Column: Lord’s Prayer in schools?

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the prefaceIU South Bend’s official

student newspaperWednesday,

January 16, 2013

INSI

DE IUSB student skates for charity

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Professor finalist for fiction novel

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SteffeyMandi

By MANDI STEFFEYColumnist

Just when the Chik-fil-A thing quieted down, a new controversy bound to stir up conversation and affect this campus has surfaced. It’s a proposed strike on all Indiana University campuses set to occur on April 11 and 12 during the annual Board of Trustees meeting. This strike isn’t a normal employ-ee strike—it’s a system-wide strike for students and others who dis-agree with the proposed IU tuition hike set to take place. According to the Courier-Journal, a student-run group called Student Power IU is concerned with a myriad of prob-lems that not only affect the Bloom-ington campus, IU South Bend’s as well. This situation has been well-known in Bloomington for at least a month since a large group gath-ered to discuss the situation, but an IUSB student recently tipped me off to what was going on. James De-witt, an IUSB student and member of Student Power IU, hopes to get the protest ball rolling. “This April, we, the IU Student Power group, are planning a cam-pus and possibly statewide protest to show student dissatisfaction with the powers that be, and to address issues such as rape prevention pro-grams and other student concerns,” he said. According to Dewitt, the prob-lem could grow outside of the col-lege atmosphere, as some students

Fed up students propose campus-wide strike

predict the strike should and will go statewide. “Basically, there is a group of stu-dents that are planning a statewide protest against a state decrease in educational spending. If the state decides to cut back its educational spending on colleges, it will drive up the cost,” Dewitt said. The problems vary, but each school might have its own bone to pick. “Of course, each campus may have its own set of problems they want to signal out,” he said. As each campus might be calcu-lating what exactly to do, the wheels

are already turning in Bloomington, and according to Dewitt, the India-napolis campus, too. The Indiana Daily Student, IU Bloomington’s student newspaper, reports that more than 50 people gathered in a lounge on the Bloom-ington campus to air their griev-ances about several campus issues. A student-run blog, www.IUonStrike.tumblr.com, claims that among the problems, students are con-cerned with the state’s fund-ing of part of IU’s budget compared with the amount that tuition and fees paid for by students provides. As years have gone by, the state’s funding of schools in the IU system has gone down, forcing schools to have less to work with, and in result, raising tuition rates. According to the blog, tuition rates at IU have increased 45% over the last six years. The blog also claims that this is the result of some sort of fishy busi-ness: “Meanwhile, the administra-

tion continues to fund the construc-tion of unnecessary new buildings and luxury-style apartment suites to attract wealthy students.” The blog claims that despite in-creasing tuition fees, the IU school system is headed toward a “market-based” business philosophy only in-

terested in cutting costs. “A market-based education sys-tem will result in more standard-ized coursework and sterile campus life for students, increasing career uncertainty and limitations for academics, and the institutionaliza-tion of social immobility,” the blog states. While some of our tuition fees might go towards “unnecessary

buildings,” as the blog puts it, I think it’s important to point out that one of these buildings being deemed unneeded might be the new Education and Arts building on our campus that’s set to open later this year. While students on other campuses might not see the value

in adding a new building on another campus, I, for one, am looking forward to using the building, and other students here on cam-pus should have a reason to celebrate, too. In addition to being environmentally sustainable and an aesthetic

improvement to our (lovably) small campus, there will finally be 24-hour computer labs. If students in Bloomington think erecting a build-ing like this is “unnecessary,” they’re not familiar with the privileges that

“....the administration continues to fund the construction of

unnecessary new buildings and luxury-style apartment suites to

attract wealthy students.”

Continued on page 2

Students in Bloomington met in December to discuss an all-campus strike, spurred on by proposed tuition hikes. Photo courtesy of the Indiana Daily Student

2 The Preface

The Preface is the official student newspaper of Indiana University South Bend, pub-

lished every Wednesday during the fall and spring semesters. The Preface receives funding from the Student Government

Association and through advertising revenue.

The Preface is a student written, edited and designed publication.

