Ball State Daily News Vol. 103 Issue: 3

N D DAILY NEWS

HUNGRIER THAN EVER: A CLOSE LOOK AT BALL STATE FOOTBALL’S UPCOMING SEASON 09 AMBER PIETZ, DN FILE

Muncie’s

Clark Kent Meet Stevie Hahn, creator of TikTok and YouTube character Ray Toffer 07

Stevie Hahn, known online as “Ray Toffer,” poses for a portrait on a bus stop bench Aug. 17 in downtown Muncie. Hahn recently filmed and directed the annual “SURVIVE: Indiana” game show. JACY BRADLEY, DN

08.31.2023

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@bsudailynews @bsudailynews

DNNews

08.31.23

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Did you miss it? Catch up on the news from August 24-30...

BallStateDailyNews.com ELIJAH POE, DN FILE

2nd man arrested in connection to Muncie shooting

UNC at Chapel Hill shooting suspect charged

Aug. 29: A Muncie man was

Aug. 29: University of North

arrested Monday in connection to a shooting that occurred at a July 30 block party that left Joseph E. Bonner III, 30, dead and 17 wounded. Formal charges have not been filed as of Wednesday night.

This was the second arrest in the incident.

Carolina at Chapel Hill graduate student Tailei Qi was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm on educational property. The charges are in connection to the fatal shooting of Zijie Yan, an associate professor at the university.

Rubiales asked to resign from position

Golf begins season on the road

Aug. 8: After Spain’s 1-0 victory

Sept. 4: The women’s Cardinals begin by joining 14 other universities in West Lafayette Sept. 4-5 in the Boilermaker Classic hosted by Purdue. At the same time, the men’s Cardinals open their season at the University of Missouri in the 2023 Golfweek Invitational. Both programs return to Muncie to host invitationals in their second competitions ofthe season.

over England in the 2023 Women’s World Cup final Aug. 20, Spanish Football Federation President Luis Rubiales kissed a player, Jennifer Hermoso, on the lips without her consent. Since the incident, Rubiales has been suspended from his duties amidst public outrage, according to the Associated Press.

ASSOCIATED PRESS, PHOTO COURTESY

VOL. 103 ISSUE: 3 CONTACT THE DN Newsroom: 765-285-8245 Editor: 765-285-8249, editor@bsudailynews.com

The Ball State Daily News (USPS-144-360), the Ball State student newspaper, is published Thursdays during the academic year except for during semester and summer breaks. The Daily News is supported in part by an allocation from the General Fund of the university and is available free to students at various campus locations.

EDITORIAL BOARD Grayson Joslin, Editor-in-chief Daniel Kehn, Print Managing Editor Olivia Ground, Digital Managing Editor Abigail Denault, News Editor Kyle Smedley, Sports Editor Elijah Poe, Associate Sports Editor Hannah Amos, Lifestyles Editor Ella Howell, Associate Lifestyles Editor and Copy Editor Kate Farr, Opinion Editor Elaine Ulsh, Associate Opinion Editor Jacob Boissy, Video Editor Brisa Porter, Associate Video Editor Emma Plank, Associate Social Media Editor Jacy Bradley, Photo Editor

Mya Cataline, Associate Photo Editor Meghan Holt, Visual Editor Jessica Bergfors, Visual Editor Lisa Renze-Rhodes, Adviser TO ADVERTISE • (765) 285-8256 or dailynewsads@bsu.edu • Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon-Fri. • ballstatedaily.com/advertise TO SUBSCRIBE Call 765-285-8134 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Mon. -Fri. Subscription rates: $45 for one year. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Daily News, AJ278, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306 JOIN THE DAILY NEWS Stop by room 278 in the Art and Journalism Building.

All undergraduate majors accepted and no prior experience is necessary.

CORRECTION

In the Aug. 24 edition, the words temperature and until were mispelled on page 2.

The name of Ritchie Valens was mispelled on page 5. Alexandra Vackar’s name was spelled wrong on page 9.

To submit a correction, email editor@bsudailynews.com.

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THIS WEEK: After a relatively cool week, temperatures will increase this weekend before rising as high as 94º Sept. 5.

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Waking Up with Cardinal Weather is Ball State University’s first and only morning mobile show focused on getting your ready for the day through local news, weather and lifestyle trends. Waking Up with Cardinal Weather airs every Friday morning at 8 a.m. at @cardinalwx live on Facebook.

DNNews

08.31.23

The End of an Era

03

Indiana

ACLU sues Indiana Department of Corrections The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit Monday against Indiana’s Department of Corrections regarding an April law that prohibits gender-affirming surgery for inmates. The lawsuit comes four months after the ACLU filed against Indiana for a law prohibiting all gender-affirming care for those under 18.

Ball State University Police Chief Jim Duckham retires; Assistant Police Chief Al Williams becomes interim chief

National

Hurricane Idalia set to hit Florida Florida residents in coastal areas that are vulnerable received orders to pack up and leave Tuesday ahead of the incoming storm.

Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina also have a state of emergency. The Gulf of Mexico’s warm waters caused Idalia to gain speed on its path to hit the Gulf Coast as a Category 3 Hurricane.

Chief Jim Duckham hugs a guest at his retirement party on Aug. 25 at the L.A. Pittenger Student Center. Duckham’s last day is Aug. 31. OLIVIA GROUND, DN Daniel Kehn, Hannah Amos Print Managing Editor, Lifestyles Editor His thick New York accent doesn’t scream Muncie when it first hits your ears.

People would joke that he had to learn the language of the Midwest, but he was always surprised by the ubiquitous kindness.

When he first arrived as Assistant Chief of University Police at Ball State in the fall of 2014, James “Jim” Duckham likened himself to a Ball State freshman.

“I was behind AJ [Arts and Journalism Building] , and I ran into a student, and he couldn’t find a building, and he had his map out,” he said.

See ERA, 04

The most rewarding part of the whole job has been the ability for me to go out and interact with students, like the Daily News crime simulator, community policing, Lunch with a Cop and the residence hall programs, those really gave me an opportunity to be authentic. I really enjoy the engagement part. I like interacting with people.”

- JAMES “JIM” DUCKHAM, Director of public safety and chief of University Police

International

Worm found alive in woman’s brain In an Austrailian hospital, Neurosurgeon Hari Priya Bandi found a three inch parasitic worm in the brain of a woman during an biopsy. The worm was the larva of an Australian native roundworm, which is not originally a human parasite.

ON BALLSTATEDAILYNEWS.COM: STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCATION APPROVES NEW MEMBERS

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ERA

Continued from Page 03 Duckham was transitioning from a small, mainly commuter-populated community college in Fairview, New York, to a Division I university.

The student asked him where the building was and Duckham needed to ask to see the student’s map.

“He goes ‘Aren’t you the chief of police?’ and I’m like ‘Yeah, never mind that, just give me the map,’” Duckham said. “I was learning as I went on, if you will, but I knew this was where I wanted to be.”

After thirty-plus years in law enforcement, including his final nine with the University Police Department, Duckham is calling it a career. Turning 60 is a good reason to contemplate retirement, but Duckham has an even better one: an eight-monthold grandchild.

“I’m in a really good point in my life where it just seemed like a really good time for us,” he said. “I’m a new grandfather. It’s our first grandchild [for] my wife and I. My son and his wife live locally, and we’re going to be helping with childcare… as are my daughter-in-law’s parents.”

Apart from family duties, Duckham said that it felt like the right time to try new challenges and change things up.

“The plan is, I don’t really have a plan,” Duckham said. “I’m not going to another job, I’m just going to figure it out and see where life takes me.”

