The best coffee shops in Bloomington

Isabella Vesperini (she/her) is a sophomore majoring in journalism and minoring in Italian.

I am not a huge coffee nerd. I do not like black coffee, nor coffee with cream and sugar. Don’t even mention espresso. The only form of coffee I can tolerate are mochas. They are the perfect balance of coffee and chocolate, not too overwhelmingly strong of caffeine.

I’ve developed a love for mochas in the past four years which has encouraged me to explore more coffee shop options. I have come to love spending time at coffee shops, whether it be reading, coloring or hanging out with friends. After living 11 years in Bloomington, I have found my top three favorite coffee shops that I think everyone should check out.

Number three: Brilliant Coffee Company bustling city like New York.

Number two:

Verona Coffee House

Opening only last year, Verona has come to be one of my favorite places to get coffee in town. The mochas here have a much stronger taste of coffee, but only just enough to give you a sample of what real coffee tastes like without the bitterness. The strong taste is muted and is very creamy.

The inside of the coffee shop is very cozy and contains many beautiful plates and silverware in glass cases behind the register. It gives off an older Italian villa vibe. I especially like the outdoor seating area at Verona; they have many tables outside and a fireplace to sit by. I also like watching the cars on the street drive by and bringing a book to read.

Gentry Keener (she/her)

is a junior studying journalism and political science.

As I lay in bed, my eyes still shut, I listen to the birds chirping outside in the early Prague morning. The window remained open all night and the sun rays are just beginning to peak in.

Suddenly, the room is filled with a loud ‘Vroom’ along with the popping and sputtering of a car engine coming to life. The sputter of the car continues as the driver revs the engine over and over again.

My eyes open in annoyance. Yet, just for a second, I am confused when I open my eyes to my bedroom in Prague. There is a small part of me that was ready to step out of bed onto the carpeted floor in my Colorado bedroom and run to the garage to yell at my brother.

“It is eight in the morning and there is absolutely no reason for you to wake the entire neighborhood up with your stupid car!” I would usually say.

However, I’m not at home and I haven’t been for almost six months. I haven’t seen my brother since New Years Day and I haven’t heard the revving of his engine since last May when we moved out of our childhood home.

Yet, I can picture it perfectly. The sound of the engine, the sound of his giggle as he realizes he has achieved exactly what he wanted: annoying me.

When I was at school this past semester, a coworker would make a South Park reference and my brain would immediately go to my two older brothers sitting on the couch laughing at the dumbest show ever made.

I would step outside and suddenly the smell of my grandparents’ tiny town in Northern Colorado would fill the air, even just for a second. I was transformed into my five-year-old self playing in the yard with my cousins. Cousins who I now haven’t seen for almost three years. As I take a bite of food I cooked up for dinner, I will realize my mom taught me this recipe and think of her standing next to the kitchen counter, talking to me for hours as she cooked, cleaned or just listened.

The smell of burning food will fill the kitchen as one of my roommate’s yells, “I forgot I’m cooking!” and instantly I am home giggling at my mother’s cooking skills.

As my roommate pours a box of puzzle pieces across the coffee table, I can see

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my mom standing over our 2,000-piece puzzle of Claude Monet’s “The Water Lily Pond.” — a puzzle we worked on for over a year. I can see the look on her face mixed with joy, relief and frustration as she put the final piece in. That was almost 5 years ago. The smallest things can trigger the sense of home. Sometimes it can trigger a feeling or a memory I haven’t felt since I was 10 years old. Yet it sits there, in my brain and in my heart, waiting for the perfect moment when I just need that little sense of home to keep the homesickness at bay and push me through the next couple of months until I can hug my brothers again or laugh all night long with my mom. gekeener@iu.edu

Transgender medical care shouldn’t be banned

Jared Quigg (he/him) is a senior studying journalism and political science.

The systematic attempt by the Republican Party to eliminate transgender people in America continued last week, with a bill banning medical care for trans youth passed by the Texas legislature. Greg Abbott has already said he will sign it.

The Texas bill is similar to Senate Bill 480, which was passed into Indiana law early last month. Both bills ban gender affirming care such as puberty blockers, hormone replacement therapy and certain surgical procedures for minors. Youths already receiving gender-affirming care in Indiana will be able to do so until the end of the year, but as of July 1, trans people who need care won’t be able to get it here. Some conservatives would probably object to the characterization that they seek to eliminate all trans people. Many similar bills passed across the country are justi- fied under the guise of protecting children only — once you turn 18, some might say, one is free to transition.

