Indiana Daily Student - Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026

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Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com

Meet the State Police Trooper in charge of investigations

Bradley Stille loves solving crimes, despite having to work 60-hour weeks

By Natalia Nelson nelsonnb@iu.edu

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes mentions of triggering situations, including violence and sexual violence.

Bradley Stille, 49, had only been asleep for about an hour when he got the call. Every time his phone rings late at night because of a violent crime, his wife wakes up with him.

“It’s going to be a while before I get back,” he tells her.

It’s after midnight. She packs him a cooler — crackers, a beef and mayo sandwich on white bread and Diet Mountain Dew.

It’s a 10-mile drive from his home in Bloomfield to Linton, where a trailer home has been set ablaze.

He gets out of his car when the street ends in a blockade of firetrucks, ambulances and police cars. The entire area is taped off.

Smoke, steam and the smell of a burnt residence are thick in the air. The fire is mostly out by the time he gets there, but certain areas have rekindled. Responders found a man dead inside the trailer with cuts to his neck and shoulder. They pulled him out of the fire before evidence could burn away.

Stille calls two other Indiana State Troopers and asks them to come out and help him with the case.

“It looks like we have a homicide,” he says.

It doesn’t matter that it’s early on a Sunday morning in June. They’re all used to the sleep deprivation.

For Stille, the most fulfilling part of the job is putting the handcuffs on. That’s worth more to him than any paycheck.

As the district investigative commander of District 33 for the Indiana State Police, Stille is the one who oversees all of the investigations in the Bloomington district.

Police work, the uniform and the clean police car, had been a childhood dream of his. As a kid growing up in Ellettsville, he always looked up to his uncle, who worked as a police officer in Kansas.

But Stille’s path to being the one with the handcuffs wasn’t linear.

After graduating from Edgewood High School, Stille worked in construction for a few years and joined the volunteer fire departments in Owensburg in 1997, which eventually led to an EMT job in 1999.

While Stille worked as an EMT until 2001, police officers would stop by the firehouse where the ambulance was stationed and work out or shoot baskets with him.

Stille started grabbing lunch and dinner with them.

He spent more and more time with the deputies, seeing their camaraderie, the brotherhood they seemed to be a part of and hearing their stories of arresting people who hurt others. That drew him in.

So he took a deputy position at the Greene County Sheriff’s Department in 2001. In 2006, he transferred to the Indiana State Police via a lateral academy program. He started out in enforcement for about two years, doing traffic enforcement, helping motorists and backing up county or local officers, but there was still something missing.

“Writing speeding tickets was never satisfying to me, and the uniform’s some-

“When the phone rings and you have cases like these, it is the worst time in those people’s lives, that family, that victim. That’s what we live for, is to help them and to rectify and to find out who did this.”

what uncomfortable,” Stille said.

Stille switched over to be an investigator and has been there ever since.

“Investigations, (are) always where my heart is,” Stille said. “Putting those who commit crimes against other people in jail, taking them out of society and making society safer.”

While the Linton Police Department is canvassing the area around the trailer home, Stille stays at the scene. The victim’s sister arrives, and he asks her if anyone else lived inside.

She says sometimes friends stopped by, but her brother lived alone. Stille tells her that the police believe her brother may have died, but they can’t confirm that it’s him yet.

Death notifications are one of the worst things officers have to do. They’re difficult, awkward, sad and unpredictable.

LPD finds a man walking around near a Sunoco gas station the same day. They take him into the station for questioning, while Stille coordinates with the LPD to pull video surveillance from the gas station.

The man, Brandon Criss, was first seen in the Sunoco footage with another woman around 11 p.m. on the night of June 7, according to a probable cause affidavit associated with the case. He returns about 20 minutes after midnight, alone. He takes his jacket off and looks visibly upset, like he’s crying. There’s a large knife attached to his belt line. When they bring him in for questioning, his brown boots are stained red.

Stille tries to make his office homey. Photos and awards decorate the walls, and a small fireplace lights up one corner of the room. He spends around 60 hours a week, at a minimum, at the Indiana State Police station off North Packing House Road.

His phone starts ringing at 8 a.m. and doesn’t stop until late at night. On the other line are detectives and troops asking for advice on their investigations.

“We try to sit down and watch TV, and it’s ringing at 10 or 11 at night,” Stille’s wife, Grayson, said. “It’s constant for him. There’s always, always something in the general public.”

Whether the investigative arm of the ISP takes a case or not is up to Stille.

High-profile crimes like child molestation, rapes and homicides within the six counties he covers go straight to the five detectives working at the station.

Child abuse instances cover the majority of their caseload, and at any time, each detective will be working on nearly 20 active cases.

“When the phone rings and you have cases like these, it is the worst time in those people’s lives, that family, that victim,” Stille said. “That’s what we live for, is to help them and to rectify and to find out who did this.”

Grayson said sometimes, her husband will be called out and she won’t see him for a while. Once he was away for almost two days, she said. She texts him if a couple of hours go by without any word, and he keeps her updated.

“All good,” he’ll message back.

They met at the “Lonely Night Saloon,” a bar in Crane, Indiana. They played pool, and he was impressed that she was able to beat him more than once. They’ve been together for six years and married for three.

Like all cops’ wives, she said, she sometimes worries for him.

“The stuff that they have to see with their own eyes in person, it’s hard enough hearing about it,” Grayson Stille said. “But knowing that they had to see it is difficult.”

When Stille’s doing investigative work, he said he doesn’t stop and think about how bad the situations are, the death and violence that he’s constantly exposed to. He had to learn how to leave his work at the station.

“You go home and you play with your dog, you know, you go kayaking with your wife or throw a baseball with your boys,” Stille said. “You just try to shut if off and just know that you did everything that you could.”

In recent years, Stille thinks the profession has suffered due to the media and political landscapes after the murder of George Floyd in 2020. There are 14 people in the ISP academy graduating from the lateral class in 2025.

The picture of Stille’s 2006 ISP academy graduating class on his office wall shows over double that number. The low rates of incoming troopers make it difficult to cover those who retire.

He said he wishes people

‘No

Flock

here!’:

Demonstrators protest ICE

About 400 people gathered at City Hall in the snow and cold

By Natalia Nelson nelsonnb@iu.edu

Enrique Castañeda was hesitant to come to the protest.

could see that, despite the profession’s “bad apples,” police don’t want those kinds of people to be a part of their departments and are there to help.

“We’re proud that we help people, whether it’s you have a flat tire on the side of the road and we can stop and help change it, or if somebody were to commit an act of violence against you or hurt you,” Stille said. “We’re here.”

Two separate sanity evaluations were filed for Criss in September and December last year. In September, he filed an amended pleading and a list of witnesses, exhibits and defenses. The first pretrial conference occurred Jan. 14, with a second scheduled for March 3.

Criss sits in the LPD interview room June 8, his hands handcuffed behind his back. He wears blue jeans, a white tank top, a brown belt and a necklace. He waives his Miranda Rights and agrees to talk with the ISP.

The trooper asks him where he was on the night of June 7 and the early morning of June 8, according to an affidavit. He says he got into an argument with his fiancée that night and he walked to the residence of a woman with whom he said he had been cheating on his fiancée for a while.

Criss says he left her house and on his way back, the LPD arrested him.

“To get into your phone, do you have a passcode or something?” the trooper asks.

“0512,” Criss responds immediately.

The trooper leaves to get a search warrant for the cell phone. In the meantime, Criss waits in the interview room. He takes several trips to the bathroom, and the police offer him water. They make sure his handcuffs aren’t too tight.

Meanwhile, Stille is in the big conference room of the police department. He had been periodically updated by the other troopers on their progress. While Criss was being interviewed, another witness shows Stille a photo that Criss had allegedly taken.

It’s a picture of the dead man in the trailer, in the same position the first responders found him in. He's naked and covered in blood, lying between the shower and the toilet.

The person holding the phone wears a pair of redstained brown boots.

As an international student from Mexico who came to the United States to attend Indiana University, he knows what it’s like to feel the need to carry a passport and visa out to feel safe when he goes out.

But there he was, holding a sign and shouting with other protesters at the Monroe County Courthouse as an impromptu drumline beats out the rhythm of the chants on black plastic buckets.

“Refugees are welcome here!” they screamed. Cars honked in support as they passed, and cheers erupted.

“It’s really crazy what ICE is doing to the communities,” Castañeda said. “I think it’s really nice to see this sense of community, and just everyone coming together.”

About 400 demonstrators crowded around City Hall in sub-freezing temperatures at noon Jan. 30 for an event organized by the Bloomington branch of the Democratic Socialists of America.

They protested U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Bloomington’s use of 40 Flock Safety surveillance cameras around the city that read license plates. Protestors and the American Civil Liberties Union allege the information tracked by the cameras is being used by ICE.

At a virtual town hall Jan. 26, Mayor Kerry Thomson said she intended to meet with Flock Safety in February to discuss security issues. She had said it was her intention that ICE not be able to access data from Flock cameras.

Still, protesters chanted

“No Flock here” and held signs that said “HOW THE FLOCK DOES THAT BOOT TASTE KERRY?”

Connor Hatch, an IU sophomore, said he skipped school as a part of a Jan. 30 “National shutdown,” which encourages people to not go to work, school or shop to protest ICE. He said he felt he needed to show up, no matter how cold it was, and shared his disapproval for the Flock security system.

“I think the best result is simply removing the cameras,” he said. “I think we can do just fine enforcing laws in the city without them.”

Speakers from the Bloomington DSA, the Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition and the Palestine Solidarity Committee condemned the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good, who were both shot in Minneapolis by federal agents, among others

“We are grateful that the public is increasingly opposing ICE,” Erin Aquino, the resettlement director of Exodus Refugee Bloomington, said. “But it should not

require the killing of two white people to bring that into national conversation.”

She said other people, such as Victor Manuel Diaz and Luis Beltrán Yanez–Cruz, have also died in ICE custody this month and that immigrant communities have been terrorized every day.

Every day, Aquino said she hears desperate fear and anxiety from the people Exodus serves about ICE. People are afraid to leave their homes and buy groceries, she said. She offered a moment of silence for those who have lost their lives in ICE custody or because of ICE.

Speakers also denounced listings for U.S. Customs and Border Protection virtual career events on IU’s campus calendar, claiming that IU was complicit in allowing the posting to appear on its site.

“Do we really want to recruit students to an agency that is executing people?” one speaker asked. Chancellor David Reingold said at a Bloomington Faculty Council meeting Jan. 27 he was unfamiliar with the listing and was hoping to find a way forward without canceling the event.

Bryce Greene, who previously helped organize a pro-Palestine encampment on IU’s campus in April 2024, encouraged protesters to become more involved in organizations like the DSA to take sustained action.

“These systems won’t just collapse if you show up to another protest,” Greene said. “The only way that anything good has every happened in human history is because people banded together and made it happen.” Some demonstrators passed out whistles and zines that described how to use the whistles to signal to the community when ICE agents are in the area.

After the speakers finished, some protesters disbanded while around 200 others marched to Sample Gates, obstructing traffic on Kirkwood Avenue. They chanted there for a few minutes before heading to the Monroe County Courthouse, where they gathered and chanted “Fuck ICE!” Reddened fingers gripped cardboard and notebook paper signs. More than once, angry passers-by pulled over to shout at those standing in the road, and one altercation escalated to the point where a man was sprayed in the face with a substance.