A career spanning five departments and two states

Duckham’s career began in 1986 at the State University of New York at Purchase before joining the New York Police Department as an officer in 1987. In 1990, he joined the Greenburgh Police Department in New York, and he called it one of the formative times in his career due to his involvement in community affairs.

“It really shaped my views on policing community,” Duckham said. “I came to understand that you can’t really police a community unless you’re seen as part of that community. That was something that I took to heart.”

Instead of police identifying what they thought were the issues in the community, it became a conversation with the community.

“I’ve taken it to Ball State,” Duckham said.

“When I first got here, people wanted to see the officers, they wanted them to be more visible, so we pushed the cops out of the cars and instituted foot patrols.”

The bulk of his career was spent in Greenburgh.

He left policing in 2007 to practice law after earning his JD from Pace University in 2003. He returned to law enforcement in 2013, as the Assistant Director of Campus Safety at Dutchess Community College in Dutchess County, New York.

“I missed the job [so] I got back into public safety and campus safety,” he said.

After a year at Dutchess Community College, Duckham saw an opening at Ball State and decided to apply.

When he was brought on board, one of his major goals — one he focused on throughout his career — was to highlight the concept of community policing in the department and to encourage officers to come up with program ideas.

“You have to understand, in 2014, officers didn’t know what that looked like,” he said.

Duckham challenged staff to come up with programs for their shifts, the initiative paid off in the form of the ‘Lunch with a Cop’ program and participation in residence halls.

“Detective Lieutenant [John] Foster, who was a road lieutenant at the time, developed [the Lunch with a Cop program],” Duckham said. “I said ‘I want something to do with food, John,’ because I thought that was really a way for us to engage and [there’s] no agenda. People can just be real and get to know each other.”

Ball State University Police Chief Jim Duckham stands in his office at the University Police Department station Aug. 21.

Duckham has served on the police force for 30 years, starting as a New York City patrolman. HANNAH AMOS, DN

“It’s been a great working relationship. As the chief, he’s a spokesperson for the department, he’s the one out front, but I appreciate our working relationship. I probably wouldn’t have been interested in the job if I didn’t have a voice and he’s allowed me to have a voice.”

- ALLEN ‘AL’ WILLIAMS, interim director of public safety and chief of university police The initiative may have come from officers, but the precedent was set by Duckham. It has been a key factor in his career: Looking for the opinions of others. It was one of the main factors in Allen ‘Al’ Williams’ decision to accept the position of associate director of public safety and assistant chief of police less than a year after Duckham was hired.

“It’s been a great working relationship,” Williams said. “As the chief, he’s a spokesperson for the department, he’s the one out front, but I appreciate our working relationship. I probably wouldn’t have been interested in the job if I didn’t have a voice and he’s allowed me to have a voice.”

Williams, who graduated as a criminal justice major from Ball State in 1989, spent almost 25 years with the Muncie Police Department before joining University Police in 2015. He will serve as the interim director of public safety and chief of university police.

“The road we are on will continue,” Duckham said. “That community policing piece is so important to me, I think that really makes a difference and I want to see that continue [with Williams].”

The search has already begun for the person responsible for filling Duckham’s shoes, but Williams has already taken his name out of the running.

“I’m in my 35th year, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel myself,” Williams said. “If I was going to be here, three, four or five more years, I absolutely would be interested in it because it’s a great organization. It’s been a great opportunity [with] a lot of great people but, yes, this is a young person’s game.”

With whoever may be next, Williams said he will do everything he can to pass along what he has learned. He hopes the person shares the same values that Duckham did and brings something similar to the table.

The search for the next Chief of Police is expected to be completed by mid-October, according to Vice President of Student Affairs Ro-Anne Royer Engle. She chaired the search that hired Duckham as chief in 2014.

“I couldn’t ask for a better person in that role because he understands what it means for us as a university to work with and serve students in the best way possible and our faculty and staff,” Engle said. “He embraces that completely. His

Al Williams, associate director of public safety and assistant chief of police, gives a speech during the retirement party for Chief Jim Duckham Aug. 25 at the L.A. Pittenger Student Center Terrace Lounge . Williams will act as the Interim Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police starting Aug. 31.

OLIVIA GROUND, DN

approach to community policing has made a significant difference in how our police officers engage in our community.”

Duckham’s wife, Robin, said she is going to be sleeping a little bit better knowing that Jim won’t be putting a vest on.

“I’ve never really noticed the dangerousness of it until the last two or three years,” Robin said. “It makes me nervous, and now I’m happy because he doesn’t have to fill in.”

The couple had two children who both followed in Jim’s career path. One practices law in New York and the other is a police sergeant at a department in Indiana.

Robin said that in addition to grandfather duties, Jim is picking up pickleball on Thursdays and the two are aiming to vacation more as well.

“The most rewarding part of the whole job has been the ability for me to go out and interact with students, like the Daily News crime simulator, community policing, Lunch with a Cop and the residence hall programs, those really gave me an opportunity to be authentic,” Jim Duckham said. “I really enjoy the engagement part. I like interacting with people.”

Contact Daniel Kehn with comments at daniel. kehn@bsu.edu or on X @daniel_kehn and contact Hannah Amos with comments at hannah.amos@ bsu.edu or on X @Hannah_Amos_394.

A cake that reads “Congratulations on the Retirement” is served at a retirement party for Chief Jim Duckham Aug. 29 at L.A. Pittenger Student Center. OLIVIA GROUND, DN

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08.31.23

DNNews

Agreement details The Middletown companies have committed to do the following: •

• •

•

• MiddleTown property group’s business sign on N. Walnut Street is pictured Aug. 30. The property management company will pay $35,000 for allegedly unfair and deceptive business practices, according to the Indiana Attorney General’s office. MYA CATALINE, DN

MiddleTown to pay $35,000

The Indiana Attorney General’s office reached a settlement with the property management group

Daniel Kehn, Olivia Ground Print Managing Editor, Digital Managing Editor Some MiddleTown Property Group tenants may see some monetary relief after Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita announced a settlement agreement this week with the property management company. According to Rokita, MiddleTown will pay $35,000 to cease allegedly unfair and deceptive business practices; it is unclear how the funds could be distributed.

The action follows a year-long investigation by the Ball State Daily News wherein dozens of MiddleTown tenants shared ongoing problems they were experiencing with the property management company.

Issues ranged from invasions of privacy, use of deceptive redecoration fees in place of a security deposit and repeated failure to deliver safe, clean rental units, among other complaints.

Melissa Bass, founder of the “BSURentals/ MiddleTown Mgmt Complaints” Facebook Group, said the issues violated basic living needs; especially when MiddleTown’s actions seemed to disproportionately target low-income residents.

“When you take someone’s housing, and you put them in a position where they can’t be

comfortable in their own homes where they’re paying to live, that’s one of the worst feelings in the world,” she said.

Bass was one of the original tenants profiled in the Daily News’ investigation.

The state investigation determined MiddleTown

If you see somebody being done wrong, or you’re being done wrong, stand up because you just never know where it can end up,” - MELISSA BASS, Former MiddleTown Tenant Property Management LLC and MiddleTown Property Group LLC have been using the unregistered trade name “BSU Rentals.” The attorney general’s office said this could confuse consumers, leading them to believe the company is associated with Ball State University.

In addition to the attorney general’s actions, Ball

State officials announced a new initiative Aug. 9, intended to give students a so-called “quality housing” list of off-campus rentals.

The university initiative also followed the Daily News’ investigation.

