BALL BEARINGS
The Color Issue
Fall 2020
MAGAZINE
The Lavender Ceiling STAINED GLASS:
Just like the glass ceiling for women, the lavender ceiling prevents many LGBTQ individuals from job attainment and security. These three local voices are speaking up.422
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Contents
What’s inside The Color Issue - Fall 2020 Letter from the Editor
02
How this issue’s theme was developed
03
How the university is navigating the pandemic
06
How a Ball State student organization fights for social change
07
How an increase in youth votes in the 2018 midterms led some to believe they would increase in the 2020 election
08
How students are paying rent in the midst of a global pandemic
09
What the job market looks like for upcoming graduates
Color Culture
10
How colorful media has shaped American pop culture
12
Depression is a major issue among college students
An exclusive look at the history behind some of Muncie’s most unique and grandiose homes
16 20
Who’s who on our team
Trending Topics
04
Muncie Cribs
Take a look at three Black-owned businesses in Muncie
The Lavender Ceiling
How the lavender ceiling prevents many LGBTQ individuals from job attainment and security
22 36
Individuals who have synesthesia or color vision deficiency discuss how they experience their conditions
COVID-19 and the Environment Green #087353
40
How the global coronavirus pandemic has led to many environmental changes
44
How the potential extinction of the rusty patched bumblebee could change the environment
Cancer Ribbons
Cancer survivors explain how they share a special bond even after treatment
48 54
How your favorite color is more than just an icebreaker
56
What color matches your personality? Fall 2020 | Ball Bearings | 01
Letter from the Editor
From the Editor
When my family moved from St. Louis to Decatur, Indiana, my parents asked us all what kind of house we wanted to live in. I, like most of my four siblings, said I wanted my own room for the first time. We went around the car and took a poll as we drove with our real estate agent from house to house. What were we all looking for? Finally, we got to my little sister Riley, who was 8 years old at the time. “And Riley, what kind of house do you want?” my mom asked. Riley didn’t even hesitate. “A yellow one,” she said. We all had a much-needed laugh at that. It was scary moving to a new state and completely starting over, but it was nice to know some things, like Riley’s fascination with the color yellow, hadn’t changed. We toured a lot of houses before settling on one. But finally, we found something that worked for our entire family. And seven years later, it’s still my home. The yellow house with the green shutters.
Riley had gotten exactly what she wanted. And when I think of yellow, I think of my house in Decatur, and all of the happy memories that helped it live up to its color. Something so simple as the color yellow had such a profound impact on my life. And the best part about my experience is that other people view colors in this way, too. Colors are more than just something you can see. Colors are feelings, emotions, issues, and identities. They are embedded into every aspect of our lives. In this issue, we explore our colorful world and dive into how something as simple as the colors of the rainbow can shape us. From social and political issues like the lavender ceiling, to emotional issues such as depression versus feeling blue, to environmental concerns like the effects of the coronavirus on our planet, this edition shows the true universality of color. I hope this edition of Ball Bearings colors you impressed. g
Sam Nower Ball Bearings staffers work on the Fall 2020 magazine.
Editor-in-Chief srnower@bsu.edu @samanthanower
Ball Bearings | Ball State University | Muncie, Indiana | Fall 2020 | ballbearingsmag14@gmail.com
BALL BEARINGS BallBearingsMag.com @ballbearingsmag
Executive
Staff Writers Skyler Ahlberg Olivia Craven Grace Duerksen Kami Geron Savannah Jordan Corryne Menard Brianna Morton Lilly Salomon Amy Schwartz Sophia Senese Taylor Smith Conner Tighe Maya Wilkins
Editor-in-Chief Samantha Nower Executive Editor Becca Foerder Managing Editor Griffin Sciarra Art Director Elliott DeRose Digital Design Director Alex Hindenlang
Visual
Editorial
Photo Editor Shannon McCloskey
Senior Editors Haley Boyce Arianna Sergio
Video Editors Zoe Hagymรกsi Hope Stauffer
Associate Editor Lily Staatz
Staff Photographers Janie Arseneaux Corynne Menard Kristen Triplett
BALL BE A RI NGS
Fall 2020
The Color Issue
Staff Videographers Mason Kupiainen Brianna Morton Giovanny Romero
MAGAZINE
T h e n de r L aevileing C STA INE D
GLA SS:
lavender for women, the job glass ceiling Just like the individuals from many LGBTQ ts ven voices pre ceiling se three local security. The attainment and up.422 are speaking
On the Cover Illustration by Elliott DeRose
Staff Designers Janie Arseneaux Annie Bastian Haley Boyce Alex Bracken Paola Fernandez-Jimenez Kami Geron Maggie Getzin Hannah Sherfick Taylor Smith Kamryn Tomlinson Adviser Lisa Renze-Rhodes
Ball Bearings
| Ball State Univ
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| ballbearingsma na | Fall 2020
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Fall 2020 | Ball Bearings | 03
T
News
RENDING OPICS
How the university is navigating the pandemic. By Maya Wilkins March 2020: a month full of unprecedented times, a month where college campuses were vacated, spring breaks were canceled, and graduation ceremonies postponed. Birthdays consisted of drive-by parties rather than spending the day with friends, classes online rather than in large lecture halls. The coronavirus restrictions raised many questions amongst students, staff, and faculty. When can students come back? What does this mean for the 2020 fall semester and each semester to follow? President Geoffrey Mearns detailed the precautions that the university has had to take, ranging from contact tracing in the classrooms to making sure that the residence halls are following guidelines. “The first factor we have to look at
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is what guidance or directives we’ve received from either the state or the county. We also look at the positivity rate out in the area, either here in Delaware County or in the state,” says Mearns. He says the university uses these factors to decide what precautions to take in order to keep students and staff safe and keep the university open for classes. Ball State also looks at the capacity that the health center has to test and treat students and staff with COIVD-19, or where to keep quarantined individuals. “We assess those factors every day, and we share that data with a team of public health and medical experts and seek their guidance as to whether or not we need to adjust or change any of our protocols,” says Mearns. In addition to contact tracing and monitoring the amount of testing on campus, the university has had to make changes with sanitation and cleaning
the residence halls, classrooms, and dining halls. The custodial staff is in charge of cleaning and sanitizing all campus buildings, with 86 employees spread across three shifts, cleaning academic buildings that span 3.2 million square feet. “The emphasis with our custodial staff, those 86 people, is sanitizing, sanitizing, sanitizing,” says James Lowe, associate vice president for facilities planning and management. Sanitizing these buildings on campus means cleaning the smallest and most-touched surfaces like handrails, doorknobs, and elevator buttons. The university has also made changes within the bathrooms, moving the trash cans closer to the doors, so that people can use paper towels from drying their hands to open the door rather than touching the door and exposing it to more
bacteria. The buses are also sanitized every hour, with at least one not running at all times. “We have two people that are in charge of helping us sanitize the buses. They do a combination of fogging spray and wipe down to try to keep the buses sanitized,” says Lowe. “We’ve done a number of things to try to keep the shuttle buses safe for everyone that chooses to ride them.” Lowe commends the custodial staff on the effort they’ve put into keeping the university up and running this semester and the way they’ve been able to persevere through difficult times. Mearns feels similarly about the students and staff. “I’m very proud of the way our employees, our faculty, our staff and students responded,” says Mearns, “There was a significant increase in positive cases, primarily among our students in the first two weeks of classes, but what happened in response to that was very impressive in my opinion.” g President Mearns says the university assesses many factors to navigate the coronavirus pandemic. Jacob Musselman, Photo Provided
Fall 2020 | Ball Bearings | 05
News
Ball State Renters Worried About Bills The coronavirus pandemic has placed stress on student renters and rental companies. By Olivia Craven Ball State students have had to make many adjustments to their daily lives and learning due to the COIVD-19 pandemic. Among these changes is the impact the pandemic has had on the job market on and off campus. Students have had their places of work closed down, or had hours cut, temporarily suspending their earnings. Some students have also lost their jobs completely and are now facing the struggle of finding work amidst a world-wide pandemic. Ava Peterson, a student at Ball State University, outlines her experience related to working and the pandemic. “Me and my roommates didn’t receive any form of rent forgiveness, but it wasn’t really an issue for us,” she says. “I worked over the summer, but because of the pandemic, the place I was a hostess at closed inside seating. I wasn’t able to save as much as I wanted for the school year and because of a roommate not living with us, I wasn’t able to move like I wanted.” Ava is currently renting a house in
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Muncie with her three roommates. Due to changes like those experienced by Ava, students’ abilities to live where they prefer has also been affected. Senior Hannah Fehr had a similar experience where rent was not directly affected, however other parts of academic life were. “Paying my rent hasn’t really been a struggle for me, the most difficult part was worrying about work over the summer and if I would be able to pay my summer rent, but it worked out in the end,” she says. Hannah is currently renting a house from BSU Rentals with one roommate. Both Hannah and Ava felt that despite their lack of a struggle with their rent, some adjustments may have been beneficial not just for them, but also for others in different situations. Apartment complexes and rental agencies were unable to issue any evictions during the COIVD-19 pandemic, according to a mandate Governor Eric Holcomb issued that ensured no one was forced out of their apartment or home. That protection ended in August.
Rental Companies around Ball State University: • • • • •
Rent BSU BSU Rentals Nice BSU Rentals The Campus Edge Best BSU Rentals
Source: The Roost Housing Guide
“We have taken all the necessary cautionary measures concerning the pandemic and have followed the mandates issued by Holcomb. We have experienced less traffic with possible renters and the higher costs of maintenance needed for the safety of staff and residents. We are working alongside our residents and doing everything we can to ensure the safety of our facilities,” says Brock Davis, property manager at Varsity House apartments. Davis also mentioned that job loss has been an issue for some residents of Varsity House apartments and that they are working with them. g
Job Market for Upcoming Graduates Soon-to-be college graduates should weigh job market demands with their passions. By Lily Staatz In the midst of a pandemic and economic crisis, college students wonder what the future holds, especially soon-to-be-graduates. Since the coronavirus shutdown in March 2020, college students have adjusted to mask wearing, virtual meetings, and canceled events. “Graduating in a pandemic is not something that a lot of people have to go through. But it can also be an opportunity to just challenge ourselves to be better at what we do and stand out more. That way, we have a better chance of getting hired after we graduate,” says Alyssa Shoults, who will be graduating in May 2021. The pandemic caused companies to file for bankruptcy and job opportunities to narrow for potential employees. In May of 2020, JCPenney filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and planned to close more than 150 of its more than 840 stores by the end of 2020, according to press releases from its website. JCPenney is one of many companies to file for bankruptcy. The Centers for Disease Control’s restrictions curbed “going out,” for many Americans, leading to a decline in the leisure and hospitality industries. Jobs in the field plummeted by 7.7 million, or 47%. Food services and drinking places decreased by almost three quarters in April. Other areas that employment fell in were the arts, entertainment, and recreation industry by 1.3 million within the Establishment Survey.
A study by The Conference Board found 66% of organizations surveyed decided to reduce hiring to only critical roles when the pandemic began. Businesses are going to have to make difficult decisions as to who to hire, therefore making the job market more competitive. Graduates of the classes of 2020 and 2021 will face a tough job market.
Companies Filing for Bankruptcy in 2020: • • • • • • • • • • •
24 Hour Fitness J. Crew Lord & Taylor LSC Communications Pier 1 Imports Lucky Brand Papyrus JCPenney Brooks Brothers Century 21 Bluestem Brands
Source: RetailDive, Cision PR Newswire, Businesswire, LSC Communications, Pier 1 Imports, Inc.
