Greenfield man sentenced for murder of 1-year-old daughter
GREENFIELD, Ind. — A 31-year-old father was sentenced to 65 years in prison with 2.5 years of probation Wednesday for the murder of his 1-year-old daughter.
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GREENFIELD, Ind. — A 31-year-old father was sentenced to 65 years in prison with 2.5 years of probation Wednesday for the murder of his 1-year-old daughter.
Fifty of the state’s most experienced addiction specialists converged Tuesday at the center of Indiana’s HIV epidemic. It was time to address the root problem: drug addiction.
In his hands, he cradles a mold of an orangutan skull. The species he worked with every day at the zoo, the species he dreamed about as a child, is disappearing.
As the cheers roared celebrating Todd Young’s victory at his Bloomington watch party, a different kind of atmosphere took hold of Republican assessor candidate William Ellis’ camp: “shell shock.”
After the results were written on a white board in the Monroe County Democrats office, Elizabeth Schlemmer, county coordinator for Bill Bailey’s campaign, stepped forward to speak on his behalf.
It was almost an hour after the polls closed in Bloomington, and Roni Embry was still making calls.
Bloomington’s Middle Way House volunteers like Tempestt Walker aren’t allowed beyond the large set of double doors marked, “secured entrance only.”
A health inspector and distribution mechanic share the perils of their jobs and why they love what they do.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Freshmen Carson Bickley and Catherine Horvath took a study break Sunday evening to dance together underneath the twinkling lights of the IU Midnight Snipes Quidditch team’s inaugural Yule Ball. The team transformed the Indiana Memorial Union’s Frangipani Room into the world of Harry Potter for more than 70 students Sunday night.Attendees wore floor-length gowns and suits as they walked down the decorated steps onto the dance floor. Caroline Alexander, senior member and president of the Midnight Snipes, and junior Tisha Burks organized the ball to raise money for the team.The team of 30 students is sponsored by anthropology professor Phillip LeSourd. In its third year, the team has traveled to three fall tournaments — two fewer than it did last fall. The group’s travel has decreased this year due to a lack of funds, Alexander said.Money raised at the Yule Ball will allow the team to increase its tournament participation in the future. A mix of volleyball, football and rugby, the sport is played at more than 300 schools throughout North America, Australia and Europe, according to the International Quidditch Association website. Alexander used to be a keeper for the team before suffering two concussions, which forced her to change positions to beater. She said she ordered the team helmets to protect them. “We don’t have enough money for everyone to travel,” Alexander said. Alexander said the team’s goal was to raise $1,600 to cover tournament expenses. The Midwest Regional is required if the team wants to qualify for this year’s world cup, which takes place in April in Myrtle Beach, S.C. This year, the IQA raised the membership fees to $50 per player, $35 per coach and $150 per team. Fees include tournament entry. This year, Baked! of Bloomington named a cookie after the Midnight Snipes, called “the dirty snitch,” Alexander said. The cookie has oatmeal dough with M&M’s, a hidden Oreo and marshmallows on top.The group danced and socialized for several hours until attendees filtered out by 11 p.m. “We’re just a big group of goofy people who run around on broomsticks and chase each other,” Alexander said. “Even in the cold.” Follow reporters Hannah Alani and Matt Bloom on Twitter @hannahalani and @matthew_bloom.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU student group Kelley Without Borders is bridging the social gap between domestic and international students.The group’s new one-on-one program facilitates a cross-cultural experience by matching pairs of domestic and international students.“It’s an unfortunate reality, but even with such a multicultural campus, international and domestic students do not branch out of their comfort zones,” Max Lundin, KWOB press secretary, said. “This makes us prone to seclusion from individuals of different cultural, ethnic or religious backgrounds.”Freshman Nick Brant, an American student, was paired with junior Zhemin Gong from China as a part of the group’s one-on-one initiative. Brant said the two have met for meals and caught up with each other in between classes throughout the semester.“Open up your mind and understand how people view the world,” Brant said. “In a business perspective, it’s very important for us to learn how to interact with people from all parts of all backgrounds.”According to IU-Bloomington’s official enrollment report, international students make up more than 14 percent of the fall 2013 student body, a 6.8 percent increase from fall 2012.Since its foundation, KWOB has accumulated almost 100 members and has partnered with organizations like the Kappa Eta Phi business fraternity and Ascend IU in an effort to create a more global, multicultural and integrated IU, Lundin said.Members filled out a comprehensive survey where they indicated their nationality and expectations from the program, and the duos formed from there.Lundin said the representation of domestic and international students in the group is about the same, making it easy to pair them up.In early November, members gathered in the Kelley School of Business to compete in the group’s first “Global Dash.” The pairsparticipated in language and culture guessing games and an egg-drop contest.KWOB’s goals for the spring semester include partnerships with student organizations, increased membership and fundraising events.“The fact that we had 90 students show up was beyond any of our expectations,” Lundin said. “Now that we have a member base, there are so many opportunities for us to do more.”Leaders of KWOB are currently developing a cross-cultural study abroad opportunity with the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh.De was born in India, but moved to Munster, Ind., at an early age. He said his perspective on the international and domestic student divide changed when he enrolled in a class composed mostly of international students.