September 30, 2021

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Thursday, September 30, 2021 | Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com

IDS 'Man of a thousand ideas': Remembering Oscar Lemus By Izzy Myszak imyszak@iu.edu | @MyszakIzzy

Walking through New York City during her layover, Oscar Lemus and Katreen Boustani, Lemus’s partner, talked about their future, ate popsicles and bought books from a street vendor. Boustani remembers this as an especially special day in August. When it was time for Boustani to head home, she became sad and tears started streaming down her face. “Don’t worry, you’ll see me again,” Lemus told her before she went to board the plane. This was the last time Boustani saw Lemus in person. “It was a really good, full good-

COURTESY PHOTO

The late Oscar Lemus smiles for a photo. Oscar died after a car accident Sept. 4, 2021, in Massachusetts.

bye,” Boustani said. “I have a really good peaceful memory of him.”

IU Ph.D. student Oscar Lemus was a warm person full of enthu-

siasm and had a contagious smile, his friends said. He had a way of making everyone feel like they were enough and that they were important. Lemus died Sept. 4 at the age of 32 from a car crash in Massachusetts. Lemus was from Flushing, New York. Boustani said she will miss his personality and his voice. “He’s so warm,” she said. “By warm I mean he is a very comfortable person to be around.” Lemus had an aspiration to become a professor. He had a passion for mentoring and teaching, Boustani said. “He was always noting little lessons he had learned that he would want to pass on to his students,”

Boustani said. Javon Goard, a friend of Lemus’s, said he would constantly offer feedback and always had a new idea for his work. “Oscar was the man of a thousand ideas,” Goard said. He used to write down his theories and ideas on sticky notes, showing his ideas through pictures. Goard said the way his mind worked was amazing. Goard first met Lemus in the fall of 2015 before joining their respective Ph.D. programs at IU during a tour of Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering. Goard said he and Lemus hit it SEE LEMUS, PAGE 4

IU observes Hispanic Heritage Month By Emily Brown emibrown@iu.edu

Since Sept. 15, IU’s La Casa Latino Cultural Center has been celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with events throughout IU’s campus. The mix of online and in-person events will continue through Oct. 13 in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month ending on Oct. 15. The beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month marks the independence of five Latin American countries such as Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico and Chile also celebrate their independence on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18, respectively. At IU, the events range from festivals to speeches in honor of Hispanic and Latinx heritage. Upcoming events include:

ETHAN MOORE | IDS

A performer accompanies Saraswathi Ranganathan Sept. 25, 2021, on the stage of the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. The performance was part of the 28th annual Lotus World Music & Arts Festival.

Lotus Festival returns to Bloomington By Nadia Scharf njscharf@iu.edu | @nadiaascharf

As the sun went down Friday night, a bass line could be heard through the streets of Bloomington. Getting closer, it became clearer — upbeat and jazzy, the trombone carrying a bouncing beat over smooth trumpet melody like a rock skipping on water. Block letters on the sousaphone labeled the band: Nation Beat, a Brazilian-New Orleans jazz and brass band. Lead percussionist Scott Kettner took the mic. “It’s a pleasure to be onstage, it’s a pleasure to be back here at Lotus Festival, let’s give it up!” Kettner said to a cheering crowd. “This is not a livestream, this is live. Real live!” The 28th annual Lotus World Music & Arts Festival took place Sept. 23-26 and featured performers from cultural traditions across the world. During Friday and Saturday of the festival, ten artists performed from 6:30 p.m. to

midnight. Attendees could move between two tents, located on Fourth and Sixth St. respectively, and the Buskirk-Chumley Theater to see multiple performers in the same time slot. Several festival activities didn’t require tickets, like Lotus’s Festival Arts Village, which offered chalk, hula-hooping and crafting. This year, children and their families made lanterns, yarn paintings and origami cicadas. Nathan Parker was one of those children, hands covered in chalk dust as his mother spoke. “It’s been a tradition for the 13 years we’ve been together that we just always come,” Christina Parker said. “We just hang out and enjoy the activities that are going around.” Downtown after dark As the night wore on, more performers took the stage. In the BCT, Martha Redbone’s voice slid up and down, red lipstick striking against the colored lights.