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Managing Editor

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The Prefacethey have on their huge, cutting-edge campus. It’s a 1+ for IUSB, for sure, and if some portion of these proposed tuition hikes helped to put our new building up, I’m alright with it. Be that as it may, there are undoubtedly things that the IU school system is paying for that

students, faculty, and workers from all campuses might not agree with. Looking into this money is-sue is clearly opening a can of worms, but believe it or not, students are angry for much more than that. In addition to the tuition problem, students are complaining of racism and racist practices, and also poor working conditions for on-campus jobs, though the focus on those issues seems to be in Bloomington. Even though the issue might be centralized at the Blooming-ton campus, our campus could very well be a part of this, as Stu-dent Power IU is calling for an all campus system-wide strike. Since tuition fees have been and will be raised on every campus, students on our campus like De-witt have caught wind of the is-sue and are understanding what the implications could be for students at IUSB. So what would a strike mean on our campus? According to the same blog I mentioned ear-lier, this strike would call for students boycotting classes, pro-fessors cancelling classes, and campus workers calling in sick or refusing to show up. This could really happen, you guys. Since this doesn’t happen until April, I intend to keep up with this controversy to see what will be happening here on campus. Would you participate in a strike at IUSB? What do you think about the reasons for the strike? Good? Bad? Don’t care? Leave a comment at www.iusb-preface.com or let me know at mandisteffeyprefacecolumn@gmail.com. u

This strike would call for students boycot-ting classes, profes-

sors cancelling classes and campus workers

calling in sick or refusing to show up

Continued from front page Titan

This weekwe asked...Talk

“How did you prepare to come back to school after the break?”

Komal Shahidi,senior: “I went to sleep early. I just tried to relax a little because I knew I wouldn’t be able to dur-ing the semester.”

By: Sarah Ward

Carlicia Gadson, senior:“I started to go to sleep early and stopped stay-ing up late.”

Nava Shahidi,freshman: “I just changed my sleeping habits and got school supplies.”

Link of the WeekBringing you the best of the Internet By Cecelia Roeder

Ever wanted to look like a computer genius? At www.hackertyper.com, you’ll be faking out people in no time! Simply press any button on your keyboard and the website will fill your black screen with green text that looks like high-tech hacker coding. Now in your classes you won’t look like a bored kid on Facebook, but an Anonmyous hacktivist!

Sudoku CornerSolution on backF

Wednesday, January 16 3

By IZZA JATALA Staff Writer

The downtown South Bend Century Center partnered up with Centerplate Catering on Saturday, Jan. 12, to host the second annual South Bend Brewfest. The venue was buzzing with excitement as the line of people waiting to get inside could hear the loud hum of chat-ting between brewers and tasters. The event offered 100 different varieties of craft beer from 30 dif-ferent breweries, including many local favorites. At the South Bend Brew Works (SBBW) booth, two young men passionately conversed with attend-ees and fellow brewers. SBBW, located at 216 S. Michigan Street, is a home brew supply store that offers equipment and expertise on making beer, wine and soda, according to their official website. They plan on opening their own brewpub this spring, according to Richard Hall, an SBBW home brewing specialist and IU South Bend chemistry student. Alec Sanderson, manager at SBBW, talked about their brewpub adding to the Downtown South Bend experience where they will offer six to ten handcraft beers and other favorites. Sanderson added that they will also have a great menu to pair with the brews, with plans to connect with the Farmer’s Market and Purple Porch Co-op to incorpo-rate locally-grown and seasonal produce. Sanderson said he wants to get the community involved with South Bend Brew Werks Brewpub as much as possible, adding that he is appreciative of events like Brew-fest, which allow so many people with the same passions to network and connect back with the commu-nity that helps support them. Hall also talked about the excit-ing development of the brewpub

