Dec. 13, 2023 | The Reflector

THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF INDIANAPOLIS • FOUNDED 1922 • INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA VOL.

SGA builds its foundation 102

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DECEMBER 13, 2023

Student Government Association works to establish itself as advocates for the UIndy student body

By Olivia Pastrick NEWS EDITOR

The University of Indianapolis Student Government Association has been re-instituted by the Office of Student Affairs this year. According to UIndy 360, the purpose of student government is to strengthen the relationship between the University of Indianapolis students and leadership. UIndy SGA has been working to lay out the foundation of their organization this semester, according to SGA President Stephano Ibarra Shishido.

He said that he and the board members have been working to create a foundation for the new era of student government to build off of.

“When I took the position, we didn't have any set positions on the board, we didn't have any SGA contracts for each board member, we didn't have any job descriptions, we didn't have any constitutions …” Ibarra Shishido said.

“So I kind of took it from the ground.

And you know, I guess planted a seed there and kind of [built] a plan together with the team.”

Ibarra Shishido said that although he is the president, the board believes that nobody is more or less important than the other, which includes all students.

He said that he wanted to create a diverse board so that there would be different opinions and perspectives being brought forth whenever they are tackling issues.

He also said that by having diversity on the board, many groups on campus would feel represented by SGA. Currently, the SGA board is comprised of five positions: President Ibarra Shishido, Vice President Andras Tiszai, Communication Chair Mallory Thompson, Equity and Social Justice Chair Sofia Ramirez and Student

Athlete Representative Jeron Thompson, according to UIndy 360.

Communication Chair Mallory Thompson said it was important for SGA to have built a solid foundation to begin this year so that they could help students.

She said addressing students’ concerns is one of the most important things to SGA, and that they have set up multiple opportunities to hear from students.

“We did a table in Schwitzer Student Center as many clubs, organizations and people do,” Thompson said. “We had the opportunity to get any feedback from students, all anonymous, anonymously on paper, but it was also cool just to kind of be like, ‘Hey, student government is back

Student government is back and we're here to support you." and we're here to support you.’”

Thompson said SGA also hosted a dinner for the student body on Dec. 4, which produced positive and constructive conversations between students and the members of the SGA board. She said this event was a huge part of showing students that they are what leads SGA. A large part of her role as Communication Chair, Thompson said, is making communication between SGA, students and the rest of the UIndy community as easy as possible. She said she does this mainly via emails and social media.

“My role as Communication Chair is essentially communicating to the students to the UIndy community as a whole,” Thompson said. “I created that other

new Instagram, the SGA Instagram [@ uindysga], which has been really cool. I want to keep updating it, but my goal with that is just for it to be such an easy way to keep up to date with SGA and what we're doing through stuff that we're on every day like Instagram …

And my entire goal overall is just to make communication between students and the whole community as easy as possible so that it's just really simple to kind of connect with people and hear what they think about UIndy.”

Thompson said SGA wants to hear students’ positive feedback about the university as well as their concerns. She said she wants there to be just as much positive engagement from the student body as there is negative, but that both are important for SGA to tackle and address in order to enhance the UIndy experience for students.

“I think sometimes it's hard to know what SGA’s overall goal is, but it is really directed to—What do the students want?

What are ways that we can really enhance the experience for them,and also just make some of their work easier,”Thompson said.

Ibarra Shishido said one of the most important things SGA is looking to do in the future is practice advocacy for UIndy students. He said he does not want students to think of SGA as taking over, but rather as an outlet for students to voice their concerns and opinions. According to Ibarra Shishido, this is an important part of what he wants SGA to represent and become.

“I think because SGA is new, we want to try to create our identity as a new organization so sometimes it takes time,” Ibarra Shishido said. “But we are more than happy to start building, and it's the first year that we have had so far, and everything is going great.”

Photo by Allison Cook

Communication Chair Mallory Thompson and Equity and Social Justice Chair Sofia Ramirez sit at a board meeting for SGA. The board is discussing policies for the year.

Photo by Allison Cook

The members of the Student Government Association board in a meeting discussing plans for laying the groundwork for future years of UIndy’s student government.

Indy breaks 200 homicides for fourth year

By Michael Harrington FEATURE EDITOR

INSIDE: OPINION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3, 8 SPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 5 FEATURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 ENTERTAINMENT . . . . . . . . . 7

Graphic by Hannah Biedess

HOLIDAY GREETINGS

Indianapolis has surpassed 200 homicides in 2023, making it the fourth year in a row, according to WTHR. The numbers were reported as of Nov. 20; however the number of homicides for this year is currently lower than 2022 and 2021, according to FOX59.

The total number in 2022 was 272 at the end of the year, and in 2021 was 226 by the end of the year, according to FOX59. University of Indianapolis Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety Brandon Pate said the university is closely monitoring any trends in crime relevant to the UIndy area. UIndy police still keep an eye on the events and trends in downtown Indianapolis, although UIndy is not located downtown, Pate said.

“It's an area that we monitor just because sometimes you want to be aware of what's going on in the surrounding areas,” Pate said.

“Downtown is definitely different than UIndy. We're a couple miles south of there, we don't have the same amount of nightlife and things like that that they have, which increases their crime rates at times. So we're a more neighborhood-style campus than versus being like a downtown right in the middle of the city style. So it's a little different, but we're aware of it because it's in the city.”

Pate said UIndy Police and the

QUARTERBACK GAVIN SUKUP

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department use the same system to gather reports on crime, including homicides. The UIPD watches over the crime log to see what goes on in the Indianapolis area as well. Most of the police departments within Indianapolis also are on the same system, Pate said. “ We're on the same systems.

So IMPD and UIndy are both part of what's called public safety communications; so our radios are linked together,” Pate said. “Our CADs are the same, and that's just called computer-aided dispatch. They're in the cars, they're all in the same system, so we see what they're doing, they see what we're doing. It increases response times, increases officer safety.”

According to the UIndy Annual Security Report & Fire Safety Report for the 2022-23 year, there was one instance of homicide on campus on Oct. 19, 2021. The incident took place near Cory Bretz Hall where a man was shot in front of his car, as reported by WISH-TV. “The last one [homicide] in this area that we've taken note of would've been [near] Cory Bretz, but I think that it was October 21, I believe,” Pate said.

“Of course, we monitor to see if there are others, but I'm not—off the top of my head—I'm not aware of any within our patrol jurisdiction.”

According to Pate, the UIndy Police Department monitors anything that could be a potential threat to campus. > See Homicides on Page 8

NIGHTJAR POETRY

One writer addresses the great holiday greeting debate of whether to say “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas.”

Check out Page 2 to see what they say!

Sophomore quarterback Gavin Sukup leads the Greyhound football team to their second consecutive playoff appearance, picking up awards along the way.

See Page 4 to read more!

UIndy-led poetry takes on Garfield Park. Head over to Page 6 for more about NIGHTJAR Poetry and how you can join!

> See OPINION

> See SPORTS

> See FEATURE

OPINION

2

DECEMBER 13, 2023

THE REFLECTOR

Stop worrying about holiday greetings

Debating whether to say "Happy Holidays" or "Merry Christmas" is ridiculous: Just say both

By Anika Yoder

MANAGING EDITOR I am not what you would consider to be a “fanatic” for the holiday season, by any means. But, I do know what the holidays mean to a lot of people and, because of that, I still accept the proverbial greetings every year and engage with anyone who wants to wish me a “Merry Christmas” or a “Happy Holidays.” Where there seems to be a divide is whether people should be saying one or the other. I say, “Why not both?” I think first and foremost, the intention of holiday greetings—whether on postcards or on a social media post— should be the desire to spread cheer throughout this time of year. However, understanding what you are saying and how it can be interpreted by others is really what matters when sharing messages and greetings to one another, in my opinion.

I find that “Merry Christmas” is a decent greeting and elicits a nice feeling when I hear it, but I also grew up celebrating Christmas, so it’s the

greeting I would most align with, anyway.

According to an article posted on the publishing platform Medium, there is a popular idea that “Happy Holidays” excludes Christmas in favor of the overarching winter holiday season. I would agree with this—It is where the problem comes in with a lot of the discourse surrounding season’s greetings.

However, to say one broad phrase could necessarily exclude another term which in itself is under the umbrella of that term does not make a lot of sense. If “Happy Holidays” is meant to encompass more than one holiday, Christmas would be included in that.

As someone who really has only ever celebrated one major holiday in the winter (which is Christmas), I have always felt included in the “Merry Christmases” and any other Christmas-centric acknowledgements. What I wouldn’t be able to relate to is if someone came up to me wishing a “Happy Hanukkah,” but there wouldn’t be anything wrong with that. It just wouldn’t mean the same thing to me as a “Merry Christmas,” but that is okay—The sentiment is still there.

In the United States, according to

online data gathering platform Statista, the three most popular national and religious events in the second fiscal quarter of this year were Thanksgiving, Memorial Day and Christmas. Holidays like Ramadan and Eid al-Adha were in the bottom six of the 18 holidays listed.

This would then just make the argument that Christmas is getting “erased” by a generalized holiday greeting simply inaccurate. Truthfully, at least for me, making the shift from one specific holiday greeting to another isn’t that hard and it shouldn’t be for anyone else that wants to celebrate the holiday season with kindness and cheer. This shouldn’t mean the death of “Merry Christmas,” but an addition to the holiday season’s greetings that show you care about everyone.

The holiday season is meant to bring people together, and what better way to celebrate than to include everyone in on the joy? I won’t reject a “Merry Christmas” or any holiday greeting. But a “Happy Holidays” to me makes it seem as if the person talking to me understands that I might not celebrate Christmas, but that they want to include those they wish a happy anything to, to have a good one.

involved in the purchasing of a pet for Christmas is willing and capable of taking adequate care of the pet, I think it is okay for parents to gift pets as Christmas gifts. However, there are too many instances during the holidays where gifted pets are not the right option.

