

Nursing building.

“There are no plans, no approvals, no schedules, not even conceptual ones at this point,” Director of Facilities Planning and Construction Management David Gill said.

He said the new facility will consolidate all nursing functions and allow growth throughout the program, which is what some students are hoping for, even if they are graduated by the time the facility is done.

“I am looking forward to the school hopefully being able to accept more nursing students with a bigger facility and such a high need for RNs today,” junior nursing major Graci Bastert said. see CONSTRUCTION page 5

PAGE 2 | NEWS | THE VIDETTE

STAFF LIST

Connect Transit avoids closure after state reimbursement

Editor in Chief

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DYLAN STEVENS News Reporter | @Dkstevens12

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General Manager

John Plevka

Bloomington-Normal’s transit system has officially avoided a potential shutdown that would have occurred at the end of the month.

To compensate for the lack of funding, those at Connect Transit had to submit a request to the state of Illinois at the beginning of each quarter for a reimbursement.

So far it has only received payment for the first quarter, which was around $1.855 million. This will cover the rest of the fiscal year, allowing Connect Transit to run through Jan. 1, 2017.

Connect Transit has been the primary transit company for Bloomington-Normal for several years. Last year, its most recent ridership figures were 2.5 million rides a year, making it a vital service to many citizens.

Recently, the company experienced severe financial problems due to several issues, the main one being lack of funding by the state of Illinois.

Connect Transit’s operating expenses are primarily funded through the state, contributions from the city of Bloomington and the Town of Normal, as well as

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funds received from fare box revenue.

The state provides Connect Transit with 65 percent of its operating expenses. With such a large portion of its income funded

by Illinois, the current budget crisis negatively impacted Connect Transit.

Items that are paid for out of reimbursement include fuel, salaries, healthcare, bus maintenance, utilities, building maintenance and other expenses.

Melissa Chrisman, marketing and business development manager of Connect Transit, was overjoyed to hear the company received funding. She pointed out that they put in requests for payment in quarter two, yet still have not received any money, and quarter three is coming around the corner.

“If we did not receive the reimbursement for quarter one from the state of Illinois, we would have been preparing for temporary service suspensions and employee layoffs,” Chrisman said. “This would mean no employees working and no bus service on the road. We are very happy that it did not come to that.”

Although the Illinois budget remains unsolved, Chrisman believes the General Assembly will come to an agreement soon.

“We are optimistic that the state will

TOM HEAGNEY News Reporter | @TomHeagney

With his supervisor out of office and a tornado potentially barreling toward his residence hall, former Resident Assistant Ed Campbell’s crisis management and leadership training kicked into high gear.

By utilizing lessons learned during their training, Campbell and nine other resident assistants were able to safely escort their residents to the building basement.

“I knew how dire the situation was and was freaking out myself,” Campbell said. “But I knew that if I flipped out, everyone else would panic as well. When our supervisor returned he commended us for taking charge of an entire building and using our skills to ensure the safety of our residents. I will never forget that.”

Whether it be the November 2013 tornado outbreak or a raucous dorm room party, Illinois State University resident assistants rely on their training daily. Given the all-encompassing nature of the resident and community assistant positions, training is extremely extensive.

“Training days were jam packed with training on every

The Vidette The Vidette is published Monday and Thursday every week, except for final examinations, holidays and semester breaks. The Summer Vidette is published every other week. Students are responsible for the content of the Vidette. The views presented do not necessarily represent, in whole or part, those of the

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Connect Transit stops impeding closure after submitting reimbursement requests. resolve its budget issues and work towards getting up to date with payments to the organizations that rely on their consistent funding.”

State Representative Dan Brady was supportive of the Connect Transit system, however he did acknowledge that it needs to be more efficient given the budget crisis in Illinois.

“They expect 5 million, however will most likely not receive it in full,” Brady

said. “Like anywhere, priorities need to be set, since there’s not enough money to go around. They could alter bus scheduling and decrease the number overall buses in order to work around with the small budget Illinois has.”

“It is becoming more difficult financially to produce more money. They will need to look towards local revenue because of Illinois’ current financial situation,” he said.

RA training prepares students for any situation

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topic you could imagine,” Campbell said. “There is honestly so much that it would be impossible to feel unprepared for any situation we could encounter in the halls.”

Fall 2016 resident and community assistant training consisted of a week’s worth of 12-hour days for all student staff members. Just a few of the topics covered included student development theory, cultural competence and conflict mediation.

In addition to sessions facilitated by University Housing Services staff, guest speakers from across campus were brought in to address a wide range of issues.

“Speakers would give us pamphlets from their department about a range of topics,” Campbell said. “Topics included how to identify various drugs and substances, substance abuse, sexual assault prevention and resources and so much more.”

Following the instruction component of training, resident and community assistants are given an opportunity to showcase their learning by way of role-plays and simulation activities.

“The simulation activities were a huge help to remember things,” Campbell said. “Hands-on practice was more

valuable to me than reading a PowerPoint slide or hearing someone speak, but everyone learns differently. The important part is that University Housing Services provided us with all three means of learning concepts and skills, which is something that I think is a bit under-appreciated.”

Current Resident Assistant Andrew Frey agrees with Campbell’s sentiments.

“We have a section of our training called ‘BCD’ or Behind Closed Doors,” Frey said. “This is probably my favorite because the returning RAs get to act out real life simulations that new RAs have never experienced. We simulate everything from confronting a crazy residence hall party to learning how to handle a student having self-threatening thoughts.”

Frey, currently a junior elementary education major, says that training not only prepared him for his role as a resident assistant but that he continues to learn more by way of ongoing training and development.

