IDS 2025 Welcome Back Edition
Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com
Welcome back, Hoosiers!
Here are some of the top stories the IDS published this summer, along with a few recent stories to get you all caught up on what has been going on in Bloomington.
Events to check out during IU’s welcome week IDS FILE PHOTO
Hodge Hall, home of the Kelley School of Business, is pictured Oct. 9, 2022. Kelley announced new admissions criteria for the upcoming semester.
Kelley implements new admission policies
The Metz Carillon is seen Nov. 4, 2021, in the arboretum on IU Bloomington's campus.
By Safin Khatri safkhat@iu.edu
By Natalia Nelson
The Kelley School of Business will implement new admissions policies for the upcoming semester. Students entering IU in fall of 2026 or later will not be eligible for automatic direct admission to the business school. All applicants seeking direct admission to Kelley must complete a Kelley Prospective Inventory which will be reviewed by the Kelley Admissions Committee. The committee will consider multiple aspects of applicants including rigor and academic performance in high school, academic achievements and “the potential for success at Kelley”. Previously, applicants
seeking direct admission could qualify automatically by maintaining at least a 3.8 GPA and a 1370 SAT or 30 ACT score. The business school has also changed admissions criteria for students applying as standard admits. Students pursuing standard admissions to Kelley entering IU Bloomington from fall 2025 to spring 2026 must receive at least a B+ in all classes in order to be automatically admitted, and students entering IU Bloomington from fall 2026 to spring 2027 must receive at least an A- in all classes to be automatically admitted. Previously, standard admits needed to receive at least a B in all classes to be automatically admitted.
nelsonnb@iu.edu | @natalianelsonn
The week before classes begin on Aug. 25 will be a busy one for IU’s incoming freshmen, but welcome week is also one of the best times to meet other Hoosiers, explore the campus and see what the university has to offer. Here’s a list of events to mark on your calendar. Monday, Aug. 18 Move-in free store: Forgot something at home? Students, whether on or off campus, can obtain up to 3 items, including mirrors, hangers, lamps and microwaves for free from 1 to 6 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at the IU Office of Sustainabil-
IDS FILE PHOTO
ity E-House located at 704 E. 10th St.
and meet other students and staff.
Tuesday, Aug. 19 Eskenazi Museum of Art tour: Observe tens of thousands of artworks at the Eskenazi Museum from noon to 1 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 21 New student induction ceremony: Held at the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall at 10 a.m., the IU tradition of inducting new students is a welcome week staple. Majors, minors and careers fest: Discover degree programs, student support resources and student employment opportunities from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Herman B Wells Library first-floor lobby and patio. CultureFest: Stop by the Fine Arts Plaza from 4 to 7 p.m. to catch dinner from food trucks, watch live performances and make crafts. IU Cinema open house: Tour the IU Auditorium start-
Wednesday, Aug. 20 Poster sale: Choose from hundreds of posters from movies and television to music in the Georgian Room of the Indiana Memorial Union from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The annual sale will continue through the first week of classes. Graduate student reception: From 3 to 5 p.m. in the Herman B Wells Library, graduate students are invited to share refreshments
ing at 4:30 p.m. to eat snacks and check out programming for the upcoming semester. Friday, Aug. 22 Culture Center open houses: Visit the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the LGBTQ+ Culture Center from noon to 2 p.m., the Jewish, First Nations and Latino culture centers from 1 to 3 p.m., and the Asian Culture Center from 2 to 4 p.m. Part-time jobs fair: Search for fall job opportunities at the Indiana Memorial Union’s Alumni Hall from noon to 4 p.m. RecFest: Learn about IU Recreational Sports’ programming and check out club sports at the Bill Garrett Fieldhouse from 1 to 4 p.m.