Those caveats, however, are nonnegotiable. If parents do not do the proper research and ensure that they will be able to care for their pet and provide a good life for it, the animal will suffer neglect or will not get the proper care it needs to thrive. I understand that most of the time, Christmas presents are meant to be surprises for those receiving them; However, I think it is equally important for the child or person receiving the pet to do the appropriate research before the pet is purchased in order to be totally prepared to care for a living thing. Some things that need to be considered before purchasing a

pet include understanding the pet’s food, housing, shelter, grooming and veterinarian needs, as well as the family or person’s ability to provide those, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. The AVMA also says that people need to consider if they will be away for work or travel frequently,

Graphic by Breanna Emmett

Pets for Christmas: Not just a holiday commitment

By Olivia Pastrick NEWS EDITOR

Imagine: A couple gets a puppy for their kids for Christmas, thinking it would be an easy way for the children to learn responsibility and add a member to the family. Then, three weeks later, that same puppy is in the animal shelter after having an accident on the family room carpet. That story is unfortunately not an uncommon outcome for animals given during the holiday time. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, approximately 6.3 million companion animals enter animal shelters in the United States annually. Purchasing a pet, no matter what time of year, is a major commitment—and one which should not be taken lightly. As long as proper research is done and everyone

Training pets and taking care of them day-to-day is a huge commitment... and how they will provide care for their pets in that absence—Pets can not be treated as a simple gift that is only special during Christmas, people must consider the long-term plans of owning an animal.

When pets are given to children, especially young children, as Christmas gifts, the child will rarely be the primary

caretaker of the animal. Most of the time, the parents will actually be the ones who need to take care of the animal.

While this is not problematic if the parents are willing to do this, it kind of defeats the purpose of gifting the animal to a child. Training pets and taking care of them day-to-day is a huge time commitment that most children will not be able to give.

According to PETA, owning a pet is also a huge financial burden, which children obviously cannot be expected to shoulder. According to PETA, owning a cat costs approximately $780 per year, and owning a larger dog costs approximately $1,570 per year. So while the original purchase of an animal may not be a huge expense, owning a pet will cost way more over their lifespan than the original purchase.

When families are not prepared or willing to make the commitment that it takes to own a pet, the animals that they

purchase can end up put in shelters or simply abandoned. According to PETA, many cities see a large uptick in animals being brought into shelters after the holidays because people could not care for them. During the holiday season, three animals are abandoned every hour, according to The Independent. Even worse, when animals are abandoned and brought into shelters at higher rates, a lot of shelters have no choice but to euthanize them because of the limited capacity. It is irresponsible of families to adopt a pet for Christmas, or in general, if they are not fully committed to giving the pet a good and happy life.

Overall, buying a pet as a Christmas gift is not an inherently bad idea.

However, those purchasing the animal must be fully prepared to take care of it for the entirety of its life—not just during the holiday season. Besides, a plush dog or cat is way easier to care for, and will keep a kid’s attention just as well.

Graphic by Alfredo Guerrero Alonso

By Michael Harrington FEATURE EDITOR

As I am sure most everyone knows by now, college is very expensive for many students. The cost of classes, meal plans, housing, textbooks and, yes, the occasional parking ticket are all expected. However, one thing that I did not sign up for when applying to the University of Indianapolis was the consistent tuition hikes. I may go to a private university, but that should not mean I get hit with bill increases which my scholarships barely cover.

According to the university ’s web page titled “UIndy’s Costs for Full-Time Students,” the cost of undergraduate tuition alone is $34,416 for the 2023-24 school year. I have the Lugar Academic Scholarship (which can be renewed for eight undergraduate semesters) worth $17,000 a year split across two

semesters, and while I’m grateful for the help, it hardly keeps me afloat during the semester. In fact, I find it almost insulting that my scholarship, along with other merit awards, have not been adjusted with the rise in tuition. While I understand the meritbased scholarships students are given upon admission don’t adjust, I do not understand why they should not be.

As reported in a Reflector article last year, the 2022-23 school year’s undergraduate tuition was $33,252, and saw a 3.5%, or $1,164, increase for the 2023-24 school year. Subsequently, I wish I would have seen a 3.5%, or a $595 increase in my scholarship. This would have been incredibly helpful with surviving during the current school year, and yet I did not receive it. I was merely expected to figure out a way to make another $1,164 in order to pay my bill.

Another gripe I have with the frequent increases in tuition is how they have occurred every single school year

from 2014 to 2023. As seen in a graphic from a Reflector article published this past February, every academic year has seen an increase of at least $800 in tuition, with years 2018-23 seeing increases of at least $1,000. It is strange how UIndy continues to raise its tuition every year, but there are no announcements of reduced costs of meal plans or more opportunities to cut back fees for students. I genuinely feel as if I have not seen many real benefits from tuition increasing so much every year. Instead, I have only noticed the increased bills, and as a college student who has to work over 40 hours a week on top of managing a course load and extracurriculars, it scares me.

In February, the University of Indianapolis Director of Financial Aid Nathan Lohr encouraged students to fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) by April 15 in order to help pay for the upcoming semester. While I believe this is very

important in maximizing all financial aid, I was only “rewarded” from the Department of Education with an unsubsidized federal loan of $7,500, barely making a dent in my tuition and fees. It is unrealistic for the government to expect college students to get decent awards from FAFSA, as the average award is $9,000 (less than half in the form of grants), according to a report on FAFSA opportunities by Saving For College. The tuition raise has made me, and I am sure many other students, take out high-interest private loans in order to cover my expenses for this school year.

While taking out loans is a common route for students, loans should not be our main option.

Some may argue that one should also have a job in college to pay for the expected high costs. Well, I do have a job—three actually—and yet it is not enough. I work at Panda Express ($16.15 an hour), have a social media internship ($10 an hour) and work for The Reflector

($407 biweekly), and yet it still is not enough to pay for my bills. Why is it that I work three jobs and have to take out private loans to pay for my college that says they are “committed to making your education as affordable as possible” (according to the university’s website)?

Why do I have to fill up all my free time with work and still drown in the rising costs of attending UIndy? I agree with the value of working in college, but I cannot even enjoy the money I earn as it goes straight to my bills from school.

I love our campus culture and the valuable education I receive, but the weekly email from the UIndy Office of Student Billing and Payment immediately soils that. I feel like nothing I do will ever be enough to pay for college here. And, I feel like no amount of money I pay to the school will incite visible changes to the experience. So I call it upon myself and other students to ask, “How much more will we struggle until we ask for change?”

Corrections The Reflector acknowledges its mistakes.

When a mistake occurs, we will print corrections here on the Opinion page.

If you catch a mistake, please contact us at reflector@uindy.edu.

The opinions in this section do not necessarily reflect those of "The Reflector" staff.

What do you think?

Editorial Cartoon by Hannah Hadley

Send your letters to the editor or other correspondence to reflector@uindy.edu

NEWS

3

THE REFLECTOR

DECEMBER 13, 2023

Carmel's Chriskindlmarkt nationally ranked

By Olivia Hogsett STAFF WRITER

Christkindlmarkt, a traditional, authentic German Market, has returned to Carmel for the seventh year, according to Carmel Christkindlmarkt CEO Maria Murphy. This German-inspired market mirrors ones that can be seen all over Europe, Murphy said. When it first began in Germany, it was a barter marketplace for people to exchange things for the holidays. Butchers would bring meat for people to get their holiday meals, farmers would bring their produce and the woodworkers would bring their handmade toys, Murphy said.The market is currently open and will run until Dec. 24 and market hours are available to view on Carmel Christkindlmarkt's website.

“It's much like our farmer's markets during the summer,”Murphy said.“You're going to see one in Noblesville and Fishers and in Indianapolis and that's how it is in Germany with the Christkindlmarkt.

There's one in every little town and it kind of takes on the essence of the area that it's in.”

The Carmel Christkindlmarkt strives to be the most authentic Christkindlmarkt in the United States,according to Murphy.

The market does this by mirroring food that you would typically see in a German Christkindlmarkt, Murphy said.

“We have bratwurst, we have open fire, we have something called chimney cakes or Baumstützchen, and that's a pastry dough that's wrapped around a rolling pin, cooked on a rotisserie, and when you take the dough off the rolling pin, it keeps its form so it looks like a little cylinder. And the steam comes out of the center of the cylinder, making it look a little bit like a chimney,” Murphy said. “Belgian waffles, imported sugar crystals from Belgium, hot chocolate…a type of mulled spiced wine that is very popular in German Christmas markets...

Cuckoo clocks, jewelry that is designed in Germany, and then glass clothes, hand painted ornaments, porcelain.The list just goes on and on.”

The Carmel Christkindlmarkt was named the Best Holiday Market in 2021

by USA Today’s 10Best. In addition, the Market received the distinction of being named the top Christmas Market in the state of Indiana by Taste of Home Magazine in 2017. This year, it has been ranked as No. 4 in Yelp’s top ten holiday markets, according to the Indy Star.

Carmel resident Jodi Rana said visitors should be prepared for large crowds of people when they visit Carmel’s Christkindlmarkt.

“It's a real honor to be nationally the number one Christkindlmarkt in the

United States by USA Today for years.

And we're up for it again this year... we should know by mid-December if we won again. So, yeah, it's a real honor,” Murphy said. “I do think that those rankings have had an impact and have brought more people to the market and given more awareness of the market to audiences, so, I'm very grateful. It is a contest where people vote. So, it really is our guests who have come and enjoyed the market who have made that recognition possible.”

