Ohio River Chemical Spill, p. 8 | Snow Days, p. 10-11 | Professor finds heart in Egypt, p. 16-17

Feb. 10, 2014| TABLE OF CONTENTS | 2

FEATURES Grades vs. Connections.....................................Page 5Students and faculty examine the importance of grades and networking in opening doors.

Chemical spill....................................................Page 8 The recent Ohio River chemical spill raises questions about local water quality. An IUS professor discusses effects of waste in tap water. Snow Days.............................................Pages 10 & 11Winter weather interrupts first month of classes. Students and teachers make adjustments, while administrators make decisions on campus closures.

Education Standards.......................................Page 13 Indiana adopts new education standards, met with some opposition. Professor Profile.....................................Pages 16 & 17William White, adjunct lecturer of Spanish, moved to Egypt after graduate school, a decision that changed the course of his life.

Greenhouses....................................................Page 20While the rest of the campus is iced over, campus greenhouses are 70 degrees and full of life.

IN EVERY ISSUENitty Gritty........................................................Page 3 Scorecard...........................................................Page 4Events.........................................................Page 6 & 7Opinion.................................................Pages 14 & 15 Diversions..............................................Pages 18 & 19

In The Horizon

Pages 16 & 17 Page 20

IU Southeast4201 Grant Line RoadNew Albany, IN 47150

Phone812-941-2253

E-mailhorizon@ius.edu

The Horizon is partially funded by Student Activity Fees. The Horizon is a multi-platform student-produced newspaper, published during the fall and spring semesters. Editors must be enrolled in at least three credit hours and some are paid.

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Letters to the editors must be signed, include student’s major and class standing and be fewer than 300 words. The Horizonreserves the right to edit for brevity, grammar and style, and may limit frequent letter writers.

The Horizon welcomes contributions on all subjects. The Horizon is not an official publica-tion of Indiana University Southeast, and therefore does not necessarily reflect its views.

Your first issue of The Horizon is free. All subsequent copies cost $2 each.

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The Nitty GrittyBriefs and links to news from campus and beyond

Feb. 10, 2014 | NEWS | 3

Jan. 30 at 11:17 a.m.Officers responded to a report of a person stuck in an elevator on the third floor of Knobview Hall. When the officers arrived, the person had already been freed. The elevator is being exam-ined by the maintenance department.

Jan. 31 at 9:25 a.m.An officer was dispatched to take a report from a custodian that someone had been urinating in a garbage can in the IUS Library twice in a week. A report was taken.

Feb. 3 at 2:10 p.m.Officers responded to a report that a student was looking up guns in the Crestview Hall computer lab. The officers spoke to the student, who said he was shopping for personal use.

Jan. 11 at 11:00 a.m.An officer took a report of vandalism at Meadow Lodge after graffiti was discovered on the over-hang. Video surveillance led officers to search an apartment in Meadow Lodge, where evidence linking Jacob L. Schultheis to the vandalism was found. An Affidavit for Probable Cause on a Criminal Mischief charge was filed at the Floyd County Prosecutor’s Office.

Local Briefs

Cherokee Park suicideA suspected bank robber died from a self-inflicted gunshot during a confrontation with the police in Louisville’s Cherokee Park. Lucas Ohnimus, 21, shot himself after a failed escape attempt. The other two suspects surrendered to police upon being found.

First brandy distillery in Louisville set to openA brandy distillery is set to open in the Butchertown district of Louisville, and will be the first of its kind in the city. Joe Heron, distillery owner, said he expects operations to start in March, with public tours begin-ning in April.

National briefs

Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman found deadActor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead Sun-day, Feb. 2. He had prominent roles in films such as “The Master,” “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” and “Capote.” Private funeral services were held Fri-day, Feb. 7.

White House lockdownThe White House was locked down Friday, Feb. 7, after a suspect attempted to jump the fence while carrying a pair of bags. A Secret Service official said that nothing dangerous was found in the bags during their initial screening.

World briefs

Winter Olympics begin The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia began

on Friday, Feb. 7, and will continue through Feb. 23. Events include snowboarding, luge, figure skating and the six disciplines of skiing.

Attempted plane hijacking thwartedA passenger on a plane en route to Istanbul, Turkey staged an attempted hijacking Friday, Feb. 7. He was detained by security officials after the plane landed in Istanbul. The hijacker attempted to redirect the flight to Sochi, Russia, the site of the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/MCT (Used with permission)Visitors watch fireworks explode outside Fisht Olympic Stadium after the Opening Ceremony for the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Friday, Feb. 7, 2014.

*Find your destination at the Major Fair: February 10th and 13th FroM 12:00PM-1:30PM.

* Find involveMent oPPortunities, get helP with Major decisions, exPlore career resources, and get an in-Flight snack oF Free PoPcorn!

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Feb. 10, 2014| SPORTS | 4IU Southeast Scorecard

Women’s Basketball

IUS 84

Kentucky Christian

66 @

Alice Lloyd 83

IUS61

Brescia 63 @

IUS97

IUS 93 @

Asbury University

70

Alice Lloyd 76

IUS 92 VS

Men’s Basketball

VS

January 28

February 1

February 6

January 27

February 1

Feb. 10, 2014 | FEATURES | 5

Making the grade:The benefits of networking while still in college

By KIMBERLY CROWEStaffkncrowe@ius.edu

Faculty and IUS alumni have said college students believe they needed high grade point averages in order to get a job after graduation. However, after entering the job market, they said they quickly realized who they know could be just as important. They have also said it is good for students to have a well-rounded education and good net-working skills. Whitney Myers, IUS alumnus, received a degree in marketing. She is now a media as-sistant at Creative Alliance. She said at her current job she works with Long John Silver’s by placing

media orders and helping with television commer-cials. While in college, she said she maintained a high GPA and networked, both of which helped her to

get her current job. Trey Lewis, director of the Career Devel-opment Center, said he could not stress enough the impor-tance of networking when looking for a job. “Networking is just as critical as grades, if not more,” Lewis said. Lewis said hav-ing a high academic standing shows that students know how to retain the infor-mation for the class-room, while network-ing gives students an opportunity to show they know how to use everything they are learning within the classroom and apply it to real-life situations. “You need to get social and pipe into a

professional sandbox,” Lewis said Lewis said it is important for students to learn who to talk to in order to make pro-fessional connections, and that LinkedIn is helpful in this re-gard. He also said another great resource for students is the Career Development Center’s website, www.ius.edu/career. The website has tutorials and webinars to help students set up their own professional

