IDS Freshman Edition 2024

IDS

Congratulations on getting accepted into IUBloomington and becoming a Hoosier! Starting your college career at IU is an amazing achievement, and I hope you all have a wonderful freshman experience.

This is the Freshman Edition of the Indiana Daily Student, a student-run in-

IU basketball legend Bob Knight dies at 83

dependent newspaper at IU. This issue consists of some of the best stories of the 2023-2024 academic school year.

The IDS has been a part of Bloomington since it was founded in 1867. It has become an important resource for the Bloomington community and IU to keep up to date on what is happening on campus and in the city.

Everything in this paper has been produced by students: stories, photos and the design of the pages. The IDS covers a

Bloomington views 2024 eclipse

By IDS Staff

Some scenes have been cut for print. Read the full story at idsnews.com.

11 a.m. at Switchyard Park

Switchyard Park is filled with more than 700 residents and visitors trying to find the perfect viewing spot for the total solar eclipse, set to happen in less than four hours.

Parkgoers are listening to live music performances from the Celestial Spectacle as they set up tents and lawn chairs. Many families with children parked their chairs next to the park’s playground or the City of Bloomington Park and Recreation Department craft station.

Tara Brooke, an events specialist for the Parks and Recreation Department, said she has been planning the craft station for more than a year. Participants can build eclipse viewers, spaceship magnets and UFO masks, and can participate in “sun printing” for free. While she plans events like the one at Switchyard Park as part of her job, she said it was hard to expect the number of people who would be at the event.

Sun printing involves placing objects on top of photo-reactive paper which then projects the image of the object onto the paper after exposure to the sun.

“I’m just here for the ride,” Brooke said.

11:30 a.m. on Kirkwood Avenue

Anticipation is building in Bloomington. Crowds cluster around Kilroy’s, Nick’s and the Sample Gates.  The morning clouds finally gave way, and a clear blue sky looms overhead. The sun casts a shadow on the street – a hint of what is to come in just under three and a half hours.

Cars traveling through Kirkwood Avenue anxiously look for parking spaces, but most are filled. One man, however, cruises down the street in his car with the windows down and without a care in the world. He plays a timely song — The Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun” — from his radio as he passes the Monroe County Courthouse.

A couple sets up a tripod in the green area in front of the courthouse. They situate it on a slab of concrete and take a seat in two lawn chairs facing the sun. The camera sits in a bag between them for now.  It took a couple hours, but

Kirkwood Avenue is doing what it does best.

11:30 a.m. at Memorial Stadium

A chorus of horns and booming breakbeats ring out from the grand stage as 10-time Grammy nominated R&B singer Janelle Monáe’s band soundchecks in IU Memorial Stadium. The bleachers are mostly vacant, save for the IU band who wandered in to take their seats by the end zone. They occasionally cheer for the horn section of Monáe’s ensemble.   The sun beats down on the field, usually made of turf, but today covered in a gray plastic platform for showgoers to stand on. In addi-

tion to Monáe, the stadium is hosting Mae Jemison, the first woman of color to go to space, and “Star Trek” actor William Shatner.

A crowd of around 10,000 are expected to flock to the stadium for the main event beginning at 1 p.m., according to Visit Bloomington Executive Director Mike McAfee.

“I think it’s been just this nice steady flow of people I’ve seen. I’ve been out and about in town, all weekend,” McAfee said. “Friday, Saturday, Sunday and today I’ve met tons of people from all over the country that are that are here for it.”

Some IU performing arts ensembles will also take the stage prior to the eclipse. IU’s Marching Hundred will open

the event, followed by the College of Arts and Science’s Department of Theater and Dance performing a Broadway number at 1:05. At 1:35, the IU Contemporary Dance Program will perform “Minor Bodies”, a duet choreographed by program director Elizabeth Shea.  Shatner, who is performing a spoken word piece leading up to the total eclipse, will be accompanied by musicians from the Jacobs School of Music and NOTUS, IU’s Contemporary Vocal Ensemble. The accompanying piece was composed by Jacobs School of Music professor Dominick DiOrio, who will also conduct the piece during Shatner’s spoken word.

Madeline Tokman, a graduate student singing alto in NOTUS’s performance, spent her teenage years watching Shatner in films and shows as his iconic “Star Trek” character Captain Kirk.

“Never in a million years would I have imagined that, first of all, William Shatner was a real person I could actually see in real life, and second of all that I would be performing alongside him,” she said.   Cloud cover at the time of the eclipse is expected to be minimal, so stadium showgoers are expecting a clear view of the total eclipse at 3:04 p.m.

Noon at the IU tailgate fields

Ronnie Cortopassi takes his perch at the entrance of Lot 114 in front of the IU Tennis Center, sporting a yellow vest while a travel bag sits at his feet.

Cortopassi was told to expect between 25,000 to 30,000 people. He arrived at Memorial Stadium at 5:30 a.m. and moved to his spot at 7 a.m., but for an hour and a half, he watched cars come and go — down North Fee Lane, not into his parking lot.  By late morning, there were only a handful of cars in the lot, which is directly behind Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall and across from Memorial Stadium.

To pass the time, Cortopassi played games on his phone — “Royal Match” and slot machines — and talked with his gate partner about cruises. Cortopassi and his wife, Nancy, are two weeks removed from a cruise to Jamaica.   He opens his phone, which is already on the charger, and shows a countdown clock for a date 167 days away, marking he and Nancy’s next cruise. It’ll be their 15th together.  The free meals. The specialty restaurants. The chance to unwind. In this moment, his mind is on the ocean — and not the near-vacant lot that sits behind him.  “It was supposed to be extremely busy,” Cortopassi

Natalie Fitzgibbons

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Feldman, a 2007 gradu-

ate from IU who now lives in the Indianapolis area, watches soccer and lacrosse balls being thrown around the parking lot. There are two other cars within one hundred yards of them.

His daughter, Victoria, eats Ruffles potato chips. His son, Jack, sits in a lawn chair and reads Katie the Catsitter — he proudly exclaims he’s read all three.

The family decided to watch the eclipse from Bloomington because of several factors, including its IU ties, the allure of Memorial Stadium and the path of totality.  Feldman said he was extremely surprised many others did not follow, but he remains satisfied with his return to his alma mater and believes his kids are, too.

“It’s been a great day,” Feldman said. “I think this will be something they’ll remember for a long time.”

12:39 p.m. at Dunn Meadow

Dunn Meadow has begun to fill with people, and even some pets, sitting on blankets and chairs in the grass. One such visitor, Matthew Carr, flew a plane from Fort Wayne to witness the eclipse.

He had to make a reservation to fly into Monroe County Airport, as the airport expected to be busy.

“So, brought my friends and we took the flight down and landed this morning and came over to Dunn Park to watch the eclipse,” Carr said.  Carr said he came to Bloomington to watch the eclipse for a couple of reasons, including his two daughters who go to school at IU. He said they were going to meet Carr and his group on Dunn Meadow so they could watch the eclipse as a family.

“We kind of just started the party this morning,” Carr said.

“We had lunch and just having some drinks enjoying the sunshine. We’re glad that the weather forecast was different than what was being placed.”

1:49 p.m. at Dunn Meadow

The moon has begun eclipsing the sun. The crowd at Dunn Meadow listened to musical performances and began to look up.

2:25 at La Casa Viewing Party

Students are beginning to fill the front lawn of La Casa Latino Cultural Center with blankets, towels and articles of clothing to sit on in anticipation of the eclipse. Students on the culture center’s perimeter are engaging in various activities like tug-of-war and socializing on hammocks.

“We had a trivia wheel that had all kinds of space trivia and we we’re giving prizes away,” said Michael Garza, the event organizer. “We also have a telescope here and the projector casts the clips as it’s happening.”

3 p.m. at Dunn Meadow

The crowd gazing at the sky began applauding and whooping as the moon neared a total eclipse. In anticipation of totality, the crowd continued to rupture into applause. They anticipated it too early. Many times.

3:15 p.m.

Did you see that? The eclipse just occurred after 3:04 p.m. Super cool.

3:15 p.m. at La Casa Viewing Party

Students begin to pack up their belongings as the exhilaration of the eclipse fades away.

“That was surreal,” one student said. “The place just went dark and the ring around the Sun was so bright.”

Students were given viewing glasses and glow sticks by the event organizer, Michael Garza.

This story was originally published April 8, 2024

Whitten rebuked: IU faculty vote no confidence in Whitten, Shrivastav, Docherty

By Marissa Meador marnmead@iu.edu | @marissa_meador

IU Bloomington faculty overwhelmingly passed votes of no confidence for IU President Pamela Whitten, Provost Rahul Shrivastav and Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs Carrie Docherty on Tuesday.

The motion for no confidence in Whitten passed with 93.1% of the vote, the motion for no confidence in Shrivastav passed with 91.5% of the vote and the motion for no confidence in Docherty passed with 75% of the vote.

According to minutes posted by the Bloomington Faculty Council, 948 faculty members attended the meeting. The number of faculty eligible to vote was 3,276. The last all-faculty meeting, called in May 2022 regarding the graduate workers strike, had an attendance of 732.

The last time faculty voted no confidence in an IU president was 2005. Then-president Adam Herbert announced in 2006 he would leave at the end of his contract in 2008. Whitten’s contract, obtained by Indiana Public Media, expires June 2026.

No confidence votes have increased across universities nationwide in recent years and roughly half of no confidence vote targets end up leaving the university within a year of the vote.

The IU Board of Trustees released a statement Tuesday affirming complete support for Whitten.

“At our direction and with our support, President Pamela Whitten is leading at a time in higher education where the status quo is not an option,” the statement read. The full statement can be read here.

Quinn Buckner, chair of the Board of Trustees, also released a statement.

“Let me be absolutely clear: President Whitten has my full support and that of every member on the Board of Trustees,” he wrote. “I have the privilege

of working hand in hand with her and I regularly witness her deep integrity, compassion and commitment to IU’s future. She is an extraordinary leader who is crucial to Indiana University’s success and will be serving as our president for years to come.”

In an email to faculty Tuesday, Whitten wrote she intended to collaborate with faculty despite disagreements. The full text of the statement is below:

“This university and your success are deeply important to me. And after today’s vote, I write to share my reflections on how we can move forward together.

While we will not always agree, our community is made stronger by an array of viewpoints and voices— including those expressed as part of this process.

We serve at a time when trust in higher education is at record lows, and expectations for our role as an economic and cultural driver are at record highs. Our self-concept of purpose and value often differs wildly from how we are viewed by lawmakers, civic leaders, industry and much of the general public. Such differences are not tenable forever.

There is no going back to an earlier time. Demographic changes, resulting financial realities, and political developments are only accelerating. To combat the challenges that mark this new environment, I welcome thoughtful ideas and consideration.

Against this backdrop, our trustees have charged us with making difficult but necessary decisions to ensure that IU, and IU Bloomington, as the flagship, emerges as a leader among elite research universities.

Institutions are never static. They are evolving, innovating and getting stronger, or they are stagnant and losing momentum and relevance. But we can only achieve the former if we work together, if we communicate with honesty and compromise,

if we operate on the same team.

As we plan our future together, I encourage you to suggest innovative opportunities within your department, school or college to share your ideas. In turn, I pledge to listen and learn. I will weigh the guidance from faculty council and the participation of the campus community through shared governance to achieve our collective vision of a thriving campus.

The change we seek for IU Bloomington is grounded not in an inability to appreciate what is already here, but in a desire to ensure that what comes in the future can match the strength of IU’s legacy. The IU we seek in 2030 and beyond will look different in some ways than the IU we know today – not because we have diverged from our mission, but because we have met this challenging societal moment and boldly embraced our purpose—for students, for scholarship and knowledge creation, and for service to society.

Working together, we can achieve even more for this extraordinary institution. We can uphold the legacy of Herman B Wells and ensure IU thrives as an international academic leader while being a workplace that embraces respectful collaboration.”

In the weeks leading up to the vote, faculty organizers cited several controversies and an overall perception of financial mismanagement as motivating factors. However, faculty unrest has been brewing for years, beginning with a controversial presidential search process in 2020 and culminating this semester with the suspension of professor Abdulkader Sinno, the cancelation of Palestinian painter Samia Halaby’s exhibition and a dispute regarding compliance with a new Indiana law barring funds for the Kinsey Institute. In each case, students, faculty and staff expressed concerns that

the decisions jeopardized academic freedom and bypassed input from university stakeholders. Faculty signed a petition in defense of Sinno after Docherty suspended him for allegedly misrepresenting an event with a pro-Palestinian speaker on a room reservation form. The Faculty Board of Review later wrote IU had violated its policy because it bypassed a faculty hearing required by Bloomington campus policy, and while the provost implied he would support the FBR’s decision at a February BFC meeting, he declined to comment in March. When Halaby’s art show was canceled due to unspecified security concerns, it drew condemnation from international groups and gained national news coverage. Though Halaby and her grandniece, Madison Gordon, organized a petition that received over 15,000 signatures, IU did not reinstate the exhibition.

After the Board of Trustees considered a proposal to create a nonprofit that would administer some functions of the Kinsey Institute at a meeting in November, IU community members urged the board and the IU administration to implement an accounting solution instead. Kinsey faculty and staff said the proposal came as a surprise to them and feared it would put the institute’s collections in jeopardy. Ultimately, the Board of Trustees scrapped the nonprofit plan.

The IDS wrote about these disputes and other controversies in detail last week.

In a document obtained by the IDS prior to the vote, faculty organizers also alleged the university has been imposing unnecessary austerity measures on academic units.

The document alleges Whitten has created an “artificial budget shortfall” which risks the health of departments that contribute to IU’s R1 status. Universities with an R1 classification have “very high

research activity,” which is determined by the number of doctoral degrees and research expenditures across four “disciplinary clusters” — humanities, social sciences, STEM and “all other disciplines,” such as business, social work, public policy and education.

“Her budget centralization has significantly decreased school and departmental normal operational budgets and disincentivized faculty applications for major national grants,” the document reads. “Overall, she has contributed to destroying IU’s reputation globally and with the federal government, causing visible damage even at the level of new faculty and graduate student recruitment.”

The IDS could not independently verify these claims. However, IU made $70 million in permanent budget cuts in 2021-2022 according to its annual financial report. At the end of fiscal year 2022, IU reported a net position of $5,223,795,000, an indicator of the university’s financial strength after examining assets, liabilities and deferred inflow and outflow of resources. At the end of FY 2021, its net position was $4,980,043,000. This is an increase under former president Michael McRobbie, when IU ended FY 2018 with a net position of $3,892,556,000.

Despite the budget cuts, IU lists 18 vice presidents that report to Whitten, an increase from the 16 vice presidents listed near the end of McRobbie’s term. Whitten’s salary this school year is $650,000, while McRobbie’s salary in 2018-2019 was $639,846, according to IU’s salary database. Shrivastav’s salary is $540,750.00 while former provost Lauren Robel’s 2018-2019 salary was $430,039.00.

Other vice presidents have seen large raises during IU’s budget cuts, with some positions seeing a six-figure increase in just two years.

This story was originally published Aril 16, 2024

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IUDM raises over $3 million for Riley Hospital

By Madelyn Hanes mrhanes@iu.edu

Thousands of IU students, alumni and community members participated in the 33rd annual IU dance marathon Nov. 10 through Nov. 12 at the IU Tennis Center. The organization revealed they raised $3,003,837.23 to support Riley Hospital for Children at the conclusion of 36-hour event Sunday morning.

Riley Hospital for Children is the largest and most skilled pediatric system in Indiana with 50 locations around the state, according to their website. According to the U.S. News and World Report, Riley Hospital for Children is ranked among the top hospitals in the nation.

Last year, IUDM raised $3,233,968.23 million for Riley's Hospital for Children.

IUDM is the second largest student-run organization in the world and has raised over $50 million for Riley Hospital for Children since 1991. According to the IUDM website, 25% of donations raised goes towards clinical expenses, and 75% of donations raised go towards supporting Riley’s Wells Center for Pediatric Research. IUDM funds three endowments, including the Ryan White Chair in Infectious Disease Endowment, the Ryan White Infectious Disease Endowment and the IUDM Research Endowment.

The marathon lasted 36 hours beginning 8 p.m. Friday and ending 8 a.m. Sunday and during that time, the members of the organization participated in line dancing, a talent show, pizza eating contests, karaoke and much more.

They played five stage games throughout the marathon including guess the lyric, egg toss and jeopardy, IU senior Vaugn Mihok and stage game chair for morale said. A stage game chair plans all of the games that are played on the main stage during IUDM. He said that

he has been in IUDM for two years.

Around 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Bloomington local country music artist Hank Ruff performed on the main stage.

Riley Hospital for Children patients and their families attended the event to share their stories. Rose Black said she was a single mother when her son Vincent was born. He stopped breathing and was rushed to Riley Hospital for Children shortly after his birth. Vincent suffered severe disabilities and had over 75 surgeries. He lived to be 42 years old.

“Vincet loved the dance marathon so much,” Black said. “He loved to dance and would be right there in the

front in front of everyone.”

Black said that every year, she always brings her extended family to IUDM.

“You guys could be doing anything in the world in the cold, cruel world, but look what you are doing,” Black said to the crowd of students.

Marlee Davenport, who is 15 years old and was born missing nine of 12 ribs on her right side causing severe scoliosis and an abnormal small right lung. Marlee was sent to Riley Hospital for Children shortly after birth. She said that she loves coming to IUDM.

“I love how passionate everyone is, and it is such a great community to be around,” Davenport said.

On Saturday night, event

organizers revealed that 18 high school dance marathons across Indiana raised $1,153,778.18 for Riley Hospital for Children this year.

IU senior Maggie Doyle and vice president of communications for IUDM said it was her second year on the IUDM executive board and her 10th year participating in dance marathon overall.

“There's nothing else I have been a part of where you are able to do so many good things for other people while also making the most incredible friends in the process,” Doyle said.

According to their website, there are 18 different committees in IUDM organized between four focuses: communications, finance,

internal and membership. These committees work year-round to plan IUDM. During the marathon, participants represented their groups by wearing colors specific to that committee.

IU senior Ciarra Beisler and director of hospital relations said she has participated in IUDM for three years and dance marathons for four years at her high school. She said her committee leads the volunteering in and outside of Riley Hospital for Children, takes a group to the hospital every week and read books to the children, plans Ronald Mcdonald Meals and cooks for the families.

Ronald Mcdonald House Charities help families around the world with med-

ical care and any expenses they may need, according to their website. Different organizations can cook meals for families who spend longs hours supporting their child in need of medical resources.