“The world is opening up,” De said. “But unfortunately, I know a lot of students aren’t ready for that.”De said he notices the divide between international and American students every day at the library, restaurants and any public hotspot he visits.“It’s the elephant on campus,” he said. “International and American students are divided by an invisible partition, one that Kelley Without Borders is trying to break.”Follow reporter Matt Bloom on Twitter @matthew_bloom.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Max Scripture walked down Kirkwood Avenue, tightening his thick-striped tie around his neck to shield himself from the frigid air. He was silent. After reaching the brick sidewalk on the corner of Washington and Kirkwood, he stopped. The Sample Gates were visible down the road, fewer than four blocks away.“This is where it happened,” he said.Two weeks before, Scripture, an IU senior, was assaulted and beaten to the ground by a stranger for being gay. Scripture said he was bar-hopping with his friend, senior Sydni Phelan, and others, celebrating the start of Thanksgiving break. They started at Kilroy’s on Kirkwood, making their way to the Dunnkirk after. By the time Scripture left for Sports, it was around 1 a.m.Phelan, a life-long friend of Scripture, said he and his friend, senior Tony Skelton, fell far behind the group, out of sight. It would be at least another hour until she saw Scripture again.While Scripture walked with Skelton, a stranger from behind shouted, “Wow, those jeans really make you look like a faggot.”“A guy tried to antagonize Max because he is gay,” Skelton said. “They only picked on him, not me.” Scripture, who has been openly gay since his senior year of high school, said he has dealt with ignorant comments about his sexuality in the past.He turned around and told the man to shut up, but was urged to walk away by Skelton. “The guy screamed, ‘I wasn’t done talking to you’,” Scripture said. “I only turned halfway around before he decked me in the face. I hit the concrete. Hard.” ***Scripture posted a picture of his bloodied face to his Instagram later that night. Next to it was a snapshot of the man Scripture said attacked him.“Cheers to the douche bag that found it necessary to sucker punch me to the concrete for being a homosexual,” he wrote in the caption. “It’s 2013 and your ignorance is beyond ridiculous.” The image received 128 likes. Scripture never went to the hospital. He never called the police.The FBI classifies an assault motivated by a person’s bias toward a particular race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity or gender as a hate crime.The IU Police Department publishes statistics on hate crimes in its annual security report. IUPD is required by the Clery Act and the Higher Education Opportunity Act to make the University’s procedures, practices and crimes available for public access.Since Scripture decided not to report his attack, it won’t be listed in IUPD’s security report. “Most of the hate crimes we’ve recorded at IU fall into the intimidation or vandalism category,” IUPD Lieutenant Craig Munroe said. “If incidents aren’t reported to us, we have no way of responding to them.”This year’s report stated that zero assaults motivated by bias occurred in the past year. The only hate crimes on record include one 2011 assault motivated by racial bias and fewer than 20 instances of vandalism from 2010 through 2012.Munroe said he takes comfort in the small number of incidents recorded in this year’s security report. “I would report a crime that happened to me,” he said, “but I can’t speak for others.”Other entities serve to address hate crime and discrimination on IU’s campus. Four IU incident teams operate year-round: disability, gender, racial and religious, and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender. Each of the four teams are comprised of faculty and staff with expertise in diversity issues and conflict resolution. The Bloomington Human Rights Commission serves as a sounding board for victims of hate incidents. It publishes an annual incident report, with details for each particular case. But the report only cites incidents made known to the commission which, according to BHRC Director Barbara McKinney, may not be an accurate representation of the amount of hate crime occurring in Bloomington. “I would guess that many hate incidents go unreported for a variety of reasons,” she said. “Just as many rapes don’t get reported.” Through the last three years, the BHRC has reported between 11 to 18 incidents annually.McKinney began tracking hate incidents in the early 1990s after receiving phone calls in her office about incidents motivated by bias.The BHRC incident report has been a sounding board for victims of hate incidents for more than a decade. IUPD launched a full-scale investigation when the BHRC reported in April last year that someone scrawled “Hitler” and a swastika on a Jewish studies poster in Goodbody Hall. When an individual calls the BHRC, McKinney and her team will refer them to the police. At that point, the victim can pursue charges and officially declare the incident as a hate crime. “If there are any details about an incident, I want to hear them,” McKinney said.***The assault left Scripture with a swollen and cut lip. He said his tooth sliced through the inside of his mouth, causing it to bleed.“After the attack, everyone was saying I needed to press charges,” he said. “I was pissed. We didn’t even know if I should go to the hospital or not, so I just left it.” Skelton and two strangers took Scripture to his apartment, where they debated taking him to the hospital. Scripture said they watched his head for signs of trauma, but decided he would be fine without medical attention. About an hour later, Scripture left his apartment to find his friends at Sports. He said the same stranger who punched him was present at the bar. Scripture proceeded to give him the middle finger and attempt to have him removed from the premises. Scripture was drinking, but he said it wasn’t enough to impair his ability to function or remember. “I’ve never even had anyone or anything come close to this incident,” he said. “It really shocked me.” When asked why he never reported his attack, Scripture stared quietly. It was two weeks after the incident, and his lip and face were completely healed. “I’m not worrying about if someone knows about it,” he said. “It happened so fast, he was already gone before I could do anything.” Follow reporter Matt Bloom on Twitter @matthew_bloom.