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WEDNESDAY | OCT. 26, 2016
The Daily News CONCUSSED An in-depth look at concussions and Ball State's safety measures against them
Grace Ramey // DN
C
Ball State University Concussion Protocol*
Jake Fox Football Reporter
oncussion awareness is on the rise with increased media attention and a growing number of exposures across all sports. There are plans in place to limit brain injuries — but the hits don’t stop. And Ball State, like other athletic programs, has no simple solution for eliminating them. A total of 15 Ball State student athletes entered the concussion protocol during the 2015-16 athletic season, a lower number than the three years preceding it. Football, which is the sport most commonly identified with concussions, accounted the largest portion of that total with seven. Soccer had the highest rate at 10 percent (three concussions out of 30 players), but football had a much larger roster with 115. Research on concussions has come a long way, but like Ball State head trainer Neal Hazen said, there’s still a ways to go. “It’s just not black and white as far as what’s a concussion and what’s not,” Hazen said. “You’ve got to really dig in and figure out what’s going on.” See CONCUSSION, page 4
Players take a computerized baseline test before playing at Ball State, and retake the same test two years later to establish normality.
If An Intense Hit Occurs The player is brought to sideline for a series of questions.
?
1.2.3...
"Can you recall the play?"
3.2.1...
If the Player Has a Concussion Mon.
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ALCOHOL ARRESTS DECLINE
Security report shows decrease in arrests, disciplinary referrals Devan Sticka Daily News Reporter Between the years 2014 and 2015, the number of alcohol-related arrests and disciplinary referrals on campus have significantly declined. According to the 2016 Campus Security Report released Sept. 30, there were 150 on-campus arrests with 531 disciplinary referrals made by the University Police Department in 2014. But in 2015, the numbers dropped to 44 on-campus arrests with 414 disciplinary referrals. UPD can issue a disciplinary referral instead of an arrest, which results in the student receiving disciplinary action from the university rather than from a prosecutor. This is unlike the options an officer from the Muncie Police Department has. City police can choose only to let the student go or arrest them, said UPD Chief Jim Duckham. “You know, that’s one of the really nice things about being a campus police officer,” Duckham said. “I have the ability to say, ‘maybe this person has a problem with alcohol’ and maybe make a referral to the counseling center.”
See ALCOHOL, page 5
INSIDE
Field hockey goalkeeper becomes vocal leader. PG 3
CUBS OPINION
Our columnist explains why the team's NLCS victory brought him to tears. PG 3
ONLINE
BASKETBALL
Top takeaways from men's and women's media day.
PUMPKIN DECORATING
Check out 3 carve-free ways to decorate pumpkins.
SOCCER
Cardinals are 1 win away from securing 2nd consecutive MAC regular-season title.
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The player enters an approximately week-long process of daily monitored physical activity, exercises and classes until symptoms disappear. Once symptom-free, player takes the computerized impact test
Player is gradually introduced back to contact through practice. If player remains symptom-free, the player signs a waiver before returning to game action. * This is a simplified version of the process. Source: Neal Hazen, head athletic trainer
JORDAN DUES
"Count forward and backwards."
Maggie Stolfa // DN
Guardian editor covers U.S. elections from Muncie
Kara Berg Crime Reporter
American elections aren’t overly interesting to Gary Younge, editor-at-large for the Guardian, a British media outlet. What is interesting to him, however, are the issues. The Black Lives Matter movement, LGBT issues, transgender studies, slut walks — the things that bring people together and incite passion. Because money picks the candidates, he said — it isn’t possible to run for president without millions of dollars — the people don’t get as much of a say. So the people’s issues, the things they care about, often don’t come up enough. That’s why Younge wants to reflect the desires of the people of Muncie, the Middletown and the so-called typical city in America, in his series in the Guardian, “The view from Middletown.” Ahead of the election, Younge is spending a few weeks in Muncie, talking to people and immersing himself in the community. Younge’s election coverage certainly isn’t orthodox. He wants to shift the election coverage away from talking about who is ahead in the polls and who won each debate, or as
he calls it, “the horse race.” “I think American politics is a lot richer than that,” Younge said. He’s instead focusing on how the American society is evolving, especially as it relates to an extraordinary presidential election like this one. It would be a lie, Younge said, to say his series has nothing to do with the election. But he’s trying to draw out the bigger themes and, instead of writing about who’s voting for each candidate, look more in depth about what’s driving the votes. “What I hope is that the coverage in the series uses the election to tell you something about America, rather than the other way around,” Younge said. A new installment in the series comes out twice a week, and Younge plans on nine total. So far, he’s reported on voters’ feelings, the view from Middletown and former Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders’ voters. Younge chose Muncie for the center of his series because of the rich research history Muncie has with Middletown. In the 1920s, two researchers designated Muncie for a case study on the typical American city, dubbing it “Middletown.”
SERVING BALL STATE UNIVERSITY AND MUNCIE COMMUNITIES SINCE 1922
See GUARDIAN, page 5