Independent Relations Chair on the Recruitment committee, IU junior Shelby Gosser, said she joined IUDM because her brother has Cystic Fibrosis and has been a Riley kid his entire life. “My favorite part about IUDM and being on recruitment is getting to see the first-year dancers' eyes light up on the first day of the marathon,” Gosser said.

This story was originally published Nov. 12, 2023

BRIANA PACE | IDS

IU Dance Marathon Morale committee members perform this year’s line dance Nov. 10, 2023, at the IU Tennis Center. IUDM has raised over $50 million since 1991.

57 protesters arrested at ongoing encampment

Protesters set up an encampment in Dunn Meadow to support Palestinians in Gaza and call for IU to divest from Israel.

By IDS staff news@idsnews.com

IU Police Department and Indiana State Police officers have arrested a total of 57 protesters since the beginning of the IU Divestment Coalition’s encampment in Dunn Meadow on April 25.

The protest has now lasted eight days and seen two incidents of forceful arrests of peaceful protesters, with 34 being arrested April 25 and 23 arrested on April 28.

The incidents have gained international attention and campus-wide backlash from IU faculty, staff and students concerned over free speech rights and police aggression against students.

April 25 arrests

Indiana State Police and the Indiana University Police Department arrested 34 pro-Palestinian protesters in Dunn Meadow on April 25 during a protest and encampment. The protest was organized by the IU Divestment Coalition, a newly created organization calling for IU to divest from Israel, among other demands.

The protesters set up encampments in Dunn Meadow around 11 a.m., and by 4 p.m., IUPD and ISP descended on the scene, meeting the peaceful protest with physical force.

Before the physical confrontation, IUPD and ISP announced several warnings to protesters that arrests would follow if they did not immediately take down their tents. Around 1:25 p.m., an ISP trooper announced to the crowd that Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb was aware of the situation. In response to threats of arrest, some protesters took several tents down and consolidated the encampment, guarding it through a chain of armlinked protesters who encircled the area.

Arrests began right before 4 p.m., and at least 20 protesters were detained within 10 minutes. IUPD and ISP forcefully removed several protesters from tents, dragged them across the field and detained them using zip ties. ISP pushed repeatedly into the crowd, pulling people back and clashing with protesters.

ISP officers — some in riot gear and others in green uniforms — were armed with assault weapons, guns with less-than-lethal rounds, shields and pepper spray.

After clearing the encampment area, ISP and unidentified people in orange and yellow T-shirts tore down the remaining tents as police established a perimeter around the remaining protesters.

Police put the detained protesters on board an IU bus traveling to Harry Gladstein Fieldhouse, where they were then processed and later taken to Monroe County Jail. As the bus drove away from Dunn Meadow, arrested protesters could be heard chanting pro-Palestinian slogans.

What happened to protesters who were arrested April 25?

Officers told IDS reporters that those arrested would be charged with criminal trespassing, while others would be charged with battery and resisting law enforcement. The IDS confirmed that several of those arrested for trespassing are now forbidden from entering IU’s campus for a year.

Mark Bode, executive director of media relations at IU, sent a statement to the IDS in response to an inquiry about arrested students and faculty who were temporarily banned from campus.

“We encourage affected faculty and students to engage in the appeals process by contacting IUPD,” the statement read. “Trespass ban notices will be suspended during the appeals process in nearly all cases. This will allow these students and faculty to complete the semester.”

Beginning at 6:08 p.m., the arrested protesters were booked into the Monroe County Jail in two busloads. The first busload was let off one-by-one, their hands still zip-tied behind them. They

were photographed with a paper stating their names in front of them and then led into the jail. They could be seen sitting on the ground until the jail door closed. Officers did not respond to immediate questions, referring IDS reporters to jail public information officers.

The second bus arrived almost an hour later. Some protesters were photographed in front of the bus, but a majority were led straight into the jail. Police had to remove protesters’ masks so they could be photographed.

Friends and family members of the protesters came to the jail, waiting for them to be released. Bloomington resident Cicada Dennis’s wife, Barbara, was one of the people arrested during the protest.

"She's pretty angry about the way that the police have handled the situation,” Dennis said. “The fact that they were arresting people for basically exercising their First Amendment rights to free speech. And also the way that the police like pushed her, because she was just standing, and they were pushing her and pushing her.”

April 27 arrests After the IU Divestment Coalition’s second encampment April 26 lasted overnight into April 27, Indiana State Police and IU Police Department forcibly arrested 23 protesters starting around 12:38 p.m.

Police and IU employees deconstructed the encampment and stood off with protesters until leaving around 1:20 p.m.

At around 12:20 p.m., an IUPD officer gave a warning to protesters that those arrested would be charged with trespassing and banned from campus, many of whom stayed in the meadow overnight, to immediately remove and vacate all tents within ten minutes. State troopers told protesters and IDS reporters that IU had called for ISP support to remove the tents.

IUPD public information officer Hannah Skibba said in a statement that police gave several warnings to protesters to remove the structures and those who did not comply were detained and removed.

IU spokesperson Mark Bode did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the administration’s role in the protesters’ removal. Protesters linked arms with each other to form a barricade between themselves and at least 60 Indiana State Police troopers armed with shields, batons and other riot gear. One ISP officer had an Explosive

Ordnance Detection canine, used to detect explosive compounds, including ammunition and firearms.

Five minutes later, state police troopers began moving toward the encampment. When reaching the line, troopers began pulling and tackling those who did not move. 23 protesters were arrested, including one of the group's leaders — graduate student Bryce Greene.

The encounter was markedly more aggressive than April 25’s nearly ten-minute clash. Troopers aggressively moved through the line and established a perimeter in a few minutes, compared to a relative back and forth with protesters on April 25.

Those arrested were loaded onto an IU bus and moved to Harry Gladstein Fieldhouse before being taken to the Monroe County Jail.

IUPD and ISP created a perimeter around the campsite and IU staff and grounds crew began to remove articles from the campsite, including dumping water jugs and throwing away other food items. A police vehicle was seen driving over protesters’ belongings during the camp’s clearing.

ISP troopers began backing away from the scene at 1:20 p.m. and boarded an IU bus.

A state trooper said officers left because they had “accomplished everything [they] set out to do.”

What were the goals of the protest?

In the IU Divestment Coalition’s Instagram post announcing a rally at Dunn Meadow, the organization listed four demands.

The first is the resignation of IU President Pamela Whitten, Provost Rahul Shrivastav and Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs Carrie Docherty. IU Bloomington faculty overwhelmingly passed votes of no confidence in Whitten, Shrivastav and Docherty on April 16.

The Instagram post references IU administration’s decision to suspend professor Abdulkader Sinno for allegedly misrepresenting an event organized by the Palestine Solidarity Committee in November 2023. It also references IU’s cancellation of Palestinian abstract painter Samia Halaby’s art exhibit after three years of planning, which occurred in the same week as Sinno’s suspension.

The second demand is for the university to end collaboration with Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division — a U.S. naval installation southwest of Bloomington.

IU announced a $111 million investment including partnership with Crane in October 2023. As part

of the commitment, IU is investing $23.5 million to hire 25 faculty members in microelectronics, focusing on faculty with U.S. Department of Defense experience. It is unknown whether Crane is directly involved in the Israel-Hamas war. As of 2021, Crane is part of a research and development agreement with the Israeli defense company Smart Shooter — which focuses on increasing the accuracy of defenses against small, unmanned aircraft. Crane did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.

The third demand is for IU to adhere to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement — meaning the university would wholly financially divest from Israel.

Indiana passed an antiBDS law in January 2016. The bill created a blacklist of non-profit and commercial organizations boycotting Israel, which would use statemanaged funds, to divest from BDS-adhering organizations.

The fourth demand is for IU to open Muslim and Middle Eastern cultural centers. In January, Provost Shrivastav said that IU has been working on a Muslim cultural center for more than a year, though no specific details were announced.

Chabad counter-protest

A group outside Chabad at IU — a Jewish student organization — continually played music during the protest. They were told at least once by IUPD to shut the music off, moments before the police advanced on the encampment. Occasionally, protesters from the encampment and Chabad stood off across Seventh Street. Although shouting and making offensive gestures at each other, they never physically interacted.

Throughout the week, counterprotesters gathered with Israeli flags in front of the Chabad house, playing several songs on repeat, including Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” and Black Eyed Peas’ “Where is the Love?”

A counterprotester from Israel told the IDS that “Jews do not feel safe on campus.”

A report from the AntiDefamation League released Jan. 10 documented a rise in antisemitism across the country in the months following the Oct. 7 attack, with 361% more antisemitic incidents occurring than in the same timeframe between 2022-23. Islamophobia has also risen in the wake of the war. Between Oct. 7 and Nov. 4, the Council on AmericanIslamic Relations received 1,238 reports of bias and requests for help. In 2022, the average 29-day period saw

only around 400 complaints.

The report includes incidents of “antisemitic rhetoric, expressions of support for terrorism against the state of Israel and/or antiZionism.”

The music continued through the nights, including during a Seder held by the Dunn Meadow protesters April 25. Seder is a traditional Jewish dinner, usually held once or twice during the holiday Passover. Hudson Cain, an IU student involved with Chabad, said the music was an act of counterprotest. He said playing music from Israeli artists was a way of recognizing Jewish students’ existence.

Day-old IU policy changes lead to arrests

Since 1969, IU Bloomington policy has allowed the use of temporary structures in Dunn Meadow without prior approval, requiring approval only from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. IU changed the policy to ban the use of structures without prior approval April 24 — a day before the IU Divestment Coalition set up encampments in Dunn Meadow.

The new policy, which can be viewed under the “Outdoor Spaces” dropdown menu on the Office of Student Life website, prohibits using permanent or temporary structures without approval by the Office of the Vice Provost for Student Life and University Events.

The new policy claimed the change was approved by “the Ad Hoc Committee,” but the IDS spoke with several faculty members who were unaware of such a committee.

In an email sent to faculty from Whitten on April 25 obtained by the IDS, Whitten acknowledged that the policy was changed yesterday in direct response to protesters planning to occupy Dunn Meadow.

“As we watched similar events unfold on numerous campuses around the country and prepared for today’s rally, we thoughtfully considered the best course of action for IU with the safety of our community being foundational to our decision,” Whitten said in the email. “We know that not all will agree with the course of action, but this was made through careful deliberation. Our university must create space for meaningful dialogue, while ensuring that our campus is safe and welcoming to all, and that peaceful protest, as many experienced today, symbolizes our steadfastness to the free expression of ideas.

IU executive director of media relations Mark Bode did not respond to a question regarding the “Ad Hoc Committee” members.

Pro-Palestinian protests seen across college campuses

The encampment April 25 featured numerous chants, including “free, free Palestine,” “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” “intifada, intifada” and many times, “shame” against police and counter protesters.

“Intifada” in Arabic translates to “shaking off” or “civil uprising” and can also refer to a series of armed uprisings in Gaza and the West Bank against Israeli occupation. On Oct. 7, 2023, a Hamasled attack killed about 1,200 people in Israel and they abducted more than 250 hostages. In response, the Israeli government has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, two-thirds of which are women and children. This has ignited pro-Palestinian protests worldwide.

However, the encampment at IU comes after an intensifying wave of protests around U.S. college campuses starting at Columbia University last week. The protests spread across the country after protesters at Columbia refused to halt their protests when New York police made more than 100 arrests April 18.

Pro-Palestinian protests have also stayed consistent in the past months at IU. They began Oct. 9, 2023, as pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian protesters clashed at Sample Gates. More recently, pro-Palestinian protesters have shadowed student tours throughout campus, followed by the Indiana University Police Department throughout. At an April 8 protest, IUPD temporarily detained three protesters and arrested one for disorderly conduct. At the men’s Little 500 race April 20, several protesters chanted and marched outside the track. As they left in two cars, IUPD pulled them over asking for identification, later releasing them.

Protesters also set up encampments at Purdue University on April 25, interrupting a speaker series with U.S. Senator Todd Young. Although Purdue campus policy does not allow overnight camping in public spaces, law enforcement had not removed any protesters as of the evening of April 25. Major protests have broken out at UCLA, the University of Southern California, George Washington University, Harvard University, New York University, Emory University, Yale University, Michigan State University and the University of Connecticut.

This story was originally published May 2, 2024.

JACOB SPUDICH | IDS

Indiana State Police and pro-Palestinian protesters clash at the IU Divestment Coalition encampment April 27, 2024, at Dunn Meadow in Bloomington. Police arrested 23 protesters.

Crows flock to Bloomington as the weather cools

By Marissa Meador marnmead@iu.edu | @marissa_meador

An hour before dusk, the crows soared south to their roost.

Hundreds of silky black birds swept past Dunn’s Woods, settling among the treetops of First Street and Highland Avenue. They clustered along branches as the restless continued to circle the houses, wrapping the neighborhood in their raucous chatter. Their caws crescendoed, blotting out all other noise, then gently fell to an excited hum. Sometimes, a loud car engine would jolt the birds from their rest, sending them once more into the sky.

Crows have been drawn to Bloomington’s mix of urban heat, light and its proximity to the countryside for over a decade. Much like Indiana University’s own students, many of Bloomington’s crows are likely young adults who have traveled across the continent to explore the next chapter of their lives, according to an expert. Each winter, the murder looms above the city, generating both unease and awe.

Dawn Hewitt first saw the black spirals of crows converge on Bloomington in 2008.

A single crow flying in a cloudy sky.

A crow flies above a neighborhood Feb. 4, 2024, at the intersection of First Street and Highland Avenue. Each winter, crows flock to Bloomington in large numbers.

A former Herald-Times journalist who left to become the managing editor of Bird Watcher’s Digest, Hewitt described the skies as filled with “thousands of black marbles.”

“It was a spectacle the likes of which I had never seen or imagined,” she said.

Hewitt wrote about the crows for the HT the same year, embarking on a journey to discover where they go at night. Nearly two decades later, Hewitt said she found they don’t roost at the same place every night, sweeping past used-car lots, parking garages and the trees at Seminary Square.

Covering the birds gave her a new appreciation for crows, she said, describing their bill-clacking and cawing as conversational.

“Crows are coming from all over the Midwest to spend the winter in Bloomington,”

Hewitt said. •••

Kevin McGowan, a senior associate at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, has spent much of his career researching the American crow.

When deciding where to roost, crows prefer urban areas because of their heat island effect but require trees to roost in and a food source, McGowan said. Bloomington, with its greenery and ample countryside, allows crows to spend the day foraging in agricultural areas while returning to the city at night.

However, a critical factor for crows are city lights, which allow the crows to remain alert for their single greatest predator next to humans — the great horned owl. While the owl can see in the dark, crows, like humans, need light to guide the way.

“To them, the owl is the boogeyman,” McGowan said.

Many Bloomington residents have marveled at the sheer number and concentration of the crows. But the latest numbers of the crow population, according to a 2016 study from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, found 13,000 crows in the city at one time — a small roost according to McGowan, who said the largest roost he’s seen was 100,000. The crows’ habit of flocking is somewhat strategic because it protects them from predators, but their cawing and chasing behavior prior to roosting is also social, McGowan said.

Crows are some of the smartest animals in the world. In fact, crows can recognize individual human fac-

es and remember those faces for years.

McGowan has personal experience with this ability, recalling that the crows hated him at the beginning of his study until he began feeding them peanuts. Once they associated his face with the peanuts, McGowan said, they began to chase his car down the street in anticipation of the nuts.

They also communicate danger to one another; McGowan said different nests of crows would react to him even when he had not been there before. It functions a bit like a neighborhood watch system, he said.

McGowan said the crows come from a variety of places. A roost may include hometown crows, crows from a nearby town or those who have journeyed as far as Canada. Crows who are breeding tend to stay in town and settle down, while young adult crows may fly across the country to explore, he said.

While the flock of crows appears large visually, their numbers have declined in recent years. McGowan said the crow population was reduced when the West Nile virus hit in the early 2000s.

Their presence in cities is also a recent phenomenon. McGowan said crows across the continent suddenly began migrating to cities in the late 1980s and ‘90s. Crow-human interaction is partially a consequence of a change in attitudes toward wildlife, which invited protection legislation for birds and other animals.

“We’re making the world better for birds, and they’re taking advantage of it,” he said.

•••

Some have speculated that Bloomington’s crows originate from nearby Terre Haute. In 2009, Terre Haute, which had roosts of 58,000 in its peak, employed a crow management plan to force the roosts into the countryside. From there, they may have relocated to nearby cities like Bloomington; McGowan, who has witnessed a similar movement in New York, said the theory was feasible.

The USDA study conducted in 2016 found crows roosted mostly on the east side of town, appearing between East 17th Street and Law Lane along North Eagleson Avenue for three nights — the highest frequency of all the identified roosting locations. Staging and pre-staging locations, de- fined as areas

where the crows gather 30 minutes to two hours prior to roosting, were more evenly distributed across the west and east sides of town, although College Mall and the Pfau Course at IU were the most popular spots. ed by the IDS found crow sightings were concentrated south of campus, closer to the west side of town.

winter crow roosts have em ployed management efforts, Bloomington has mainly taken a hands-off approach. But in 2016, the city dis cussed potential mitigation plans with CFC Properties,

Downtown Bloomington Inc, IU and the county. IU has its own deterrents, including sound devices from Birdx that dissuade crows from roosting on campus by emitting fake bird noises. Despite attempts to silence the birds, some IU students get excited about the crows.

IU junior Ella Scheper said she was studying for a final with a friend in early December when she saw the crows. She stood at the window of her Henderson Street apartment for ten minutes, she said, watching the creatures fly over First and Second Street.

The sheer number of the birds was the most shocking to Scheper, who doesn’t recall seeing such a phenomenon in her hometown of Covington, Kentucky.

“I’ve seen flocks of birds before, but

seemed almost unreal,” she said. The crows pass Scheper’s window right around sunset and up until it’s dark, she said, but she isn’t bothered by their presence in her neighborhood. When she watches them, she wonders where the birds go during the day and where they spend their time when they aren’t wintering in Bloomington.

While some consider them a nuisance, the downsides of the birds are few. Crows carry some diseases, McGowan said, but you would have to lick the streets to become infected. In other words, it’s not easy.

“One good daycare spreads more disease each year than any of your crow roosts would ever do,” he said. In fact, crows can be beneficial. When the birds gather food from neighboring fields, they consume nitrogen and release it through poop in the cities. These deposits create nitrogen hotspots that remain after the crows are gone, McGowan said, leading to improved plant and tree growth. But the biggest benefit of the crows is the awe they inspire, McGowan said. He referred to the story of the passenger pigeon, once one of the most abundant birds on Earth, which would gather in massive flocks and darken sky for hours. But human hands ultimately drove the bird to extinction in the early 1900s, namely through hunting and deforestation.

