Monday, March 2, 2020

Page 1

Monday, March 2, 2020 | Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com

IU law student remembered as strong, compassionate By Natalie Gabor natgabor@iu.edu | @natalie_gabor

COURTESY PHOTO

IU Maurer School of Law Student Purva Sethi died Feb. 8 after being struck by an SUV in Bloomington as she crossed Third Street to go south on Washington Street, four blocks away from campus.

IU law student Purva Sethi died Feb. 8 after being struck by an SUV in Bloomington as she crossed Third Street to go south on Washington Street, four blocks away from campus. She was 25. Originally from India, Sethi came to the United States in 2018 to study law. She wanted to be a clerk for a judge and work for a judicial system after gradu-

ation. She was set to graduate in May and had accepted her dream job in December. She completed her undergraduate degree at O.P. Jindal Global University-Sonipat, located in the Indian state of Haryana. After she passed, people took to Facebook to share positive memories. “She always showed how much friendships meant to her, setting an example for all of us to live by,” wrote Vilasini Venkatesh, a childhood friend of Sethi.

In a Feb. 10 post on the International Students Association at Maurer School of Law Facebook page, she was described as more than a board member. She was a friend to everyone. “I am thankful to ISA board for bringing us together and glad I met you and was able to experience your kind soul, your tenacity and thoughtful conversations,” Mudia Edosomwan, a friend from the law school, wrote on her own Facebook page. Friends and family told the

Indiana Daily Student she will be remembered as a kind-hearted and compassionate person who put others before herself. Siyu Li, a friend of Sethi, said although she was soft and kind, she was also strong. “Her first priority was to make others around her comfortable,” Li said. “She wanted others to be happy above her own happiness.” She said Sethi had multiple SEE SETHI, PAGE 3

Finishing what he started County

says to plan for COVID-19

By Shelby Anderson anderssk@iu.edu | @ShelbyA04288075

In 1997, Bruce Smail fought for the LGBTQ+ Culture Center. Now he’s its interim director. JOY BURTON | IDS

Bruce Smail is pictured Feb. 26 in a conference room in Bryan Hall. Smail is the interim director of the IU LGBTQ+ Culture Center and special assistant to the Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Multicultural Affairs. By Carson TerBush cterbush@iu.edu | @_carsonology

Bruce Smail fought for LGBTQ and minority rights at IU as a graduate student in the ‘90s. He helped draft demands, organize a 1,000-person protest and convince the university to prioritize diversity. This semester, Smail has returned to campus but instead of fighting for those rights as a student activist, he plans to do so as the interim director of the LGBTQ+ Culture Center.

The center has gone through a lot of changes since it started in 1995. So has Smail. In 1990, Smail came out publicly as bisexual. In 2003, he was diagnosed with HIV. He has moved around four states, an island and Washington, D.C., working for four colleges, three HIV/AIDS organizations and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Smail is also serving as the special assistant to the Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs. Yolanda Treviño, assistant vice president of DEMA, said she knew Smail when he was studying at IU in the ‘90s. “He was, and continues to be, an insightful individual who

listens carefully and offers attainable recommendations and solutions,” Treviño said in an email. Smail will be the interim director for the next 3 ½ years. Through his career, he has worked to support black, LGBTQ, HIV/AIDS and other minority communities, and this work will influence his approach to IU's culture center. * * * In 1997, Smail was part of a student coalition at IU that staged a 1,000-person protest on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to bring attention to a list of diversity-related demands for the university. According to a Jan. 21, 1997,

article in the Indiana Daily Student, the demands were as follows : 1. The approval and implementation of a Latino Studies Department 2. The appointment of an Asian American Advocacy Dean 3. The maintenance and possible expansion of the Office of Diversity Programs 4. The funding and permanence of the GLB Student Support Services Office 5. The creation of an Asian culture center 6. An increase in both nonwhite and women faculty

As the coronavirus continues to spread internationally, the Monroe County Health Department recommends citizens review their emergency plans and suggest citizens focus on being prepared instead of being afraid. The department released a statement Feb. 28 with recommended safety tips for the coronavirus, as well as other viruses that are common this time of year February. Penny Caudill, a health administrator at the Monroe County Health Department, said there are no confirmed cases in Indiana, but she would not be surprised if at some point the virus did reach the state. “We need to do the things we can do to control our own situations,” Caudill said. The department recommends planning how to get food and necessities without going outside for two weeks and stocking up enough food to stay inside on short notice. According to the release, thinking about the possibility of working from home and planning for daycares to be closed are parts of the emergency plans people can consider. Caudill said the department deals with outbreaks on a somewhat regular basis, but it is prepared to adapt its typical response because of the new virus and the difficulty of knowing what to expect. The Monroe County Health Department is doing what it can to reSEE VIRUS PLANNING, PAGE 3

COVID-19 leads IU to Beach Boys bring 'Good Vibrations' to concert ban travel to Italy, Iran Smail's HIV talk, page 2 Check out how the interim director shared his experiences with HIV last week at a talk on campus.