State Rep. Sue Errington, (D-Muncie) voiced her support for the state’s actions in a press release.

“In Muncie, some property management companies have been using predatory practices to make a profit. They’ve targeted our more vulnerable groups, like college students and the elderly. This is the start of change, it’s a push forward, but there’s still a lot to be done,” she said.

Bass moved into her rental with her three kids in July 2021. She described herself as being one of many tenants who were subjected to vague fees, unannounced entry from MiddleTown workers and neglected plumbing issues.

Alexandria Clark, who was also interviewed during the Daily News’ initial investigation, said her first response to the agreement was a chuckle.

“They’re finally getting what they deserved,” she said. “That was my first reaction, but then I was also like ‘Thank goodness something is finally being done about them.’ There are so many people getting screwed [by MiddleTown], more than what happened to me and my husband.”

•

Issue credits and refunds to consumers totaling $35,000 as well as a payment to reimburse the Homeowner Protection Unit for $10,000 in investigative costs.

Cease the use of the BSU Rentals unregistered trade name on all marketing materials.

Make affirmative changes to all current and future residential leases requiring reasonable notice prior to entry of leased units by these companies or their agents.

Cease the use of a “redecoration fee,” which had the effect of charging tenants for a pre-existing legal duty to deliver leased units in a safe, clean and livable condition.

Remove “as-is” language from all the companies’ leases and agree to abide by the landlord obligations found in Ind. Code § 32-31-8-5.

Participate in compliance monitoring requiring the companies to issue quarterly reports to the Homeowner Protection Unit for a compliance period of two years running from Sept. 1, 2023 to June 1, 2025.

Source: Indiana Attorney General’s Office

Bass believes that this is a step forward in ending most major issues with MiddleTown.

“I’m happy that they will no longer be able to charge people that redecorating fee and the bogus cleaning fee…I’m happy with the part where they said that they [were] not giving proper notice to go into people’s homes…but I am not happy with the fact that they didn’t get any hefty fines and the restitution amount is extremely low,” Bass said.

When Bass felt her initial complaints were not being heard by MiddleTown groups, she started the popular Facebook group for tenants who had similar experiences, as well as organized multiple protests outside the office.

“If you see somebody being done wrong, or you’re being done wrong, stand up because you just never know where it can end up,” Bass said.

“This has went all the way to the top from me standing outside with a protest sign by myself. So just don’t give up. Always stand up for yourself and others and hold people accountable.”

Lifestyles Editor Hannah Amos contributed to this story.

Contact Olivia Ground with comments at olivia. ground@bsu.edu or on X @liv_ground_25 and contact Daniel Kehn with comments at daniel. kehn@bsu.edu or on X @daniel_kehn.

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New Kid on the Board Hope Churchill begins term as Ball State’s student trustee

Grayson Joslin Editor-in-chief Hope Churchill would look at her Ball State Outlook email to see the same pinned message.

“Apply for Student Trustee Position” appeared in the subject of the email.

The Student Trustee sits on the Ball State Board of Trustees, acting as a student voice in the socalled “room where it happens.”

The board, which is made up of nine members — six members appointed at-large, two alumni, and one current student — is the governing body and sets the strategic direction of the university.

Churchill, a third-year business administration major, has been constantly involved in extracurricular activities since high school, but she didn’t feel like the student trustee position would be something she would be interested in.

After a conversation with her mom, the Lake Village, Indiana, native decided to apply for the position.

“She said to me, ‘That sounds really cool,’” Churchill said. “You should go to one of the information sessions before you decide [if] you’re going to apply or not.”

Heeding her mother’s advice, she went to one of the information sessions with then-current Student Trustee Amy Wyse; who, like Churchill, was in the Miller College of Business, but with a double major in economics and international business.

“I ended up being the only person there which was a bummer,” Churchill said. “But [it was] also really good for

me because I got to ask some more personal indepth questions.”

After applying for the position, Churchill went through a three-round process for the position.

Following the first round interview with officials from Ball State, Churchill then did her second and third round interviews with the Governor’s office. Michael Nossett, deputy general counsel to the governor, called the student trustee position “unique” in the makeup of a university’s board of trustees.

“We want somebody who gets the weight of that position,” Nossett said. “But we want somebody who cares about the university, and who’s able to give the time it needs but also remembers, oh,

They bring that perspective of a ‘boots on the ground’ person, of somebody who is there at the university, living out the decisions that the board and the university leadership are making.”

- MICHAEL NOSSETT, Deputy general counsel to the Governor

yeah, I’m still a student here.”

All but one of the state universities in Indiana have a student trustee on their university’s governing body. All the public universities hold their interviews for the student trustee positions at

the same time (except Vincennes University).

Nossett said this year’s pool of applicants was the largest he had seen working for Holcomb, with more than 20 applicants initially applying.

By law, the list of candidates must be narrowed down to ten applicants for the second round, and then three for the final round of interviews.

After several rounds of interviews, Churchill was announced as the student trustee for Ball State University by Governor Eric Holcomb in June. Churchill will be serving in this position for two years.

For Ball State, the student trustee must be a resident of Indiana and have a 2.5 or better grade point average at the time of the application. The position includes $50 for each meeting attended, a 10% discount at the Ball State bookstore and an all-access parking pass, among many things.

Nossett said the position of student trustee at public Indiana universities is one with full voting power “with just as much say as anyone else on the board.”

This gives students who are selected for the position at their schools an opportunity to understand university governance and how to be a productive member of a group.

“They’re the expert as far as what student life is like,” Nossett said. “They bring that perspective of a ‘boots on the ground’ person, of somebody who is there at the university, living out the decisions that the board and the university leadership are making.”

Churchill called enrolling at Ball State the best decision she has ever made, even though Ball State was not her first choice. Originally considering Ball State a backup, Churchill’s cousin convinced her to visit Ball State. After that visit, she fell in love with the campus.

“What I’m really passionate about is just helping other people,” Churchill said. “That’s why I’m so excited [about] the trustee position because I get to really make a difference for all the students and having that student voice will help make those strategic decisions...even better...everyone in the Ball State and Muncie community.”

Renae Conley, chairwoman of the Board of Trustees, said she sees a positive term for Churchill

Third-year business administration major Hope Churchill poses for a photo outside the Bracken Administration Building Aug. 19. GRAYSON JOSLIN, DN on the board.

“She was very engaged,” Conley said. “...She listened a lot, but when she had a perspective, she offered it. I can tell she will be a really good trustee.”

Conley, like Nossett, sees a lot of positives that the student trustee position brings to the board as a whole. She says student trustees “bring to the board… this perspective that we just can’t have” as alumni and brings insight to how changes will impact the students.

She also said that having an undergraduate student on the board also helps the student in the position understand how governance works.

Churchill’s goals for her term as student trustee are to make sure she stands up for her fellow students in a good way and to engage in more conversations with students about university governance and how changes happen within the university.

She knows that she won’t be able to meet and talk to all of Ball State’s around 20,000 students, but she wants to be able to represent those people she has never talked to or met to the best of her ability.

“We [the students] have the same thing in common,” Churchill said. “Ball State is our home.”

Contact Grayson Joslin with comments at Grayson.joslin@bsu.edu or on X @ GraysonMJoslin.

MEGHAN HOLT, DN DESIGN

What does the student trustee do?