“The RA training process is very extensive and oftentimes requires us to be on campus for new and continued training,” Frey said. “A lot of people don’t know how much time we put into our jobs. Being an RA is a 24/7 responsibility. Even when you are not on call, or in your residence hall, you are still a Illinois State University administration, faculty and students. The Vidette is leader on campus and can be called to a member of the Associated Collegiate Press and the Illinois College Press respond to a situation.”

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THE VIDETTE | NEWS | PAGE 3

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016

Citizen petitions Renner campaign

Bloomington resident Kevin Gerrard is challenging Mayor Tari Renner’s run for re-election CASSIE MCNEILL News Reporter | @165_Cassie1

The preliminary hearing for Bloomington resident Kevin Gerrard’s challenge to Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner’s nomination petition for re-election will continue at another hearing 9 a.m. Tuesday in Room 403 of the Government Center in downtown Bloomington.

The challenge comes from the more than 350 signatures on the mayor’s re-election petition.

Gerrard alleged the signatures acquired on Renner’s petition did not correlate with the voter registration records.

Renner, who currently has been in office for three years and worked in Bloomington’s local government for 12 years from 1998 to 2010, called the allegations “absurd.”

“We should be talking about how we can improve Bloomington. Instead we are derailing from the real issues by this piousness distraction by this small group of very negative people,” Renner said.

Gerrard withdrew his earlier complaint that

challenged 189 of the mayor’s signatures and later filed a new complaint that challenges more signatures.

“The challenge being made is trying to deprive hundreds of Bloomington community members of their fundamental rights,” Renner said.

Renner recalled having a previous encounter with Gerrard three years ago when he tried to take over the city council meeting. Renner explained that “no one was surprised.”

“I thought I could find common ground and reason with them, but I have come to the realization that, unfortunately, I can’t,” Renner said.

After listening to testimony and reviewing evidence, the board will decide whether to schedule an official search to compare petition signatures or not.

“From my experience thus far as mayor, I’ve learned that every aspect of my personality [and] decisions are being closely analyzed and examined,” Renner said. “Although Gerrard’s challenges won’t be successful, they will be very costly.”

Jenna Kadziulis | Vidette Photo Editor

Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner is seeking a bid for re-election for a second term.

ALDI welcomes new renovations at Normal location CLAIRE WEINZIERL News Reporter | @ClaireWeinzierl

ALDI recently finished major renovations this month at its Normal location.

The new renovations provide customers with a modern and convenient shopping environment. The renovations include improvements such as new colors to invite customers into the store, energy-saving refrigeration and LED lighting along with other environmentally friendly building materials, larger cooler sections throughout the store for refrigerated products, and new healthy tips within product sections.

Customers will now come across Dietitian’s Picks, which are healthy products handpicked by nutrition experts to make grocery shopping easier for families and to help them make smart choices.

“We have been a proud member of the Normal community for 16

Kelly McNamara | Vidette Photo Editor

ALDI expanded its cooler sections throughout the store and added “Dietitian’s Picks” for healthy eating. years,” ALDI Dwight Division Vice President Heather Moore said. “We wanted to ensure we were continuing to offer Normal shoppers the highest quality products at the lowest possible prices in a simple and easy-to-navigate shopping

environment.”

ALDI has also completed renovations at several other central Illinois stores including Pontiac and Danville.

“We’re confident that customers will love our remodeled stores’

modern new look,” Moore said.

ALDI operates about 1,600 stores in 35 states in the United States. As stated on its website, it “takes a simple, cost-effective approach to grocery shopping that saves shoppers on their grocery bills.”

ALDI serves more than 32 million customers across the nation shop at ALDI each month, and the location in Normal serves more than 8,000 on a weekly basis.

“We’ve found that while our low prices may get people in the door, it’s our great quality that keeps them coming back,” Moore said.

“We’re looking forward to sharing the unique ALDI shopping experience with even more customers in the Normal community when they visit the newly renovated store.”

The renovations also made it possible for ALDI to provide a larger variety of organic produce. ALDI previously offered the liveGfree gluten-free line and the SimplyNature

line, but with added refrigeration sections, it can now offer more fresh fruits and vegetables.

“The store is a lot nicer after the renovations. It seems like there’s a lot more space and it’s more organized, making my shopping experience go smoothly,” ALDI shopper True Ledford said. “ALDI is my favorite because it has very cheap prices and has a large selection of healthy food including fresh produce, all at low prices.”

ALDI offers a shopping-cart rental system, which requires a quarter to be inserted into the cart for use. Upon leaving, shoppers will have their quarter returned at the cart docking area. According to ALDI’s website, this is just one factor that allows the store to use its savings on carts to sell low-priced products.

Shoppers can find additional recipes and nutrition tips on the ALDI website.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS from your friends at THE VIDETTE

Viewpoint

PAGE 4 | THE VIDETTE

VIDETTE EDITORIAL

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016

Six weeks prior to Inauguration Day, Trump has lost his ‘chance’

T

he Washington Post’s announcement that the CIA has concluded Russia meddled in the recent presidential election is extremely concerning. The ensuing rejection of facts, and the decrease in credibility of the American intelligence community at large,

by President-elect Donald Trump’s administration is horrifying.

The report by The Washington Post, which cites officials present for a secret congressional meeting on the manner in September, claims that the Obama administration has internally debated how to properly respond to the report for months. On Wednesday, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Homeland Security officially accused Russia of interfering with the election cycle in a joint statement.