Exciting day for beer enthusiasts at South Bend’s 2013 Brewfest

which is located right by the State Theater. Hall said the theater is being renovated and they plan on connecting with them to offer pa-trons a chance to flavor some local entertainment along with flavoring local foods and brews. “The theater has a huge stage and screen. People could come in, grab drinks and food, and enjoy a show like local bands or movies.” People who come into the sup-ply store side will also get a chance to talk about home brewing and brewing recipes. Across from South Bend Brew Werks table at the 2013 Brewfest was the highly anticipated Drew-erys Brewery Company informa-tion booth. Although they didn’t have beer samples to offer, they drew a curious crowd wanting to

hear more about their re-launch of South Bend’s historic Drewerys Brewery—a brand many have not seen for over 40 years. Drewerys Marketing Represen-tative Art McCormick said that the current owner Francis Manzo, an entrepreneur from Chicago, is interested in older vintage brands of beer like Drewerys, which is part of the reason why he plans to revive the brand. “The beers should be available in stores by the end of the year,” said McCormick. “Drewerys wants to be as authentic as possible in bring-ing it back.” However, he said there would be some modifications made to the recipe. From old brews with lots of his-tory to new brews trying to make history, many stopped by to sample

some of their favorite local brews, like Iechyd Da Brewing of Elkhart, Four Horsemen

of South Bend, and Bare Hands of Granger. Each offered brews from pale ales, to porters to stouts, from light and mellow to dark and strong. Ben Roule, co-owner and vice president of sales and marketing of the newly popular Four Horsemen Brewing Company, poured glass after glass of the various beers he had for sampling, like Irish Stout and Irish Red. The business is only about a year and a half old, the company has already sold around 6,000 cases in Northwest Indiana. Kim Peffley, IUSB alumni, said, “I am surprised at the number of people here.” Her friend Rachel McDonough another IUSB alumi said, “I am happy to support our local breweries.” Kim said she was glad to have the opportunity to try so many different kinds and flavors of beer, and thought that many attendees may be more inclined to order local brews the next time they go out to a bar. The 2013 Brewfest made many aware of the exciting opportunities that companies like South Bend Brew Werks, Drewerys Brewing Company and The Four Horsemen Brewing Company has to offer to

the South Bend community. u

By JOE KUHARICStaff Writer

Preliminary data for spring 2013 indicates that student enrollment is slightly behind last year’s enrollment at IU South Bend. Around this time last year, many current students will recall the sizable drop in enrollment that IUSB suffered. Last year, enrollment fell from 8,385 in the fall to 7,447 in the spring. The drop led to cuts across the board for pro-grams funded by the Student Activity Fee, which is based upon the number of student’s enrolled during

IUSB enrollment numbers for spring 2013the semester. The enrollment numbers for this past fall semes-ter were marginally up from the year before, ending at 8,490. Historical data from IU’s University Institutional Research and Reporting website shows that, during the four-year period from fall 2008 until spring 2012, IUSB has shown a drop in student enroll-ment numbers between fall and spring semester, each year. At press time, enrollment numbers for spring 2013 were not yet available, but The Preface will continue to follow the story as it develops. u

The second annual Brewfest brought many brewers and fans to Downtown South BendPreface Photo/IZZA JATALA

4 The Preface

By NICK WORTStaff Writer

Mishawaka Avenue and the River Park community got an exciting new addition in early November in the form of a non-profit coffee house called The Well. Located a half mile east of the IU South Bend campus, The Well is a part of River Park Grace, a faith-based organization that aims to serve the neighborhood through various classes and programs. “All of our profits go back to the community,” said Megan Chandler, one of the managers of The Well. “Everyone who works here is a volun-teer, and the listed drink prices are all suggested donations.” More or less than the suggested donation price can be given, with all proceeds going back to the River Park community and into scholarship programs for area students. The shop hosts many regular events. On Wednesdays the River Park Grace worship band rehearses and extends an open invitation for anyone interested to come and sit in with the group while they prac-tice their music. On Thursdays the café hosts a game night. Open mic