“Everything’s relative. Back in January, February, that kind of labor market would have been fantastic to graduate into,” says Philip DeCicca, professor of economics at Ball State University. DeCicca believes that graduating students will have to be thorough when it comes to their job search for these upcoming years. In April of 2020, when schools, businesses, and life slowed down due to the spread of the virus, the number
of people unemployed rose from 15.9 million to 23.1 million, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In April of 2019, the unemployment rate was 3.2% in Muncie, Indiana. In 2020, this statistic has leapt to 16.3%, more than quadruple the number from the previous year. In April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Household Survey showed unemployment rates rose sharply among all major fields, and the number of unemployed people who reported being on temporary layoff increased about ten-fold to 18.1 million. The bureau’s Establishment Survey found the unemployment over-themonth decline in April was the largest since January 2011. DeCicca says the economic fallout from the pandemic will not be comparable to the Great Depression, when the unemployment rate rose as the Wall Street stock market crash lasted from 1929 to 1939, with unemployment rising to a peak of about 25%. Audrey Guidan, another soon-to-be graduate, is concerned for the labor market ahead. Guidan is concerned that she will not be able to find a job. She has recently applied to Cobalt, a record company that works with independent artists. Audrey advises going after your desired career. “Get into the feel of whatever it is and get your foot in the door. Practicing or getting a feel for your job so your cover letter or resume will have something related to the job you are interested in,” says Audrey. g
Fall 2020 | Ball Bearings | 07
News
Antiracist Student Organization Fights for Social Change The Student Antiracism and Intersectionality Advisory Council works to bring the change they want to see to Ball State University. By Amy Schwartz At the beginning of spring 2020, Beverly Tatum, a psychologist and race relations expert, spoke at Ball State on the importance of being antiracist. Just a few hours before her presentation, a professor called university police on an African American student after a confrontation about seating arrangements. “Every year that I’ve been here, Ball State has had an incident of racial injustice,” says senior Aric Fulton. Aric is one of 11 members on the Student Antiracism and Intersectionality Advisory Council (SAIAC). The council began as a conversation between Ball State professor Emily Ruth Rutter and junior Jordyn Blythe. The two wanted to form a group that could mobilize Tatum’s talk about antiracism and intersectionality in the Ball State community, which led to the creation of a new course at Ball State. According to Rutter, students should be seen as valued institutional stakeholders. In response to academic concerns, Rutter, along with a group of Ball State students, created a course titled “Understanding Race and Becoming an Antiracist.” In the course, students study race and
08 | BallBearingsMag.com | Fall 2020
Kami Geron, Illustration
racism from a historical and modern standpoint and develop the skills necessary to become actively antiracist. It is currently being piloted in the Honors College and will be available to all majors and minors spring 2020 as ENG299X. Rutter hopes this course will become a part of the core curriculum for Ball State students. The group behind the course became the members of the newly formed council. SAIAC is a studentrun organization focused on providing education on antiracism and advocating for social change. From hosting campus-wide conversations on antiracism, intersectionality, and empowerment to partnering with other organizations to hold events such
as “Emphasizing Equality,” SAIAC has already cultivated a presence on campus since the council’s launch in spring 2020, growing from two members to 11. “I want to create more safe spaces for people with marginalized identities to share their experiences,” says Nykasia Williams, Ball State junior and member of SAIAC. Conversations may seem intimidating, but are vital in spreading awareness, she says. “Get comfortable being uncomfortable,” says Nykasia. “We live in a country that has been built on systemic racist policies and much of the work we have to do comes from activism and education,” says Aric. “Don’t be afraid to engage in topics that deal with racial and social justice. Work to educate yourself, research local presence, and take action in your community.” SAIAC provides the public with a plethora of antiracism educational resources on their website. “It’s hard and uncomfortable work, but there is a community supportive of everybody doing that work. We are going to get through together and become kinder, better, stronger, and more conscious people,” says Blythe. Anyone interested in joining the council should email Rutter at errutter@bsu.edu. g
In with the New 35
South Dakota Illinois Indiana Pennsylvania West Virgina
South Carolina Louisiana Missouri Kentucky Nevada Massachuse s Iowa
Oregon Montana Florida Oklahoma North Carolina Washington Maine Nebraska Virginia New York
Connecticut Connecut Delaware Michigan
Youth Voter Registration (Ages 18-24)
Colorado
The percent difference in the number of young people who were registered to vote in each state in August 2020 vs. in November 2016 Data not available for all states
Kansas
Tennessee
Arizona Minnesota
Texas California New Mexico New Jersey Georgia Vermont
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
-5
-10
-15
-20
Arkansas
30
In 2020, Gen Z is showing up to the polls. In the 2018 midterms, the youth vote went from 20% to roughly 36%, according to Brookings Institution. With an increase of youth turn out in the 2018 midterms, Ball State University political science professor Chad Kinsella says that there may be a bigger youth turnout for the 2020 election. Older voters did continue to have the highest voter turnout, with 66% of voters participating. Gen-Z and Millennials make up about 37% of eligible voters, which is roughly the same as Baby Boomers and PreBoomers, according to Brookings Institution. However, while still making up a large population of the eligible voters, they do not show up to the polls the same way. “You all as a group, you’re busy, you have college, you work, and you want to have fun. And I also remember that point in my life, there was a lot going on,” says Kinsella. Monet Lindstrand, a Ball State University freshman, will be voting in a general election for the first time. “I think in the past, the smaller voting block was, the age group of like, 18 to 25. I think with the older population, and just with everything going on, in terms of COIVD, I think that a lot of people won’t go to the polls,” says Monet. Reforms such as same-day registration would help young adults be able to vote and increase the amount of young voters. Today, only 21 states have sameday registration, according to the National Conference of State 32.1
Rhode Island
-18.64
25
By Brianna Morton
Ohio
Source: Circle: Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement Kamryn Tomlinson, Ball Bearings
20
Arkansas
-18.64
15
10
5
0
-5
-10
-15
-20
Youth votes increased in the 2018 midterms, leading some to believe they would increase in the 2020 election.
Legislatures. More than 15 million people have turned 18 since the last presidential election. According to Tufts University, more than three fourths are paying attention to the election. Many young voters are becoming involved with a march or demonstration. According to Tufts University, 28% of people between ages 18 to 21 have recently participated in some sort of protest. Monet agrees that social issues are a reason many young people are getting to the polls. “I think the Black Lives Matter protests have been a huge pusher for getting people out because I think until then, there weren’t a lot of issues they were super passionate about,” she says. Taylor Hall, president of Men and Women of Color at Ball State University and founder of Artivist, which is an activist program that brings awareness through art, has noticed an emphasis placed on voting this year, especially in young people. “This year, I think with everything that’s been going on, people have just been stressing voting. So I think the youth vote is really going to make a difference if everyone takes it seriously this year,” says Taylor. Taylor is one of the many college students who know how much her vote matters. In Indiana, fewer than half of 18 to 19 year olds are registered to vote in the 2020 election, making it the worst in the country of registered youth compared with 2016 numbers, according to Tufts University. “I’m voting because I’ve done research on what voting can do. And on different candidates inside of my community, not just the presidential office, but also my governor, my Congress, representatives, or school board officials. I know the importance of voting,” says Taylor. g Fall 2020 | Ball Bearings | 09
The Scarlet Letter
• The novel’s story is set in Salem, Massachusetts in the 1640s • Adultery and witchcraft are at the forefront • Symbols are used to label and demean
• Allen Lane started Penguin in 1935 • In its early days, Penguin color coded each genre of its books, with the most famous color being orange for fiction • Penguin released a classic orange collection for its 70th anniversary, reimagining covers of classic books such as “On the Road”, “East of Eden”, and “12 Years a Slave”
“Clementine” Little Red Corvette
• Written in 1983 by Prince • Was Prince’s first big crossover hit, combining pop, funk, and rock • After the release of the song, Chevrolet designed an ad with the words: “They don’t write songs about Volvos”
• 2019 song by Halsey • Showcases colors as an expression of people and emotion • From an interview with Rolling Stone, Halsey said her personality is based around Clementine, Kate Winslet’s character in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
The Yellow Ribbon
• The yellow ribbon was used as a visual symbol of support for the hostages being held in Tehran during the Iran hostage crisis. During the Gulf War in the 1990s, it became a popular symbol equating to support for the troops serving overseas.
“Yellow”
• This song kick started Coldplay’s career • The song was released on the band’s first album, Parachutes. • Over 70 known recorded covers
“Yellow Submarine” “Red”
Story By Lilly Salomon Graphic By Elliott DeRose
An overview of some of the most colorful media that shapes American pop culture.
A Color Guide to Culture
Penguin Books
• Taylor Swift’s “Red” album and song were based around one specific romance that went bad • This romance is rumored to be with artist John Mayer • This album’s title was influenced by Mayer’s synesthesia. Mayer sees songs as colors
“A Clockwork Orange”
• Anthony Burgess wrote this dark comedic novel in 1962 • The 1972 movie starred Malcom McDowell • The film is centered around violence, misogyny, anger, and other dystopian things surrounding suburbia
• This Beatles song was written as a “sparky” children’s song • Released in 1966 • Short words were purposely used so that kids could easily learn the song and sing along • Many individuals felt it had a deep meaning about drugs and war, and oftentimes played it at protests
“The Yellow Wallpaper” “Red Dawn”
• Released in 1984 during the Cold War • This movie was filmed to imagine what the Cold War would have looked like had it turned into a real war • The original movie premiered in 1984 and a remake premiered in 2012
“Orange is the New Black” • This show debuted in 2013 and was one of the first Netflix originals to become successful • It told the story of Piper, a woman going to prison for the first time and discovering different aspects of her identity • The show ran for seven seasons, ending in 2019
• Short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman written in 1892 • Well-known for being one of the earlier works of American feminist literature • Addressed issues such as the subordination of women in marriage, the importance of self-expression, the suppression of mental health issues, and the trials of motherhood
“The Color Purple” “Green Eggs and Ham” “The Bee Movie”
• 2007 animated film written by Jerry Seinfeld, who is the voice of the main character, Barry the bee • This family-friendly comedy has accumulated approximately 17 million views since its release and is now available to stream on Netflix • The film has blown up over the last decade or so, becoming the center of many memes. People have jokingly sent the obnoxiously long movie script to each other in texts, others have remixed the entire film to increase in speed each time the word “bee” is said (spoiler alert: it’s a lot), and others have shrunk and superimposed the entire script onto shirts
• Written by Dr. Seuss and published in 1960 • Was written to win a $50 bet to write a book using less than 50 different words • The book has sold 17.5 million copies worldwide and has been adapted into a TV series
• This American idiom is used to refer to the rarity of a situation or occurrence. • Derived from the astronomical phenomenon of two full moons occurring in one month, which is highly uncommon.
“Blue Velvet”
• Film was inspired by 60’s music icon Bobby Vinton’s cover of “Blue Velvet” • There are subtle references to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination in the film • Lumberton, the town the movie is set in, is an actual city in North Carolina
• Novel centers around oppression • It is set in the 1920s and the 1980s, shifting between the early and later life of main character Ninny Threadgoode • A movie version was made in 1991 and starred Mary Stuart Masterson and Kathy Bates
“Purple Rain”
“Mood Indigo”
• This song was written by Duke Ellington in 1930. Ellington says he wrote it in 15 minutes while waiting for his mother to cook dinner • It was originally going to be called, “Dreamy Blues” • Words were added to the song in the 1940s by songwriter Mitchell Parish. Singer Ella Fitzgerald performed the version with lyrics in 1958, which became one of her biggest hits
• The novel was written by Louis Bayard and is described on his website as “an ingenious tale of murder and revenge” • This mystery novel involves Edgar Allen Poe as a fictional character • Bayard has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Advocate, among other publications
• Originally written as a country song • During a previous interview, Prince had described the song by saying, “When there’s blood in the sky – red and blue equals purple... purple rain pertains to the end of the world and being with the one you love and letting your faith/God guide you through the purple rain.”