SEE SMAIL, PAGE 3

By Maggie Anderson and Vivek Rao arts@idsnews.com

By Mel Fronczek

Nashville, Indiana, saw a break from near-freezing temperatures this weekend as it welcomed a dose of California sunshine. The Beach Boys performed twice Saturday at the Brown County Music Center. The setlist included classic number-one hits “I Get Around” and “Help Me, Rhonda.” Groups of grey-haired concertgoers huddled outside the venue before event doors opened. Before the show, attendees enjoyed special Beach Boys-themed drinks like the Fun, Fun, Fun, inspired by the band’s 1964 hit single. The event drew fans from across the country. Florida resident Liz Pickering attended the concert while visiting family in Indiana. She said she hasn’t seen the Beach Boys perform since the 1960s. “My favorite album was ‘Pet Sounds,’” Pickering said. “That was the age of Jan and Dean and a lot of beach groups. That was our age.” Californian Rose Serot said though she’s been listening to the Beach Boys for over 50 years, this was her first time seeing them perform live. Jacobs School of Music senior lecturer Andy Hollinden attended Saturday’s concert with his daughter Sazi Shields, who Hollinden said became a fan of the Beach Boys when she took his class MUS-Z405: The Music of the Beach Boys. Hollinden said his favorite song at the concert was “Don’t Worry

mfroncze@iu.edu | @MelissaFronczek

PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHELE WEDEL PHOTOGRAPHY

The Beach Boys perform Feb. 29 in the Brown County Music Center. Bruce Johnston and Mike Love are the only two members of the 1965 band that are still touring as the Beach Boys.

Baby.” He said the song is about a possible car crash and when he saw the band perform in 2012, Shields had just gotten into a car crash. “She told me ‘Baby, when you race today Just take along my love with you And if you knew how much I loved you Baby, nothing could go wrong with you’” — The Beach Boys "Don't Worry Baby" “I could hardly keep from crying because I knew my daughter had just totaled her car and was lying in the hospital in really bad shape,” Hollinden said. “I was today sitting next to that same daughter, and she got to hear them sing that song. And she’s all healed.”

The lineup also featured the songs “Pisces Brothers” and “Here Comes the Sun,” as tribute to the Beatles’ George Harrison. The Beach Boys' singer-songwriter Mike Love wrote “Pisces Brothers” after Harrison died in 2001 because both he and Harrison are Pisces. The song was accompanied by footage of Love with the Beatles in Rishikesh, India, when they attended a Transcendental Meditation training course under the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1968. Love said Harrison appreciated Indian culture, meditating frequently and learning how to play the sitar. Hollinden and Shields went backstage after the concert and talked to band members Mike Love, Bruce

Johnston and Scott Totten. Hollinden asked if the band had plans for its 60th anniversary, which is next year. Love said they planned to keep touring. When Love was on stage, he joked about how the Beach Boys’ members have aged since they formed nearly 60 years ago in 1961. “What we’d like to do is take an intermission and then a nap,” he said 20 minutes into the concert. Hollinden said he finds it heartwarming to see the Beach Boys still performing after so many years. “I think what the Beach Boys do live is a continuation of love, and it just spreads joy internationally,” Hollinden said. “The Beach Boys’ music is so achingly beautiful that it just makes me want to weep.”

Italy and Iran have joined the list of countries IU has restricted travel to, according to a Saturday public safety advisory email sent to students. IU also announced required self-quarantines for people returning from China, Iran, Italy, Japan and South Korea. IU banned travel to China, Iran, Italy and South Korea, according to Protect IU’s website. All four are Centers for Disease Control and Prevention level 3 travel alert destinations, which means there's an ongoing outbreak of respiratory illness caused by coronavirus, and the illness can be spread. The CDC recommends that travelers avoid all nonessential travel to China and Iran. Entry of foreign nationals from China and Iran has been suspended, according to its website. The CDC also recommends travelers avoid nonessential travel to Italy and South Korea. Anyone returning from a country with a confirmed case of coronavirus must complete the IU Traveler Information Form before returning to IU. Anyone traveling back from a country with a CDC level 2 or 3 travel alert will be required to selfquarantine off campus for 14 days before returning to IU, according SEE TRAVEL BAN, PAGE 3


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
Monday, March 2, 2020 by Indiana Daily Student - idsnews - Issuu