Non-profit coffee house opens in River Park

New chancellor search advancesBy MACKENZIE JARVIS Staff Writer IU South Bend is months away from gaining a new chancellor, and even closer to meeting the prospective ones. William Lowe, chair of the IUSB Chancellor Search Committee released in an announcement that they have re-cently “identified several highly quali-fied candidates” who are expected to visit the IUSB campus in late January. The selection was narrowed down from more than 80 applicants since the fall. The committee recently conducted their first round of face-to-face inter-views, speaking with about a dozen applicants, according to Director of Communications and Marketing Ken Baierl. Details about the candidates are not yet being released. However, according to Lowe, this information is expected to be released in January before the candidates’ visits to the campus. “I am aware we are looking for a new chancellor. However, I doubt a major-ity of students are really aware of this,” said IUSB student, Krista Turpin about student awareness of the chancellor search. Students as well as faculty, staff and community members will have their chances to meet the candidates upon their visits to campus. People will also be given the chance to ask the candi-dates questions at public presentations they will be giving. “I’ll be the first to admit I’m not as knowledgeable as I’d like to be about campus events and important changes. I think all changes to the university impact us as students. It’s important to stay updated in current news in every aspect of our lives, including university news,” said Turpin. Lowe expects the search commit-tee will make its recommendations for chancellor in February. The new chan-cellor is then expected to be named in March. “The search committee makes its recommendation to IU Executive Vice President for University Regional Af-fairs, Planning and Policy John Apple-gate and IU President Michael McRob-bie who will make the final decision,” said Baierl. Current Chancellor Una Mae Reck will continue to serve as chancellor un-til the new chancellor begins in the po-sition at the beginning of July. An email indicating when and where to find the information about the can-didates will be sent to the IUSB com-munity in January, according to Lowe. More information about the chancellor search can be found online through www.iusb.edu. u

nights are usually held every Friday evening, and there are plans to make Friday night events bigger and better. All events are free and open to the public. The Well is also actively showcasing local area artists and searching for more artists’ work to display in the coffee house. “The goal of this coffee house is to create a second home for people in our community,” said Chandler “We believe that art is meant to be shared, and we believe that voices are meant to be heard.” The Well is currently accepting new volunteers. “Anyone can help by volunteering,” said Chandler, adding that “more volunteers means we can add more hours and stay open longer. You can also help by coming out and sharing your talents at the open mic nights!” The Well is currently open Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. It is located at 2410 Mishawaka Ave. Free Wi-Fi is available. More information can be found at www.riverparkgrace.com and through The Well’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/thewellriv-erpark. u

The Well is a non-profit coffee shop not far from IUSB. Sales go to benefit River Park community and local students.Preface Photo/NICK WORT

By TAYLOR NEFFStaff Writer

While being a writer for The Preface has its intimidations with walking up to a random person and asking to interview him or her, in-terviewing someone who ends up being a roller-derby girl makes the interview a little “tough”. Meet Tricia McCann—your typi-cal IU South Bend student with a mass communication/journalism major, dance minor and a mem-ber of the Queer/Straight Alliance on campus. She goes to school and work by day and to the roller rink by night. She is known to us as Tri-cia, but to those at the rink, she is Twiggy Tormentor. Tricia skates at USA Roller Rink in Mishawaka for the South Bend Roller Girls. She skates for the B team, the Bonnie Dooms, along-side the A team, the Studebrakers. “We wanted to keep the names local to what the South Bend area has to offer. The other team thought of using the name the ‘Naughty Dames’ instead of Notre Dame, but we wanted to stay away from the ND category,” said Tricia. Tricia has been skating for two years and is both a “jammer” and a “blocker” on the team. “Jammers score points, and blockers tries to keep the jam-mer on the other team from scoring,” explained Tricia. She skates, goes to school, and works throughout the week and weekends. The work and school schedule alone can beat up some students, but Tricia seeks to bring a new color to South Bend. Perhaps through the various shades of her bruises. But the Bonnie Dooms and Studebrakers have a sweet side. Together as teammates, they vol-