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>An instrumentalist played Cuban, Caribbean and South American music as students and faculty filled paper plates with traditional Latin-American cuisine at the annual Parranda Navideña.Almost 200 members of IU’s Hispanic and Latino community gathered in the Neal-Marshall Black Cultural Center’s Grand Hall Saturday afternoon to celebrate the cultural tradition. For the Parranda, families sing and play holiday songs while traveling through neighborhoods, similar to Christmas caroling in the United States. “Think of it as a traveling party,” said Luis Rohwer, Maurer School of Law professor and IU Latino Faculty and Staff Council board member. But the Parranda Navideña is a dying tradition within the Hispanic and Latino culture in the U.S., Rohwer said.“It’s a way to connect with your roots and tradition — people you don’t get to see as much when you’re in the U.S.,” Rohwer said. “We get together and share stories like we’re back home, but when we look outside it’s very clear we aren’t home.” During Rohwer’s childhood in Puerto Rico, he said his extended family would travel through neighborhoods while singing. Strangers would open their doors, and the group would go inside and start a party in their house.The IU Latino Faculty and Staff Council, with assistance from the Latino Cultural Center and the Latino Graduate Student Association, organized this year’s Parranda in efforts to share traditions from various Hispanic and Latino countries and discuss issues within IU’s Hispanic and Latino community. “Every year we’ve gotten bigger,” Rohwer said. “More people come — it’s exactly what we want.” First-year master’s student Heydi Correa socialized with friends and professors while dozens of children danced to the potpourri of live music.Graduate student Roberto Hoyle’s young daughter held his hands and jumped on his toes while waiting in line for their meals.The Parranda remained in the Neal-Marshall Black Cultural Center instead of traveling door to door, but it was made open to the public.“This community has been everything for me,” Correa said. “My entire IU experience wouldn’t have been as enriching if it weren’t for La Casa and events like the Parranda.” Correa completed her undergraduate degree at IU last semester and has been involved with La Casa since her freshman year. She said she remembers her uncles and cousins performing at her grandma’s house then traveling down the street and singing to everyone in her hometown. Lillian Casillas, director of La Casa, along with students and graduate assistants, helped set up a buffet and advertised the event to as many students as possible through emails.They also collected gift cards and cash donations for Latino families in the Bloomington community. Luis Hernandez, research associate for the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and member of the IU Latino Faculty and Staff Council, said the Parranda will ultimately help his commission report the needs and issues facing the Hispanic and Latino community to administrators. “Bloomington is very diverse. It has been extremely difficult to bring the people in our community together,” he said. “The Parranda is one of the few opportunities where we can bring everyone together and address our needs as a community and what we need to work at in the coming year.”Rohwer said he feels students need to realize there is a bigger world out there that can be much different from their own. “Diversity has become a word that means everything and nothing,” he said. “To me it means there exists lots of different world views, and events like the Parranda are tiny ways that students can partake in their and others’ culture.”Follow reporter Matt Bloom on Twitter @matthew_bloom.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Unpacked cardboard boxes sit around Jennifer Poe’s new office as she prepares for her first staff meeting following Thanksgiving break. After working at IU for nine years, Poe was named the new associate director of the Hudson and Holland Scholars Program, a scholarship and academic support program for minority undergraduate IU students. Following a nationwide search to fill the position, program directors decided Poe was the best candidate. “There is so much room for us to improve student retention, department collaborations and holistic counseling,” Poe said. “My goal is for us to make this a model program.” As associate director of HHSP, Poe will focus much of her efforts on recruiting new students for the program, she said. By developing overarching philanthropy projects, pushing students above minimum grade requirements and increasing the number of advisers, she aims to create a better sense of community within the program. The associate director position was previously occupied by Anthony Scott for nine years. He stepped down in January to become the director of admissions and student services at the IU-Purdue University Indianapolis Herron School of Art. Poe said her new role will allow her to bring together more than 900 HHSP students with the Bloomington community. “The scholarships and support this program offers has been a vital resource to students,” she said. “For some, it has made the difference between staying enrolled or dropping out.” Poe previously served as a HHSP academic adviser for two years, where she specialized in advising students interested in social work and psychology. Junior Danielle Neal said having Poe as an adviser led her to discover a passion within social work and become more prepared for life after college.