The man was pushing past the protesters, telling them that they were blocking the sidewalk, before engaging in a verbal altercation with one protestor. As demonstrators walked across an intersection, he approached a man with what appeared to be a gun slung across his chest.

Bill hopes to solve Indiana’s vet shortage

By Natalia Nelson nelsonnb@iu.edu | @natalianelsonn

The Monroe County Humane Association has no full-time veterinarians.

It’s not because they don’t want to hire any. They have a team of part-time vets, and Executive Director Andrew Krebbs says he’d love to be able to have a full-time one.

But the pool of available veterinarians is very small, Krebbs said. And on top of that, the MCHA’s veterinary clinic is a nonprofit, and one of the most affordable in the community, he said.

A lot of people seeking vet care are out of options by the time they get to the MCHA’s clinic because they can’t get in everywhere else.

Meanwhile, he said, MCHA’s fixed costs, like medical supplies and pharmaceuticals, have continued to rise.

“The demand is definitely there for our community to have more veterinarians,” Krebbs said. “There’s just not enough people that are, you know, seeking to go into vet school.” Monroe County, he said, like Indiana, doesn’t have enough vets to go around for everybody. But a bill authored by State Senators Shelli Yoder, a Democrat representing Bloomington, Jean Leising and Susan Glick could change that.

By Andrew Miller ami3@iu.edu | @andrew_mmiller

Editor’s note: this article includes mention of triggering situations, including sexual abuse and exploitation of minors.

Two researchers at IU’s Kinsey Institute sent emails to Jeffrey Epstein, according to recently released files. One of the researchers, now Kinsey’s executive director, said he was unaware of Epstein’s crimes at the time, condemning his actions and describing them as “antithetical” to his work.

The emails, first reported by Indiana Public Media, did not appear to include any mention or allusion to

By Chloe Oden chloden@iu.edu | @chloeoden0

Ellettsville resident Ryan

Hughes, 42, was arrested Jan. 30 following a Bloomington protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the city’s use of Flock Safety surveillance cameras. He was accused of pointing a firearm at and pepper spraying people passing the protest. After gathering at City Hall, walking to Sample Gates and marching down Kirkwood Avenue, about 100 protesters gathered outside the Monroe County Court-

Senate Bill 56 is intended to address the state’s veterinary shortage by allowing the Board of Veterinary Medicine to give licenses without an exam for applicants with licenses and experience in other states.

Leising, a Republican representing Oldenburg, said the bill was a “big step forward in addressing the need for more veterinary care for livestock in our state.”

Denise Derrer Spears, the communication director of the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, said the shortage was due to a number of factors. She said pet ownership increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and more people started noticing their pets had health issues because they were home with them all day.

There’s also a shift in the number of folks that want to go into veterinary medicine, she said, and vet school is expensive. Tuition at Purdue University for veterinary school for Indiana residents is $90,000 and over double that for non-residents. At Purdue, over three-quarters of 2024 graduates had debt, and the median debt was $131,553.

Spears said the Board of Animal Health started hearing about the shortage from the food animal sector.

“That’s a lot to be paying

off when you think about it afterwards,” Spears said. “If you want to be a large animal veterinarian, it’s very expensive to get into that sector.”

To take farm calls, she explained, a vet would need a truck, equipment, a cooler to keep drugs in and animal handling supplies.

She said the Board of Animal Health heard a lot about how people in rural areas need a veterinarian for their large animals, and they don’t know who to call. Hard data regarding the veterinary shortage is hard to quantify, but the Board keeps track of veterinary deserts based on information they anecdotally collect.

“We have some counties in the state where there is not a veterinarian in the county,” she said. “A lot of farmers are having difficulty identifying who to get.”

Clinics have also switched to models where they stop seeing large animals, Spears said, rather than taking farm calls.

The shortage doesn’t just impact Indiana, though — it’s a national issue. So even if the bill makes it easier to recruit veterinarians across state lines, it still might be difficult to get them to come to Indiana if other states are also facing shortages. A map from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that all states bordering Indiana

have multiple shortage areas.

“There are a number of veterinarians who do work in multiple states,” Spears said. “So trying to lower those barriers to being licensed in Indiana, because, you know, even if you lived on the border, you know, just across the line from Terre Haute, you can’t come prac-

tice in Indiana.”

Myranda Jennings, the president of the Indiana Veterinary Technician Association, said she’s glad people have eyes on the problem.

But focusing on recruitment and use of vet technicians, she said, is what will really help draw people into Indiana.

2 Kinsey researchers emailed Epstein

Epstein’s history of rape, sexual violence and sexual exploitation of minors.

Justin Garcia, then a postdoctoral fellow and now the executive director of the Kinsey Institute, sent one message to Epstein’s email associated with the Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation in December 2012. The foundation was a philanthropic organization focused on a number of scientific fields of study, though it had later been found to embellish and mislead about its contributions.

Garcia sent the email after Epstein connected with him on LinkedIn, and the files released by the Department of Justice do not include a reply.

Garcia told the Indiana Daily Student on Feb. 2 he sent the message when he was a postdoctoral fellow at Kinsey.

“At the time I was submitting various grants and letters of inquiry to funding agencies and foundations,” Garcia wrote in an email to the IDS.

Garcia sent the email more than four years after Epstein pled guilty to soliciting prostitution from someone under the age of 18. He was released from jail in July 2009 and stayed free until he was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019. In August 2019, Epstein was found dead in his cell in what investigators determined to be a suicide.

“I only later learned of his criminal background, antithetical to all of my work,” Garcia wrote in the email to the IDS. “I never met or spoke with him, and I did not receive any funding. I totally condemn what he did.”

The other Kinsey researcher included in the Department of Justice’s latest file dump was Helen Fisher, then a senior research fellow. Fisher died at 79 in 2024 and was a fellow for more than a decade.

One email exchange from early January 2016 details Epstein inviting Fisher to a dinner, joining director and actor Woody Allen — who has faced sexual abuse allegations of his own — and

Allen’s wife, Soon Yi Previn.

“lots of fun , thanks .. you new bud JE,” Epstein wrote to Fisher after the dinner.

Later in January, Fisher was invited to another lunch, which Epstein wrote would include former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, among others.

For that same date, she was also listed on a dinner guest list alongside Allen, Previn, businessman Tom Pritzker and a man who appears to be James Watson. Watson, who co-authored a paper proposing the doublehelix structure of DNA, and who received his doctorate from IU, was disgraced in the scientific community for racist and sexist comments. He died in early November

Man arrested following anti-ICE protest

house, chanting and holding signs that called for ICE to be abolished and condemning Bloomington’s contract with Flock.

Hughes was arrested on four charges that allegedly occurred near the protest. The charges included intimidation and pointing a firearm, level 5 and 6 felonies, as well as two battery charges, class A misdemeanors, Bloomington Police Department Captain Ryan Pedigo said in an email. At about 2:15 p.m. Jan. 30, officers responded to a complaint near the Walnut Street and Kirkwood Av-

enue intersection next to the courthouse. A 47-year-old man claimed he was trying to turn onto Walnut Street, but a protester, later identified as Hughes, had blocked the vehicle in front of him by standing in the middle of the street, Pedigo wrote. The man said he tried to drive around, but the protester stepped in front of him.

The man reported Hughes pointed a shotgun at him and said, “I’ll fuck you up,” causing the driver to “fear for his life,” according to the email. The man also alleged other protesters hit his vehicle and caused damage.

Hughes was described as wearing dark clothing and a black mask, carrying a red and white megaphone, a shotgun with a pistol grip and a handgun strapped to his chest. Another person who called BPD reported witnessing Hughes point a gun at passing vehicles.

BPD later located Hughes in the 400 block of East Fourth Street and determined he was carrying a loaded Bersa 9mm handgun, a loaded 12-gauge Mossberg shotgun with a pistol grip and pepper spray.

Indiana Daily Student reporters on the scene saw one protester wearing a black hoodie that read “FUCK ICE” and face coverings that shielded all but his eyes. He appeared to have a shotgun slung across his body that was decorated with white writing that read “ICE BRR.”

He helped protesters cross the street over to the courthouse, sometimes holding up his hand to cars attempting to turn.

At about 2:40 p.m. BPD

responded to a report of a man who was allegedly pepper sprayed by Hughes. The 41-year-old man reported he went to the protest to find his 15-year-old daughter who left school to protest without his permission. He told officers he saw a man carrying a megaphone and shotgun and assumed he was a protest leader, Pedigo wrote.

Then, the man reported that he walked toward the man with the megaphone and tried to ask if he had seen his daughter, but the man allegedly hit him with his shoulder and sprayed him in the face with pepper spray.

IDS reporters at the scene reported seeing a man march through the crowd, shouting at the protesters for blocking the sidewalk.

“Excuse me, you are blocking the goddamn sidewalk,” the man yelled.

He made his way toward people gathered in the road and approached the protester observed wearing a mask and shotgun.

“What issue bud, you

“They’ve got to get paid a living wage to be attracted,” Jennings said. “To come to Indiana and stay and work in large animal, or those rural areas.”

The bill passed the Indiana Senate on Jan. 6 and was referred to the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development in the House.

last year and met with Epstein on multiple occasions, emails show.

In March 2017, Fisher and Epstein met again for lunch.

“Thank you, Jeffrey, for another fascinating lunch at your house....and a few sneak peaks at some of your art!” she wrote to Epstein afterward. “Very interesting.”

Both Garcia and Fisher collaborated with Match. com for multiple “Singles in America” studies.

The Kinsey Institute’s research focuses on sex and relationships and has attracted political attention over the past years after the Indiana legislature passed a provision barring its use of state funds.

wanna shoot me, fucking shoot me,” he said to the protester. The protester sprayed something in the shouting man’s face. The shouting man rubbed his eyes and walked away while the crowd shouted at him.

At about 3 p.m., an officer took a report of a previous assault from a 65-year-old man who alleged Hughes sprayed him in the face with pepper spray. According to the email, the man was attempting to turn onto Walnut Street when a man wearing a face covering and dark clothing, armed with a shotgun, was in the road. The man said he rolled his window down and told the armed man to back up. He then allegedly sprayed the man in the vehicle with pepper spray. The two yelled at each other before the man drove away. Hughes posted bail and has an initial hearing scheduled for

Maria Bucur (she/her)

is the John W. Hill professor of history at Indiana University Bloomington.

I first became aware of how inaccessible and noncompliant Indiana University’s campus was with the Americans with Disabilities Act when the history department moved to “Siberia” — a dorm that had no ramps but plenty of mold, making staff and some faculty sick. We remained there for two years. I had to apologize to students every semester for this and assured them I would hold office hours in accessible places to them. The solution to that problem was to tear the building down.

Later on, I observed other disparities between IU’s commitment to accessibility and reality. In the former Admissions Office on Eagleson Avenue, the front door of the university for many students and parents, there was no ramp. Subsequently, this building became the Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs offices.

A few years back, a student with a wheelchair in one of my classes gave me an earful about the lack of care they experienced from administrators, staff, faculty and peers. They were intent on suing the university but, fortunately for IU, were successful in getting into grad school away from here. There, they focused on improving things for people with limited mobility by becoming an expert in that area.

That student further opened my eyes to what it means to live with disability on this campus and I never forgot that lesson. Private acts of solidarity are nice, but public acts of holding our administration accountable are a more powerful way to have an impact on the institution moving forward.