Student risks bruises to help other women in the communityunteer around the community for various women, children and pet shelters (mostly non-profit). “We recently just had a can drive for the YWCA,” said Tricia. The YWCA is also known as Young Women’s Christian Association and they help women in our commu-nity based on their personal needs. Tricia is also a spokeswoman for pet adoption and the teams have helped collect trash around the communi-ty. According to their website, they have also worked with Salvation Ar-my’s Adopt-A-Family program, the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer and the St. Joe County Humane Soci-ety’s Stuff-A-Van project. Tricia’s worst injury has

been a knee contusion. “I haven’t broken anything yet…yet,” said Tricia. “I love skat-ing with my team and the at-mosphere of the girls because it’s great having a group of girls from all walks of life and join together for a sport. We all want to bring something to South Bend besides Notre Dame, which essentially helps women and the community.” Her teammates consists of pro-fessors (Ask your profs, students!), freelance writers, stay-at-home moms, bank tellers, a sociologist, a 911 dispatcher, nurses, counselors and many other diverse women. Interested? Their link is www.southbendrollergirls.com. Find them on Facebook by search-

Wednesday, January 16 5

By CECELIA ROEDER Design Editor

Many students are looking for different ways to keep connected. Between school, work and life, many different factors can make this a truly challenging goal. Luck-ily, there are many options out there. One option for interconnectiv-ity is social media. Facebook can be useful in many formats for students to talk about classes, meet other majors, find good textbook deals or share various causes and movements. The IU South Bend class of

IU South Bend class of 2015 uses Facebook group to stay together2015 Facebook page is one group that’s keeping the dialogue and advice between students going. It was created in 2011 by then-freshman Issac Sanchez Diaz, a double major in international business and human relations. “This group was to help us break the ice with others, try to meet others in the same major, meet future room-mates, etc.” said Sanchez in an online interview. Diaz was also looking for a way to make the incoming school year less stressful. A major use of the IUSB class of 2015 page is students

helping out others with textbooks. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that the bookstore is often the more pricey option while

shopping for books. However, students do not have to be resigned to spending their hard-earned cash, when often a fellow classmate will have a gently or hardly used text-book, and will often sell at a deal. Psychology major James DeWitt, a regular participant, said in an online interview that “the group is also a quick reference point for finding out which classes actually require you to buy the book (as opposed to the book listings on Onestart).” DeWitt joined the group his freshman year after searching around for a group of this kind online.

“When I post on the page, I try to alert people to deals or money-saving services…or to campus strikes that are happening April 11-12 to protest state cuts in funding and the privatization of parking, among other things.” IUSB class of 2015 isn’t always a group with daily postings, but the updates are usually timely and useful when members come across interesting or important informa-tion to share with the group. “Since everyone uses Facebook at least once a day, it becomes the extra stepping stone and aid to us,” said Diaz. u

Below, McCann (right) hits the rink to duke it out with fellow derby girls

Photo courtesy of Tricia McCann

Above, Tricia McCann is a typical IUSB sudent with an uncommon hobby

Preface Photo/ TAYLOR NEFF

6 The Preface

who have written in the domes-tic tradition. Kate Chopin and Gertrude Stein are two examples she gave. “Some of the trippy magical realism in some of the stories was definitely inspired by some Latin American women writers who do magical realism,” she said. The magical realism interwo-ven with the domestic has created stories that have earned Parker’s debut collection recognition in

the literary world. Along with her recent accomplishment as finalist for Best Fiction Books in Indiana, she was the recipient of the 2011 Next Generation Indie Book Award in Short Fiction. “It’s just really exciting and an honor—icing on the cake. It was great to get the book published, it’s been really fun to travel around SIllustrated by Traci Bremer

IUSB Adventures

By MALORY PECINAMultimedia Editor

From open-mic nights to a mu-sical comedy duo act, students at IU South Bend will have plenty of spring activities to keep them busy and look forward to. Director of Student Life Scott Strittmatter has been working with clubs and organizations to prepare a full schedule of events for students and their friends for the current se-mester. Some events are new or have a new theme, and all of them have many opportunities for students to get involved. The semester kicks off with an

