SEPT 24–29 IUauditorium.com
IDS 2024 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.
IU clears pro-Palestine encampment
IU set up fencing surrounding Dunn Meadow in preparation for “extensive repairs” after clearing it Aug. 2. By Jack Forrest and Theo Hawkins news@idsnews.com
On Aug. 2, its 100th day, IU cleared the pro-Palestine encampment in Dunn Meadow, formed April 25, and placed fencing around the meadow. Thomas Morrison, Vice President of IU Capital Planning and Facilities, wrote in an email to the IU community Aug. 2 that the fencing will be up as Dunn Meadow receives “extensive repairs” for damage incurred by encampment structures. These repairs include replacing turf and servicing the subsurface irrigation system. IU executive director of media relations Mark Bode said in a email to the Indiana Daily Student that initial estimates for the work for Dunn Meadow are $100,000, though can increase as work progresses. On July 29, the IU Board of Trustees approved a new university-wide expressive activity policy which prohibits camping at any time of day if not in conjunction with an approved university event. It also requires approval for signs and symbols affixed to or inserted into the ground or hung from any university property. Structures, like tents, require 10 days advance approval. An encampment medic told the IDS on July 31 the protesters would not resist the encampment take-
THEO HAWKINS | IDS
A sign summarizing IU's new expressive activity policy sits behind the fence around Dunn Meadow Aug. 2, 2024. The signs were planted after the IU Board of Trustees approved the new policy at a meeting July 29 to go into effect Aug. 1.
down, citing injuries sustained by protesters during the initial rounds of arrests and a decrease in momentum of the national encampment movement. On April 25 and 27, Indiana State and IU Police arrested 57 protesters in the meadow and charged them with at least criminal trespass for violating a policy prohibiting temporary structures, including tents, without prior approval. The policy was created April 24, one day before the start of
the encampment. The Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office later dropped all criminal trespass charges. The process of clearing the encampment began Aug. 1, the day the new policy took effect, with IU facilities operations workers power-washing painted proPalestine messages off sidewalks near Dunn Meadow. Use of non-soluble, semipermanent or permanent materials, such as paint, is prohibited on the surfaces
of university property under the new policy. An IUPD officer asked protesters Aug. 1 if they wished to take any items from the encampment before they were removed. An encampment participant said the morning of Aug. 2 nothing had been left that protesters were unwilling to part with. According to the encampment participant, all structures aside from the gardens planted by protesters in May had been
removed upon the arrival of bystanders around 6:40 a.m. Aug. 2. The participant said they sighted a forklift in Dunn Meadow at 8:19 a.m. ,and a more concerted effort to remove the gardens began around 9:15 a.m. By 9:45 a.m. Aug. 2, workers wearing t-shirts reading “Master Rental” were putting up fences around the meadow. The meadow was entirely fenced in by 11 a.m. Bode said in an email to the IDS that IU hired a third party — Master Rental. Two encampment participants standing near Dunn Meadow expressed sadness at the take-down, especially of structures built to memorialize Palestinians killed in Gaza. “It’s sad to see IU destroy a peaceful protest,” one said. “We tried to create a peaceful community that IU didn’t want.” In a joint Instagram post Aug. 1, the IU Divestment Coalition and Palestine Solidarity Committee — the groups who organized the encampment — commemorated 99 days of the encampment that day and wrote they were prepared for “new challenges” as they continue to fight for their demands, which include IU’s total divestment from Israel and cessation of partnerships with Naval Surface Warfare Center — Crane Division. This story was originally published Aug. 2, 2024.
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Hello and welcome back to Indiana University and Bloomington! We missed you and hope you enjoyed your time away this summer. To catch up on what you may have missed while away, whether it be IU athletes in the Olympics or the weather Bloomington experienced, you can read all the summer action in this special edition — the Welcome Back Guide. The end of the summer and the beginning of the new school year brings new Indiana Daily Student fall staff. The new staff will continue serving readers like you with coverage including local news, sports, arts and culture and student viewpoints, as we have for the past 157 years. You can stay up to date by checking out our daily content on our website idsnews.com, following us on Instagram and X @idsnews or picking up one of our weekly newspapers from the stands on and off campus. It was a pleasure for the IDS’ summer staff and I to provide you with the news this summer. Thank you for supporting student and local journalism, and I wish you all a wonderful fall semester!