On the evening of Jan. 26, I was getting messages from students with their concerns about the heavy snow and their ability to get to campus safely the next day, when we were meeting at 9:35 a.m. Then, around 7 p.m., Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Rahul Shrivastav sent an email moving all nonessential activities to remote.

GUEST COLUMN

For a safe and accessible campus

I don’t know how this decision was reached or who was consulted. I also don’t know how he then decided to open campus fully Jan. 27. I remember former Provost Lauren Robel had a pretty awesome method: she would get in her car and drive on the county roads all the way to the Monroe County Airport. It was impressive. Decisions were made based on personal observation and a common-sense approach to accessibility in private vehicles to campus from rural areas. I’d like to recommend we return to at least that, because this decision affects the safety of more than 55,000 people. By Jan. 27, everything on campus was apparently fully operational so we could go back to business. Not. I arrived on campus at 7:30 a.m. Jan. 28, a whole 24 hours after all was declared open and accessible, with plenty of time before my morning classes. I wanted to make sure I could park and that, even driving slowly and walking even more slowly — I have bad knees — I could make it to my Woodburn

Hall classroom in time to recover and reach the proper headspace to teach. As I inched toward the IU Auditorium, I observed one parking space for people with disabilities next to Woodburn — the closest one to the ramp to enter the building — lay under 15 feet of snow. A veritable fort. Then, next to the auditorium, another space for people with disabilities had become the drive to the rest of the spaces for able-bodied people because, across from it, there was another enormous pile in the middle of what was supposed to be the road. Besides this, the sidewalks were poorly cleaned. I walked in the middle of the street, where it was safer at that hour. To reach Woodburn, people had to use a pathway barely wide enough for one small person — definitely not the 32 inches necessary for wheelchair access. And the ramp was nicely blocked off by a bunch of snow nobody found necessary to remove. I wrote the Provost within 30 minutes, and by the time I

left my second class, at 12:30 p.m., a crew had started to deal with the mountains of snow that blocked off parking for people with limited mobility. In the one spot that had already been freed, a car was parked. This is not just an abstract issue; it is about the ability of someone to go to work.

From the Provost, I received this response: “I am sorry to hear of the challenges. The sheer amount of snow continues to create challenges for all. I have shared your email with the right individuals and hope this will be addressed soon.”

From Susie Johnson, the associate vice president of facility operations, came another expression of reassurance that by the morning of Jan. 29 the Woodburn ramp was accessible. Chancellor David Reingold initiated that action. And the university ADA coordinator encouraged me to let them know about such issues in the future. This is better than the usual radio silence I hear when I raise other issues with the higher adminis-

tration. But it is not good enough. Because this is not about one entrance and one parking spot. I did not have the bandwidth to walk every inch of campus to make sure it was accessible — because it is not my job. On the other hand, the Provost has the responsibility to determine when we are ready to be fully operational. And fully operational doesn’t mean operational for the able-bodied. It means sidewalks are safe enough for a wheelchair to go through. It means pathways are 32 inches wide. It means ramps are clean and safe. It means parking spaces are not under mountains of snow. And not only when a faculty member writes a report about it.

Of course, there are easy ways to ensure full accessibility for all: remote work and Zoom classes. My students asked for Zoom access for class on Jan. 28 because they were themselves, as able-bodied young people, unwilling to brave the slippery sidewalks. I don’t blame them and I am committed to full acces-

sibility, so I offered that option. But it was on me, and it meant that I made a choice and had to explain it to them in relation to the “full opening” of the campus. Why not provide that option from the top and empower all of us to work, teach and learn in a safe environment, especially when the upper administration had not actually tested the level of accessibility on the ground?

I hope this lesson is not lost on the provost, chancellor, associate vice president of facility operations, etc. the next time we have a big snow storm. Better yet, having a cabinet that includes the voices of people with disabilities — remember the motto “nothing about us without us” — would go further in addressing accessibility. Instead of embarrassment and patchwork solutions that try to make up for mistakes, avoid them by making good decisions ahead. And that can start with improving the just-posted revised HR-06-80 employee policy on remote work. How about adding such phrases as:

“The university recognizes that under appropriate circumstances, allowing some remote work arrangements can be constructive and helpful to a campus, academic or administrative unit, and individual jobs, and is necessary to ensure the safety and accessibility of all employees.”

And then adding a point that spells out who has the responsibility to trigger the remote work option under circumstances that are external to an employee’s prior conditions:

“When adverse weather conditions happen, the senior executive officer of the campus is responsible for rendering all spaces on campus accessible before reopening it. That includes offices, classrooms, ramps, sidewalks (including campus housing), roads and parking.” Both big decisions and details should be the responsibility of the upper administration, not of individual employees.

mbucur@iu.edu

Why IU fans went so wild over Indiana football’s national championship win

Sasha Burton (she/her) is an elementary education major with minors in Spanish and English.

After Indiana football won the national football championship, why did fans line up for hours outside the local Dick’s Sporting Goods to meet Fernando Mendoza, or brave frigid temperatures to join a school-wide celebration at Memorial Stadium? They weren’t on the field in Miami. Many of us on campus weren’t even at the game.

This is the magic of sports: they are unifying. Everyone on Indiana University’s campus could share in rooting for the Hoosiers this football season. IU football has offered us a way to be more connected to the people around us.

According to Daniel Wann, a professor at Murray University who studies the psychology of being a sports fan, fandom feeds into basic psychological needs. People innately require a sense of belonging. It’s hard, Wann argues, to feel isolated when everyone around you is rooting for the same team. You have a natural link to fellow fans of your favorite teams, even if they’re complete strangers.

Just as talking about your favorite TV show, book or movie helps create connection, talking about your favorite sports team, attending games and watching with friends strengthens bonds and creates social networks. These types of connections can displace feelings of loneliness, replacing them with feelings of camaraderie. IU football helped foster that camaraderie on campus. Across IU, tens of thousands of diverse students, faculty and staff were brought together by something to be excited about. It seemed the team’s constant

success was brought up in each of my classes and in numerous conversations with friends. Even seeing posts on social media about recent football wins made me feel a sense of unity with each and every student at IU, and the fanbase beyond them.

Being a sports fan also creates a sense of identity.

This is why IU’s national championship win feels so monumental to all of us: we feel we have a share in the victory. “We,” not “they,” won. IU football is part of how we see ourselves, and that means we care.

Texas A&M professor George Cunningham explains that when people play sports, they share a common goal as well as a “common outcome.” In other words, we hope to win together; then, we win together and we lose together.

This can apply to fans too, and the common outcome can be incredibly unifying. When we are all hoping for the same result, when we all share that result, we feel the impulse to set aside our differences and support one another.

The science says that the more someone identifies with a team, the more health benefits, like lower levels of loneliness and higher selfesteem, associated with belonging to a fan community they could enjoy. Identifying with a team brings all the psychological advantages of being immediately considered part of a group.

So, identifying with IU football means you are part of the largest phenomenon on campus. You are connected to, able to relate to, a wide variety of people. The Hoosier fan community helps fulfill the need for connection every human being experiences. We also have a desire to

be part of something that seems bigger than we are. A historic football season like this one fits the bill.

IU had a highly visible playoff run this year. It was a great story: the former “losingest team in history” soared above the college football ranks, delivering an undefeated season. What’s more, the Hoosiers accomplished this success as a team of self-proclaimed “underdogs” — players who were often looked over by other schools in the recruitment process.

IU had zero former fivestar recruits on the roster. Fernando Mendoza had a two-star rating. Key playmakers like Elijah Sarratt and Aidan Fisher were unranked. Defensive back D’Angelo Ponds was rated three stars. But together, they made the perfect team. Head coach Curt Cignetti was able to look past those

rankings and see the potential. All season, the team emphasized believing in themselves, believing they could win even if the world didn’t. Yes, it was unbelievable that a team could win a national championship in just two winning seasons. It was unbelievable that a 3-9 team in 2023 could turn around and go 11-2 in 2024. This captured fans’ hearts and imaginations.

Research shows that identifying with a sports team, even a losing one, is about loyalty. Allegiances don’t change easily. Instead, fans of losing teams look to something else to be excited about: the players. This is what happened at IU. Fans began taking an interest in the players’ stories and wanted to see them succeed. They rallied behind Fernando, sang ABBA and showed up to his meet-

and-greet in droves. They cheered Cignetti and his nononsense, brutal honesty. “I win. Google me,” became a phenomenon. That is why this season felt bigger: fans cared about seeing the players prove the world wrong.

The national championship win was tremendous to those players. In a postgame conference, Aiden Fisher described the season as “a special ride.” Mikail Kamara, defensive lineman for the Hoosiers, said “there’s just nothing else you could have dreamt of.”

As fans, we want to take part in those feelings as well. We want to believe we played any small role in the Hoosiers’ unprecedented success. We certainly were along for this season’s rollercoaster ride of excitement, nerves and energy.

The Hoosiers and Cignetti recognized the role our dedication played in the tri-

umphant season. They celebrated IU fans for showing up to games and supporting the team. Bloomington events like the Jan. 24 Memorial Stadium championship celebration showed the Hoosiers wanted the fans to share in the win. These events mattered: they made fans feel we contributed substantive help to the players. When the team we care about so much acknowledges our committed support, the feeling of belonging is, once again, fulfilled. There is power in the feeling that, this season, we were all in it together. Even if fans know we didn’t really do much of anything — we didn’t play in the game, dance with the Red Steppers or march with the Hundred — the national title feels like a win for all of us. For IU. That is a beautiful feeling. sashburt@iu.edu

“You want to shoot me? Then shoot me,” he shouted as he approached the man.

The man with the gun then sprayed him with a tan substance. He walked away, wiping his eyes.

The armed man continued to stand in front of the protesters and help people cross the street to the courthouse. A pair of middle schoolers spontaneously joined the protest after their half-day of school, eventually obtaining their own signs and chanting along with everyone else.

Cristina Martinez, an IU master’s student from Puerto Rico, held a sign that said “ICE melts under resistance” in English and Spanish.

“What ICE is doing is not human,” she said. “This has been going on for a lot of years, and now that people are like finally waking up because a white person was killed.”

Protestors left the Monroe County Courthouse after about 25 minutes, walking on the sidewalk down Kirkwood as they followed a trio of drummers at the front.

They circled around Sample Gates again, their

numbers dwindling as they looped back west. Some stopped to argue with cars. Others spray-painted the snow, chanting as they marched down the street.

“No Trump!” they chanted. “No KKK! No facist USA!”

IU Beta Theta Pi chapter suspended from recruitment

By Jonathan Frey jonafrey@iu.edu | @byjonathanfrey

The Office of Student Life ordered the Indiana University chapter of fraternity Beta Theta Pi to suspend recruitment and new member education programs Jan. 27. An investigation is ongoing, according to a Jan. 29 statement from IU spokesperson Mark Bode.

OSL’s website states the fraternity was put on disciplinary status due to hazing. It is under interim directives, meaning the restrictions will continue until the investigation concludes. Beta Theta Pi is one of two organizations under interim directives. The other, the IU chapter of fraternity Sigma Phi Epsilon, was suspended from all social activities effective Oct. 31.