Spring event calendar filling up for IUSB student lifeopen-mic night hosted by Titan Productions on Wednesday, Jan. 16, at the Student Housing Lodge. Students wanting to perform do not need to sign up early, just show up. This event is open to friends and family of IUSB students as well. The semester will be full of other Titan Productions events, like a life-size game night where a board game will come alive, and a Dating Game/Dance. Strittmatter believes that students who are engaged with student life will build valuable life skills during their college years. “By being engaged and participat-ing you often get to develop profes-

sional and life skills, network with others, apply theory to practice, and gain valuable practical experience to help you after you leave,” said Strit-tmatter. A new event coming to campus in February is the musical com-edy duo, “Dakaboom!” The act is new and is highly popular among campuses across the United States, performing in 21 different loca-tions during the month of February alone. According to Strittmatter, IUSB also plans on collaborating with Holy Cross College and Ivy Tech this year for joint programming. “For Black History Month, Holy

Cross has invited IUSB to partner with them to put on a Night at the Apollo talent show on their campus, and some very nice prizes will be awarded,” said Strittmatter. Students who want to get in-volved or want to learn how to start their own club or organization on campus can stop in Strittmatter’s of-fice in SAC 201 to get set up. Once everything is ready, they can register online at MyInvolvement website at https://myinvolvement.iusb.edu. “It’s not a difficult process and I highly encourage students who want to get something started to go ahead and jump in,” Strittmat-ter said. “I’m always willing to help

students out.” Students can also stay updated by checking the campus events calen-dar at www.iusb.edu/portal/events.php. Whether it’s going to a movie showing or finding the courage to show off talents at an open-mic night, the spring semester will offer IUSB students plenty of opportuni-ties to get involved and make the most of their college career. “I think the greatest asset to be-ing involved is the relationships you develop with others,” said Strittmat-ter. “You will meet people that you will be friends with for the rest of your life.” u

By MACKENZIE JARVISStaff Writer Kelcey Parker’s tales of quirky domesticity continue to award her with literary honors. Most recently, Parker’s debut collection of short stories “For Sale by Owner” was named finalist for 2012 Best Fic-tion Books in Indiana, a contest that represents literary history and recognizes authors in Indiana. Parker, associate English professor and director of creative writ-ing at IU South Bend, began her collection of short stories nearly a decade ago and had it published in 2011 by Kore Press. “The first story in the collection was written about 10 years ago. It was actually the title story, ‘For Sale by Owner,’ so it all sort of came full circle,” she said. All of the stories in the collection were specifically selected be-cause they fit together in a theme of domestic life and inner turmoil, both a bit stranger in fiction than reality. “Inspiration is definitely a combination of real life and the weirdness of real life. The absurdi-ties turned into even more absurd things in the fiction,” she said. Real life, its weirdness and other writers work together to inspire Parker, particularly women writers

English professor Kelcey Parker finalist for Best Fiction Book in IndianaTales of domestic life and literary awards

to universities and give readings and share the book with people. And now I’m really immersed in all these other projects, so it’s just nice that somebody is still recognizing that this is out here,” she said. Parker is currently working on final edits for a novella called “Lil-iane’s Balcony,” which is scheduled to release in the fall of 2013 from Rose Metal Press. “I have this novel I’ve been working on forever called ‘Prague

Spring,’ but I’m also working on this collage biography about this Czech fairy tale writ-er—a woman writer from the 1900s that really interests me, but no one really knows about her,” said Parker, discussing her other works-in-progress. Many of Parker’s stories have also been published individually in numerous literary journals. About two thirds of the stories in ‘For Sale by Owner’ have appeared separate-ly in various publica-tions. “It always seems very magical and mystical how we become writ-ers, but really for me, I just wrote and kept writing through a long

period of time and kept studying,” she said. The process of becoming a writer is one that interests Parker so much that she started an interview series where every two weeks she interviews writers to find out what their journey in becoming a writer was like and what they would say

to aspiring writers. “You find out it’s really just a matter of keeping at it—wanting to do it, continuing to write, continu-ing to read, and finding someone to pay the bills along the way,” she

said with a chuckle. More information about Parker, including her blog and links to purchase her book can be found at www.kelceyparker.com. u