• • • • • • •

They are a full voting member and attend bi-monthly Board of Trustee meetings Get paid $50 per meeting, and also $50 to attend commencement ceremonies 10% discount at the Ball State bookstore Two tickets to any event on campus All-access parking pass Hotel accommodations if needed Mileage at 40 cents per each mile traveled

Source: Ball State University, Office of Student Life

Recent decisions made by the Board of Trustees

December 2021: Approved 2021 version of Campus Master Plan, which provides a framework for the future of Ball State December 2022: Approved renaming of North Residence Hall to Jack Beyerl Residence Hall, named after first vice president of student affairs at Ball State May 2023: Approved North Campus Renovation Project, which will renovate the Architecture Building, University Theater, the Arts and Communication Building and the Hargreaves Music Building at a cost of $81.6 million June 2023: Approved development agreement for revitalization project for the Village, expected to be $80 million of investment Source: Ball State University

DNLife

08.31.23

Stevie Hahn, known online as “Ray Toffer,” poses for a portrait in downtown Muncie Aug. 17. Hahn recently hosted Leisure Hour at Be Here Now in the Village July 21. JACY BRADLEY, DN

07

Community

Muncie OUTreach celebrates second year of Pride Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Canan Commons Park, OUTreach will have artists, food and live performances throughout the day with free admission. Some performers at the event are The Indigos, Like Mother Like Daughter, Annelise & Ali, The Fierce, B Fierce, Peter Von Teaser, Tia Mirage Hall, AiJaye Finesse, and Skarlett Rose.

Community

Minnetrista and the Muncie Exchange Club host week long event From Sept. 5-11, Minnetrista will decorate its lawn beside the White River Greenway with more than a thousand American Flags. The “Flags of Honor” event will be from 9 a.m to 5 p.m the whole week to honor veterans, current service personnel and fallen heroes, among others. Ribbon sponsorships are available to be purchased for personal dedication.

Muncie Local Stevie Hahn created Ray Toffer to lovingly poke fun at his hometown Hannah Amos Lifestyles Editor Bearing large-rimmed glasses, a red and white raglan t-shirt, a ball cap and a monotone voice, Ray Toffer has become synonymous with the things that make Muncie “beautiful and luxurious” on social media.

However, much like the “Mocal” version of Clark Kent, when the glasses come off Ray Toffer becomes Muncie local Stevie Hahn.

Simply existing in the streets of Muncie, Ball State Students and Muncie locals alike stop and ask the pressing question: “Are you that TikTok guy?” Hahn winks in response.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve never met that guy.”

I think it’s definitely a funny creative outlet for him, and I think it’s great that he’s getting some reach outside of Muncie because anyone in a small city, small town can relate to the content that he puts out.”

- ELIZABETH “LIZ” WRAY, Longtime friend of Stevie Hahn

Campus

The character comes from no inspiration, according to Hahn.

“The story goes, I was bored, and I wanted something to edit,” he said.

And so, he went out to a property his grandmother owned among a few other places in Muncie and shot his first video that came out in 2013.

“I came home, I edited it, and then, I watched it, and I was like, ‘This is the dumbest thing you’ve ever done,’” Hahn said. “So I was like, ‘alright, well, I’m not posting that. That’s ridiculous,’ and then I thought, well, ‘What’s the difference?

You made it? You have like 150 subscribers on YouTube? Who cares?’”

4See TOFFER, 12

Orchestra features a magic-themed concert on campus Orchestra Indiana is beginning their 2023-2024 season on Saturday, Sept.

16, at Emens Auditorium with their 7:30 p.m. show of “Magical Music: Harry Potter & More.” The orchestra will be directed by Joel Smirnoff, principal guest conductor, who served as the chair of The Juilliard School for 16 years. Tickets are on sale beginning at $20.

ON BALLSTATEDAILYNEWS.COM: SELF-TAUGHT SENIOR PROVIDES MANICURES

DNLife

08.31.23

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Reducing ‘The Red Zone’

50%

The first few months of school, up until Thanksgiving, is the most prevalent time for sexual assault on college campuses.

Ella Howell Associate Lifestyles Editor and Copy Editor Trigger Warning: This article contains descriptions of sexual assault.

For some students, the sole reason to attend higher education is to socialize and party. For others, partying is an outlet to let go of the day-today stress that follows academia.

No matter how students choose to balance work and pleasure, it’s important to prioritize health and safety, especially when campuses are in “The Red Zone” part of the academic year.

“The Red Zone” is the time period beginning each fall when students arrive on campus and lasts until Thanksgiving break. About 50% of sexual assaults occur on campuses during this time, according to the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments.

It’s recommended that students prioritize their safety year-round, but reported sexual violence incidents spike during those weeks Here are some ways to keep yourself safe, especially during The Red Zone:

30.2%

Use the buddy system

According to the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), when you go out, you should go with people you trust. Make plans to check on each other and leave together, and update the group if plans change.

Leaving as a group is a strategic way to ensure that everyone gets home safely. If someone has to step outside or use the restroom, it’s good to be cautious and bring a friend with you.

If something feels off, you should trust your gut, and leave situations that you feel uncomfortable in. When you feel pressured, find a way out. Your safety is the most important thing in that situation, according to RAINN.

Know your limits

If you and your group are consuming alcohol, be mindful of safe limits of consumption and what is in your cup.

If you or anyone else begins to feel tired, or their intoxication level doesn’t match how much they’ve had to drink, you may have been drugged, and it’s important to get to a safe place and find help immediately, according to RAINN. While alcohol does not cause sexual assult, it is important to be aware of your consumption.

Drinking more than you can tolerate makes your vunerable, making you a target to potential predators, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

According to Poison Control, a

BORG, an increasingly popular method of drinking among college students, stands for “blackout rage gallon.” It contains half a gallon of water and up to a fifth of vodka. Flavor encahncers and electrolyes are added. While staying hydrated does help with a hangover, a BORG does not prevent a hangover.

If you suspect someone is displaying symptoms of alcohol poisoning, seek medical attention immediately. Under the circumstance that someone has had too much, but isn’t at risk of overdose, making sure they get home safely can help prevent an assault.

Ball State University utilizes a “good neighbor policy.” This policy lets University officials waive “conduct action regarding drug or alcohol policy violations” if a student contacts medical or other emergency assistance for someone.

How can bystanders help?

According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, if you see someone being harassed in any way safe intervention can help them get out of the situation. Interupting the harasser and pretending to know the victim can help prevent the harassment.

Once the situation has been de-escalated, make sure the person receives the necessary support.

This can include telling them it’s not their fault, and they didn’t do anything wrong or expressing your support for them. If anyone feels unsafe, you can also consider contacting university police.

Contact Ella Howell with comments @ella. howell@bsu.edu.

Mixers

19.8% Vodka

50% Water

What’s in my BORG? BORGs made with a fifth of vodka contain approximately 50% water, 19.8% vodka and 30.2% additional mixers (examples often being electrolyte powders or flavor enhancers). The amount of vodka in a BORG adds up to 17 standard drinks of alcohol. This creates a significantly high risk of alcohol posoning, even when it’s consumed over a long period of time.

Source: Poison.org MEGHAN HOLT, DN DESIGN

Half of sexual assaults that occur on college campuses happen between move in and Thanksgiving break – known as “The Red Zone.”

Source: National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments

Signs of alcohol poisoning: • • • • • • • • •

Confusion Difficulty remaining conscious Vomiting Seizures Slow breathing or gaps in breathing Slow heart rate Clammy skin Dulled responses, such as no gag reflex (which prevents choking) Extremely low body temperature If you suspect someone has alcohol poisoning, seek medical assistance right away.

Source: Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs.

Who to call when you need help: 1-800-656-4673

National Sexual Assault Hotline

765-285-3775

BSU Victim Advocate Number for appointment scheduling (open 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays)

765-285-1111

University Police Department’s dispatch number, where you can request an on-call victim advocate after hours in emergency situations.