Violet Chachki
• Violet Chachki, or Jason Dardo, won season seven of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” in 2015 • Since the win, she released her album, “Gagged” • Violet Chachki has an 18-inch waist, and stands at 6’1”
“Sassafrass, Cypress and Indigo”
“The Pale Blue Eye” “Fried Green Tomatoes”
• Hit the music scene in the late ‘80s in Atlanta, Georgia • The folk duo includes Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, who both sang, wrote music, and played guitar • In 1989, the group won the Grammy for Best Folk Recording for their self-titled album • They’re known for their activism with LGBTQ rights, the death penalty, Native American rights, and environmentalism
Once in a blue moon
“The Green Mile”
• An American “fantasy drama film” written and directed by Frank Darabont and starring Tom Hanks, based on the Stephen King novel • The Green Mile tells the story of a Depression-era death row supervisor and a prison inmate who is not what he seems • The movie was wildly successful, going on to earn over $130 million in the U.S. and was nominated for four Oscars in 2000
Indigo Girls
• A novel by Alice Walker • Centers around a feminist, uneducated Black woman’s struggle for empowerment • “The Color Purple” was adapted for film, and premiered on December 18, 1985 • “The Color Purple” was also adapted for the theatre, and the first Broadway production premiered in 2005
• Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo is a book written by Ntozake Shange in 1982 • Took 8 years to finish • It’s the story of three Black sisters, whose names give the book their title. • They are from Charleston, South Carolina • Sassafrass is the oldest. She is a poet and a weaver. Cypress is a dancer and leaves home to start a new life for herself. Indigo is the youngest, and she also loves poetry and sees the “magic” in the world
Source: IMDb, The Numbers, Penguin Random House, Seussville, Random House Books, Indigo Girls, Grammy, Songfacts, New York Times, Ellafitzgerald.com, Amazon, Officalntzakeshange.com, Britannica, Alicewalkersgarden.com, Theatrical Rights Worldwide, The Guardian, New Musical Express, Violetchachki. com, Spotify, Screenrant, Louisbayard. com, City of Lumberton, Penguin.com, Genius, Fandom, New Statesman, The Conversation, Lone Star College, SecondHandSongs, Coldplay.com, Chevymall, Wikipedia, WarnerBros, Unsplash, WikiMedia Commons, Pixy, Flickr, Simon & Schuster, myscienceschool.org, BlueStarFam. org, Fandom,Youtube
Fall 2020 | Ball Bearings | 11
Column
Feeling
BLUE Nearly half of college students experience a depressive episode. Story by Corynne Menard Illustration by Elliott DeRose
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Column
D
epression — chances are, you or someone you know has battled it at some point. Research gathered by the American College Health Association shows that 16% of college students report that depression has had a negative impact on their academic performance. Maybe you’ve experienced a bout of feeling blue, lasting a short period of time, or clinical depression, lasting longer than two weeks. A survey by The American College Health Association reports 40% of U.S. college students experienced at least one major depressive episode in 2018. After multiple losses in her family, Grace Georgi, a junior at Ball State University, was diagnosed with unspecified episodic mood disorder, which is characterized by random bouts of mood disturbances, or episodes. She noticed that she was struggling with school work and she started to distance herself from her peers. It wasn’t until she started taking medication nine years ago and going to therapy that things started to look up for Grace. “I always say that I’ve been really privileged in the fact that I’ve been able to go to therapy,” Grace says. “I know that some people never even get the opportunity to start therapy.” But what about feeling blue? Maybe you’ve noticed that when the seasons change, your mood sinks down a bit, but after you adjust, you feel a bit better. “Most of us experience a down or blue day from time to time, especially when it is cold, dark, and gloomy outside, but we have ways of coping that help to bring us out of this mood,” says Ellen Lucas, associate director of outreach for the Ball State Counseling Center. Lucas has worked at Ball State for 30 years, and has a doctorate in counseling psychology. Her areas of expertise
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are eating disorders and career exploration. Tori Floyd, a junior at Ball State, says she notices that she feels blue more often than she feels depressed. “I will feel blue from anywhere between two to five days consecutively, and then I’ll have a break for a day or two and the cycle starts again. I don’t know 100% that it’s not depression, but I’m able to pick myself up more often than not,” she says. Tori says stress is her biggest trigger. “It can make me feel so lonely. Even
Anxiety and depression top the list of problems teens see among their peers Percent of teens who believe each of the following is a problem among people their age in their communities. This survey looked at teens ages 13 to 17. Major Problem
Minor Problem
Not a Problem
Anxiety and depression 70
26
4
Bullying 55
35
10
Drug addiction 51
35
13
Drinking alcohol 45
39
16
47
13
Poverty 40 Teen Pregnancy 34
44
21
Gangs 33
38
Source: Pew Research Center Elliott DeRose, Ball Bearings
29
when I’m in a room full of people. I feel alone,” she says. Tori has scheduled a therapy appointment at Ball State’s Counseling Center. “It takes a very long period of time to get into the counseling center, and some people have so much trauma that they don’t want to go back through all of that just so the counselor can understand them and the way they think. Not to mention, right now they are only doing Zoom sessions, and a lot of people need in-person help,” says Tori. William Betts, director of counseling and health services, says the Ball State service has made some changes in recent years in order to decrease wait times, like having more availability at the beginning of the semester, because that’s when many students are starting therapy. Betts says this year, wait times have improved, with many students being able to get sameday or following-day appointments after calling. Social media is one avenue people take to openly talk about their mood disorders and mental health. It has even led to new forms of receiving therapy, like virtual sessions with a licensed therapist. However, Grace says social media also can put a damper on her mood. “I find that social media
Reach out if you are struggling If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or feeling blue, below are some resources available to Ball State students, faculty, and staff.
Counseling Center Lucina Hall, Room 320 Muncie, IN 47306 765-285-1736
National Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-TALK
Crisis Text Line Text “GO” to 741741
Meridian Health Services Crisis Line 800-333-2647 or 765-286-1695 Source: Ball State University, Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Crisis Text Line, Meridian Health Services
You deserve to feel better; feeling sad all the time, or losing interest in things you love, or even avoiding assignments is not normal. That is not part of the college experience. You deserve to get better. - Grace Georgi, Ball State University junior has helped my mental health in a lot of ways, but it also hurts it. Seeing
where my friends are all hanging out without inviting me only makes me feel more isolated and alone, and seeing unrealistic photos of people really hurt me when I was younger and struggling with my body image,” Grace says. Like Grace, social media is also a cause of insecurity for Tori. “I’m fairly confident in myself like 80% of the time, but when I have the days I’m not feeling secure, social media doesn’t help,” says Tori. With more and more people using social media to reach out and find other people who feel like they do comes one large danger: self-diagnosing. “The danger of self-diagnosing a mental disorder is that you may not be aware of the symptoms or may be minimizing their concerns and symptoms,” says Lucas. “Sometimes people tell themselves ‘it will get better after this test’ and don’t seek help when they need to. Often things can get worse instead of better, so my suggestion is that when in doubt, call
the Counseling Center and we can help you to figure out what is going on and suggest services to help you to cope and feel better.” Lucas says the Counseling Center is only able to offer virtual appointments at this time, but they also offer virtual group counseling, outreach programs, and informational videos on several mood disorders on their website under the “Outreach” tab. “I also want students to know that if they are struggling with dealing with COVID and all that has come with this pandemic, taking classes virtually, not seeing their friends and family as often as they would want, not having the activities they usually have, and not having fall break, we are here to help them through this,” Lucas says. “You deserve to feel better,” says Grace. “Feeling sad all the time, or losing interest in things you love, or even avoiding assignments is not normal. That is not part of the college experience. You deserve to get better. I know it feels like this is permanent, like this is the only way you’ll ever feel, but it gets better.” g
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Feature
The Muncie Castle, owned by the Logans, started its handmade journey in 1996 and was not finished until 2015. Kristen Triplett, Ball Bearings
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Multi-
-Storied An exclusive look at the history behind some of Muncie’s most unique and grandiose homes. By Becca Foerder
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The Thomas Kirby house lays beyond a trail of leaves and a gate of Christmas decorations. Janie Arseneaux, Ball Bearings
Fall leaves cover the Thomas Kirby house and its solar panels atop its roof, which were put in by the current owners. Janie Arseneaux, Ball Bearings
H
i. I’m Muncie, Indiana. Welcome to my cribs. From castles to historical landmarks to mansions, Muncie has a wide variety of houses to offer its residents. Although the city is home to many people, some have chosen more unique dwelling places than others. Muncie Castle: Bob and Barbara Logan are among the select few who have strayed from the cookie-cutter, square-brick homestead. Instead, the Logans traded a white picket fence and shutter-framed window panes for towering stone walls, elegant arches, and beautifully crafted columns that make up their 4400-square-foot castle. Bob and Barbara Logan’s love story began when eight-year-old Bob ran into four-year-old Barbara, who had run away from home. A true knight in shining armor, Bob rescued Barbara and took her home with him. ‘Please? Can we keep her?’ Bob begged his mother that day. Despite his pleas, Bob’s family helped Barbara find her way back to her own home. But the pair have been inseparable ever since. When they were young, Barabara used to sing often on their hikes. One of her favorite ballads was “Down In The Valley” by Burl Ives. “Build me a castle 40 feet high / So I can see her as she rides by,” she sang as they walked. Bob and Barbara celebrated their 52nd
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anniversary this year and Barbara can still recall the day Bob asked her to marry him. ‘Marry me and I will build you a castle,’ he said. Barbara says she never thought he would actually do it, but, true to his word, Bob started building their castle at the end of Fullhart Drive in Muncie in 1996. Bob, a skilled carpenter, did much of the work himself. Each block was poured, formed, and textured by hand with a small cement mixer in their backyard using special forms. Thousands of these 300-pound blocks make up the building’s exterior. Even the woodwork and trim details are all handmade. Thanks to the work of Bob, Barbara, and their families, the finishing touches were put on the castle in 2015. “It was a lot of slow work,” says Barbara. “Had we hired out for it all, it would have been so costly we would never have been able to do it.” From start to finish, the Logans estimate the project cost them somewhere between $80,000 to $100,000, which is quite impressive considering building a medieval-style stone castle today is estimated to cost somewhere around $6 million, according to the book Castle: A History of the Buildings that Shaped Medieval Britain by Marc Morris. The Logans’ castle is among only a handful of others in the state of Indiana, but it is the only castle in the city of Muncie. According to Barbara, the decision to build the castle in Muncie was an easy one.