LinkedIn account. He said the center also offers to take a professional picture for each student’s Linke-dIn account. “The people you already have access to can keep an eye out on possible job opportunities for you,” Lewis said. Myers said she was never good at networking because she was nervous to talk to people she did not know, but she said in her case, networking helped her get the job. She also said family friends or co-workers can be helpful in finding a job. “You never know what is going to come out of networking,” Myers said. Donna Ulrich, business academic adviser, said working with others is a great way to network and show reliability. She also said grades are important because they get students an advanced degree, get them into their job field and can help them to get into companies. Networking , she said, will get stu-dents interviews for jobs. When it comes down to two people, the employer could look at each per-son’s grades, and the person with the better grades will most likely get the job. “It is like a seesaw,” Ulrich said. “Grades carry more weight.” Ulrich said good academics will help students land jobs at the beginning of their careers, but after students work in their fields and gain experience, networking will become more important. No matter what you do while you’re a student, Ulrich said, you always have a chance to network. “Grades will frequently open doors for opportu-nities,” Ulrich said.

TOP EVENTS

Student VS. Staff Where: Ogle Center When: Feb. 13 - 16, 7 p.m. The department of modern languages is present-ing the 15th annual international film festival. Each film will be from a different country. Event is free and open to the public.

Week of Feb. 10

Where: Activities Building When: Thursday, Feb. 13 5:15 - 5:45 p.m. The second Student vs. Staff basketball game will be held at the Activites Building. Students are wel-come to come and compete against faculty members for bragging rights.

Where: Activities BuildingWhen: Thursday, Feb. 13, 2 - 7 p.m. The Men’s and Women’s basketball teams will tip off this season on Saturday for homecoming. The men will play IU East and the women play Berea. This event is free.

Feb. 10, 2014| EVENTS | 6

Week of Feb. 10

Feb. 13THURSDAYBasketball

7 - 9 p.m. Activities Building,

IU Southeast The men’s basketball team will be taking on Berea. IU Southeast currently stands at number one in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic confer-ence, having won 11 games.

Softball1 p.m.

Koetter Sports Complex,IU Southeast

This is the first softball match of the season. Come down to the ole’ ball field and cheer on the Grenadiers as they take on Georgetown College.

Feb. 14FRIDAYAlcohol9 - 10:30 a.m.Hillside Hall,

room 106 Before making some bad choices during the weekend, learn about some positive alternatives. This free session will explain the holistic effects of alcohol use.

Love Sux5 p.m. - 3:30 a.m.

Howl at the Moon, Louisville

Come celebrate Anti-Valen-tine’s day. Singles and couples are welcome. Drink specials and Love Sux games with $500 in cash prizes. First drink is on the band.

Feb. 11TUESDAYJim Cramer

7 - 8:15 p.m.University Center,

room 122 The National Society of Leadership and Success is hosting a broadcast session with Jim Cramer. Cramer is the host of “Mad Money” and founder of The Street, Inc.

Feb. 10MONDAYVinyl Night

8 - midnightHaymarket Whiskey Bar,

Louisville Described as a “neighbor-hood mix tape,” Monday Vinyl Night encourages guests to bring in their favorite vinyl records. They can also choose which side to play: A or B.

HeLa Cells12:20 - 1:10 p.m.

Third floor,IUS Library

As part of the Common Ex-perience series, this beginner’s lecture will focus on what these cells are used for, and their importance in biological and medical research.

Feb. 12WEDNESDAYKristen Chenoweth

7:30 - 9:30 p.m.Kentucky Center,

LouisvilleEmmy winner Kristen

Chenoweth will be performing at the Kentucky Center’s Whit-ney Hall. Tickets start at $35, and meet-and-greet packages are available as well.

Reception11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

University Center,room 127

This is a Get to Know You lunch for all the mentors and mentees on campus. For more information on this event or the mentoring program e-mail mentorin@ius.edu.

SGA 12:15 - 12:45 p.m. University Center,

room 128 The Student Government Association is hosting an open session to all students to ex-plain what it is they do. Light refreshments will be served. Come and voice your concerns.

Feb. 15-16WEEKENDCPR Training

7 - 8:30 p.m.University Center,

Sunday Alpha Phi is hosting a free CPR training session. Open to all students and staff. The event will take place in the Hoosier Room. Call 812-941-2675 for more information.

Winter Popsnoon-1:30 p.m.

Ogle Center,Sunday

The IU Southeast Concert Band and the Music Depart-ment are hosting a Winter Pops concert. Tickets for adults are $8, for students and seniors $5.

Homecoming Film Festival

Week of Feb. 10 Week of Feb. 10

Feb. 10, 2014 | EVENTS | 7 Week of Feb. 17

Feb. 21- 23WEEKENDCollege Goal Sunday

2 - 4 p.m.Library, Sunday

Filling out college pa-perwork is complicated and time-consuming. Come get help completing your FAFSA from financial aid experts.

Magic Night6 - 10 p.m.

University Center, room 127Friday

The Gamers’ Society hosts a night of Magic the Gather-ing trading card game. Come learn how to play magic with fellow students and friends.