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09

Gymnastics

Simone Biles wins her 8th US Gymnastics title

One decade after her first US Gymnastics title, Simone Biles picked up her record-breaking 8th US title. Biles’ eight championships move her past Alfred Jochim, who won seven titles between 1925-33.

She received 14.850 on the Cheng Vault, 14.8 on the beam and 15.4 on the floor. All totals were the highest scores of the night.

Hungrier Hockey than Ever Field continues seasonField Hockey

Coming off a 5-7 season in 2022, the Cardinals are looking to ‘accomplish something great’ behind a revamped offense and an anchored defense.

Ball State football will play in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Georgia, Michigan and Ohio this season.

I really feel like this team could really be special. Expect big things from this defense.”

- TYLER ‘RED’ POTTS, Redshirt senior defensive back

On just the second day of training camp, the atmosphere at the Scheumann Family Indoor Practice Facility felt different. Although the Cardinals weren’t in full pads and were encouraged not to go full throttle to prevent injury, Ball State football was playing as physically as allowed.

Cheers erupted from respective units when the offense or defense made a big play, defensive linemen exploded through crash pads held by assistants on the sidelines and every one-on-one matchup was highly competitive between wide receivers and cornerbacks.

Field Hockey will travel to Columbus, Ohio, to take on Bucknell University on Sept. 1 starting at 1 p.m. This will be the third away game in a row.

The Cardinals are coming off of two losses, a 4-3 loss to Villanova, and a 4-3 loss to Lehigh University. Ball State be back home and off their opening road trip Sept. 8.

Volleyball

JESSICA BERGFORS, DN DESIGN

Kyle Smedley, Elijah Poe Sports Editor, Associate Sports Editor

opening road trip

After the loss of multiple All-Mid-American Conference (MAC) team members, starting quarterback John Paddock and the failure to reach a bowl game for the first time since 2019, a hungry atmosphere surrounds Ball State Football.

Head coach Mike Neu expected this when the Cardinals returned to the turf after the offseason, but hoped they would keep the same energy throughout the rest of camp. Involved in the game of football nearly his whole life and going into his eighth season as Ball State’s head honcho, Neu realizes the “all football all the time” mentality of training camp can be draining after the initial excitement wears off.

Volleyball travels to Creighton for Bluejay Invite The Cardinals will play in three matches during the invite. Ball State will face off against Creighton Sept.

1 at 7 p.m. (CT), the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) Sept. 2 at 3:30 p.m. (CT) and will finish up the invite Sept. 3 against Louisiana State University (LSU) at 1 p.m.

See HUNGRY, 10

ON BALLSTATEDAILYNEWS.COM: SCOTT: THE COLTS VS. JONATHAN TAYLOR SAGA CONTINUES

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HUNGRY Continued from Page 09

Three weeks later, just days ahead of their week one matchup against the University of Kentucky, that hungry atmosphere remained.

“I really like the look in our guys’ eyes right now,” Neu said.

Offense

At the MAC Football Kickoff July 20, Neu seemingly put an end to any question surrounding the Cardinals’ quarterback situation when he announced redshirt senior transfer Layne Hatcher is set to begin the season under center. The eighth-year head coach said the decision to name Hatcher as the week one starter came down to his experience, having started the past four seasons at Arkansas State and Texas State.

Neu Era Stats:

4-8 2016 record

2-10 2017 record

4-8 2018 record

5-7 2019 record

7-1

2020 record (MAC Championship, Arizona Bowl win, ranked #23 in final AP Poll)

6-7

2021 record (Camellia Bowl loss)

5-7 2022 record

“I’ve seen a lot of football, I’ve seen a lot of coverages, I’ve seen a lot of offenses, I’ve seen the goods, the bads and everything in between,” Hatcher said. “I’ve had great years [and] I’ve had bad years, and I think that helps me keep a level mindset and helps me not panic in situations that come up.”

With 10,080 career passing yards and 84 career passing touchdowns as a four-year starter between his time at Arkansas State and Texas State, Hatcher has joined his fourth collegiate program at Ball State. Hatcher said he was able to weather the storm quickly and focus on competing for a starting spot by playing under pressure his whole career.

However, Hatcher knows his position as QB1 isn’t set in stone either.

“If I told you that being named the starter made a difference to me I’d be lying,” Hatcher said. “If you’re gonna be a good player in college football or any level, every day better be a competition to you whether you’re the guy or not.”

While Kiael Kelly initially seemed to be his only competitor, freshman Kaiden Semonza has been getting practice time with the first-team offense as of late.

“I wanted to come in here and start,” Semonza said. “I’m sure that’s everybody’s goal, and if it’s not, you shouldn’t be playing the sport.”

Although he wasn’t with the Cardinals during their disappointing 2022 season, throughout his short time at Ball State, he’s quickly picked up on the squad’s appetite for success. That’s how Semonza said the three quarterbacks create a healthy competition for a starting spot, balancing personal goals with the good of the team in mind.

“If it’s Layne, great. If it’s Kiael, great. If it’s me, great,” Semonza said. “The main goal is to win games.”

No matter who is under center during the 2023 campaign, the man snapping them the pigskin should remain constant. Junior center Ethan Crowe is coming off an All-MAC Second Team season and has started in 21 consecutive games on a Ball State offensive line that Neu called the most underrated unit of the program.

Although Crowe finds himself on the 2023 Outland Trophy watchlist, an award given annually to the best interior offensive lineman in college football, he pays no mind to the praise he and the players to his left and right receive.

“We didn’t come in to do this for the recognition, we came here to hit people,” Crowe said.

With redshirt senior Damon Kaylor also earning All-MAC Second Team honors last season and junior Corey Stewart receiving praise in practice, the Cardinals’ protection is the most experienced wearing the red, white and black. Crowe said the offensive line as a whole has stepped up as leaders to help the litany of transfers who may find themselves in key roles on the offense.

33-48 Ball State’s total record with Neu

Head coach Mike Neu talks at a press conference Aug. 28 at John W. and Janice B. Fisher Football Training Complex.

MYA CATALINE, DN

“This is a family here, so we’re taking anyone who comes in, and we’re showing them Ball State culture,” Crowe said. “But we hit the ground running, so they gotta keep up with us. We’re gonna help them on their way but they gotta keep up.”

Another anchor of Ball State’s 2022 offense, redshirt sophomore tight end Brady Hunt is set to return with high hopes as well. The former QB turned tight end finds himself on the John Mackey Award watch list coming off an All-MAC First Team 2022 season, but even he isn’t approaching the upcoming season as a guaranteed success.

“We can’t really count on anything that we did last year, so [we’re] just going out there and playing like we have something to prove every day,” Hunt said.

Tasked with addressing the loss of All-MAC First Team running back Carson Steele and All-MAC Second Team wide receiver Jayshon Jackson, Neu quickly brought in a proven difference-maker at tailback in the form of fellow All-MAC First Team member, Marquez Cooper. The former Golden Flash, who finished second in the conference in rushing yards last season, said Ball State reached out to him about an hour after he entered the transfer portal and immediately knew it was the right place for him.

He said he “fell in love” with the Cardinals’ offensive system that places a heavy emphasis on run plays and RPOs, and having played against them at Kent State, it made it easier to adjust to a new program. Cooper said he wants to prove that he is an “every down back” and help bring a championship to Muncie.

“I’m always hungry, [and] I always got a chip on my shoulder from being doubted all my life,” Cooper said. “You can never be complacent because I got guys that would love to take my carries, [and] they’d love to take my spot.”