“She listens,” Neal said. “She is more than an adviser — she’s my friend.” Poe graduated from the University of Evansville with a degree in psychology. She then received her master’s degree in social work and began her career at IU as a coordinator for the 21st Century Scholars Program. She said a lifelong passion of working with kids drew her to IU. “College students still have the hopefulness and drive to achieve all their goals and dreams,” Poe said. “I get to work with those students and help set them on the right path.” Marsha McGriff, director of HHSP, said moving Poe to the associate director position was a seamless transition. “Jennifer is a seasoned professional,” she said. “She loves IU, and she loves students. We’re getting her back to what she does best.” Poe will continue to serve as an academic adviser to students until the end of the fall semester. “Hudson and Holland students are poised to take a big ol’ bite out of the world,” McGriff said. “We give them their shoes, lace them up for them and send them on their way.” Follow reporter Matt Bloom on Twitter @matthew_bloom.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Bloomington’s Middle Way House volunteers like Tempestt Walker aren’t allowed beyond the large set of double doors marked, “secured entrance only.”This sign is on the doors at the end of a long orange hallway – a hallway that secures the women and children who are victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Tempestt has never met any of the women, even though she has volunteered at the house since February 2013. She simply types their names into Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and files their court documents.“We call them survivors,” she says.Tempestt is a sort of survivor herself. A senior first-generation college student, she plans to graduate in May with a degree in public health. Tempestt, along with nearly 2,200 other students at IU, is the first in her family to attend college. Neither her mother, father, nor three older siblings successfully completed higher education. She says a lot of students like her struggle to remain in school long enough to graduate. They often succumb to intense academic demands of college-level courses, financial strains, or social pressures.“At first, we’re scared to ask for help,” Tempestt says. “Everyone automatically assumes that you know what to do. You made it here, so you should have the work ethic and you know how to succeed in college. When actually you don’t. You’re going to struggle.”IU students across the state face an alarmingly low graduation rate – 57 percent – for those who enrolled in 2006 and received a degree in six years or less, according to graduation rates published by the University Institutional Research and Reporting office. From the same group, only 35 percent of bachelor’s degree-seeking students graduated in four years. Mary Tourner, director of Groups, an advising and financial aid support program for first-generation college students, says it is more difficult to keep students in school due to familial and financial burdens. The graduation rate of first-generation college students is even less than the University-wide statistic. Mary says it is somewhere around 40 percent.“These students come to campus with the odds against them,” she says. ***Tempestt is from Indianapolis, a hotbed of recruitment for first-generation college students. She’s soft-spoken yet determined, and she knows what she wants. The 21-year-old blends into the mass of students studying at Herman B Wells Library with her blue checkered scarf and pink North Face jacket. She will graduate, and nothing will stop her, she says. Her mom always stressed the importance of education, yet her older siblings managed to avoid college. Her oldest brother left high school for the streets.“He felt like he was making enough money on the streets, so he never went back to school,” Tempestt says. Her older brother and sister both received GEDs but haven’t found the time to finish college while working full-time. Tempestt says negative influences like drugs and alcohol never got in the way of her pursuing a college degree.“I see a lot of people back home that struggle — family and friends. I saw college as an opportunity to not be like that. I’m here (in college) for a purpose – to get exactly where I want to go.”In fact, Tempestt has never let her academics fall short. Her determination was tested during her sophomore year when her 2003 Pontiac Grand Am broke down – limiting her transportation to and from class. She lived far enough away from campus to where it made it harder to balance classes and work. She thought for a moment about taking a semester off to save up for a new car.“Taking a semester off meant I may never come back,” she says.So she stayed.She stayed so she can graduate and become a lawyer to help victims of sexual assault like the ones at the Middle Way House.She stayed so she could support her family back home. ***Juan Cano, codirector of multicultural outreach recruitment at the IU Admissions office, sits at a small desk in the corner of an upstairs room. This is only one of three jobs he uses to support himself while at school. Currently in his fifth year, Juan plans to graduate in May and attend graduate school for education. He says dealing with the social adjustment of college was the least of his problems as a first-generation college student.“Dealing with the life going on back home was hardest for me,” Juan says, sitting back in his plastic rolling chair. “I had to become the provider for my family.”Juan’s father started calling, asking for money when his bank account filled with thousands in scholarship funds from the 21st Century Scholars program and Groups. Then, Juan’s uncle, the same uncle who cried over the phone when he found out his nephew was going to college, asked for his help financing treatment for kidney cancer. “It really burdens you,” Juan says.But Juan is happy with his role as the provider. He wants to make sure more high school students have the opportunity to be the first in their families to get a college degree. He smiles as he talks about giving his SAT prep books to his younger brother, a junior in high school.Giving high school students access to a higher education hasn’t been the problem for IU. In Indianapolis, the majority of Ben Davis High School’s student body is composed of first-generation students. IU offer thousands of dollars in financial aid specifically for first-generation students. Yet, less than half of the first-generation class of 2014 will receive diplomas come May.Martin McCrory, vice provost for educational inclusion and diversity, has worked at the University for almost two decades, focusing the majority of his effort on improving the environment for first-generation college students. A first-generation student himself, he knows first-hand the obstacles they face.