Feb. 19WEDNESDAYWinter Wednesday

7:30 p.m. - ?Clifton Center,

Louisville WFPK Winter Wednes-day presents Bob Schneider and the Watson Twins. They are collecting canned goods at the door for Dare to Care Food Bank.

Blood Drive12 - 5 p.m.

University Cener,Hoosier Room

Give the “Gift of Life” during the Alpha Phi spon-sored blood drive. Every two minutes, a patient in the Unit-ed States needs blood. This is opened to the puiblic.

Feb. 18TUESDAYDrink Wine Day

4 - 11 p.m.Eddie Merlots,

Louisville The steakhouse will be of-fering half-off glasses of the restaurant’s branded vintages in honor of National Wine Day. There will be speical pro-motions for guests.

Interview Tips12:15 - 1 p.m.

University Center,room 122

Students are encouraged to attend this short work-shop, which includes tips and techniques on preparing for interviews in the professional world.

Feb. 20THURSDAY Luminox

10 p.m.Diamond Pub,

Louisville Up and coming trapstlye artist “Luminox” will be per-forming at the Diamond Pub concert hall. You must be 18 years old. Tickets on sale now.

God of Carnage8 - 10:30 p.m.Ogle Center,

Robinson Theatre Come to the opening of God of Carnage. The play will be shown throughout the weekend. Faculty and student tickets are $6.

Photo by Alphonzo Bridgemen

Kevin (1) and Cameron (22) Mitchell, senior guards, and Vernon Payne (23), senior forward center, return to the game after a pep talk from men’s head coach Wiley Brown.

Game on, Grenadiers!

Feb. 10, 2014| Features | 8

January chemical spill raises questions about local water quality By GAIL FAUSTYN Co-Editor-in-Chief gfaustyn@ius.edu

On Jan. 9, a chemical used in coal processing leaked from a plant into the Elk River in Charleston, W.Va. The Elk River feeds into the Ohio River. Near-ly 300,000 people in Charleston and the surrounding area were left without water, and 122 of those people sought treatment for ailments caused from the con-tamination.

Neighboring cities, like Cincinnati, took precau-tions to shut down the city’s intake valves for nearly an entire day, leaving the city to run on reserves that had not been treated for the appropriate amount of time.

While the leak was essentially harmless to the Southern Indiana and Kentucky region, it startled Louisville and New Albany residents. Nothing was done to prevent the chemical leak from reaching Lou-isville and Southern Indiana, leaving the residents to wonder exactly what is in the water they consume daily.

Patty Ranaivo, assistant professor of chemistry, came to the southern Indiana region to study just that.

“Water is my passion and this is a great location for research,” Ranaivo said. “The Southern Indiana and Louisville area have extremely different chemi-cal makeups in their ways of treating water.”

She said she believes that the chemical leak was bad, but the biggest challenge will be people gaining trust in the water-treating plants again.

“It’s hard to build confidence after a spill,” Ranai-vo said. “Especially one that was preventable.”

She said what worried her most about the spill was that it showed how ill-equipped the water treat-ment plants are, in regard to different kinds of chem-ical compounds they are not already testing for.

“It was the consumer that realized something was wrong,” she said. “It is not our job to do that.”

In order to understand what is going on with the local water, each regional district annually releases a water quality report to the public. The report reveals simple facts about where the water in the cities is coming from and what is in it. The reports are easily accessible and can be found online at www.louisville.gov and www.in.gov.

According to the water quality report for South-ern Indiana, most of the tap water comes from 19 wells. Ranaivo said that’s not a lot considering the

size of the region. These wells serve Jeffersonville, Clarksville, New Albany and other surrounding communities.

The water in the Louis-ville Metro area comes di-rectly from the Ohio River and is treated by two local Louisville water plants, ac-cording to the city’s water quality report.

In addition to breaking down exactly where drinking water comes from, the report also gives a very detailed list of certain chemicals that have been found in the water supply.

Some of the chemicals listed include Haloacetic Acids [HAA5] and Total Trihalomethanes [TTHM].

In the reports from 2012 and 2013, both regions have a higher rate of these specific chemicals. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, these chemicals are used to disinfect the water.

“The water plants are not fully equipped to identify every kind of chemical com-pound,” Ranaivo said. “They are also not ob-ligated to list everything they find, only cer-tain chemicals.”

Ranaivo came to IU Southeast from Memphis, Tenn., where she had also studied water. She said the lev-els for these same chemicals in Memphis were much lower. While they are still within the normal range in Louis-ville, they are becoming more and more preva-lent as time goes on.

Indiana, on a scale of 80 parts per million, is recorded as having 30.3 ppm of TTHM and 12.5 ppm of HAA5. Rana-ivo said that the level for these specific chemi-

cals were, or near, zero ppm when she studied the water in Memphis. Ranaivo teaches a chemistry class in which

she and her students will be studying the water in the surrounding area. She said she is not exactly sure what she will find, but she said she is confident that they will discover a chemical byproduct that has not yet been revealed on the water quality report.

In addition to recommending that students read these reports, Ranaivo strongly encouraged students to call the actual water treatment plants and ask questions if concerned.

“Everyone is busy, but if something looks odd, call the water treatment plant,” she said. “They are there to help you and to make sure you understand the information they hand out to you.”

Ranaivo said that there is no simple answer when treating water at home. The amount of chemicals put into the water is an outcome of natural human daily activity.

“No one just put the chem-icals in to the water,” Ranaivo said. “The amount of waste is

the disease and the entire problem we are facing now.”

In order to keep the water as clean as possible, Ra-naivo said she suggested that everyone monitor the amount of waste they put out into the environment. She said by simply watching what you use and can re-use, not only will the water quality improve, but the environment will as well.

“Waste is a disease,” Ranaivo said. “You want to treat the disease and not the symptom. We need to promote a certain sense of responsibility and ac-countability because we will never cure this problem if we don’t start from home.”

