CMYK
THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF INDIANAPOLIS
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98
I S S UE 6
UIndy Athletics enters historic era of success By Noah Crenshaw NEWS EDITOR
This past fall, the University of Indianapolis became one of three NCAA Division II programs in the nation that sent four teams to NCAA tournaments, along with sending a runner to the cross country national championships. The four teams UIndy sent were football, volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer teams. Sending so many teams is historic and has never happened before, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Sue Willey said. In the past, fall sports have been weaker when it comes to going to NCAA competitions, while winter and spring sports have been stronger, she said. Willey said she challenged the fall sports because she wanted the fall student-athletes to have an NCAA tournament experience. “Right now, for both soccer teams, I think they have peaked at the right time and volleyball has been doing well to get to this point,” Willey said. “It's been a long time since any of those teams had been to NCAA playoffs.” Having all of UIndy’s fall sports make it to tournaments and have that experience is exciting, Willey said. The distinction shows the level of commitment and support the strength and conditioning group, athletic trainers and the community gives to UIndy’s student-athletes, she said. While the football team made it to their tournament, the results were not what UIndy had hoped, Willey said. In November, the football team made it to the first round of the NCAA D2 playoffs. However, they lost to the University of Central Missouri 37-27 on Nov. 23 and ended the season with a 9-2 record, according to UIndy Athletics. Football had made six previous appearances at the playoffs, with this year’s game being the seventh appearance, according to UIndy Athletics. Head Volleyball Coach Jason Reed said that he’s proud of UIndy’s student-athletes for the work they have put in to reach this level. He said that UIndy not only has great resources for athletics, but also has people that are willing to support each other in their endeavors. “From the athletic department to science to chemistry, everybody is doing such a good job at their thing,” Reed said. “At the same time, nobody's taking themselves too seriously to [not] go and support one another.” The volleyball team has been building up to a tournament for the last few years, Reed said. He said that the team was close to the NCAA tournament last year and was in the regional rankings. “We'll be foolish if we think that something just changed or happened overnight,” Reed said. “Hats off to the programs that are able to stay at that level and maintain that success, year in [and] year out, that's special. Winning is crazy hard. I want to shout out to the groups before them that didn't get there, they're still part of the success that happened here because it all goes together into getting to this point.” Reed said that the seniors on the team have done a great job of leading volleyball this year. Senior setter
INSIDE E
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DECEMBER 11, 2019
reflector.uindy.edu
A tradition revived
Grady is UIndy's first live mascot in nearly 40 years, third in school's history
Contributed photo by University Photographer D. Todd Moore
Contributed photo by University Photographer D. Todd Moore
C. Greyson "Grady" Veritas made his first appearance as the University of Indianapolis' third live mascot on Nov. 20. He is a retired racing greyhound from Daytona Beach, Fla.
By Noah Fields STAFF WRITER
After almost 40 years, the University of Indianapolis has revived its Live Mascot Program. Grady the Greyhound made his first public appearance at a press conference on Nov. 20, and he will continue to make live appearances at events and walks around campus. With Grady’s introduction, he became the third live mascot in UIndy history, according to Grady’s UIndy web page. Coran Sigman, associate director of alumni engagement and university live mascot handler, cares for Grady. Seth Sigman, her husband and UIndy Police officer is Grady's other handler. She said that Grady will come to work with her every day and return home with her in the evenings. Grady is a twoand-a-half-year-old retired racing greyhound from Daytona Beach, Florida, according to Sigman. He came to Indianapolis through the Indy chapter of Greyhound Pets of America, where he stayed with a foster family, she said. Sigman said that Grady will serve as UIndy’s live mascot so long as he is happy and healthy. She said that Grady is considered an official member of UIndy’s staff. “We didn’t want to offend any faculty members by saying he was a faculty [member],” Sigman said. “It’s just a novelty title.” At the press conference, University President Robert Manuel presented a campus ID card for Grady. The poster board-sized card was branded with Grady ’s full name: C. Greyson Veritas. According to Sigman, Grady’s name was the dual effort of U I n d y ’s C o m m u n i c a t i o n s & Marketing Department and the Live Mascot Committee. The surname Veritas was chosen to tie back into a former university seal, back when UIndy was known as Indiana Central College, according to Sigman and UIndy360.
Grady will make appearances on campus at various events and during his walks around UIndy. Ace will not be replaced by Grady, instead they will work together as partners.