Photo courtesy of Indiana University

Wednesday, January 16 7

christinaclark

By CHRISTINA CLARK Columnist

Opening the school day with the Pledge of Allegiance used to be an ev-eryday ritual when I was in elemen-tary and middle school. I didn’t re-ally think about the implications of pledging my Allegiance to anything until September 11th happened. That’s when having allegiance to something started to take mean-ing with me. That’s when war became a part of all of our lives, and years later when I’d gradu-ate high school I’d hear about fel-low classmates who were fighting overseas. It became real. Pledging that allegiance meant supporting the country’s choices and actions. I recited it for years just because I was supposed to, but there was real meaning to those words. Hand over heart, for God and Country. When the rules changed later, there were days when I’d stand and say it, and then there were days I’d stay seated, silent and respectful. My feelings changed daily about what it meant to pledge that Allegiance. Pledges, prayers and mantras all mean something to somebody. To some people they are just empty words for memorization but to oth-ers they all have real implications. Republican State Senator Den-nis Kruse of Indiana has submitted a bill that would add to the possible recitations of students during their school day. There isn’t a large chance that it will pass, but it opened up quite a bit for discussion. The bill, if passed, would give public schools in Indiana the opportunity to man-date the Lord’s Prayer as a part of students’ days. While the bill would also give copious exemptions and al-low students to opt out of the prac-tice, there is the possibility of os-tracizing students in more religious communities who do not follow the same religions as their classmates. Why ostracize students who practice differently? Why fa-

When you put it that way…

Proposed Indiana bill mandates Lord’s Prayer in public schools

vor just one church of thought? Why not include all others? On the other side of things, the Lord’s Prayer is an intimate thing to pray for a Christian. For Chris-tians, it is a way to pray as Jesus prayed. Something like that should not be mandated for anyone, and Christians themselves should be offended that people would recite it without knowing, feeling and understanding its weight. Reli-gion should never be something practiced just to fit in. An accep-tance shouldn’t be bludgeoned into someone, figuratively or literally. There are many different faiths and ways to execute them. There are also lack-of-faiths, which should be equally recognized. Mandat-ing prayer or practice of any of these exclusively would be taking away the freedom of said-religion. Society has struggled since its formation to include and respect its members equally. Putting laws on religion is part of the problem. Religion should be a voluntary ac-ceptance of practice. The practi-tioner should be allowed to carry on with their rituals and beliefs as they see fit (within lawful terms). Mandating religion in public forums would take away the very thing that those in religious com-munities seek: freedom to believe as they choose. Freedom to carry on with their practices as they see fit. Religion and government should be like oil and water: exist in the same space, but unable to interact with one another. Embracing our diversity (as Americans, immigrants, and visitors) is something that needs to be taught in public schools. Embracing the values of kindness and acceptance is something that should be taught in public schools. Ritual indoctrination doesn’t be-long in public schools. Plain and simple. Especially when you put it that way. u

By DANIELLE MILLER Staff Writer

We’ve heard a lot about the fiscal cliff gridlock lately but what exactly does this mean and how does the resolution, the American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA), affect us? The fiscal cliff was a term used to describe the expiration of tax cuts put into place when George W. Bush was president and the beginning of tax increases used to cover president Obamas new health-care plan. The tax cuts were scheduled to expire on December 31, 2012 and the tax in-crease was scheduled to begin January 1, 2013. To do noth-ing would mean a dramatic increase in taxes for American citizens and rapid inflation. The senate had over 500 days to make a decision to avert some of these hikes but did not reach a conclusion until the final hours of 2012. The ATRA means an extension of some tax decreases, an expiration entirely of others and an overall increase in payroll tax used to cover social security. Also included in the package was