“The U.S. Intelligence Community (USIC) is confident that the Russian government directed the recent compromises of emails from U.S. persons and institutions, including from U.S. political organizations,” the statement said. “… These thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the U.S. election process.”

The official response from the president-elect’s transition team was as extraordinary as it was bizarre.

“These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction,” the team’s statement said. “The election ended a long time ago in one of the biggest Electoral College victories in history. It’s now time

to move on and ‘Make America Great Again.’”

First and foremost, intelligence officials in office during the run-up to the Iraq War are long gone from their former posts. Additionally, the Electoral College vote will not occur until Dec. 19, and even if it follows projections (which it may not) it will be far from one of the ‘biggest victories in history.’

Trump, who has repeatedly refused daily intelligence briefings customarily taken by the presidentelect, seems to have fully embraced a tinfoil hat approach to governance with this latest gaffe. Barring a major change in philosophy prior to Inauguration Day, the new administration will begin a foray into uncharted territory where

intelligence is fully rejected by a sitting president. The results could be extremely dangerous for both the United States and the rest of the global community.

Fortunately, it appears that the matter may finally be enough to turn around the trend of Republican officials falling into line behind the least-qualified president-elect in American history. Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) issued a joint statement Sunday alongside the Senate Democratic Leader-elect Chuck Schumer and Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.). In the statement they vowed to investigate further without allowing the investigation to become partisan in nature.

In the days following the election,

sentiment that Trump deserved a chance to lead was both reasonable and proper. That is no longer the case. Not even taking into consideration the litany of instances of unpresidential behavior in recent weeks, it has become abundantly clear that a President Trump may, and likely will, pose an unprecedented threat to world order.

We can only hope that congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle will stand tall on this issue as well as the inevitable conflicts to come. If they should fail to do so, putting the most powerful military on the planet at the will of a ignorant narcissist may prove to be the undoing of the American republic, and contemporary world, as we know it.

Editorial Cartoon by Jeremy Burcenski | Vidette Art Director

Editorial written by TOM HEAGNEY, a member of The Vidette’s Editorial Board. Editorial policy is determined by the student editor, and views expressed in editorials are those of the majority of The Vidette’s Editorial Board. Columns that carry bylines are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Vidette or the University.

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Resolutions Trump should make in 2017 MY VIEW EMA SASIC | Columnist

W

e ’r e almost near the end of the year, and it’s safe to say a lot has changed

in 2016.

Looking back on the year as a whole, we seem to be living in a whole new world compared to 2015.

Over the summer, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, and the Summer Olympics took place in Rio de Janeiro. Swimmer Michael Phelps continued his unprecedented Olympic career by taking home more gold medals, and his teammate Ryan Lochte stirred up controversy when he lied about being robbed at gunpoint.

The biggest news of the year that hits hard at home is the 2016 Presidential Election. Pretty much everyone in the world thought Hillary Clinton would shatter the highest glass ceiling and become the next president and the first female president of the United States.

However, politics works in funny ways, and Donald Trump secured

the presidency.

With so many new things that took place throughout the year, the one person who does not seem to have changed in the slightest is President-elect Trump. The more videos and news articles I see about him, the more I see he hasn’t been changing into the presidential figure the country needs him to be.

To a crowd of adoring supporters Friday, Trump complained about being named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year. Instead, he said the magazine should have kept its original title, Man of the Year, and his supporters seemed to agree that it was better than “person.” He even acknowledged that women have been honored by the magazine in the past, but said they even prefer to be labeled “man,” not “person”.

At this point, I think it’s safe to say only Trump would complain about being named Person of the Year. Instead of accepting the honor, he has to throw in sexist comments that frankly don’t add up. He did this throughout his campaign, and he’s not showing any signs of stopping. This, unfortunately, is disastrous for the country. The U.S. does business with so many world nations daily, and if he doesn’t change his ways soon, it could lead to severed ties with some of our most valuable allies.

If anyone needs to make a few New Year’s resolutions, it’s Trump.

Next year will begin with him stepping into the most powerful position in the country, so isn’t it time for him to start making some changes to actually fulfill that role?

First and foremost, he needs to drop the derogatory comments toward almost everyone except people like him — straight, white, heterosexual men who are billionaires. This country is made up of people from all walks of life, and he is supposed to be the figure that embodies all of us. Insulting a large majority of your citizens is not a good way to start any presidency.

Trump also needs to control himself and resist the urge to say or tweet the first thing that comes to his mind. This time it was about being named Person of the Year, but in the past it’s been topics of all sorts. Of course things are going to bother him, and in the heat of the moment he’ll want to get it off of his chest, but he can’t do it so willynilly, especially not as president.

One bad move with a world leader, and who knows where he might put the future of our country. It sounds dramatic, but I feel like we might have to prepare for the worst at any time unless he can clean up his act.

Finally, Trump has to prove he’s ready to take on this leadership

role. It’s unlike anything he’s ever done before, and his lack of political experience doesn’t help him right now. He needs to surround himself with a diverse group of people who know politics inside and out and who will help him succeed, and in turn help our country succeed. For those of us who voted for Clinton, we’re still at a loss for words. At this moment, however, we can only hope we will continue to be nation of acceptance, love, leadership and a place where all lives deserve a second chance regardless of who is sitting in the Oval Office.

As we all prepare our final goodbyes for this interesting year, we already have mixed feelings about the next. Trump is unlike any candidate we’ve ever see before, and he’ll be unlike any president as well. He’s shown that he can change his mind on an issue he’s been preaching about throughout his campaign, so I only hope he can change his ways and surprise us (in a good way) over the next four years.