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By ELIJAH LOSSNERStaffelossner@imail.iu.edu

There are two magical words that send children into a frenzy, and perhaps even ignite a similar feeling in adults as well: “snow day.”

IU Southeast has had to cancel classes twice, release students ear-ly once, and delay classes three times. Six interruptions in just the first month of classes has placed pressure on faculty and students to come up with creative ways to keep up and not fall behind.

Uric Dufrene, vice chancellor for academic affairs, said the adminis-tration is not necessarily pressuring professors to ease the workload on students or be more forgiving. He said they want faculty to be aware that some students will be affected more, but ultimately it is up to the profes-sor to handle students on a case-by-case basis.

Rhonda Wrzenski, associate professor of political science, said the ad-ministration trusts the teachers with their classes.

“The administration kind of sees this as our terrain,” Wrzenski said. “Only we really know what’s going on in the class, and therefore we probably know the best strategy on how to deal with it.”

Dufrene said he does not make the decision to delay or cancel classes alone, but relies on information from a variety of sources.

According to the Administrative Affairs Policies and Procedures, the process starts with the chief of police. The sergeant or senior officer will notify the chief when snow begins to accumulate before campus opens. The chief and officer-in-charge together determine whether the condi-tions will affect faculty, staff, and students. If they think it will, they then notify the vice chancellor of academic affairs. In this case, that person is Dufrene.

Dufrene said he then begins to gather information He said he gets information from the Physical Plant regarding conditions on campus and seeks input from IU East about conditions in that region. He said he also listens to dispatch reports of accidents in the area and information from the National Weather Service. He then has a conference call with some of these sources before deciding what to do.

Once he has decided to delay or cancel classes, he gets final approval from the chancellor. Once that is given, he notifies the local media and the IUS Police. The IUS Police then notify the switchboard and within minutes, students’ phones are telling them to sleep in.

Wrzenski said she does not want students to feel frustrated and fall behind.

“I think it’s about staying positive and trying to say, ‘Look, we are all in this together,’” Wrzenski said. “Let’s try and come up with a solution that is going to work well for everyone.”

While all students have had to find ways to adjust, the challenge for some students might extend beyond campus clos-ings alone.

Ashley Neal, sociology senior, has a one-year-old and said her daycare has been shut down six times in the last three weeks. For that reason, she has missed class in addition to the time off for snow.

Neal said she does not feel behind, but she admits that some professors are more forgiving than others.

“In one class my professor has pushed back an exam and is helping students with a detailed study guide,” Neal said. “And in another class, students who miss that day are still held responsible for the information that was covered.”

Other students living farther away face similar challenges. Noah Hewitt, criminal justice junior, said he commutes from Madison, Ind., and missed his morning classes for the first time last Wednesday.

“If you live closer to IUS, then I don’t think it’s a problem,” Hewitt said. “I know that some of the kids in the classes I missed this morning, who live farther away, weren’t there either.”

Hewitt said that despite these challenges, he has been able to make up all of his work. He said he at-tributes some of this to being a junior, and that he be-lieves his experience allows him to better cope with the obstacles. He also said that his professors have

been a big help. “The teachers have been easy to get along with,”

Hewitt said.

Feb. 10, 2014| FEATURES |10 11

On Feb. 2 groundhog Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of freezing temperatures, blinding snow storms and icy roads.

Some IUS students have their own tricks to keep their cars from going into hibernation during the winter.

“Never let your gas tank get low, or the pipes could freeze. I always try to start my car at least 15 minutes before I leave so it has time to defrost and get warm,” Bryan Bary, general studies senior, said.

“Leave your windshield wipers up at night so they don’t stick to the windshield in the morning,” Tyler Santos, pre-biology sophomore, said. “Also, check to see what temperature your coolant is good for. Or just park in the garage.”

David Brooks, certified technician for Valvoline, said he had several safety tips to help ensure your car will not break down this winter.

1. Make sure all lights inside and out are working ef-ficiently. If they are not working proper-ly, get them replaced so you can see well under snowy condi-tions.

2. Check your wiper blades to help increase visibili-ty and safety. Dull blades make it hard to get ice and snow off windshields.

3. Replace the

battery if needed. It is harder for the car to start with a low battery.

4. Get your serpentine belt replaced - this drive belt keeps your vehicle system, including the alterna-tor, power steering, and water pump, running. If it breaks, you will not go anywhere.

5. Rotating your tires helps maximize traction and the life of your tires.

6. Tire tread and pressure should be maintained daily. Tire pressure drops 2 pounds during winter. Keeping the right amount of air will prevent flats or blowouts.

By following these helpful tips, you might not find yourself broke down and freezing on Interstate 65 one day after class. But in case this does happen to you, be sure to pack a blanket to keep warm while waiting for AAA.

Semester off to icy start Tips to keep your car from getting the chills

By SECOY RICHEYStaffvsrichey@ius.edu

Photo by Jims Porter

“If you live closer to IUS, then I don’t think it’s a problem,” Noah Hewitt, criminal justice junior, said. “I know that some of the kids in the classes I missed this morning, who live farther away, weren’t there either.”

Photo by Erin Mann

Graphic by Secoy Richey

Facebook photo contest winner

Kimberly Pelle

Coordinator for Non-traditional

Student Programs

IU SOUTHEAST

INTERNATIONALFESTIVAL

Tuesday March 4, 2014, From 5-8 p.m.Hoosier Room, University Center

This event sponsored by IUS International Programs and the Student Government Association with assistance from student programming funds.

If you require reasonable accommodations due to a disability to participate in this event, please call 812.941.2365

Enjoy Live Music, Dance & A DELICIOUS DINNER BUFFETfrom around the World!

$5 for students/seniors and $7 for non-students. Tickets available at the door.