Beta Theta Pi was already on disciplinary probation dating back to April 15 for alcohol, hazing, non-compliance with Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life policies and sexual harassment. Its probation is scheduled to end Feb. 15. The fraternity was also or-

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‘Pursuit of perfection’ Carson

Tyler and the craft of falling gracefully

By Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer matfuent@iu.edu

Carson Tyler climbs the stairs to the highest platform, 10 meters above the blue shimmering water. Just about 32 feet. Three stories.

He takes five deep breaths. He visualizes the motions of the dive. Then, he walks toward the edge.

Legends surround him on the walls of the CounsilmanBillingsley Aquatic Center.

Giant 16-foot tall posters showcase IU aquatic athletes through the years. Ninetime Olympic Gold medalist swimmer Mark Spitz smiles.

Two-time Olympic silver medalist diver Michael Hixon stands tall in preparation.

Mark Lenzi raises his hand in celebration of his Olympic diving bronze medal. When he first arrived at IU, Carson looked up at Hixon and Lenzi daily. It was never a sense of pressure that accompanied those looks — simply motivation, knowing the two Olympians once represented the same historic program.

Carson turns his back to the water and crouches. His toes are glued to the platform while his heels dangle over the edge. Balance is everything. One slip would send him tumbling 32 feet.

The name of the dive Carson is working on today is a mouthful — armstand back double two and a half twists. He’s practiced it since 2023, and it was one of the six dives he used on the platform event for the 2024 Paris Olympics. It’s likely to be included again if he qualifies for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. It’s the second highest degree of difficulty on his list of dives.

Carson places his hands onto the rough-tex, a black and grippy material on each platform, and lifts his legs slowly until he’s upside down in a handstand. His toes point to the ceiling after eight seconds, stretching every last bit of his frame.

One, two, three.

He tucks his head, pushes off and falls toward the deep blue water.

Diving is falling gracefully. It’s a sport of elegance and precision, with no room for error.

A diver falls toward the water. In the time a diver takes off from the 10-meter platform, only two seconds pass before they hit the water. All the divers accomplish — their backflips, frontflips, somersaults, twists — occur in those two seconds. Each dive is a piece of art, a feat of impossibility that begins and ends in the blink of an eye. It’s a pact with gravity that allows room for defiance.

Few people dare to dream of pursuing this profession.

Carson has.

He’s a five-time NCAA Diving Champion. He’s only the third American to qualify for both the 3-meter springboard and 10-meter platform events at the Olympics.

And he fails. Over and over.

It’s all part of what Carson deems his “pursuit of perfec-

tion.” He believes perfection is impossible in diving, although judges have awarded him a perfect 10 dive once before, but it’s still what he’s after.

“I think the process of trying to get there is really what the sport is about,” Carson said. “Just the journey rather than the destination.”

Carson is an extraordinary diver, and his coaches, past and present, are quick to share that. Former coach for Moss Farms Flying Tigers, Carson’s club diving team growing up, and current University of Auburn head coach John Fox thinks there’s no ceiling for Carson. Indiana and Team USA head diving coach Drew Johansen believes Carson is capable of beating any diver in the world.

“What I’ve learned is I can’t ever underestimate him,” Johansen said. “And if he believes he can do it, I have to believe he can do it because he’s done things that I didn’t think could be done.”

Carson began to dream of falling gracefully when he was 5 years old in Moultrie, Georgia. That summer, he spent a few weeks taking tennis lessons, but the diving well next to the tennis courts interested him far more. He told his parents, Laura and Charlton, tennis wasn’t his sport. Instead, he was infatuated with the divers.

While his sisters continued their tennis lessons, Carson watched the divers intently. This was his sport.

“He was usually a rambunctious child that ran around and could not contain his energy,” Laura said, “but he sat there on those bleachers and watched with awe at those kids doing their diving.”

Carson started diving lessons later that summer in August. He spent hours in front of the TV watching videos of divers, learning their names and studying their techniques. He became invested in backyard trampoline tricks and flips, starting an Instagram account to make edits of them.

Coaches began approaching Laura when Carson was 11 and 12. They claimed he had a real future in the sport.

The 2015 junior national diving competition was where Carson first entered John Fox’s radar. Fox was in Orlando for the first part of his interview for the head coaching position of Moss Farms Diving. He immediately zeroed in on Carson.

“I remember thinking two things: ‘Man, this kid is really talented, and he has no idea,’” Fox said.

It was the quickness, speed and air awareness that stood out to Fox. But it was also the intellect, which was on full display once Fox realized Carson was joking around. It still makes Fox laugh, remembering 11-year-old Carson acting “bored” and “getting into mischief” at a national competition.

Carson finished ninth in the 1-meter competition, sixth in the 3-meter and 12th on the 10-meter platform.

But his future coach had seen all he needed to.

Fox soon took on the assistant coach role and eventually became the head coach of Moss Farms in 2018.

From early on in their relationship, Fox made it clear he believed Carson had potential to be one of the best in the world, even if Carson himself didn’t necessarily see it.

Fox would say, “I think that you could beat the Chinese,” perennially the best divers in the world.

It wasn’t clear whether the tactic worked for Carson. But Fox cared about instilling self-belief into his diver.

Even still, the duo experienced plenty of turbulence. Before his first year at IU, 16-year-old Carson competed at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Diving Trials, one of the last times Fox coached him. Carson was scheduled for three events: the men’s 3-meter synchronized, 3-meter individual and 10-meter individual.

Fox entered the competition believing it would be necessary exposure on the national stage for the teen, experiences that would help him at the 2024 Olympic Trials. But once the two walked into the pool, they realized Carson was the best 3-meter individual diver at the event.

It had not dawned on Fox that Carson could reach the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Yet they stuck to the schedule, keeping him in all three events.

By the time the 3-meter individual event took place, Carson was tired. He didn’t make the semifinals.

“I remember for three years, I thought I made the wrong choice in diving him in so many events,” Fox said. “But again, he learned from his failure.”

Carson doesn’t regret the decision at all. And his success at the 2024 Olympic Trials marked the first time since 2000 that Team USA sent a diver for both the 3-meter and platform competitions.

The national stage was no match for him — and neither was exhaustion.

On a Monday in November, like he does every day, Carson starts on the lower platforms. He begins one meter above the water. He’s obstructed from the photos of Lenzi and Hixon, but they look over him all the same.

He crouches and pushes into the handstand. His legs stick straight into the air, his toes pointing to the ceiling, and he pushes off his hands, falling into the water.

Carson rarely starts his practice on the top platform. He works his way up from the bottom and progressively completes his dive. Each platform includes a different task for a different part of the dive, whether it be the kip, his twists or his somersaults and landing.

He moves to the third platform, five meters above the pool, after his 1-meter dive. His beginning setup is all the same, but this time he works in the somersaults once he leaves the platform.

1

His focus is on generating enough power on the initial kip, which is the aspect of the armstand back double two and a half twists that Carson’s working on improving the most.

The motions aren’t perfect, but Carson doesn’t expect them to be. Johansen gives some instructions, centering the corrections on his hands and keeping firm.

Next is the fourth platform at 7.5 meters. Now come the twists. It’s still not the full dive since he lands on his feet instead of handsfirst, but his process is longer. It takes Carson 10 seconds from when his feet leave the platform to engage the handstand to when he pushes off. He quickly twists, which is his primary focus at this level — making sure his twist is fast enough to give him time to look at the water.

Carson’s entry into the water brings a big splash. He consults the tablet behind the diving tower, checking over his form.

It’s one of the hardest dives on his list. Getting comfortable with two and a half twists instead of one and a half was the main issue, so Carson used a belt rig system to become used to the motions. He would start in the handstand position on the trampoline next to the diving well, pushing off just as he would on the platform. Johansen stood next to him, holding a handle connected to a rope linking to Carson’s belt rig.

After the initial push off, Johansen jumped, using his body weight to pull the handle down and give Carson a long enough time to go through the twisting motions of the dive.

Carson believes he’s made significant strides with the dive since the 2024 Paris Olympics. His mindset used to be centered on his legs to get to the somersault, but now he focuses more on his hands. Strength training in his gym workouts has helped with the adjustment, giving him enough time in the air to make the necessary twists and flips.

But the dive is still a process. He almost always views a replay of his dive on the TV screens or tablet behind the pool. It’s all part of his approach to diving, one centered on constantly learning.

“I like to investigate and know why we should be doing things a certain way,” Carson said. “And I don’t really like just agreeing with something and moving on, I really wanna know, like, how is this gonna help me? Why?”

The tablet gives each diver a rating for their dives. It’s a golf score — eagle, birdie, par, bogey — that the coaches award and a manager inputs. Divers view the dive with a rating awarded to each one, which gives a form of live feedback beyond the couple seconds of instruction they get when they land.

As he climbs the stairs to the 10-meter platform, Carson processes the feedback he received and the replay on the tablet. His ascent is methodical — not too fast and not too slow.

For Carson, it’s always

1. Carson Tyler exhales before attempting a dive during practice Jan. 16, 2026, at Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatics Center. His last competition with IU was in spring 2025 but he still practices under IU head diving coach Drew Johansen.

2. Carson Tyler attempts to perfect a dive during the team’s practice Jan. 16, 2026, inside the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatics Center. Tyler spent hours as a child watching videos of divers and studying their techniques.

2 3

3. Carson Tyler wipes his hands with a towel while watching another diver execute the dive during a practice Jan. 22, 2026, in the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatics Center. Tyler has competed at national and world events, as well as the 2024 Paris Olympics.

measured.

Carson had never been to the Middle East, but only weeks into the second semester of his junior season, he was representing Team USA in Doha, Qatar. It was a qualifying meet for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Carson and his synchronized diving partner, Josh Hedberg, were competing in the 10-meter synchro event, aiming to finish in the top eight so the U.S. could take part in the event in Paris.

The pressure was not something Carson had experienced before. He was fighting for everyone hoping to represent the U.S. in the event, not just himself. Yet he wasn’t nervous come time for the diving. He just felt flat.

It showed. Carson sailed on his first dive, landing on his back, and he never recovered. He and Hedberg finished 14th.

But there was no time for complacency. Returning to the United States brought Big Ten Championships, then NCAA Championships, then Olympic Trials, then the Olympics. The failure in Doha motivated Carson, who won the 3-meter and platform events at both the Big Ten and NCAA Championships, along with a thirdplace finish in the 1-meter at the NCAAs.

His success continued to the Olympic trials, where he made history. Yet as the days went by, the nerves started creeping in, and after a team camp in Berlin, it was time for Paris.

The diving events came in the final days of the games.

Carson reached the finals of the 3-meter, but the difficulty of his dives was not nearly as high as his competitors.

He finished fourth, one spot off a medal, but he was happy with the performance overall.

That night, riding the emotions of his first Olympic final, Carson struggled to sleep on his “effectively” cardboard bed in the Olympic Village ahead of the 10-meter event. It wasn’t his first sleepless night before a major competition, but his breathing techniques weren’t working.

“I probably should have just resulted to melatonin or something,” Carson said. “Probably would have been better.”

Carson finished 19th in the preliminary stage. He needed to be 18th or better to move to the semifinals.

Just three points separated him from the threshold.

His quest for an Olympic medal was over.

There wasn’t one moment or one dive that made the performance bad, Carson said. It was just “mediocre.” He believed that had he made the semifinals, there was a real chance of medaling.

Instead, Carson spent the final day with his family in Paris, touring the city and getting breakfast and lunch together. He needed time outside of the Village to get his mind off the disappointment, and finding support from his family helped.