But a closer look reveals such a defense to be disingenuous. For example, in nine states Medicaid policy explicitly excludes transgenderrelated healthcare for people of any age — never mind that these policies are in direct violation of federal law.

The most depressing part of all this Republican tyranny is that these bills banning or throwing massive obstacles in the way of trans medical care are superfluous to some extent. This is because for many trans people, it’s not just the law that stands in the way of liberation. No, perhaps even more transphobic than the Republicans is the capitalist class.

It can be extremely costly for people to transition in America. Even with insurance, it can cost over $100 thousand to medically transition in the U.S.

For the 14% of trans Americans who are uninsured, gen- der affirming surgeries such as vaginoplasties can cost over $50 thousand. But such surgeries can be unaffordable even for those who do have insurance. This is because some insurers will argue that certain surgeries are simply “cosmetic” and therefore not medically necessary.

Unsurprisingly, it is greed and nothing more which determines in this country what is and isn’t medically necessary. Never mind that gender affirming care is linked to reduced levels of depression and lowers the very high risk of suicide among trans youth — if the insurance company says a procedure isn’t medically necessary, they must know what they’re talking about!

This is only made worse by the fact that nearly 30% of transgender adults live in poverty. Very high percentages of LGBTQ workers are unemployed and underemployed, which surely has much to do with discrimination. According to a 2020 study by the Center for American Progress,

62% of transgender respondents said they experienced discrimination in the workplace in the past year.

For those of us who are interested in trans liberation, it is not just the reactionaries in government who must be overcome, but also an economic system which makes healthcare inaccessible and hurls trans people into poverty for no other reason than that it’s profitable to do so. Complete trans liberation will necessarily require the end of capitalism.

That may seem like a project too big, too time consuming to help trans people who are desperate now. There are certainly actions we can take short of overthrowing the capitalist system that would help trans people, but we mustn’t shy away of difficult projects.

For example, one thing that could be done is move toward socialized medicine, which would allow trans people to get the care they need for free. Countries like Cuba already do this, and with far less wealth than we have.

This gem is hidden off the square behind Social Cantina. I found it simply because I was looking for a new coffee shop in town to try. Its main star quality: gelato. From tiramisu to gianduia to cheesecake, they have numerous gelato flavors to choose from and indulge in.

As an Italian American, I was ecstatic to discover that Bloomington actually had a gelato shop. I could not remember the last time I had eaten some. My personal favorite is their chocolate with chocolate chips. The chips add more texture and richness to the flavor.

Aside from the gelato, Brilliant Coffee Company has mochas that are on the sweeter side but creamy and tasty, nevertheless. Their hot chocolate is also worth trying. I enjoy their indoor seating area and overall vibe; they have classy light fixtures and a couple brick walls. As you step in, you get an overall feeling of being in a modern, cute coffee shop that is not in a small town but a big,

Verona is only a 15-minute walk from my house – it presents an opportunity to walk to the café on a nice day.

Number one:

Crumble Coffee and Bakery

Crumble is my favorite coffee shop in town for sure. Even though I go multiple times a week, I only ever get a chocolate chip cookie and a zebra mocha: coffee with a mixture of white and dark chocolate. It strikes the perfect balance and makes drinking coffee tolerable. There are many other food options to choose from: quiches, tarts and croissants, to name a few.

I also love going because the environment is very calm and serene; it is not too loud and allows people to both study and talk. There is indoor and outdoor seating as well as creative seasonable drink options. Moreover, there are three different locations in town to choose from – switching it up keeps things interesting and increases accessibility. isvesp@iu.edu

There are also smaller gains we can fight for, such as increasing unionization rates, fighting for higher wages and a job guarantee so we can reduce the poverty rates that trans people face. Winning the political battles won’t mean much if the capitalists are allowed to continue their economic war on trans people.

But even these — socialized medicine, a job guarantee, unionization — won’t be easy victories. And so, we mustn’t shrug our shoulders and give up in the face of long odds — we must instead em-

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brace radical visions.

Lenin said the work of socialists is always difficult, “but the thing that makes them different from the liberals is that they do not declare what is difficult to be impossible. The liberal calls difficult work impossible so as to conceal his renunciation of it.” jaquigg@iu.edu

Let us not confuse the difficult with the impossible. We can and will defeat the enemies of trans people in the public and the private sphere. It’s just a matter of time and will.