Feb. 10, 2014| FEATURES | 13

By JOSH MEDLOCK Staff jrmedloc@indiana.edu

A student sits nervously at his desk, wringing his sweaty hands together. The teacher walks through the narrow rows handing out tests. He has prepared for this exam for weeks, but at this moment, he is not sure he prepared enough.

This scene is playing out more and more in class-rooms across Indiana, but the fear of receiving an F is no longer limited to students. When Indiana’s system for measuring school accountability, Public Law 221, changed in 2010, school corporations began receiving

A-F letter grades instead of generic titles that ranged from “Exemplary Progress” to “Academic Probation (high priority).”

Every year, these let-ter grades are attributed to every public, private and charter school across the state of Indiana. According to the Indiana Department of Education website, these grades are primarily based off both the percentage of students who pass the state-mandated exams and the improvement of stu-

dents on these exams from year to year.The 2013 accountability letter grades were released

by the Department of Education on Jan. 15. In Floyd County, New Albany Senior High received a C for 2013, and Floyd Central High School received an A.

This system may be benefitting Indiana schools, as 134 more schools received an A in 2013 than in the year before. The new A-F system, however, has received criticism from teachers, legislators and parents since its creation. In 2012, Tony Bennett, the Superintendent of Education who implemented the system, lost his re-election to Glenda Ritz, an outspoken opponent of the A-F grades.

In her victory speech, Ritz said, “[Hoosiers] don’t want their teaching and learning environments to be about teaching to the test, resulting in grading of our

schools with the flawed A to F accountability model.”Lane Hewitt, an English teacher at Salem High

School, said the controversy not only surrounds how the state calculates the grades but also the public per-ception of the results.

“Anyone who has ever been to school knows what an ‘F’ means, and no school wants to be labeled a fail-ure,” Hewitt said.

With Indiana schools facing more test-based evalu-ations, how has this system affected the teaching pro-fession? Hewitt argues that this higher focus on tests is changing the way educators manage their classrooms.

“More testing means that teachers will have to spend more time on test prep, which is not the kind of engaging work that motivates students to come to school and try their best,” Hewitt said.

Loriann Wessel, a teacher at Salem High School who specializes in various social studies subjects, said

teachers in the social studies department, where there is no mandated state test, have to come up with their own ways to measure student growth.

“Assessments such as essays, simulations, projects and anything hands-on have taken a back seat to the newly required student growth assessments,” Wessel said.

These changes from the statehouse not only affect current teachers, but also college students who plan on becoming teachers in the future.

“If the state is requiring more testing, I think it would affect the way I plan to run my classroom be-cause I like to see students in action to evaluate their knowledge. Tests aren’t always accurate,”Angela Hol-len, elementary education junior, said.

Education majors and current teachers should not become too comfortable with the current system, how-ever. According to a bill passed by the Indiana General Assembly in 2013, the House Enrolled Act 1427, parts of the A-F grading scale will be reviewed and rewrit-ten.

Also in this bill, the state legislature ordered a re-view of the Common Core standards, which were the federal math and reading standards adopted by Indi-ana in 2010.

In Governor Mike Pence’s State of the State address delivered on January 14th, he said, “When it comes to setting standards for schools, I can assure you, Indi-ana's will be uncommonly high. They will be written by Hoosiers, for Hoosiers and will be among the best in the nation.”

Wessel said these frequent shifts coming from the state legislature are important to know and under-stand.

“It is very important for teachers currently in the field and for future teachers to keep up with these changes because as we are seeing with the Common Core Standards, the measuring stick is constantly moving and changing,” Wessel said.

Hewitt said keeping up with the state changes is especially important for education students.

“Soon-to-be teachers need to be aware of the re-alities of the profession, Hewitt said. “Teachers must be willing to compromise and adapt to ever-changing state policy in order to survive.”

The full list of accountability grades can be found at www.doe.in.gov.

MAKING THE GRADE:Indiana schools put to the test

When it comes to

setting standards

for schools...

Indiana’s will be

uncommonly high.

Governor Mike Pence

Feb 10, 2014| OPINION | 14

It’s not just about the end game anymore By ADAM TAYLORVideo Platform Editoradamtayl@ius.edu

“Life is too short…”Bullshit.We’ve all had that person

in our lives who says that life is too short and to spend your time appropriately. Whether it be an older person whose time is coming to an end, or a misguided youth who hasn’t yet learned to cope with the passing of time and tells you to go partying every night, the overarching concept is the same.

The initial impression of being cheesy or trite is also the same, or it was to me.

“Life is too short.” Life is the longest thing you do, how can you say it’s too short?

I think I might finally understand. It actually makes sense when it finally hits close to home.

I’ve always been a person of many interests and many passions, but I’ve been wrapped up with what I want to be, not what I want to do. The end-game, not the questing. The final destination, not the jour-ney. What good is the pot of gold if you don’t stop and enjoy the double rainbow?

The past year or so has finally made me appreci-ate the journey itself and actually take that saying to heart. Life really does end.

During the spring se-mester of 2013, my great grandmother (on my dad’s side) passed away. This past Thursday, my grandmother, her daugh-ter, was buried. During the time between those two, two of my three dogs died.

I like to pretend, to put up an facade that none of this has affected me. When I get thinking

the right way, I know it has. On top of those, my mom has gone

to quite a few funerals for more dis-tant (to me) relatives just since Hal-loween. All this death really gets one thinking.

If we’re honest, none of us truly know when our expiration date will come up. And from my perspective, none of us know what awaits us when that time comes. I’ve really started to look at things differently. The end re-sult isn’t going to matter if I can’t be happy with where I’ve landed at the end of each day. If I died tomorrow, would I be successful enough for my-self?

Before this revelation, that answer would have been “no.”

I’ve been so focused on where I want to be later, that I haven’t stopped and enjoyed myself as I get there. A big goal of mine is to be self-employed

doing freelance and video work, much like I currently do with my YouTube channel and web-site. That will be great once I get there, but what about now?