While his ground game is his best attribute, Cooper is set to lead a running back unit that Neu is looking to continue to keep involved in the passing game, as has been done in the past. As for the wide

receivers, Neu sought out speed above all traits when recruiting in the offseason.

Perhaps the quickest of a plethora of transfers at wideout is redshirt senior Ahmad Edwards.

While the Jacksonville State transfer had never been to Muncie before his summer visit, he said it wasn’t much of a decision to choose Ball State as his new destination.

“When I came here, it just felt like home,” Edwards said.

Quick comfort seemed to be a reoccurring theme when it came to transfers at wideout, as junior Ty Robinson felt his purpose was realized at a higher level as a Cardinal than his previous home.

“I really believe I’m here for a reason,” the University of Colorado transfer said.

Both Edwards and Robinson are hoping to help bring explosiveness to the Cardinals’ offense by getting open downfield and in the red zone as much as possible.

“Everybody wants to be the big play guy,” Edwards said. “I feel like it’s going to make everyone in the receiver room’s level go up even higher.”

While Edwards prides himself on his speed, Robinson specializes in athleticism and jumping ability. With relative uncertainty at wide receiver, Edwards said everyone is operating under the mindset that their spot isn’t safe, something he said breeds healthy competition within the group.

“Everybody wants to do something and put on for their family, but at the end of the day, we’re all brothers on one team,” Edwards said.

With a dependable duo at tight end, multiple running backs factored into the offense and wide receivers became eager for the chance to break out, both coaches and players alike feel the Cardinals’ offense has the potential to be more explosive than ever.

“If you have guys that are going out there and giving it their all every day, it’s just gonna bring everybody else around them to a higher level,” Hunt said.

11 If we want to accomplish something great, it takes a lot of sacrifice. We have to make sure the intensity level and competitive juice are at an all-time high every single day to have a chance for that to happen.”

- MIKE NEU, Head coach

Defense

In seven of the eight MAC contests the Cardinals played in 2022, the result was decided by one possession, which Neu said came down to Ball State’s -4 turnover margin in those games. He likened those situations to shooting yourself in the foot, acknowledging many of the Cardinals’ losses last season were self-inflicted.

While the offensive approach is to limit turnovers, the defense wants to force as many as possible.

“We need more turnovers as a team,” junior defensive back Jordan Riley said. “All the games we lost, we lost in the turnover battle. We are just trying to get more fumbles and get more picks.”

While much has been made of the uncertainty at wide receiver, the same can be said at defensive back on the other side of the ball. Robinson said he feels the two groups with perhaps the most to prove going up against each other in practice should only make each side hungrier.

With Ball State’s top three previous defensive backs getting their shot in the NFL, Riley said the “younger group” in the secondary is getting reps and feels like the secondary is in a good place.

Redshirt senior defensive back Tyler ‘Red’ Potts said the secondary is trying to come together to ensure everyone is on the same page, including the new additions. He said the practices are time spent working on passing routes and a couple of different concepts to get everything hammered down.

Potts said he is focused on working every day to be able to make game-changing plays that can end up winning games.

“The heavyweight of the secondary is really on my shoulders,” Potts said.

Riley said the Cardinals want to put the defense on the field first in games, so getting a stop, fumble, or interception is going to be vital.

“I feel like, as a defense, we have to establish a religious mentality coming out and hitting everybody,” Riley said.

The Ball State defense is anchored by its linebacker group, including senior Clayton Coll, senior Sidney Houston Jr. and redshirt senior Cole Pearce. Neu said the trio are all great leaders, great mentors and exceptional football players with their high football intelligence.

“Some people say [linebacker] is the quarterback of the defense, so there has to be somebody that’s not afraid to be vocal and communicate because [he] is in the center of the defense,” Coll said. “You have to communicate with DBs [and] you have to communicate with the front seven, so you have to communicate at a high level.”

Pearce echoed the high confidence level this year, with himself, Coll and Houston Jr. coming back to boost morale.

Coll said this is the best he has ever felt going into a season mentally. He said players participated in a lot of player-led workouts in the summer

that the group sunk its teeth into, buying into the process and goal for the season.

The new defensive linemen have also bought into the process of Ball State’s defense. Pearce said they have been able to come in and work well with the playbook, even predicting the defensive line to be the best in the MAC. Neu said the additions that the defensive line has picked up in the transfer portal and the returning players are going to make a big difference to the line. He said the group is pushing each other and is competitive.

Defensive line graduate student Mikhari Sibblis transferred to Ball State for this season, he holds the same high expectations for the Cardinals.

“I wouldn’t be surprised, that’s actually our goal [to be the best in the MAC],” Sibblis said. “It’s not honestly to even be the best in the MAC, it is [to be the] best in the nation.”

Sibblis said the defensive line has great depth as well and thinks over the year, that depth will help them greatly for the long season ahead.

“I really feel like this team could really be special,” Potts said. “Expect big things from this defense.”

SEC openers

The Cardinals open up their season squaring off against two Southeastern Conference (SEC) programs as they travel to Lexington, Kentucky, in week one to face the University of Kentucky before heading to Athens, Georgia, to battle twotime reigning National Champion and No. 1 ranked University of Georgia.

“It’s a challenging start to the schedule, but we’ll embrace that and we’ll work our tail off and we’ll get ourselves ready to go,” Neu said. “We just got to execute at a high level, [and] we got to do the little things extremely well.”

Potts said it doesn’t get much better than opening the season against Kentucky and Georgia.

He said Ball State is going to face a different kind of competition and skill in those games that will prepare them well for MAC regular season games.

Coll, who experienced SEC football first-hand when Ball State opened up against the University of Tennessee last season, said a lot of Cardinals are close friends or even best friends, so walking out onto a football field whether it is night or noon is something he cherishes.

“The feeling of walking out in a football stadium in August, or in September, you can’t match it,” Coll said.

The mission statement for Ball State football in 2023 is simple: return to heights not reached since 2020 and win a MAC Championship.

“If we want to accomplish something great, it takes a lot of sacrifice,” Neu said. “We have to make sure the intensity level and competitive juice are at an all-time high every single day to have a chance for that to happen.”

When asked if the 2023 campaign is a defining one for the Cardinals, Coll said any season could be defined as such, and began to reflect on his time at Ball State.

“I think there’s a lot that we’ve left on the table,” Coll said. “It hurts to say it.”

Coll spoke about the ups and downs he and the program has experienced throughout his career, finishing 5-7 his first season, winning the MAC Championship, the Arizona Sun Bowl and finishing No. 24 in the final AP poll his second season, finishing 6-7 with a loss in the Camellia Bowl his third season, and then another 5-7 season in his most recent.

He thought about specific losses that hurt the most from that time period. A last-minute loss on

08.31.23

DNSports

a game-winning field goal from Northern Illinois in 2021, who went on to win the MAC title later that season. A one-possession loss to Toledo in 2022, who also captured the conference crown that season.

“It’s like we’re a few games away from this being a totally different career,” Coll said. “I want to leave this place with a legacy for these younger guys to look up to. I want to be a multitime MAC champion. I want to be a multi-time bowl game winner because not very many guys in this program can say that, and not very many people in college football can say that. I just want to leave this place better than I found it.”

Contact Kyle Smedley with comments via email at kyle.smedley@bsu.edu or on X @ KyleSmedley_ and Elijah Poe via email at elijah. poe@bsu.edu or on X @ElijahPoe4.