Three of IUSG’s top leaders are Black women, for the

By Haley Ryan haryan@iu.edu

When Aaliyah Raji and Marsha Koda were inaugurated as IU student body president and vice president in April 2023, they became the first Black women to serve in their positions since IU’s first student council was appointed in 1912. Leyla Fern King, who was elected as chief justice of IU student government supreme court in August, also became the first known Black woman to serve as chief justice due to gaps in the records of the IU supreme court. This is the first time in IU’s history that the student body president, vice president and chief justice have been Black women.

Raji said one of the reasons she got involved in IU student government her freshman year was because she had been involved in student government throughout high school and knew it was one club she wanted to continue with in college. In high school, she said, student government mainly dealt with planning events, like homecoming, while college student government is primarily advocacy based, meeting with student groups and being a leader.

“For me, that was also enticing because I was gonna be able to enhance my leadership skills, while also develop meaningful relationships with people in the organization and outside of it, like with administrators,” Raji said.

Since becoming student body president, Raji said she’s been very busy and attends at least one meeting most days.

“Even when there’s not

meetings, there’s like, always something I could be doing,” Raji said. “Whether it’s responding to emails, or meet with the people in my cabinet, or brainstorming ideas of events we want to have happen because you’re always trying to do something.”

Raji said the IGNITE administration is trying to push collaboration with other student organizations. Raji ran her campaign under the IGNITE campaign. Both her and Koda being in their respective positions, Raji said, brings a lot of exposure to student government and they want to use that exposure for good.

Being the first Black women to serve as IU student body president, Raji said, is something she loves and hates. Raji said she loves being the first, because precedence matters and both her and Koda’s visibility within their roles will let other people know that holding these positions is possible for them one day. Leadership, she said, is often inspired by others.

“Say, for example, somebody’s scared and doesn’t want to do this position, but they know that people who look like them, AKA me and Marsha, have done it before, it will only inspire them to do so,” Raji said. “So I think in that way, it’s very rewarding and very inspirational.”

Conversely, Raji said, she hates being the first because she feels like she can get criticized more than if she wasn’t the first. Raji said she didn’t want her mistakes to reflect badly on anyone else who fills the position and looks like her.

“And I can’t say that it won’t, because I know people have biases,” Raji said.

first time ever

Koda said she got involved in IU student government when Raji asked her to be her Vice President. Before that, Koda had been involved with the Kelley Student Government, which she said is where her love of politics grew. Overall, she said her love of politics and her need for change in IU student government drove her to get involved.

“And not even my love of politics, I have a love for IU as a whole,” Koda said. Additionally, Koda said, being the liaison between students and the administration in the Kelley school and seeing the impact she made in a short period of time made her want to take it to a higher level.

As the first Black women to serve as vice president, Koda said imposter syndrome is real. She said she’s a huge advocate for mental health and believes everyone should do things for themselves, but in this role, it’s hard to be selfish.

Along with her academic responsibilities and other activities, Koda said she

feels a lot of pressure but it’s worth it in the end.

Koda said she gets to make the vice president position what she wants it to be, rather than fitting into a previous role, because she was elected for a reason.

“You haven’t seen yourself in this position before? Why do you need to wait? Do it yourself,” Koda said.

“Take that leap of faith, take that first step and do what you need to do.”

Leyla Fern King, IU student government supreme court chief justice, said she got involved in student court in middle school as she served as her grade’s student justice every single year starting in eight grade and even served as chief justice her senior year of high school. When she saw IU had a student court, King said she knew she wanted to get involved.

Currently a junior, King joined the IU supreme court in the spring of her freshman year and stayed on as associate justice through her sophomore year. At the end of this summer, King said,

the previous chief justice, Larry McDowell III, reached out to her and asked her if she was interested in running for chief justice as she had expressed interest, and he didn’t want to continue in the role.

“We did a little vote among the associate justices, and it was just me running, so I won,” King said.

King said she discovered she was the first Black woman to serve as chief justice from IU student Joa’Quinn Griffin, who was familiar with the IU student congress and was interested in potentially joining the court. King said he told her she was the first Black women to serve as chief justice as McDowell was the first Black man.

“I mean, it makes sense,” King said. “Particularly given that it was the first time that the VP and the SBP were also Black women so it’s like, yeah, that adds up.”

Having three of IU’s top student leaders be Black women, King said, is incredible because they’re able to over-represent an underrepresented community.

King said as Black women, they’re expected to assimilate into white society and navigate Black culture, so they can speak to a different range of demographics than a white student body president or chief justice would be able to.

King said she was taken aback by the fact that her, Koda and Raji were Black women because even if she wasn’t the first Black chief justice, it’s the first time three of the top student leaders are Black women.

“That was amazing to me on its own,” King said. “And so adding that extra level to it- give me a little pep in my step.”

Koda said having three of the top student leaders be Black women is amazing. Raji said she thinks that having three of the top student leaders as Black women is awesome because there’s never been a time where three Black women have held these powerful leadership positions. Additionally, she said the three are positively representing Black women in a society where they aren’t always represented the best. Raji said she is so lucky to know Koda and King.

Raji said she knows Koda and King’s passions and what drove them to their role in the first place and that she wouldn’t want to work alongside anyone else.

“I’m very excited for what we’re doing and what we can do for the organization,” Raji said. “I really think it’s great. I think it’s gonna bring more backgrounds and more diverse minorities to these positions. And that’s only going to make IU better.”

This

COURTESY PHOTO

Marsha Koda (left), Leyla Fern King (center), and Aaliyah Raja (right) are pictured. Three of the four most prominent Indiana

University Student Government positions are held by Black women.

MARISSA MEADOR | IDS

IU to install extended reality lab

By Isaac Perlich iperlich@iu.edu | @isaacperlich

Indiana University will install a kinetic imagery and extended reality lab, according to an IU press release from March 19.

The KIX Lab will feature a 24-foot LED soundstage for virtual and augmented reality research and projects. It will display environments which will move with users. It will primarily be used by graduate students and faculty.

“The KIX Lab is exactly the variety of interdisciplinary effort that has earned IU Bloomington a reputation as a leader in media and arts innovation,” Provost Rahul Shrivastav said in the release.

“This lab will push us forward in the realms of student success, research, creativity and service, and I am grateful to everyone who boldly contributed to its development.”

The lab will be shared between seven schools: The Media School, Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture and Design, School of Optometry, Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering, School of Public Health, College of Arts and Sciences and Jacobs School of Music.

Participating schools will use the lab to create new

graduate programs and recruit faculty, according to the release.

“I don’t think there’s any other university that has this wide participation,”

Media School Dean David Tolchinksy said in an interview with the Indiana Daily Student. “That tells me, as a screenwriter and as a dean, when you have a good idea, everybody wants to line up and be part of it.”

He said this lab will help the Media School connect with other schools at IU and develop critically-minded students.

He also said the lab’s applications include researching mental health therapy, modeling climate change, providing statistics during sports broadcasts and con-

necting students with the film industry.

“I love the idea of putting our students to work and churning out leaders in media that are asking these deep questions and thinking about the latest innovations,” he said. “I think that’s really important.”

Tolchinsky said the lab is similar to Industrial Light and Magic’s StageCraft technology, which was used on TV and film productions like “The Mandalorian,” “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and “The Batman.”

“It’s keeping our students up on the latest practices,” he said.

The KIX Lab’s first phase will include two faculty searches this fall to manage the lab and construction at

IU Bloomington’s campus to follow, according to the release. At least one faculty member will be part of the Media School. The on-campus location of the lab has yet to be determined. Later phases of construction may include putting a second lab at IUPUI’s campus.

“The Media School is asking itself right now: Who do we want to be? What do we want to teach? What do we represent?” Tolchinsky said.

“To have a lab like this, which is presenting this new technology, I think it continues to encourage our students to think about all of this in a really deep way.”

This story was originally published March 28, 2024.

City of Bloomington to plant hundreds of trees 2023-24

By Andrew Miller ami3@iu.edu | @andrew_mmiller

Bloomington will inventory and plant hundreds of trees between 2023-24, it announced Aug. 31. The inventory, conducted by the Davey Resource group, will cover 5,033 of the city’s trees, designating each tree’s location, species and size, as well as newly added maintenance and planting site information.

Bloomington Parks and Recreation will plant 90 new trees in empty plots downtown and will enlarge existing tree plots from 4’x’4’ plots to 5’x5’ to provide improved growing space for the trees. The city is still selecting additional locations, but the project aims to plant between 300 to 400 trees in 2024.

According to the urban forestry group Canopy Bloomington, urban trees provide numerous benefits to Bloomington. Trees have benefits for physical and mental health, boost property values and assist in carbon sequestration.

The project also aims to reduce the number of Cal-

lery Pears, an invasive tree species. According to the news release, 65 of these invasive trees have been removed so far, and their replacements will come in 2024. In 1984 Bloomington was the first city in Indiana to be named Tree City USA, a program started by the Arbor Day Foundation. The city has retained this designation every year to the present day. The program requires cities to have a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, a forestry program with an annual budget of $2 per capita or over, and an Arbor Day observance. The project is funded by the $800,000 2018 Bicentennial Trees and Trails Bond, which has funded the planting of 265 trees so far. More information and a detailed map of Bloomington’s city trees can be found on the Davey Resource Group’s TreeKeeper software. To request the planting, maintenance or removal of a street tree, visit Bloomington’s

COURTESY OF CHRIS MEYER | INDIANA UNIVERSITY

Media School at IU Bloomington is pictured Monday, March 4, 2024. The KIX Lab will feature a 24-foot LED soundstage for virtual and augmented reality research and projects.

IU approves recommendation to forgo Kinsey Institute nonprofit

By Jack Forrest jhforres@iu.edu | @byjackforrest

In a unanimous vote Fri-

day, the IU Board of Trustees approved a recommendation from IU President Pamela Whitten to forgo the establishment of a nonprofit entity for the Kinsey Institute, according to a press release.

Following the Indiana House’s February 2023 vote which prohibited state appropriations from funding the Kinsey Institute, IU administration submitted plans to establish a nonprofit entity to manage the institute’s operational functions supported by the university’s general fund.

The move garnered backlash from Kinsey faculty and students, who objected to separating the institute from the university and the short timeline of the separation discussions. The IU Board of Trustees tabled discussions of the separation at its meeting Nov. 9-10, and the university established a working group comprised of Kinsey faculty and IU administration and hosted three public listening sessions in January to hear concerns from the public about the future of the institute.

Following the board’s meeting, the university will submit a plan to the Indiana State Board of Accounts that ensures no state funds will fund the Kinsey Institute’s operations.

“With the action taken today, we are taking steps to ensure that the Kinsey Institute remains a beacon of intellectual inquiry,” Whitten said in the release. “I offer my thanks to the Board of Trustees for their unwavering commitment and support.”

Additionally, the plan will maintain faculty affiliation with the Kinsey Institute and keep the institute’s collections of sexological artifacts part of the institute, two topics of particular concern to faculty.

According to the press release, IU has also committed to, with the counsel of the IU Foundation, support the Kinsey Institute leadership’s efforts to secure philanthropic support; affirm the value of the institute in the face of opposition based on misinformation; continue to fund faculty and staff salaries to the full extent allowed by the law; and continue to provide appropriate security to facilities affiliated with the

According to the press release, the working group’s recommendations, which were sent Feb. 16 to IU Provost Rahul Shrivastav and General Counsel Anthony Prather, influenced the outcome.

institute.

Faculty had raised concerns about security during the discussions, as the institute has faced increased threats in recent months.

and member of Friends of Kinsey — a student group which advocated against Kinsey’s separation — said she was pleasantly surprised by the outcome and grateful to Whitten and the board for suggesting the accounting solution.

“This is exactly what we wanted,” she said. Blundell, who said she attended the trustees’ meeting, said she had a moment of disbelief when hearing the proposal.

“Honestly, I was overjoyed,” Blundell said. “It’s exactly what we’ve been fighting for, so it was a really, really great moment.”

Melissa Blundell, a Kinsey Institute doctoral student

This story was originally published March 1, 2024.

BRIANA PACE IDS

Lindley Hall is photographed on Jan. 30, 2024, on IU’s campus in Bloomington. In a unanimous vote Friday, the IU Board of Trustees approved a recommendation from

IU President Pamela Whitten to forgo the establishment of a nonprofit entity for the Kinsey Institute, according to a press release.

Community celebrates Homecoming

The sign was held up for the Student Union Board float.

5. An Air Force ROTC cadet hands an airplane toy to a child watching the parade Oct. 20, 2023, on Woodlawn Avenue. The Air Force ROTC cadets followed the Army ROTC cadets in the parade.

IU approves climate action plan

By Andrew Miller ami3@iu.edu | @andrew_mmiller

IU announced Monday that IU President Pamela Whitten approved the university’s climate action plan in an IU Today press release. The plan, based on the recommendations of IU’s Climate Action Planning Committee, will lead IU on a path to carbon neutrality by 2040.

IU created the Climate Action Planning Committee in spring 2022 after a series of student protests, including by the climate activism group Students for a New Green World, advocating for divestment from fossil fuels. The committee, made up of professors, staff and student representatives from several IU campuses, was charged with creating comprehensive recommendations to reduce IU’s greenhouse gas emissions across the university’s nine campuses.

“Off the bat, I’m happy to see commitments like carbon neutrality by 2040 like we have been demanding for three semesters,” Soha Vora, president of SNGW, said. “I’m also happy to see the plans for diverse student and faculty representation as well as implementation committees across every campus.”

In an Instagram post, SNGW said there is still much to be done to ensure the plan is followed through.

“There is still endless work to hold IU to the goals of the climate action plan and ensure transparency and equity, but this victory exemplifies the power of collective action,” the post said.

The plan provides six recommendation categories to reduce the university’s carbon emissions: renewables, utility grid, infrastructure, behavior, financing and implementation.

IU will collaborate with Indiana utilities to support overall grid decarboniza-

tion by replacing fossil fuel energy generation with renewable energy sources.

IU will aim to increase energy efficiency across their campuses by creating better heating, cooling and energy distribution systems, and upgrading equipment as part of their infrastructure recommendations. Their renewables recommendations include ways to implement renewable energy sources where feasible.

IU also plans to change student behavior by encouraging more shared appliances and reducing energy consumption. The financing part of the plan will establish several mechanisms to fund all initiatives that require monetary funding. This will include money from energy savings, grant applications, as well as philanthropic, federal and state funds.

The university will also establish structures to monitor and ensure the plan’s successful realization under their implementation category, including implementation committees consisting of students, staff and subject matter experts.

“I am grateful to the students, faculty and staff who served on the Climate Action Committee sharing their time, expertise and passion for sustainability to develop these innovative recommendations,” Whitten said in a statement to IU Today. “Our university’s new comprehensive and thoughtful plan will create a legacy that benefits the people of Indiana for many generations.” Whitten and Climate Action Planning Committee Chair Thomas A. Morrison did not immediately respond to requests for comment. More information about the plan and updates can be found at go.iu.edu/ climate.

This story was originally published Sept. 11, 2023.

IU administrator violated policy in suspending professor Sinno

By Marissa Meador marnmead@iu.edu | @marissa_meador

Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs Carrie Docherty violated IU policy when she suspended tenured professor Abdulkader Sinno following his attempt to reserve a room for a Palestine Solidarity Committee event, according to the IU Faculty Board of Review (FBR). The FBR wrote that Docherty failed to follow procedure by sanctioning Sinno without first referring the matter to the Faculty Misconduct Review Committee (FMRC), where Sinno could have defended himself at a hearing in front of his colleagues.

The board recommended Provost Rahul Shrivastav direct Docherty to follow Bloomington campus policy, including referring the issue to the FMRC, in order to impose severe sanctions on Sinno. Docherty can pursue sanctions under university policy, only if the sanctions are not severe, the board wrote in a March 28 opinion obtained by the Indiana Daily Student.

On Dec. 15, Docherty suspended Sinno for allegedly misrepresenting an event with speaker Miko Peled organized by the Palestine Solidarity Committee as an academic event on a room reservation form in November.

“As the result of your conduct during the interview, your credibility deficiencies, my concerns regarding your judgment in advising the

student organization, your failures to follow relevant policies and procedures, and evidence obtained during the investigation, I have serious concerns about the effect your behavior may have on members of the campus community,” Docherty wrote in a Dec. 15 letter to Sinno.

The decision received pushback from faculty who claimed Docherty had violated IU policy when she bypassed the FMRC in Sinno’s suspension. Docherty argued that university policy, which does not require a FMRC hearing, supersedes the Bloomington campus policy and reiterated Sinno’s right to a post-disciplinary appeal with a separate entity called the Faculty Board of Review — the same body that has now concluded IU violated policy. The provost also publicly supported this interpretation at a Bloomington Faculty Council meeting in January.

In addition to Bloomington campus policy granting a faculty member the right to a FMRC hearing with the ability to have advisors, call witnesses and organize a defense, the campus policy requires a higher standard of proof — “clear and convincing evidence” as opposed to a “preponderance of the evidence,” according to the FBR document.

The board writes that Docherty’s arguments for why she chose to forgo campus policy were not persuasive. They specifically cite her ar-

gument that university policy usurps campus policy when the two conflict, responding that university policy references the Bloomington campus policy that requires an FMRC hearing. A letter written by law professors Steve Sanders and Alex Tanford, who were involved in updating university policy, confirms this fact, the board wrote in their opinion.

The board also ruled IU violated campus policy once more during the board’s own review process by handing over confidential information and refusing to share certain documents with Sinno. In the first week of March, Docherty provided a “confidential dossier” on Sinno to the members of the board, they wrote. The dossier included bias incidents reported by students and alumni against Sinno, as well as emails and letters illustrating conflicts between Sinno and some faculty members and administrators since 2022. According to the document, the dossier additionally contained “a report on an incident involving Professor Sinno from 2019, and two reports concerning incidents involving Professor Sinno from 2010 at least one of which may be subject to a confidentiality agreement.”

On March 6, the board asked Docherty to provide a copy of the documents to Sinno, but she refused. The board wrote that they could not consider the dossier in the proceedings against him because Sinno was not given

the opportunity to respond.

The board’s policies prohibit the individuals and groups involved in the proceedings from trying to influence the board’s decision, requires information be provided to all parties and does not consider anonymous allegations — which was the case with many of the bias incident reports.

“Moreover, disclosure of information subject to a confidentiality agreement may itself be a violation of university policies,” the board wrote. The FBR’s decision alone does not change the circumstances of Sinno’s suspension; instead, it is a recommendation for the provost to act. Though the provost is not obligated, he indicated he would act on the FMRC’s recommendation at a Bloomington Faculty Council meeting in January.