Until now I’ve never fully appreci-ated the enjoyment I’ve gotten from making the videos and working with the people that I do. My work means nothing if I don’t thoroughly enjoy the process of creating it.

While I’ve never agreed with the concept of “life is too short” before, re-cent events have made it clear to me. When speak of the deceased—at fu-nerals or when coping—we often have pretty similar talks about celebrating the life and the journey of the deceased. Sure, they can feel pretty cookie-cutter and generic, but it’s that way because that’s what people feel and connect with. You’re remembered for who you were throughout your life, not right be-fore it ended. Why not enjoy your time living as much as you can?

That’s what I’m aiming to do now. I was misaligned for a little bit, only seeing the end goals I wanted out of life and not how I wanted to enjoy it, but I’m getting back on track. Those passions

and goals I had before are still there, but following the passions is more important.

Now, I get to look back at all the videos I’ve made—the fun my fiancee and I had making videos togeth-er—and truly appreciate the journey I’m on. It doesn’t matter if I don’t meet my goal as long as I continue having a blast trying to reach it.

So sure, life is too short. But only if you go about life in the wrong way. If you go through life seeing nothing but the goals you chase, life will fly by. Too much of my life has flown by this way. However if you live life to enjoy it, to make yourself happy and appreciate the journey that each day provides, life is very long and quite fulfilling. That is the kind of life I want to lead.

Life is too short. Life is even shorter if we keep looking at the end instead of soaking in the scenic paths we take. Thankfully, a simple change in mindset can fix that.

As my original inspirations for my passions, Adam “Seananners” Montoya, puts it:

“Life is definitely a process. You’re always going to try and do your best, and you know what? You’re nev-er going to be perfect. I think that pursuit of that per-fection is more important than the perfection itself.”

Life is even shorter if we keep looking at the end instead of soaking in the scenic paths we take.

Adam Taylor, video platform editor, and his fiancee, Cara Young, pyschology sophomore. The two like to live life to the fullest.

Photo by Adam Taylor

Feb. 10, 2014| OPINION | 15

It’s not just about the end game anymore

There is a large sector of American society that wants you to embrace the F-word. They want the F-word in schools, in the government and in our homes. Some of these people even name their chil-dren after the F-word.

Don’t believe me? President Obama said the F-word at least twice in his State of the Union ad-dress. There are plenty of athletes, priests and edu-cators who will tell you the F-word is at the center of everything they do. The F-word is also what Ken Ham, founder of The Creation Museum, is trying to promote and protect.

The F-word I am referring to is, of course, “faith.”Before you accuse me of blasphemy, let me say

that I respect and defend anyone’s right to believe whatever they wish. I was raised Catholic, attend-ed Catholic schools and was taught from an early age that freedom of religion is one of the core values that sets the U.S. apart from the rest of the world.

The problem I have with Mr. Ham and his mu-seum is that he is trying to disguise religious faith as science. And he’s cutting into local tax revenue to do it.

The 70,000 square foot Creation Museum sits next door to Cincinnati’s airport in the small town of Petersburg, Ky., about a two hour drive from IU Southeast. It gained national recognition last week when popu-lar children’s T.V. host Bill Nye (the Science Guy) debated the mer-its of creationism vs evolution with Ham. More than half a mil-lion people watched the debate live.

I visited the muse-um complex last week ahead of the debate, and while I agreed with absolutely nothing I saw in the exhibits, it is well within Mr. Ham’s — or any other Christian’s

— right to regard the Bible as a literal account of how the world came into existence, no matter the evidence to the contrary.

Ham’s museum teaches that the world was created in exactly six days a little more than 6,000 years ago. God decided to flood the earth and instructed Noah to build an ark to house two of each animal in exis-tence—including dinosaurs. No, seriously. The muse-um displays a miniature ark with longneck dinosaurs following giraffes, two by two, up a boat ramp. (See photo below.)

That brings me to Ham’s latest ambition: a 160-acre religious theme park with a “full-sized” replica of No-ah’s Ark. The park will feature live animal shows, a children’s interactive play area, a Middle Eastern vil-lage and a replica of the Tower of Babel. It will also be paid for, in part, by Kentucky taxpayers.

Gov. Steve Beshear and the Kentucky Tourism De-velopment Finance Authority have approved a $43 million tax incentive for the park, as well as $11 mil-lion to improve the interstate system leading to the Ark Park.

Beshear awarded this tax money in 2010. Mean-while in Louisville, Kentucky Kingdom, the amuse-ment park which was a major source of summer jobs for teens, was rotting away.

One of Nye’s goals in debating Ham was to raise awareness that, if we allow creationism in public ed-ucation, our country’s young people will not be able to compete with the rest of the world in areas such as

math and science. But there’s already a problem in Ken-tucky. According to census data, Ken-tucky ranked 47th in the nation in percentage of high school graduates in 2009.

“Most students are presented only with the evolution-ary belief system in their schools, and they are censored from hearing chal-lenges to it,” Ham wrote in a blog post the day before the debate. “Let our young people under-stand science correctly and hear both sides of the ori-gins issue and then evaluate them.”

What attracts many young people to hear Ham’s “side” of the origins issue are the dinosaurs that are fea-tured prominently on the Creation Museum’s website and ads. It is what piqued my interest. Who wouldn’t be intrigued by the thought of humans living with di-nosaurs? Most children would love their own pre-his-toric pet. Although, in Ham’s view, of course, they wouldn’t be pre-historic.

Once inside the museum, however, it is more fire and brimstone than Fred Flintstone. Exhibits warn of the breakdown of the traditional family, world famines and even war, all because creationism is not taught in public schools.

“If you believe in a universe that was created by accident, then there is ultimately no meaning and pur-pose in life,” Ham wrote in his blog the day before the debate.