“They never unpack their suitcases because they’re always traveling back and forth from home on the weekends,” Martin says. “This isn’t home for them. This is a foreign land.”The “suitcase kids,” as Martin calls them, are alienated on campus. He and his staff at the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Multicultural Affairs are teaming up with leaders and offices around IU to help make students feel more at home, and more likely to stay and graduate. Martin leads regular focus groups that work to break the barrier between the administration and student body.“It’s my goal to make you believe that you are somebody – that this is your home and you deserve to be at IU,” Martin says.He says his job is what keeps him awake at night, thinking about ways to create more opportunities for students that need help.“I’ll create them,” Martin says. “Or I’ll die trying.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As the sun set and the temperature dropped Wednesday night, almost 50 students, faculty and community members paraded down Kirkwood Avenue, holding candles in memory of victims they never knew.They read the names of 300 transgender people who were murdered in the past year as the result of hate crimes around the world.The event marked the Transgender Day of Remembrance, and it was the largest IU has seen since the event’s inception. Students began honoring the day in 1998, the year Rita Hester was murdered in Allston, Mass.Participants chalked names of the deceased on sidewalks and buildings as they walked, writing things like “down with the gendered order” and “R.I.P Victoria.” Sounds of snare drums echoed down the street as a line of five cars followed. As they pounded on drums, no one spoke. Sophomore Ash Kulak and other members of the Gender Warriors student group led the group toward its destination: the Monroe County Courthouse. On its front steps, Freshmen Josie Wenig and Tom Williams read aloud names of those killed. The Gender Warriors is a student group offering a safe and confidential support system for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals. They canceled their weekly meeting at Boxcar Books to organize the candlelit vigil. Wenig said she hopes to raise awareness for people who aren’t yet involved with queer groups at IU.“We live in a dangerous world for queer people,” Wenig said. “But we have each other, and we can come together on days like this.”Kulak said violence against trans-identifying people in today’s world is a huge problem, something not everyone thinks about. “Different ways to combat violence toward gender non-conforming people of color or other intersecting factors of minority status — that needs to be driven home to people,” Kulak said. “Let’s not just memorialize trans-white people.” Before marching to the Monroe County Courthouse, the group gathered in Dunn Meadow with organizations such as Monroe County Middle Way House and representatives from Culture of Care. Williams gave a speech to the group, reading a statement recounting the death of Rita Hester. The African-American transgender woman from the Boston area was about to turn 35-years-old when officers found her dead in her apartment with stabbing wounds. To this day, her murder is unsolved. “One theory is that Rita’s murderer was a suitor who became furious when he found genitals he did not expect,” Williams read. “But Rita left a legacy.”Today, they aimed to remember those who have given their lives “daring to live a life of authenticity,” Williams said. Members of the Indiana Queer Prisoner Solidarity attended the event and gave speeches advocating against violence. Khalil, one of the group’s members who asked that his last name be kept anonymous, spoke of his time in prison where he witnessed first-hand violence against transgender prisoners. “On November 21, 2003, I was on my way to jail in Miami, Fla.,” he said. “On the bus was a transgender man who was asked to reveal his biological sex.” Khalil paused for a moment, looking out to the audience. “For this, he was taken off of the bus and raped in the bathroom by the prison guards,” he said. Later Wednesday night, about half of the group at the event would branch off to gather at the Monroe County Jail, chanting in protest of what they believe is the unfair targeting of the transgender population in jails. After the final victim’s name was read aloud at the courthouse, the group was silent. Some candles still burned, while others lie in a puddle of wax on the cement steps. “Nothing ever makes this better or will undo what has been done,” Kulak said. “But we will work. And it will get better.” Follow Matt Bloom on Twitter @matthew_bloom.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU president Michael A. McRobbie declared IU’s support of the statewide Freedom Indiana coalition last month, publicly opposing the proposed House Joint Resolution 6 amendment. McRobbie’s announcement drew praise from groups like the IU and Bloomington Faculty Councils and IUSA, and inspired a domino effect of support through Bloomington, all the way to the colorful painted windows of Soma coffee shop.But criticism of the University’s decision soon followed. Some students and faculty members say IU, as a public institution, should not take a stance on social issues. Charles Trzcinka, professor of finance at the Kelley School of business, said he thinks McRobbie is taking a risk by publicly opposing a ban on same-sex marriage. The proposed amendment would constitutionally define marriage as a union between one man and one woman, banning protections for same-sex couples in Indiana. It will be put to a vote by the Indiana General Assembly in January.For McRobbie, HJR 6 contradicts IU’s “deeply held values” of inclusion and equality. He said it’s a ban that could negatively affect IU recruitment and retention. But for Trzcinka, it’s a social issue that does not directly deal with education, and it’s a debate IU should not join. “People in this state do not agree on the definition of marriage,” Trzcinka said. “At the end of the day, we are a state agency.”