Latest news with #UniversityofIndianapolis
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Terre Haute North earns Early College High School endorsement
Terre Haute North Vigo High School has been recognized as an endorsed Early College High School by the Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning at the University of Indianapolis. Endorsed Early College High Schools offer students the opportunity to graduate from high school with a high school diploma and the Indiana College Core, an associate degree, a technical credential, or 15 or more dual credits. The goal is to reduce barriers between high school and college. For the 2022 cohort, 79% of Early College High School program graduates went on to college, compared to 53% of Indiana graduates. Early College programs are a nationally recognized model enabling students to earn college credit while in high school. In Indiana, CELL endorses — or accredits — high quality Early College High Schools based on their adherence to meeting eight core principles, such as establishing a college-going culture and providing strong student supports. To be considered, Terre Haute North prepared a portfolio that addressed the eight core principles of Early College High Schools. In addition, a team from CELL visited the school to interview stakeholders about the program and its benefits and challenges. As of the 2023-24 school year, 60 high schools across the state were recognized as endorsed Early College High Schools. Earlier this week VCSC announced a similar achievement for West Vigo High School. West was selected by CELL at the University of Indianapolis to be a partner school in the Rural Early College Network 2.0 as part of a $10 million Education Innovation and Research grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Through RECN 2.0, CELL will help 20 rural high schools implement Early College High School programs, providing advanced coursework and increasing the number of students who go on to college. For more information, visit
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Session process shuts out Hoosiers
The Indiana Statehouse - adorned with scaffolding for a roofing project - on March 28, 2025. (Niki Kelly/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Editor of the Indiana Capital Chronicle Niki Kelly recently shared why the end of the legislative session is her least favorite season. Kelly wonders why the democratic processes that are embraced throughout most of the session are thrown out at the end, particularly through amendments with new or unpopular bill language. However, we argue that this is not just an end of session issue or a shortcoming of the current crop of state legislators, it is by design. This institutional arrangement largely shuts out the very people it claims to represent – the people. We have a deeper understanding of this concept after we were fortunate enough to team-teach a course, Applied Political Philosophy, at the University of Indianapolis. By training, one of us is a political scientist (Shufeldt) and the other a philosopher (Davidson). Lawmakers and their terrible, horrible, no good, very bad end of session Our students started by reading political philosophy, including works from Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, John Stuart Mill, Isaiah Berlin, and John Rawls. We encouraged them to think about what gives the government its legitimacy, the appropriate uses of power, and what constitutes a compelling government interest. In a democracy, many of these ideas revolve around the idea of the 'consent of the governed.' To apply these ideas, students tracked and analyzed bills throughout the legislative session. They were free to pick any legislation they wanted and were encouraged to identify bills they supported or opposed. We did not impose any restrictions or parameters – their selected bills ranged from relatively obscure (but important) to more controversial, contentious pieces of legislation (like House Bill 1393 or Senate Bill 10). Like our students, any Hoosier can track legislation to better understand the legislative process. The IGA website has vastly improved over the years allowing citizens to watch committee hearings or discussion in the House or Senate. Our students were able to report on the progress of their bills from the comfort of their dorm rooms. The website is relatively up-to-date, giving everyday citizens the ability to see vote outcomes, a schedule for each day, and current bill language and amendments. Moreover, the media landscape in Indianapolis – in no small part thanks to nonprofit newsrooms like the Indiana Capital Chronicle – allows citizens to stay informed about what is happening at the statehouse. However, being informed and being able to participate in democracy are not the same. Indiana has what political scientists call a 'citizen' or part-time legislature. Session began in January and recently concluded. This