But Carson also wanted

to redirect the failure into motivation for his next goal — sweeping the NCAA Championships in his senior season. The feat had never been done since the platform event became an official competition in 1990. Yet after winning two of the three championships in 2024, plus a third-place finish, Carson believed he was capable of achieving the goal. The sweep defined all of his training up until nationals. The expectations of others weighed on him, but no more so than his own.

“I can’t say I did that well, staying grounded, you know?” Carson chuckled. Carson finished 10th in the prelims of the 1-meter at nationals. He was “completely devastated.” It was just like the Olympics all over again. Laura, watching from the sidelines, texted Carson a message — “Get out of your head right this minute.” She knew the dives she was watching weren’t “Carson dives.” Carson won the B final the next day, securing his ninth-place finish, but it didn’t help with the harsh reality.

“I think that was one of my biggest letdowns in a while,” Carson said, “even more so than the Olympics.”

This time, however, Carson watched as his teammate Quinn Henninger took home first place. It was a consolation the Olympics didn’t bring him.

Johansen thinks the disappointment got Carson’s mind right for the next two days of competing, forcing him to redirect the failure into motivation. In turn, he made NCAA diving history. Carson repeated as champion in the 3-meter and platform events. He became the first diver to win three-straight platform NCAA Championships. His five total NCAA Championships ranked second in men’s diving history. It was just another example — Carson is driven by failure.

Carson is back at the edge of the platform, holding his handstand, toes pointing to the ceiling. One, two, three. He launches himself up and out over the shining water. The twists come first, the somersaults second. He lands in the water on his hands, two seconds after taking off from 10 meters above. A small splash accompanies Carson’s entry. Hixon and Lenzi watch on. Carson hasn’t reached their stature yet as an Olympic medalist. But he’s close, and each dive — each armstand back double two and a half twists — gets him closer to that end goal. He emerges from the water and studies the tablet. He’s always learning, especially as his training ramps up at the end of the year. Every dive can be improved, and that’s what Carson intends to do. He returns to the stairs and starts his ascent again. PHOTOS BY

ARTS

Cirque Kalabanté brings dance and music to IU

By Sophie Albert soalbert@iu.edu

The Montreal-based African circus company Cirque Kalabanté performed at the IU Auditorium on Feb. 2 as part of its U.S. tour. The show displayed African acrobatics, dance and music that had the audience gasping, laughing and cheering along.

Cirqué Kalabanté was created by multidisciplinary Guinean artist Yamoussa Bangoura in 2007 after years of dreaming of creating his own African circus. Bangoura said he worked in the performance and circus industry for several years, first in Africa and then in Canada as part of Cirque Eloize. However, he noticed a distinct gap in the industry for African art.

He decided to go back to Guinea to give back to his community by opening a school to teach others the skills he had acquired. After a couple years, his students were performing at the level of professionals, so Bangoura brought them to Canada where he went on to create Cirque Kalabanté, a circus specializing in African art and music.

“Afrique en Cirque” aims to bring Bangoura’s everyday life in Guinea to the stage and share his culture with audiences all over the world.

“They will feel our music

through their bodies, and also they will fly, they will go to Africa without taking the plane,” Bangoura said. “They will live African life.”

This proved to be true from the moment the show opened with the bustling sounds of a fish market. Bangoura introduced the show to the audience, setting the scene and transporting them to West Africa.

The show began with an ensemble of all the performers putting their acrobatic and dance skills on display to the backdrop of Bangoura playing the kora and vocals. The music was interwoven into the fabric of the show, at times accompanying the performers and other times taking center stage.

After the introductory performance segment, the performers brought out large drums, creating a show out of playing the percussion instruments. The performance then started to break the fourth wall, with Bangoura performing a juggling routine in which audience members tried to toss a baton to him on stage, with limited success.

In this portion of the performance, the performers also displayed their comedic skills by making fun of Bangoura and teaching the audience how to list numbers in their native language counting up to the amount of ba-

tons Bangoura would have to juggle with increasing difficulty.

As Bangoura juggled the batons, a guitarist translated the movements to sound, creating a lively act.

Bangoura continued to interact with the audience, teaching them a call and response singing phrase, still keeping his humoristic spirit in trying to get the audience to repeat a quick scat-like melody, which they didn’t even attempt.

He went on to perform acrobatics with a hoop, once again animated by music, which received much applause from the audience.

After this, there was a segment featuring a contortionist who had the audience gasping, cheering and sometimes covering their eyes.

Audience members in the post-show talk with the performers asked many questions about the feasibility of the contortionist’s abilities. They showed concern for the well-being of his back and organs, to which he laughed and assured them everything was fine.

Pat Robinson, an audience member, said she loved everything about the show from the music to the togetherness of the performers, but she said her favorite part was the contortionist.

The male performers took to the stage next dressed as

construction workers, performing a somewhat steamy, but impressive, display of acrobatics. Climbing on top of an elevated plank, they climbed on each others’ shoulders, balancing in the air and forming elaborate human towers.

The show closed with one last ensemble performance from all the acrobats, where

they each demonstrated their specialty skill, seeing who could garner the most applause.

At the conclusion, of the show Bangoura thanked audiences for attending and the performers took a group picture with the enthusiastic audience.

While the show’s acrobatics may have drawn au-

diences

stick with people, audience member Toby Barco said at the end of the show. “I think the whole thing put together as a whole was what was outstanding,” Barco said. “I very, very highly recommend it.”

COLUMN: 4 hidden gem rom-coms to fall in love with this Valentine’s Day

By Ursula Stickelmaier

ustickel@iu.edu | @urose_18

When it comes to movies, there is nothing I love more than a sweet and simple rom-com. But, considering how many of them I spend my time rewatching now, sometimes I’m convinced I’ve seen them all. So, with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, here are some of my favorite underrated love stories for those looking for something new.

“Drive Me Crazy” (1999) Released in 1999, “Drive Me Crazy” is the epitome of a classic ‘90s rom-com. The film follows next door neighbors and former friends Nicole (Melissa Joan Hart) and Chase (Adrian Grenier) after they concoct a plan to fake date each other in order to make their respective love interests jealous. But in the midst of their scheming, the two realize the love they always wanted was next door all along. When it comes to romcoms, the “fake dating” trope has always been one of my favorites, and this movie takes the charm and heart of that trope to a whole new level. While films like “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” and “Anyone But You” have made the trope more popular in recent years, “Drive

Me Crazy” is available to rent on Amazon and perfect for those looking for a new story about love that starts with a ruse.

“Chasing Liberty” (2004) A rebellious daughter, a charming British love interest and a once-in-a-lifetime trip through Europe can all be enjoyed in the 2004 film “Chasing Liberty.” The movie follows the first daughter of the United States, Anna Foster (Mandy Moore), as she attempts to evade her security detail and go backpacking across Europe to attend the Love Parade in Berlin, Germany. As she makes her way, Anna meets a handsome British boy named Ben Calder (Matthew Goode) who not only helps her get to Berlin but elude her Secret Service as well. The only problem is that Ben has a secret, and as the two travelers begin to fall more in love, the secret threatens to tear them apart. If this plot sounds vaguely familiar to you, that could be because of the 2004 film “First Daughter,” which follows a similar storyline but instead is set at a fictional university in California. Released just months apart, both films have their own upsides. But if I had to choose between the two, nothing beats “Chasing Lib-

erty.” Not only is Ben one of the most endearing love interests I’ve seen in a romcom, but the scenery, which was primarily filmed on location, is absolutely stunning. If you want a romance that you can truly escape into, “Chasing Liberty” is available to rent on Amazon.

“Garden State” (2004)

Straight from the mind of Zach Braff comes “Garden State,” a film that explores the adventures and romance that come when actor Andrew Largeman (Braff) returns to his hometown in New Jersey for his mother’s funeral. While there, Andrew meets and reconnects with a whole cast of comedic characters, including a compelling compulsive liar named Sam (Natalie Portman), whom he connects with immediately.

While “Garden State” is probably not the most popular film in either Braff or Portman’s filmographies, it’s one that I don’t think gets the recognition it deserves. With cinematography similar to other indie-style films such as “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” or “Adventureland,” not only is “Garden State” a captivating story but visually it’s fun to watch. Currently available to watch on Hulu and Disney+, there’s nothing better than

a trip to the “Garden State” this Valentine’s Day.

“The Broken Hearts Gallery” (2020) While most of the world may know actor Dacre Montgomery as Billy Hargrove in the hit Netflix series “Stranger Things,” my favorite role of his will always be in the 2020 rom-com “The Broken Hearts Gallery,” where Montgomery plays the guarded but endearing love interest, Nick.

The film follows Lucy Gulliver (Geraldine Viswanathan), who is left devastated after her boyfriend Max (Utkarsh Ambudkar) breaks up with her. But Max isn’t the first guy to break Lucy’s heart and, as her roommates point out, the relationship ending isn’t Lucy’s biggest problem; in reality, it’s all that she keeps from them after the relationship is over that leaves her stuck in the past. That begins to change, however, when she meets

Nick, a hotelier who helps her create a gallery in an old hotel where people can leave mementos from their past relationships. My favorite thing about this movie is that it’s just as much about letting go of past relationships as it is about starting new ones, a mindset I think is great to have as we approach Valentine’s Day. If you’re looking to watch “The Broken Hearts Gallery,” the film is currently available on Hulu and Disney+.

COLUMN: Successes and snubs of the 2026 Grammy Awards

By Abby Whited abwhited@iu.edu

As an avid follower of music and pop culture, the Grammy Awards are my personal Super Bowl. I look forward each year to the outfits, performances and wins of the show, and as someone who tries to stay up to date on what’s happening in music, I usually have strong opinions about the nominations in the major categories. Although music is subjective and these awards are arbitrary at the end of the day, I do enjoy watching artists be recognized and praised, especially when I have a personal attachment to their work. Here are my thoughts about the winners in the major categories:

Album of the Year: “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” Bad Bunny Bad Bunny made history last night by becoming the first Spanish-language artist to be nominated in three major categories at the same ceremony, with his record “DtMF” being the first ever

My thoughts on the 2026 Grammys as a lover of music and pop culture

non-English language album to win Album of the Year.

While I’ve only heard a couple of songs and can’t speak to the entire album, Bad Bunny has achieved massive commercial success this past year, and I think this win is indicative of the global influence he has. This culturally significant achievement also comes a week before he will become the first exclusively Spanishspeaking artist to headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

Song of the Year: “WILDFLOWER” by Billie Eilish

With Billie Eilish being a known Grammys darling, I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that her song “WILDFLOWER” took home the Song of the Year award; however, I have to say I really don’t think the song deserved it. “WILDFLOWER” was re-released as a single in February 2025, which placed it in the eligibility window for this year’s Grammys, but it was originally released in April 2024.

For that reason, I don’t think of it as a song that defined 2025. I also think the song is generally overrated, and I would have been satisfied if almost any other song nominated in this category had won instead; specifically, I think Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra” is far more deserving of this award.

Record of the Year: “luther” by Kendrick Lamar and SZA

While Song of the Year awards lyricism, Record of the Year honors production, which I think makes it a fair award for “luther.” This win makes Kendrick Lamar the first rapper to have secured the award two years in a row. The song seamlessly samples Luther Vandross’ “If This World Were Mine” and features angelic vocals from SZA, and it spent more time on the Billboard Hot 100 than any other single in 2025. It’s a great song everyone knows, and I’ll always cheer when SZA accepts an award.