***Many of the University’s procedures dealing with prominent social issues have remained consistent since the foundation of IU, building on the vision of former president Herman B Wells. Generally, IU only takes action in certain cases where an issue directly affects students, faculty and staff. James Capshew, an associate professor in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, is a Herman B Wells biographer. “When something begins to inhibit the University’s ability to provide an open space for people of any orientation or background, it has a right and an obligation to weigh in on it,” he said. Wells, who served as IU president from 1938 to 1962, led the University’s efforts to desegregate its student body and admit African American students during during his tenure. He protected Alfred Kinsey’s controversial research on sexual behavior in the 1940s. He also fended off attacks from the American Legion on allegedly Communist faculty members. “Wells was very careful,” Capshew said. “But he chose to get involved when the University’s interest was being threatened or hampered in certain ways to maintain a neutral zone for all types of people.”When the direct interest of the University came under fire, Wells was always up front and vocal about protecting the academic freedom of students and faculty, Capshew said. “I think Wells would have went on record saying IU is opposed to changing the state constitution,” he said. ***A week after IU’s announcement, Depauw University and Wabash College joined the campaign. Hanover College and Ball State University followed suit, both joining late last week. But after IU came out in support of the Freedom Indiana campaign, Purdue University announced it would remain neutral, Julie Griffith, Purdue University’s vice president of public affairs, said. “Purdue has traditionally declined to comment on social issues that have been contended in the public arena,” Griffith said. “Any departure from this policy should be undertaken only after careful consultation with the university’s many and diverse stakeholders.” Riley Parr, junior and chairman of the College Republicans at IU, said he thinks IU should have taken a similar approach. He said the administration should have listened to opinions of students and staff before making a decision.McRobbie informed the Board of Trustees of the decision before making the public announcement, Mark Land, associate vice president of IU Communications, said. The president worked with the government relations staff to figure out how the decision would play out. It was an issue that different faculty councils on campus had supported for years, Land said, and the president had a good sense he had broad support. “Virtually everyone on campus has come out in support,” Land said. “There is a broad consensus that this is the right thing to do.”IU is comprised of more than 110,000 students and 17,000 faculty across all campuses. Many members of this IU community might disagree with the University’s stance, even if they haven’t spoken up, Parr said. “A university is supposed to be about openness and debate,” Parr said. “When you have the president deciding what the entire University’s stance is, it silences the opposition.” Trzcinka agreed that many faculty members in opposition might not be speaking about the issue. “I’ll bet I’m one of the few who express any concerns at all, and all I said was there are risks,” Trzcinka said. Land said although there has been no organized opposition to IU’s decision on campus, he acknowledges that many students, faculty and alumni might disagree. “It’s perfectly reasonable to ask that question, whether or not it was our place to do this,” Land said. IU government relations staff works year-round with legislators, discussing dozens of issues at a given time, Land said. The staff has been working “behind the scenes” on this issue for the last three to four years, Land said.In addition, the University has offered domestic partner benefits to employees for more than a decade. “We felt this issue was of significant importance to the University and the state...that the University felt compelled to speak publicly,” Land said.The proposed amendment would endanger the University’s ability to recruit potential employees by offering them a disincentive to live and work in Indiana, McRobbie said.Trzcinka said he thinks the economic argument is not relevant to IU’s decision to support Freedom Indiana.Kinsey’s research on sexual behavior indicated four percent of males and one to three percent of females had been exclusively homosexual at the time ofhis interviews.“With numbers this low, the economic impact will be unmeasurable,” Trzcinka said. “The only real argument is moral, not economic.”Whether its a moral, political or social issue, the University argues that it should play a role in the discussion. “This is one of the biggest issues,” Land said. “We thought it was important to be heard.”Follow reporter Matt Bloom on Twitter @matthew_bloom.