Danny William (they/them) is a sophomore studying media.

During the pandemic, employers let slip something they can’t take back — thousands of jobs can be done from home. Now, they’re desperately trying to convince everyone that isn’t the case.

Huge companies such as Disney and Amazon have implemented return-to-office policies. This requires workers to return to mostly inperson work after months or even years of hybrid or home working. After the status quo mixup that was the pandemic, it’s clear that returning to the office isn’t the fix-all solution that many companies think it will be.

Before I get too far into this, I want to say that I enjoy working in person. In my experience, it’s easier to collaborate and get to know your team members when you can meet them face-to-face.

You can’t capture that same energy over a Zoom call. Getting out of the house can create a separation in your brain between “work time” and “home time” — at least it does for me.

But the problem isn’t that employers want a return to the office — there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s how they’re going about it. The pandemic showed that so many people can work from home and want to do so, but companies are too stuck in the past to look to the future of work.

Working from home reduces overall costs for many workers. Childcare and commuting are time-consuming and expensive. With the average inflation last year at 8%, these costs can add up. Both of these can be eliminated or reduced by working from home or in a hybrid environment.

Commuting is famously one of the biggest gripes of office life. In 2019, the average one-way commute was 27.6 minutes. This was up from 25 minutes in 2006. Why should you spend nearly an hour each day driving to the same job you could do at home? Working from home can also do the thing it was intended to do in the first place — reduce the spread of disease. In 2019, 33% of surveyed professionals reported always going to work while sick. There shouldn’t be an expectation to physically attend work no matter what.

After the pandemic, all of us should reevaluate how we see work. Your job shouldn’t be your life. You should be allowed to spend time on hobbies or with the people you love. Working from home allows more free time to do that, rather than spending hours in an office or on a commute.

Many employers are stuck in the past. They want to reduce that coveted work-life balance to favor work, as it was before the pandemic. Having people physically in the office allows bosses to look over their employees’ shoulders and feel a sense of control.

If companies want people back in their offices, they need to find ways to actually entice people into coming back. Offering free coffee isn’t usually enough. Rethinking the traditional workflow of the office is a good place to start.

In that restructuring, workers should be allowed a choice. There are plenty of people who enjoy working in person, but also plenty who find the most productivity at home. Employers should support their employees on both sides of the aisle to find that happy medium. It’s been proven from the last few years that plenty of good work can be done from home.

The recent push back to the office has shown just how much power workers do have. In February, a team of contractors at YouTube Music unionized and went on strike after being notified of a return to the office, when most of them were hired remotely in the first place. Employers need to realize that the ball is no longer in their court — people will work the way they want to, with or without them. dw85@iu.edu

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ter said. “The pie didn’t get bigger, but the slices did, and that means we can admit fewer doctoral students than we have in the past.”

Moving forward, graduate students admitted into Ph.D. programs at IU will receive four years of funding for their studies, Potter said. Graduate students currently enrolled in these programs will receive the promised funding necessary to complete their dissertations.

Potter said IU has traditionally provided funding to cover doctoral students’ participation in these programs for four years. However, he said there is no obligation to extend that funding into fifth and sixth years of doctoral studies.

“Our Ph.D. program applicants must have completed four years of undergraduate studies and gotten their master’s degree,” Potter said. “The idea is that the doctoral students come in with the 30 credits of their master’s degree able to complete their dissertations in four years.” Denizhan Pak, a doctoral student in cognitive science and informatics, associate instructor of informatics and correspondence coordinator for Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition at IU, alleges funding that could be used for graduate student stipends is being used for the IU 2030 plan. The IU 2030 plan charts out a seven year plan to improve IU’s impact on the community includ- ing more opportunities for enrolled and potential students, more resources put toward research and creative opportunities and expanded university engagement outside the state.

Pak said in an email that the 2030 plan is expected to receive funding from investments in departments such as the College of Arts and Sciences, while graduate worker stipends are not receiving additional funds to account for inflation.

Pak said a petition from last year included clauses not just for graduate workers, but also every worker at IU. He said the petition got hundreds of signatures from all sorts of workers at IU.

“Administration saw that the grad workers had not gotten a raise in decades and after going on strike, they got raises.” Pak said. “What they’re really scared of is nontenure staff and faculty seeing this collective bargaining being effective, so they want to scare us off and say look at what the grad workers did to these departments. It’s important that narrative is called out for what it is.”