“In new cases that may

come in on appeal, if the Faculty Board of Review feels a given policy has not been followed appropriately, and makes that recommendation to me, for example, to refer a matter to campus policy which may involve the Faculty Misconduct Committee instead of or in addition to their review, I am happy and I’m committing here today that I will act on that recommendation as appropriate,” the provost said at the meeting.

The FBR decision also emphasized the importance of tenure and shared governance. The board expressed concern over IU General Counsel’s involvement in interpreting IU policy, writing that while the office can provide advice, the final authority should rest with faculty and administrators who know the university and its mission best

“Our IU Constitution charges the administration

and faculty with determining such matters, not the General Counsel,” they wrote. In an emailed statement to the IDS, Sinno expressed satisfaction with the decision.

“I am pleased that the Faculty Board of Review finds that VPFAA Carrie Docherty not only violated IU policies by imposing severe sanctions by herself but also violated them again in a desperate attempt to defend herself against the accusation of violating policy,” he wrote. “Not only is this ironic, it is also shocking because the Vice President of Faculty & Academic Affairs is the IU administrator we entrust with upholding IU policies. Having Carrie Docherty in this office is like entrusting the fox with guarding the henhouse.”

Mark Bode, executive director of media relations at IU, said the university would not comment on personnel matters. When asked if Shrivastav would follow the FBR’s recommendation at a Bloomington Faculty Council meeting Tuesday following the board’s ruling, Shrivastav also said he could not legally comment on personnel matters. Immediately, Sinno shouted from the audience, “I give you permission.” The provost still would not comment.

JOANNA NJERI | IDS

Students for a New Green World brought together activists and researchers to an open forum to discuss urgent solutions to the climate crisis on March 30, 2023 at the IU Auditorium. Student Activists await IU’s

OPINION

Protesters are writing the history books in Dunn Meadow

Danny William (they/them)

is a sophomore studying cinematic arts

I’m hunched over a phone in the Monroe County Public Library, surrounded by a handful of other IDS staffers. We’re watching a live stream of Dunn Meadow. It’s April 25. On the screen, students are being violently ripped away from the crowd and restrained by police. We see one student have their arms and legs ziptied and then hauled away by armored officers. “Take a screenshot,” someone in the newsroom insists. The person holding the phone obliges.

I’m pacing the room, full of nervous energy. I frantically text a friend who is attending the protest. She tells me state troopers are surrounding the protesters. “I won’t lie when I say I’m scared,” she says.

I can’t rip my eyes from the screen. The biggest thought running through my mind, in a maelstrom with others: this can’t be happening right now. This is something I read about in history textbooks, not something that happens two blocks away on a previously peaceful, grassy field.

How can this be happening?

For years, Dunn Meadow has been a bastion of free expression on IU’s campus. Take 1991’s protest against the Gulf War, which saw students camping overnight for 45 days — not unlike the current encampment installed in the meadow.

Similarly, Dunn Meadow saw thousands of students come together in 1969 to protest sharp tuition increases while the Vietnam War raged. Antiwar activism was widespread across campus and rose to a head in 1970 when President Nixon announced the expansion of the war into Cambodia.

Despite overwhelming unrest during the 1970 protests, police and the

National Guard never clashed with protesters. Though the administration called them to the edge of town, they were never utilized.

In 1968, as well, civil rights demonstrators occupied the (now demolished) Tenth Street Stadium for three days. Armed only with shields and sticks, the protesters demanded fraternities rescind antiBlack discriminatory clauses to race in the upcoming Little 500. And it worked. IU President Elvis Jacob Stahr Jr. encouraged the Greek houses to comply. Only one day delayed from the original date of the race, all but one fraternity took part in the Little 500.

The extended protests and encampments against apartheid in South Africa throughout the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s were most similar to this week’s demonstrations. Students demanded divestment from companies that operated in South Africa at the time.

Students took many protest tactics during these decades, including a “shantytown” encampment in Dunn Meadow. First built in April 1986, the shantytown lasted through the summer and into the fall semester — proving just how long these energies can truly last. Ultimately, the Board of Trustees passed new policies regarding South African companies and investments were reduced heavily.

These various examples show that student demonstrations can and will work. It takes time and an administration that is willing to hear them out rather than silence them.

On the evening of the first day of the protest, I make it to Dunn Meadow. The sun is warm, sinking behind Franklin Hall. A circle of protesters chants and cheers. The police are nowhere to be seen.

I see friends. We hug. We chant together, following the lead of a drummer and an ever-changing student with a megaphone in the center.

What I saw most there was resilience. These were people who saw one of the most violent expressions of power directly in their

faces, stood up to it and said “no.” They still stood in that field, even if their tents were ripped down, even if they were beaten and bruised from batons and being shoved to the ground, and chanted for freedom.

What we see now is an unprecedented violent response to student activism at IU. Though student protests will always face backlash from those in power, almost no administrative response in IU’s history has been this overwhelming.

But what is unique about student protests is the ability to be resolute through all of these trials by fire.

The movements outlined above all succeeded in one way or another. They started

a conversation. They caused a response. Some cases ended in a complete success. It’s important to remember this isn’t the end: it’s the beginning. Some organizations and movements fought for months, years or even decades before real change started to happen. So, as the encampments continue at Dunn Meadow, remember those who camped there so many decades ago, fighting the same fight these students are today. Because we’re not just reading the textbook anymore — we’re writing it.

dw85@iu.edu

This story was originally published April 30, 2024

ARBUTUS FILE PHOTO

Protesters sit in a “shantytown” encampment in Dunn Meadow during protests in 1986. IU changed its policy to ban the

on April 24, 2024.

The

unwritten rules of existing as a woman in the professional world

Leila Faraday (she/her)

“If you’re young and you’re pretty, you do not want to look too attractive at work,” proclaimed a woman on TikTok with a backdrop of notes on specific tips that she believes will help women be treated with respect in the office. She advises against “over-dressing,” wearing stiletto heels or wearing a fullface of makeup in addition to telling women to “have some imperfections”. Her video has nearly 150,000 likes.

Her first reason for making this argument is that appearing too beautiful at work will make older or less attractive female colleagues

feel threatened by your presence and dislike you. I find this to be an entirely misguided point, and while it can be true, women do not automatically always feel in competition for male attention with each other. When it unfortunately is the case, it is the result of a patriarchal societal structure in which we are taught to value men’s opinions and feelings over women’s. Regardless, other women should not feel responsible for handling the jealous feelings of another that are only a product of internalized misogyny. She additionally explains that “men are visual creatures.” This statement is deeply harmful and misleading for so many reasons, but

Reporting & Editing & Pod

it is sadly a narrative that has long been pushed by the patriarchy. Men are not some sort of less human species than women that must be referred to as “creatures.” They are, or should be, civilized members of society who are more than capable of meeting the same social standards as women. There is no biological difference that makes men inherently more visual than women, and in fact, several studies have disproved the idea that they are more visually stimulated in the first place. Maybe this narrative is so pervasive because men are simply taught from birth that they are allowed to look, and that their look carries power — just take the prevalence of

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catcalling, for example.

Further, the creator of this video states that men have trouble understanding that a woman can simultaneously be beautiful and smart, encouraging women to “downplay your beauty to let your intellect shine.”

But not only is there pressure to downplay your attractiveness, there are a plethora of other ways that the patriarchy polices women’s appearance in the office. It cannot be ignored that issues like this one tend to disproportionately affect women who are further marginalized by other aspects of their identity. For years, racist beauty and physical presentation ideals in the workplace have manifested in the perception

of Black women’s hair as being unprofessional.

Sure, the creator of the video actually is correct that women lose out on valuable career opportunities and growth because of men’s reactions to their appearance or some women envying others who are younger or more attractive than them. What she misses in trying to advise other young women against appearing too attractive is that this problem is not one with an individual solution, nor is it the fault or responsibility of women. I will never feel gratified standing at the top of my career ladder if, to do that, I had to meticulously curate my physical appearance to be the perfect balance of good-

looking but not too provocative, beautiful but not seductive, easy on the eyes but not asking for it. Women can support, uplift and stand by each other, especially in the workplace. That can start by not advising each other to cater to mythical, misogynistic ideas of self-presentation. Men are not wild animals with uncontrollable urges. We can hold them to the standard of being functioning societal members and viewing all women, regardless of appearance, as deserving of respect.

lfaraday@iu.edu

This story was originally published Dec. 6, 2023.

ILLUSTRATION BY THEO HAWKINS

Marissa Meador (she/her)

is a junior studying political science and

journalism

The hometown newspaper I grew up reading has become a ghost.

Gone are the printouts of the elementary school’s honor roll list and coverage of high school football games. Local elections and political disputes go uncovered, and citizens turn toward Facebook groups for information. Any notice of crime must be picked up on police scanners or the Nextdoor app.

While the paper, the Mooresville-Decatur Times (MDT), had faced declining resources for years, its reporters always made a valiant effort to cover the most pressing issues. But then the paper’s parent company, Gannett, got rid of the last of the paper’s reporters, leading us to where we are today — a Frankenstein’s monster of barely relevant stories from other Gannett papers.

I wish my hometown paper was a fluke, but it isn’t. Since the 2019 merger with GateHouse Media, which made Gannett the largest U.S. newspaper company by total daily circulation, the company has more than halved their employees and slashed 171 papers. The latter number does not even encompass the hollowing out of many of Gannett’s remaining papers, like the MDT, which I can

Ellie Willhite (she/her)

is a freshman studying cinematic arts, sociology and Korean

For some, it happens slowly: the regard for things such as giving out treats on Valentine’s Day, or trick-ortreating on Halloween, is gradually coaxed out of that part of your brain labeled “important things.” For others, it occurs like the shattering of a window: One wellplaced pebble brings down the entire illusion. Perhaps you caught your guardian eating Santa’s cookies, or woke up on Easter Sunday to find that the bunny hadn’t come, and instead, it was time to have a serious conversation about holiday mascots. Either way, every one of us experiences that cruel transition from childhood to adulthood, characterized by a loss of wonder and the increasing presence of a monotonous cycle of responsibilities. You come to forget what day of the year you must wear green to avoid getting pinched, but are intensely aware of when your bills are due. Then days like April 8, 2024, take place. Along with the hubbub of deadlines and to-do lists, in your mind spawns an awareness for the big day, reinforced by a wealth of posters, signs and social media posts for you to spot at any given time. You’ve rarely seen your surroundings so united like this. It begins to slip into casual conversation, the same frequen-

only assume continues to make a profit despite producing no original content. These ghost newsrooms are not viable forms of news. The state of local news is in crisis. We can either act now or accept this dystopia as our future.

For years, the public’s trust in the news has been declining. And I can’t blame them.

As much as I believe in journalism, it’s not perfect. The profession relies on a knife’s edge balance between speed and accuracy, which can often lead newspapers to make major mistakes. Broadcast news has become particularly partisan and reactionary. National journalists are criticized for living in a bubble, and their critics may be right.

But for all our flaws, journalists are some of the only independent forces keeping government accountable, telling important stories and informing the public. Changes must be made, but a world without journalism is a horrifying alternative.

When local papers become ghosts, many communities are left without news. It is often only when they are gone that citizens begin to realize the impact of their local newspaper; research has found declining local news worsens corruption, reduces competition in elections and

cy to which acquaintances routinely ask one another about their weekends. The question went: “What are you doing for the eclipse?”

Two hours before totality, I stepped out of my dorm for the first time that day to witness already palpable energy. A group of several peers played sand volleyball outside, and people had begun to lay claim to various patches of picturesque green grass. The sun beat down indiscriminately on pavement, buildings and skin, measuring a striking 75 degrees. This was a welcome upswing in the preceding weeks of temperamental weather, where any given day’s high could be as low as 40 degrees. While I walked, eager participants began to stream from various buildings and parking lots and onto arterial sidewalks, joining a crowd of others. As we trickled towards the center of the action, emitting a buzz of conversation and music, I felt the campus was alive. I burst into Dunn Meadow screaming, squinting and stumbling. I hadn’t yet managed to pinpoint my group among the patchwork expanse of towels, sheets and picnic blankets, nor could I properly hear my friend Nina explaining to me on the phone their location (close to the music stage, it appeared).

Weaving my way across the field, I spotted booths selling food, hobbyists setting up cameras, families blowing bubbles and students play-

increases municipal borrowing, which often means higher taxes.

Here in Bloomington, the seventh largest city in Indiana, there is only one remaining traditional newspaper: the Herald-Times. This newspaper has three news reporters, two sports reporters, a photographer and a news director, according to their website. A staff of seven individuals for a city of nearly 80,000 people. It’s an impossible task to do without gaps.

The Indiana Daily Student has always been there to help fill in some gaps. While we have a robust staff, our student status makes it difficult to cover everything: so, the gaps remain.

In recent years, excellent work from independent news sites The Bloomingtonian and the BSquare Bulletin have helped strengthen coverage of crime and city government. Indiana Public Media is another valuable resource. It is still not nearly enough.

Though I am devoted to a career in a field with declining jobs and low pay, I press on because I know the continuance of journalism is essential for the health of our democracy. I can’t accept that it’s dying, because it’s not like transitioning from vinyl to streaming — each change to journalism affects our politics, our social connectiveness, our reality.

ing ball games. Excitement emanated everywhere. Finally sitting down amongst my friends, I allowed myself to anticipate, too. Around an hour before totality, we were able to spot a tiny sliver of the moon peeking over the sun. From then on, every five minutes — maybe less — was punctuated with an expectant glance towards the sky through our solar viewers, as we collectively watched the moon eat more and more of the light. The effect on the ground was tangible: the air became chillier, and soon I could make conversation without squinting through my sunglasses. It felt as if the crowd began to settle, too: People stopped playing games and hunting for food, instead taking their seats and whispering to one another about the moon’s progress across the sky. As the sun became a thin crescent, the light cast on the mass of onlookers was unlike any I’d ever seen before— though our surroundings became dim, and a straggling orange glow illuminated those who faced the direction of the eclipse. Then, suddenly, we could spot Venus in the sky. After that, it took only a moment for things to go dark entirely.

Unrestrained cheers erupted as the moon slotted into its place between us and the sun. Hundreds and hundreds of onlookers turned into silhouettes — for four minutes, everything paused

When I covered city government for the IDS in the spring, I often felt frustrated at how much I was missing. There simply wasn’t enough time to dive into the budgets, request public records and attend every city meeting.

But for all I couldn’t do, I felt a duty to do my best to get the public the information they deserved. During that semester, I sometimes skipped class to cover important stories, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. This kind of work matters.

When I tell people I work for my student paper and then talk about it with this level of seriousness, I can feel them mentally rolling their eyes. But those who read us know how much we care. In 2023, we’ve covered Bloomington’s robust music and arts community, controversies on IU’s campus and a whirlwind of IU sports news. We’ve watched local government meetings and elections closely, publishing candidate guides and keeping politicians accountable. Our enterprise stories continue to provide in-depth analysis on issues other newspapers don’t have time to examine, including a breakdown of IU’s climate action plan, a map of crash data in Monroe County and a deep dive into IU’s collection of Native American remains.

But as previous editors

have written in 2021 and 2023, the IDS is facing financial troubles, just like almost every other news outlet. It’s a complex and widespread issue no individual can solve, but you, the reader, can help. Continue to read the IDS.

Read the Herald-Times. Support Dave Askins at BSquare and Jeremy Hogan at The Bloomingtonian. For statewide or Indianapolis news, read the Indiana Capital Chronicle and the new nonprofit Mirror Indy. The world is confusing and frustrating. It can feel emotionally taxing to read the news when many of us are exhausted from work or school — I don’t even read the news as much as I’d like.

But if we stop reading, people in power will tell journalists to stop writing. They will have proof of what they often imply: no one wants to read the news anymore. They will try to catch your attention with podcasts and TikToks and Jesse Watters and Rachel Maddow. Your local papers will die, and you’ll find yourself totally relying on Facebook groups for information. Politicians will have no one except voters to hold them accountable — voters who do not have the time to search through campaign finance documents and sit through hours-long meetings.

When the future appears bleak, our natural urge is to

shut down and give up. You are just one person out of billions: how could you possibly reverse years of economic and social change?

It’s a valid feeling, so I’d like to leave you with a success story from the community where I grew up. After the MDT and the neighboring Reporter-Times became ghosts, the community took action. A group of journalists and local investors banded together to create the Morgan County Correspondent, which editor Stephen Crane says has exceeded profit expectations so far. This is true even though the Correspondent produces a print edition in the face of the expression “print is dead.”

As I watch this unfold from Bloomington, I find myself wondering: what’s their secret? But when I think about it some more, I realize it’s not really that revolutionary at all, because people do want to read the news, and will always read the news. I don’t think journalism is dying, but I do think it’s being suffocated. When you pick up a copy of the IDS or share a story with your neighbors, it’s air in our lungs. Keep doing it. marnmead@iu.edu

This story was originally published Dec. 14, 2023.

in that packed little meadow on the northwest corner of Indiana University’s Bloomington campus, and the ring of warmth in the sky felt like a celestial smile. I was breathless as the sun returned, though I hadn’t done anything other than crane my neck towards the sky. The wonderment continued to thrum under my skin, refusing to leave even as we folded our towels and collected our trash, still remaining whenever I recount the experience and even now, as I write this reflection.

As one grows and settles into adulthood, it is rare something happens without being carefully planned, worked, saved and applied

for; often, due to their tireless nature, they don’t happen. More important things demand attention. It’s moments like a total solar eclipse, of which you just happen to be in the path of, in which something is done for you. When you watch the moon cover the sun in totality, you experience a kind of all-encompassing awe you haven’t felt since opening up holiday presents as a kid. It’s a feeling you don’t get often, if at all, as an adult — which seems like kind of a bad deal, right?

A revitalizing resurgence of childhood, and it takes a once-in-a-lifetime planetary event to occur. Not exactly. We don’t have to wait for something to happen to us; these moments can be made, and they should be made, for the sake of our happiness. Everyone needs a break, and moments where one can truly enjoy themselves and connect with their inner child are essential to carving out a content life. It can be as simple as playing a nostalgic video game, or as intricate as a week-long escapade to a long-desired travel destination. Either way, everyone should ask themselves: How can I reclaim that child-like wonder?

ejwillhi@iu.edu

IDS FILE PHOTO BY HELEN RUMMEL

A stack of Indiana Daily Student newspapers sits on a desk in the IDS newsroom. When you pick up a copy of the IDS or share a story with your neighbors, it’s air in our lungs.

Biniam Bizuneh returns to The Comedy Attic

By Maria McComish mwoodmcc@iu.edu

Biniam Bizuneh and headliner Robby Hoffman performed at The Comedy Attic this past weekend. In preparation for their visit to Bloomington, and Bizuneh’s return, I spoke with him about his time here and his career since graduating from IU in 2012.