Although it may seem like an odd location for such a grandiose building, Muncie was where Bob and Barbara both grew up. “This is where we wanted to stay,” says Barbara. “Close to family.” Unsurprisingly, the castle has attracted some attention. According to the Logans, people have even asked to rent out the space for weddings, parties, and other events. To passersby, it’s Muncie Castle — a beautiful, magical palace plucked straight from a fairytale book that you can’t help but stop and admire. To Bob and Barbara Logan, it’s home. Thomas Kirby House: About a mile up the road from the Logan’s castle, on East Jackson Street, sits the oldest house in Delaware County. The Thomas Kirby House was commissioned in 1839 by Thomas Kirby himself. Kirby was an early settler and entrepreneur in Muncie, arriving in the city nearly 50 years before the Ball Brothers. According to Delaware County Historical Society Editor Chris Flook, Kirby was one of the first non-Native residents of the community, and he was involved in a lot of things. Flook says Kirby originally came to sell ginseng, fur, and other mercantile items in the 1830s. Upon his arrival in Muncie, he became heavily involved in business, in particular early real estate, which made him fabulously wealthy. The Thomas Kirby House was officially declared a historical landmark in 1999, according to a National Register of Historic Places record from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. The same record also officially marked a group of properties on Jackson, Wolfe, Lincoln, and Main Streets as the Kirby Historic District. The house is now inhabited by Bob
and Julie Fritz, who have lived there for 50 years. Bob and Julie raised four kids in the house and are responsible for officially having the land marked as a nature preserve. Bob and Julie have made some adjustments to the house, such as renovating a few of the interior rooms and adding solar panels to the roof, but preserving the house’s history is very important to them. “The people who have lived here before, they took care of the house the best way that they knew how. And that’s what we do now. We take care of it the best way we know how,” says Julie. As for Thomas Kirby, he is buried in Beech Grove Cemetery in Muncie, a 10-minute drive away from his former home. But rumor has it his spirit never left the house. “This is folklore, not history, but the house is supposedly totally haunted. Someone once told me that, as the story goes, the ghost of Thomas Kirby will take his head off and roll it down the stairs,” says Flook. Julie doesn’t deny that the house may very well be haunted. In fact, she says she and Bob have sensed more than one spirit looming around their home. Haunted or not, Thomas Kirby’s house still stands, tucked away in the woods behind towering American sycamore and sugar maple trees, boasting more than 180 years of history. Maplewood Mansion: Although not quite as old as the Thomas Kirby House, Maplewood Mansion is another historical wonder within the city. Built in 1898, Maplewood Mansion was originally constructed for William C. Ball, one of the five Ball Brothers, whose contributions to the city of Muncie include Ball Memorial Hospital, Minnetrista, and of course, Ball State University. William, the eldest of the brothers and the founder of the Ball Corporation, commissioned Maplewood Mansion for himself, his wife Emma, and his son William. The red brick, Georgian-inspired home was built on the east side of the Ball family property and still stands today off of Minnetrista Boulevard, right next to Oakhurst Gardens. The mansion was eventually inherited by the Ball Brothers Foundation — a family foundation which works to uphold the mission of the Ball Brothers by
supporting organizations and projects that enrich the quality of life in Muncie. Currently, the Ball Brothers Foundation leases Maplewood Mansion to Ball State. The university made arrangements with the IU School of Medicine-Muncie to lease the mansion to third- and fourth-year students with the Indiana University School of Medicine who are working on a clerkship at a hospital, health department, or health center in the Muncie area. Students typically stay at the house, appropriately nicknamed Muncie’s Medical Mansion, somewhere between four to nine weeks, or however long their rotation in Muncie happens to be. During their stay, they get their own bedroom and bathroom, as well as access to a kitchen, community rooms and various study spaces. According to Ball Brothers Foundation Vice President Jenna Wachtmann, leasing the mansion was a win-win because it benefits the students who get to live there and also gives the historical building a modern purpose. “Maplewood, like all of the homes on Minnetrista Boulevard, is an iconic piece of the city’s history,” says Wachtmann. “Maplewood is the only residential home on the boulevard and offers IU School of Medicine students an incredible
opportunity to live in the heart of Muncie.” Third-year IU medical student Nick Ferguson from Fort Wayne, Indiana is one of the four current residents at Maplewood. Nick spends most of his time working six- to 12-hour shifts at the hospital, but he tries to soak up the time he gets to be at the mansion. “It is a pretty cozy place. It’s really nice to have multiple places around the house to study and everyone here is just super great,” says Nick. The partnership between the IU School of Medicine-Muncie and the Ball Brothers Foundation allows students like Nick to have a temporary home while doing rotations in Muncie and provides an immersive, community-centered experience, all while giving them an opportunity to live in a luxurious mansion for a few weeks. One of Nick’s favorite things about the house is the view from his bedroom window, which overlooks downtown Muncie and the White River. Perhaps William Ball also admired the view from the windows of the mansion more than 120 years ago. Rather than letting William’s former home sit vacant, the Ball Brothers Foundation ensures that many others will also enjoy the mansion for many years to come. g
The Maplewood Mansion, currently housing four medical students, is located in Minnetrista, one of Muncie’s landmarks. Janie Arseneaux, Ball Bearings
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Getting to Know Some Muncie Black Businesses JohnTom’s Barbecue, BE’s Beauty, and Tailored Technology are 3 prominent Black-owned businesses in Muncie. By Sam Nower
L
athay Pegues remembers waking up to the sweet and tangy smell of his grandfather John Tom Branson’s barbecuing. He’d often get up early and cook for the whole neighborhood using his secret recipe. His grandfather passed away when he was 11 years old, but some of Lathay’s fondest memories of him involve that famous barbecue recipe. “I spent a lot of time around my grandpa growing up,” he says. “And so I was kind of embedded in this barbecue culture.” One weekend, Lathay, then attending Indiana University, was barbecuing and decided to see if he could recreate his grandfather’s recipe. This started a fiveyear experimentation process, trying to get all the ingredients just right. Lathay never exactly recreated his grandfather’s sauce, but he discovered something new in the process: he’d made his own delicious creation. So delicious, in fact, that it could be bottled and sold. Lathay Pegues sits at his desk where he runs Lathay and his business partners, his barbeque business, JohnTom’s Barbeque. He Terrell Cooper and Rodney Robinson, works out of Madjax, on Main Street in Muncie, Indiana. Corynne Menard, Ball Bearings started JohnTom’s Barbecue sauce in 2006, combining his grandfather’s name to create their brand. They bottled three stores, including select Kroger and Target distinct flavors: JohnTom’s Original, locations. It’s used by restaurants and has Hoosier Heat, and Sneaky Hot. accounts with Ball State University and They did a test run at the Indianapolis Indiana University. It’s been reviewed by Black Business Expo in July of 2006, Food Network chefs such as Pam Ward where they gave out free samples and had and barbecue aficionados alike. In 2017, some bottles ready to sell, just enough to JohnTom’s Barbecue was named Indiana’s gauge public opinion. favorite barbecue sauce by Indianapolis By the end of the day, only three Monthly magazine. bottles remained. JohnTom’s Barbecue is part of the new “All I can say is, by the end of the first Muncie chapter of the Black Chamber of day, there was no question we had a Commerce. Lathay said the experience of product that people were raving about,” starting the chamber and the outpouring he says. of community support the project has Since that day, business has taken off. received is inspiring. He says he’s grateful JohnTom’s Barbecue is sold in over 100 to the Muncie community for supporting
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his business. “I just want to give back to my community and hopefully can grow this business to where I’m hiring Muncie residents, and I’m gainfully employing Muncie residents,” he says.
Lifestyle
W
hen Bernisa Elliott started BE’s Beauty 16 years ago, there was only one hair salon that primarily served minority women in the Muncie area. She wanted to give minority women another option, so she opened BE’s Beauty, which specializes in selling wigs, extensions, and hair supplies. Since then, BE’s Beauty has been open for over a decade, built a loyal customer base, and expanded into a hair salon and beauty bar next door. “I love my customers, and just the satisfaction that I get from them coming in feeling some type of way or wanting a new look,” she says. “And for me to be able to assist them just to get a new look and just help them on their journey.” Bernisa says the coronavirus shutdown in March was a challenge for her business, but she was surprised at the amount of regulars who supported her and kept coming back for curbside pickup. Many of her regulars were still excited to get their hair done and wanted to take a look at new arrivals. Bernisa was committed to them, holding up products through the windows of her store for them to view. She says she believes
Bernisa Elliott, owner of BE’s Beauty in Muncie, Indiana, stands by her wide array of wigs, as her shop is filled floor to ceiling with hair care supplies. Shannon McCloskey, Ball Bearings
her customers remained loyal to her business because beauty is more than just looking good. “Whatever it is for each woman, when you achieve that look, then you just feel better and have a little extra pep in your step,” she says. Like Lathay, Bernisa is also a member of the Muncie Black Chamber of Commerce. She is passionate about helping her
George Foley Jr. runs his graphic design business, Tailored Technology, out of the art staple Madjax in Muncie, Indiana. Sam Nower, Ball Bearings
G
eorge Foley Jr. has big plans for his Muncie small business. “I’m kind of good about thinking outside the box. Muncie is small, but I sometimes have a big city mentality, and I think we need to think bigger than the size of our table,” he says. The Muncie graphic designer and owner of graphic design business Tailored Technology says his favorite
part of his job is being able to help other businesses succeed. George saw a surge in business when the coronavirus pandemic hit. “It really boomed to a whole other level,” he says. “Because people needed the technology. They wanted to be more visible.” George started Tailored Technology in 2011 after graduating from Ball State University with a degree in marketing, followed by a Master’s degree from Indiana Wesleyan University. He noticed there were very few minority designers in the Muncie area, and he wanted to make a difference. George says he saw a lot of success when Tailored Technology designed public
community and giving opportunities to other minority-owned businesses. “That’s the whole purpose is to bring these businesses to the forefront and to let not just minorities know this is what we have, and this is what’s available for us by us, but also just Muncie as a whole,” she says. “There’s some great businesses and entrepreneurs there, and a lot of people don’t even know about it.” relations materials and advertisements for the NAACP state conference in Muncie in 2018. That was when people really started to see his work and ask what he could do for them, according to George. Since then, George has designed websites for the Health Coalition of Delaware County, First Choice Electric, and Terry Whitt Bailey’s Campaign for Muncie mayor, among many others. George says his work with Whitt Bailey’s campaign was one of his favorite moments so far. “She just let me use my own creativity, and she trusted me with the project,” he says. “And she came that close to being the first African American woman to be the mayor of the city, and she always would tell me that I was a big part of that almost happening for her.” Also a member of the Muncie Black Chamber, George says he’s proud to serve the Muncie community. “I saw a need for [this business] in Muncie because I want to see this city grow back to what it was when I was younger,” he says. “And whatever I can do to help a business grow, and of course hire more employees, which helps our city, that was the passion that I had.” g Fall 2020 | Ball Bearings | 21
Feature
Stained Glass:
The Lavender Ceiling Just like the glass ceiling for women, the lavender ceiling prevents many LGBTQ individuals from job attainment and security. By Grace Duerksen
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Rachel Replogle is a Ball State University alumna and owner of Replogle Studios, a photography and videography business. Shannon McCloskey, Ball Bearings
F
eeding Her Wolf
Is the teleprompter font large enough? Check. Is the stage equipment set up correctly? Check. Are the lights and speakers in the perfect position? Check. During the week, Rachel Replogle worked at her local church, and prepared the rest of the staff for their upcoming Sunday service. On the outside, Rachel spent most of her time behind the scenes, making sure everything ran smoothly as the church’s tech director. She was a churchgoer
before she began her job at one. She studied the Bible and strengthened her belief in God regularly. On the inside, she was suppressing her own beliefs about herself as she tried to deny her sexuality every day at work. Rachel says she was influenced by a lot of heteronormative ideals before she came out. “I tried conversion therapy. I tried a bunch of stuff. I just had messed up theology. And as my theology began to change, I started to question more things. I started to accept myself more,” Fall 2020 | Ball Bearings | 25
Feature
says Rachel. “I had this metaphor in my head that my sin was like a wolf,” she says. “And the more that I fed the wolf, the bigger it would grow, and the more control it would have over me. When the truth of the matter is, it was exactly the opposite. The more I starved the wolf, the more I starved myself.” Unfortunately, Rachel knew that her time at the church was limited if she fully accepted who she was and came out as a lesbian. “It was very clear that I would not be able to continue working at that church if I fully came out. So I sort of did them a favor, and I resigned, so that they wouldn’t have to fire me,” Rachel says. According to Rachel, resigning from
her job at the church was less like losing a job, but more like moving to another country, where she had to relearn everything she thought she already knew. “It was like learning that up was down and down was up and everything’s been inside out the whole time, and the whole world is completely not what I thought it was,” she says. “It was like learning that I’ve been seeing green, and everyone else sees purple. Suddenly I don’t know which way is up and which way is down, and I don’t know what happens after I die, and I don’t know if good and evil actually exists. And I don’t know if I’ll ever see my dead relatives again, and I don’t know if I’m lovable, and I don’t know who I am. I had to completely reinvent the world that I knew. I had to re-evaluate everything I’d
Rachel is one of the 25% of LGBTQ members in the United States who have experienced discrimination in the work place because of their identities. Shannon McCloskey, Ball Bearings
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ever thought of. I didn’t even realize that I didn’t have much of an identity outside of my religious perspective, and so I had to completely reinvent myself.” Her resignation also caused a significant financial struggle, to the point where Rachel still struggles with debt to this day, even after finding a replacement job at Panera Bread. But she says the change also allowed her to reform her theology and get to a better place mentally. For decades, women have scaled the ladder to try to reach gender equality in male-dominated workplaces. Whether it’s for equal opportunities, higher pay, or more respect, the glass ceiling stands in the way of countless women attempting to reach their full potential. According to the most recent 2020 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women today only make about 81.7% of the salary that men make. Similar to the glass ceiling for women, the lavender ceiling is a barrier for members of the LGBTQ community who also face struggles in their communities, workplaces, and daily lives. The term ‘lavender ceiling’ was introduced into mainstream media during the 1990s, after a Los Angeles Times writer used the term in an article. The word ceiling is used to describe a barrier that one faces, while the color lavender has been associated with LGBTQ people since at least the 17th century. Today, lavender is used by LGBTQ people to express pride for their community. In the United States, 4.5% of people identify as members of the LGBTQ community. Out of this percentage, at least 25% report facing discrimination in their place of employment based on their identity, according to a study conducted by the Movement Advancement Project. Some companies use religion to discriminate against LGBTQ members. The former CEO of Chick-Fil-A, Dan
Cathy, received backlash for comments that he made in an interview with The Biblical Recorder in 2012, stating that he and his company supported the “biblical definition of the family unit,” insinuating that he does not support LGBTQ families. The Christian-owned company received backlash across various social media platforms as a result of these comments. In response to religious conflicts like these, then-Governor Mike Pence signed into law the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in March of 2015, which was designed to allow individuals and companies to legally defend themselves in court if they refused service to individuals who did not align with their religious beliefs. For example, under the law, a bakery could refuse to make a cake for a same-sex wedding. Many saw RFRA as a direct attack on LGBTQ residents. Yet, federal law states employment discrimination based on sexual orientation violates federal civil rights. Shortly after the bill was passed in March, Pence later amended the bill in April 2015, which intended to protect LGBTQ members from discriminatory acts such as firing or refusing to hire someone based on their sexual orientation. “Indiana has the fewest legal protections for queer people out of all of the states. So it’s actually the worst state to live in legally as a queer person,” says Rachel, who has friends who fear for their rights due to their identity. “I know gay people who hide that they’re gay because they’re afraid of being evicted.” Even with the amendments to the Restoration Act, Indiana remains a tougher place to live for LGBTQ individuals. In its annual State Equality Index report, the Human Rights Campaign labeled Indiana “high priority to achieve basic equality.” This ranking means Indiana lacks protections for things like housing,
LAVENDER CEILING [ lav-uhn-der see-ling ] What does lavender ceiling mean?