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Prominent voices in Indiana’s marriage equality debate gathered at the IU Maurer School of Law Monday to argue against the proposed House Joint Resolution 6 constitutional amendment. HJR 6 would void all same-sex marriages or civil unions in Indiana, even those solemnized in other states.IU government relations staff plans to visit state legislators face-to-face in its effort to oppose the proposed state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. “Our boots are on the ground,” said Jackie Simmons, IU’s vice president and general counsel.Representatives from IU, Freedom Indiana and Cummins Inc. answered questions from an audience of almost 200 law students, faculty and community members regarding their respective organization’s stances against HJR 6.IU announced publicly its opposition to HJR 6 last week and was joined by DePauw University and Wabash College Monday. Purdue University officials said the school, led by former Gov. Mitch Daniels, will not take a position on the issue, according to the Associated Press.Matt Showalter, president of Outlaw at IU Maurer School of Law , helped organize Monday’s event, which was intended to showcase a broad array of perspectives.He said Outlaw extended an invitation to pro-HJR 6 organizations such as the Indiana Family Institute and the Pence administration to speak in favor of the amendment, but neither organization attended the meeting.Ryan McCann, the director of operations and public policy at the Indiana Family Institute, a public education and research organization based in Zionsville, Ind., said the decision of what constitutes as marriage should be put in the hands of Indiana’s public.Simmons said the amendment would endanger the recruitment and retention of public employers like IU that have adopted domestic partner benefit programs for their employees.“If you’re trying to recruit a great chemist or professor from another university, it’s important to them that IU has a community that respects diversity and treats people fairly,” Simmons said. Megan Robertson, campaign manager for Freedom Indiana, said an individual’s support of Freedom Indiana isn’t reliant on his or her support of gay marriage. “Our campaign is a very broad coalition of organizations, faith groups and businesses,” she said. Robertson is a Republican campaign organizer who has served under the likes of Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard and organized campaign rallies for Sarah Palin — politicians who are in favor of HJR 6. “This isn’t a partisan issue,” she said. “It was my responsibility to stand up as a Republican and say that I am against this.” If the Indiana General Assembly votes in favor of the amendment, it will appear on ballots for Indiana voters in next year’s off-year election in November. “Right now is a critical point in the campaign effort,” IU law professor Steve Saunders said. Robertson said Indiana is moving in the opposite direction as the rest of the country with the consideration of HJR 6, especially since 14 states now recognize same-sex marriage.“If this ends up going to the ballot, we are prepared to fight it at the ballot box,” Richardson said. “I haven’t seen anything that compares to the excitement of this campaign in my 10 years of work.” Follow reporter Matt Bloom on Twitter @Matthew_Bloom.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>On nice days, Kathryn Hutton used to ride her bike to campus and play kick the can on Ninth Street.She lived in Bloomington, down the block from the Kinsey family. Mr. Kinsey was often outside wearing his underwear or very short shorts, Jennie Jacoby, one of Hutton’s three children, said. Kathryn Hutton passed away early last week at the age of 93.She and her late husband, Edward Hutton, were both alumni and benefactors of IU.In 2003, the family gave $9 million to IU to establish an endowment for the International Experiences Program, according to the Hutton Honors College website. The family’s contributions have assisted students with traveling and living expenses, allowing them to complete service projects and internships outside of the United States. “Thanks to the Hutton family international experience is affordable to our students,” Hutton Honors College Dean Fritz Breithaupt said.Jacoby said her mother was extremely humble, even to a fault.She never liked the limelight and she loved the city of Bloomington. “I’ve been struck by the number of friends who have been writing me emails,” she said. “Mom was like a second mother to them.” Edward worked in Germany during World War II.Breithaupt said Edward’s time there inspired him to help undergraduate students gain access to international experiences. In fall 2004, the University renamed the Hutton Honors College in honor of the Hutton family’s philanthropy. The Hutton International Experiences Program and the Hutton Family Study Abroad Scholarship are also named after the family. Kim Maryrose was a member of the first class of Wells Scholars and interacted with Kathryn during her time at IU. “She was always interested in what was going on (in my life) and was unfailingly kind,” Maryrose said. “I remain grateful to her all these years later.” While her husband was in Germany, Kathryn lived in Bloomington and worked at the IU library.Jacoby said her mother donated money to Bloomington’s local WGHB radio station because she liked listening to the classical music at home.Jacoby said it kept her Kathryn company. “Whenever she talked about her time at Indiana there was always this great joy,” she said. She said Bloomington was her mother’s playground. When it was warm enough, Jacoby said Kathryn loved to swim in the quarries, south of town. When Kathryn was young, a friend Dick Reid, who lived next door, couldn’t pronounce her name, so he called her Gainie.The nickname stuck with Kathryn for the rest of her life. As a student, Kathryn was elected president of Motor Board, a national organization for women in community leadership roles.Jacoby said her mother was much more open-minded than many others in her generation.She read one of her mother’s favorite quotes, the one from Barbara Streisand. “How boring life would be if we all were the same,” she said. “My perfect world is one where we appreciate each other’s differences — black, white, gay, straight. We are not the same, but equal.” Fallen yellow and red leaves now rest around a granite tombstone marked “Hutton” in Dunn Cemetery. The Hutton family plans to spread Kathryn and Edward’s ashes at IU next summer. IU Foundation President Dan Smith said the University community will be forever affected by all the Hutton family did to provide students with the means for true success in the global community. “The family’s extraordinary generosity and steadfast commitment to scholarship and academic excellence will impact students for generations to come,” Smith said. Follow reporter Matt Bloom on Twitter @matthew_bloom.