The national ranking was well-earned by the market, Rana said. She said the market has excellent hot chocolate and a fun opportunity to watch other visitors ice skate.

“They had ice skating and they had a band there,” Rana said. “They had all the different vendors with,you know,different drinks and foods and stuff. So yeah, I think, I would agree with that [ranking].”

There is no cost to attend the market and parking is free, according to Carmel Christkindlmarkt's website. Additionally, the market offers free music on the winter pavilion, a free kids area on the east patio and free meet and greets with Santa with musical entertainment for kids, Murphy said.

“If someone was on the budget, if they wanted to come, they could enjoy all of those amenities, watch the ice skating, bring their own hot chocolate in their thermos, bring their own snacks, and literally come and enjoy an amazing market experience without paying a dime,” Murphy said. “I grew up with seven brothers and sisters, so, when my family went to do something, it was ten people with my parents. And so these types of events, when you have to pay for the parking, and pay for admission, and pay for going, I'd beg for that, it was not possible. So it's really actually important to me that I keep it affordable for guests.”

The market also offers an opportunity for visitors to watch artisans from Germany do their craft live, Murphy said.

This is an area for visitors to see how the traditional Christmas decorations that you find at the market are made, according to Carmel Christkindlmarkt's website. The 2023 Werkstatt, or workshop, artisan schedule is available to view on the Carmel Christkindlmarkt's website.

“The one thing that people shouldn't miss while at the market is going in and checking out the Werkstatt [workshop] because these are world renowned artisans from Germany who very rarely leave their area where they live, because they have people coming to them to see their craft,” Murphy said. “So we go way above and beyond to attract them to the market, and it's just such a unique experience to be able to watch them doing their craft.”

Photo by Nicholas Varanelli

Families pass by and wait in line at a food venue at the center of the market. Located on 10 Carter Green,, the Carmel Christkindlmarkt is open this holiday season until Dec. 24.

Photo by Nicholas Varanelli

Families pass by and check out some of the many pop up shops at the Carmel Christkindlmarkt. Located on 10 Carter Green, the market is open this holiday season until Dec. 24. Homemade goods such as nutcrackers, incense smokers and more are available at the shops.

Nanci Vargus Learning Resource Center UIndy School of Education announces it will be creating the center to honor former faculty member

By Brid Peoples STAFF WRITER

The University of Indianapolis has announced a gift in the memory of former faculty member Nanci Vargus to establish the new Nanci Vargus Learning Resource Center, according to a press release from UIndy 360.

UIndy Dean of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences John Kuykendall said that the Nanci Vargus Learning Resource Center will be established to honor the legacy of Vargus and her decades of work as an educator here at the university.

“For many years, Nanci Vargus was a faculty member here … and she inspired a new literacy format for our students and we became well known for it,” Kuykendall said. “So with her passing, we thought this would be a great way to honor her legacy.”

According to UIndy 360, the new Nanci Vargus Learning Resource

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Center will provide UIndy students and faculty the opportunity to explore practices in emergent literacy, engage in research and enhance teacher preparation through one-on-one instruction with children for reading development. Kuykendall said the Learning Center is focused towards education majors with the aim of developing the essential skills they will need to provide for students and generations.

According to Kuykendall, the gift was provided by Nanci’s daughter, Jilda Vargus-Adams, to pay homage to the School of Education and to encourage reading skills among students.

“Jilda approached us saying ‘I want to do something for the School of Education, in honor of my Mom,’ [and] we thought this would be a perfect way to bridge our literacy work with honoring her legacy,” Kuykendall said. “Starting this center [will allow] our children, our students, a place to go and have resources to develop their literacy skills.” to condensation and editing to remove profanity.

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According to UIndy 360, VargusAdams said that as a child, her mother loved reading and the joy everyone can get from reading. Vargus-Adams said that her mother built her career with that goal in mind and endeavored to ensure that all children have access to the gift of literacy.

Kuykendall said that the State

... We thought this would be a great way to honor her legacy.” of Indiana’s literacy rates have been declining for almost a decade, so the Learning Resource Center will provide education students at UIndy with essential tools to improve this for future generations.

“The State of Indiana is really dug in deep around reading strategies, and so [UIndy] could continue to be a place

where we develop a state model for literacy practice and teaching reading,” Kuykendall said.

Kuykendall said that the Learning Resource Center is something exclusive to UIndy, with similar rival education programs in the area not having such a Learning Center. Kuykendall said that UIndy is the only school within the Indianapolis area that has such facilities.

“To my knowledge, there's not a center like this in any of the other schools of education in our city,” Kuykendall said. “So we have something that we [can] show off to our prospective students, [and] this will be another impressive site for the education community.”

According to Kuykendall, students should be proud that UIndy is honoring a past faculty member who built her career around literacy work in such a way. Kuykendall emphasized UIndy’s commitment to honoring those who have made significant contributions to the university in their career.

“[S tudents] should be proud of the fact that the S chool of Education is working with students in a constructive way to enhance their literacy skills, so that they can go out and help the children in the schools be better readers,” Kuykendall said.

“It really starts with our students being encouraged to read and then the Literacy Center with the Nanci Vargus Literacy Center will do that.”

According to Vargus-Adams, her mother Nanci believed teaching to be the noblest calling a person can pursue, and that teaching literacy to students would inspire them to have a love of reading. Vargus-Adams said that her mother built strong relationships with her students, and that a group of alumni would meet at Vargus’s house every few months to socialize. Vargus-Adams said that she hopes that students who did not get the opportunity to meet and learn from Nanci before her retirement will still be a part of her legacy through the Learning Resource Center.

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Contact Us: The Reflector office 317-788-3269 Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 317-788-3269 after hours or fax 317-788-3490.

SPORTS

4 THE REFLECTOR

DECEMBER 13, 2023

A unique journey to Division II From junior college to player of the year, Sukup lead the Greyhounds on offense this season

Photo contributed by UIndy Athletics/Jacob Walton

Quarterback Gavin Sukup surveys the field while looking for an open pass. Sukup ended the season with 2,716 passing yards, 25 passing touchdowns and eight interceptions.

By Connor Mahoney STAFF WRITER

In his first season as a Greyhound, sophomore quarterback Gavin Sukup accumulated many awards during the season.

Sukup said he enjoyed the team’s winning culture this season. “[The team] has family culture here,so they took me in like I’ve been here the whole time,” Sukup said.“And that makes things really easy when you’re trying to revamp an offense and kind of get things going that way that makes it really easy when the culture is good.”

Sukup finished the season with 2,716 passing yards, 25 passing touchdowns and seven rushing touchdowns,along with helping the team to another Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship, according to UIndy Athletics.Additionally,he won GLVC Offensive Player of the Year, and he was one of eight sophomores in Division II to be a candidate for the Harlon HillTrophy.Passing Game Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach Michael Engle said enjoyed his time being able to coach Sukup this season.

“It was just an absolute pleasure coaching him,” Engle said. “He’s a guy that comes to work every single day, works hard, sets a

standard. Kind of a first guy in, last guy out mentality.Very critical of himself,always wants to be the best,wants to be a great leader,wants to be a great teammate, strives for greatness and tries to push other guys to get to that level.

And any time you have that type of leadership, and are able to create that type of culture, it’s just a joy to be around and a joy to coach.”

According to UIndy Athletics, Sukup started his collegiate career at the College of DuPage where he played Junior College Football where he was a National Champion and All-American.

“We took that first round playoff loss and that sucks,” Sukup said. “But I wouldn’t trade it for the world, it’s just great surprise, the best decision I made in my life, and we got really good coaching staff here. [Also a] really good team, really good family culture.”

Growing up, Sukup said he has been playing football since he was a kid; However, he did not know that football was what he wanted to play in college until the end of his senior year. As a three-sport athlete in highschool,Sukup played football and baseball cementing all-state in both sports while being a state track runner in hurdles.

“When you watch him play, you see the fact that he’s just a really good all around athlete, and he’s able to extend plays, and he’s able to create things on the move,”Engle said “It’s funny when we were recruiting, and we went back, and we watched his high school tape… you really see the athleticism, he’s doing everything he’s playing offensive [and]

Photo contributed by UIndy Athletics/Jacob Walton

Sophomore quarterback Gavin Sukup leaps in an attempt to avoid being tackled as he dives for a touchdown in a game against the Wayne State Warriors on Sept. 16 at home.

playing defense, I don’t think he came off the field in high school. And you see some of that translate, some of those skills, even from the other sports to on the field on Saturdays when he’s scrambling around and making plays.”

Throughout his time playing, Sukup said he has had others motivate him along his journey through highschool and college even leading him to what he might pursue after playing football.

“Growing up, I’ve always had great coaches,” Sukup said. “Not just in athletics, but just in life, too, [I have] just been blessed to have really good coaches. I feel like that’s pushed me to want to be a coach when I’m

done playing.”

Next season, Sukup said he hopes to improve with the offense while keeping the football and playing at a higher efficiency.

Engle said he is excited to see Sukup continue to grow as a leader.

“I don’t think I can emphasize enough how much of a great person he is,” Engle said. “Great student, great worker, it’s been an amazing year to work with him, seeing him grow,seeing him develop.I’m incredibly proud of him. We have high standards for him, and I know he wasn’t satisfied with how this year went. I’m excited to see what next fall looks like.”

UIndy makes way for water polo team

By Elyssa Merrill

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER & BUSINESS MANAGER The University of Indianapolis has a vThe University of Indianapolis has a variety of club sports, and the water polo team is a more recent addition to that list.According to UIndy Athletics, the university started a new club sports initiative in the fall of 2022 to promote club registered student organization sports to regular club sports. According to an article from The Reflector, the water polo started as a club in 2015 and transitioned into a club sport RSO in 2019 according to an article for The Reflector.The water polo team has made some advancements in regard to their abilities and funding offered to them by the university.