Ball State History Against SEC Opponents:

0-3

University of Auburn

0-1

University of Florida

0-1

University of Kentucky

0-3

University of Missouri

0-1

University of South Carolina

0-1

University of Tennessee

Senior linebacker Clayton Coll talks at a press conference Aug. 28 at John W. and Janice B. Fisher Football Training Complex.

MYA CATALINE, DN

0-1

Texas A&M University

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08.31.23

12

Setting the scene

Cardinals go 2-1 in season-opening Ball State Invitational

Senior libero Havyn Gates hits the ball against Oklahoma Aug. 26 at Worthen Arena. Gates had 10 digs during the game. MYA CATALINE, DN

Ball State women’s volleyball celebrates scoring a point against Oklahoma Aug. 26 at Worthen Arena. The cardinals lost 3-1 against the Sonners. MYA CATALINE, DN

Sophomore opposite hitter Madison Buckley blocks the ball against Oklahoma Aug. 26 at Worthen Arena. MYA CATALINE, DN

Sophomore defensive specialist Paige Busick serves the ball against Oklahoma Aug. 26 at Worthen Arena. MYA CATALINE, DN

TOFFER Continued from Page 07

The video, titled “Beautiful, Luxurious Muncie,” started a decade-long career for Hahn, one he would leave and come back to.

Hahn gave up on the character for “several years,” but then COVID-19 and TikTok revitalized the character.

Back in the beginning stages of the character on YouTube, Hahn filmed and wrote the scripts for the Toffer character by himself. Now, to help with filming and to ground him through the process, Hahn enlists help from friends, like Liz Wray, a longtime friend.

Wray is the person behind the camera sometimes, along with occasionally helping with jokes and writing scripts.

She views the concept of the videos as “clever,” and that “you have to be a Munsonian to get it.” “[Ray’s] such an unusual person with that kind of dry way of talking and dry sense of humor, and the idea that Ray doesn’t even know he’s saying mean things about Muncie,” Wray said. “He’s just being factual.”

Wray believes the videos are how you treat a sibling, and that Muncie is like a sibling to locals.

“I can make fun of my brother or sister as much as I want, but you better not say anything about it,” she said. “Me being someone who spent most of my life living in Muncie, just the little tonguein-cheek poke that he does with the dialogue is so funny, and it’s such a loving way to be sarcastically annoyed about Muncie. I think it brings out those

inner feelings that all of us that have grown up there or live there have experience[d] on a day-today basis.”

The work between Wray and Hahn happens organically, but it’s not “super official,” Wray said.

They interact with each other as friends, with the partnership making them closer.

The story goes, I was bored, and I wanted something to edit,” - STEVIE HAHN, Creator of Ray Toffer Wray no longer lives in Muncie, but it “will always have a feeling of home.” She now lives in Fishers, and said driving back to Muncie “feels like going to a different part of the city.”

When Hahn made his Valentine’s Day video, a tongue-in-cheek TikTok capturing the “romantic places,” in “beautiful, luxurious Muncie,” that was posted Feb. 12, he said he gained “like 100,000 views in a day, which is double of what the [first video] did in a decade.”

Despite his successes, Hahn’s “just happy if the number of people that says follow [him] also correlates with the amount of views. What has kept [him] going this time is the amount of opportunities I’ve been presented [with].”

Hahn has had opportunities to do sponsored work as Toffer, such as with Prime Trust Financial Credit Union.

A recent opportunity he had was hosting Leisure Hour’s EP release party and kickoff for their tour on July 21 at Be Here Now, a bar and music venue located in the Village. Leisure Hour, much like Hahn, is local to the Muncie area but has seen recognition behind the city.

At first, Hahn was skeptical of the direct message he received from the emo-rock band, but after listening to their music it changed his mind.

“The genre was something that I thought was long dead,” he said. “It took me right back to, like, the end of my high school and my college years, and I was like, ‘Whatever you want, you got it.’”

Isaiah Neal, a lead vocalist and guitarist for the band, learned of Toffer through his TikToks.

Neal and the band reached out to Toffer to make their release party “feel special” and “as big as possible.”

BALLSTATEDAILYNEWS.COM Read the full story online.

Stevie Hahn talks to contestants of “SURVIVE: Indiana” Aug. 12 near the near Prarie Creek Reservior. DANIEL KEHN, DN

DNOpinion 13

08.31.23

Features and opinions are a lot more fun and look different xx

JOSIE SANTIAGO, DN ILLUSTRATION

Religious Zeal:

American Politics Through the Stained Glass

Kate Farr is a second-year journalism major and In America, religious writes “Face to Face” for the Daily News. Her views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper. fervor spills over onto The United States’ First Amendment holds a simple promise — one written some 230 years ago. Within it, American citizens are granted the political turf, individual freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, freedom to blurring the line of petition and freedom of religion.

The Constitution’s promise of religious church and state. freedom — including for religious minorities

Kate Farr

Opinion Editor, “Face to Face”

— was established during the birth of a new country. This is what allows every one of us to display and incorporate our faith into our daily lives free of prejudice.

It was a freedom promoted by a group of men who came from varying religious backgrounds.

Our country’s roots are not explicitly Christian.

While the United States has a national frame that was created with some biblical principles in mind, it wasn’t meant to be a nation by Christians and for Christians.

The religious landscape of the United States is rapidly changing. While debates on the relationship between the government and religion dates back to the early colonial establishments, the contemporary political environment poses a complex issue.

And we can’t just keep looking at it through the stain-glass windows of our personal faith.

Judicial powers across the political spectrum have kept the government disentangled from religion.

That is, until the past couple of decades.

Religion has become one of the most important cornerstones in winning the race for a seat on the Supreme Court, in the Senate and even as president.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis isn’t a stranger to religious rhetoric, especially in his current campaign for president. The same goes for former Vice President Mike Pence. While both were once supporters of former president Donald Trump, the two have distanced themselves from the past head of state during their pursuit for the presidency in the 2024 election.

DeSantis and Pence have been outspokenly staunch in terms of opposition to abortion access across the country. During DeSantis’ time as governor of Florida, the state passed a six-week abortion ban, which he signed into law. The 2024 GOP runner was “proud” to support pro-life policies in his governing state and across America, according to a statement from his website.

ON BALLSTATEDAILYNEWS.COM: A CASE OF CENSORSHIP: REVISING ROALD DAHL’S BOOKS

See GLASS, 14

DNOpinion

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14

GLASS

Continued from Page 14 Pence, a self-proclaimed evangelical, bornagain Christian, argues restricting abortion is “more important than politics” and calls it the “cause of our time,” according to his interview with the Associated Press.

Many of America’s politicians have brought their religious values and beliefs to the forefront of their campaigns. And in their quest to incorporate their religious zeal in the political sphere, many bring evangelicalism ideology into their decision-making.

When did the government-religion relationship — especially one that links Christian morals to federaland state-level orders — become so prominent?

Many will say that it’s always been this way. It’s not like the founding fathers were completely nonreligious in any way, shape or form.

However, even during the birth of the United States, many early leaders pushed for the division of church and state. Thomas Jefferson spoke openly about his commitment to a secular state. In simpler words, he pushed for a country in which citizens can openly hold religious beliefs and participate in religious services, but not seek to influence the direction of the state on matters of national policy.

Our current political atmosphere opposes such secularism.

During his candidacy, John F. Kennedy downplayed his faith. In the 1960s, America was ostensibly anti-Catholic. In fact, it was a factor that led to his loss during the 1960 Democratic Party presidential primary — which was mostly caused by nil support from the Democratic Solid South.