part-time calendar has a host of consequences – it affects who is able to serve (especially young people), it artificially speeds up aspects of the legislative process, and leads to large, omnibus pieces of legislation covering far too many topics alongside the inclusion of unpopular ideas without being vetted by committees, but perhaps most problematically – it makes it more difficult for everyday citizens to play a role in the legislative process. We equipped our students with the knowledge they need to engage in citizen lobbying. We led them through the process of scheduling a meeting: sending an introductory email, making daily follow-up phone calls, and looking out for legislators once we arrived at the statehouse. Of our seventeen students, fourteen were able to have at least one meeting with an elected official (or their legislative assistant) on their own or to join a classmate in their meeting, and we are eternally grateful to the elected officials who took time to speak with our students. CONTACT US However, the casual relationship with time at the state capitol shuts out everyday voters. Many students lamented the near radio silence in response to their repeated emails and phone calls, the frequent last-minute cancellations or hours-long delays, and double-booked appointments. The typical voter cannot be at the capitol all day, every day, just to have a five minute meeting with an elected official meant to represent their concerns. Without paid lobbyists, citizens are less able to catch last minute amendments or previously thought-to-be dead bill language that gets revived, nor can they afford to wait a few more hours until the legislator is 'free' to meet. While our students at UIndy benefit from being a ten-minute drive to the state capitol, Hoosiers traveling from each of the four corners of the state may miss their opportunity for their voices to be heard. Making space to hear everyday people is not the sole responsibility of individual elected officials. The limited availability of legislators is an institutional failure–one that arises from the design of the assembly and calendar rather than only the individual choices of legislators. Whether students agreed with their legislator or supported the outcome of a bill, a healthy democracy requires citizen involvement, and the institutions must be designed in ways that support this engagement. Getting shut out of the process and seeing the IGA in action has led some of our students to grow more pessimistic – threatening to lower Indiana's already abysmal rates of voter participation. For some students, gaining the 'tools necessary to feel empowered to change government' (according to their reflections) only made them more committed to the process . Regardless of any individual student's reaction, the Indiana General Assembly must address the institutional barriers that shut out everyday citizens – they work for us, afterall. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Chicago Tribune
29-04-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Lake County coroner identifies body of Gary woman missing since 2021
The Lake County Coroner has identified a deceased body as a Gary woman who was first reported missing on Sept. 14, 2021. Lisa Wright was found at 2664 Jefferson Street in Gary. The coroner and MedicoLegal Death Investigation Team were notified and responded at 2:10 p.m. on March 28. Wright was 30 years old when she went missing in September 2021. Remains were taken to the University of Indianapolis Human Identification Center for further examination, according to a coroner's office news release. Wright was pronounced dead at the scene, at 2:46 p.m., according to the news release. Both the injury sustained and manner of death were listed as 'pending further examination' at the University of Indianapolis. In January, Wright's friends and family asked for help finding the woman at Team NWI-Independent Search and Rescue's awareness event at Second Life Resale Shoppe in Crown Point. Brenda Jones, who said she was one of Wright's best friends, asked for more help finding Wright, according to Post-Tribune archives. Jones expressed concerns with the Gary Police Department, saying that she believes they were discriminating based on 'certain things in (victims') pasts.' Team NWI-Independent Search and Rescue, on Tuesday, posted about the discovery of Wright's body on the organization's Facebook page. 'We've been on a journey to find Lisa Wright for some time, and in doing so, we've formed a strong bond with her mother Gerri Wright as we've searched many places together,' the post said. 'Although the circumstances of her discovery are heartbreaking, we're grateful that the family can now begin to heal and find closure. As we move forward, we're committed to seeking justice to honor her memory and bring peace to those who loved her.' Wright's mother was unable to immediately comment on the discovery Tuesday.
