DN TUESDAY, FEB. 24, 2015
THE DAILY NEWS
BALLSTATEDAILY.COM
Group aims to support minorities in teaching Alliance of Black Teachers gives community for education majors ALAN HOVORKA CHIEF REPORTER | afhovorka@bsu.edu
Reaching out and encouraging minority youth to pursue a career as an educator is one of the goals of a new Ball State student group, which met for the first time on Feb. 19. The Alliance of Black Teachers’ goal is to provide a community space for black and other students of color to discuss their experiences as teaching majors. “We don’t really know any African Americans in education at Ball State,” said Kayla Veal, vice president of the Alliance of Black Teachers. “We want to get that sense of community through black education, because there doesn’t seem to be one on campus.” The group meets biweekly in Robert Bell, but the meeting time and day has not been set in stone. Rita Mitchell, president of the Alliance of Black Teachers, and Veal said they rarely see any other people of color in their program. “We just want to talk about that, why that is and to support the black people in the field of education,” she said. “Being the only black voice in a classroom can be difficult or weird sometimes.” In 2013-2014, Ball State’s total ethnic minority enrollment was 12 percent, according to the Ball State Fact Book. Undergraduate enrollment was 13.1 percent for undergraduate enrollment. There were 1,093 black undergraduate students enrolled that year, which equates to 6.7 percent of undergraduate enrollment. The group’s creation stems from English education courses taught by Darolyn “Lyn” Jones, an English education and creative writing professor. For eight years, Jones worked with grade school African American students with the Indiana Writers Center. “In my four years at Ball State, in my English education courses I will have one black student,” Jones said. “Last semester, I had five, and that surprised me. I was really happy because we need more teachers of colors.” Jones said the increased diversity in her class spurred diverse and open conversations in the class. Being the only person of color in a classroom makes it difficult to share the experience of the being different, she said.
DREAM come true
MEN’S BASKETBALL
VS. WESTERN MICHIGAN TONIGHT / 7 PM
Cardinal Deans’ Shootout Dollar Dog Night - Hot Dogs for just a Buck! 100 Student Rewards Points
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
VS. EASTERN MICHIGAN TOMORROW / 7 PM
Dollar Dog Night - Hot Dogs for just a Buck! 200 Student Rewards Points
Students share experiences applying, working for Disney College Program
BallStateSports.com/StudentRewards
Advertisement
SEE PAGE 4
‘I believed
I WAS WRONG’
‘Orange is the New Black’ actress talks about her childhood struggle with gender identity
S
tudents lined up in the freezing temperatures for four hours to get front row seats to hear Emmy Award-nominated actress Laverne Cox speak Monday in John R. Emens Auditorium. The actress, famous for her role in the Netflix series, “Orange is the New Black,” presented “Ain’t I A Woman: My Journey to Womanhood.” Nearly 1,900 people attended the event. “We got here at 2 [p.m.] and scoped it out and there wasn’t a line, so we went and got lunch and coffee and came back and started the line,” said Meredith Twyman, a senior dietetics major who waited with Alicha Anderson, a senior criminal justice major. Both Anderson and Twyman cited a recent cover of Time magazine featuring Cox. The article mentioned transgender becoming the next large-scale social issue after same-sex marriage. “It’s sad that we are just now jumping off, but it’s a good jumping off point for equality and having that conversation, because I don’t think it’s being had right now,” Twyman said. Cox shared stories from her childhood, admitting that even though she was born a male, she had a hard time hiding her femininity. “Before I knew anything about myself, I knew I was black. In preschool, I was greeted by kids with words like ‘sissy’ and the ‘f word’ that I don’t like to say but is a synonym for ‘sissy,’” Cox said, discussing her difficult start in life. See LAVERNE, page 6
ETHNICITY OF STUDENT BODY African American Asian American Caucasian Latino American Native American Pacific Islander Biracial Nonresident Alien Unknown
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
2.13% 0.77% 84.37% 2.90% 0.23% 0.08% 2.14% 1.92% 1.56%
6.37% 0.85% 83.69% 2.92% 0.13% 0.09% 1.94% 2.25% 1.60%
6.71% 0.82% 82.25% 3.45% 0.09% 0.09% 1.94% 3.06% 1.60%
See ABT, page 6
DN PHOTO BREANNA DAUGHERTY
LAW MAY ALLOW RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION Indiana Senate may pass law allowing groups to choose members based on religion KARA BERG CHIEF REPORTER | knberg2@bsu.edu
‘Left 4 Dead’ creators evolve gameplay, impress BYTE reviewer with design in new game
SEE PAGE 2
MUNCIE, INDIANA
SGA ELECTIONS CLOSE TODAY. DON’T FORGET TO VOTE!
An Indiana Senate bill could allow organizations to refuse to hire an applicant if they aren’t of a certain religion. Senate Bill 127 was given to the Indiana House of Representatives on Feb. 6 after the Indiana Senate passed it 39-11. It would allow religious-based, state-funded organizations — including universities and hospitals — to hire people based on their religion and to allow organizations to require employees to follow religious beliefs. State Sen. Travis Holdman (R-Markle), who authored the bill, said in a statement it brings Indiana into alignment with federal law by allowing state-funded religious institutions to give hiring preferences to those with the CONTACT US
News desk: 285-8245 Sports desk: 285-8245 Features desk: 285-8245
Editor: 285-8249 Classified: 285-8247 Fax: 285-8248
TWEET US
same religious beliefs. “Since the state contracts with hundreds of religious institutions that provide millions of dollars of important public services, it was important to make this change,” Holdman said in a statement. “Otherwise, Indiana may jeopardize many of these agreements and the services they provide for Hoosiers. This legislative action merely restores the state contract practice in Indiana that has been going on for decades.” Maggie Garrett, legislative director for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said she has a big problem with this bill. “It’s one thing when churches and religious organizations use their own private money and discriminate and hire on basis of religion,” Garrett said. “It’s another thing when it’s taxpayer-funded discrimination, which is exactly what this bill would allow.” Garrett said, for her, religious freedom doesn’t mean religious organizations get profit from taxpayer dollars and use that money to discriminate hiring.
Receive news updates on your phone for free by following @bsudailynews on Twitter.
1. CLOUDY
6. RAIN
2. MOSTLY CLOUDY
7. PERIODS OF RAIN
FORECAST TODAY
Scattered flurries
High: 23 Low: 13 11. SNOW FLURRIES
12. SCATTERED FLURRIES
3. PARTLY CLOUDY
« It’s one thing when churches and
religious organizations use their own private money and discriminate and hire on basis of religion. It’s another thing when it’s taxpayer-funded discrimination, which is exactly what this bill would allow. » MAGGIE GARRETT, legislative director for Americans United for Separation of Church and State “It tells me the government wants to get their money to organizations that are going to discriminate in hiring and say certain people of certain religions need not apply,” Garrett said. “It sends a particular message that certain people are treated differently and that the government will allow their taxpayer money to go toward organizations that refuse to hire certain people based on their religious beliefs.” THE PULSE OF BALL STATE
4. MOSTLY SUNNY
9. SCATTERED SHOWERS
5. SUNNY
THE PULSE OF BALL STATE
See RELIGION, page 6 THE PULSE OF BALL STATE
10. DRIZZLE
Isolated flurries are expected across the region this afternoon. Although temperatures have warmed slightly, breezy conditions make it feel much colder, as winds gust from the southwest near 30 mph. – Samantha 13. SNOWGarrett SHOWERS , WCRD weather forecaster
VOL. 94, ISSUE 89
THE PULSE OF BALL STATE