Ema Sasic is a junior journalism major and News Editor and columnist for The Vidette. Any questions or comments regarding her column can be sent to vidette_esasic@ilstu.edu. Follow her on Twitter at @ema_sasic.

MY VIEW YAHYA ALAMEER | Guest Columnist

What I learned from my American roommates

L

iving with roommates from the United States made it possible to experience things I could never imagine. In fact, they changed my view of many things.

Because of that, and since this could be my last semester in Illinois State University’s English Language Institute, I wanted to write about the best experience I have ever had.

Living with American roommates was my goal after finishing the spring semester.

I chose to live with American roommates in order to practice my English and improve my pronunciation. I gained more than just time to practice my English. Most people were shocked by the way we were living. There are four of us: my best friend Ahmed from Saudi Arabia, Andy, Mike, and I. Ahmed and I were able to show them the true value of bonding.

We have shared our mail with them. Ahmed and I were trying to break from individualism and show them that this is home — everything between us, except our rooms and personal items. We also showed them that true friends are always standing right next to each other.

My roommates have had a huge influence on me too. Andy and Mike were able to show me how to live in America. I have experienced a lot with them. For example, Andy’s mom is half Mexican, and she cooked delicious food for us. Mike’s grandpa is a professional at the grill; I have eaten the tastiest steak with him.

Actually, he had a strange way to grill the steak. Moreover, I had asked Mike to keep correcting my pronunciation, and he kept correcting me until I improved. They also helped me with my assignments. From what I have heard from my classmates, these roommates are completely different from other roommates. They allow me to use their cars whenever I need to do so, and my teacher told me that Americans do not usually let anyone use their cars.

Sometimes I also share my clothes or shoes with Andy. We really have become brothers; everyone takes care of each other. When someone cooks, they cook for all of us. When someone went shopping, they first checked what the kitchen needed.

If we were all going shopping, we checked what the entire apartment needed.

Educationally, my roommates have clearly helped me improve my English. Culturally, I have learned so much of American culture and I met a lot of friends through them.

Additionally, we made up many food dishes mixing my traditional food with their traditional food. We really made our life together feel like home.

Yahya Alameer is a student in the English Language Institute at Illinois State University. He is from Saudi Arabia and has been in the United States for one year.

He plans to get his degree in pharmacy at ISU. Any questions regarding his column can be sent to hadiaalahmari@hotmail.com.

THE VIDETTE | NEWS | PAGE 5

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016

CONSTRUCTION

Two Bloomington fires this weekend leave 13 displaced

continued from page 1

Bastert said she thinks the new facility will not only benefit professors and other people who work in it on a day-to-day basis, but also the students by making them more excited for labs and simulation days.

Although Bastert will not be around for the new facility, she is looking forward to returning as an alumna to see what differences it will make to the program.

“The ISU nursing program is special because of how tough and indepth the material is,” Bastert said. “I feel like we are really getting prepared for the real world as a nurse. It’s great

Natalie Stuckslager | Vidette Photographer Students have been eagerly awaiting Redbird Plaza’s completion behind Fell Hall.

because of the faculty that truly care about the success of all of the students as well.”

Although it is unclear as to when the facility will be finished, there is

currently a new parking lot, G-34, under construction next door to the lot for the nursing building. It is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2017.

Two fires occurring in separate multi-apartment homes occurred this week left 13 residents homeless.

Saturday, a fire took place at 302 E. Walnut St. in Bloomington’s Franklin Park neighborhood at a student apartment causing 10 residents to be displaced and moved to a nearby rental unit.

The fire on Sunday took place at 12:45 a.m. and caused an estimated $95,000 in damage. Most damage occurred upstairs, but smoke and water damage was present on the bottom floors.

It was located at an apartment complex at 603 W. Seminary St. Three residents were left displaced.

One firefighter was taken to the hospital as a result of Sunday’s fire and was treated for a minor injury.

He was later released.

One cat was rescued from Sunday’s fire and was treated for smoke inhalation at an emergency vet.

The causes of both fires are still under investigation by the Bloomington Fire Department.

MARY CULLEN | NEWS EDITOR

Redbirds share tips for successful finals week Finals week is officially underway at Illinois State University, and students may feel a never-ending amount of anxiety. There are a handful of ways to channel any stress and work with it productively to do well on finals without being too overworked.

Break up the material

Study with others Abel said studying with others can be beneficial.

“I would recommend talking through the material with a partner. Have them ask you questions and see if you can answer them,” she said. “If you can’t answer something then you know what to study. Plus, hearing someone else explain the material may make things click for you better than the way your professor explained it.”

Take some breaks

Former biology tutor Sarah Abel said she told her students to break up test material into different sections and study them on different days.

“For example, break it up into four sections,” Abel said.

“Spend one day studying part one, day two part two, three part three and four part four. Then on the fifth day, study what you don’t know. Then the night before the test, study what you don’t know in all the sections.”

Stamer said it is important to take breaks during study sessions.“It may feel like you can’t afford the five minutes of break time, but your body needs it. Make a schedule for studying and set aside certain times for breaks; social media checks, snack time, quick session of crying, stuff like that,” Stamer said. “It’s going to help you stay focused and help you stay as relaxed as is possible during finals week. Also in the end, it’s going to help you be more productive in your studying.”

Review old tests

Go into the test with a plan

Chemistry tutor Anna Stamer said she tells her students to look over previous tests from the semester.

“Odds are, most of the material on the final is going to come from those,” Stamer said. “After they reviewed that I tell them they should look through their notes and write down the big ideas, the key pieces of information, on a separate sheet of paper. That sheet becomes their study guide so that they are not sifting through an entire notebook 10 times looking for things later on.”