This allows them to compete in the Missouri Valley division designated by the Collegiate Water Polo Association.

Due to the initiative, the water polo team can offer stipends to players now, providing incentives to players according to UIndy Athletics. According to Head Coach Alexander Wladherr,the small bit of financial aid they are able to provide is a great aspect that the university is providing backing for, knowing that club sports are important for retention and keeping people interested in attending all four years.

“I think that that’s a very unique thing, but also really shows how UIndy puts value on club sports programs, knowing that they contribute to retention of students at UIndy and keeping people around until they graduate,”said Waldherr.“And really creating a fabric for people to feel like they’re truly a part of campus. I think that that’s an excellent step, but it’s something that we, as the water polo team, have only had access to for a little over a year and a half at this point. So it’s still in its very early days.”

According to Waldherr, before the pandemic, the water polo team had a lot of engagement from students, having almost enough participation to have two separate teams for men’s and women’s. However, there are some struggles for the team, but it is not due to lack of talent or skill, said Walderr.

“I do think that a lot of the difficulty that belong before you even set foot on campus,” we’ve had with competing at this point is not said Waldherr. “And I think that that’s really necessarily due to a skill deficit or because the comforting and important for students who teams that we’re facing are significantly better are leaving behind a lot of what they knew than us,” said Waldherr. “But they have subs before, especially for our water polo athletes, and we’ve been playing what I refer to as and Indiana does not have high school water gladiator water polo for our entire existence, polo. All of our folks that come in with water which is the idea that you’re playing water polo experience who have the intent to play polo with basically the one sub that you need water polo at UIndy are coming from out of to have to play the game.” state. So it’s very important that they have According to sophomore and water polo that feeling of belonging when they are far team co-captain Anthony Finch he found from home.” that the aid of the club sport initiative allowed According to Finch, he is one of the support and draw to students with the water polo team previous experience from freshman that that is not from the did not exist last year I’m really proud of what we state of Indiana. The because he was the of the have done with our water promotion only first year when water polo team from he joined. There were an RSO to a club polo program.” three freshmen to join sport was a benefit and this year, and that was something he kept in able to allow the team some ease, said Finch. mind when thinking about applying to the “I was the only freshman on the water university, said Finch. pool team last year, and it’s grown from that “The opportunity that Indianapolis orthe to have three freshmen that were on club University of Indianapolis gives us with this sports stipends,” said Finch. “So we had that sport becoming a club, I think was a big support come into the team that we really reason I did come to this college,” said Finch. didn’t have in the previous year with the lack “Because of my love for the sport and wanting of participants, team members. So I think to continue. maybe not at D2 level, but in having that and being able to rely on each some capacity.” other more or, and be less concerned of who An opportunity that the team took we have on the team and more focused on advantage of recently was volunteering to help what we can do as a team became a turning play host with the USA Water Polo KAP7 point this year.”

Champions Cup, said Waldherr. According According to Finch and Waldherr, to Waldherr, it was a great opportunity to not increased visibility is a goal they and the team only expand their reach and recognition of have for the sport of water polo.In Indianapolis water polo to Indianapolis but to also receive and Indiana generally, water polo is not a equipment such as shot clocks in order to host high school sport, said Finch. According to tournaments in Indiana in the future.

Waldherr, a majority of people who join the “That allows us to host here in Indianapolis team with previous experience are joining from and grow the sport here instead of having to out-of-state. This means that the club sports travel and go to places like Saint Louis or initiative that allows them to keep the club Arkansas or Ohio to play water polo because and participate in competitions can create a of how small it is here in Indianapolis,” said sense of community and family,saidWaldherr. Finch.“And that’s another goal we have kind “When we have folks that come to UIndy of made as a team: to not only win and be with the intent to play water polo and be a successful but involve the community and part of our team they know that they have a as much as we can in a state where it is very family on campus before they even get here, unrecognized in high school especially.” and that’s an awesome thing to be able to According to Finch, the chemistry of the promise people is that you have a place that you team in and out of season is great. He said

that the team works hard to make water polo a welcoming experience for new people by promoting inclusion,diversity and acceptance.

However, the coach also does a great job of keeping practices fun and gives him the feeling of wanting to go back, said Finch.

Having played in his undergraduate, Waldherr thanks the team for allowing his coaching experience to be a positive one.

According toWaldherr,they are a very positive group, and he appreciates them coming to practice after a day of classes to spend time with the team and continue to work hard. He appreciates them and encourages anyone to join regardless of experience.

“I’m really proud of what we have done with our water polo program.I’m really proud

of the environment and the opportunity that we’re able to give to folks here at the university.

And I think the really cool thing about our team is that we have people who have played at a very high level for a very long time.But we also have folks that have never played before when they arrived on campus and they were swimmers in high school, and we’ve also had folks who are just looking for a new sports play. They’d never swam, they never played water polo growing up.And we have folks that basically got in the water,barely knowing how to swim, that became proficient water polo players over the course of two, three years. It takes time, but if you’re willing to put in the work, and learn the game, we’d love to have anybody’s welcome at all times.”

Photo Contributed by Aubrey Doyle

Freshman David Agard attempts to block the ball from sophomore Braden Gress at the Endless Summer Tournament, which took place at the Forest Park Aquatic Center on Sept. 9. For more information about the UIndy Water Polo club sport, visit UIndy.edu.

Graphic by Breanna Emmett

SPORTS

5 DECEMBER 13, 2023

THE REFLECTOR

Basketball manager turned starter

By Caroline Krauch STAFF WRITER

Sophomore criminal justice major Patricia Chikamba was the team manager for the University of Indianapolis women’s basketball team last year, but this year she has started all nine games of the season so far, according to UIndy Athletics.

Chikamaba has been playing basketball since second grade and initially wanted to play basketball in college. After Head Coach Marc Mitchell joined the team two years ago, Chikamba heard that he did not accept walk-ons and accepted that she could not play and instead offered to be a manager.

In her position as manager, and with help from the coaches, she became a practice player for the team. She said around the beginning of December last year, Mitchell pulled her in for a meeting and told her that he wanted her to be on the team. Initially, she thought he had meant for next year, but Mitchell wanted Chikamba to start as soon as she could so once her paperwork was filled out, she was playing by the second semester of last year.

Now that Chikamba has earned her spot on the team, she said it was now time to find her role. Along with adjusting to having more on her schedule with lifts, conditioning and practice, she also set her focus on contributing to the team. She said her brother helps to push and encourage her to continually work and get better as well. As she has spent more time on the team and the court as she has found what her skill set adds to the team.

“If I’m not making layups or something,” Chikamba said. “I always just end up focusing on, ‘Ok, I’m gonna rebound. I’m gonna get the ball over this one girl.’ And so that’s kind of how it started, just getting a couple of rebounds, getting offensive putbacks and I think that kind of helps me elevate my game, help me find more confidence during the game to try more things and become a big part of that game.”

Mitchell said Chikamba was always reliable as a manager which translated on the court as well. According to Mitchell, even before she was actually on the team, she was a team player. Once Chikamba began playing in the second semester, Mitchell said she came with the same amount of positivity and encouragement she had before. She started off not getting much playing time, but slowly got more minutes.

“One thing I noticed each and every time she played no matter what was going on around us, the only thing she did was play hard,” Mitchell said. “And that, you know, I took notice.”

Mitchell said although his initial policy was not to accept walk-ons, after the success with Chikamba he will now be accepting preferred walk-ons.Even though Chikamba started as a manager, Mitchell said he did not treat her any differently than he does now. He said they have a truthful and honest relationship which has only grown since they met.

“I’ve been coaching for a long time,” Mitchell said.“And I want to play a certain way and, I want certain types of people to play for me. And I want to be 100% clear that Patti Chikamba is exactly the type of person/player I want playing for me.I mean, [she has] no problems in the classroom, no problems in society/social, not getting in any trouble. Great attitude, works hard and very coachable.”

Chikamba said there is a lot she is looking forward to for the upcoming season and that last year the team had ups and downs, so she is excited about what the talent on the team can do this year. The positive and encouraging atmosphere on the team is something Chikamba said other teams will have trouble combating.

The women’s basketball team will compete next on Dec. 30 against Ohio Dominican. at home.

Photos Contributed by UIndy Athletics

Sophomore basketball player Patty Chikamba celebrates a Greyhound win.

Dance team pursues third win

By Olivia Pastrick NEWS EDITOR

The University of Indianapolis dance team has begun their pursuit of another national championship. The team has won two championships at the Dance Team Union College Classic in O r lando, F lor ida pre viousl y according to UIndy Athletics. According to junior and Team Captain Andi Parks, the team uses the entirety of their season to prepare for this competition. “ W h e n e v e r w e ’r e d o i n g o u r dances at football, we’re practicing our performance quality and our movement quality and things that matter toward nationals, but it’s a lot more laid back and fun and chill,” Parks said.

Even though the team currently performs at UIndy basketball games, they are also working on their routines for the national competition, according to Parks. She said since they are focusing on both game day performances and preparing their routines for nationals, this part of the season is the most chaotic for them.

“As of now, we’re getting into basketball and nationals season, which is the craziest time in our season,” Parks said. “We’re trying to learn our nationals dances, clean them, while also keeping up with all the dances we perform at basketball.”

Head Dance Coach Carlee Bachek said the team begins practicing as early as July, but that those practices are focused more on football performances. She said practices are a lot more intensive now as opposed to earlier in the season. Currently, they are working to perfect every part of their routines both for games and nationals.