The issue with teaching a Christian faith concept in our country’s schools — aside from the scientific ev-idence that contradicts it — is that not everyone is a Christian. Studies have found more than 300 different religions in the United States. A 2012 analysis by the Pew Research Center found that 20 percent of Americans do not identify with any religious group. One third of those people are under 30. Ham’s proposal is truly a testament to an old way of thinking.

Faith is an important part of our society and provides answers for millions of people. But when it comes to re-ligion influencing our tax dollars and public schools, it is time for the F-word to go the way of the dinosaur.

By Joel StinnettOnline platform editorjoelstin@ius.edu

Photo by Joel Stinnett

Gov. Steve Beshear and the Kentucky Tourism Development Finance Authority have approved a $43 million tax incentive to build an Ark Park—complete with dinosaurs.

Tax dollars flood into creationist’s Ark Park

Feb. 10, 2014 | profiles| 16

Zak KerrStaffzakerr@ius.edu

Living in a foreign country for two years of one’s life is a daunting task in and of itself. Knowing next to no one, not being completely fluent in the local lan-guage and getting used to the customs of a foreign country can all add to the strain of being so far away from home. Combined with the stress of getting mar-ried and having a child, the situation can seem un-manageable.

This is what William White, adjunct lecturer of Spanish, lived through when he spent two years teach-ing in Egypt during the Arab Spring.

White said he has had a passion for language since he started learning

Spanish in high school.

“I’d always try to teach myself,” White said. “I’ve taught myself enough French that I could get by, not confidently, but I could make myself understood.”

White’s studies in the Spanish lan-guage have taken him to many differ-ent countries over the years. As an undergraduate stu-dent at the Univer-sity of Louisville, he

got the opportunity to study abroad in both Mexico and Spain.

“Mexico was a really interesting experience be-cause, while Spain was an organized study abroad, my experience in Mexico was, what was called at the time, a Muhammad Ali Peacebuilder Program,” White said. “I was the only American student there, the only foreign student that I could find.”

When he moved on to graduate school at U of L, he was encouraged by his professors to study a second language while working towards his master’s degree in Spanish. Initially, White said he was going to study another romance language, but none of the French or Italian classes would fit into his schedule, and Arabic

was the only class that could work.Once his classes started, White said he became very

interested in the Arab world and decided he would have to go to the Middle East one way or another.

“I happened to meet Egyptians in my time as a graduate at U of L,” White said. “One was a friend and the other was the one I eventually married. You can guess which one was the stronger motivating factor.”

His wife, Shereen, is from Egypt and was a Ful-bright participant at U of L. She taught intro to Ara-bic classes at the university for two semesters. They shared an office together and met weekly so White could practice his Arabic with a native speaker.

“I was just starting to learn Arabic, had just come back from Morocco and wanted to practice my Ara-bic,” White said. “That’s just kind of where it started. We kind of just developed a relationship and one thing led to another and I showed up in Egypt and we got married a few months after that.”

After he had finished graduate school, White said he took on as many jobs as he could and started sav-ing his money to make the move to the Middle East. He was considering moving there without getting a job beforehand and just applying to as many places as

possible, but he was able to find a job.“All of the sudden, I found a connection in Egypt

and the guy hired me on the phone,” he said. “Like in two minutes. ‘Why do you want to come to Egypt?’ ‘I’d like to come to Egyp–’ ‘OK, OK I’ll hire you!’”

He was hired on as a teacher at Dover American International School in Al Shorouk City, Cairo. It is an American and international college preparatory school that follows American school curriculum and teaches its subjects in English.

He made the move to Egypt in Aug. 2010 and got married to Shereen four months later.

“I had spent a month in Morocco, so the culture was somewhat familiar, but when I got there, I was getting used to settling in and after a few months, the Egyptian revolution happened,” White said. “The Arab Spring. I had been married for about a month and my wife was pregnant. I got married in December and that happened in January.”

White said that it was overwhelming at first. He said that they had no means of knowing what was go-ing on in the country.

“I didn’t have a lot of experience living in a country that was falling apart or having some sort of collapse of a regime,” White said. “The hardest part in the be-ginning was that the government cut off cell phones, cut off the internet. They kind of cut off everything.”

White said that the biggest lesson he learned from the experience was what fear can do to people. He said there were nights where he stood outside his house with a baseball bat because there were rumors of thieves in his neighborhood. People were telling him not to let anyone know he was American, but he said he never felt like he had to worry about that.

“I never felt that I was looked at differently; I just never felt like an outsider,” he said. “I felt more Egyp-tian, even though I’m clearly not.”

He spent some nights patrolling, baseball bats in hand, with other Egyptians to make sure no thieves came into their neighborhood. No one thought any-thing of him being American.

“Ended up that none of that was happening,” White said of the rumors of thieves. “It was scary in the be-ginning and then it calmed down. Order was kind of restored. But it was always a bit unstable throughout the whole thing.”

White had only intended to stay in Egypt for a year, but once the revolution started it was almost impossi-ble for his wife to get out of the country. She was an Egyptian and did not have a visa to leave the country.

“The American Embassy was constantly being shut

William White and one of his students outside the Dover Amer-ican International School, Al Shorouk City, Cairo.

Courtesy Photos

“I didn’t have a lot of experience living in a country that was falling apart or having some sort of collapse of regime.

William White IU Southeast professor

of spanish

Instructor takes chances, finds heart in Egypt

Feb. 10, 2014 | FEATURES | 17

Study Abroad with Indiana University Southeast

Costa Rica: Field Study in Latin American Geography

Summer II, 2014Application deadline: February 26, 2014

Students Registered for the Costa Rica: Field Study in Latin American Geography Program:

• Will receive up to 3 credits in G323, Geography of Latin America or independent study.

• Must obtain a valid passport for travel between July 7 and July 18, 2014.