The term “lavender ceiling” refers to the metaphorical limit specifically imposed on LGBTQ people that prevents them from professionally developing and advancing in their careers. Lavender ceilings stem from systemic bias and discrimination in the workplace and society targeted toward LGBTQ people.
Why lavender?
The color lavender has been associated with gay people since the 1800s. The pale purple was originally associated with LGBTQ people through fashion, but after the “Lavender Scare” of the mid-1900s — a moral panic surrounding the threats of gay people to the United States — LGBTQ people have reimagined the color and now use lavender as a symbol of pride. Source: Dictionary.com
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Feature
LGBTQ Rights The path to equality has been a long and slow journey for the LGBTQ community in the United States. Josephine Baker
was a vaudeville performer in the 1920s who advocated for civil rights and is thought by many to be bisexual.
2000
1924
Henry Gerber founded the society for Human Rights, which was the first known gay rights group in America
1970
The first Pride March in history was held in New York City, and was called the “Christopher Street Gay Liberation Day March�
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Vermont becomes the first state to recognize civil unions between same-sex couples
2003 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rules that preventing samesex marriage is a violation of the state constitution
in the USA 2020
Supreme Court rules that LGBTQ Americans are protected under the federal workplace protection laws
2010
President Obama repeals “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”, which allows members of the LGBTQ community to serve openly in the military
2009-2011 The states of Vermont, New York, New Hampshire, Maine, and the District of Columbia legalize same-sex marriage
2015 Same-sex marriage is legalized in all 50 states in the U.S.
Source: Freevectormaps, Unsplash, Pxfuel, Business Insider, Intersections, National Womens History Museum, Pixabay Elliott DeRose, Ball Bearings
Fall 2020 | Ball Bearings | 29
Feature A pride parade is photographed by Mason Pippenger. Mason Pippenger, Photo Provided
education, and healthcare for LGBTQ individuals. In 2019, a report by the Movement Advancement Project found that U.S. transgender individuals are three times more likely to be unemployed than the rest of the population. This number is even higher for trans people in rural communities. The report found 27% of rural transgender employees experienced discrimination in the past year. A report by the Human Rights Campaign found 59% percent of U.S. non-LGBTQ individuals think it is unprofessional to discuss gender identity and sexual orientation in the workplace. Rachel, a current Muncie resident, faces this issue on a daily basis as she runs her own photography and videography business, Replogle Studios. “I’m in the workspace as a queer person. So one of the reasons I started my business is actually because of that issue,” she says. Rachel says it feels like she is sometimes stigmatized due to her identity. “I remember having a conversation with one of my [former] co-workers, who was a safe person to talk to, and I was talking about my girlfriend or whatever. And then later on, my boss makes an announcement to the whole team that we should stop talking about personal information while we’re on the job site. I kind of felt like that was about me,” she says.
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A 2018 report by the Human Rights Campaign shows that nearly half of LGBTQ employees in the workforce today remain closeted for fear of jeopardizing their careers or their relationships with coworkers and employers. “I currently have to hide my identity for one of my clients, because I know
It was like learning that I’ve been seeing green and everyone else sees purple. - Rachel Replogle, Owner of Replogle Studios and Ball State University alumna they wouldn’t [pay],” Rachel says. She says she’s not in a financial place where she feels comfortable coming out to this particular client because they are a repeat customer, and their business helps her with her yearly budget. Despite this issue, Rachel says she is determined to continue her business and move into a space where she can
be louder about what she believes and what she stands for. Her company is gaining traction in the Muncie community. She’s recently seen a surge in business and has had to turn down gigs that can’t pay full price, bringing her one step closer to being able to drop certain clients, like the one she has to conceal her identity from. Rachel says being an active member of the queer community has opened the door for both her business and for her new theology and outlook on life. “I did all of the media for Muncie’s first Pride Parade, which was virtual. And that was a great launching point for my business. I’ve left the church, and that was hard, but now I’m more plugged into the Muncie local community and the queer community here than I ever have been,” she says. Finding His Freedom After graduating from Ball State University in the winter of 2019, Mason Pippenger, a magazine journalism major, decided to move to Chicago, a city known for having a diverse culture. Mason knew that his creative ideas and beliefs were much bigger than his small home town of Nappanee, Indiana, so he needed to move out of state to pursue his future. “I knew I needed to get out of
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TubLove, a book of poetry by Jacob Barnes, is all photographed by Mason Pippenger. Mason Pippenger, Photo Provided
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After coming out, Rachel has started her own business and is gaining traction in the Muncie community. Shannon McCloskey, Ball Bearings
Feature
Indiana for every reason,” he says. “I love the city. Chicago is just a better place to be. People try to make safe spaces here. I look forward to finding a Black queer community where I can make more friends.” In college, Mason worked part-time, low-wage jobs that took a toll on him both mentally and emotionally. “I did work at Olive Garden as a server once, and I had this table with a family, and their kids started asking me questions like ‘Why do you sound like that?’ or ‘Why do you stand like that?’ and the parents just kind of laughed and didn’t say anything to their kids. It really did get to me,” he says. There are many factors that play a role in discrimination in the workplace. Fortunately for Mason, his new path in life allows him to look back on those times as distant memories of the past. “My favorite part about my current job is that I have the freedom to explore. I’ve been blessed to know the right people, and I like that I get to work when I want to. In freelance writing and photography, a lot of people are just going for it and doing it. We have the vision,” he says. Now, Mason smiles as he looks forward to his future. He plans on trying his hand at writing things like short pieces or even penning his own book. Making Them Visible Ball State professor Rai Peterson says she has witnessed change throughout the years with the help of younger generations fighting for their rights and equality. “Changes have been more and faster than I expected,” she says. “I never thought I would see the federal government recognize same-sex marriages. I never thought I would see straight allies talking about queer issues in social media. I never thought I’d see a sitting U.S.
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President endorse same sex-marriage or choose to ignore the Defense of Marriage Act. I see a lot of good happening in the world, and not just for gay people, but for Black people, people of color, and transgender folks. I think that as society becomes less restrictive, it becomes more creative, more positive, and more ready to embrace change.” Among the classes Rai teaches at Ball State are Queer Literature and Queer Theory. Rai’s personal studies were what originally inspired her to teach these classes, which are now very popular choices among students.
In freelance writing and photography, a lot of people are just going for it and doing it. We have the vision. - Mason Pippenger, Ball State alumnus “I started researching a biography about a lesbian writer who lived in Paris from 1924 to 1975 named Solita Solano,” she says. “As I read her personal diaries and letters, I began to see that it was important to me that her life was still visible, and I thought I should propose some queer theory or queer literature courses so that we could make more such lives visible, and our own as well.” However, Rai remembers a time at Ball State that wasn’t so progressive.
“I had an assigned mentor who used homosexual slurs and epithets frequently. I had a former department chairperson who used to tell me that he was a religious person and my queer status was offensive to him, but he was trying to work with me in spite of that,” says Rai. Rai says that she expected microaggressions and having her ideas rejected in the work environment. Her mentor knew her and her family personally, and continued to express their feelings against homosexuality. “This isn’t an experience that is isolated to the queer community. Women, in general, were disparaged in the workplace constantly. You didn’t object to it any more than you would show up to work without pantyhose on; those were the rules, and you accepted them or you got a lesser job somewhere else,” says Rai. Ball State has clubs, classes, and organizations that educate about and advocate for LGBTQ rights and history, and push for equal opportunities. Clubs such as Spectrum and Alliance are student-run organizations that advocate for and celebrate LGBTQ members, but are open to all who wish to join. Rai says that she has seen first-hand discrimination decrease throughout her years of teaching. Now that she’s taught at Ball State for over 40 years, she truly stands by what she teaches and is passionate about Ball State and the Muncie community. “It really took getting these issues onto the national agenda to help people see that queer issues are human issues, and women’s rights are human rights,” she says. “Our country is still in the midst of some deep introspection about judging others for who they are. We aren’t done with it. But when we look back some 40 or 50 years, we can see that we are making progress as
Rai Peterson takes a selfie with her spouse, Karla Kirby. Rai Peterson, Photo Provided
Rai Peterson takes a selfie at a Ball State graduation with students in Muncie, Indiana. Rai Peterson, Photo Provided
Rai Peterson is seen pictured with her spouse and two dogs. Rai Peterson, Photo Provided
Q and A
TASTING THE
RAINBOW Individuals who have Synesthesia or Color Vision Deficiency discuss how they experience their conditions. Story By Skylar Ahlberg Illustrations By Kamryn Tomlinson
H
ave you ever associated a school subject with a color? What about a number with a certain sound? This rare neurological condition is called Synesthesia. It only affects 2% to 4% of the entire population and can cause you to hear colors, taste sounds, feel the pain of others and so much more. Synesthesia is defined as the production of a sense impression relating to one sense or part of the body by stimulation of another part of the body. Color Vision Deficiency (CVD) is defined as being unable to distinguish certain colors, or (rarely in humans) any color at all. There are three main types of CVD, Protanopia, Tritanopia, and Achromatopsia. You may know these more commonly as red-green, blueyellow, and complete color blindness. But to those who have never experienced these conditions, they may be hard to visualize. Ball Bearings sat down with individuals who have color blindness or synesthesia to talk about how they experience their conditions. Rachel Cooley is a synesthete from Terre Haute, Indiana, and an English teacher at Indiana State University and Ivy Tech. I can remember it growing as a child, because I was learning things about language, time, shapes, and meeting new people. At the same time, the process of it developing came naturally. It always stuck. I first learned about Synesthesia when I was going into my freshman year of college. I had heard about it and I was like ‘Oh, that sounds weird!’ But then I thought about it and I realized “hey wait a minute that’s that thing that I do,” so
38 | BallBearingsMag.com | Fall 2020
Types of Colorblindness Tritanormal
What normal vision looks like
Monochromacy While extremely rare, prevents individuals from seeing any color.
Deuteranopia
Makes it hard or nearly impossible for individuals to tell the difference between reds and greens
Tritanopia
Inhibits people from telling the difference between blue and green, purple and red, and yellow and pink. Source: National Eye Institute Kamryn Tomlinson, Ball Bearings
it always kind of made me feel special because I didn’t know anything about it, and a lot people I knew didn’t know much about it either, but I really like talking about it because it’s just one of those
things that makes me unique. As an English instructor I am always curious to see what people are writing. I actually have a couple different types of Synesthesia. The main one is Grapheme Color, which is where language has a color. For me, all the letters of the alphabet have a color and every word in the language does have a color to me as well. People with Synesthesia are typically very anal about colors, and trying to find the exact shade can be really frustrating when I am trying to show people what I see. Something that is less common, is I have Gustatory Synesthesia, so a lot of the words also have tastes. I didn’t think about this, but when I was younger, I can remember sitting in class, and I would get really hungry, because a teacher used a certain word. I also have number personality. So numbers one through nine all have their characters. I can also taste faces. This isn’t as strong as when I was younger, I am not sure why. But, when Bill Clinton was president, he tasted like the sweet rolls from Texas Roadhouse. Marilyn Manson, the most dangerous man in America, tasted like the Jalapeño Poppers from Arby’s, and there are certain cartoon characters that will have a taste attached to them as well. A lot of people have a musical Synesthesia. I don’t really know how to describe how I process music. Music has a texture more than a color to me. And also the months, to me, are vertical, and weeks are horizontal. Abel Euler is an artist for her own company “Snazzy Starlight” out of Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she makes Synesthesia art. I have Chromesthesia and Grapheme
Section
Synesthesia is known for its potential to bind two senses, most notably its ability to cross variants like auditory tones and colorless numbers to produce vivid colors. Synesthesia is present in only 2% to 4% of the population. While the colors designated to numbers and sounds are the same throughout one person’s lifetime, they can vary among individuals.