Bachek said her favorite part of

the season is when she gets to see the dances come together. She said the competition dances start off as concepts and unrefined movements, but eventually, the dancers come together to put on a really good performance.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how the dances progress,” Bachek said. “It’s always fun to watch when we learn our competition dances, they look like a bunch of nothing really, because they’re so intricate and they’re so challenging. Then, by the end, to see it all kind of come together and put on a really good show is my favorite part of the season.”

Parks said year-to-year, the team dynamic changes a lot as new dancers join the team and others leave. She said because every dancer comes from a different background and level of knowledge or skill, coming together to look like one cohesive group can be challenging. “ W ith dance, ever ybody gets different training, and everybody has such different dance backgrounds,” Parks said. “ I might have been taught that my arms are supposed to go a certain way in my leap, but somebody else might be taught a different way in their leap, and that’s how they’ve been trained and that’s what they grew up on. So we’re coming all together as one big group and trying to figure out our differences in our training, and cleaning ourselves and adjusting ourselves and our habits that we’ve been trained into, to match the rest of the team.”

Parks said helping the team work together is one of the jobs she likes most about her role as a captain.

She said she has had a lot of fun meeting the new girls on the team and welcoming them as the team works through their season. Bachek said this year’s team is really close

Photo Contributed by Carlee Bachek

The UIndy dance team poses for their team photo.The club sport team performs at all home football and men’s & women’s basketball games, as well as other events.

and that she has seen friendships developing outside of their roles as teammates.

“I feel like this team had a really good bond together,” Bachek said.

“They’ve all done a really good job of getting to know each other as people outside of dance, so they’re all pretty close. And there are a lot of solid friendships on the team this year, which has been really fun.”

Bachek and Parks both said the

team’s goal this year is to win another national championship. Parks said the team competes a pom routine as well as a team performance dance, and that the team hopes to win with both. According to Parks, the DTU College Classic takes place April 9 through 12, where the Greyhounds will seek their third championship ring.

UIndy golf ranks regionally Girls receive No. 1 ranking in Spikemark regional rankings, men ranked fifth

By Caroline Krauch

better on. And you just really focus on that. So I take it week by week, STAFF WRITER what’s one thing I can improve each time and then just having a good mindset. And having good chemistry Both University of Indianapolis with your team also helps because women’s and men’s golf teams you’re with them all the time.” recently received regional rankings.

After having a lot of success in The women snagged the top spot the fall, the women’s team is looking in the East Division while the men to continue to develop and perfect took fifth in the Midwest, according their skills, Dy said. A big aspect of to S pikemark, the main media this, Dy said, is going to be adjusting platform for college golf. Both teams and adapting to new courses. Every wrapped up their fall seasons with course has its unique factors and Dy a tournament on Oct. 23 in which said being flexible and having more the men and women took home first skills available is something they place, according to UIndy Athletics. will be focusing on in the off-season.

Head Coach Brent Nicoson, who Dy said that in the fall season, a lot has been coaching both teams for of their time was spent trying to find 12 years, said both teams improved their footing as a team and develop during the fall portion of the season. the new players. One of these new According to Nicoson, the men’s players, freshman Simon Engman, team is on the younger side and had has developed into a talented and to put in a lot of effort to move up r e l i a b l e p l a y e r, the rankings. according to “The men have Nicoson. Engman worked their way ...So very happy with both ended up placing up the rankings, I would say more teams. They got better, they sixth in their last tournament of than the women work extremely hard...” the season and have because Nicoson was the women were h a p py w i t h t h e already there,” performance.

Nicoson said.“ I’m very happy with “ We b a s i c a l l y p l a y e d f o u r both teams. They got better, they freshmen and one sophomore in work extremely hard and we’re kind all five [men’s] tournaments and of back in position where we needed we played all five freshmen in to be.” one tournament and we got better Nicoson said the regional rankings and better as the year progressed,” mean everything going into spring Nicoson said. “We had a good leader because it has a lot to do with and a couple of leaders, but Simon which teams get sent to the NCAA Engman played great and we ended tournament. Teams need to either up winning our last tournament by win their conference tournament or 16 shots which vaulted us up the be ranked high enough to receive an rankings quite a bit.” at-large bid. An at-large bid is the Engman, who is originally from only other way for a team to receive Sweden, said the fall season was a a spot in playoffs if they do not win time of development for the team. their conference, according to the Engman said the team is proud of NCAA. In order for the teams to get where they ended in the fall and a bid, they need to place in the top have high hopes and goals for the six or seven, Nicoson said. spring season.

Junior and All-American Anci Dy “I would say this fall was kind says their first-place ranking allows of like get some playing experience the team to have more security in in college level for going into the their spot and more of an edge going spring,” Engman said, “And we into the spring. Though Dy has had finished quite strong and so, I would a lot of success, she says she is still say, [the goal] maintain that team always looking to improve both for spirit we had. We have a great team herself and the team. and great team feeling.”

“I mean, definitely, a lot of self The spring season schedule reflection after each tournament,” has not been released yet but will Dy said. “We always do our stats. commence at the beginning of So we kind of track like, what we do March. well, what sucks, or what you can do

Photos Contributed by UIndy Athletics/Jacob Walton

Junior UIndy golf player Anci Dy swings on the fairway. The Greyhounds next compete in May for the NCAA Division II East Regional. The women are ranked No. 1 in the region.

Photos Contributed by UIndy Athletics/Jacob Walton

Freshman UIndy golf player Simon Engman swings on the course. Engman was awarded GLVC Men’s Golf Player of the Week on Sept. 14. The men were ranked No. 5 overall.

6

FEATURE

THE REFLECTOR

DECEMBER 13, 2023

Graphic By Michael Harrington

By Nicholas Varanelli STAFF WRITER

The University of Indianapolis Student Counseling Center,along with UIndy Pride,cohostedthefirst“HomeForBreak”workshop.The goaloftheworkshop,heldNov.29,wastomentor LGBTQ+studentsreturninghomefromschool while on winter break and potentially facing unaccepting family members, said co-chair of theUIndyPrideprogramOnyxColewhoacted as the moderator at the Home For Break event.

Cole explained the idea for the workshop came from the student counseling center,as they wanted to get more involved and show support for the LGBTQ community on campus.

“Well,I was already working with them for a while just because they wanted to know the best ways to connect with the LGBTQ [students] and everything,”Cole said.“They messaged me asking if this was a good point to come across and if I wanted to be a part of it, and I said,‘Yes,

sure.’So it's to see what's the best way to help.”

UIndy Pride is a registered student run organization according to UIndy’s Website and hosts weekly meetings in hopes to provide a safe space for all UIndy students. Meetings are held every Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the basement of Schwitzer, and, according to Cole, everyone is allowed to come.

“It's mainly for LGBTQ youth just to hang out and chill and just have a community… It's pretty open,”Cole said.

The value of having an affirming and safe campus is important for the safety of students.

According to the 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ+Youth Mental Health,conducted by The Trevor Project, it was reported that of the LGBTQ+ youth that have attempted suicide in the past year,17% found school not an affirming environment and 16% said the same for home.

According to The Trevor Project's website, the non profit organization was founded in 1998 and focuses on research and the prevention of suicide in LGBTQ+ youth.The Trevor Project

survey also reports that the suicide attempt rate for LGBTQ+ youth with very unaccepting environments is at 21% while those with very accepting environments are at 8%.Overall,The Trevor Project’s research indicates LGBTQ+ youth with affirming home and schools have lower rates of attempted suicides.Cole said that

It's always a big deal to have a safe space for anyone." it is important to have a safe space with people of the same sexuality or identity to have people to talk to.

“It's always a big deal to have a safe space for anyone,” Cole said. “But for LGBTQ, it's easy for people to not realize that there's big issues with them or that words can be that harmful if

you say it offhandedly.”

With the success of the recent workshop, the Student Counseling Center and UIndy Pride plan to work together on more events like Home for Break which will address many different topics, said Cole. There are hopes of making smaller workshops a regular thing, Cole said, where people are able to come and go as they need.

The Student Counseling Center has made it their overall goal to provide an affirming environment for all students, especially those whofaceprejudiceanddiscriminationexplained Director of the Student Counseling Center Kelly Miller.

“We contribute to the campus wide mission which is to be an affirming place, a place where wereallydevelopacultureofcaring,inclusiveness and belonging so our clinicians are trained to be affirming of identities,”Miller said.“We receive continuing education regularly and addressing the mental health issues of minority and marginalizedpopulations,suchastheLGBTQ+

population… We offer all kinds of support groups, workshops, individual work as well as we work to address the systemic prejudice by providing campus right programming, training andpresentations.Wedoalotofpartneringwith other organizations across campus and outside organizations.”

TheCounselingCenteroffersprogramsand services geared towards an individual's needs as the importance of a safe environment is critical to, not only the LGBTQ+ community, but all students, Miller said. There are programs for training people to create safe and affirming environments, she said. Giving people a safe environment to acknowledge their feelings is importantformentalhealth,accordingtoMiller.

“Particularly also with the LGBTQ+ population that makes it even more important to recognize that our space is affirming, caring, supportive, and that's really important when historically you know identities have been discriminated against so openly and continuously,”Miller said.

NIGHTJAR finds community in poetry UIndy's Christopher Carrier helps co-lead local poetry group with colleague Michelle Niemann

By Connor Mahoney STAFF WRITER

With monthly gatherings at the Tube Factory Artspace in the Garfield Park neighborhood, NIGHTJAR is a poetry group that meets to listen to featured speakers and participate in an open mic, according to co-founder Michelle Niemann.

Niemann and University of Indianapolis Staff Advisor Christopher Carrier founded NIGHTJAR to share their love for poetry with others within the community.

“We were trying to make something that didn't exist elsewhere in the city or trying to fill a gap…,” Carrier said. “So, we wanted to do something on the south side, something that was local to this area.”