Rick Van Kooten, executive dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and instructor in graduate courses, said in an email several college chairs and directors discussed a potential policy change at a regular meeting of the College's Executive Dean's office. Van Kooten said the policy change would result in a small

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 number of master’s degree students being compensated hourly.

After receiving feedback from the College Policy Committee, Van Kooten said the directors of graduate studies and the College Student Academic Appointment Council decided they would not move forward with the policy change.

“I am committed to ensuring there are no changes that would negatively impact compensation or benefits of current graduate students or those being admitted,” Van Kooten said. What’s Next?

Pak said IGWC-UE intends to continue their role as the elected representative for SAA’s at IU and that the group will continue to collaborate and fight for the interests of graduate workers. He said despite administrative wages being increased and Shrivastav’s dismissal of the petition, IGWC-UE will continue to work for union recognition, fair work, expanded benefits, fairness to all graduate students and the protection of higher education.

“This fight will look like a practice of organizing, working with existing institutions, and if necessary, strikes and protests,” Pak said in an email. “Whether escalation becomes necessary is up to the administration, our responsibility is to stick together and stay organized.” in the regional final to end its season. The first inning between Indiana and Louisville was scoreless — the only scoreless first inning in the season’s three matchups between the two schools. The Cardinals went up 2-0 in the second inning. An error from Indiana redshirt junior catcher Lindsey Warick scored the first run, while Louisville outfielder Korbe Otis’ double drove in the second.

The next three innings were scoreless, but the Hoosiers broke their own shutout in the sixth inning. Sophomore first baseman Sarah Stone’s fielder’s choice scored redshirt junior outfielder Cora Bassett. Indiana trailed 2-1 entering the seventh.

After a pair of leadoff singles from freshmen, utility player Avery Parker and outfielder Cassidy Kettleman, junior shortstop Brooke Benson stepped to the plate in the seventh inning and laid down a bunt. Louisville catcher Sarah Gordon’s errant throw went over first baseman Hannah File’s head, allowing Kettleman and Parker to score, giving Indiana a 3-2 lead.

Bassett’s sacrifice fly gave the Hoosiers a 4-2 lead going into the bottom of the seventh inning. Sophomore pitcher Heather Johnson induced a groundout alongside a pair of strikeouts to secure an Indiana victory. After defeating Louisville in the elimination game, Team 50 advanced to the regional final to take on No. 4 Tennessee.

The Volunteers jumped on Johnson from the beginning. Tennessee third baseman Zaida Puni’s two-run blast put the Volunteers up 2-0 in the first inning. The Hoosiers totaled three hits in the bottom of the first but were unable to score any runners.

The following three innings were scoreless until Tennessee blew the game open in the fifth inning off Indiana freshman pitcher Sophie Kleiman. Outfielder Kiki Milloy scored Tennessee’s third run of the ballgame on a wild pitch.

Puni’s second home run followed, giving the Volunteers a 4-0 lead. Second baseman Lair Beautae’s sacrifice fly scored Tennessee’s fifth run. That was followed by catcher Giulia Koutsoyanopuls’ two-run single extending the lead to 7-0.

Down to its final three outs, Indiana looked to spark a rally in the final inning. A run-scoring groundout from sophomore outfielder Taylor Minnick cut the deficit to 7-1. Bassett crossed the plate after a wild pitch to add another run. A runscoring single from Copeland drove in the Hoosiers’ third and final run of the ballgame.

After the season-ending loss, Indiana head coach Shonda Stanton spoke about her team’s journey this season.

“I am super proud to be their coach,” Stanton said postgame. “Team 50 has been on a mission all season long and mission accomplished was to get to the postseason and compete our tails off.

Although Indiana’s season ended in the regional final, the Hoosiers had made their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2011. Team 50 set the program record for the most consecutive wins in a season with 23 this season.

With Brook Benson’s junior season concluding, the infielder praised Indiana fans for their unwavering support throughout the season.

“Seeing our fans and how well they travel, it’s just super fun to see,” Benson said. “To always have them support us is amazing and definitely helps out.”

Taryn Kern’s freshman campaign was one for the record books with her long list of achievements. Kern logged 23 home runs en route to winning the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year award, putting the nation on notice. “For everyone, keep your eye out for Indiana softball because we’re coming next year, we’re coming to get it,” Kern said. “Watch out.”