Stamer said it is important to not spend too much time on a single question.“Work from the front to the end and if you get to a question that you aren’t sure on, skip it.

You can come back to it later. Don’t waste time trying to solve a problem when you could be solving five others in that same time,” Stamer said. “Then go back through the test and try to work through the problems that you didn’t know but have a little bit of an idea of what to do, but still ignore the ones that you have no idea what to do.”

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Features

PAGE 6 | THE VIDETTE

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016

WATTS

continued from page 1

When her cochlear implant was turned on in November 2015, Watts was exposed to high frequency sounds she had never heard before such as her microwave beeping, birds chirping, running water and many sounds heard while cheering at games.

“You’re relearning how to hear when you get a cochlear implant,” Watts said. “I had never heard a whistle in my life … hearing the whistles was crazy. The sneakers were the really big one because I didn’t know that was a thing.”

In January 2016, Snook helped Watts get a job working at Valeska Hinton Early Childhood Center in Peoria as a teacher aide in a deaf education classroom, where she helped teach five to seven kids just like her. Watts worked there until June 2016.

“Those kids were absolutely amazing,” Watts said. “Seeing them be so confident when they wore their implants and seeing how happy they were was like, ‘Okay if they can do it, I can do it.’”

After being diagnosed her junior year, Watts was cheering at a football game and her stunt group went up late because she couldn’t hear her coach. Watts apologized to her coach and explained she couldn’t hear her counting, to which her coach replied, “Your hearing doesn’t matter right now.”

Watts said the words made her angry at the time, but she quickly realized they would be the words that motivated her to defy all odds when it came to being a deaf cheerleader.

“It made me want to prove her wrong, that I could prove to her ‘You’re right, maybe it doesn’t matter,’ and I could get through without being able to hear,” Watts said.

In April 2016, regardless of doctors telling her she should not be cheering and would be doing so at a risk, Watts tried out for the ISU cheerleading team. This was a lifelong dream of hers, but she was extremely nervous they would not want a deaf cheerleader on the team.

“Making the team was the part of my life where I was like, ‘Okay, I can do anything. I’m not letting anything stop me now. If I can cheer in college and be deaf, I’m going to do anything else that I want to do,’” Watts said.

Coming to ISU, Watts had to adjust to the environment of cheering in Hancock Stadium, an environment unlike anything she had experienced in high school.

ISU sophomore communication sciences and disorders major and teammate Michelle Angelico has been cheering for 10 years and said Watts is one of the best teammates she has ever had.

“She’s so committed and you can really tell she loves what she does and that makes it easier for me to enjoy myself,” Angelico said. “She’s super encouraging and always ready to step in when needed.”

Watts said she is the happiest when she is cheering, and chose to do so because it has been her escape since being diagnosed.

“That’s how I can be positive, because when you cheer you can’t be negative. You have to smile,” Watts said.

She speaks at hearing conventions throughout the year to advocate for other individuals who are hearing impaired. Along with becoming a deaf education teacher in the future, Watts hopes to eventually be a hearing specialist and go to different schools to advocate for young people.

“Know your worth, because that was my biggest thing, I didn’t know my own worth,” Watts said. “If you understand you can, and you know your worth, then you will.”

ISU’s School of Art hosted the annual glass sale to raise money toward its departments.

Shaun Johnson Vidette Photographer

Glass sale blew away fundraising The School of Art raised $10,562 for department funding ERIN ANIOLOWSKI Features Reporter | @erinaniolowski

M

ore than $10,000 was raised this year from the Illinois State University School of Art’s annual holiday glass sale.

The Glass House, next to Hancock Stadium, opened its doors starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, and was crowded with shoppers looking for that one of a kind Christmas gift. An assortment of pieces were on display including glasses, vases, sculptures, ornaments, glass flowers, photo holders and even melted snowmen that sold like hot cakes.

Each piece was unique and lustrous, ranging from large hanging wall art to pocket-sized trinkets. Out of the $10,562 that was raised through glass sales

from the hundreds of patrons, half of the profits go to the artists.

The other half of the proceeds go to the School of Art to support its programs and students.

The Holiday Glass Sale was not the only opportunity to purchase student art, Friday also featured an art sale selling ceramic pieces and works of photography and printmaking.

Part of the excitement of the glass sale are the demonstrations, where patrons can watch as student’s and faculty make glass in the studio. John Miller, associate professor, was amongst his students sticking hot orange glass into the fire. He has been a part of the sale before and knows the fundraising potential it has.

“Our shows have always been good, we raise our own money.

We raise anywhere from 10 to

$22,000 annually between the Christmas show and the Mother’s Day sale,” Miller said.

He also said the money from the sales goes toward more than just one department. The School of Art has a Visiting Artist Program where artists come and talk to students about their work.

This gives students an opportunity to expand their knowledge in techniques and allows them to be exposed to other artists.

Kale Stewart, a graduate student at ISU, had several pieces up for grabs including decanters and sculptures. This was not his first glass sale, but he was very pleased with the turn out.

“We had a huge showing this year and raised a lot of money for the program, which is awesome,” Stewart said.

But it is not just numbers, there

are many facets to the programs.

“There’s a conceptual side to it.

We are a technical and conceptual parallel program,” Miller said.

On the one hand, it teaches students how to make a living from their art, on the other hand they learn and make performance pieces, Italian blown glass, video work and more.

“That’s one of the big things with ISU, we’re not trying to create the same student,” Miller said.