Bizuneh attended Pike High School in Indianapolis, making sketch videos of himself pretending to interview former President Barack Obama in his free time. After that, he wanted to keep making people laugh. He began studying telecommunications and television production at IU in 2008.

He did all he could do while in school, running for track and field, making comedic “man on the street” videos pretending to be a British foreign exchange student, replicating comedians like Sacha Baron Cohen and joining the sketch comedy group Boy in the Bubble. He had a late-night show on IUSTV that he performed three times to a studio audience. He even referenced a video he made titled, “My Age,” a parody of the Wiz Khalifa song “Phone Numbers.”

Bizuneh said he felt incredibly grateful to IU for giving him space to fail and experiment creatively with no real consequences.

“If you do something that kind of sucks, only the other students will see it,” he said.

“If you fail, you can say ‘All right, that wasn’t good. Let’s keep moving on.’”

Before graduating, he knew he wanted to go to New York or Los Angeles to continue stand-up. Mike Farah, CEO of Funny or Die, came to IU to show a movie he had produced with his friends titled, “Answer This!” Afterward, he went to get drinks with some students, including Bizuneh, who took the opportunity to ex-

press his interest in finding an internship in LA. Farah gave him his email, and an interview was set up. Three rounds later, he was turned down from the internship. He took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to cope.

“I wrote, ‘had a dream I didn’t get an internship, then woke up and found out I didn’t get the internship. I hope the rest of my dreams don’t come true,’” Bizuneh said.

His friend and LA writer Chad Quandt — who worked for Maker Studios at the time, a company representing YouTubers — saw the tweet and reached out with an internship offer.

“I had a full scholarship to the master’s program here in T-comm, which I told my parents I was coming back for,” Bizuneh said. “I knew in the back of my mind I was trying to turn it into a job, so I didn’t have to come back.”

In the beginning, he worked at Maker, Pac Sun and a call center, all while putting together YouTube videos for about a year to hone his shooting and editing skills. Self-described as long-term prank videos, he took after comedy shows such as, “Nathan For You.” The decent virality from that helped him get a manager and eventually an opportunity to write for “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

“They send out things called packets, which list out submission specifications,” Bizuneh said. “It would say something like 10 monologue jokes, three desk pieces, 10 of these sorts of jokes. Kimmel does pranks, so I made sure to include ideas for stuff I had actually made.”

He had the job for 13 1/2 weeks, a standard length before writers for late night can have their contracts renewed.

“It was a great experience. It got me into the WGA. It got me health insurance,” he said. “Kimmel is such a nice guy, too.

I have nothing bad to say about him. He still emails me about some career thing that he’ll see happen.”

A couple of years later, in 2021, Bizuneh began writing for “DAVE,” a semi-autobiographical sitcom about comedian and rapper Lil Dicky. In between writing for seasons two and three, he spent two years making a pilot for Hulu with his friend Opeyemi Olagbaju. It was passed on in the early fall of 2022. The writers’ strike started less than a year later.

“I definitely spent that time trying to get into a consistent running schedule. I had to figure out how to bounce back from that,” he said. “I went to the protests, too.”

Now that the writers have been working again for over a year, Bizuneh is back to performing and writing for “DAVE.” His recent return to The Comedy Attic was a sentimental one. The comedy club, which has now featured comics such as John Mulaney, Hannibal Buress and Tig Notaro, was established in 2008 when Bizuneh was a freshman. He did his first open mic there.

I attended Hoffman and Bizuneh’s final show on Saturday. The atmosphere has always been a welcoming one — as many past performers will attest to — but Bizuneh was met with excited cheers after confessing his alma mater. As he tried to list off every dorm on campus, however, he was met with laughter. He connected with the audience straight away through crowd work and maintained the familiarity by drawing back now and again. The energy was high by the time Hoffman was introduced. Hoffman was born in New York and works as a writer and comedian. She appeared on Vulture’s “The Comedians You Should Watch and Will Know in 2020” and Conan O’Brien’s “Comics to Watch” list.

Explore the world

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Take a world language, and you’ll see that we teach languages differently at the Hamilton Lugar School. You’ll have fun learning through conversation and real-world scenarios — even cooking, singing, or dancing!

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“I just think she’s so good. She’s like neo-Larry David,” Buzineh said. “You see her do these jokes that are so crazy, but she makes them work because of who she is. She has this joke.... I don’t even want to ruin her material. I just suggest everyone go watch Robby Hoffman.”

A neo-Larry David is right. Her observations about

queerness, men and being in a relationship exhibited her ability to show just how much work it takes to have a negative outlook on life. Applause ensued as she left the stage, an audience satisfied with a night of laughter. You can catch her set on Netflix’s “Verified Stand-Up.”

“It took me too long to realize you’re not really getting hired to do what you think is funny,” Bizuneh said. “Can you replicate the voice of the show and, within the confines of what is needed, can you be innovative?”

This story was originally published April 15, 2024.

As far as advice for people trying to break into the same world, Bizuneh has takeaways from his own experiences.

COURTESY PHOTO

Biniam Bizuneh is pictured performing stand-up in summer of 2023. He was on stage at The Virgil Bar for 4K comedy.

Black Student Union hosts Harlem Renaissance speakeasy night

By Ce’Etter Stevens cemsteve@iu.edu

On Feb. 15, the IU Black Student Union hosted a speakeasy night to commemorate the Harlem Renaissance in Gresham’s Hoosier Den. Card games, basketball rims and a football game created a festive event. The Harlem Renaissance was the development of the African American culture in Harlem, N.Y. from the 1910s to 1930s. It was the golden age for African American culture which resulted in the creation of many influential

music, art and literature.

IU sophomore Talayeh Marshall, who serves on BSU’s executive board as the freshman action team advisor, said she was excited to learn various traditional Black household games such as spades, Uno and Dominoes.

“I think a big thing for us as far as this event goes is just to highlight important parts of Black culture and just basically find fellowship with other Black people,” Marshall said. “And to continue to build community.”

According to their beInvolved page, BSU’s goal is to

“improve the quality of life for Black students on the Indiana University-Bloomington campus by representing their interest before the greater IU community.” They raise awareness of these interests through educational and social programs and by connecting students with other organizations.

As part of the planning committee, Marshall helped see the BSU’s goal through for this event.

“I love working with my executive board and creating ideas and figuring out how we are going to execute events,” she said.

IU junior Nyla Rayford serves as the BSU’s cocollaboration chair. While playing a game of Uno with a group of friends, Rayford said she had fun planning the event with Marshall and looked forward to learning more about the Harlem Renaissance.

“I thought the speakeasy would be good because it goes with the whole theme,” Rayford said. “Speakeasies are more like when they did lots of gambling, so I was like, ‘let’s do like a game night, karaoke and just be a vibe.’” Speakeasies’ main pur-

pose during the Harlem Renaissance was to create a place for jazz musicians to get their chance in the spotlight. Jazz musicians like Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Adelaide Hall all got their starts in speakeasy jazz clubs.

IU junior Charleigh Carter, who serves as BSU’s vice president, said the event was more fun than she imagined.

“It was really fun being able to learn how to play spades, because I wanted to learn for a long time, and I just never really wanted to take the chance to learn the

card game,” Carter said. The Harlem Renaissance was a stepping stone for the African American culture after the Civil War. Many of the African American population migrated to the northern big cities such as New York, Chicago and Philadelphia to find a better life for themselves and their families.

Although the attendance was low that night, it was still a good event to remember an important historic time in Black culture.

This story was originally published Feb. 29, 2024.

TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

African American civil rights activist Bayard Rustin (1912-1987) speaks to a reporter during the Harlem Riots in Manhattan on July 23, 1964. On Feb. 15, 2024, the IU Black Student Union hosted a speakeasy night to

commemorate the Harlem Renaissance in Gresham’s Hoosier Den.

By Maria McComish mwoodmcc@iu.edu

Despite being a night dedicated to admiring and recognizing artists from all backgrounds, with all beliefs, who create various types of music, Sunday night’s Grammy Awards fell short this year on nearly all fronts.

To highlight some muchneeded commemorations, Victoria Monet was awarded best new artist for her latest and most popular album, “JAGUAR II.” Legendary artist Tracy Chapman was also featured during the show for a rare performance of “Fast Car” with Luke Combs, the country music star who brought the song back into conversation by releasing a cover just last year.

R&B Artist SZA did not go home empty-handed for her album “SOS,” and other artists of color were awarded, such as recognizable hip-hop figures Killer Mike and Andre 3000. However, there would be no way for audiences watching at home to know this, because the Grammys made the controversial decision not to televise any

The pitfalls of this year’s Grammys

of the awards for the hip-hop categories.

Many can call this hypocritical, given the institution’s insistence on celebrating voices from hip-hop in the past through televised celebrations. Is it all performative?

Jay-Z may argue that. In his acceptance speech for the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, he pleaded with Grammy voters to do better for artists of color. He cited Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff boycotting the Grammy’s in 1989, and himself in 1998, in response to rap awards not being televised.

“We want y’all to get it right...at least get it close to right,” Jay-Z said.

Nervously standing next to his daughter Blue Ivy Carter, he went on to bring up the fact that they have not awarded Beyonce, or any Black woman, album of the year since 1999.

“I don’t want to embarrass this young lady, but she has more Grammys than anyone and never won album of the year,” Jay-Z said. “So even by your own metrics, that doesn’t work.”

Anyone watching could feel the tension in the room already, but it does not hold a candle to what is seemingly the most controversial moment of the night.

It came when Annie Lennox was paying tribute to Sinead O’Connor with a performance of “Nothing Compares 2 U.” She concluded the performance by raising her fist and shouting, “Artists for Ceasefire! Peace in the world!”

She could barely get the words out before her mic was cut off.

Calling for a ceasefire in Gaza is a plea many artists have been making to our government, whether in public statements such as this or through open letters. Actors such as Susan Sarandon and Melissa Barrera have even lost job opportunities and resources by showing support for Palestine.

After a night filled with such frustration from allies and people of color, it’s a wonder why news outlets can only seem to report on Taylor Swift’s new album and her 14th Grammy win, or the

moments she stood up to dance.

Do Black and Brown people have to beg to be heard by white audiences?

Annie Lennox can speak on behalf of tens of thousands of dead Palestinian men, women and children and be met with quiet applause.

Jay-Z can point-blank ask the Grammys to do better and in response, get nervous shuffling and laughter. More deserving, smaller artists can lose out to powerhouse Swift, and hordes will celebrate like history has been made. People will act shocked when their favorite Black and

artists stop showing up to an event that has shown little care for their

‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ tells a tale of America’s forgotten history

By Siddharth Nelluri sidnellu@iu.edu

Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” is an adaptation of the non-fiction David Grann novel of the same name that investigates the killings of wealthy Osage people who found big oil deposits underneath their land in 1920’s Oklahoma. It’s quite a subversive film for the iconic octogenarian. The film’s length and scope allow Scorsese to reckon with the inherent evils and blood that this country is built on, as well as the consequences of complicity in the face of systemic discrimination.

The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Ernest Burkhart, whose uncle, William K. Hale (Robert De Niro), was the mastermind of a plot to take out Osage inheritors of oil profits to collect them himself. The conspiracy took advantage of laws designed to prevent Osage people from controlling their own finances, which left land headrights in the hands of white beneficiaries and required many Osage people to marry into white families. The primary focus of the film, in fact, is Ernest’s marriage to Mollie Burkhart (Lily Gladstone), an Osage woman belonging to a wealthy family whose members were slowly eliminated one by one while she was poisoned by her husband.

The novel is a brilliant work of journalism and storytelling within itself. It’s structured more as a mystery and true crime epic, leading you through the federal investigations of the murders, which were estimated to total 20 deaths as of public record. The novel’s epilogue follows Grann’s visits to Osage County while researching his story. He suspects many more Osage deaths at the time were connected to what is now referred to as “the Reign of Terror” but were swept under the rug due to the FBI’s failure to find proper justice for them.

By flipping the narrative structure of the novel and following the perspectives of the white male killers of the Osage people, the film somehow manages to be more chilling in its portrayal of this story. Though I expected the first hour or so of the film to depict how several white men got looped into the conspiracy or about how they went about their killings, I was mistaken. Instead, the decision to murder is a bygone conclusion and none of the men involved show any remorse throughout the 210-minute runtime of the film.

One scene shows a man shooting an Osage woman coming home with her baby in a stroller and then placing the gun in her lifeless hand before leaving with the baby. We are left to assume that the man was

the woman’s husband and father to her child, though we never revisit or hear of these characters again. It’s a specific level of cruelty and evil that Scorsese has never depicted before, even after a 50-year career that chronicled a rough history of the inherent criminality of the American Dream, from New York gangsters of the 19th century to Wall Street crooks of the 90s.

After the release of 2019’s “The Irishman,” a few critics complained about the perceived glorification of toxic masculinity and violence in the director’s filmography, labelling him solely as a director of gangster films. Besides the point that his body of work extends beyond just gangster films, with period-piece romances like “The Age of Innocence” and comedies like “After Hours,” it is also

unwise to see any of his films as a celebration of criminality rather than an indictment of masculinity and violence told through true stories.

This is why “Killers” depicts the Reign of Terror with such little spectacle — murders are quick and carried out by white men who greet you with a smile and claim to have love for you. The longer you spend time with these characters, the more you see how despicable they are, allowing DiCaprio in particular to weaponize his expert ability for playing pathetic buffoons with no selfawareness. His twisted and morally bankrupt treatment of Mollie becomes a good representation of the horrific greed and evil of the systemic genocide of Osage people.

Working closely with Osage actors, costume and set designers, and

one language consultant, Scorsese can represent and honor the Osage traditions and history quite well, avoiding sticking to an awful track record of Native American representation in Hollywood. Though the story is set in an extremely dark period of our history which is reflected by Rodrigo Prieto’s gloomy cinematography, I felt the film was rooted in a sense of faith towards Osage spiritualism. Throughout the film, we see Mollie perform burial rituals with sunlight beaming down on her, giving viewers a moment to breathe while they’re away from the wolves that lurk in the shadows. Gladstone perfectly plays the exhausted and painful hope Mollie carries, and she’s been a symbol for nearly a century later.

I hope to see more opportunities for Native

American actors in the future as well as more visibility for Osage filmmakers in Hollywood. As great as the film is at telling the world this story on such a large scale, with a $200 million budget that admittedly would not have been possible if not for the big names involved in making it, it should not and cannot be the only representation we see. It is also criminal that both Gladstone and Cara Jade Myers, who delivered two standout performances in this, have spoken about being on the verge of quitting acting before being cast. Without spoiling the film’s brilliant ending, I think it’s clear that Scorsese is keenly aware of this as well as of the inherent reductive manner of the true crime genre as a whole.

This story was originally published Oct. 24, 2023.

MOVIE STILLS DATABASE

A still from the movie “Killers of the Flower Moon” is seen. The drama crime film was released Oct. 20, 2023.

ENGINEERING IU

Tibetan refugee shares culture through restaurant

By Eva Remijan-Toba and Jack Lindner arts@iu.edu

Tucked within Bloomington’s iconic Fourth Street lies a small, white house rich with cultural history and delicious food.

As Pema Wangchen steps into his restaurant, he passes the wooden sign that stands before the entrance.

A yak is painted in front of snowy mountains. Below it a banner reads “Anyetsang’s Little Tibet Restaurant,” with flags of the United States, Tibet, India and Thailand in each corner.

Wangchen heads to the kitchen to start his day, preparing hundreds of Tibetan-style native teas, soups and momos — a type of steamed dumpling.

As the first customers arrive for lunch, Wangchen greets them with menus and a warm smile.

While many recognize Wangchen’s friendly face, few know about the trials and tribulations that led to where he is today.

Before owning his restaurant in Bloomington, Wangchen was born and raised in Chinese-occupied Tibet.

As a child, he was sent away from his home country with a group of Tibetan refugees to pursue opportunities for a better life.

His journey led him to Nepal, India, and eventually the United States, where he continued to travel before finally settling in Bloomington. His resume lists roles as a restaurant owner, a Buddhist monk and a luggage carrier for the Dalai Lama.

Today, he shares his experience as a way to educate locals on the hardships his people have faced and to share his pursuit of lifelong happiness.

Early Years In Tibet

Born in 1978, Wangchen grew up with his family in a Tibetan region between the Himalayan Mountains called Kham, on the southeastern side of the country.

After the Chinese Communist regime seized control of Tibet in 1950, much of the country was destroyed. The regime stripped Tibetans of their rights, their culture and their religion.

Although he was born well after the invasion, Wangchen still felt its catastrophic effects.

“There is almost nothing over there,” Wangchen said. “Just eat, sleep, eat, sleep.”

His parents worked hard to provide for their eight children, but it was no easy task. Wangchen’s journey to escape Chinese rule began at the age of 12 when his parents sent him to India

with 45 fellow Tibetans. They trekked through the Himalayan Mountains for 33 days, including parts of Mount Everest.

Upon reaching Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, the group split into two buses. The Chinese military captured Wangchen’s bus, leading to a brutal three-day detention in jail. After he was released, he continued his journey to India, where he ultimately found freedom with his fellow Tibetans.

Life in India

For 11 years, Wangchen served as a Buddhist monk at the Sera Jey Monastery in southern India. The monastery was originally located in Tibet; however, after Chinese troops destroyed Sera Jey in 1959, the monastery was rebuilt in India.

Wangchen resided at the monastery with his older brother, studying Buddhist philosophy and cultural practices. While he enjoyed his time as a monk, he wanted to do more.

“Life at the temple was a very good life,” Wangchen said. “But it was just my life. I wanted to do something for my mom and dad.”

Like many Tibetan Buddhists, Wangchen and his parents had a lifelong dream of meeting the Dalai Lama.

To help fulfill his parents’ dream, Wangchen left his life in India behind and moved to the United States to financially support his family.

His brother loaned him the money for his travels, and Wangchen took yet another journey — this time, much farther from home.

Coming to America

Wangchen arrived in New York City in the summer of 2003. He said the culture shock was undoubtedly the most difficult part of adjusting to his new life.

“I didn’t speak English,” Wangchen said. “I only knew ‘thank you.’” Wangchen lived with friends who showed him the ropes of the city and American culture. He found work as a dishwasher in a Chinese restaurant in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

The majority of the money he earned was not for personal use, but instead went towards paying back his brother for his passport and visa. Once he paid the loan off, Wangchen sent his earnings back to his parents in Tibet.

Wangchen encouraged his parents to put the money towards fulfilling their ultimate dreams: to

meet the Dalai Lama. With Wangchen’s financial help, his parents were able to accomplish their goal and meet the spiritual leader in person.

Wangchen said his parents felt extremely blessed by the opportunity and were forever grateful for the sacrifices their son made for them.