NIGHTJAR meets every third Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. with meetings planned out for early 2024.

Niemann said NIGHTJAR features readers from the Indianapolis area, and they are looking to bring in poets from around Indiana to the Garfield Park neighborhood.

“We're hoping to help build the poetry community in Indianapolis along with all these other great reading series in town that are doing that in different ways…,” Niemann said.“There's quite a lot of poetry

readings and open mics happening in Indy more than someone might expect, so that’s cool. We want to contribute to that, and also draw in people in our neighborhood who are curious about poetry, or open to this kind of thing but not necessarily poets themselves.”

According to Niemann, the word NIGHTJAR stems from the idea of the nocturnal bird and how poets often use jars and birds within their work. On the first evening of NIGHTJAR, Carrier said they were not sure what the turnout was going to be, but they were happy with the amount of people who were there and engaged in the readings. The opportunity to share the works of others' poetry helps build a sense of community.

“Poetry builds community, people have abilities, they have thoughts, they have desires, they have feelings, they have all these things, they come out in various ways, creative ways,”Carrier said.“We're focusing on the way they come out in poetry, , and giving people encouragement to do that.

There's value in that giving them a place where they can share and everyone is equal in that way” The Tube Factory offers a unique space for these readings to be held, according to Niemann. Artwork and other professional

works are displayed throughout the venue along with an inviting atmosphere.

“It is a cool space, there are three art galleries and rotating exhibits.Every month or two, you'll get new art in the spaces,” Niemann said. “It also has a little coffee shop that sells coffee, alcohol and snacks.

People can show up early and get that kind of thing… It's in our neighborhood, and we wanted something close by.”

Niemann said she started getting into poetry in middle school and high school before

eventually getting her Ph.D. in English. For Carrier, he said he got into poetry as a senior in high school while writing on a desk.

“I started writing poetry when I was a

senior in high school,and I was in an algebra class and wasn't particularly interested,” Carrier said. “I started scribbling around on the desktop and [wrote] short lines, something that was floating around, and I came back a couple days later, and someone had written a response on the desk… So I went out and I bought a notebook, and I started writing. When I went to college, I wanted to be a mechanical engineer and poetry was something I did on the side.

But then I decided that it was what I wanted to do.And I followed my passion.So I majored in English professional writing… and got my PhD in English.”

Carrier said he hopes to see more connections from UIndy attend some of their meetings in the future.NIGHTJAR's next meeting is on Dec. 20 at the Tube Factory with readings and an open mic which revolves around the history of Indianapolis.

“You're welcome,of course,to just come in and listen to the reading and listen to the open mic. But if you write poetry, check out the prompt. See if you want to write something,the word limit for the

prompt is always 317. Which of course, we're playing on the area code,” Niemann said.

Graphic by Hannah Hadley

Student Spotlight: Student wins NCHC Student of the Year

By Mia Lehmkuhl EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & CO-ONLINE EDITOR

The National Collegiate Honors Council named first year graduate student in the clinical psychology program Michael Chambers as the winner of their Student of the Year award during their Chicago conference. Selected from a pool of eligible honors students from all over the country, Chambers,who is also a veteran and transfer student, said that winning the award was a surreal moment—especially given that his wife and children were there to see it.

“So at the time, during the award ceremony,it was actually my wife and I were doing a little juggling act with the kids, ” Chambers said. “… But then the presenter got up and started reading the nomination.

And it started to click. They're talking about me. And I was caught off guard. Not because I didn't think that I deserved it. It was that I was at a national conference of every Honors College.”

According to their website, NCHC is an educational organization designed to support and promote undergraduate honors education since 1966 with 900 institutions and hundreds of individual members, impacting over 330,000 honors students all over the country. The Student of the Year distinction is awarded to two students who made an impact on their honors program and who have participated in honors at regional or national levels. Eligible students must be nominated by their honors program

Photo Contributed By Samantha Leander

Michael Chambers poses his wife, Alisa Chambers, and their two sons, at the National Collegiate Honors Council Chicago conference after winning Student of the Year award.

director to be considered for the award.

Executive Director of the Ron and Laura Strain Honors College James Williams said that nominating Chambers for the award was an easy choice given his experiences and work at UIndy.

“His story is unique in many ways because he had additional challenges,” Williams said. “He's a non-traditional student. He came here as a transfer student.

He's one of our first of really sort of transfer

students from a two year program coming into our Honors Program, which is pretty significant, too. But he didn't let that be an impediment to him sort of both getting his honors degree and seeing the value in that as well as you know, immersing himself in the community here and at the regional level with honors.”

According to NCHC’s website, one student from a two-year institution and one student from a four-year institution are

named Student of the Year. Williams said that this could mean the candidate pool was as large as tens of thousands of students from every state, but that this pool is narrowed closer to the time the conference takes place.

Then, according to NCHC, finalists are announced prior to the conference.

“I knew that I was nominated.”Chambers said. “Near the end of my senior year Dr. Williams sent me an email to check out this link. It was the NCHC website. He said we have a unique opportunity here because I had participated with a the Mid-East Honors Association through a regional affiliated conferences that allowed me to qualify for this this award so we put our heads together and he gave me some time to think,‘Would you be willing to to pursue this?’”

Winning this award is not only impactful to Chambers but to the honors college at UIndy as a whole.NCHC awards $500 to both the winner and the honors program they originate, and, according to Williams, indicates how the honors program at UIndy has been able to attract students who push themselves and do exceptional things.

“The other thing that it does is it signifies the quality of the program that we have….”

Williams said. “And all of those things signify a quality that is really important for us to be able to share with our students to also hopefully be able to inspire them to follow in the footsteps of Michael in that sense of being able to do hard things and difficult things in order to achieve great things because that's usually how it works.

In order to achieve great things, you've got

to do some hard work and take some steps in the process.”

Chambers said that three mentors shaped his experience at UIndy: Williams, Interim Program Director of UIndy’s Masters Psychology Program and Associate Professor Katie Boucher and Assistant Professor of Psychological Sciences Michael Poulakis. From the moment they met, according to Chambers, Williams continuously encouraged him to push and challenge himself as well as serving as a valuable mentor for his honors project. This is a self-chosen project all honors students must complete in order to graduate with an honors distinction. Chambers said that his honors project, focusing on research about imposter syndrome in transfer students coming f rom community colleges, helped him not only build his resume but also taught him valuable skills he can use further along in his education. “[Poulakis] was a great inspiration for me to understand that while operating in this very professional realm of academia and research and you don't have to give up the things that make you laugh.”

Chambers said. “You don't have to. You don't have to be all buttoned up suit and tie. You can enjoy what you're doing and still make an impact on others. So across the three of them throughout the whole honors project. Those are my three big ones. But then again, my wife, my kids, every other honors student that I've interacted with, it's all been great.”

ENTERTAINMENT

7 DECEMBER 13, 2023

THE REFLECTOR

PAW takes over student center

places where you can go and see the dogs and the cats and adopt them,” Whiteacre said.

Kevin Whiteacre said that he and Associate Professor of English Liz Whiteacre came up with the idea because they both volunteer at IndyHumane. Together, they figured that the idea would help reduce student stress as finals week approaches, according to Kevin Whiteacre.

“It’s an opportunity to again, just pet a dog and snuggle a kitten,” Kevin Whiteacre said “The research shows that it does reduce stress and this is a pretty stressful time of year heading into finals and whatnot.”

There is value in students and animals interacting on campus, Liz Whiteacre said and events such as “Cuddle With a Pup” also help make students more aware of IndyHumane.

“There is a value in being a volunteer because you have the opportunity to connect animals and people in a way that’s really positive, and both the

animals and the people leave feeling about volunteer opportunities as well really good and part of a community and as all of the animals who are at that loved,” Liz Whiteacre said. “Another moment being sheltered there,” Liz benefit would be attending an event Whiteacre said. that breaks up your routine. It gives According to Kevin Whiteacre, you an opportunity to de-stress. It there are two ways to volunteer at gives you an opportunity to show an PAW, which include being a canine animal love and make their life better companion or a feline friend with and their day better.” these are more hands-on approaches According to IndyHumane, PAW to volunteering, as they directly work can be booked at private events for with the animals. $255 an hour and for free at school “You usually do two-hour shifts and events with a two-hour time limit. The then [with] canine companions after you Office of Student Affairs helped with go through some training, you go in there setting up the location and waivers and you take them out, you walk them, and, according to Kevin Whiteacre, the you maybe help clean out their kennels event turnout was impressive. if they need that,” Kevin Whiteacre said.

“From what I remember, they “But you help them stretch their legs and went through 230 waivers, and if get walks and you love on them and you we estimated there were probably a give them love. It’s the best two hours couple dozen of people who just came of my week every week.” through and didn’t sign waivers,” Kevin Kevin and Liz Whiteacre both say Whiteacre said. “So I think student they frequently volunteer at PAW affairs is estimating about 250 students and find it fulfilling. Liz Whiteacre and staff came through in the two-hour said she hopes that “Cuddle With a time to hang out with the dogs and cats.

Pup” will preview future collaborations So it was super successful.” between IndyHumane and UIndy.

Liz Whiteacre said that if students are Kevin Whiteacre said students should inspired to volunteer at IndyHumane, volunteer, as the school’s motto they can read more is “Education for inf or mation on Service.” the organization’s “ We l l , It gives you website. Liz ‘Education for W hitacre also Ser vice’ is our an opprotunity said that students motto here,” Kevin to de-stress.” can donate time, W hiteacre said. resources and old “It ’s not just an pet supplies. They empty motto. The can also look into other ways to faculty practice it, staff practice it, help IndyHumane, according to Liz hopefully, students will practice it.