Mayor addresses housing challenges following arrests Thomson discussed recent arrests and city efforts to increase wages and decrease housing cost
By Jonathan Frey jonafrey@iu.edu
Mayor Kerry Thomson addressed housing challenges in Bloomington in the wake of arrests at Seminary Park and Crawford Apartments at a press conference Tuesday at City Hall. She expressed the importance of focusing on the problem regionally and curbing the relocation of people experiencing homelessness from other jurisdictions being moved to Bloomington. Thomson also gave updates on the status of the Hopewell neighborhood, a project that began in 2021 and has been symbolic of the city’s efforts to reduce housing costs for both middle class and low-income Bloomington residents. She alluded to efforts to remove obstacles and friction stunting developers in the permitting and building process. Arrests in encampments and low-income areas Mayor Thomson confirmed arrests were made at Seminary Park earlier this summer and addressed new arrests made the morning of July 29 near Crawford Apartments, a housing complex geared toward housing individuals experiencing homelessness. Thomson said those arrested were suspected of dealing drugs within lowincome and unhoused communities. Bloomington Police Department Chief Mike Diekhoff added the city will continue targeting drug dealers for arrests in the future. “Drug dealers prey on
JONATHAN FREY | IDS
Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson reads an opening statement during a press conference July 29, 2025. Thomson addressed the state of housing challenges in the city and its plan to address them.
these people hanging out in the camps, in the parks,” Diekhoff said. “We are focusing our efforts on taking the drug dealers into custody so that they aren’t able to deal drugs to people who have addiction issues.” Thomson said despite President Trump’s executive order intended to spur arrests of individuals experiencing homelessness, the city does not believe arrests are the proper way to address the issue. “If you arrest people, they will end up in our jail — perhaps overnight,” Thomson said. “Then they’ll be back out on the streets. They then will have a record that will cause them to be much more difficult to be housed. This will perpetuate the issue of
homelessness not only in Bloomington, but throughout the United States.” Homeless population from other jurisdictions Thomson claimed a portion of the unhoused population within Bloomington consists of individuals from other jurisdictions. She did not cite any specific jurisdictions but noted for the city to solve its housing challenges, it must take on only as much of the problem as it can handle. “The safety nets we have in place have become flooded,” Thomson said. “And that flood is happening in a multitude of ways.” When housing-insecure individuals are relocated to new cities or regions, it cuts
them off from their local support systems and communities that may otherwise be able to help, Thomson said. She told the story of one unnamed individual who needed medical treatment at the Regional Academic Health Center in Bloomington for 20 days, but ultimately spent another 23 in medical respite when they were unable to find somewhere to go. The IDS reported last year 456 individuals were experiencing homelessness in Bloomington and Monroe County, an uptick from 2023’s number of 427. Heading Home, an organization partnered with the city in ending homelessness, reportedly conducted a survey earlier this year, but those
numbers are not yet available. “You can’t teach a drowning person to swim,” Thomson said. “In Bloomington right now, I think we’re barely treading water with our homelessness.” The city recently hired Brian Giffen as homelessness response coordinator, a role that will facilitate resource and personnel allocation to addressing issues faced by the homeless community. Updates on development of the Hopewell neighborhood Thomson and several city officials addressed the development of the Hopewell neighborhood, citing plans to rework the permitting
process which has been significantly slowing developers and driving housing costs. Thomson said builders and developers often have to wait 12 months before their permit is approved, leading to an entire year of paying employees with no work to be done. This artificially inflates the cost of developing in the city, and thus increases the price on Bloomington consumers. Thomson said revisions to the permitting process could be complete as soon as the end of this year. With new policies in place, Thomson hopes several developers can take on the Hopewell project instead of leaving it in the hands of just one. David Hittle, Bloomington director of planning and zoning, added the city’s Unified Development Ordinance makes it appealing to build a house or a massive student housing complex — both of which Bloomington has in droves. “It makes it relatively hard to build everything in between, which is where we serve the middle class and the lower-middle class — the people that work for the school system or work for the government that can't afford to live here,” Hittle said. One city official said the average wage in Bloomington is around $22.85 while the average price of buying a house in Bloomington is $379,000 — two numbers that are incompatible. Thomson ended the conference on a hopeful note. “If there is any community in the United States that could solve homelessness, it’s Bloomington, Indiana,” she said.