Performing as Martha Redbone Roots Project, she sang about the “long walk to D.C.” alongside Charles Burnham on violin and husband Aaron Whitby on piano. At one point, she asked audience members to raise their hands and clap along with her. “Remember,” Redbone said. “Friends do not let friends clap on one and three. This ain’t no polka night.” Laura and Arthur Littlepage volunteered Friday morning and Saturday but took Friday night to enjoy the performances. It’s not just a local event, they said, but one that brings people in every year. “We just love the international music and how all kinds of different people come,” Laura Littlepage said. When Doctor Nativo, a Guatamalan-Mayan reggae performer, took the stage at 10:45 pm, the crowd perked up immediately. Energy spilled from the group as Nativo, also known as Juan Mar-

tinez, strutted and salsa danced across the stage while playing guitar. Martinez’s voice echoed as he encouraged the crowd to come closer to the stage to dance and cheer. “Come on!” Martinez called again and again. “Are you alive? Come on!” Indoors at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater The evening festival began at 6:30 p.m. in the BCT with a performance by bohola, a traditional Irish band. The set began with slower songs and as the tempo rose, the audience began to clap to the beat. Pat Broaders, one member of the two-person group, introduced the next song in a lilting accent, plucking the strings of his acoustic guitar as he spoke. “This is a song I got from a singer called Frank Harte — anybody heard of him?” Broaders asked. No one responded, and he SEE LOTUS, PAGE 4

Looking back on a fall-time IU tradition By Meghana Rachamadugu

Thursday, Sept. 30 1:00 p.m.: IU Diversity Career and Internship Fair. This fair creates the opportunity for students to network with over 90 employers and explore internship opportunities. 8:00 p.m.: Cantata Popular Santa Maria de Iquique. A Latin American protest music concert sponsored by the Latin American Music Center. Wednesday, Oct. 6 6:00 p.m.: Professional Platicas Series — Embracing Community Service. For this part of the series, attendees can learn how community service shaped Indiana State Police Captain, Ruben Marte, as he shares his stories about working with the Indiana State Police and the City of Bloomington’s Commission on Hispanic and Latino Affairs. Thursday, Oct. 7 3:00 p.m.: “What’s in the X? Historical, regional, and cultural context Latinx terms.” A workshop led by School of Education faculty member and author Sylvia Martinez. She will discuss terms used to identify the Latinx and Hispanic population and historical context for the terms and diversity within this population. She will also review panethnic terms with a critical lens. 5:00 p.m.: First Thursday. A monthly outdoor festival held to showcase the diversity of arts and humanities at IU. The outdoor event ends at 8:00 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8 3:00 p.m.: Diversity Graduate Student Mixer. The event will serve food and refreshments and is open to all underrepresented graduate students. Monday, Oct. 11 7:00 p.m.: The Latinx Artist Showcase. A showcase of Latinx culture. It will feature artwork and entertainment from members of the IU community.

megracha@iu.edu

One hundred years ago, freshmen associated the fall with underclassmen rivalry, hazing and green hats. IU freshmen from the 1910s to the 1940s participated in a school tradition of wearing green hats. Those who did not comply risked hazing — such as involuntary haircuts — from sophomores and upperclassmen. The University Archives said the green caps in question were also known as pods, the freshmen Rhiny pods. These were closefitting, had 3-inch bills, and a red patch on the front. The IU Traditions Committee, which preceded the IU Union Board, announced in 1913 that freshmen are required to wear the official green cap while on campus. SEE GREEN CAPS, PAGE 4

Wednesday, Oct. 13 7:00 p.m.: Gabby Rivera: National Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month & LGBTQ+ History month Keynote Speaker. Gabby Rivera is the author of “Juliet Takes a Breath” and the writer of the Marvel series America. Attendees can visit www.lacasa. indiana.edu/programming/NHHM2021-Calendar.pdf to RSVP for these events or find Zoom links.

IDS FILE PHOTO BY ANNA BROWN

IU ARCHIVES

IU freshman receive their green beanies Sept. 12, 1942. IU freshmen from the 1910s to the 1940s participated in a school tradition of wearing green hats.

Trees surround the IU La Casa Latino Cultural Center on Sept. 29, 2019, across from Dunn Meadow. La Casa has been celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month since Sept. 15 with events throughout IU’s campus.


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