Wangchen lived in New York City for about eight years. He traveled around the country working various jobs until he got a call from a close friend, prompting him to move to Indiana.

Planting roots in Bloomington

In 2012, Wangchen’s close friend told him a small Tibetan restaurant in Bloomington, Indiana, was planning to close. The restaurant’s owner, Thupten Anyetsang, was Wangchen’s distant relative. After running Little Tibet for 25 years, Anyetsang wanted to retire.

Although Wangchen was not close with Anyetsang, he wanted to see the restaurant for himself. To Wangchen, keeping Little Tibet alive was a way to spread his culture.

For decades, Tibetan people have protested against the oppression of the Chinese government in various ways. Some take peaceful approaches such as

Wangchen said. “I was just making money and enjoying life. But deep inside, I felt selfish.”

Wangchen visited the Tibetan restaurant in December 2012. Two months later Wangchen bought it.

“I wanted to own the Tibetan restaurant so I can share my story with young people,” Wangchen said. “A lot of people don’t know what Tibet is, but that’s my goal, to tell them.”

Little Tibet specializes in serving traditional Tibetan food, carrying on the former owner’s legacy. The restaurant also serves traditional Thai and Indian dishes Wangchen learned to cook when he arrived in Bloomington.

Since taking over the restaurant, Wangchen has turned Little Tibet into a staple of the iconic international food scene in Bloomington. Wangchen’s work and his story have been featured in numerous publications, including Edible Indy magazine and the Big Ten Network’s television program, “Campus Eats.”

Pursuit of lifelong happiness

Now, 10 years later, Wangchen wears a “Free Tibet” t-shirt each day. He encourages his customers

she works her shifts.

“I think this restaurant feels comforting for Tibetan people but also for people who don’t know anything about Tibet,” Lhamo said, “Someone could just say ‘Wow this food is really good,’ or it could be the gates into learning about Tibet.”

Along the walls of the restaurant are pictures and shrines dedicated to honoring the Dalai Lama.

Like his parents, Wangchen’s lifelong goal was to one day meet the Buddhist leader in person.

In 2016, the Dalai Lama visited Indianapolis during his tour of the United States.

After being in contact with the Tibetan secret service, Wangchen volunteered to be the Dalai Lama’s personal luggage carrier.

“When the Dalai Lama showed up, I was crying, I couldn’t believe it,” Wangchen said. “It’s so emotional. We lost our country, we lost everything.”

Among all of the Dalai Lama’s teachings, the one Wangchen tries to incorporate in his own life most is the pursuit of lifelong happiness. For many years, Wangchen’s pursuit of happiness meant getting to see his family again after fleeing from Tibet.

For 22 years, he only communi -

embassy granted him a visa in 2015, Wangchen was finally reunited with his parents and siblings in his home country. The moment he saw his father, Wangchen said he felt indescribable, immense joy.

“I’m running and I’m running, hugging him and my mom,” Wangchen said. “We both cried. All of my family, we cried together.” Wangchen has returned to Tibet twice since relocating to the U.S.: once in 2015 and again in 2017. He keeps a scrapbook from his trips filled with photos of him smiling ear to ear with his immediate and extended family.

Today, Wangchen uses his restaurant as a way to share his story, the story of Tibet and the importance of Tibetan freedom. Above all, Wangchen uses his platform to inspire locals to discover their own sense of lifelong happiness.

“I’m grateful that I can represent Tibet in my restaurant, I can share Tibet with the world,” Wangchen said. “I am thankful for the community in Bloomington. They are deep in my heart. I will always, always say thank you.”

This story was originally published Dec. 7, 2023.

Pema Wangchen (left) and his fellow chefs hand-make hundreds of fresh momos Nov. 14, 2023. Wangchen said they combine the meat with spices and vegetables for the filling, roll

the dough before cooking.

IU Ballet Theater’s

By Gino Diminich gdiminic@iu.edu

With each changing projection, the audience audibly gasped. With each pirouette, they applauded enthusiastically. For each moment of magic, the adults in the room became children again, awed and enraptured by the beauty brought to life by the Jacobs School of Music Ballet Theater department.

“The Nutcracker,” newly imagined by Sasha Janes, professor of music in the ballet department, had its world premiere at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 30 on the stage of the Musical Arts Center. Performances were held with different casts at 7:30 p.m. Dec.1-2 and 2 p.m. Dec. 2-3.

Welcoming the audience to the opening night of “The Nutcracker,” Sarah Wroth, professor of music in the ballet department, introduced Janes. Janes provided a brief overview of the work put in by various departments in the Jacobs School of Music — sets, costumes, music, choral and ballet.

Boasting all new costumes by Linda Pisano, IU chair of theatre, drama and contemporary dance, each dancer’s outfit from Act One to Act Two glittered with its own life and vitality. The intricate detailing on each costume is a treat in itself.

Drosselmeier’s cape resembling owl wings — another nod to the novella — is truly something to behold.

Janes’ production is noticeably different than past productions, drawing more from the original novella by E.T.A. Hoffman. Act One welcomes the audience to an Austrian Embassy where Marie, the protagonist, and her family welcome ambassadors from China, Spain, Russia and Morocco on Christmas Eve.

The party scene, which occurs through most of the first act, is a true joy to watch. Janes’ direction brings depth to the scene, not grabbing one's attention with background action, but rather offering something to

gaze upon should ones eye wander.

The choreography of the party scene is also stellar, with elegant footwork and purposeful, pointed hand motions to convey the relationships between characters.

After Marie received the titular Nutcracker as a gift, that evening the mice begin their attack. The mice and Mouse King, played by IU sophomore Bryan Gregory on Nov. 30, provided excellent comic relief. The reimagined battle scene quickly became a source of laughter for the audience while simultaneously awing them with increasingly larger props that must be seen in person.

Once Marie, played by IU senior Maddie Tyler,

saves the Nutcracker’s life in battle, played by IU senior Aram Hengen, the set transforms into that of a snowy forest beset with sparkling trees and hanging snowflakes.

A noticeable change to the plot audiences may be used to occurs at the end of Act One, with the Nutcracker joining Marie on her sleigh ride into the magical world Drosselmeier beckons her into. In the program, Janes explained his decision to bring them into the dance world of Act Two rather than simply observe it.

The Nutcracker and Marie observe the cultural dances before joining in. The two also dance the Grand as De Deux, giving it more emotional weight as the two characters finally

get a chance to dance a full divertissement by themselves, hinting at the young love that may exist between the two — spectacularly executed to much applause by Tyler and Hengen.

Over the course of the two acts, the set by Thaddeus Straussberger remains the embassy — tall white marble walls with intricately arched doorways. However, they are also the walls of a canvas for the projections of Greg Emetaz, which turn the walls into a myriad of different scenes like a forest, a battlefield and a lake.

Act Two of “The Nutcracker” opens with a stunning lake projection that seems to ripple into the audience. Child dancers played the role of fireflies, which elicited many coos

from the audience as they moved with the older dancers.

The decision to use projections to change the scene rather than change the entire set is a striking one, but one that suggests the power of magical imagination that can transform even the most familiar setting into one of mystical intrigue.

The cultural divertissements were performed by the same dancers portraying the ambassadors in Act One, giving the performance a more culturally proud feeling. The Spanish, Moroccan, Chinese, Russian and Mirliton movements were danced with high energy and complex technique, highlighting the skill of each dancer.

The Moroccan dance

performed opening night by IU junior Kelly Gleason and IU sophomore Bryan Gregory was a particular showcase of controlled strength, with Gleason’s slow contorting movements across Gregory’s figure highlighting the dissonance and powerful orchestration.

Watching the group numbers — from snowflakes, to flowers, to the finale where the cast dances as a whole — almost intrusive. Looking across the stage at the dancers glancing at one another imperceptibly to smile felt like watching something for just them, a reminder of the beauty of dance and the power of the performing arts at IU. This story was originally published Dec. 4, 2023.

LUCY SHEPPARD | IDS

Jacobs School of Music ballet theater students rehearse Act One of “The Nutcracker” on Nov. 28, 2023, at the Musical Arts Center. “The Nutcracker” ran Dec. 1-3, 2023, at the Musical

with different casts.,

30th annual Lotus Festival celebrates diversity in music

By Gino Diminich gdiminic@iu.edu

“How many people do I have out there that have been to all 30?” asked the announcer. “We’ve got one guy here, anybody want to buy him a beer?”

Laughter rang out from the crowd gathered in the shade of the Fourth Street Stage. They had squeezed in to watch the first performance of the second night of the Lotus Festival. Before introducing Grey Larsen and Cindy Kallet — known for their unique blend of Irish and old-time traditional American music — the announcer, Brother William Morris, got the energy up as he thanked everyone for attending the evening’s festivities. The Lotus Festival, celebrating its 30th year, invites

a diverse mix of performers and musicians to share the beauty of every culture and form of expression. Festival goers were given the option of six different venues across Bloomington ranging from indoor to outdoor, each featuring a different musical act.

At the First Christian Church venue, the Madalitso Band — a duo from Malawi, Africa — kept audience members swaying and bopping their heads with their infectious toe-tapping music. Their unconventional instruments consisted of an acoustic guitar, foot drum and a one-stringed banjo-like instrument called a babatone. As they played, a little girl in a floral romper danced in the front row, with sequins glued on her cheeks to match her mother’s. Other audience members simply closed their eyes and took in the rhythm.

Outside, patrons roamed the darkening streets, pausing for a quick bite from the numerous local food trucks along Kirkwood Avenue as they searched for their next musical venue. Some settled on the Trinity Episcopal Church venue featuring Eleanor and Dario, a duo specializing in multilingual original songs as well as interpretations of classical pieces from Spain, France and Portugal.

The church was dark, except for the overhead lights illuminating the stage, commanding the audience’s attention to the front of the room. In the intimate quiet of the church, Eleanor Dubinsky and Dario Acosta Teich showcased their unique musical abilities.

“In a space like this you can really see people’s faces, people smiling, it creates a

return of energy which makes everything better,” Dubinsky said. “Also, because this is a church, the acoustics of this place are really special.”

The duo used the reverberating acoustics of the high ceilings to their musical advantage, retaining control of the energy in the room. Such control was evident in the silence during an original, tender love song, then in the rollicking song that followed, encouraging the audience to clap along. The clapping and slight laughter that followed whenever someone was offbeat echoed across the arched ceiling, creating a sense of musical community only experienced at the Lotus Festival.

Dubinsky had worked with the Lotus Education & Arts Foundation in the past and saw the music festival as a reminder of the cultural

melting pot that defines our world.

“We are all a mixture of roots, we live in a world of mix, and we forget that,” Dubinsky said. “It’s a reflection of the truth which is that we all live together and nobody’s one thing.”

Just a few blocks further down Kirkwood Avenue, the lights of the Buskirk-Chumley Theater burned bright, cutting through the cool night with their low hum. Through the air, the faint sounds of music from outdoor stages and from behind closed doors mixed with the chatter and laughter from festival goers mingling in the streets in between sets.

Festival goers were of all ages – children were carried by parents, older patrons tapped their canes along with the music, college students posed for pictures. The

demographic was wide and some, like Natilia Sonia, were even visiting from out of state.

Having grown up in Bloomington, Sonia was a longtime patron of the Lotus Festival. Though she’s since moved away, she comes back year after year for the fun and diverse music and performances.

“In areas like Indiana, it can get very homogenous culturally,” Sonia said. “There’s a lot of value in opportunities to experience things outside the homogeneity.” The Lotus Festival began Sept. 28 and performances continued through Oct. 1. More information about the festival can be found on the Lotus Education & Arts Foundation website.

This story was originally published Sept. 30, 2023.

GINO DIMINICH | IDS

Grey Larsen (left) and Cindy Kallet (right) perform

By Char Jones cmj35@iu.edu

Drag queens tend to be the face of queer pride events, local drag artist Santana Sword said. That statement perfectly sums up the perception of Bloomington’s queer pride event this Saturday. Pridefest took over Kirkwood Avenue, pride flags lining the street and adorning people’s faces and clothing.

Pridefest acts as the largest community gathering for LGBTQ+ individuals in and around Bloomington, with guests ranging from children to college students to grandparents. For three hour-long blocks during the celebrations, the main stage is taken over by drag artists from throughout the Midwest. Attendees swarm the surrounding area to catch a glimpse of their stunning performances.

“I think Pride[fest] is really important,” Santana Sword said. “It’s one of those events that transcends regular shows.”

The event is a special occasion for drag performers in particular, giving them a larger audience to showcase themselves and their art. Instead of performing at a

gay bar or similar venue, these queens and kings are given a larger space for teenagers and college students to see the art of drag.

“I prefer Bloomington pride because of this [college aged] crowd,” Sword said. “Who knows what kids at IU couldn’t do this in their hometown for whatever reason. I think that’s very special and important.”

A couple of drag artists decided to spread messages about the history of pride through their performances, especially for folks who may not have had the opportunity to learn about it before. Sword used her performance to discuss the history of queer pride.

“I chose to do pride this year to remind everyone where pride came from,” she said. “It was a riot and it was anti-cop.”

She infused her first performance with those sentiments, holding up a pig mask while lip-syncing to “Heads Will Roll” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Drag king BeezleBabe lipsynced to a mix about Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to a public office in California. He performed key moments from Milk’s

speeches about the importance of coming out, encouraging the audience to live out and proud.

In order to create complex pieces like BeezleBabe’s tribute, drag artists must spend countless hours curating their act. Universe DeLa Crusis, an Indiana drag queen, recognized the weeks of preparation that go into planning her performances for the Pridefest stage.

“Regardless of where you go, each gig is special,” DeLa Crusis said. “You have to think about how to please a crowd and you have to know your crowd.”

Their craft takes effort and care to perfect, oftentimes all by themselves.

“My favorite part about my specific drag is bringing my ideas to life,” DeLa Crusis said. “95% of the costumes I wear, I make, without any knowledge on how to sew.”

She attributes her ability to create these garments to YouTube tutorials. Nevertheless, her outfits were stunning, from a Little Mermaid-inspired gown to a silver, sparkly bodysuit.

With the audience growing larger each year, it’s easy to feel the pressure to give everything they have to create an outstanding

experience for attendees.

Six years ago, Pat Yo Weave, a local drag queen, began hosting Bloomington Pridefest after her best friend, Argenta Perón, couldn’t make it. “I don’t think I was quite ready for it,” Pat said. “The costume changes, the hair changes, the amount of people, it’s a lot.” Pat emphasized the joy she infuses into every performance she gives.

“With there being so much negativity in the world, I have a moment where I can throw out joy to everybody,” she said. “I love that I can just give you all the love that I have and just allow you to give it to somebody else.”

Queer pride, until it is fully protected for all letters of the LGBTQ+ community, will always be a protest.

With a rise in anti-trans and anti-drag legislation,

drag performers and drag supporters alike are pushed to protect this beautiful art form.

“I just want to remind everybody that what we’re doing is not a crime,” Pat said. “When it’s done, this [makeup] gets all washed off and I become just a normal person you see walking down the street.” This story was

Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center hosts karaoke night

By Ce’Etter Stevens

cemsteve@iu.edu

The stage was set, the smell of food lingered in the air, and 90’s jams filled the room as the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center and the Black Film Center & Archive hosted a karaoke night with the theme of Black movie soundtracks at 7 p.m. Feb. 7 in the Grand Hall of the NMBCC building.

The stage had a ‘90s-themed backdrop decorated with colorful spray-painted phrases like “Afro Punk” and “Black Rock” across a red brick wall. Tables were decorated with themes of iconic Black movies and their soundtracks including songs from “Dreamgirls,” “The Wiz,” “Love & Basketball” and “The Temptations.”

IU sophomore Terry Johnson said he grew up watching a lot of these iconic

movies with his mother. Johnson said his favorite was “Dreamgirls” because it was also his mother’s favorite. For his first performance of the night, he performed the film’s title song “Dreamgirls” as a duet with his friend. Johnson said that he loved the evening and the chance to reenact this song.

“I loved it,” Johnson said. “I love Black people and I love Black music, so it’s a yes for me.”

Johnson is also a part of IU chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People executive board serving as the outreach chair. Johnson said this month has been great so far. He is looking forward to more “Blackness” this month the most.

“People try it (Black culture), but you can’t deny it, and that’s on Chaka Khan,” Johnson said.

According to the NMBCC website, its mission is to “strive to create and consistently facilitate activities and programming that challenge, support and contribute to the continued development and success of Black students within the IU community.”  They are a dedicated “living history” space for students to explore racial identity and express the values of a diverse and engaged learning community.

IU freshman Zaniab Diouf said the event was fun and it was nice meeting new people on campus. Diouf said that while she didn’t grow up watching some of these iconic films, she still sang along even when she didn’t know the words.

“The event has allowed me to really see my community and see my culture,” Diouf said. “I grew up around a lot of white people, so it was

nice to be able to meet more people in my culture”

Gloria Howell, director of the NMBCC, said the expectations of the night were to be informal and that they wanted people to come from class or work, get some food, hangout and enjoy themselves at a lighthearted and fun event.

“We know that music like Black music is something that brings people together,” Howell said. “So, it’s kind of like a natural thing for people to kind of connect through music.”

The NMBCC and the Black Film Center & Archive are partnering with the City of Bloomington for this year’s Black History Month and its theme of celebrating Black cinema. Howell said this event came from the NMBCC’s love of music and how they wanted to incorporate it into the theme of Black cinema.

“I thought ‘wow, sometimes the movies, the soundtracks are just as memorable as the movies themselves,’” Howell said.

“There’s several movies where like I can’t talk about the movie without thinking about music that goes with it. So, it just made sense.”

There were many students, staff and community members participating in the event.

The most enthusiastic crowd engagement was during a duet of “Listen” from “Dreamgirls.” People sang along and gave a standing ovation to the singers. By the end of the night, almost everyone in attendance got on stage to sing.

In the middle of the night around 7:45 p.m., the DJ played the song “Da’ Butt” by Experience Unlimited from the 1988 Spike Lee film “School Daze.” The crowd split into halves, where some danced

#leftdoitrightdoit.

Howell said that the NMBCC prides itself on making its space accessible to community members and students alike. She is looking forward to the fan favorite “Black Knowledge Bowl” on Feb. 21 and the NMBCC new event “Kick It” where they will be celebrating the food and movies of Black culture. “I’m excited about that because it’s like everything beautifully Black like put together,” Howell said. “And, you know, it’s Black History Month. I’m excited about everything that’s Black.” Information about future events the NMBCC is available on its website.

This story was originally published Feb. 9,

Black

with old school moves like the cabbage patch and the others danced with newer dance moves like the TikTok dance challenge

2024.

