CMYK
THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF INDIANAPOLIS • FOUNDED 1922
VOL.
101
I S S UE 7
reflector.uindy.edu
FEBRUARY 8, 2023
Tuition increasing next year By Kassandra Darnell EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Full-time undergraduate tuition at the University of Indianapolis will be $34,416 for the 2023-2024 academic year, according to an email sent by Interim President Phil Terry to the UIndy community on Dec. 9. This is an increase of $1,164 from the previous year’s tuition.The costs of room and board and the 14-meal plan will be increasing as well, with the cost of a double room in a residence hall increasing by $304 and the price of the meal plan increasing by $284. Student fees will not increase and the rates of campus apartments will depend upon leasing documents, according to the email. Terry said the primary reason for these changes is increased costs, primarily for payroll expenses, utilities, vendors, updates to the Cory Bretz residence hall and initiatives to improve safety on campus, which all lead to a need to increase revenue for the university. Despite these changes, UIndy remains one of the more affordable private universities in the state, according to Terry. “If you look at our tuition, compared to other private schools in Indiana, of the 19 private schools, we're still the fourth most affordable, meaning there's 14 schools with higher tuition than UIndy,” Terry said. “In the private college world, it's still very affordable.” Senior psychology major Isabel Stearns said she has seen her fair share of price increases on campus and has grown to expect an announcement about rising tuition rates because that has been the pattern in recent years. She said it becomes harder to pay each semester and she is worried about the debt she
has accumulated as a result. If any students believe that affording tuition, room and board or a meal plan will be difficult to afford following these increases,Terry encourages them to reach out to the Office of Financial Aid for assistance, as the university has resources to help students who are struggling. Director of Financial Aid Nathan Lohr said one of the main roles of the financial aid office is to help students maximize their eligibility for financial aid from many sources, including the federal government, the State of Indiana, outside scholarships and the university itself. Lohr said it is a priority to ensure that students receive all of the aid that
In the private college world, it's still very affordable.” they are eligible to receive. “We also look at what money the university has available to provide to students. And that's an area where the university is really committed to helping students,” Lohr said. “Last year, for example, UIndy provided over $73 million in grants and scholarships to our students. We're not just relying on money from the federal government or from the state. We're also looking to provide money to help our students pursue their education here.” Lohr encourages students who are looking to plan for next year to make sure they have filled out the FAFSA by April 15. The Office of Financial Aid will begin processing financial aid for the 2023-2024 academic year later this spring. If students have questions in the
meantime, Lohr said the financial aid office is there to help with any concerns. “We really encourage them [students] to reach out to our office or stop by to see us because we can go through their financial aid package with them individually to make sure they understand what all is available to them and what other options they might have available to explore to assist with their educational costs,” Lohr said. Some of these funds will be allocated toward payroll benefits and continuing increases to professor pay and benefits, according to Terry. Last year, professor pay went up by 2%, as well as a 2% increase in benefits, primarily for retirement benefits following a pause during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Terry said the university has almost restored retirement to pre-pandemic numbers. “We've got great staff, we've got great professors and we've got to make sure that they're being rewarded at least market rates [average pay]. I think in terms of looking at the future, I think that'd be something we very much want to work into any plan for the future,” Terry said. “That's a priority of ours, is to make sure that our pay and benefits are competitive.” While the cost of room and board will be increasing, Terry said that it is still competitive with other state universities, but it also has the same cost pressures as everywhere else in the university. Additionally, Terry said some of the funds will go toward a look into the dining experience at UIndy following student complaints. This has begun with opening a dialogue between the university’s vendor, Quest Food Management Services, and faculty regarding what improvements students would like to see. While tuition has steadily increased
Graphic by Hannah Biedess
in recent years, Stearns said she would be more comfortable with paying more if she could see where the money is going. Currently, she feels there have not been many changes. “The food doesn't seem better, the dorms don't seem better, safety has made improvements, but it's still not where it could be with the increases that they're getting each semester…,” Stearns said. “For example, I'm a commuter; we've had increases in tuition raises, but we lost our commuter lounge [in Schwitzer Student Center], so commuters don't even have a place to go anymore that's designated
for them. It's [the] little things like that make it really hard to be okay with the tuition increase when you're not seeing anything come from it.” Terry said the university understands the need to make the cost of its product as reasonable as it can, with lots of time spent with academics, faculty and the athletics department to ensure the university is as efficient and effective as possible. “In fact, as an interim [president], I think that's my job, on this interim period, I gotta make sure that everything we're doing is done [as] efficiently as effectively as possible,” Terry said.