Veritas is the Latin word for truth, included working in person with Michael according to Sigman. As for his Kaltenmark and Evan Krauss, the current nickname, she said Grady was the name and future handlers of Butler University’s of the UIndy costume mascot in the live mascots, Blue III and Blue IV. 1990s. “I spent a whole day with Michael and “We wanted something that was just Evan and Blue at Butler,” Sigman said. fun and over-the-top and kind of like he “I helped do a photoshoot. I watched is a little bit,” Sigman said. when he needed to go on breaks. I Sigman said she wanted students to asked all the questions about requesting understand that the live mascot program the care and every kind of thing that is not replacing UIndy’s costumed we went through in the whole mascot. With that, Ace and Grady will process.” act as partners on campus, she said. Another big choice came down to “We actually put on the [appearance deciding between purchasing a puppy request] form ‘If Grady can’t make or adopting a fully-grown greyhound, it, would you Sigman said. prefer Ace?’” UIndy ended Sigman said. up choosing to “So, there’s still adopt Grady. “We wanted something the partnership “I think that was just fun and working there.” with Florida’s Reviving [greyhound over-the-top...” the program racing] ban, it was an idea just provided that had been a great up in the air for a long time, and new opportunity,” Sigman said. “And the circumstances brought the idea to historical tie-in that both of our other fruition, Sigman said. It was during ones were adopted as well. So, we early conversations regarding the didn’t want to break that tradition with program’s revival in which Sigman Gradybug here.” had first expressed an interest in being Grady's adoption and care costs are the Live Mascot Handler. There were minimal partly due to the university’s several factors to consider before they close relationship with GPA-Indy could make any concrete decisions, she and a local veterinarian, Sigman said.The said. For instance, Sigman said that remaining costs associated with Grady she and others involved in the process are covered through UIndy’s existing looked into UIndy ’s archives to budget, she said. understand the roles of the university’s “We want to grow the live mascot past live mascots. program so that Grady can become “Dixie [UIndy’s first live mascot]… an even bigger part of our university,” lived in one of the residence halls Sigman said.“We plan to do that through and she slept in a different room each sponsorships and a small charge for night, and so she was beloved across off-campus appearances so that no new campus,” Sigman said. “That was that funding is needed.” real fun connection, and then Timothy Students, faculty, staff, alumni, O’Toole [the second live mascot] lived reporters and other live mascots with a faculty member and his sons. were present at the press conference So, it’s just that family dynamic.” announcing Grady’s arrival. According In addition to researching the live to sophomore marketing major Claire mascots of UIndy’s past, Sigman said Taggart, she believes the reintroduction she also looked at other live mascot of the Live Mascot program is the programs in Indiana in preparation for beginning of a push towards increasing UIndy’s program revival. This research morale across campus.
“My favorite part [of the event] was definitely just seeing people, how excited people were and how just glad they were to have an animal on campus,” Taggart said. “Especially as it gets closer to finals [and] people are more stressed out.” Sophomore secondary education major Frank Bentley said that while he is unsure of the extent of Grady’s involvement on campus, he feels that Grady will have a prominent role similar to that of Ace and the Hound Pound. “[A mascot] just brings a lot more hype and stuff to the games,” Bentley said. “As well as just having [Grady] around campus.” Sigman said Grady’s availability would depend heavily on his well-being. She said that her responsibilities with him go beyond essential needs like food and water. Sigman has been able to build a strong bond with Grady to ensure he’s comfortable in every public situation he’s in, she said. “That’s the most important thing,” Sigman said. “We don’t want something that’s going to spook him or overwhelm him. You can’t have a bunch of people rushing towards him… I have to be his representative and his voice on campus.” Sigman expects that Grady’s public appearances will require some trialand-error in terms of determining his comfort with crowds and events, she said. Depending on how he reacts to different environments, Grady’s appearances will vary,she said.Regardless, Sigman said she believes Grady's presence will strengthen the sense of community for current UIndy students and alumni. “[In the UIndy community,] we fully believe that you’re a part of the Greyhound family for life,” Sigman said. “I think that’s the one thing that we all have in common with each other, and then just [having] a living, breathing animal that can run to you, can lean into you, can rub his nose on you when he’s trying to give a kiss, it’s just something to boost that morale.”
EXPANDING RELIGIOUS INCLUSION
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
GENERATION AFTER GENERATION
With the holidays right around the corner, staff writer Anthony Vlahovic writes about how UIndy should host more events to celebrate the variety of religions that are present on campus.
The Women’s Basketball team has set its sights on improving their performance this season. The Hounds are currently 6-1.
The Good Hall pillars represent some of the core values of UIndy: inquiry, innovation, leadership and service. Earlier this year, one of the pillars was named for the Hanni and Hiatt families, the largest families to attend UIndy to date.
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