Indianapolis Star
23-04-2025
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
IndyGo's Purple Line jumps to No. 1 in monthly ridership as Red Line, other routes falter
AI-assisted summary IndyGo's Purple Line has become its most popular route, surpassing the Red Line in ridership since its October launch. While the Purple Line's ridership has increased, the Red Line and Route 8 have seen declines since Nov. 1. A 2022 rider survey revealed that 57% of IndyGo riders do not own a vehicle and have a household income below $25,000. In the Purple Line's first full month of operation this past November, the new bus rapid transit line quickly established itself as IndyGo 's No. 1 route. The margin by which Purple Line ridership outpaces that of the Red Line — IndyGo's first BRT service and No. 2 route — has only widened since then. Purple Line trips increased to a peak of 102,462 in March, roughly 21,000 more trips than IndyGo reported that month on the Red Line, which travels the same route for 13 stops between downtown and 38th Street. When it comes to ridership, the Purple Line seems to be not just outperforming but stealing from the Red Line. Ridership on the older line, which opened in September 2019, has been 18-25% lower year-over-year in each month since the Purple Line debuted Oct. 13. In March 2024, the Red Line was IndyGo's only route that surpassed 100,000 monthly trips, reporting 101,940. Last month, however, the Red Line reported just 81,087 trips — a 20% reduction from last year. IndyGo officials expected that the Purple Line could siphon off some Red Line riders. Each BRT line arrives every 15-20 minutes at the same stations between the Julia Carson Transit Center downtown to the 38th and Park Street stop, so riders traveling within that area can board whichever bus comes first. At 38th and Park, the routes diverge as the Purple Line continues east to Lawrence while the Red Line heads north to Broad Ripple. The 15.2-mile Purple Line is also 2.1 miles longer and travels past more residents overall, including dense lower-income neighborhoods on Indy's northeast side, so its robust ridership makes sense. IndyGo built the Red Line first, however, because the 13.1-mile corridor from Broad Ripple to the University of Indianapolis boasts the city's densest concentration of people, jobs and low-income households. Nearly 150,000 jobs and more than 50,000 residents are within walking distance of the Red Line, while the Purple Line glides past nearly 135,000 jobs and the homes of more than 58,000 residents, according to IndyGo. IndyGo leaders aren't worried that the Purple Line's ridership has surged ahead of the Red Line's, Chief Public Information Officer Carrie Black said. They expect to see more fluctuation between the two routes moving forward. "Those two routes are doing exactly what they were designed to do," Black told IndyStar, "and that is to move people faster through the densest parts of our city." Despite lower numbers to end 2024, the Red Line reported an annual high of 1,174,023 trips, a 7% increase from 2023 ridership. The Red Line is not alone in its decline since the Purple Line began running. IndyGo's No. 3 service, Route 8 (the future Blue Line), has reported between 10,000-20,000 fewer trips a month since Nov. 1, along with a number of smaller routes reporting declines. IndyGo's overall ridership during those five months, buoyed by the Purple Line, is only 1.4% lower. Ridership on Route 8, which follows a different east-west path along Washington Street than the Purple Line's 38th Street route, had been mostly trending upward until Nov. 1, when year-over-year ridership declined by nearly 23,000 trips over the following two months. Route 8's 2024 ridership was about 20,000 trips short of the previous year's total, finishing at 1,073,880. Black said there's no specific reason IndyGo can point to for Route 8's year-over-year decline. Ridership fluctuates based on several factors including construction, seasonal events, employment situations and the weather. She noted that a major detour on Route 8 between Tibbs Avenue and Holt Road could also be deterring riders. "Ridership is unfortunately not a perfect system and a perfect story," Black said. "Sometimes ridership will drop and then it will shoot back up, and we don't always know why." Red Line trips increase in 2024 as overall IndyGo ridership rebounds Since opening in 2019, Red Line ridership has grown in every year except 2021, when the first full year of pandemic restrictions worsened a worldwide decline in public transit ridership. IndyGo's total trips plummeted from 9.2 million in 2019 to just above 5 million in 2021. IndyGo has boosted ridership gradually in each year since. The 2024 total of more than 6.9 million rides is the largest volume recorded since 2019. "People went back to work," Black said of the past few years. "Companies basically ordered their employees to return to the office and the workplace, and thus our ridership continued to rebound." IndyGo expects ridership to keep rising with the construction of the Blue Line, which will replace Route 8 and run from the Indianapolis International Airport to Cumberland. Work began this year and will finish sometime in 2028. The 24-mile route is the longest and most expensive of IndyGo's BRT routes, at an estimated $387 million. The 15.2-mile Purple Line's budget was $188 million while the 13-mile Red Line cost about $96.3 million. Who's riding the Purple and Red Lines? Despite what the numbers show, for many IndyGo riders there's little distinction between the Purple and Red Lines. Most riders leaving downtown Monday afternoon were heading home