UIndy Police Department updates
New initiatives to UIPD include increased patrols, communication and student-officer interaction By Mia Lehmkuhl OPINION EDITOR
University of Indianapolis Interim Chief of Police and Director of Campus Safety Brandon Pate sent out a campuswide email on Jan. 14 detailing new initiatives that the University Police Department has begun implementing for the spring semester. The email describes new campus patrol strategies, educational programming, increased communication between officers and students and a
dedicated public safety engagement space in Room 208B of the Schwitzer Student Center.The substation is next to the Office of Student Affairs and directly across from the Professional Edge Center, according to the email. “The biggest takeaway would be a more focused approach to engagement and education with the students,” Pate said. “…We want to be more readily available, more well seen, provide more opportunities for us to get together face to face, learn to know each other.” The new campus patrol strategy
Photo by Erin Rostron
A University of Indianapolis Police Department patrol vehicle sits in the parking lot of the police station. The Greyhound Village apartments are diagonally across Shelby St.
INSIDE: OPINION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 NEWS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 SPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 5 FEATURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 ENTERTAINMENT . . . . . . . . . 7 RETROSPECTIVE . . . . . . . . . . 8
initiative will result in more visibility of UIndy police officers across campus, according to Pate’s email, through vehicle, bike and on-foot patrols. In terms of what programming students can expect, Pate said that he wishes to “bridge the gap” between students and officers and that he is open to students’ perspectives. “I really don't consider it [students’ perspectives] backlash as much as a lot of it is constructive criticism. Some of it is a major criticism in and of itself. But it's important to frame the way that we look at it. It is stuff that we can learn from because it’s the true student voice; the student voice is saying, ‘We're not hearing enough fast enough.’ Then it's our job to kind of look at how we can bridge that, how do we fix that and find a solution,” Pate said. In terms of the new programming that students can expect, Pate emphasized an inaugural Public Safety Week at UIndy Jan. 23-27, according to his campuswide email. In addition, Pate described a new Public Safety Advisory system being implemented this semester to bolster communication between police and students. “That's [the Public Safety Advisory] something new that's come to UIndy, as of December, where you're starting to see more of us putting things out quicker and saying, ‘This is happening,” Pate said. “We’re working on it.’” Safety concerns on campus were raised as a result of a break-in at the Greyhound Village apartments just
INDIANA SENATE BILL 354 A proposed bill in the Indiana Senate requires public schools to disclose changes of students’ gender identity to their parents. Read one writer’s opinion on SB 354 on Page 2. > See OPINION
before students returned to campus on light boxes need to be closer to buildings Jan. 7. According to an email sent by because they said that there are 24. I Pate after the suspect was in custody, know where three of them are. And they “At 5:42 p.m. [on Saturday Jan. 7, 2023] need to make it more obvious and safer,” University Police receive[d] a call of Lehman said. disturbance with information regarding According to Pate, students are a loud bang with a broken door from advised to remain vigilant about their the Marion County 911 Emergency surroundings. He urges students to use Communications dispatchers.” services such as UIndy’s Safety Walk or A Public S afet y police escorts if they feel Advisory was sent out unsafe on campus. to students via the UIndy “It does app after UIndy Police come down to risk were aware of the breakassessments about where in and were dispatched you're going to be, where to GV. After an arrest you're going, what time was made, UIndy police of night and who knows provided a timeline that you're going to be of the crime from the there,” Pate said. “You moment Universit y can attend any of our Police received a call self-defense programs. from Marion County We talk about what dispatchers to when the safety steps you can suspect was in custody. take to make sure you’re However, students took safe[r]. You're always to the UIndy app to welcome to use safety PATE express their concerns walks and escorts. And about safety on campus. just reach out to us if a Sophomore history education and student has a specific concern that they're gender studies major Isabelle Lehman, worried about.” who posted on the UIndy app about Students can contact Pate with any wanting more accessibility to the blue safety concerns or questions through call boxes that campus security put in his email, pateb@uindy.edu, or students place last year, said she wants to see more can come to the substation in the improvement from UIndy Police. student center to speak with him “[UIndy Police] definitely need to directly. Students can also request police use Watchdog more. They need to have incident reports through the UIndy more officers around. And I think blue Police webpage or by emailing Pate.
FROM HIGH SCHOOL TO UINDY Two UIndy basketball players won a state championship together in high school. Now, they are teammates on UIndy’s court. Read about their story on Page 4. > See SPORTS
BLACK HISTORY ON CAMPUS Learn about UIndy’s complex history regarding the Black community on campus.
> See RETROSPECTIVE