While I’m not disappointed at “luther” winning, there are a few other nomi-

nees I would’ve liked to see take home the award. Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild” was a solid hit last year and I really liked its sparkling, vibrant production. I also would have been happy to see Chappell Roan’s “The Subway” win this award for its impressive vocal performance.

Best New Artist: Olivia Dean

Out of all the Best New Artist nominees, Olivia Dean was definitely my prediction for this award; I think she falls into the same category of elegant, vocal-powerhouse British women like Adele who the Grammys historically love to award. After years of building her career, I think it’s amazing she’s finally experiencing such a rise. I think she s immensely charismatic, talented and deserving of this award. While I wasn’t surprised or disappointed at this win, I would have loved to see Addison Rae take this award. I know it was a long shot, but I truly think she’s establishing herself as one of the most

TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

Bad Bunny accepts the Album of the Year award at the 68th Grammy Awards on Feb. 1, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. He made history as the first Spanish-language artist to be nominated in three major award categories at the same ceremony.

creative and interesting artists we have today. Although a lot of people write her off because of her TikTok background, her artistic vision and work ethic deserve to be taken seriously.

Best Pop Vocal Album: “MAYHEM” by Lady Gaga

“MAYHEM” was my top pick for Best Pop Vocal Album, and I was personally clapping for this win. I think this is the best album Gaga has released in years and was one of my favorites of last year. From rock to disco, the production dipped into a variety of different sonic influences, which makes it an engaging listen from start to finish. Out of all the other nominees for this award, “MAYHEM” deserved it the most.

COLUMN: ‘Bridgerton’ Season 4 is fanciful with a side of frustration

By Steven Leatherwood sjleathe@iu.edu

SPOILER: This column contains potential spoilers for “Bridgerton” Season 4.

Dearest gentle readers, the first four episodes of the fourth season of “Bridgerton” were released to Netflix on Jan. 29. The remaining four episodes will be available to stream on Feb. 26.

I had the pleasure of binging all four episodes the day they came out, and I have many thoughts about the happenings in the ‘ton this season.

This season focuses on Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), who was by far my least favorite of the Bridgerton siblings going into this season. Although he can be charismatic, he’s also wishy-washy and immature. Do I appreciate that we finally got some queer representation in Season 3 with Benedict being bisexual? Sure. But I am still rather bored of him.

In Season 4, Benedict is just OK in my opinion. He serves the purpose as the charming and debonair love interest to Sophie Baek’s (Yerin Ha) innocent and hard-working nature, but he doesn’t seem all that unique from characters like Anthony or Colin, who I found far more engaging. Nevertheless, I think this season’s simplicity is what really makes it outshine the mess that was Season 3. While Penelope’s season was bogged down with the angst of her identity as Lady Whistledown, Francesca’s romance, Violet and Lord Marcus Anderson and the Mondrich family storyline, the romance of the season was quite subdued.

The showrunners seemed to understand their mistakes with Season 3 and brought a more focused story to the show’s newest season. While there are still side plots, most of them are seamlessly intertwined with the main story, adding to, and not subtracting from, the main ro-

mance. I think Sophie is really carrying the season for me. I’m always a sucker for a Cinderella story, and you can’t help but root for Sophie to finally get the noble life she should have had.

One of my favorite new characters this season is Lady Penwood, the “wicked stepmother” to Sophie’s Cinderella. Katie Leung’s presence is so intimidating, and it took me forever to even realize that I recognized her from “Harry Potter.” Lady Penwood is an excellent foil to the loving nature of Violet Bridgerton, and I cannot wait to see them interact more in the second half of the season. However, I simply cannot get over how overwhelmingly dumb Benedict is this season. He spends all his effort looking for the lady in silver from the masquerade ball and obsessing over the eyes and mouths of the women he talks to, hoping they are a match for the mystery woman.

But when he finally meets Sophie again and they even kiss several times, it doesn’t click for him. It’s frustrating, but not in a fun and cutesy way; it just feels unrealistic.

The end of the fourth episode made me even more furious with Benedict. While we finally get them confessing love for one another (accompanied by my favorite Regency-ified track this season, “bad idea right?” by Olivia Rodrigo), Benedict spoils everything by asking Sophie to be his mistress! His mistress? Like, the absolute gall, Benedict. You don’t even have a wife and you’re still relegating Sophie to be your side piece? I know the whole point of the story is to make you frustrated to keep the romantic tension high. But it really will not help Benedict come into my good graces by the end of the season. Maybe go find yourself a man, Benny, and leave women like Sophie alone.

I’m hopeful for some beef between Lady Penwood and

Violet and Portia now that they all live next to each other. I’m hoping that Kate and Anthony will be back in some capacity in the second part since they are always some of my favorites. And I’m excited to see how So-

COLUMN: Monthly music discoveries: Clipse and more in January

By Abby Whited abwhited@iu.edu

At the beginning of January, I resolved to listen to more music this year with real intention. Although I always have something playing in my headphones, I wanted to be more deliberate about seeking out music I’ve never fully explored before, old and new, across all genres. There is so much music out there and so many sonic worlds I haven’t been immersed in yet, and the possibilities for musical discovery feel endless.

Whether it’s revisiting records that escaped my radar, stumbling across music I’ve never heard of before or delving into new releases, I want to really expand my musical palate this year. As part of the first month of this journey, these

are the musical discoveries I made in January:

“Pet Grief” by The Radio Dept.

Although I’d heard of The Radio Dept. and already had a couple of their songs in my library, I was still relatively unfamiliar with the Swedish dream pop band before January. I went down a rabbit hole when I heard their song “Pulling Our Weight” in Sophia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette,” and I was surprised to discover the song was released in 2003 despite its modern sound. The song is on a compilation album The Radio Dept. released in 2019, hence my confusion about its release date. I was reminded how much I love that song, and through searching for more of that sound I discovered the band’s 2006 album

“Pet Grief,” which has become one of my January favorites. The album’s atmospheric, shoegazeesque production is perfect for the dreary weather we’ve been having in Bloomington lately. Two of my favorite songs from the album are “Always a Relief” and “The Worst Taste in Music.” To me, these tracks have such a modern sound I would have thought they were released in the mid-2010s, and I think that really goes to show how trends in music are so cyclical, and how certain sounds and production styles reappear over the years. That quality is what made The Radio Dept. such an interesting entry into my listening rotation this month.

“Death in the Business of Whaling” by Searows Since falling in love

with Searows’ 2022 album “Guard Dog,” I’ve enjoyed tuning in to his releases. Searows, whose real name is Alec Duckart, has such a keen ear for siren-like melodies and abstract arrangements. Released on Jan. 23, his second fulllength record “Death in the Business of Whaling” has been the perfect score for this cold winter week.

“Guard Dog” was unique for its minimal instrumentation, but this new record is Searows’ first release created with a full band. Although this doesn’t change the tenderness signature to his music, it does enhance Searows’ emotional, resonant lyrics with a richer production style. I loved the tracks “Dearly Missed” and “In Violet,” which both benefited from the added angst of full, sprawling instrumentation.

This record is louder than anything Searows has released before, not just in instrumentals but in unrestrained vocal expression; there are times throughout the record where his singing is more impassioned than I’ve ever heard from him before. While this album didn’t surprise me in any remarkable way, I think it shows considerable artistic growth from Searows and is an admirable addition to his catalog.

“Let God Sort Em Out” by Clipse In preparation for awards season, I made an effort this month to listen to the Grammys Album of the Year nominees I wasn’t previously familiar with. Through that endeavor I discovered “Let God Sort Em Out” by Clipse, the rap duo consisting of brothers

T and

record has been on repeat all month for me. This album is a great encapsulation of the kind of storytelling that makes hip-hop such a compelling genre to me. The production on this album isn’t particularly lush or flashy, but the vocal delivery makes every song gripping from start to finish. I especially love the flow on “E.B.I.T.D.A.” and “P.O.V.,” two tracks that are gritty but precise in their lyricism.

Featuring verses from Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, the Creator and other prominent rap artists, this record feels like a team effort that hands the microphone to a variety of different voices and identities. To me, that collaborative feel is a significant part of this album’s appeal and effect.

Swim and dive defeats Louisville

1. An Indiana women’s swimmer takes off during a meet against the University of Louisville on Jan. 30, 2026, at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center in Bloomington. The Hoosiers finished the regular season 7-2 following the meet.

2. An Indiana women’s swimmer turns mid-race in a dual meet against the University of Louisville on Jan. 30, 2026, at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center in Bloomington. Indiana women’s swim and dive defeated Lousiville 161-138.

3.

4. An Indiana women’s swimmer competes in the 100-meter butterfly during the meet against the University of Louisville on Jan. 30, 2026, at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center in Bloomington. Indiana welcomed Louisville for a dual meet in Bloomington.

KATIE NEWETT |

5. An Indiana women’s swimmer competes against the University of Louisville in the 200-meter butterfly Jan. 30, 2026, at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center in Bloomington. Indiana took the top four of seven places in the women’s 200-meter butterfly.

6. Sophomore Cooper McDonald (top), senior Guy Brooks (middle) and junior Aaron Shackell (bottom) swim in their final lap during the meet against the University of Louisville on Jan. 30, 2026, at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center in Bloomington. Shackell narrowly won the men’s 200 free-timed finals.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Wilkerson shines, basketball fades in loss to USC

By Nathan Shriberg naashri@iu.edu | @NShriberg

Fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson was unstoppable Feb. 3. The Ashdown, Arkansas, native poured in 33 points on 11-for-20 shooting across 32 minutes of action. Wilkerson made half of Indiana men’s basketball’s 10 3-pointers, shot a perfect 6-for-6 at the free throw line and was the Hoosiers’ lone double-digit scorer.

But it wasn’t enough to carry the Cream and Crimson to victory. Junior guard Nick Dorn and redshirt senior forward Tucker DeVries combined for just 11 points on 3-for-21 shooting from the field.

Lacking scoring outside of Wilkerson, Indiana concluded its West Coast trip with an 81-75 loss to USC on Feb. 3 inside the Galen Center in Los Angeles.

Prior to Tuesday, Dorn had “been shooting about as well as anybody in the country,” Indiana head coach Darian DeVries said postgame. Over the Hoosiers’ last four outings, Dorn averaged 20.25 points and five 3-pointers per game on 46.5% shooting from the 3-point line.

“He just had an off night,” DeVries said. “Tuck had some really good looks as well. They just didn’t go down. So, we didn’t get that second and third scorer like we’ve been getting tonight.”

Dorn’s emergence propelled Indiana’s three-game win streak that included two road victories and a ranked win over rival No. 12 Purdue. Without Dorn’s

production, the Cream and Crimson just couldn’t keep up with the Trojans.

USC freshman guard Alijah Arenas — a former five-star recruit — gashed the Hoosiers’ defense for a career-high 29 points in just his fifth game. Graduate guard Kam Woods and senior for ward Ezra Ausar joined him in double figures.

“ Yeah, I think overall. Couldn’t get that three to go, and then we couldn’t follow it up with that stop,” Darian DeVries said. “I thought there was a big stretch in there where Arenas got loose for a couple of threes, a couple of tough baskets.”

