Ball State President Jo Ann Gora said the university will make a public statement against House Joint Resolution 6 shortly, following a vote by University Senate this afternoon, recommending the university take a public stance.
Members of the Students for Creative Social Activism were in the Atrium Thursday to encourage students to write to their legislators. The organization members were on hand to help students find legislation that is active in Congress, find out who the legislator is that is involved, and give tips on how to write an effective letter to them. Ariana Brown, president of the organization, said the event was something that she has wanted to do for months. “I think it’s going to be really helpful in just kind of breaking the ice and making people feel more confident going into writing their legislators or contacting elected officials or in any way trying to negotiate our huge government,” Brown said. Tips the organization has for writing an effective letter include making sure the correct person is being contacted, focusing on a specific bill in the letter, proving authority on the issue and talking about how personal effects of the legislation. Brown said some people may feel very strong about an issue, but that does not give them the right not to be cordial. “I feel that if somebody is on their own and they are like so riled up about it that they are going to write their legislator, they are a lot more fired up than people who are just walking around the Atrium like what is this, I think I might be interested in this thing,” Brown said. Jackson Nelschorson, a senior creative writing major, was one of the students who walked by the event and got involved.
WASHINGTON — A Democratic official says President Barack Obama has decided to allow the sale of canceled individual health insurance policies to existing customers, part of a plan to satisfy public discontent with “Obamacare.” Obama set a late morning White House announcement. The official said the administration’s one-year plan is to let insurers continue to offer plans that had been canceled because they did not meet coverage standards under the health care law. The official says insurance companies must also notify policyholders that alternatives exist under Obama’s health care program, and have to describe the areas in which their own plans fall short of coverage requirements in the law. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because this person lacked authority to speak publicly ahead of a formal announcement.
A program that started in the ‘90s continues to help students get anonymous, professional advice for their emotional and academic questions. Concerned Charlie is a way to give students access to the counseling center without having to talk to a psychologist, which some may find uncomfortable, said Lee Van Donselaar, assistant director for training.
Ball State officials, along with four other universities, took a five-day tour to Vietnam last week in hopes of broadening international academic relations. President Jo Ann Gora joined Ken Holland, director of the Center for International Development, and Tom Taylor, vice president for Enrollment, Marketing, and Communications to represent Ball State through the International Academic Partnership Program.
The Student Government Association will recommend that University Senate votes for Ball State to take a public stand against House Joint Resolution 6 today following the passing of the SGA resolution. SGA voted 29 to 6 with two abstaining, passing a resolution sponsored by 324 students and five organizations.
Recent headlines have caused a Ball State Christian Fellowship group to worry about the safety of its friends after it spent time in the Philippines over the summer. Last weekend Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines and devastated entire cities, possibly killing thousands and leaving others in need of aid.
The Student Government Association passed a resolution that recommends Ball State take a public stance against the House Joint Resolution 6. The SGA resolution passed with 29 to 6 and two abstaining. Same-sex marriage is already illegal in Indiana, but HJR-6 will define marriage as between a man and a woman in the state constitution.
Ball State Amnesty International has joined the fight against Indiana’s HJR-6, a bill that would define marriage as between one man and one woman. The organization sent a letter to university president Jo Ann Gora today urging her to join other universities to take a stand against the bill.
Fire officials responded to a fire alarm call at the Sigma Chi house around 1:40 a.m. today, according to scanner traffic.
Drones are one of many emerging technologies some say threaten citizen’s personal privacy. Gene Policinski, chief operating officer of the Newseum Institute, spoke Tuesday in defense of the “misunderstood” technology. Unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly known as drones, are an emerging technology which journalists can use as new form of storytelling.
• Student Government Association votes today on a resolution to oppose a bill defining mariage as between one man and one woman. • If it passes, three SGA members will act as student’s voice at University Senate Thursday. • 596 people have taken a survey as part of push to gather constituent’s voices. Approximately 300 students sponsored a Student Government Association resolution to take a stance against House Joint Resolution 6. If HJR-6 passes, it will define valid and recognized marriage as between one man and one woman in the state’s constitution.
• “Down to Earth” challenges viewers to buy local produce. • Film will premier at Dec. 5 event at Muncie Fairgrounds. • Students work as team to finish immersive learning project. Three students are putting the finishing touches on a documentary about food on a global scale. “We want students to be aware of where their food comes from and how it affects everything around it,” said Garret Brubaker, a junior telecommunications and video production major. Brubaker, along with Dan Edwards and Sam Noble, work in the Virginia B.
• Students meet weekly do discuss cravings. • Program looks to provide accountability. • Of adults ages 18-24, 18.9 percent smoke in the United States, according the Center of Disease Control and Prevention. One group of students on campus is gathering each semester to try to live a healthier lifestyle and comply with the university’s smoke-free campus initiative. The six-week program, run by the Amelia T.
Spots for the shuttle to the Ball State at Northern Illinois University game filled before the waiting list sign-ups opened at 11 this morning in the Atrium.
The news you need to know today, in brief.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Organizers of the Purdue University Dance Marathon are celebrating breaking the $1 million fundraising mark for the weekend’s event. Organizers said more than 2,000 Purdue students brought in just more than $1 million in donations for the Saturday and Sunday fundraiser for Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.
• Ball State launched an academic master plan about a month ago. • The website has received 50 posts. • That is about one-sixth of the responses the campus master plan has received.
• Muncie Mayor Dennis Tyler says the U.S. should take better care of veterans • The city honored veterans at “Shoulder to Shoulder Salute to Veterans” with a free dinner Monday. • Chief Warrant Officer Joe Orick presented, said veterans are under fire from political leaders.