But Kennedy refused to be proclaimed a “Catholic candidate” for president. For instance, during a speech on his religion in Sept. 1960, Kennedy said that “whatever issue may come before [him] as president — on birth control, divorce, censorship, gambling or any other subject” he would make a decision into his conscience on the national interest “without regard to outside religious pressures or dictates.”

The idea of the “Christian Right” — a Christian political faction that is characterized by their strong support of socially conservative policies — didn’t come into full swing until the 1980s. There became an unlikely alliance between Ronald Reagan and Jerry Falwell, an American Baptist pastor and a conservative televangelist.

Leaders of an emerging Christian Right like Falwell began campaigning for Republican presidential candidate Ronald Reagan in 1980.

Reagan was a divorced Hollywood actor who, as governor of California, had signed into law one of the nation’s most liberal abortion bills 13 years earlier. Because of this, it was difficult for some evangelical Christians to get behind the former screen star at first.

That is until Reagan became one of the few candidates who gave the Christian Right rhetorical support during his campaign.

As a result, Reagan won in a landslide victory due to the turnout of churchgoers who flocked to the polls, according to The Reagan Library.

Reagan did speak about his opposition to abortion and support of teaching creationism in public schools. These issues were strongly advocated by the Christian Right at the time and even now, but Reagan had little tangible success with these religious policies during his terms.

What’s important is that Reagan’s rhetoric is what allowed conservative Christian ideals to thrive in America. And, it was a political spearheading that opened the way for those after him to openly wear their faith.

The current Republican-appointed majority of the Supreme Court has tipped the scales on long-standing precedents and laws within the past year. While the court once recognized that the First Amendment’s clauses on religion are crucial in protecting religious freedom, it has aided in the fragmenting of the Establishment Clause. This clause protects against government endorsement and imposition of religion, thus crumbling the wall separating church and state.

Judges and potential judges of the Supreme Court typically pledge that their religious, political and personal views do not influence their

Religious Affiliations Supreme Court Religious Affiliations Comparison between the American religious landscape and the religious affiliations of Supreme Court justices

Christian Unaffiliated/Non-Religious Non-Christian Religious Sources: Supreme Court Review, PRRI.org JOSIE SANTIAGO, DN DESIGN

22%

A new type of America: one that does not represent or support the religious affiliations of all citizens.” decision-making. In an ideal world, they only apply the law and Supreme Court precedents.

In a statistical portrait done by Lee Epstein and Eric A. Posner for the Supreme Court Review, it was found that the Supreme Court during the time in which it has been led by Chief Justice John Roberts, has ruled over 81% of the time in favor of religious organizations. That’s a 31% increase between all Supreme Court eras since 1953 and the current one.

The findings, which took into account the religious and political party affiliations of all nine justices, pointed to a key factor in the Court’s personnel: most of the contemporary justices are “ideologically conservative and religiously devout.” In fact, five out of the nine justices are openly Catholic and were appointed by Republican presidents.

This paints a significant and stark contrast between our present-day court and the preceding era of justices.

The imbalance has led to a disrespect against foundation Supreme Court precedent, including the draft abortion decision reported on Dobbs v.

Jackson Women’s Health, which subsequently struck down Roe v. Wade in June 2022.

Justice Samuel Alito, one of the Catholic and Republican-appointed judges, who wrote for the court majority on the decision, said that the 1973 ruling of Roe v. Wade “must be overruled” due to its reasoning being “egregiously wrong from the start” as the decision has had “damaging consequences.”

Joining in the opinion were the three justices appointed by former President Trump — Neil

American Religious Affiliations

5%

25% 78%

70%

Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett — as well as Justice Clarence Thomas, who was appointed by George H.W. Bush.

As for recent decisions, the court also ruled for Maine parents desiring to use taxpayer dollars towards religious school tuition, as well as for Washington football coach Joseph Kennedy who was suspended from his job for leading students in public prayer.

Even with America’s expansive religious diversity, including unaffiliated and secular, these rulings have stripped away decades of court precedents.

The Supreme Court has given the upper hand to religious petitioners in pursuit of more access, voice and government funding.

These benefits will go to the majority.

While these rulings could have been beneficial in terms of religious pluralism, they are a disadvantage for the minority. The majority in these cases are Christians. Largely, Christian schools were desiring state funding, and a Christian coach was desiring to lead his peers in prayer.

According to the Associated Press, parents of children enrolled in Maine religious schools — including two Roman Catholic-affiliated schools — fought all the way to the Supreme Court, but only one of the high schools actually signed up to participate in the funding.

The reason why more of the religious schools didn’t participate? Maine’s attorney general notified that the schools would have to abide by state antidiscrimination laws — some of which are ones that protect LGBTQ students and staff.

Both Christian schools involved in the lawsuit decided to not apply for the funding for this school year. Coincidentally, both schools have policies that allow for discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

The separation of church and state was meant to be a legacy — a legislative symbol as America pursued a departure from Great Britain on grounds of governmental oppression. That separation was put in place to protect citizen’s ability to think freely, to practice any religion, without interference or preference from government bodies.

Today, we are faced with a religious enthusiasm that seeks faith to serve a foundational role in government.

Politicians and judicial leaders are more heavily interweaving their beliefs into places they don’t belong. There is no religious test to hold office, so why allow religion to intersect with the crucial legislative action that affects every citizen?

They are leading us to a new type of America: one that does not represent or support the religious affiliations of all citizens.

Contact Kate Farr with comments at kate. farr@bsu.edu.

15

Crossword & Sudoku

ACROSS 1 Kindergarten basics 5 1996 film that earned Frances McDormand her first Oscar 10 Tapped brew 14 Ever so 15 Cooked at home 16 Church recess 17 Business maj.

18 Java joint 20 Snooze 21 Cash dispensers 22 Beginnings 23 Affixes in a scrapbook, say 25 Not too late 26 In-demand spot at a busy bistro 30 Italian evening 32 __ number: product ID 33 Activate, as an alarm 34 Resistance unit 37 Patio 40 Deed 41 Pedicure beneficiaries 43 Improper treatment 45 “Ignore that suggested edit” 46 Source of lumbar support 50 Muscle injury 52 Oscar-winning song from “Selma”

53 With no markup 54 “How’ve you __?”

57 “His Dark Materials” actor __-Manuel Miranda 58 Deliberately ambiguous language, and an apt description of 18-, 26-, and 46-Across 60 Edinburgh resident 61 Poker pot starter 62 Code with dots and dashes 63 __ Alto, California 64 Clarinet need 65 Concluded 66 “... with __-foot pole!”

DOWN 1 Get even for 2 “Don’t freak out” 3 Appear unexpectedly 4 Thesaurus entry: Abbr.

5 Indisputable point 6 Elemental particle 7 Officials who may cry foul 8 Animated pic 9 Low-scoring tie 10 Jazz band member 11 Collectibles such as ticket stubs and matchbooks 12 Understood by a select few

13 Counts at a gym 19 Sinusitis doc 21 Until now 24 Sci-fi film extras, briefly 25 “Let me see if that’s possible” 27 Italian three 28 Low-ranking soldier on base 29 Relating to element 56 31 Fitting 34 Bonus sports periods 35 Warm element in some massages 36 Rom-com encounter 38 Many a sports trophy 39 Endorse digitally 42 Pulsed, as lights in a light show 44 Bracket shape 46 Defiant retort 47 Meme feline 48 Baltimore MLB player 49 Jazz trumpeter Marsalis 51 Syst. with hand gestures 53 Hebrew month before Nisan 54 The __ of Avon 55 Besides 56 __ out a living 59 Immense weight 60 Galentine’s Day destination, perhaps

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