Natalie Fitzgibbons
Summer 2024 editor-in-chief
Tenacious D cancels shows Indiana representatives tally 3 medals in 2024 Paris Olympic Games By Gowri Salem gowsalem@iu.edu
By Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer
matfuent@iu.edu | @mateo_frowher
Blake Pieroni, Anna Peplowski and Lilly King — three names that will forever be linked as the Indiana University representatives with medals from the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Pieroni achieved the honor first, securing the silver medal for Team USA in the men’s 4x200-meter freestyle relay. In the women’s edition of the event, rising senior Anna Peplowski earned the silver medal with Team USA. In King’s first two events of Paris 2024, she finished fourth in the 100-meter breaststroke and failed to qualify for the finals of the 200-meter breaststroke. But in her final event of the Games and her Olympic career, King won gold for Team USA in the 4x100-meter medley relay. Elsewhere in the Olympics, past and present IU athletes participated in their respective events. Besides the medal winners, Indiana sent five swimming and diving members to Team USA. Rising senior Carson Tyler competed in both the men’s 3-meter springboard
and the 10-meter platform events, finishing fourth in the 3-meter and failing to advance past the preliminary round in the 10-meter. Indiana alum Andrew Capobianco competed alongside Tyler in the 3-meter, but he failed to make it out of the semifinals. Fellow alum Jessica Parratto competed in the women’s synchronized 10-meter platform with Delaney Schnell, finishing sixth with a score of 287.52, 16.86 points behind the bronze medalists. Rising senior Mariah Denigan made history as the first Indiana athlete to ever compete in an open water swimming event and only the fourth American to compete in the event in USA Olympic history. She finished 16th in the women’s marathon swimming event. In the men’s 200-meter breaststroke, rising senior Josh Matheny finished sixth in the medal race. Beyond Team USA, Indiana had many athletes competing for nations around the globe. Rising senior Rafael Miroslaw featured in three different events for Germany, his best being the men’s 4x100-meter freestyle re-
COURTESY OF INDIANA ATHLETICS
Former Indiana University swimmer Lilly King, part of the Indiana Swim Club, is awarded a medal for winning the women's 50-meter breaststroke event at the Phillips 66 National Championships on June 29, 2023, in Indianapolis. King was one of three IU athletes, past and present, to medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
lay, in which he helped his group finish seventh in the medal race. He also finished eighth in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay final and reached the semifinals of the 200-meter freestyle. Another rising senior competing at the Olympics was Tomer Frankel, who swam in four events for Israel. His best finish was in the men’s 4x200-meter freestyle relay, where Israel finished ninth and .66 seconds behind Miroslaw and Germany. In his other three events, Frankel failed to make it out of the preliminary heats. Former Hoosier Marwan Elkamash swam the men’s 800-meter freestyle
for Egypt, finishing eighth in the preliminaries. Kotryna Teterevkova, who spent the year training with Indiana, finished fifth in the medal race for Lithuania in the women’s 200-meter breaststroke. Rising senior Ching Hwee Gan competed for Singapore in the women's 800-meter freestyle, 1500-meter freestyle and 4x100-meter medley. With the three podium finishes, IU raises its medal count to 127, including 62 gold, 27 silver and 38 bronze. This story was originally published Aug. 18, 2024.
Tenacious D, the acclaimed rock duo consisting of comedians Jack Black and Kyle Gass, has canceled its highly anticipated fall tour, including its scheduled performance at the IU Auditorium. The band, known for its unique blend of humor and rock music, was set to perform Oct. 22 at the IU Auditorium this fall. It comes after Gass made a joke about the assassination attempt against former President and Republican nominee Donald Trump during a recent show. According to IndyStar, in a video from a July 14 show in Sydney, Australia, Black is seen singing happy birthday to Gass onstage. When Black tells Gass to make a wish, he responded: "Don't miss Trump next time." According to Reuters, the comment quickly drew backlash, leading to widespread criticism and calls for accountability. In response, Gass released a statement apologizing for the remark. “What happened was a tragedy, and I'm incredibly sorry for my severe lack of judgement,” Gass said in a now-deleted statement posted to his Instagram. “I profoundly apologize to those I've let down and truly regret
Bloomington's 7 Day Forecast
any pain I've caused.” Black also released his own statement on Instagram, announcing the tour’s cancellation. “I was blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday,” Black said. “I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form.” The IU Auditorium, a key venue for major performances in Bloomington, has experienced cancellations before. In May, comedian Matt Rife canceled his sold-out shows at the IU Auditorium due to a medical emergency. One of the shows was already scheduled to begin when it was canceled. His last-minute cancellation came after he postponed then rescheduled the shows in February. Fans and community members have shared mixed reactions, and the incident has sparked broader conversations online about the responsibilities of public figures. For more information on future events and updates from the IU Auditorium, visit IU Auditorium’s official website. A representative for the IU Auditorium did not respond to a request for comment by publication. This story was originally published July 22, 2024.
SOURCE: THE WEATHER CHANNEL GRAPHICS BY: LEXI LINDENMAYER
Thursday Aug. 22
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79° 53° P: 7%
84° 67° P: 6%
87° 67° P: 9%
87° 68° P: 15%
90° 69° P: 24%
91° 67° P: 32%
92° 66° P: 15%