• Can expect to pay approximately $2,600, which includes airfare, ground transportation, admission fees, lodging and two meals per day. Financial aid and scholarships may be used to defray some or most of the expenses.

For more information or application materials, please contact:

Peter GalvinDepartment of Geosciences

Indiana University Southeastpgalvin@ius.edu

“The Embassy was attacked a week before our interview, so they closed it for months.”

While Shereen could not travel, she wanted him to travel to Europe. During the first two weeks of the revolution, they were unsure of how severe the situation was going to become, but White said he never felt like leaving was an option, as he could not leave his wife.

White said during the start of the revolution, Dover Amer-ican International cancelled school often and that many of the teachers had left to go back to their home countries. Once they figured out that Egypt was not going to completely fall apart, however, White said that classes were back in session.

At Dover American Interna-tional, White was teaching ele-mentary school students. When he took the job, he said he had

no idea that he was going to be teaching 10-year-olds.

“They didn’t tell me that,” White said. “I thought I was just going to teach just ESL [En-glish as Second Language] stu-dents, I had no idea what I was doing.”

White had taught Spanish at U of L during his gradu-ate studies, but he said teach-ing college students had not prepared him for the stress of teaching elementary school students.

“It required a crazy amount of work and stress here and there,” White said, “but I end-ed up forming relationships with some of these students and they still Facebook me and send me messages about what they’re studying. It’s really cool.”

While White said he enjoyed his time teaching the young

students in Egypt, he said he cannot see himself taking an-other elementary teaching job in the future.

“I prefer teaching adults at this point,” White said.

Chris Brody, psychology ju-nior, had his first Spanish class with White last semester. He said White’s passion for lan-guage made him a great teach-er.

“He is seriously the best teacher I’ve ever had,” Brody said. “He’s real down to earth and really understanding, and his teaching reflects that.”

Brody said he could tell White’s passion for language because of how it was part of his everyday life.

“He’s lived in different countries, he’s taken the time to learn multiple languages, and he teaches one of the languages here and at U of L,” Brody said.

“It’s just his life.”Brody said that White’s abil-

ity to break down the grammar and structure of the Spanish language has helped him im-mensely.

“He is always encouraging you and he could tell when I was feeling discouraged about Spanish,” Brody said. “He’s like my foreign language men-tor.”

Since having a class with White and hearing of his trav-els, Brody said he is inspired to study abroad, possibly next summer.

White said he would en-courage anyone to take the op-portunity to study abroad. He said a lot of people think that traveling abroad requires a huge amount of money or that it’s a scary thing. While that can be true, he said there is a different way to look at it.

“My father passed away when I was two, so I was raised by my mom,” White said. “I mean that was it, we weren’t rich or anything. Where did the money come from? It came from just taking advantage of opportunities.”

He said people would be surprised how little they have to pay if they just look for the opportunities and scholarships for travel.

“We shouldn’t view the United States as this bubble that we live in and these other places are so far away, because they’re actually not,” White said. “You could get on a plane in an hour from now and by to-morrow morning you’ll show up in the Middle East or South America, you could be any-where in a very short amount of time. I think we have to take advantage of that.”

Feb. 10, 2014 | SPORTS | 20

College students often need an escape. For Corey Schaeffer, biology senior, this comes from an unlikely place: the campus greenhouse. “It’s really relaxing to work and I feel like it’s really rewarding to watch things grow,” Schaeffer said. “A lot of these plants in here I’ve taken care of for about three years now.” These plants must be watered and upheld regularly to ensure that growing processes are prosperous. Schaeffer helps maintain the plants inside of the campus green-houses. In August 2011, he said, he began as a biology-lab as-sistant who was interested in plant life and was given ac-cess to the greenhouses. Schaeffer said the greenhouses are environments for rare and exotic plants to grow. After they have been de-veloped fully, Schaeffer said that most plants are used for science students to study and observe. “A lot of these plants get used for our biology courses, botany and plant development. They use these life speci-mens to experiment on,” Schaeffer said. David Taylor, professor of biology, said he oversees the campus greenhouses. There are two greenhouses, which Taylor said have separate roles. The larger of the two is used to grow plants and the other for research. Taylor said the IU Southeast campus has had a green-house since it moved to Grant Line Road during the 1970s. The smaller one, he said, has been a part of the campus for about six or seven years. When the Life Sciences Building was remodeled four-teen years ago, Taylor said the campus greenhouse was rebuilt with greater insulation to create a better environ-ment for the plants. Winter is not considered the ideal time for growing

and preserving plants due to cold weather and little sun-light. However, Taylor said the greenhouses are an ex-ception to that rule. With the help of supplemental light-ing, he said the plants are able to cultivate as well as they would during spring and summer. Despite the weather that IU Southeast has been ex-posed to recently, Taylor said he believes students would be surprised to know that the IUS greenhouses have an entirely different atmosphere. “If you go in the greenhouse, it’s a nice and warm 70 degrees. We have plants that grow very successfully such as tropical plants and a variety of temperate plants,” Tay-lor said. Though Schaeffer said he has been busy this past fall semester, he feels that he does not spend enough time in the greenhouse. He said he gets a sense of peace when he is in the company of life that he helped create. Schaeffer said he often encourages people to stop by the greenhouse and see the plants inside. However, he believes few students are interested in knowing what these plants have to offer to the IUS campus and every-day life. “A lot of people walk in here and think ‘alright, what-ever’ and leave,” Schaeffer said. “There’s a lot that gets ignored with the plants; a lot of people really take them for granted, I think.”

Courtesy Photo

Corey Schaeffer, biology senior, said that he really enjoys working in the greenhouse located next life science. “It’s re-ally relaxing to work and I feel like it’s rewarding to watch things grow.”

By ANGRESTASIA GROVERstaffajgrover@ius.edu

Little piece of paradise