4%
Color Synesthesia. I have the associative kind of Synesthesia so when I hear music, it is like a daydream or a thought instead of it being projected out into the real world. But when I hear music, the best way to describe it is like those old Windows Media Players graphics. There is just a constant motion as the song plays. I was 14 I believe, when I found out about Synesthesia. I was in psychology class and they brought it up. It sounded familiar to me, so I researched it and brought it up to my doctor and she agreed with me that it fit what I have. Every song I hear is a little bit different. For example, Carrie Underwood and Blake Shelton sound and look massively different even though they’re in the same genre. Synesthesia is a lot more common than people think, and a lot of times people go their whole lives without
knowing they have it, so they never report it. But I think it is an amazing thing that no two people see the same thing. I
It is amazing that you get to see the world in such bright beautiful colors because I see the world in a dimmer aspect. - Claire Verboncoeur, Ball State University junior
Source: US National Library of Medicine Kamryn Tomlinson, Ball Bearings
just think that’s really rad. Claire Verboncoeur is a junior at Ball State University. She is an illustrator for the Daily News, and she is colorblind. I can’t tell specific shades apart such as red and orange or blue and purple. Basically, I can’t tell apart colors that are touching on the color wheel. I discovered I was colorblind during my freshman year of college. I was working on a color wheel for a class, and even though it looked correct to me, everyone else kept telling me it wasn’t correct. I tried Enchroma glasses one time, and I had never realized how bright neon colors actually were. It is amazing that you get to see the world in such bright beautiful colors because I see the world in a dimmer aspect. It is an opportunity to see the world brightly, so take advantage of it. Ball Bearings has edited statements for clarity. g Fall 2020 | Ball Bearings | 39
Feature
Construction and Industry
Noise Pollution Environmental noise — any unwanted noise generated by human activities — saw a decline of up to 50% as more people stayed home and continued to
socially distance. The “2020 quiet period” is the longest and most prominent global anthropogenic environmental noise reduction ever recorded.
• Production equipment • Heavy machinery • Demolition
COVID-19 and the environment:
Is a Global Shutdown Green? The coronavirus pandemic has led to both positive and negative environmental changes, but how long will their impacts last? Story By Taylor Smith Graphics By Elliott DeRose and Taylor Smith On a normal day, a number of China’s 400 million registered car drivers wake up, grab their keys, and start their commute, according to Statista. Earthday.org found, one million plastic water bottles are purchased around the world every minute, and fewer than 23% of them
are recycled. In 2019 alone, beaches along the coasts of Florida saw more than 130 million visitors according to visitflorida.org.. But once COVID-19 — an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 — made its debut, those numbers decreased drastically. Fewer people left their houses, resulting in less cars on the road, less plastic was recycled, and Florida’s
beaches completely closed to the public for a period of time. These changes led to both positive and negative impacts on the global environment. It’s an argument that has been beat to death already — COVID-19 is “good” for the environment. The pandemic is “improving environments” and “reversing climate change,” but how many of these claims are true, and what evidence is there to prove it? g
Air Pollution -2
Fell by 36%
0 -4 -2
Fell by 7.4%
-6
Fell by 19%
-4 -8 -6 -10
Apr.
Mar.
Power
Feb.
Jan.
Apr.
Mar.
Surface transport
Feb.
Jan.
Apr.
Mar.
-10
Feb.
-8
Industry
These three sectors combined account for 86% of the total reductions in GHG emissions from January through April compared to 2019’s numbers.
2 0 2 -2 0 -4 -2 -6 -4 -8
Fell by 60% greatest decline in emissions due to travel bans
Increased by 2.8%
-6 -10 -8
Apr.
Public
Mar.
Feb.
Jan.
Aviation
Fell by 21%
Apr.
Mar.
Feb.
Jan.
Residential
Apr.
Feb.
Mar.
-10
Jan.
40 | BallBearingsMag.com | Fall 2020
0
Jan.
The first day of 2020 followed the same trends as years past in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. January 1 looked like any other — steady inclines of emissions at approximately 1% per year and consistent numbers when compared to the past decade. But as countries around the world began implementing strict stay-at-home orders and limiting public transportation and travel, global CO2 emissions began to decline at a fast rate. Daily CO2 emissions hit their peak drop in early April 2020 and had decreased by 17% when compared to 2019’s average CO2 emission levels. These changes occurred as a result of COVID-19 safety protocols. This sudden drop in anthropogenic activities like driving, flying, and industrial production led to a decline of more than 1 billion tons of carbon emissions worldwide. The residential sector was the only sector to have an increase in emissions due to people staying at home to self-isolate and using energy for air conditioning, cooking, refrigeration, and other house appliances.
Transport
Community Sources
Social and Leisure Sources
• Road traffic • Rail traffic • Air traffic
• Neighbors • Radio • Television • Bars and restaurants
• Fireworks • Toys • Rock concerts • Firearms
Wildlife One of the positive impacts of COVID-19 on the environment was seeing wildlife thrive. More people staying home and avoiding parks and
Health Effects nature reserves allowed animals to explore more of their habitat than they were previously allowed and to live in healthier environments. States that restricted beach access due to COVID-19:
Due to travel restrictions and a lack of tourists and beachgoers because of the COVID-19 pandemic, beaches around the world have seen a notable change in their appearance, including cleaner water and less garbage along the shores. Around the world, people have reported sightings of wildlife that, prior to COVID-19, often did not make an appearance.
• Pumas in Santiago, Chile • Dolphins in Trieste, Italy • Jackals in Tel Aviv, Israel
Alabama California Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan
Mississippi New Hampshire New Jersey New York North Carolina Oregon Rhode Island South Carolina Texas Virginia Washington
Since November 2019, authorities have found 11 leatherback sea turtle nests along the coasts of Thailand, the highest number of nests found in the past two decades.
During COVID-19 Before COVID-19
While a world of silence may be one’s worst nightmare, a decrease in environmental noise can improve overall well being. The World Health Organization and study for IOP science led by Lauren Smith show environmental noise has been linked to multiple negative health concerns. After COVID-19, health issues related to environmental noise decreased.
1 Cardiovascular disease
The auditory system is continuously analyzing the sounds around you. The increased arousal of your auditory system stresses the nervous system, which regulates bodily functions. Side effects of this stress can affect your homeostasis, therefore resulting in high blood pressure, ischaemic heart disease, and hypertension.
2 Cognitive impairment
For decades, it has been argued that noise negatively affects children’s learning abilities and memories. Studies have shown that exposure to noise causes trouble in children’s reading comprehension and attention span. Exposure during critical learning periods can impair educational development for life.
3 Sleep disturbance In 2050, there may be more plastic than fish in the sea.
Environmental noise causes unwanted arousal responses, awakenings, and sleep stage changes. Lack of sleep can negativelyGreen affect #087353 overall performance, memory, and increase the risk of accidents.
2
3
Every year, 8 million metric tons of plastic is disposed of in the ocean. This is equal to one garbage truck full of plastic being dumped into the ocean every minute. Sources: Nature Climate Change, American Association for the Advancement of Science, World Health Organization, Forbes, The Guardian, World Economic Forum, Nature Ecology & Evolution, Flaticon
1
Fall 2020 | Ball Bearings | 41
Feature
Turning Disposable
To resume business as safely as possible, restaurants have become more dependent on disposable packaging and other items. Virtually anything that could
As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the global disposable face mask market brought in more than $74 billion.
110
100
80
In 2019, China made approximately 15 million masks a day. After COVID-19, the daily output of masks in China skyrocketed to 110 million.
60
40
20
15 0
2019
2020
be converted to one-use, disposable materials was, and restaurants opened their doors to more customers, and with that, more waste.
Napkins
Waste Increase
Face Masks
120
Plastic bags
It is estimated that, globally, 129 billion disposable face masks and 65 million plastic gloves will be disposed of in the environment for every month of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency released tips for recycling during COVID-19. The number one tip? Keep plastic bags, masks, wipes, and latex gloves out of the recycling bin. Around the world, the demand for these nonrecyclable materials has only increased, leading to a worldwide surge in waste production. While many states and local governments have implemented plastic bag bans in the past, a number of these places lifted these bans because of COVID-19. Before the pandemic, people could easily recycle their plastic bags, but to allow for proper social distancing during COVID-19, recycling programs around the United States were put to a halt. The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) noted that not only were these programs paused, but the closures of
schools, offices, and stores led to a decrease in the amount of recoverable paper and plastic, thus resulting in the generation of more waste. SWANA also took note of a 20% average increase in municipal solid waste and recyclables from March to April 2020, not all due to closing recycling plants. Restaurants and campus dining have started using plastic utensils and takeout containers in all circumstances, more companies are allowing plastic bags in stores, and businesses are utilizing disposable cleaning materials to sanitize periodically for safety and providing disposable face masks and gloves for patrons. Nine states in the United States have banned single-use plastic bags statewide in some way. In other states, like Massachusetts, cities and municipalities have local single-use plastic bag bans.
The state of Maine had a plastic bag ban scheduled to go into effect April 22 — Earth Day — but Maine Gov. Janet Mills delayed New Hampshire Gov. the implementation of Chris Sununu restricted the ban until 2021. patrons from using reusable bags in stores.
Map of states with plastic bag regulations States with plastic bag bans in place States in the process of implementing plastic bag bans
The increase in the amount of disposable face masks being used around the world has led to alarming problems within the environment as many are disposed of improperly, creating a buildup of solid waste and increasing microplastic pollution in ocean and freshwater ecosystems. For example, beachgoers left 13,000 pounds of trash — including face masks — on Florida’s Cocoa Beach after it reopened. This is the same weight as an average African Elephant.
42 | BallBearingsMag.com | Fall 2020
Once COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, many state governors, including Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, suspended plastic bag bans in confederation of public health.
Salt and pepper shakers
Condiments
Cups
Reduction in Recycling
Online Shopping’s Impact on Waste Being isolated inside their homes caused many people to turn to online shopping, both to continue to socially distance and to suppress boredom.
While the surge in online shopping may have been a positive for businesses around the world, it had a negative impact on the environment.
E-Commerce Retail Sales as a Percent of Total Sales 20
Since the start of COVID-19, online shopping has seen a 30% increase between the first and second quarters of 2020 as U.S. e-commerce sales grew.
15
10.5 10
Q1 2019
10.8
Q2 2019
11.2
Q3 2019
11.3
Q4 2019
16.1
11.8
Q1 2020
Q1 2020
Data collected from USPS, FedEx, and UPS showed that around 165 billion packages are shipped in the United States each year. To produce the cardboard used to pack these orders facilities used
1 billion trees That’s in a normal year. During COVID-19, the amount of packages shipped in the United States significantly increased, causing more plastic waste and killing more trees. With the upcoming holiday season, Adobe Analytics reports online shopping in the United States has already increased by 27% compared to the first 10 days of November 2019. This is likely related to the 63% of consumers who said they are avoiding shopping in stores and choosing to shop online.
Takeout boxes
Utensils
On Nov. 2, U.S. consumers spent $2.2 billion online shopping — a 37% increase when compared to 2019’s numbers. With these purchases comes more waste through single-use plastic and cardboard packaging and deliveries.
Sources: The Nature Conservancy, American Chemical Society, Medgadget, Grand View Research, USA Today, CNBC, Ball State University, Plastic Oceans, Plastics Recycling Update, The Guardian, Reuters, US National Library of Medicine, United States Environmental Protection Agency, NPR, The Heartland Institute, National Conference of State Legislatures, Digital Commerce 360, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Freevectormaps
The beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic sparked a price war between recycled and new plastic, and recycled plastic is losing. All plastic begins the same way: as a fossil fuel. It has always been more expensive to recycle old material than it is to produce new plastic, but with a reduction in the demand for oil around the world as a result of social distancing, the price to produce new plastic fell, and the gap between the price for reproducing old materials versus producing new materials grew. The Independent Commodity Intelligence Services reported drink bottles made of recycled plastic cost between 83% and 93% more to produce right now than the production of new plastic and bottles. Commodity market specialist company S&P Global Platts reported that — because of the pandemic — recycled plastic now costs an extra
$
72 a ton
to repurpose compared to producing completely new plastic. Each year, more than 300 millions tons of plastic is produced globally. If these 300 million tons of plastic were produced using only recycled materials, it would cost
$
21,600,000,000 That’s enough money to send 80,597 students to Ball State University for four years with a tuition of $26,800 a year.
Fall 2020 | Ball Bearings | 43
Feature
Beeing Aware: The Buzz About Bumblebees The potential extinction of the endangered rusty patched bumblebee could change everything we know about our environment.