from work. Others said they were using the Purple Line to travel to night shifts along 38th Street or to exercise at the gym. Afrida Alma Aditi, 30, said that since moving to Indianapolis last June to work at an architecture firm on Monument Circle, she's been riding the Purple and Red lines downtown almost every weekday from her north side apartment near The Children's Museum on 30th Street. A Bangladesh native who earned a graduate degree in Ohio, Aditi said she grew up relying on public transit and has made her way in the Midwest without a car or driver's license. She deliberately chose to rent an apartment near the Red Line last summer, and her life got easier in October when the Purple Line started running. "When it was just the Red Line, I had to check the bus times more often. If I missed one, I had to wait for a long time," Aditi said. "Now, even if I miss one, there's another one just after that." Charles Samuelson, a 39-year-old state employee who lives near the Fall Creek and Meridian stop, said he sold his car soon after the Red Line opened in 2019, happy not to worry anymore about budgeting for gas or car insurance. Usually he rides his bicycle a few miles to work, but on windy or rainy days he takes the bus. Aside from the occasional belligerent passenger, Samuelson said, he's enjoyed the BRT lines for their easy access to grocery stores, libraries and entertainment districts like Broad Ripple. What IndyGo survey shows about riders IndyGo's last comprehensive rider survey in 2022, before the Purple Line opened, found that 57% of riders say their household lacks a vehicle. That same percentage of riders report household incomes below $25,000 a year. Nearly three in four IndyGo riders say they're employed, including 17% who work part-time. Red Line riders tend to be younger and more affluent than the typical IndyGo rider. They're two times as likely to report an annual household income of more than $60,000. About 27% are between 24 and 34 years old.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
College IDs for voting, parental rights, transgender athletes: These Indiana bills are on the move
University of Indianapolis students Madison Riley, left, and Sam Hunt protest Senate Bill 10 outside the House Chamber on April 1, 2025. (Whitney Downard/Indiana Capital Chronicle) A rousing debate over college students voting in Indiana punctuated legislative action Tuesday. Other topics ran the gamut, from tax cuts and transgender sports to water resources and parental rights. The voting measure, Senate Bill 10, would no longer allow students at Indiana's public institutions to use their college IDs as proof of identity at the polls. But the reason seemed unclear — as sponsor Rep. Kendell Culp, R-Rensselaer, continually referred to 'concern' that college students aren't residents. 'I think a lot of the concern here that we're missing is: a university ID does not prove that that is an Indiana resident,' he said. But Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, noted there is an entirely different part of law that governs residency and voter registration. The bill doesn't impact that law. 'We're singling students out. If your concern is about registration, then deal with that,' he said. Pierce and others noted that most college IDs meet the four requirements in state law: to have a name, photo, expiration date and to be issued by a state or federal entity. Rep. Chris Campbell, D-West Lafayette, observed that U.S. passports are allowed as proof of identity at the polls, but don't have addresses or even a state of residency on them. 'Who are these students voting for overall? I'm just going to be truthful. They are a threat. They are a threat to Republicans in this state,' said Rep. Renee Pack, D-Indianapolis. But Rep. Matt Lehman, R-Berne, held up his driver's license and listed things Hoosiers can't do without it: buy alcohol, some cold medicine, fly on a plane. 'We already have created a system where you need one of these to do everything almost everybody over the age of 18 is doing,' he said. 'I don't think it's too much to ask if you are going to vote to have one of these.' Non-drivers can also obtain state identification cards. The bill passed 67-24 and now returns to the Senate. Hoosiers could see upcoming cuts to the state individual income tax rate under a different measure approved 74-18 in the House. Senate Bill 451 would drop the rate by 0.05% beginning in 2030, if state general fund revenue collections exceed 3.5% growth in each of the four preceding fiscal years. The next year's revenue forecast also must be at least 3.5%. The reductions would continue in every even-numbered year through 2040. Current law is phasing Indiana's flat income tax rate down from 3.05% in 2024 to: 3.0% in 2025, 2.95% in 2026, and 2.9% in 2027 and years thereafter. Each 0.05 percentage point reduction of tax rate would result in a decline of income tax revenues between $150 million to $200 million annually, according to a fiscal analysis for the legislation. 'It's a hard bar to cross, but it would occur in those cases where state revenue is really growing,' said Rep. Jeff Thompson, R-Lizton. The human existence is all about opportunity cost. When we forgo billions of dollars, we are making a decision to disinvest in the future. – Rep. Greg Porter, D-Indianapolis He added that 'we gain as a state when we do this' because it attracts business and residents. Rep. Greg Porter, D-Indianapolis, said Indiana's coffers have already lost $6 billion since 2015, when lawmakers started slowly reducing the rate. The bill would mean billions more in revenue gone. 