Each student is encouraged to create work fueled by their own creativity that teaches different skills and techniques.

For those who missed out on the glass and art sale this year, there will be a Mother’s Day sale in the spring where people can buy gifts and experience some of ISU’s own art.

Graduating seniors share thoughts about their last semester ELLEN CELSKE Features Reporter | @ellencelske

of group projects with being a public relations major but I can’t wait to be an ISU alum On Saturday, Redbird and go on to do great things Arena will host the Winter with my degree,” graduating Commencement for seniors senior and public relations graduating from Illinois State major Kourtney Pygott said.

University this semester. For Pygott is planning on movmost, it is a bittersweet feeling ing to Orlando next month to to finally say goodbye to the start her second Disney internplace they have called home ship. She is very excited and for so long. Whatever the next even more excited to get out of steps in their lives may be, they the cold weather in Illinois. all have one thing in common, “I have made such good which is cherishing the memofriends and memories at my ries, friendships and knowltime here at ISU over the past edge ISU has given them. few years and I will cherish “I’m relieved to finally be every single one of them as I done with all of the schoolwork move on to the next steps in but I can’t believe college is bamy life,” graduating senior and sically over for me,” graduating agriculture business major senior and psychology major Bradley Thomas said. “I am Shelby Heitkamp said. “I’m Vivian Bahena | Vidette Photographer very thankful for all ISU has Graduating senior Shelby Heitkamp is eager to walk the stage in December. excited to see what the future taught me about my career has in store for me. Living in field and most importantly, be able to actually put my animal science the real world is going to be crazy!” about myself. I’m going to miss this school.” degree to use and get a job working with ani“Graduation is scary but so exciting at the To all graduating this semester, good mals. That was the whole reason I chose to go same time. Finally, I won’t have to worry luck with future endeavors from ISU. This to ISU in the first place.” about exams and homework but now I have university and all the Redbirds who are part Belon is planning on attending graduate to be worried about getting a real job and of it are something special. Throw those caps school at ISU next fall to study muscle biolworking full time. I won’t be able to go to high this Saturday. For more information ogy and meat science to further pursue her ‘Pub Wednesdays’ anymore,” graduating about the graduation ceremonies coming up animal science education. senior and animal science major Dani Belon this weekend and the times, visit ISU’s event “I’d say I’m super excited to finally be said. “But in all seriousness, hopefully I will page. done. It’s been a lot of hard work and a ton

THE VIDETTE | SPORTS | PAGE 7

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016

Bittersweet Redbird Hockey falls to Kent State on Senior Day BETH GEISTLINGER Incoming Sports Editor | @BethGeist

Kent State swept Illinois State’s DI hockey team Friday for Greek Night and Saturday on Senior Day. ISU took the ice Friday for one of the most exciting games of the season. The game was tightly matched, but ISU was forced to play catch-up, which led to its ultimate demise.

Kent State struck first, putting ISU down one with a little more than nine minutes to go in the first period. Five minutes later, Adam Howey scored for ISU, and hundreds of teddy bears came raining down from the stands.

The team put together a Teddy Bear Toss, where after ISU scored its first goal, fans threw new teddy bears onto the ice, where the staff and players collected them to donate to Toys for Tots.

“Greek Night and the Teddy Bear Toss is something we’ve done for the past three or four years in early December, late November,” club president Clint Zumer said. “It’s a fun way to give back to the community. I think we collected over 400 teddy bears, but I wouldn’t be

BENCH

Continued from page 8

Evans received a blow to the face during the first half of Saturday’s game and didn’t play much after that. He finished with three points on 1-2 from the field. With Evans limited, Washington played a career-high 14 minutes and scored three points.

After a career-high seven points on Dec. 3 against New Mexico, reserve guard Madison Williams has only scored one point in the Redbirds’ last two games.

For most of the season, the Redbirds’ rotation has been eight deep.

Muller has trusted Evans and Williams to give him consistent minutes every game. Depending on who is starting, Wills and Clayton have received the most minutes of any ISU bench player.

Recently, Muller has extended his regular rotation to nine, as he has played Washington eight or more minutes in three of the last four games.

surprised if it was more.”

Just three minutes after ISU had evened the score, Kent State struck again, putting ISU behind to end the first period.

ISU continued playing catch-up even when Kent State led 4-3 with four minutes left in the game. Just over one minute remained in the period when Kent State was called for multiple penalties, resulting in three of their players in the penalty box.

The `Birds capitalized on the penalty with just nine seconds left in the game, tying up the score. This was something that got one fan so excited, they shattered a pane of glass. This caused a 17 -minute delay while the staff cleaned shattered glass out of ISU’s bench.

After the delay, the team finished out the nine seconds left in the game and headed to overtime. ISU was called for high-sticking and was down one player, allowing the Golden Flashes to score, winning the game 5-4.

Saturday afternoon started off with a tribute to the five seniors on the DI team, Luke Morin, Mason Rosenberg, Tim Talty, Sam Turk and Clint Zumer.

However, this bench unit continues to struggle.

Muller has been unable to turn to Hein, who doesn’t appear ready to play at the Division I level, while Washington still looks very raw.

UT-Martin’s bench outscored the Redbirds’ bench 32-16 on Saturday. This has been the prevailing theme of the season. ISU’s bench has been outscored in five of their first eight contests. In four of those five games, opposing benches outscored them by double digits. ISU reserves have combined for less than 10 points four times this season.

Overall, ISU’s reserves have averaged 13.4 points, which accounts for only 18 percent of the 74.6 point scoring average the team has posted this season.