Story By Haley Boyce Illustrations By Kami Geron The day has started. The task: select a flower and transport pollen. There’s lavender, honeysuckle, wallflower, ivy... it’s a simple job, right? To some, a bumblebee may seem like a pesky insect. A nuisance. A bug to avoid. But to Muncie beekeeper Dale Scheidler, who has been keeping bees since 1998, they have always been fascinating creatures. “As a child we would get colonies from a beekeeping friend, and that’s how I got introduced to it,” Scheidler said. “It was just interesting, watching them fly in and out of the different flowers.” These delicate bees are essential workers to the environment. They’re directors and a vital part of maintaining a balanced ecosystem. These key players are slowly disappearing from the wild. More specifically, the rusty patched bumblebee has been endangered since 2017 and is desperately needed. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the rusty
patched bumblebee was once dispersed all throughout different sections of the United States. Their distribution ranged from east to south in the United States, running all the way from Maine to Georgia, and even brushing the west, reaching both North and South Dakota. It also made a home in the upper region of the Midwest. The rusty patched bumblebee reached as far north as Canada, being found in southern Quebec and Ontario. This specific bee, once thriving in 28 states and two Canadian provinces, can now only be found in 13 states, Indiana being one of them, and one Candian province. Bumblebees work as pollinators, meaning they collect pollen and nectar from different flowers, then gift that pollen to different crops, making them crucial to our environment. According to World Bee Day, an organization devoted to the importance of bumblebees, bees, along with other insects who pollinate, contribute to producing almost three quarters of the plants that make up 90% of the world’s food. Scheidler says it is difficult to say what future food production could look like
without bees. They are required for the success of different crops like apples, melons, and cantaloupes. “[Those crops] require a certain number of bee hives per acre,” Scheidler said. “So, if you have a big field of melons, you’ll need at least one hive per acre or more for good pollination.” Bumblebees are also the only insect to pollinate for tomato crops. According to the Agricultural Marketing Research Center, the tomato crop is a sought-after commodity, being the second most consumed vegetable in the U.S and raking in a total of $1.67 billion in 2017. They even contribute to products in the medical field and beyond, with services like the healing compound propolis, beeswax, and honey bee venom attached to their pollination process. Honey bee venom has been proposed to treat conditions like tendinitis and shingles, according to Winchester Hospital. Though more research is needed to show how effective propolis is in modern medicine, certain reports show the
Fall 2020 | Ball Bearings | 45
Feature
How to Identify a Rusty Patched Bumblebee
Don’t get Confused
Look out for a brown “belt” on the second abdominal segment; if it’s there, you have found a brownbelted bumblebee.
With 48 different species of bumblebees in the entire U.S, it can be hard to tell which bee you’ve seen. Here are the characteristics of the endangered rusty patched bumblebee.
The Rusty Patch
Check their thorax
Look for a patch of rust-colored hairs at the front of the second abdomen segment
Rusty patched bumblebees have a black spot or band in the middle of their wings. If it is a spot, that is the queen bee. If it is a band or “t” shaped, that is a worker bee.
Check Your Location These bees are found in the Midwest, from late spring through fall.
healing compound being used to treat gastrointestinal disorder. It has also been used to combat gingivitis and acne, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Bumblebees have a unique way of distributing their pollen, and have even been found advantageous over honey bees when it comes to this process because of how they execute their pollination process. According to the Student Conservation Association, bumblebees can feed off a variety of flowers and are experts at crosspollination, a skill crucial for pollinating fruit trees.
46 | BallBearingsMag.com | Fall 2020
Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Kami Geron, Ball Bearings
They can carry larger loads and work in cold weather and rain. World Bee Day reports that when pollination is effective, the amount of agricultural produce expands. The crop’s makeup improves, and its ability to fight off pests magnifies. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that there is an estimated $3 billion economic value from pollination services stemming mostly from bees in the United States. That’s enough money to buy nearly 32,000 models of the Tesla Model X Performance car. Not only do bumblebees play a key role in
keeping certain crops alive, but they also ensure food certainty within ecosystems. Bumblebees help feed a wide variety of animals, from birds to bears. They produce fruits and seeds for these animals, while also contributing to native wildflower reproduction. Without bees, certain crops, plants, and animals would struggle to survive. According to World Bee Day, the amount of bumblebees can reflect the state of the environment. Despite their versatility, the rusty patched bumblebee is rapidly disappearing, with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
noting their existence declining by 87% since the late 1990s. Human interaction, disease, and climate change are all potential contributing factors for their fast disappearance. Some ways humans are contributing to bee extinction include grasslands being converted to developed areas and the use of pesticides in farming. According to the World Wildlife’s 2020 Plowprint report, from 2014 to 2018, grasslands across the Great Plains were being prepared to be used for farming at an average rate of four football fields every minute.
The varroa mites will transmit a number of the viruses to honeybees and it’ll just eventually not allow them to survive. - Dale Scheidler, Muncie Beekeeper Pesticides are especially concerning to the rusty patched bumblebee, as usage can cause harmful and poisonous effects. Damage ensues when the bee takes the toxins in from its exoskeleton or from contaminated nectar or pollen, essentially killing the bee. The rusty patched bumblebee also nests in the ground, making it susceptible to pesticides used in lawns, soils, and turf. Disease also appears to be a contributing factor.
Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment reports that because bumble bees undergo extensive travel to pollinate different crops around the country, a parasite is spreading. The parasite is called a varroa mite. They commonly attack honeybees, but with the long transportation some bees endure, this parasite is extending to different bees, specifically to the rusty patched bumblebee. Scheidler, who currently keeps honeybees, notes varroa mites are one of the biggest challenges to honeybee survival. “Their population can build up rapidly and you have to manage those,” Scheidler said. “The varroa mites will transmit a number of the viruses to honeybees and it’ll just eventually not allow them to survive.” Climate change is another contributing factor to the impending extinction of the bee. The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service says factors like extreme temperature changes, an increase in droughts, early snow melt, and late frost events may permit bees to get diseases, have fewer flowering plants, and endure a variety of other pollinating issues. Since the rusty patched bumblebee was placed on the Endangered Species Act in 2017, several efforts have been made by organizations and people to help preserve the species. The USDA Natural Resource Conservation service is currently partnering with landowners in states like Michigan, Montana, Minnesota, and several others to plant cover crops and grow wildflowers and native grasses to make their land more bee-friendly. According to Scheidler, an easy step for anyone who wants to help preserve the rusty patched bumblebee is by planting bee-friendly flowers such as lavender, honeysuckle, ivy, and sweet violets in any area available. g
Grow these plants to help the bees Sweet Violet Grows in the spring
Lavender Grows in the summer
Ivy Grows in the fall
Honeysuckle Grows in the fall
Source: The Wildlife Trusts Kami Geron, Ball Bearings
Fall 2020 | Ball Bearings | 47
Q and A
Head & Neck Cancer Burgundy & White
Multiple Myeloma Burgundy
Kidney Cancer Orange
Leukemia Orange
Uterine Cancer Peach
Appendix Cancer Amber
From Survivors have a special bond that endures even after treatment. By Sophia Senese
I
t is likely that you know at least one person who has had cancer. Cancer is among the leading causes of death worldwide, affecting over 1.5 million people each year. In 2020 alone, approximately 1.8 million people will be diagnosed with cancer in the United States. Awareness ribbons represent each specific type of cancer. The idea of these ribbons is to spread awareness and to support people who have battled and continue to battle the disease. Breast cancer, being the most common diagnosis, has a pink ribbon. However, most people are unaware of what type of cancer each ribbon represents. The images above and below dictate the ribbon colors and
Prostate Cancer Light Blue
Colon Myeloma Dark Blue
48 | BallBearingsMag.com | Fall 2020
Bladder Cancer Purple, Yellow & Blue
types of cancer they represent. Cancer diagnoses are increasing — 24% in men and 21% in women within the last decade. In 2019, roughly 16.9 million people in the United States survived cancer. These people, who are considered survivors from the time of their diagnosis through the rest of their life, rely heavily on the support from loved ones and other support groups. According to an article led by Kenneth Portier, these support groups help individuals to connect, normalize experiences, and reduce feelings of isolation. Many cancer survivors continue to be a part of a support community after remission. A Muncie cancer support group, Survivor Voices Choir, is made up of individuals who have survived cancer and spend their time singing around east central Indiana at nursing homes, churches, women’s
Leiomyosaroma Purple
Pancriatic Cancer Purple
Stomach Cancer Periwinkle
Childhood Cancer Gold
Bone Cancer Yellow
functions, special conferences, workshops, and luncheons for civic groups. They once even sang at an event commemorating veterans, according to Survivor Voices Choir CoDirector Molly Flodder. Founded by oncologist Dr. Michael Williamson, Survivor Voices Choir strives to provide a group of people who are not only talented and inspire others, but a support group for cancer survivors, Flodder says. The choir group averages 22 members, with men and women ages 52 to 83. Pre-COVID, the group practiced weekly on Tuesday evenings at Lutheran Church of the Cross on North Wheeling. Their meetings tended to be very informal practices filled with laughs, good conversations, support and, of course, lots of singing. They share “new or goods” with one another in which they talk about something new or something good that happened in their lives that week. “You can always tell when a meeting or rehearsal is successful when people linger after to talk,” Flodder says. “And our people always do.” “We recently lost a woman to blood cancer in March,” Flodder says. “She wasn’t in the group anymore because at the end she couldn’t practice anymore,
Testicular Cancer Light Purple
Breast Cancer Pink
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Lime Green
Liver Cancer Emerald Green
Ovarian Cancer Teal
Cervical Cancer Teal & White
but the way members reached out to each other and supported each other through the event of her death was inspiring.” Not only has COVID put a stop to their practices, but also their performances. The group has not performed since February. Flodder says that singing is one of the worst things you can do in regard to spreading the virus because voices can propel viruscarrying particles up to 18 feet. “We have a lot of people who are very high risk going through treatment right now,” Flodder says. “So, everyone is trying to stay away right now.” Despite not being able to meet with one another, Survivor Voices Choir never stops encouraging and supporting each other. “Members constantly ask each other how they are doing and how they are feeling,” Flodder says. Support groups like Survivor Voices Choir strive to create communities for those who are battling or have battled cancer to share their experiences, inspire others, and form bonds that last forever.
To
Thyroid Cancer Blue, Pink & Teal
Lung Cancer White
Brain Cancer Grey
Skin Cancer Black
Fall 2020 | Ball Bearings | 49
Q and A
Q &A
Cancer Survivors in Muncie Choir:
Molly Flodder Molly Flodder is the current co-Director of Survivor Voices Choir. Were you a part of any support groups or communities when you were diagnosed? “I got diagnosed with breast cancer 32 years ago and at that time I didn’t take any offers up for support groups. I was shocked and sad and didn’t want to talk about it. I didn’t want to be perky and funny, but now I would think again.” How do Survivor Voices members support each other? “We are a faith-friendly, but not a faith-based group. So if someone wants to stand up and say a prayer, no one hesitates and nobody cares or gets offended. We also have a lot of humor. Humor is a very supportive thing. Gail’s “My Chemo Song” sung to the tune of ‘Alleluia’ makes everybody laugh and we say things like ‘I have chemo brain today, I can’t think.”
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Gail Green Gail Green is a retired Ball State University professor and member of the Survivor Voices. However, she is currently battling breast cancer and had to take some time away from the choir. How does having a shared experience like cancer bond people together? “Support systems make life tolerable. We do things for each other because it makes the situation more tolerable and fun.” What is it like not being able to be a part of the choir right now? “It’s depressing being away, but we talk with each other through email and stay connected as much as we can.” What piece of advice do you have for how you stay so positive? “If you’re having a problem and you’re fighting through it, don’t forget to live every moment. Don’t forget there are other people in the world you could probably help. You’re not the only one in the world.”
What has been the biggest impact of being a member of the Survivors Choir? “We enjoy each other, we know what each other is going through, and we try to keep each other’s spirits up. I just love it. It’s singing, which I enjoy, but we understand each other better than anyone else because of the situation. It’s therapeutic, and it helps me.” Why do cancer survivors need a support group/community? “Because we understand each other and we can discuss our problems and frustrations more freely. It’s everybody’s problem, so it’s easier to talk about. Cancer is an ongoing thing, so it’s nice to be with people who understand that so we can talk about it.” How do you stay positive throughout your journey? “I want to enjoy every moment I have and I won’t do that if I am feeling sad or down. You can cry or you can laugh, and we choose laughter. It keeps us going. Also, doing something for somebody else makes it easier for me. During chemo, I wrote a verse to a song everytime to help me and to record what it was like for me. Every verse was what was happening to me that month. It’s to the song “Alleluia” and it allowed me to let loose of my frustrations. “My Chemo Song” is on YouTube and I got a lot of support through that. I wrote that song to state what I was going through, but also I wrote that song for everyone.”