'The human existence is all about opportunity cost. When we forgo billions of dollars, we are making a decision to disinvest in the future,' he said. Porter noted the state could afford things like a fully funded statewide Pre-K program or subsidies for paid family leave and child care if taxes weren't continually cut. The bill was changed in the House, meaning the Senate must accept the changes before it goes to the governor. Transparency and entrepreneurship additionally highlighted a separate bill also passed in the House, on an 87-4 vote. Senate Bill 516 establishes an office for entrepreneurship and innovation, an agenda item for Gov. Mike Braun. But it also holds provisions taking aim at the IEDC, which has faced years worth of backlash from lawmakers and constituents alike over its secretive approach to economic development efforts like the Limitless Exploration/Advanced Pace (LEAP) District. CONTACT US The legislation would require the quasi-public agency to tell local units of government and the State Budget Committee about acquisitions of more than 100 acres — whether it's bought in one or multiple transactions — at least 30 days before those purchases close. The bill also tasks the IEDC and the executives of communities that host innovation development districts — like one within LEAP — with annually compiling reports about the districts' activities over the last calendar year. And it lists what would be included: revenue received, expenses paid, fund balances, debt details, information on parcels within tax increment financing districts and the amounts locals receive in revenue-sharing agreements. The reports would go to the community's fiscal body and to the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance. The Senate has to accept changes to the bill or send it for final negotiations. The House unanimously approved two other bills dealing with water withdrawals. Senate Bill 4 would require that developers of long-haul water pipelines — over 30 miles long and transporting more than 10 million gallons a day — must go to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission and seek certificates of public convenience and necessity. There are also strict permitting requirements for transferring water from one water basin to another. 'This deals with concerns as we have been building water policy,' said Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso. 'It's a pretty important bill.' Senate Bill 28, dealing with 'significant' groundwater withdrawals of more than 100,000 gallons of water a day, also passed easily. Rep. Shane Lindauer, R-Jasper, said the legislation is intended meant to head off disputes when water withdrawals might cause nearby well failures as the state continues to pursue water-intensive industries. Both bills were changed in the House, so the Senate must accept the changes before they go to the governor. A bill spurred by anger at the Indiana Department of Child Services over parental rights passed the House 69-24. Lindauer said the bill recognizes that 'parents have a fundamental God-given right to direct the upbringing of their children.' Senate Bill 143 specifically requires courts to give deference to parental rights when disputes with government regulations occur. During the committee hearing, parents from multiple counties told stories of having their children taken away due to alleged abuse but later being exonerated. In some instances, medical records of the children have been kept from parents. The Senate has to accept changes to the bill or send it for final negotiations. Across the building on Tuesday, Senate Republicans batted away a series of Democratic amendments to a bill limiting transgender female athletic participation. Sen. J.D. Ford, D-Indianapolis, authored two identical amendments — one for high school students and another for college enrollees — that would bar officials from examining an athlete's 'bathing suit area … to determine the student athlete's biological sex.' 'There is no evidence that this has happened in Indiana under the current law in place and I haven't heard of any requirements in any other state,' said Sen. Stacey Donato. 'I ask you to defeat this amendment.' A fight challenge, musical moments and long meetings: Inside committee day at the Statehouse Donato, R-Logansport, sponsored House Bill 1041, which would bar transgender female athletes from participating on college athletic teams aligning with their gender. The proposal is an expansion of the current ban on K-12 students. Republicans also beat back three other amendments to the bill: one establishing a grievance process for college students injured by the bill; one allowing a college to discipline students who make accusations; and another creating a student-athlete 'bill of rights.' Only Donato, who read her brief rebuttals from a piece of paper, spoke on any of the amendments. All five were defeated on party-line votes. Two other bills encountered little opposition: one letting the Indiana Gaming Commission regulate bare-knuckle fighting and another granting students additional excused absences for 4-H or Future Farmers of America activities. The latter, House Bill 1660, now heads to the governor's desk. 'FFA and 4-H are important organizations that help prepare our youth to be successful adults,' Buchanan said. 'As someone who has worked with FFA for many years, I have seen firsthand the great work these youth organizations have done in our communities across the state,' said Sen. Brian Buchanan, R-Lebanon, in a statement. Buchanan sponsored the bill. Both bills moved out of the Senate on a 47-2 vote. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