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Latin American markets present new battlegrounds for business school graduates, according to a professional panel at the Kelley School of Business. The first Latin American Business Conference Thursday afternoon brought together more than 75 Kelley students to discuss the challenges of navigating the business world in the expanding Latin American marketplace. Organized by the Institute for Global Organizational Effectiveness and the Latin MBA Association, along with several other sponsors, the event featured guest speakers from the Latin American marketing, consulting and finance industries in two separate panel discussions.A $4.8 million gift to IGOE in 2010 allowed the institute to fund outreach programs, like the Latin American Business Conference, to build relationships with companies across the region. Nitin Garg, president of the Global Business Society, introduced the first panel that discussed the challenges and opportunities of doing business in Latin America. “One of the key things we strive for as Kelley students is getting a global perspective on our education,” Garg said. “We have this common tendency of looking at Latin America as one big block of market, but it’s not.” The question-and-answer style panels allowed current students to ask questions about the complexities of navigating the expanding marketplace.Guest speakers Blas González, managing partner of Attreio Pharmaceuticals in Mexico, and Juan Coronado, Citi Bank senior vice president of global strategic sourcing, urged the audience to avoid generalizing the culture and economies of Latin American countries. “You wouldn’t just go to Brazil and try to speak Spanish to them,” González said. “You have to do your homework.” González, who has lived and worked in Mexico for five years, is a Kelley graduate. After working in the corporate world for most of his career, he said he saw potential in the Latin American pharmaceutical marketplace and decided to try his hand at entrepreneurship in the region. “There are stark differences within the legislation surrounding business operations as you move nation to nation,” González said. “There are a lot of complexities and nuances that you have to understand as you move into the Latin American market.”Herman Aguinis, director of IGOE, said the institute has doubled the number of MBA students in Kelley who are from Latin America or will work in Latin America.“It is a dream for me to be able to give an opportunity to so many motivated and smart students,” Aguinis said in a statement on the institute’s website. “Kelley is the perfect school to do this, because of the caliber of the faculty, of the students and the resources at IU.” Follow reporter Matt Bloom on Twitter @matthew_bloom.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU announced its decision Monday to join a statewide bipartisan coalition, Freedom Indiana, in its effort to defeat the House Joint Resolution 6.HJR6 would amend the Indiana state constitution to add the state’s current statutory ban on same-sex marriage and civil unions to the state constitution. IU is Indiana’s first college to announce its support for the campaign, which was launched this summer.“HJR6 sends a powerfully negative message of Indiana as a place to live and work that is not welcoming to people of all backgrounds and beliefs,” IU President Michael McRobbie said in a press release. “We are proud to join the Freedom Indiana coalition and, in doing so, stand with some of Indiana’s most respected employers and organizations on the side of fairness.” IU joins other prominent employers including Eli Lilly and the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce in denouncing the amendment. The Indiana General Assembly will vote in January 2014 on whether to approve HJR6 for placement on a statewide referendum — slated for November 2014. Freedom Indiana campaign leaders stated in a press release that having the state’s largest university as a part of the coalition will strengthen the force of their message to lawmakers, who will consider HJR6 during the upcoming legislative session. James Wimbush, vice president of Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs, said the proposed amendment was in direct contradiction to his office’s commitment to provide broad access to IU’s outstanding educational opportunities.“Not only would this amendment have a profound impact on Indiana’s economy, but it would codify intolerance in a way that directly contradicts the welcoming community that we strive to nurture at IU,” Wimbush said.“Indiana University is a large employer here in Indiana. To remain competitive in attracting the best scholars to teach the most highly qualified students, we must keep our state open to all types of teachers and learners.”About 20 student volunteers gathered in the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Student Support Services office Monday evening for the campaign’s weekly phone bank.Freshman Freedom Indiana volunteer Morgan Mohr said she was relieved the University announced its support. “IU is taking an important stance towards equality today,” Mohr said. “Bloomington is one of this state’s strongholds.” Doug Bauder, director of GLBTSSS, said the IU administration advocated for LGBTQ equality legislation more quietly behind the scenes in recent years, making Monday’s public statement more effective. “It mirrors the growing number of Hoosiers that are understanding the value of marriage equality,” Bauder said. “The administration has just come out as our allies.”Mark Land, associate vice president of public affairs and government relations, said IU’s move to publicly announce support of Freedom Indiana was a result of senior leadership’s decision to step up for equality. “IU has made no financial contribution to Freedom Indiana as of now,” Land said. McRobbie said the passing of HJR6 would deter prospective employees, which would add to the state’s challenges of remaining economically competitive. “The University looks forward to lending a strong voice in the effort to ensure that the state’s Constitution is not altered to codify an intolerance that is not representative of the best of Hoosier values,” McRobbie said. Follow reporter Matt Bloom on Twitter @matthew_bloom.