JOANNA NJERI | IDS

Attendees are seen singing karaoke Feb. 7, 2024 at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center Grand Hall.

Mellencamp performs an evening of Indiana nostalgia

By Grace Romine gmromine@iu.edu

As the minutes ticked toward 8 p.m., a mass of fans bared the crisp, spring, evening air standing along W Riverside Ave of Ball State University’s Emens Auditorium as they were ushered through lines of security. Almost all 3,309 auditorium seats would soon be filled to watch acclaimed musician and Indiana native John Mellencamp perform March 22.

Born in Seymour, Indiana, Mellencamp has been releasing music since 1976. The Grammy-award winning artist and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee is known for his Americana or roots rock style music with lyrics about the everyday man. His Emens Auditorium performance was one stop on his “Live and in Person 2024” tour.

Jared and Jodi Birch waited patiently in the farthest security line, excitedly anticipating the show. The couple had made the drive north from Hagerstown for a “date night.” While they had never seen Mellencamp perform before, Jodi said she was an avid fan of live music and was looking forward to the concert. Jared said Mellencamp was a part of his experience growing up in Indiana.

After the large crowd filed into the auditorium and found its seats, Mellencamp’s concert began. Instead of the traditional opening band before the main performance, the acclaimed musician’s performance was preceded by a series of clips of black and white films from the Golden Age of Hollywood: “The Fugitive Kind,” “The Misfits,” “Giant,” “Grapes of Wrath,” “Hud” and “A Streetcar Named Desire.”

from Joanne Woodward, a longtime friend of Mellencamp, accompanied by soft musical notes played by bandmembers. Germano explained that Woodward is now 94 years old suffering from Alzheimer’s and hasn’t spoken in years. Mellencamp decided to play the song in

After saying that the performance of his 1987 song “Cherry Bomb” would be the last for the night, Mellencamp decided to play one more, his 1983 Grammyaward winning song “Hurts So Good.” The musician brought up a young girl from the pit on stage, singing the lyrics into the microphone with support of the audience

The auditorium crowd emptied out into the lobby, waiting in line to purchase merchandise, art and making their way out the door for their journey

Dustin and Amy Fohl of Connersville were in line to purchase their Mellencamp T-shirts. The couple said they both enjoyed the show and Amy said this wasn’t her first time

Police sirens sounded and red beacon lights positioned in each corner lit up the auditorium as Mellencamp and his band finally took the stage at just shy of a quarter ‘til nine,

opening the show with the song, “John Cockers” from his 2008 album, “Life, Death, Love and Freedom.” The stage was decorated with heavy yellow lighting, a backdrop of a French Quarter street scene from the final film in his opening movie set, “A Streetcar Named Desire” and four mannequins resembling a nod to his support of the American farmer, and the performer could be seen lighting up a cigarette during his show.

After performing the fourth song on his setlist, “Small Town,” Mellencamp introduced himself to the audience, letting them know he would be playing a little bit of everything: songs they

conglomerate of sounds, from guitar, bass and drums to accordion, harmonica and violin. Introducing his band members to the audience, Mellencamp shared that he had been playing with his guitarist Mike Wanchic for 50 years.

After playing, “The Eyes of Portland” from his 2023 album, “Orpheus Descending,” Mellencamp advised his fans to be nice to each other, “so that the time we have here on Earth is our time.” While the artist

actively spoke between songs in his 2023 IU Auditorium show, bluntly urging people to not stress the little things in life, his Emens Auditorium performance featured very little banter with the crowd.

As Mellencamp walked off stage, violinist Lisa Germano came to the microphone to welcome the next song, “The Real Life.”

“This is not your typical rock concert,” Germano said. “It is more of a performance.”

“The Real Life,” featured the audio of spoken word

“I saw him in 1988 at the state fair,” Amy said. “Tonight’s show was a little bit different; you know we are all older, but he still The couple said they loved “all of it,” although the performance of his song “Jack and Diane” was their favorite. The Fohls said they would definitely see Mellencamp again. While Mellencamp is particularly known to have a fan base from the Baby Boom generation, concertgoers of all ages were dancing in the crowd, singing along to the classics. Families young and old enjoyed the show, reminiscing and taking pictures with friends in the lobby as they made their way out of the Ball State auditorium.

This story was originally published March 24, 2024.

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MICHAEL CLAYCAMP | IDS

Acclaimed musician and Bloomington resident John Mellencamp performs March 22, 2024, at Ball State University’s Emens Auditorium in Muncie. Mellencamp’s “Live and in Person 2024” tour started March 8, 2024.

Peach Pit lights up IU Auditorium stage

By Grace Romine gmromine@iu.edu

The Bloomington Based pop and R&B band Honey Iced Tea began their opening set at 8:30 p.m. March 6 at the IU auditorium for Peach Pit, an indie-pop quartet of high school friends from Vancouver, Canada. Honey Iced Tea, an 11-member ensemble, includes three vocalists, saxophonists, a trombonist and bassist. They played a small set, with covers of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive,” and ABBA’s “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!

(A Man After Midnight).”

The Bloomington band’s opening set wrapped at around 9 p.m. After a short intermission for set up and sound checks, Peach Pit made their way onto the stage to perform their opening number “Being So Normal” from their debut album.

Made up of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Neil Smith, lead guitarist Chris Vanderkooy, bassist Peter Wilton and drummer Mikey Pascuzzi, the group began self-releasing music in 2016, with their debut EP “Sweet FA.” Peach Pit has since amassed over 2.4 million monthly listeners on Spotify and has performed at Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo and All Things Go music festivals, among many others.

The Union Board announced they would host Peach Pit in concert with an Instagram post Dec. 4, 2023, and ticket sales began the next day, starting at $44 for IU students and $54 for the general public.

Carly Mosby is the current director for “Live from Bloomington,” a Union Board committee

dedicated to student artists performance opportunities.

Mosby was the previous board’s concert director and played a part in arranging the Peach Pit concert from the get-go. Mosby said she did anything from surveying the student body for who they’d be interested in seeing, to reaching out to the talent agency and making sure the Union Board had the amount of funds needed to bring Peach Pit to campus. She was excited to see the show come together.

“It’s been months in the making,” Mosby said. “It was just really cool to see throughout the process how happy people were, that was really my favorite thing. Since the beginning of being the concerts director last year, my favorite part is seeing people come together and be happy and get away from stressful things.”

Khushi Sahi is the concerts director who took over from Mosby in December 2023. The two worked hand-in-hand ever since to make the show a success.

“It was probably one of the most rewarding things I have ever done,” Sahi said. “You look back and see everyone has their hands up, they’re singing, just hearing it is amazing. The experience really, really pays off.”

Sahi said some audience members told her they drove all the way from Kansas for the show.

After a few songs, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Smith introduced the band. Bantering with the crowd in between songs, Smith shared he was always nervous to perform at college campuses. It

made him feel like it was the first day of school and he should fear the “jocks”, even though he was 31 years old.

Peach Pit performed 18 songs such as “Brian’s Movie” to “Drop the Guillotine” and “Give Up Baby Go.” Smith said to the crowd that it didn’t feel so long ago the band was practicing songs he wrote in lead guitarist Chris Vanderkooy’s bedroom at his dad’s house, wanting so badly to play at a DIY venue in Vancouver, Canada. He thanked the crowd for making concerts like the one at IU Auditorium possible.

Smith, Vanderkooy, Wilton and Pascuzzi gave the IU Auditorium crowd a high energy performance, full of dancing, classic rock headbanging and jumping around stage. Their songs each tell a different story, some about recovery, heartbreak and nostalgia.

The group performed “Tommy’s Party,” also from their debut album, as their last song. After minutes of cheers from the crowd not wanting the concert to end, Peach Pit came back on stage to play “Hot Knifer,” “Chagu’s Sideturn” and “Shampoo Bottles” as their closing encore.

The group gave away each of their paper set lists, handing them to members of the audience, throwing them as paper airplanes and even stepping off stage to give to an audience member in the front. The auditorium crowd quickly filed out, some making their way to the stage for photos to document the night’s event.

This story was originally published March 13, 2024.

The Namby Pamby plays The Bishop Bar

By Lilly Luse liluse@iu.edu

The Namby Pamby, an all-female indie rock trio, performed at 10:30 p.m., March 1, at The Bishop Bar along with Cal in Red and Milkwood.

The Fort Wayne-based band played hits from their latest album, “Marketplace” and surprised the crowd with a psychedelic cover of the popular song, “Murder on the Dancefloor” by Sophie Ellis-Bexter.

The band consists of sisters McKenna and Emily Parks, vocalist and guitarist respectively, along with Payton Knerr on drums. They have played shows in Bloomington including last year’s WIUX Culture Shock Festival and released their debut album in November 2022 and toured around the Midwest.

“We did about twelve days on the road, and that was super fun to get out and play in other cities and share the love with everybody and our story and our music.” McKenna said.

Payton said one of the biggest changes in the last year had been the response from fans.

“Homies that listen to you and sing the words with you — it’s a different experience than ‘oh I like this one,’” Knerr said. “To be able to have people know the songs is cool.”

One such fan is Austen Eicher from Greenwood, Indiana, who is a musician himself and went to The Bishop to see them perform

again. “We opened up for them one time and they’re lovely people,” he said. “They’re awesome.”

He is a member of the band Too Many Cooks and sang The Namby Pamby’s praises.

“They get you in the groove. They’re so tight as a band. They’re mesmerizing,” Eicher said. “I could just sit there lay in bed listen to them and close my eyes, it makes me feel good.”

Returning to Bloomington, McKenna said she loved coming back to play, and commented on the unique and thriving music hub the city has become.

“The more we’ve gotten to play here, it’s become way more than just a college town,” she said. “There is such a culture in Bloomington that’s really cool, and now we love playing Bloomington a lot.”

Emily and Knerr agreed that one of the best aspects of the Bloomington music scene was how welcoming other bands were and how much of a tight-knit community there was.

“My biggest takeaway is that all of the bands that we’ve played with that are based in Bloomington are just so kind, and you do not see that everywhere,” Emily said. “We just want to keep coming back because we consider these people our friends now.”

Knerr shared that the band has been able to step into a music community that has helped them grow,

and that they consider Bloomington a second home base.

“It’s so fun playing here in the little community that we’ve not only been able to dip our toes in but build with our music and play here so frequently,” Knerr said. “People are just so accepting, and the other bands and artists are really cool, and just take you in.” After the success of “Marketplace,” McKenna said she hoped for a new 12-track album release by the end of this year.

Following The Namby Pamby were Cal in Red, performing a set of dreamy indie pop. The duo is led by brothers Connor and Kendall Wright, who began their musical collaboration in early 2018. Cal in Red has released two EPs, and the band is expecting a national tour this spring.

Closing out the night was Milkwood, a new duo formed by Cai Caudill and Jack Andrews. Caudill released an eight-song LP in January titled, “Sun Tired,” as well as an EP of three live recordings from a show at The Blockhouse Bar in Bloomington. Andrews has released eight singles under the name Daguerreotype.

The Namby Pamby kicked off a night of groovy indie rock from local artists with an upbeat crowd that served as a reminder of the community that Bloomington has built for new and emerging musicians.

This story was originally published March 5, 2024.

LILLY LUSE | IDS

Lead vocalist and guitarist McKenna Parks performs with her band The Namby Pamby on March 1, 2024, at

The Bishop in Bloomington. They performed with Cal in Red and Milkwood.

COURTESY OF INDIANA UNIVERSITY

Peach Pit performs to a sold-out crowd March 6, 2024, in the Indiana University Auditorium in Bloomington. The band originated in Vancouver, Canada.

Bob Knight, IU basketball legend, dies at 83

By Matt Press and Will Foley sports@idsnews.com

Bob Knight arrived at Indiana mostly unproven in 1971. Upon his firing 29 years later, he had accumulated countless records and awards and had taken the Hoosiers to the summit of college basketball three times. However, the General’s tenure in Bloomington ended marred in controversy. Following his firing in 2000, the public has carried a split opinion, especially those in the state of Indiana.

In 2019, the IndyStar reported Knight’s health was declining. Knight was hospitalized for three nights with an acute illness this April.

“All of you guys go home tonight, do me a favor, get on your knees and say a prayer for Bob Knight and his family,” Indiana head coach Mike Woodson said Oct. 20 at Indiana’s annual Hoosier Hysteria. “Make no mistake about it, Bob Knight is Indiana basketball.”

Robert Montgomery Knight died Nov. 1, his family announced on X, formerly known as Twitter. He turned 83 years old Oct. 25. The Knight family requested people honor his legacy with contributions to the Alzheimer’s Association or Marian University.

Prior to coaching, the Orrville, Ohio, native played at Ohio State for four years, winning the 1960 National Championship and competing in the subsequent two championship games, losing both.

His collegiate coaching career started at Army West Point, where he was an assistant for three years before being named head coach in 1965 at the age of 24. He held that post for six more seasons while simultaneously serving in the military. He was on active duty from 1963-1965 and in the reserves from 1965-1969.

Knight was originally rumored to become head coach of Wisconsin in 1968, but once word spread, he turned down the offer. Three years later, he accepted an offer from Indiana at the age of 30, replacing Lou Watson and his acting head coach, Jerry Oliver.

Watson stepped down to become special assistant to the athletic director and helped with hiring Knight. Watson compiled a 62-60

record with Indiana, and Oliver was 7-17.

Knight quickly led Indiana to prominence and didn’t look back. In his second season at the helm, he led Indiana to a Big Ten Championship and a Final Four appearance — his first of 11 Big Ten Championships and five Final Fours. A few years later, Knight and the Hoosiers reached the peak of the sport for the first time and did so in a fashion that has yet to be replicated since. Indiana’s 1975-76 squad rolled every opponent in the regular season and continued to do so in the postseason. It thumped Michigan in the National Championship to secure a title with a perfect 32-0 record, the last Division I men’s basketball team to go undefeated.

In 29 seasons, Knight led Indiana to national powerhouse status and established the school as a basketball blue blood. He led the program to 24 NCAA Tournament appearances, three National Championships and one NIT Championship. Knight accumulated 662 wins, three AP Coach of the Year accolades and five Big Ten Coach of the Year awards before his dismissal.

Knight’s coaching philos-

ophy included perfecting the motion offense — stressing ball movement and focusing on team effort rather than individual scoring — and hounding man-to-man defense. He was also a strong proponent of academics, often boasting a high graduation rate for his players. Numbers have been disputed, but Knight and others claimed as high as 98% of players graduating from Indiana under the General.

With Indiana, Knight coached a plethora of legends including Isiah Thomas, Calbert Cheaney, Steve Alford, Scott May and Kent Benson. He boasts a coaching tree of former assistants and players, such as Hall of Famer and former Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski and current Indiana head coach Mike Woodson. Knight finished his coaching tenure with 902 wins, the then-most Division I coaching wins that currently stands sixth all-time. He collected two gold medals coaching Team USA, doing so in the 1979 Pan-American Games and 1984 Olympics. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991 and the IU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009.

Despite his successes —

which few have paralleled — that adorned Hoosier nation, his highly controversial character compromised his image and resulted in his termination in 2000.

Knight’s complicated legacy stems from altercations extending well beyond his fiery on-court persona. In the 1979 Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Knight was infamously charged with assaulting a San Juan police officer while coaching the United States basketball team.

He was found guilty after being tried in absentia and sentenced to six months in prison, but Puerto Rico failed to extradite him. The play of a youthful and exciting U.S. team, which went undefeated in its nine-game slate, was thoroughly overshadowed by Knight’s conduct.

Six years later, in February of 1985, Knight performed arguably the signature act of his coaching career — one that still lives in infamy. In a rivalry matchup with Purdue, just five minutes into the contest, Knight objected to a technical foul call by hurling a plastic red chair across the floor.

Knight was ejected from the game and later joked about the debacle in 1987,

facetiously implying he meant to throw the chair to an older lady on the other side of the court.

Then came 1988. In an interview with NBC correspondent Connie Chung, Bob Knight made an abhorrent comment about rape as a comparison to how he handles stress.

“I think that if rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it,” Knight said.

Former IU president Thomas Ehrlich condemned Knight’s comments, which drew admonishment from women’s groups at IU and nationwide. Knight, who said his comment was misinterpreted, received no real disciplinary consequences.

In 1992, an image surfaced of Knight tapping Cheaney on the backside with a bullwhip in a practice prior to an NCAA Tournament game. Knight brought the whip to a press conference, joking that it provided motivational value.

“Probably no motivational device I’ve ever come across is as good as this,” Knight said regarding the bullwhip.

The incident caused outrage from the NAACP, but Knight would never apologize.

In 2000, CNN Sports Illus-

trated released a story that would mark the beginning of the end of Knight’s tenure with the Hoosiers. Former Indiana player Neil Reed alleged Knight choked him during a practice in 1997.

CNN Sports Illustrated corroborated Reed’s account with three individuals at that practice, who requested to remain anonymous. A follow-up months later would feature video evidence displaying Knight forcefully putting his hand around Reed’s neck.

“The saddest part is seeing your child hurt,” Pat Reed, Neil’s mother, told CNN while fighting back tears. “That’s tough. That’s real tough.”

Then-IU President Myles Brand warned Knight about his pattern of behavior and put him a zero-tolerance policy. Shortly thereafter, Knight grabbed an IU freshman by the arm and was fired two days later. After 29 seasons filled with fame and triumph, the General was dismissed, entirely crippled by his own misjudgment.

Texas Tech hired Knight in March of 2001, and there he would go on to coach for seven relatively unspectacular seasons. He formally announced his retirement in February of 2008. His fractured relationship with the administration that fired him continued to deteriorate. In 2017, in an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, Knight said he had no interest in ever returning to Indiana University and added he hoped everyone in that administration was dead.

But in April of 2019, Knight returned to campus and appeared at an Indiana baseball game, and he officially moved back to Bloomington shortly thereafter. A little less than a year later, on Feb. 8, 2020, Knight returned to Assembly Hall. Knight gingerly emerged from the tunnel and was met by a sold-out stadium clamoring for the legendary coach.

Knight’s past transgressions were momentarily neglected, and instead, his greatness was accepted. After vowing to never step foot back in the stadium, there was the General. And for a breath, all was right.

This story was originally published Nov. 1, 2023.

COLUMN: Indiana’s season closes with tearful regrets and a blowout loss

By Daniel Flick danflick@iu.edu | @bydanielflick

MINNEAPOLIS — Gabe

Cupps sat in front of his locker at the entrance of Indiana men’s basketball’s oasis, teary-eyed and inconsolable.

The Hoosiers’ freshman guard was minutes removed from the end of his first season in the cream and crimson, which officially came crashing down March 15 with a 93-66 blowout loss to Nebraska at the Target Center. Cupps appeared filled with pain and remorse, revealing a cracked voice that reflected the sadness of a season coming to a close and the realization he’ll never suit up with some of the teammates he battled alongside this season.