Ball Bearings talked to members of the Survivor Voices Choir about their community. Ball Bearings has edited statements for clarity.
How does having a shared experience like cancer bond people together? “Having a shared experience like cancer bonds people together because it allows them to see a future for themselves. At first, they feel very much alone. When they see somebody who is still alive, they feel uplifted because that person has recovered.”
Marilyn “Kay” Stickle Kay Stickle is a retired Ball State professor who volunteers at the Ball Memorial Cancer Center. She describes her time volunteering at the cancer center as “strictly fun where everyone laughs.” Were you a part of any support groups or communities when you were diagnosed? “When I was diagnosed 30 years ago, I didn’t know anyone who had recovered from cancer. I was not a part of any support groups because there weren’t any at that time. However, I would listen to speakers that came to the hospital because I believe the better you understand it, the better you’re able to cope with it.”
How have those bonds lingered after the experience is over? “I am still in contact with a lady I met in chemo 30 years ago. We talk and send emails periodically and once or twice a year we meet up.” What has been the biggest impact of being a member of the Survivors Choir? “I have a good time there. I was in the group when it started. I enjoy when we go out and sing for groups so that they can see that there are survivors, and we still have energy to sing. I like being able to go out and help people see that there is an upside to cancer, not just a downside.” Why do cancer survivors need a support group/community? “Support groups are good for some people. Survivor Voices is good for everybody because it’s upbeat. Some groups are more
melancholy. Cancer patients and survivors need people to treat them as normal as they can and do what they can to help them. Some support groups are just found within family, pinochle clubs, church, etc., but it still helps.” Do you wear a cancer ribbon? “I don’t wear my [ovarian] cancer ribbon very often, but I do wear it when it’s appropriate. Since I volunteer at the hospital NICU in the mornings, I can’t wear any kind of jewelry or pins. However, if I’m speaking to a group about cancer I wear it, it just depends on the situation.” Are there things non-survivors don’t understand that you wish they did? “When a person is diagnosed with cancer, they are hit from behind. They are stunned. They may have thought they just had back pain or a muscle spasm but no, it’s caused by some kind of cancer. They are stunned with their diagnosis, and even if they partially anticipated cancer, the big C-word still comes to mind.”
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Q and A
Q &A
Cancer Survivors at Ball State University:
different doctors for scans and check ups, and I never understood why none of my friends ever missed school and events like I did.
Tricia Esarey Tricia Esarey is a senior at Ball State University majoring in public relations with a minor in speech language pathology. Why do cancer survivors need a support group/community? “Survivors need a community because there are tons of after effects from cancer and treatments that we deal with the rest of our lives, and it’s so nice knowing someone understands what you’re going through. It’s not a necessity to have a community, but it is nice to be around others that have been through similar things. Growing up, I had to constantly miss school to go to three or four
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I used to cry and be so mad that God had put me through this because it made me different and I couldn’t do all the things that other people my age could. It wasn’t until I got older that I truly understood that other people struggle like I did and still sometimes do. When I started getting involved in sports, I struggled really hard with my breathing and I just assumed I was out of shape, but it got to a point where I knew I was in shape but I still couldn’t perform like my teammates. My primary care doctor came to the conclusion that I had asthma, but no inhalers ever worked. Finally, my cancer doctors looked more into it, and it was just the effects of my radiation being harder on my lungs and the chemo impacting my heart as I got older because I received treatment on my chest. So essentially, no matter
how ‘in shape’ I got, I would always struggle with cardio-centered activities because my lungs and heart couldn’t perform at optimal levels.” Are there things non-survivors don’t understand that you wish they did? “One thing that I still struggle with that others just don’t really fully understand is that although I don’t have cancer anymore, some of the drugs used to get rid of the cancer cause health issues that may show up out of the blue because of the long-lasting impacts the harsh drugs have.” Do you wear a cancer ribbon? “I used to have my gold [childhood cancer] ribbon safetypinned on my backpack, but it broke and fell off one day. But actually, my first tattoo is my gold ribbon on my shoulder with ‘survivor’ written with it on my shoulder. So I always have my ribbon with me.”
feel. They really can beat you down and make you feel terrible. There is always compassion, but there are some things that people just don’t understand. It’s a situation where only first-hand experience can fully enlighten you.
Lane Leonard Lane Leonard is a junior at Ball State University majoring in respiratory therapy. Why do cancer survivors need a support group/community? Survivors need a community because of how much you go through during treatments. Cancer makes everything more difficult both mentally and physically. Tasks, even as simple as walking, become difficult. When you are finally done with treatments and in remission, it is always better to have people who understand what you have been through. It makes you feel special. Are there things that non-survivors just don’t understand? It’s hard for people to look at a cancer patient and understand how bad the treatments can make you
Was there ever a time in your life when you felt no one could understand what you’re going through/went through? I was really young when I underwent treatment, so I really wasn’t able to fully grasp my situation or what others felt. I do know that it was some of the toughest years my family has been through. For me, I didn’t know any different, but for my parents, it was a nightmare. I just know that nobody is ever alone. No matter what, there are other people who have had the same experiences, and there are doctors who work in situations like these all the time. Nobody ever faces cancer alone. Do you have/wear a cancer ribbon? Yeah, in a way I wear one everyday. When I was 17, I got my parents to sign off for me to get my first tattoo. On my left side, I have the Leukemia cancer ribbon and my favorite Bible verse. I thought it was a cool way to never forget my past.
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Column
The Science of Color Psychology A favorite color is more than an icebreaker. By Shannon McCloskey
T
he sterile white walls of hospital rooms or the pastels that line baby nurseries are there for a reason. Colors are purposeful, and each color activates something different within us. Color psychology and color theory are the practices that discover why colors are not an unconscious decision when we choose throw pillows or the colored brackets in our braces. Color is one of the first things we recognize as children, as it holds significant emotional connections as we associate color with other aspects of our lives. An article by Andrew Elliot and Markus Maier published in the Annual Review of Psychology, Color Psychology: Effects of Perceiving Color on Psychological Functioning in Humans explores how viewing a certain color can lead our minds on a cognitive track that we do not realize is there.
According to the paper, viewing the color red before doing an analytical activity caused participants to perform worse than if they viewed green before the same task. The paper concluded
Colors are purposeful, and each color activates something different within us. - Shannon McCloskey, Author red also has a similar effect on more difficult cognitive tasks such as memory, language, and creativity. Further research of the same study mentions that viewing the color green during a cycling task resulted
in participants having perceived less exertion during the task than if they viewed red or gray. Junior Hannah Fehr’s favorite colors are grays, greens, and purples. All three give her distinct feelings that she feels drawn to. “When I am around gray, I feel serene, and monochrome gray rooms actually help my anxiety feel lessened. It’s kind of similar in all white rooms, but more invigorating, where gray feels more stabilizing,” Fehr said. Art and play therapist Cheryl Childers out of South Carolina uses color psychology in most sessions. Art therapy can be an alternative for clients who feel uncomfortable during traditional talk therapy, and it allows them to open up, using things like color to tell their story. Cheryl discussed the importance of color when, for instance, working with people with DID, or Dissociative Identity Disorder. Those that have suffered from immense trauma and abuse over
What’s in a color? Cool Cool colors such as green, blue, and purple tend to be more relaxing and have calming effects.
Light Light colors tend to evoke positive responses and have associations with cleanliness, energy, and positivity.
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Warm Warm colors such as red, orange, and yellow have stimulating effects on the brain.
Dark Dark colors are solemn and gloomy. They convey fear, sadness, and mystery and are tied to sleep.
their lifetime separate those events internally, making them sometimes easier to comprehend when they are in parts, instead of a whole. Labeling those events or parts as a particular color may be how those people remember and discuss these traumas in treatment and in their coping processes. “When [they] switch to that part, [they] see that color. That’s how [their] brain absorbed the trauma and is able to cope and live a normal life today, by switching between all these colors,” Childers said. When considering Fehr’s choice of serenity within grays and her connection
with mental health, people with anxiety may not fare well with colors like red, which tend to evoke movement or pressure. A study led by Adam Fetterman titled “Extending Color Psychology to the Personality Realm: Interpersonal Hostility Varies by Red Preferences and Perceptual Biases,” found the color red has received the most attention in empirical literature related to color psychology. Red has the most cultural reach behind black and white, as it relates back to us recognizing danger or aggression. This is because early humans associated red with potentially
poisonous plants or insects, along with blood and open wounds, according to the paper. We view all different colors every day, each leading us to a different perception. These influences are one of the first things we learn as a child, along with our letters and numbers because color is an integral part of the human experience. Color psychology can speak to mental health, marketing, and even individual world views. We choose our favorite colors as a trivial identity, but the subconscious draw can say more about us than we often recognize. g
Yellow
Happy, energetic, intellectual, joyful
Orange
Green
Excited, courageous, comfortable
Natural, hopeful, soothing, tender
Blue
Red
Calm, somber, peaceful, tender
Anxious, powerful, energetic, angry
Purple
Luxurious, high quality, authentic, spiritual
Source: The Art Therapy, Psychology Today, Very Well Mind, The Spruce Alex Bracken, Ball Bearings
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Quiz
What Color is Your Personality? Take this quiz to find out!
You get the day off for work and can spend it doing whatever you want. What adventure do you take first?
You have to pack lightly for a weekend trip. What’s one clothing item you cannot go without?
It’s time for you to pick up and move. Where do you choose to start a new chapter of your life?
A. Jog through a park B. Get lunch with a friend C. Visit a coffee shop D. Do yoga and meditate E. Work on a personal project F. Take a trip to the movies
A. Your black leather jacket B. Your vintage, rustic California T-shirt C. Your flowy, summer dress D. Your cable-knit sweater E. Your oldest pair of jeans F. Your ankle-length, sparkly skirt
A. An energetic and speedy city B. Whichever city your brain thinks of C. Near a flower field D. Directly in the middle of a suburb E. Into a new house, but in the same city you’ve always lived in F. Somewhere near a forest with a brook
When you visit the pet store, what animal are you most drawn to?
You have the opportunity to travel anywhere in the world. Where do you decide to go?
A. A doberman pinscher, protective B. Whichever pet your eyes land on first C. A small, bouncy bunny with floppy ears D. A calico cat, friendly and calm E. A golden retriever, loyal and reliable F. A chameleon, fun and unpredictable
Mostly A:
You are red. You are full of energy and action. You are passionate, and you aren’t afraid to show it. You’re a natural leader, and your ambition inspires and motivates those around you.
Mostly B:
You are orange. You radiate happiness and warmth. You have an inner sense of adventure that makes it hard for you to sit still and stay in one place. You follow your gut, and some people find you impulsive, but you are mostly happy with your decisions.
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A. Paris, the city of love B. Wherever your finger lands when you spin a globe C. A Disney theme park D. A spiritual retreat in the mountains E. Your favorite family vacation spot F. Tokyo, a city of creativity and dreams
Mostly C:
You are yellow. You are bright and positive. You have an intellectual mind that you are constantly seeking to develop, but you aren’t afraid to show the side of you that is still a child at heart. You are cheerful and fun, and you spread that to others around you.
Mostly D:
You are green. You are balanced and you find peace in self-growth. You listen to both your head and your heart and focus on establishing a state of well-being. You are grounded and constantly working to improve.
You have some free time this afternoon to catch up on some reading. What type of book do you decide to read? A. A thriller romance B. A book about increasing positivity C. A memoir with a happy ending D. A book about self-improvement and personal growth E. Re-read your favorite book F. A new fantasy novel
Mostly E:
You are blue. You are honest and loyal. You stick to what you know and love, and change is hard for you to acclimate to. You are responsible and trustworthy, and your friends would describe you as someone they can count on.
Mostly F:
You are purple. You are fantastical and imaginative. You have a creative mind and likely daydream often of other worlds. You have big dreams and goals, and you want your life to be as interesting and magical as possible.
Source: Empowered by color Kamryn Tomlinson, Ball Bearings
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