Despite resurfacing in a 22-point effort against Rutgers on Jan. 23, Tucker DeVries still hasn’t found his shot. The two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year has made just 26 of his last 100 attempts from 3-point range. His extended slump dates back to the Hoosiers’ loss to Kentucky on Dec. 13.

DeVries, who began the season averaging a teamhigh 17.3 points per game in nonconference play, has seen his average plummet to just 10.4 points per Big Ten contest. Wilkerson and sixth-year senior guard Tayton Conerway have surpassed DeVries, with Dorn only 0.1 points behind.

“I think the biggest thing, like everybody, when you’re a good shooter and you go through something you haven’t gone through before, it’s just to stay confident,” Darian DeVries said. Trust your work. You’ve done it your whole life. Just

continue to believe in that.”

Wilkerson shares that philosophy with his head coach. Instead of pressuring his teammate to look elsewhere, he maintains belief that he’ll find his way back to his former self.

“It doesn’t matter how good I play if we don’t come out with a win. If we get outscored, it doesn’t really matter. So, try to find a way to get us all back on one, mesh together and come out of these games with wins instead of losses.”

Lamar Wilkerson, IU guard

“Yeah, man, Tucker’s a great player. All he’s got to do is just get out of his head and keep playing, man,” Wilkerson said. “Once he finds his groove, man, it’ll be all right, man. I got the ultimate faith in Tucker, man. He’s been doing it a long time, so we just stay encouraged in each other, and hopefully we’ll figure it out.”

As Tucker DeVries and Dorn struggled, Wilkerson was forced to shoulder the offensive load against the Trojans, and the Hoosiers fizzled out. After falling behind by 14 points in the second half, Wilkerson’s third 30-point outing of the season wasn’t enough to claw back and earn a win.

“It doesn’t matter how good I play if we don’t come out with a win,” Wilkerson said. “If we get outscored,

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it doesn’t really matter. So, try to find a way to get us all back on one, mesh together and come out of these games with wins instead of

losses.” After the road trip, Indiana will return home for a matchup with Wisconsin as it aims to get back on

4

Indiana men’s basketball ‘half a step slow’ in loss to USC

By Dalton James jamesdm@iu.edu | @DaltonMJames

Indiana men’s basketball was half a step slow Feb. 3.

When head coach Darian DeVries stood in the bowels of the Galen Center in Los Angeles, he defined allowing free-throw attempts as the starting point for the Hoosiers’ loss.

But he also felt the Cream and Crimson didn’t play like the team that was riding a three-game winning streak — two of those being Quadrant 1 victories — when they fell to USC 81-75 on Feb. 3.

“I just didn’t think we had our same tenacity that we’ve had here these last few games,” DeVries said while speaking to reporters postgame.

Indiana was coming off a double-overtime victory over UCLA on Jan. 31. It led by 10 points with just under two minutes left in regulation before blowing the lead. Even with three players fouling out late in the game, the Hoosiers found a way to best the Bruins.

In the two days after that victory, Indiana prepared well and had a good pair of practices, DeVries said. Both squads went on their own short runs throughout much of the first half, and it appeared the Hoosiers would head into the locker room at halftime without much of a deficit.

However, with less than two minutes remaining in the half, the Trojans made

three trips to the free-throw line, converting all five and taking a five-point advantage at the break, as they held the Hoosiers scoreless over that stretch.

USC led by as many as 14 points over eight minutes into the second half. A blowout seemed on the horizon.

But Indiana cut its deficit.

First, down to four. The Trojans pushed it back to 12.

Second, down to five. The Trojans pushed it back to nine.

The Hoosiers were within four points when sixthyear senior guard Tayton Conerway earned an andone opportunity with 31 seconds left. He could’ve taken the Cream and Crimson within just one point, but he missed his free throw attempt.

In the end, Indiana couldn’t knock down shots and make timely defensive stops. While fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson led all scorers with 33 points, no other Hoosier reached double figures. Redshirt senior forward Tucker DeVries and junior guard Nick Dorn combined for just 11 points on 3-for-21 shooting from the field.

“The guys continued the battle, trying to find ways to get it going,” Darian DeVries said. “A few different times, they got down and came back and kept fighting. Had that one last push there at the end, just couldn’t come up with a big steal there to tie or take the lead.”

Although there’s no exact way to gauge statistically if the Hoosiers were a step slow, Darian DeVries saw it. Whether it was allowing the Trojans to drive through an open lane or unnecessarily fouling, Indiana didn’t play to its recent level. Was there an exact reason?

No, I mean we just couldn’t get it done,” Darian DeVries said. “I don’t know if the heavy minutes the other night had anything to do with it. They were really engaged. Coming into the game, I thought we were ready. We just didn’t quite have it tonight throughout the contest.”

While Darian DeVries wasn’t certain of the reasoning behind the sluggish performance, Wilkerson felt like it was Indiana’s allaround showing, or lack thereof.

Although he went 11 for 20 from the field, made five 3-pointers and sank all six free-throw attempts, Wilkerson wasn’t satisfied Feb. 3. Any time the Hoosiers lose, he said it doesn’t matter how he played.

“I feel like we could have played better basketball in every area of the game,” Wilkerson said. “It was just one of them games, man.”

Wilkerson didn’t agree that the Hoosiers were half a step slow, but he did admit the two-game trip to Los Angeles is a “hard” one.

“That’s why a lot of people don’t come out here and

be successful on these twogame road trips in California,” Wilkerson said. “We’ve been out here for a week, tired, fatigued, stuff like that, but I don’t make excuses for it.”

Still, Indiana previously beat UCLA and now sits at 15-8 overall and 6-6 in conference play, meaning it isn’t returning to Bloomington winless.

The Hoosiers stayed in

Centerbury Mission

719 E. Seventh St. 812-822-1335 IUCanterbury.org

Sunday: 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. Mon., Wed., Thu.: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Tuesday: Noon - 8 p.m. Fri., Sat.: By Appointment

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Rose House LuMin & St. Thomas Lutheran Church

3800 E. Third St. 812-332-5252 Stlconline.org lcmiu.net

Instagram: @hoosierlumin facebook.com/LCMIU facebook.com/StThomasBloomington

Sunday: 8:30 a.m. & 11 a.m.

@ St. Thomas Lutheran Church

3800 E. Third St.

Tuesday: 6:30 p.m. Dinner & Devotions @ Rose House LuMin 314 S. Rose Ave.

Rose House LuMin and St. Thomas Lutheran Church invite you to experience life together with us. We are an inclusive Christian community who values the faith, gifts, and ministry of all God’s people. We seek justice, serve our neighbors, and love boldly.

Canterbury: Assertively open & affirming; unapologetically Christian, we proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ by promoting justice, equality, peace, love and striving to be the change God wants to see in our world.

St. Mark’s United Methodist Church

100 N. State Rd. 46 812-332-5788 smumc.church facebook.com/BloomingtonStMarksUMC instagram: @stmarksbloomington

Sunday: 10:30 a.m., Service Mon. - Fri: Office: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

St. Mark’s United Methodist Church of Bloomington, Indiana is an inclusive community, bringing Christ-like love, healing, and hope to all. We embrace the United Methodist ideal of open hearts, open minds, and open doors by welcoming those of all races, cultures, faith traditions, sexual orientations, and gender identities.

Rev. John Huff - Pastor Rev. Mary Beth Morgan - Pastor

Los Angeles Feb. 3 — another difference with the West Coast travel. Instead of returning home in the early morning hours Wednesday, the Cream and Crimson are dedicating the day as a “travel day.” Indiana will practice Feb. 5 and Feb. 6 ahead of a noon contest Feb. 7 against Wisconsin inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. Being a half step slow against the Badgers, who are 16-6 overall and 8-3 in Big Ten play, isn’t a winning recipe. It wasn’t against USC, either. “Our biggest thing is we’ve got to get back, get some rest, regroup and get ready for the next one,” Darian DeVries said. “That’s what this is. We’ve been playing good basketball and had a rough one tonight, but we can’t let it linger.”

Light House Community Church

850 E. Winslow Rd. 812-339-3306 lhccbloomington.org facebook.com/lighthousecommunitychurchbloomingtonindiana instagram.com/lighthouse_community_ church

Sunday: 9 a.m., Empowerment Classes (for all ages) 10:30 a.m., Service

Wednesday: 7 p.m., Bible Study

Light House Community Church is mandated, by the Word of God, to fulfill the Great Commission by winning lost souls to Christ and empowering the believer to grow in Christ through prayer, study of the Holy Bible, and life application teaching. All are welcome! Transportation is available.

Senior Pastor - Derek L. House Assistant Pastor - Clarence W. Boone,

Trinity Reformed Church 2401 S. Endwright Rd. 812-825-2684 trinityreformed.org instagram.com/trinityreformed facebook.com/trinitychurchbloom

Sunday: 9:15 a.m., Sunday Bible Classes 10:30 a.m., Worship

We are a Reformed Protestant church on the west side of Bloomington with lively worship on Sunday mornings, Bible classes beforehand, home groups, and a college age group called The Mix (a group of young adults who are both attending college and beyond).

Jody Killingsworth - Lead Pastor Max Curell - Shepherding Pastor Stephen Baker - Discipleship Pastor Philip Moyer - Worship & Youth Pastor

Christian Science

Christian Science Church 2425 E. Third St. 812-332-0536 bloomingtonchristianscience.com facebook.com/e3rdStreet

Inter-Denominational

Redeemer Community Church

111 S. Kimble Dr. 812-269-8975 redeemerbloomington.org

facebook.com/RedeemerBtown

Instagram & Twitter: @RedeemerBtown

Sunday: 9 a.m., 11 a.m.

Redeemer is a gospel-centered community on mission. Our vision is to see the gospel of Jesus Christ transform everything: our lives, our church, our city, and our world. We want to be instruments of gospel change in Bloomington and beyond.

Chris Jones - Lead Pastor

United Methodist

Jubilee

219 E. Fourth St. 812-332-6396 jubileebloomington.org

Facebook: First United Methodist Church of Bloomington, IN Instagram: @jubileebloomington

Sunday: 9:30 a.m., Classic Worship 11:45 a.m., Contemporary Worship Wednesday: 7:30 p.m., College & Young Adult Dinner

Jubilee is a Christ-centered community open and affirming to all. We gather on Wednesdays at First United Methodist (219 E. 4th St.) for free food, honest discussion, worship, and hanging out. Small groups, service projects, social events (bonfires, game nights, book clubs, etc.), outreach retreats, and leadership opportunities all play a significant role in our rhythm of doing life together. Markus Dickinson - jubilee@fumcb.org

Rev. - Adrianne Meier Rev. - Lecia Beck Rev. Amanda Ghaffarian - Campus Pastor Unity Worldwide Unity of Bloomington A Center for Spiritual Growth

Sunday: 10 - 11 a.m., Service

Wednesday: 7 - 8 p.m., Testimony Meeting Mon. - Fri: Noon - 2 p.m., Reading Room

Interested in spirituality and healing? We welcome you to our church to explore how you can address issues spiritually and experience healing.

4001 S. Rogers St. text/call: 812-333-2484 unityofbloomington.org IG: @unityofbloomington facebook@UnityofBloomington Sunday Celebration: 10:30 a.m. Discover a vibrant, welcoming community at Unity of Bloomington – “a positive path for spiritual living”. Our center offers a space for spiritual growth; embracing all with open arms. We proudly affirm and welcome the LGBTQ+ community, fostering love, acceptance, and inclusion. Join our loving congregation, where everyone is valued and encouraged to explore their spiritual journey. At Unity of Bloomington, all are welcome and together we thrive!