“I think I could’ve been a lot better for these guys, and especially the seniors who won’t get to play here again,” Cupps said. “I’m not as emotional as the season being over — for me, it’s back to work — but it’s the relationships I’ve built with the guys who may not be here next year.”

Diagonally across from Cupps sat senior forward Anthony Walker. They’re four years apart in age, and Cupps has a majority of his college career still ahead of him — but at this moment, they’re emotionally identical. Tears swelling in Walker’s eyes, emotions poured out. But Walker, one of the seniors who Cupps may never play with again, was sorrowful for different reasons in his reflection.

“Everything I’ve experi-

enced during college, during my years of playing the sport at this level,” Walker said. “I can’t do nothing but be grateful. I played on some beautiful teams. This is a beautiful team, a beautiful atmosphere, the coaching staff was nothing but supportive all year. I’ve gained lifelong friends.” In the corner of the locker room, forward Malik Reneau, who earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors after a breakout sophomore season, fought back tears.

Reneau watched the season’s final nine minutes from the bench after fouling out. He avoided teammates’ high-five attempts and flung a towel over his shoulder thereafter, and he skipped the postgame handshake line, trudging off the court with a towel draped on his head.

For the oft-expressive Reneau who wears his heart on his jersey, words were followed with sniffles while accepting the Hoosiers’ sudden end to a frustrating season. “It hurts,” Reneau said. “It really hurts because you know you won’t be able to play basketball until next season. It’s just so tough. Not making the dance — everybody wants to make the dance — that’s the toughest part about it.”

Indiana ends the year with a disappointing 19-14 record, and an IU Athletics spokesperson confirmed to the Indiana Daily Student on March 15 that the Hoosiers won’t accept an NIT bid if offered.

Thus, the barrage of triples — 14, to be exact

— Nebraska buried on the Hoosiers is the lasting image from a season that, at one point, couldn’t end soon enough, but now feels almost unrepresentative.

But really, for Indiana, this outcome was warned in November.

Narrow escapes against inferior foes were almost shrugged off. After all, the Hoosiers welcomed 10 new faces, and growing pains were expected. They didn’t stop until Feb. 27, when Indiana beat Wisconsin, sparking a five-game winning streak.

Momentum rose and the odds of a fairytale March ending grew — but it all ended as Nebraska made one bucket after another while Indiana shot only 35.3% from the field and 25% from beyond the arc.

Now, heads turn toward next year. Walker and guard Xavier Johnson are the Hoosiers’ lone confirmed departures. Others like Reneau, freshman forward Mackenzie Mgbako and sophomore center Kel’el Ware have decisions to make on the NBA Draft. The transfer portal is a viable option for several others.

Senior guard Trey Galloway, who announced March 10 he’ll be returning for a fifth season but didn’t play Friday night due to a knee injury, could do nothing but try to lead as Indiana’s season slipped away. But for Galloway, the work is just beginning. Recruiting for next year starts now, he said. Cupps added he’ll get back in the gym preparing for next season as soon as Indiana’s plane

touches down in Bloomington.

Work similarly begins now for Woodson and his staff, who are now tasked with retooling a roster that routinely lacked shooting and guard play. Woodson’s offensive philosophy centers around playing inside-out, with the front court carrying a considerable burden.

Galloway said he felt Ware and Reneau were dominant this season. Still, it wasn’t enough. Reneau thinks more help is needed on the outside.

“Confidence, shot making, just to relieve some of the pressure on the bigs,” Reneau said. “It’s hard to capitalize when you’ve got two to three or four people on you trying to go. So, just the ability to make shots, having confidence in taking those shots and making them.”

Galloway wants players who are part of a winning culture. For Indiana, there wasn’t enough winning this year — and pressure is on to do it much more often next year. Woodson battled questions about his job security, often dismissing them. He said March 10 this offseason will be critical for the program, and he acknowledged after Friday night’s loss just how much work lays ahead.

But for now, the focus is on a heartbroken Hoosiers locker room that, as assistant coach Yasir Rosemond told the team in a postgame huddle, fought hard all season but ultimately came up short.

It’s the end of the line for Johnson, Walker and likely several others. Be it for the

final farewells or realization of underachievement, many tears were shed in the Target Center.

But as the dust settles, one thing remains clear: the Hoosiers can’t afford to be in the same position next year, flying home in the middle of March with no postseason appearance to show for four months of work.

“It hurts, but you just got to take it as a lesson and learn from it,” Galloway said. “Because the guys that are coming back next year, we’ve got to find ways and remember this feeling to know that it hurts to lose like this, and we don’t want to do that.”

March 16, 2024.

ALEX DERYN | IDS

Former IU men’s basketball head coach Bob Knight puts his first in the air with former IU men’s basketball player Isiah Thomas at halftime Feb. 8, 2020, in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Knight died Nov. 1, 2023.

This story was originally published

MICHAEL CLAYCAMP | IDS Sophomore guard CJ Gunn sheds tears into his jersey during the final moments of the game against University of Nebraska March 15, 2024, at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Cornhuskers beat the Hoosiers 93-66.

Mackenzie Holmes bids farewell to Indiana

By Dalton James jamesdm@iu.edu | @daltonmjames

ALBANY, N.Y. — The final buzzer sounded. Mackenzie Holmes untucked her crimson No. 54 jersey at the elbow on the west side of MVP Arena. It was all over. Holmes walked straight toward the scorer’s table. She and Sydney Parrish held their right hands together for nearly three seconds. It was obvious Holmes wanted to be the first one off the hardwood. She was the first to shake hands with University of South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, before highfiving the rest of the Gamecocks. Immediately after, Holmes buried her face in her hands. The Adidas emblem on her jersey rested just above her chin. Then she cried as she jogged off the court.

Indiana women’s basketball was the unquestioned underdog against the undefeated Gamecocks. Women’s college basketball fans knew it. So did the Hoosiers.

While it may have trailed by 22 points just 2:30 into the third quarter, Indiana stormed back in the final frame to make it a one-possession game. Not once, but twice — two opportunities to get a stop on defense and go take the lead.

The Gamecocks responded, sending the Hoosiers back to Bloomington with a 4-point loss, ending Holmes’ collegiate career with a loss in the Sweet 16.

It wasn’t an easy road to get to Albany. The Hoosiers endured adversity all season. Injuries to Holmes and Parrish, blowout losses to Stanford University and Iowa, all while the heartbreaking NCAA Tournament loss to the University of Miami a season ago sat in the back of their minds.

Just four days prior, Holmes sat in an office chair branded with the IU trident inches in front of her locker. She had just willed her team

to the Sweet 16 with a victory over the University of Oklahoma and had already answered six questions at the postgame press conference.

Holmes was slightly hunched over, explaining how she had just won her final game in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. She wore Adidas’ newly-released Cleveland skyline-inspired shoe, sporting “Psalms 23:4” written on the outside of her left shoe in black marker alongside “AO1” on the outside of her right shoe.

The meanings?

“Even as I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, his rod will protect me,” Holmes said about the verse. “AO1 means the audience of one. So just knowing that no matter what happens to me — injuries, winning or losing — God is going to protect me, and the story has already been written.”

Holmes’ story is a beautifully written one.

She scored 2,530 points over five seasons and shot 63.9% from the field, both the best in program history. She grabbed the fourthmost rebounds with 989.

Never mind the stats, the honors she’s received are perhaps even more impressive.

First-team All-American, three-time first-team All-Big Ten and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year are just a few.

While she holds record after record after her illustrious five-year career in cream and crimson, her run from an unheralded recruit with just three Power Five offers to the program’s cornerstone is a rather unlikely one.

“The way that she built Indiana basketball from the ground up with help from Ali Patberg, Grace Berger, but she was the rock of it,” Parrish said. “You don’t find many people like Mackenzie.”

It’s not just her accomplishments on the court that matter to her. It’s everything else that she’ll remember the most.

“The team dinners, the bus rides, the plane rides, the fact that we can have fun with each other doing just about nothing,” Holmes said teary-eyed. “Just sitting around with each other, we’re always laughing, so I cherish those memories more than anything on the court.”

From Gorham, Maine, to Bloomington to Albany, Holmes leaves a lasting legacy on the program and her teammates. Without Holmes, Sara

Scalia may not have transferred from Minnesota to Indiana and become an integral piece in the Hoosiers’ successes. According to Scalia, Holmes was the main figure in luring the sharpshooter to Bloomington. And throughout Scalia’s two seasons in Bloomington, she’s looked up to Holmes. When Parrish announced her decision to transfer from Oregon to Indiana, she didn’t foresee herself and Holmes fostering as close of a relationship as they now have after two

seasons together.

“She’s my best friend, and I couldn’t be more thankful to spend two years with her,” Parrish said. “I wish I had more.”

With the Hoosiers winning 54 games over the past two seasons, they’ve played in front of a sold-out Assembly Hall twice. Although she already played her final game at home, Holmes explained it was just the beginning for the program. She wants the Hoosier nation to continue to show up and produce even more sellouts.

Friday proved to be the 147th and last game Holmes donned the cream and crimson. As one may expect, she dreaded having to take off her No. 54 jersey for the final time. Surely Hoosier fans felt the same.

“I never want to stop wearing this name across my chest,” Holmes said while fighting tears. “Since the second I got here, I found a family 1,000 miles from home, and I’ll forever be thankful.”

This story was originally published March 31, 2024.

IU’s graduate programs in Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences are ranked #12 and #14 in the US most of these same outstanding graduate faculty teach our undergraduates. Our major is interdisciplinary with considerable coursework in psychology, development, anatomy & physiology, linguistics, and acoustics.

DID YOU KNOW? The US Department of Labor (2022) reports that…

• The median annual salary for speech-language pathologists is $84,140; job growth is projected at 19% from 2022-2032 (“much faster than average”).

• The median annual salary for audiologists is $82,680; job growth is projected at 11% from 2022-2032 (“much faster than average”).

• Clearly, an SLHS major offers the opportunity to “do well” for the foreseeable future.

Speech-language pathologists and audiologists diagnose and treat communication disorders in people ranging from newborns to older adults — our majors have the chance to enjoy a life-long fulfilling career in which they also “do good” by helping their fellow human beings.

To start your journey, register this fall for SLHS S-104.

Looking for a major that can lead to a fulfilling career helping others? Explore Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences. Audiology & Speech

OLIVIA BIANCO | IDS

Graduate student forward Mackenzie Holmes helps up senior guard Sydney Parrish against the University of South Carolina on March 29, 2024, inside MVP Arena in Albany, New York. Holmes’ illustrious career came to a close in the Hoosiers’ Sweet 16 loss to the Gamecocks.

Indiana fires head football coach Tom Allen

By Matt Press, Daniel Flick and Dalton James sports@iu.edu

Indiana football has fired head coach Tom Allen after seven seasons together, IU Athletics announced in a press release Nov. 26.

The Hoosiers paid $15.5 million to buy Allen out of the final three years of his contract, which was last restructured by athletic director Scott Dolson in March 2021.

“The university and Allen agreed on a financial settlement of two $7.75 million installments that will be paid through the department of athletics donor funds,” IU Athletics said Nov. 26.

“After continued evaluation of our entire football program, I have determined that we have lost momentum and that a change in leadership is necessary at this time,” Dolson said Sunday. “I want to thank Tom for all of the contributions he has made to IU in his seven years leading our program.”

Allen compiled a career record of 33-49 and led the Hoosiers to bowl appearances in 2019 and 2020. Indiana’s 6-2 mark in 2020 was its best winning percentage since 1967, and the Hoosiers finished the year nationally ranked for the first time since 1988. Allen won Big Ten Coach of the Year and American Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year awards for his efforts.

Indiana elevated Allen, who started his career as a high school coach in Florida before taking on the same role at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, from defensive coordinator to head coach Dec. 1, 2016, following the resignation of then-head coach Kevin Wilson. Allen began his tenure coaching the Hoosiers in the 2016 Foster Farms Bowl. Despite the University of

Utah entering the game at 8-4 compared to Indiana’s 6-6, the Hoosiers kept the game close for a 26-24 loss. Although Indiana lost, the result provided optimism for the future.

The Hoosiers finished 5-7 in Allen’s first full season in 2017, missing a bowl game for the first time in three seasons. The program saw much of the same results in 2018, finishing 5-7 once more as Allen turned over the roster with his own recruits.

Indiana finished the 2019 regular season with an 8-4 record, defeating Purdue in double overtime — marking the only time Allen coached Indiana to Old Oaken Bucket victory. The Hoosiers took on the University of Tennessee in the Gator Bowl, collapsing in the fourth quarter en route to a 23-22 loss.

The Hoosiers entered the 2020 season unsure of what was to come. With the COVID-19 pandemic creating unforeseen scheduling changes, Indiana opened the season with a 36-35 win over No. 7 Penn State on Oct. 24, 2020. Allen led Indiana to a 6-1 regular season with marquee wins over ranked squads in Michigan and Wisconsin while nearly defeating No. 3 Ohio State.

Indiana took on the University of Mississippi in the Outback Bowl, marking consecutive seasons in which it reached January bowl games. Despite their regular season success, the Hoosiers fell to the Rebels 26-20 in what ended up being Allen’s last bowl game at the helm.

Following one of the most successful campaigns in program history, Indiana posted a Big Ten worst 2-10 overall, 0-9 conference record. After the 2021 season, the Hoosiers lost current University of Washington star quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Michael Penix Jr. to the transfer portal.

Indiana’s fortunes hardly improved in Allen’s sixth season in 2022. The Hoosiers finished second to last in the conference with a 4-8 overall, 2-7 Big Ten record. After a trio of wins to start the season, Indiana

dropped eight of its ensuing nine contests.

Marred largely by a lack of depth and inexperience at the quarterback position, Indiana finished a Big Ten worst 3-9 overall, 1-8 conference this season. Of-

fensive coordinator Walt Bell — who Allen hired in December of 2021 — was fired after five games and replaced by Rod Carey. With Saturday’s 35-31 loss to Purdue, Indiana fell to 3-24 in conference play

the

was

over the last three seasons,

worst mark in the Big Ten and the second worst among Power Five schools in that span.

HARIPRIYA JALLURI | IDS

Former Indiana football head coach Tom Allen is pictured on Sept. 16, 2023, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Allen was fired Nov. 26 after seven seasons at the helm.

This story

originally published Nov. 26, 2023.

Indiana wins 11th straight game against Purdue

1. Fans hold up signs Feb. 11, 2024, against Purdue University in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. The attendance was 3,304 in the matchup against the Boilermakers.

2. Graduate senior forward Mackenzie Holmes celebrates on the bench Feb. 11, 2024, against Purdue University in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. Holmes scored 17 points against the Boilermakers.

3. A fan grabs a Teri Moren bobblehead Feb. 11, 2024, as they enter Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. For the matchup against Purdue, the first 1,000 fans received a Teri Moren bobble head.

4. Members of the bench celebrate after a made three Feb. 11, 2024, against Purdue University in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. The Hoosiers shot 61% from three against the Boilermakers.

5. Fans wait outside of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Feb. 11, 2024. Fans lined up 4 hours before the game to ensure they received a Teri Moren bobblehead, which was being given away.

6. Graduate senior forward Mackenzie Holmes (center) celebrates with sophomore guard Yarden Garzon (right) after a defensive play Feb. 11, 2024, against Purdue University in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. The Hoosiers beat the Boilermakers 95-62.

7. Sophomore guard Lexus Bargesser dribbles the ball Feb. 11, 2024, against Purdue

University in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. The Hoosiers have beaten the Boilermakers for the 11th time in a row.

8. Sophomore guard Yarden Garzon passes the ball Feb. 11, 2024, against Purdue University in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. Garzon scored 9 points against the Boilermakers.

9. A Teri Moren bobblehead sits on the broadcast desk Feb. 11, 2024, against Purdue University in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. The bobble heads were given out to the first 1,000 fans.

10. Freshman guard Lenée Beaumont shoots the ball Feb. 11, 2024, against Purdue University in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. Beaumont was a perfect 2-2 from the field against the Boilermakers.

Senior guard Chloe Moore-McNeil

PHOTOS BY OLIVIA BIANCO | IDS

Bikers rally together in the Team Pursuit

race in Miss N Out to

A sneak peek at the ‘World’s Greatest College Weekend’

By Matt Rudella mattrudella1@gmail.com | @mattrudellaIDS

When the calendar gets to April, a special buzz swirls around Indiana University ahead of Little 500 weekend.

The sun finally starts to come out, the speakers are blaring on almost every corner and previous obligations are thrown to the side for what has been called “The World’s Greatest College Weekend.”

For those unfamiliar with the festivities, the Little 500 is a four-person cycling race comprised of IU students, where more than 25,000 people come to Bloomington and gather at Bill Armstrong Stadium for the breathtaking races.

The action commenced April 18 with IU football’s spring game at 8 p.m, April 18. The spring game marked the first page in a new chapter for Hoosier football under newly hired head coach Curt Cignetti, with many new faces looking to

turn the tide in 2024.

The Little 500 races began with the women’s 100-lap at 4 p.m, Friday, April 19. Melanzana cycling will look to defend its crown after posting a 1:12:23.66 in 2023. However, it’s never easy to win a race in front of a crowd at Bill Armstrong Stadium.

The Little 500 crowds are notorious for their raucous behavior, with jeers and boos constantly following bike transitions, trying to distract the riders from executing. A bad bike pass could lead to the crowd dominating the scene and putting the finishing blow on a team. The race is also filled with boisterous cheers as teams circle the home bleachers, with the crowd decked out in their team’s apparel as they support their friends.

When April 19 rolled around, the partying started early and didn’t let up, with the fans in high spirits for a day months in the making. Many of the

fans will flock to Kirkwood Avenue for bars and restaurants, starting at 7 a.m. with Kilroy’s Bar and Grill’s famous breakfast club.

The fun times continued with block parties and tailgates throughout the day, where it became a challenge to go multiple blocks on campus without seeing a pong table. The men’s 200-lap will start at 2 p.m. with CUTTERS looking to continue their dominant stretch of winning three times in the last five years after posting a 2:15:28.61 in 2023.

There’s no doubt Little 500 is one of the biggest traditions in Bloomington, and something IU students and alumni cherish. The atmosphere in the stadium and town makes Bloomington feel larger than life and creates a special memory for all that partake.

This story was originally published March 4, 2024.

JACOB SPUDICH | IDS

Kappa Alpha Theta sophomore rider Bailey Cappella crosses the finish line to win the women’s Little 500 race

April 19, 2024, at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington. The team won its ninth Little 500 race.