The aftermath of the fiscal cliff fiascoa cut in our defense and Medicare budget. The maximum percentage of taxes allowed increased from 35% to 39.6%. This mostly affects married couples that make over $450,000 a year and single people who make over $400,000 per year. However, we will all experience a 2% tax increase in payroll taxes according to Forbes.com. Bundled with the fiscal cliff issue

was the farm bill which accord-ing to CBSnews.com not only includes “controlling market goods pricing and supplemental product payments, the farm law covers funding for, among other things, food stamps, conservation efforts, crop insurance, and natural disaster assistance.” The farm bill of 2008 was ex-tended another year to avoid revert-

Sing to the Farm Bill of 1949 which would have driven milk and other staples to soaring prices. Students are directly affected by the package. As Mark Kantrowitz, a special-ist in financial aid told the New York Times, “Fewer students will be able to get work-study jobs and Federal Supplemental Edu-cational Opportunity Grants, as

these programs would experience cuts. Fees for federal education loans would go up, and the maximum Pell Grant would be cut by as much as $400,” he said. “The Tuition and Fees Deduction, which allows taxpayers to claim up to $4,000 in tuition expenses, has also been extended. The deduction, which was set to expire at the end of 2011, will continue through the

end of 2013.” This is positive news for students receiving financial aid—at least until the end of this year. Unfortunately for those waiting for tax refunds, the wait will be 8 days longer as the IRS announced they will be accepting income tax forms beginning January 30 instead of the usual opening day of January 22 according to IRS.gov. u

By KELSIE FERGUSON Staff Writer

Every semester, a few weeks before classes start, countless stu-dents’ bursar accounts are reduced to a lovely balance of $0. For most students, loans and scholarships are a great thing, not only paying off tuition, but also resulting in a nice refund check arriving in the mail a few days later. This extra cash can be used in all kinds of ways, but what kinds of things are IU South Bend students spending it on? “I usually deposit the refund check into my bank account and use it to order my books for the se-mester,” said student Jimmie Lyon. As far as the extra is concerned, “I spend it on gas and food, but I don’t really track how I spend it specifically.” “My money goes to my car, food, gas, bills, and it never seems to be enough,” said student Amber Letson.

Loan and scholarship refunds: How do students spend that extra cash?

The amount of money left over varies from student to student. One could be refunded thousands of dollars while another may only re-ceive a few hundred. Some students may not receive a check at all if the cost of their tuition is equal or greater than their loan allotment. This could mean the difference between simply buying one’s books, or splurging on a larger purchase. “I can see the appeal in wanting to spend the money on frivolous things and wanting something nice, but if you’re not spending the money on academic purposes you really should be returning it,” said Letson, “The money is there so that you don’t have to work while go-ing to school. You should use that money to focus on being a student. Those of us getting less money though have to have a job or two, or cut back to part-time in order to afford the cost of living and going to school.” However, the reality of the situa-

tion is that the money, once in your account, is easy to spend elsewhere. Some students keep it academic or return the money to the provider. Others choose to splurge. Sometimes students will even receive a second check into the semester, refunding any classes they may have dropped. “It’s always a pleasant surprise when you drop a class and get the money back from it in the mail the next week. Especially if you didn’t remember it was coming,” said student Raul Jimenez. While splurging is fun, and checks in the mail are exciting, many students will struggle to pay off their loans after school. Return-ing your check could make a large difference at the end of your four year or longer experience. So what do you decide to do every semester? Visit our Facebook page, find the article, and tell us what your plans are. u

Both parties fiercely debated at the end of 2012. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Wednesday, January 16 8

Bulletin Board

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New Year Special:

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Chinese Proverb

Sudoku SolutionStats courtesy of iusbtitans.com

Record: 9-11 (5-8 CCAC)Next game: January 19vs. Roosevelt University12:00 pm

Record: 14-7 (11-4 CCAC)Next game: January 16At Olivet Nazarene University

8:30 PM

IUSB Men and Women’s Basketball Update

-Men-Last game: 1/12/13

IU South Bend at 70Purdue North Central 36

-Women-Last game: 1/10/13

Holy Cross College at 41IU South Bend 59

NEXT ISSUEWe ask two IUSB groups to voice their sides of the abortion debate What’s new this

year for the SGA?Professor of Political Science Elizabeth Bennion hosts “Politically Speaking” for WNIT