This puts a lot of pressure on the starters who have carried the Redbirds for much of the season. The four regular starters, Paris Lee, Deontae Hawkins, Phil Fayne and MiKyle McIntosh have all averaged double-digit scoring and

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Beth Geistlinger | Vidette Sports Editor

ISU senior Tim Talty (10) puts a shot on goal during the Redbirds’ weekend series vs. Kent State Saturday night.

“Senior Day is a really important day for us,” Zumer said. “It’s the last game I am ever going to play at the Coliseum, and it makes every game after that much more special. Our intern team did a really great job putting together videos and making the players and families feel really welcomed.”

The game started in the same fashion as the night before, with Kent State starting the scoring. The first period ended with Kent State leading 1-0, but the second period

was where ISU gained momentum.

Four minutes into the second period, Howey opened the scoring again, tying the game at 1-1. Joey Bower found the back of the net with just under two minutes left in the second period, giving ISU the lead 2-1 going into the third period.

Dan Addie opened the final period, scoring a goal with 15 minutes remaining to give ISU a 3-1 lead, but soon after the momentum shifted for the remainder of the game.

Seconds after Addie’s goal, Kent State scored again, making the score 3-2 for ISU. One minute after that, Kent State scored again, tying the game at 3-3. The Golden Flashes led the game 6-3 with five minutes left in the game. Micah Young added one more point for the `Birds, who finished out the game 6-4.

Continue reading this online.

videtteonline.com/article

EDITOR

Continued from page 8

Emma Horath | Vidette Senior Photographer

Freshman Madison Williams has been one of ISU’s few bench contributors. more than 25 minutes per game.

If the Redbirds want to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 1997-1998 season, they will continue to rely heavily on the starters to make this goal a reality.

Paul Steeno is a junior journalism major and sports reporter at The Vidette. Email him at pbsteen@ ilstu.edu. Follow him on Twitter @KingSteeno.

When it came to basketball, I was on the girls’ team, and the schedules usually worked so that they played on the same day, with one team home and one team away. So, in high school, I covered mostly soccer and track.

This semester, I’m looking forward to continuing to grow as a journalist and using my current skills to help the sports staff as much as I can. I’m also very excited to work with our staff. We have some amazing beat writers and columnists alike. I’m looking forward to seeing what this journey brings and I hope you all join me on it.

Beth Geistlinger is a freshman athletic training major and incoming Sports Editor at The Vidette.

Email him at ergeist@ilstu.edu.

Follow him on Twitter @BethGeist.

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Sports

PAGE 8 | THE VIDETTE

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2016

A welcome from incoming Sports Editor

MY VIEW Beth Geistlinger | Sports Editor

H

was good.”

Clayton averaged 10 points per game off the bench during ISU’s first three games of the season before Muller decided to reward him for this production with a starting role. However, as senior Tony Wills slowly began to shoot the ball better, Muller decided to put Clayton back on the bench for the Redbird’s last two games. Since then, Clayton is 0-7 from the field with just two points.

“DJ gives us versatility,” Muller said. “He missed some shots around the rim [today, but] I thought he had a solid game and made some nice passes. We do have to get him going a little more.

These last two games he has been a little bit down from where he was so hopefully we can get him going.”

ello, my name is Beth Geistlinger and I’m a freshman athletic training major here at Illinois State. Starting next semester, I’ll be replacing Jason Klaer and joining Josh Tolentino as one of the Sports Editors of The Vidette. I figured I’d go ahead and introduce myself before the semester begins.

I guess you could consider this the story of mother knows best. Journalism was never something I thought I would be doing. Actually, I was quite opposed to it. Second semester junior year of high school, I decided I didn’t want to take physics, so my mom made my pick another class to take instead. There were only two classes that would fit in my schedule and journalism was one. Again, my mother urged me to take journalism and I’m so glad she did.

I attended University Laboratory High School in Urbana and was a member of the Online Gargoyle (OG) staff. After spending one semester on the OG staff, I assumed the position of editor along with other returning members.

Through this position, I learned responsibility, discipline and time management. I also learned how to be able to have a leadership position without neglecting my own work.

I also have an extensive history with playing sports. I started playing basketball in the third grade and played until sixth grade when I switched schools. I started playing again in eighth grade and played through my senior year of high school. My freshman year I started playing volleyball because all my friends were playing, and played through senior year as well. I also did swimming, softball, cheerleading and a short stint of tennis.

While basketball is what I dedicated much of my adolescence to, my favorite sport to watch is hockey.

This, again, I have my mom to thank for. I was never interested in hockey, but during the Winter Olympics, my mom turned on the TV and said “it’s the Winter Olympics, we’re watching a hockey game.” This was the first real exposure I had to hockey and there was no turning back.

I played floor hockey in school, and intimidated the boys, might I add, but I had never thought much of ice hockey. The fast-paced, intense and highly-skilled game had me hooked.

Ever since, I’ve been a die-hard fan of the Chicago Blackhawks, following every game, player and statistic.

When it comes to my sports writing experience, it was somewhat limited in high school simply because my high school was not a big sports school. Don’t get me wrong, we have some amazing athletes. We’ve had the News-Gazette Swimmer of the Year and Runner of the Year three and four years in a row, respectively.

Our boys’ soccer team made it to state my freshman and senior year and our cross-country team placed at state three years in row.

Uni falls behind when it comes to big sports. Uni didn’t have a football team, so covering the ISU vs. SouthDakota State football game earlier this year was my first experience with writing about football.