Whiteacre. Students can get involved Especially I think in this era where with a variety of programs such as people feel a lot more anxious and PAW and special events, according to sometimes they feel like they have a IndyHumane lot more struggles. I think the best “If students are interested in engaging way to overcome that is to go out and specifically with IndyHumane, they as Arnold Schwarzenegger says ‘be have a wonderful website that talks useful.’”

them through the woods. This meeting was hilarious to say the least. Despite the intense situation the characters were in, it still felt lighthearted. The Villain offers Evie a job as his assistant after this first meeting. My favorite exchange of the book, and Mahrer’s according to the interview, happened during this meeting: “You can’t kill people and be pretty.

It’s confusing.” “…You think I’m pretty?”

Exc hanges like this happen throughout the entire book, even during the more intense moments. There is such a light-hearted aspect to this book that felt like a breath of fresh air. All the characters were written beautifully, even the “bad” characters were likable.

Becky, an office manager that wanted the assistant position, and Evie did not get along throughout most of the book.

Once they get to know each other a little bit better, a frenemy relationship starts to form between the two.

Not only is there humor and a slow-burn romance happening before our very eyes, there is also character development. It is not just with the main characters either, but the side characters

as well. Each character is given a small backstory that you learn about as you read. Maehrer does a great job of adding these backstories in as part of the plot rather than a trauma dump session with the characters.

My absolute favorite part of the book was getting to read the morally gray character’s point of view. Being able to read how The Villain slowly falls in love with Evie and being able to understand this character from his perspective were some of the best aspects of this book.

According to the interview, Maehrer said that The Villain originally did not have a point of view in the TikTok skit. All I can say is that I’m so happy she decided to add his point of view into the book.

The only true complaint I have about the book is that this is a very slow burn romance. The reader can see Evie and The Villain fall in love, but throughout the entire book only one kiss was shared between the two—from The Villain’s point of view, I might add. However, seeing how The Villain cares for Evie and how her presence calms him from his perspective makes it feel like there is not a lack of romance. I just wish there was a little more outward romance, their

Photo by Allison Cook

Associate Professor of English and IndyHumane volunteer Liz Whiteacre holds a puppy while several students gather around. The IndyHumane PAW event was held on Nov. 30.

By Michael Harrington FEATURE EDITOR

University of Indianapolis students, faculty and staff could cuddle with local shelter cats and dogs in Schwitzer Student Center at “Cuddle With a Pup,” according to a UINDY App post by Chair and Professor for Criminal Justice Kevin Whiteacre. The event was sponsored by the UIndy Department of Criminal Justice, and worked with Pet Adoption Wagon (PAW ), within Indianapolis animal shelter IndyHumane, Kevin Whiteacre said. The event was held on Nov. 30 from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m., according to the UINDY App post.

According to IndyHumane, the program is designed to bring pets and people together through their fully-contained mobile kennels. Kevin Whitacre said this helps to promote the adoption of the animals.

“They go all over the city and do things like pet stores in different

‘Assistant to the Villain’ starts trilogy with a bang

By Hannah Biedess

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR This review contains spoilers for the novel “Assistant to the Villian” by Hannah Nicole Maehrer.

“Assistant to the Villian” by Hannah Nicole Maehrer is by far my favorite read of 2023. This book made me laugh so hard from cover to cover. The grumpy villain and sunshine assistant slowburn romance comedy was exactly the type of book needed during this week.

According to an interview with Maehrer

by The Nerd Daily, an entertainment website, the inspiration for this book came from a TikTok skit she had done.

Maehrer said during the interview that she had fallen in love with the characters so much that she had to put pen to paper.

This book is a dual point of view with both Evie, the assistant, and The Villian, the morally gray character of the story.

The book starts off with Evie losing her job in the village and deciding to take a walk through the woods where the infamous villain of the village resides.

Evie meets The Villain while the king’s guards, called the Valiant Guards, chase

feelings toward each other stayed in their head for the majority of the book.

Maehrer does a fantastic job of keeping the reader interested—I read this book cover to cover non-stop in about five hours.The plot twist at the end was somewhat expected, but done in a way that makes me want to read the next book. The second book in the trilogy is set to release on Sept. 12, 2024, according to Goodreads. I am very excited to see the friendship between Evie and Becky form and what happens to The Villain.

Ratings: • Pacing: 10 • Writing style: 7 • Keep your attention: 10 • Predictability: 6 • Overall: 8.25/10 The Good: • Very light-hearted even during the intense moments • Grumpy villain and sunshine assistant • Getting the point of view of the morally gray character The Bad: • Not a lot of outward romance between Evie and The Villain

UIndy Theatre presents cabaret

UIndy students showcase dancing, singing and more during a night of fun

By Olivia Hogsett STAFF WRITER

The University of Indianapolis Studio Theatre is presenting a cabaret to showcase the various talents of UIndy students through songs, performative scenes, stand up comedy, poetry readings and more, said Assistant Professor of Theatre Grant Williams. “A Cabaret: An Artists’ Showcase” will be held Jan. 25 through 27 at 8 p.m. in the Studio Theatre, which is in the basement of Esch Hall, according to Williams.

The showcase costs $10 for anyone not associated with the UIndy and Lecture/Performance credit is available for students who attend, Williams said.

“The Studio Theatre itself will be turned into a cafe theater,” Williams said. “And for people who have tickets, there will be a catered aspect to the event. So people can get coffee, muffins, fruit, popcorn maybe. And people will be sitting at tables with the artist showcase happening.”

Williams said he is hoping to get people in the show who represent different areas of campus like music, English and art to name a few. The goal is this event will be a relaxed night where people can come and have fun. Students should participate as it shows support to

the artistry on campus beyond theatre, according to Williams. The goal is to have fun and to get people on campus involved who don’t feel like committing to a big play, Williams said.

“They could continue that kind of experience of being on stage under some lights and enjoying a presentation of that sort. So, it’s like being involved in the theater but without the commitment,” Williams said.

The people performing in the cabaret are working hard to prepare for the event, said sophomore theatre major Rae Cook. Cook said they will be reciting a memorized poem at the cabaret.

“We have a lot of singers, so they’re practicing their songs as well, vocal techniques,” Cook said.

The cabaret is not prohibited to solo acts, Cook said. If someone wants to showcase something with a group, according to Cook, that is also encouraged. They said that they have been involved with other cabaret’s in the past that had good atmospheres and were overall fun to watch.

“We do a lot of group activities, so if someone’s looking for a way to get more involved on campus, they can absolutely reach out to us or after any of our shows and we would be more than happy to have them join in,” Cook said.

THE UINDY THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS

A CABARET: AN ARTISTS’ SHOWCASE January 25-27 | 8:00 pm | Studio Theatre

Graphic contributed by Emma Foutz

Cook encourages people to come and watch their friends perform as it is something interesting to watch and a way to get more involved with theater.

There will be a variety of talent for the whole community to enjoy, Cook said.

“If they really need L/P credit, they should absolutely come. I just like seeing a bunch of different things.

There’s people singing songs, there’s

poetry, there’s scenes,” Cook said. “If you’re open to new experiences, and if they enjoy a variety of entertainment, it would be something that they would absolutely enjoy. It’s a new experience with the community.”

Williams said that any UIndy student wanting to participate who missed the audition can email him at williamsgl@uindy.edu.

Review of ‘My Soft Machine’ by Arlo Parks

By Brid Peoples STAFF WRITER

According to the Guardian, after Arlo Parks’s critically acclaimed and award winning debut album, “Collapsed in Sunbeams,” released in 2021, the release of her second album, “My Soft Machine,” has been highly anticipated. With soft, melodic beats and introspective and intimate lyrics, Parks explores the themes of love and adoration with tenderness.

“My Soft Machine” was released on May 26, with the lead single “Weightless,” along with the singles “Impurities,” “Blades” and “Pegasus” preceding it. The record has a tracklisting of 12 songs, clocking in at 40 minutes 47 seconds long. The deluxe version was released on Dec. 8, with acoustic versions and some unreleased songs on the tracklist.

The album opens with “Bruiseless,” the shortest song on the album, which is only one minute and 11 seconds long.

“Bruiseless” is entirely performed in spoken-word form, and immediately, an intimate atmosphere is created. “I wish I was bruiseless/Almost everyone that I love has been abused, and I am included,” she sings. She feels so deeply that she takes on the responsibility for her loved ones’ happiness.

Parks has been open with her mental health struggles, and has previously spoken about the profound sense of empathy she lives her life with.

“Sometimes I am just drowning. Even if somebody just sends me a message about my song, I take on that weight.

I find it so hard to separate myself,” Parks told The Guardian.

The third song on the record, “Devotion,” opens with a soft beat but progressively gets more passionate as Parks revels in her love. “All yours baby/ Fill Me with your nervous love.” Parks sings about the acceptance and liberty she feels when she is with her love. This is shown in the outro of the song, which is again in spoken-word style, “I think in a way, I’ve always loved you /I used to hate it when people said that shit/ But I mean it/You make me feel free.”

My favorite song of the album is track five, “Purple Phase.” The song is moodier and not as upbeat as the other tracks, reflecting the more serious issues Parks is singing about. The song charts Parks trying to help her friend Jodie, possibly suffering from depression and addiction. “Terrified of turning twenty-four/Promising to rise above the thoughts/Try to flush her pills and get support.” However, no matter what Parks does she cannot seem to help her friend. “It’s just a purple phase,” is the line repeated during the chorus.

“Pegasus” featuring Phoebe Bridgers is one of the most impressive on the album. Less intense than “Devotion,” it follows the ‘bedroom-pop’ style Parks is famous for. The lyrics in “Pegasus” are some of the most imaginative and poetic on the album, ‘Cause I need love like a body needs sugar, I need love.”