Minnassa Gabon

COLUMN:

By Sean McAvoy semcavoy@iu.edu

If you’re an avid reader of my columns, you might remember me ending my last one Jan. 30 with a comparison: Indiana is to a Big Ten win what Sisyphus is to a rock. But it turns out, Indiana women’s basketball was finally able to get up the hill.

The Hoosiers carried a 30-3 first quarter lead into an 89-75 conference victory over Northwestern Feb. 1, the first for Indiana this season. A win in the Big Ten was bound to happen eventually. Between the talent on Indiana’s roster and its coaching staff, the Hoosiers were going to break through at some point this season.

However, the way Indiana was able to win — especially the 30-0 scoring run in the first and start of the second quarter — was unexpected. For the Hoosiers, the unexpected needs to become expected.

Indiana is now 1-10 in the Big Ten standings, a mark that leaves little room for error during the final seven games of the regular season. Crucial games against Purdue, Rutgers and Penn State must be added to the win column if the Hoosiers have any chance of making the 15team Big Ten tournament.

But a question needs to be asked: Can Indiana replicate this game?

“We just got to carry that forward,” Indiana senior guard Shay Ciezki said post-

Women’s basketball finally won a Big Ten game. Can it be replicated?

game Sunday. “I think with this team, like we make good strides, but now we got to keep carrying it forward.”

It’s pivotal to hear one of the Hoosiers’ vocal leaders and the best player on the roster say that after a win. Indiana knows that it can’t be complacent. After the Hoosiers’ 95-67 loss to Michigan on Jan. 29, redshirt sophomore guard Lenée Beaumont said that the team was “in a desperate need for a win.”

That desperation paid off on Feb. 1. But the mentality can’t be forgotten against a feisty Wisconsin team Feb. 4 and another matchup against Purdue — who bested Indiana 80-69 on Jan. 25 — on the horizon.

For the here and now, both Ciezki and Beaumont were crucial in the Hoosiers’ victory Feb. 1. Ciezki finished the contest with a team-high 33 points and five assists, going 11 for 18 from the field and 5 for 9 from 3-point range, while Beaumont added 24 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.

Along with their performances, freshman forward Maya Makalusky compiled 21 points and knocked down four 3-pointers. A points tally that gave Indiana its first game with three 20-plus scorers.

For the trio, it was finally the first game that Ciezki, Beaumont and Makalusky were all dangerous scoring threats at the same time. In most games this season, it’s been one or two of them

scoring consistently, but the third lagging behind.

But the Hoosiers need to take this offensive performance and run with it. Indiana finished 57.9% from the field (best in a Big Ten game) and 45.5% from 3-point range (third best in a Big Ten game). Those two numbers jump off the page when looking at how dominant the Hoosiers were Sunday.

And Indiana was sharp in almost all aspects of its game. The Hoosiers finished with 14 turnovers (tied for second fewest in a Big Ten game) and corralled nine more rebounds than Northwestern, which tied their greatest rebound differential in a Big Ten contest this season.

I thought, particularly in the first half, I thought we were really, really good,” Indiana head coach Teri Moren said postgame. “We’ve seen moments of that. We haven’t seen stretches of it.”

But Feb. 1 was the longest stretch — a 30-0 scoring run to be exact — of basketball where the Hoosiers were in their peak form. However, the contest became close at times in the second half that were unimaginable in the first half.

Northwestern outscored Indiana 26-20 and 23-14 in the third and fourth quarters, respectively. The Wildcats even cut their deficit to 10 points with 4:51 remaining in the game.

But the Hoosiers still came out on top, in a victory that must be replicated

down the stretch. Yet there have been two games this season that have felt like season-changing results: Iowa State University on Nov. 30 and Illinois on Dec. 6. And Feb. 1 could mark a third.

In a 106-95 loss to the Cyclones, Indiana looked like it could compete against one of the best teams in the NCAA. However, since that game, both teams fell from

their lofty preseason expectations, with Indiana’s goal being to make the NCAA tournament — which the Hoosiers would need a miracle to make. But a 78-57 loss to Illinois was a sign to come in Big Ten play. The Hoosiers then rattled off three nonconference wins before a nine-game losing streak that wasn’t snapped until Feb. 1.

Check the IDS for your directory of local religious services, or go online anytime at idsnews.com/religious For membership in the Indiana Daily Student Religious Directory, please contact ads@idsnews.com

Society of Friends (Quaker)

Bloomington Friends Meeting

3820 E. Moores Pike bloomingtonfriendsmeeting.org

Sunday (in person & by Zoom):

9:45 a.m., Hymn singing 10:30 a.m., Meeting for Worship Children’s program available

We practice traditional Quaker worship, gathering in silence with occasional Spirit-led vocal ministry by fellow worshipers. We are an inclusive community with a rich variety of belief and no prescribed creed. We are actively involved in peace action, social justice causes, and environmental concerns.

Rex Sprouse - Clerk rsprouse@iu.edu

Bahá'í Faith

Bloomington

Bahá'í Community and Bahá’í IU Association

424 S. College Mall Rd. 812-331-1863 bloomingtoninbahais.org

facebook.com/Baháí-Community-ofBloomington-Indiana-146343332130574

Instagram: @bloomingtonbahai

Sunday: 10:40 a.m., Regular Services, Devotional Meetings.

Please call or contact through our website for other meetings/activities

The Bahá'í Association of IU works to share the Teachings and Principles of the Founder, Bahá'u'lláh, that promote the "Oneness of Mankind" and the Peace and Harmony of the Planet through advancing the "security, prosperity, wealth and tranquility of all peoples."

Karen Pollock Dan Enslow

Independent Baptist Lifeway Baptist Church

7821 W. State Road 46 812-876-6072 lifewaybaptistchurch.org facebook.com/lifewayellettsville

Sunday: 9 a.m., Bible Study Classes

10 a.m., Morning Service

5 p.m., Evening Service

*Free transportation provided. Please call if you need a ride to church.

Student Ministry: Meeting for Bible study throughout the month. Contact Rosh Dhanawade at bluhenrosh@gmail.com for more information.

Steven VonBokern - Senior Pastor Rosh Dhanawade - IU Coordinator 302-561-0108 bluhenrosh@gmail.com

Non-Denominational

Christ Community Church

503 S. High St. 812-332-0502 cccbloomington.org

facebook.com/christcommunitybtown

Instagram: @christcommunitybtown

Sunday: 9:15 a.m., Educational Hour

10:30 a.m., Worship Service

We are a diverse community of Christ-followers, including many IU students, faculty and staff. Together we are committed to sharing the redeeming grace and transforming truth of Jesus Christ in this college town.

Bob Whitaker - Senior Pastor Adam deWeber - Worship Pastor Dan Waugh - Adult Ministry Pastor

Great Harvest Ministry Center (GHMC Family)

1107 S. Fairview St. 812-325-2428 (GHMC) ghmcfamily.org

Sunday: 10:30 a.m.

GHMC Family is a small church with a big heart. We follow Jesus and not a religion. We believe God’s Word as written for real people living in a messy world. We are a family of believers — your home away from home. Casual, welcoming, and here to support each other through life’s challenges. Come grow with us!

Tony Taylor - Pastor

Christian Student Fellowship

1968 N. David Baker Ave. 812-332-8972 csfindiana.org

Instagram: @csfindiana office@csfindiana.org

Monday - Friday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Christian Student Fellowship (CSF) exists as a Christ-centered community focused on helping students truly know Jesus Christ. Our ministry hub is located on campus at the last stop on the B bus. Reach out to schedule a tour, or join us for our 8 p.m. Thursday night worship service (Encounter)!

Ben Geiger - Lead Campus Minister

Stephanie Michael - Campus Minister

Nick Conrad - Associate Campus Minister

United Church of Christ and American Baptist Churches-USA First United Church

2420 E. Third St. 812-332-4439 firstuc.org facebook.com/firstuc instagram.com/firstuc2420 youtube.com/@FirstUCBtown

Sunday: 10:30 a.m., Worship

Monday: 10 a.m. via Zoom, Bible Study

We are an Open, Welcoming, and Affirming community of love and acceptance dedicated to welcoming the diversity of God’s beloved. We exist to empower, challenge, and encourage one another to live out Jesus’ ways (compassion, truth, and justice) authentically as human beings in community to create a better world.

Rev. Jessica Petersen-Mutai Senior Minister

Nazarene

Bloomington Eastview Church of the Nazarene

4545 E. Lampkins Ridge Rd. 812-332-4041 eastviewnazarene.org

Facebook - Eastview Church of the Nazarene

Sunday: 9 a.m.: Morning Prayer

9:30 a.m.: Sunday School 10:30 a.m.: Worship Service 3 p.m.: Cedar Creek Worship Wednesday: 10 a.m.: Bible Study

Join us at Bloomington Eastview Church of the Nazarene, where faith meets community! Connect with fellow students through engaging worship, meaningful discussions, and service opportunities. Discover a supportive space to grow spiritually and make lasting friendships. Everyone is welcome - come as you are and be a part of our vibrant family!

Rev. Bruce D. Yates - Pastor Alicia J. Dollens - Facility Manager

Unitarian Universalist Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington 2120 N. Fee Ln. 812-332-3695 uubloomington.org facebook.com/uubloomington

Sunday: 10:30 a.m. via in person or livestream We’re a multi dynamic congregation actively working towards a more just and loving world. We draw inspiration from world religions and diverse spiritual traditions. Our vision is “Seeking the Spirit, Building Community, Changing the World.” A LGBTQA+, Dementia Friendly, Welcoming Congregation to all ages and groups and a Certified Green Sanctuary. Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray

After that game,

that the

the case for Indiana until Feb. 1. But with seven crucial games left in the season, Indiana must replicate the style, effort and intensity the Hoosiers played with against Northwestern for the rest of the season.

Episcopal (Anglican)

Canterbury Mission

719 E. Seventh St. 812-822-1335 IUCanterbury.org

facebook.com/ECMatIU

Instagram: @ECMatIU

Youtube: @canterburyhouseatiu9094

Sunday: 3 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Mon., Wed., Thu.: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Tuesday: Noon - 8 p.m. Fri., Sat.: By Appointment

Canterbury: Assertively open & affirming; unapologetically Christian, we proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ by promoting justice, equality, peace, love and striving to be the change God wants to see in our world.

Ed Bird - Chaplain/Priest

Baptist

Emmanuel Church

1503 W. That Rd. 812-824-2768 Emmanuelbloom.com

Instagram & Facebook: @EmmanuelBloomington

Sunday: 9:15 a.m., Fellowship

Sunday: 10 a.m., Worship

Groups: Various times

Emmanuel is a multigenerational church of all types of people. Whether you are questioning faith or have followed Jesus for years, we exist to help fuel a passion for following Jesus as we gather together, grow in community, and go make disciples.

John Winders - Lead Pastor

Second Baptist Church 321 N. Rogers St. 812-336-5827 sbcbloomington.org facebook.com/2ndbaptistbloomington youtube.com/@secondbaptist churchbloomington

Sunday: 10 a.m., Service (In house and on Facebook/YouTube) Sunday School: 8:45 - 9:45 a.m.