See BENCH on page 7

See EDITOR on page 7

Emma Horath | Vidette Senior Photographer

Tony Wills drives against UT-Martin’s Fatodd Lewis in the second half of Illinois State’s 74-57 win over the Skyhawks. ISU is undefeated at home.

Force is with the ’Birds

Following worst loss of season, Illinois State regroups, remains undefeated at home with 74-57 win over UT-Martin on Star Wars Day DELANE MCLURKIN Incoming Senior Reporter | @DelaneMcl

Illinois State led the entire game against UT-Martin in the 74-57 win thanks to great defense and exceptional ball movement.

The Redbird players can relax and focus on finals after this one; a game ISU men’s basketball coach Dan Muller called the proudest defensive effort this season. Illinois State was able to hold UT-Martin, a team that averages 82.8 points per game, to 57 points.

Illinois State was also able to hold UT-Martin to 32.1 percent shooting (17-of-53) from the field. Although it did not show much on the stat sheet, Illinois State’s defense was able to stop UT-Martin by forcing them to take tough shots. The team used their length and hustle ability to make it hard for UT-Martin to do anything productive on offense.

UT-Martin coach Anthony Stewart tipped his hat to ISU. “We missed a lot of lay-ups. We missed about 16-18 points in layups and they played good defense. They were up in us and they played physical. They played harder than us.”

ISU went 50 percent from behind the arc (9-of-18) during the first half

and shot 44.6 percent for the game (25-of-56).

ISU started the first half with aggression against UT-Martin.

Paris Lee started a 6-0 spurt going two-for-two from behind the arc resulting in a UT-Martin timeout in the first two minutes of the game.

From that point on the Redbirds did not look back.

Tony Wills then began to induce pain on UT-Martin’s defense, scoring 10 points in a 6:09 span giving ISU a 23-7 lead.

“Once the first one went in it was like throwing a rock in a ocean.

That’s what it felt like for the first five minutes,” Lee said, Later in the first half UT-Martin tried whatever it could to cut into ISU’s double-digit lead. UT-Martin was able to go on a run with 5:30 left in the first half to bring the score to 30-19 but Illinois State bounced right back with a run of their own, finishing the half with a 43-28 lead heading into halftime.

In the first half, Illinois State had multiple scoring opportunities from Phil Fayne’s forcefulness on the offensive glass, grabbing five offensive rebounds. This allowed Illinois State to score nine second-chance points to UT-Martin’s zero.

When the second half began, UTMartin once again would not let up.

UT-Martin was able to bring the score within 10 points with Illinois State leading 45-35 with 17:45 in the second half after a 3-pointer by Matthew Butler. But Deontae Hawkins answered right back with a three of his own creating a 10-2 run to put the Redbirds ahead 55-37.

UT Martin tried to slow down ISU’s offense at one point by implementing a full-court press but the Redbirds easily maneuvered through it with a pass from Lee to MiKyle McIntosh, who then lobbed an alleyoop pass a few feet past half court to Phil Fayne for the two-handed dunk.

This caused the arena of 4,275 to erupt and gave ISU a 59-40 lead with 12:13 in the second half.

ISU was able to open up its largest lead of the game of 23 points (63-40) when UT-Martin went on a scoring drought of more than seven minutes ending at the 7:43 mark in the second half.

UT-Martin went on a final run after the 23 deficit to put themselves in a competing position but at this point on ISU was already ahead by too many, allowing the Redbirds to cruise to a victory 74-57 victory.

ISU improves to 5-3 and will take

on St. Joseph’s on Dec. 18 at 3 p.m. at Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena.

11 players on the roster scored and five players finished in double figures for the Redbirds. Fayne, McIntosh, Hawkins and Lee had 12 each, while Wills finished the game with 10 points. Javaka Thompson scored his first points of the season finishing with 4. They all were able to score the ball efficiently and effectively off of good ball movement.

Keyshawn Evans was shaken up in the first half at the 8:27 mark when his head hit the deck after diving for a loose ball. He returned shortly after but sat out in the second half after he began feeling a headache.

“Good win against a good team.

Obviously we got out to a big lead and we were making some shots. I thought our defense was good other than the beginning of the second half. We shared the ball well and were able to get some guys some good minutes,” Muller said.

Delane Mclurkin is a senior accounting major and incoming senior reporter at The Vidette. Email him at vidette_dcmclur@ilstu.edu. Follow him on Twitter @DelaneMcl.

Muller exudes confidence in struggling, short bench PAUL STEENO Sports Reporter | @KingSteeno

Illinois State's bench erupted when seldomused backup Javaka Thompson recorded his first points of the season at the end of the Redbird’s 74-57 win against the Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks at Redbird Arena Saturday afternoon.

Shortly after, the Redbird Arena crowd joined in on the celebration when redshirt freshman Matt Hein hit a 3-pointer with 52 seconds remaining to record the first points of his Redbird career.

With the Redbirds holding a large lead at the end of the second half, ISU coach Dan Dan Muller

Muller cleared his bench at the 3:57 mark to give guys like Hein and Thompson an opportunity to play. The two combined for eight points, shooting 3-of-6 from the field and were one of the few bright spots for a bench unit that has struggled all season.

DJ Clayton, Keyshawn Evans, Andre Washington and Madison Williams were a combined 2-of-10 from the field and tallied just nine points.

Despite these numbers, Muller was pleased with their performances.

“Our bench was great,” Muller said. “Keyshawn got hurt, which shortened our bench. I thought in the second half our starters didn’t guard and then our bench came in and didn’t guard. But, you take that out and I thought our focus was really good. [We gave] guys rest in both halves, which I thought was very important for us. But, our bench