Bridgers is most prominent during the chorus, “I spun ‘round and screamed, I feel elated when you hold me/Then you got shy and beamed, I think it’s special that you told me.”

“Pegasus” is a very intimate look at the love between Parks and her partner, we can assume the love she is referencing is her girlfriend Ashnikko, who she started dating in 2021. In an interview with NPR, Parks revealed the special bond she feels. When talking about the song “Pegasus,” Parks said, “It’s very rare to feel completely seen by somebody and to feel that you can reveal all facets of your soul and your dreams and who you are.”

Overall, I would describe “My Soft Machine” as a very solid and impressive sophomore album, although it does not rise to the heights of Parks’ first album, “Collapsed in Sunbeams.” Parks has a talent for imaginative and meaningful lyrics that resonates deeply emotionally.

Her lyrics and the themes behind the album can be heavy but Parks maintains a happy and dreamy tone throughout.

The only criticism I have is that some of the tracks feel a little formulaic and indistinguishable, with one song melting right into the next at parts.

The good parts of her album include the lyrics and dream pop style, however the bad parts are the lack of diversity and the lack of intensity and passion.

Ratings: • Tone: 7/10 • Lyrics: 9/10 • Sound: 8/10 • Flow: 7/10 • Overall Score: 8/10

NEWS

8 THE REFLECTOR

DECEMBER 13, 2023

Celebrating Giving Tuesday at UIndy

By Elyssa Merrill

family, friends and other donors to give monetary gifts to the university, DISTRIBUTION MANAGER & according to the site. When giving, BUSINESS MANAGER people are able to specialize their gift to a multitude of different funds Giving Tuesday is a global event available such as the UIndy Fund, the that many organizations and charities UIndy Scholarship Fund and the fund participate in ever y year, using for UIndy Athletics, Greyhound Club, #givingtuesday to raise awareness according to the website for donating for their charities and communities to the university. However, they are around the world. This year, the also able to specialize it to a specific University of Indianapolis took part department, sports team or UIndy’s in Giving Tuesday, raising a total of live mascot, Grady, according to Vice $100,996, according to the university’s President of Advancement Philip Giving Tuesday website. According to Thornton.

UIndy’s website, the money raised will According to Thorton, Giving be used for accommodations towards Tuesday is a great reminder for people the university and to give to causes student experience they care about such as different during the holiday s c h o l a r s h i p ... It's not just about dollars, season. Following opportunities, B l a c k F r i d a y, it's about connecting resources within Small-business people to their passion." S a t u r d a y a n d the academic departments, C y b e r M on d ay, funding ser viceGiving Tuesday is learning opportunities and studentan opportunity to remind people to athlete support. also give to their favorite charitable According to the Giving Tuesday organizations at the same time, website, the tradition began in 2012 Thornton said. with one goal in mind: spreading “[Giving] Tuesday is a great radical generosity. According to the opportunity for people to make an site, radical generosity is not defined impact across campus or in a very by a series of transactions or discrete specific way,” Thornton said. “… But interactions but rather by solidarity, we are excited to help alumni, friends empathy and the transformative and parents to make an impact in their powers within them. The website says favorite areas across campus.” their mission is to build a world where With the university motto being generosity is a part of everyday life, and “Education for Service,” the drive they imagine that world being built and support from donations enables on the foundation of shared humanity students to help others and give for one another. back to the community through Giving Tuesday enables people UIndy student ’s ser vice-learning from the community, UIndy alumni, projects, according to the UIndy

Photo by Allison Cook

Donations made to the university are processed through the Stierwalt Alumni House. They go towards funding scholarships, service learning opportunities, UIndy Athletics and academic resources. Alumni, friends and family are all encouraged to participate.

Giving Tuesday website. The UIndy Alumni Association’s Facebook page highlighted senior Elementary Education student Kaitlyn Brown’s project where she was able to bring new instruments to an elementary school.

According to Thornton, another opportunity for people to donate to the university is through UIndy Day during the month of April. Thornton said he urges students to consider how they are able to give back to their community and university, especially after they have graduated, in order to

help others work towards and support their passions.

“But for me, it is exciting to work in the field of advancement because it's not just about dollars, it's about connecting people to their passion," Thornton said. “That is what advancement is really about, and Giving Tuesday is a great vehicle for that and a great, public, exciting way to connect people to their passion on campus.”

Thornton said those who donated make a direct impact to the campus

and experience of those who go to the university. W hether a firsttime donor, returner, donating to a specific department or the Live Mascot fund, an impact is made, Thornton said.

“I want to say thank you to anyone reading this who did make a gift, whether it be a student, a parent, a friend, a faculty or staff member across campus,”Thornton said. “I just want to say thank you because you know, your gift gets put into action to support the university and our great programs.”

Fee to stay in dorms over break returns

Held due to COVID-19 protocols, the flat fee to live in dorms over extended breaks is back in effect

By Caroline Krauch SPORTS EDITOR

University of Indianapolis students can now expect to pay a fee if they are staying in dorms over breaks, according to the university’s handbook. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a common practice for schools to have students pay an additional fee if they stayed in their building, according to Associate Dean of Judicial Affairs and Residence Life Rob Williford. This meant students were expected to pay a flat fee for each break period, which includes Thanksgiving, winter and spring breaks. When the pandemic happened, schools put a hold on this fee and allowed students to stay for free, according to Williford.

Williford has been working at the school since June 2020 and oversees the

day-to-day operations of residence life.

According to Williford, the last time that students would have seen this fee was before spring 2020. This fee is a flat rate of $60 for Thanksgiving, $200 for winter break and $90 for spring break, which are amounts predetermined before Williford started working at the school. These fees also apply to residence halls only—not the apartment buildings Greyhound Village, College Crossing or the University Lofts, according to the UIndy website. According to Williford, this is because the apartments have a separate 11-month lease.

Williford said students staying for Spring Term classes for the first time usually will be able to stay for free, but if they are staying for a second class then they will have to pay a daily rate. He said the school noticed most students were staying on campus for fall break

Homicides from Page 1 Campus recently saw security measures and cameras updated in September, as reported by The Reflector, and according to Pate, the police department is trying to strengthen community education to prevent crimes. “ We've taken an intentional a p p ro a c h f o r e n g a g e m e n t a n d education so that we can get with the community more, because the more the community is built together, the stronger the crime prevention is,” Pate said. “[We are] still doing all the events, trying to get people to come and tell us the areas that they want to see improvement in. But I mean, it's every day looking for new ideas and new things to do and trying to stay up on trends, for sure.”

Pate said the only trends seen in surrounding neighborhoods that require police intervention are parties, and mostly issues with individuals. This is due to fewer people coming to visit University Heights in comparison to downtown, according to Pate.

“The only trend that you have in our surrounding neighborhoods is you have parties, which can sometimes bring an increased risk of police runs. I won't say homicide, but an increased risk that you're going to have police runs or police activity. But the neighborhoods themselves, they don't do what you would typically see when you're looking at projections and crime, because most anything's going to be individual,”

Pate said. “There might be theft from a house. There might be theft from a car, break into a car, a transient crime, something like that. But there's not going to be a hub that people go to and spend Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the thousands, where downtown Indianapolis goes from the people that are working there during the day on Friday.”

According to Pate, the UIndy area is trending to be safer than before.

Pate said it is important to note that Indianapolis is a large city, and the reported number of homicides does not mean that Indianapolis is inherently dangerous. According to IndyStar, homicides are up 85% compared to a decade ago, while the population has only increased 9% during the same time. Pate said that it is important for residents to be aware of any type of crime reports.

“Don't look at it like Indianapolis went up to 200 and some odd homicides,” Pate said. “Everywhere in Indianapolis is inherently dangerous, [but] that's not always typically the case. A lot of homicides are targeted; The majority of them are targeted.

So I'm not prepared to sit and say that Indianapolis isn't safe. They've done articles and studies and things that show that it has crime as most big metropolitan cities do. But it comes down to an awareness thing, though.”

because it is not considered an official break and therefore is not charged as such. Since UIndy was unique in that it did not require students to go home when COVID-19 hit during spring break in 2020, Williford said the school decided to waive that fee. Because travel plans continued to be affected by the pandemic, the fee continued to be waived, but the school did still send out forms to gauge how many students were staying.

In spring 2023, the university determined that all COVID-19 restrictions were going to be lifted, meaning there were no longer any mask requirements, but also that the fee for staying in dorms would be put back into effect as well, Williford said.

The purpose of these fees, according to Williford, is to help make sure the buildings can continue to run and operate smoothly and to ensure that

workers are getting paid for their time.

Along with that, the school also uses these break periods as a time to go in and fix any damage to the buildings as well as preventative maintenance measures.

“From a university standpoint, we still have to keep the lights on, we still have to keep heating going, especially over Thanksgiving and winter break …”

Williford said. “And then we still have to pay our staff to be around over the break period.”

Williford said that UIndy does not have strict requirements when it comes to which students are permitted to stay on campus over breaks. There is no minimal amount of distance away a student needs to live to be allowed to stay on campus. All students in the residence halls have the option to stay on campus over breaks, Williford said, students just need to fill out the form

that will take all their information and then there is an online marketplace where students can pay the fees. These fees do not apply to in-season athletes, however, Williford said that any students can reach out if they have an extenuating circumstance that would affect their ability to pay the fee and that these appeals are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

“One of the things that you know, our staff is trained to do, is to work with every person that's in any situation, any situation at all,” Williford said. “So whether you know, they [students] just don't want to communicate about it, or they're not able to communicate, we're gonna try to meet everybody where they're at, as much as we can.”

The academic calendar for UIndy, which includes the dates of breaks, can be found on their website, under the page titled “Academic Calendars.”