illumeUniversity of Southern Indiana ACTIVISM | SPRING 2021 illume | VOLUME 54 issue 1 Spring 2021 8The Big Picture 30 Behind the Scene 26Moment One 28 Courtney's Courage features departments Seeds of Change 15 You Said 2 Scoreboard 12 Alumnus changing lives of underserved youth State of the U 4 Betty Rice Tribute 14 The Thin Blue Line 19 Coneucopia 6 Open Dialogue 32 Faculty research investigates police body-worn cameras Role Mod Quotables 10 Class Notes 33 Activisim 11 A Call Leads to a Calling 24 Tailfeather 40 Alumnus and USI retiree puts heart into mental health on the cover | One simple act from you is enough to spark change in your community. YOU said | online feedback WE did | recognitions HAPPY DANCE Can’t believe that I am done with the first EDITOR C. L. Stambush Sunny days with my favorite feathered friend! year of #gradschool and @FulbrightPrgrm @anna.ardequeen #exchange journey at the @USIedu USI’S ANNUAL CELEBRAtiON WRITERS Kaylee Johnson ’20 M’22 @USI_LiberalArts! This year has been full HONORING MARtiN LutHER of challenges and great opportunities! This Erin Meyer KING JR.’S LEGAcy WAS FREE C.L. Stambush SOCIAL MEDIA SNIPPETS beautiful campus will be extremely missed ONLINE. THE WEEK-LONG EVENT DESIGNERS Congratulations to all these students, but till fall. titLED “THE FIERCE URGENcy Mariam Gamdlishvili Beth Eversole ’18 also congratulations to all the students who OF NOW!” FEAtuRED INsigHTFUL Amy Ubelhor put in the effort to do academically well in THE USI JAZZ ENSEMBLE, LOCAL AND NAtiONAL SPEAKERS, Zach Weigand ’02 tough times like these. Regardless of GPA, WOMEN’S CHOIR AND CHAMBER INCLUDING KEYNOTE DR. TALitHA PHOTOGRAPHERS PARENTAL PRIDE if you did your best, that’s all you can do. CHOIR PERFORMED THEIR FALL WASHINgtON, AN EVANSVILLE Barbara Goodwin If there is anything that makes this easier LaVerne Jones ’05 It wasn’t an easy year for many students. CONCERts ON YOUTUBE FOR NAtiVE, MATHEMAtics PROFEssOR right now, it is recognition of @BallState Elizabeth Courtney Randolph (Commenting on the posted Dean’s List) EVERYONE’S ENJOYMENT. AT CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERsity Jada Alexia Hampton and @USIedu's commitment to student life Director of University AND THE FIRst WOMAN TO BE NAMED Communications and student safety (especially in the fall A FELLOW BY BOTH THE AMERicAN John Farless ’98 M’21 and in preparation for the return to the USI’S CREAtiVE AND MATHEMAticAL SOciEty AND Director of Alumni Relations Family and friend support is almost a spring semester). These parents appreciate PRINT SERVicES THE AssOciAtiON FOR WOMEN IN and Volunteer USI given, but the support from the professors the efforts. RELEASED AN ARRAY Janet Johnson M’05 MATHEMAtics IN THE SAME YEAR. is a blessing. These professors go above Paul Hankins OF GIF sticKERS— illume is published two times SOME SEEN HERE—FOR USI and beyond. annually by the University of Jason Flickinger stuDENts, ALUMNI AND FANS TO THE UNIVERsity’S EDucAtiONAL Southern Indiana for its alumni I’m so thankful my daughter goes to USI! and friends. Reach us at: University usE ON SOciAL MEDIA, INCLUDING A SERIES GLOBAL SALON TOOK You are an amazing president! Thank you of Southern Indiana, 8600 Univer- MASK-WEARING ARCHIE (SEARCH LIFE-LONG LEARNERS VIRtuALLY sity Boulevard, Evansville, Indiana Wonderful professors, beautiful campus for all you do! 47712. Send editorial information “#USI” IN THE GIPHY APP) AROUND THE WORLD witH and many programs of study. I personally Laura Burkhart to illume’s editor C. L. Stambush at AND USI-SPEciFic CLOTHING INsigHts INTO LIVE-IN sciENCE IN [email protected], magazine@ recommend [USI's] Elementary Education usi.edu or call 812-465-7020. FOR THE POPULAR VIDEO ANTARcticA, INTERNAtiONAL program. But if you're into science like I am, As an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative So proud of the students and faculty for GAME, ANIMAL CROssiNG. EDucAtiON, NutRitiON Action Employer, the University you could get a minor in science and learn a of Southern Indiana considers all making the most of this semester in these AND NEURODEVELOPMENT qualified applicants for employment lot of very interesting facts that you will add without regard to race, color, religion, trying times. Proud to be a Screagle parent! OutcOMES OF SOutHEAst sex, pregnancy or marital status, to your wealth of knowledge. Our children THE COLLEGE OF LIBERAL national origin, age, disability, genetic Donielle Derington Underwood ASIAN CHILDREN, AND HEALTH information, sexual orientation, are in need of teachers who will make the ARts’ FAcuLty PRESENTED gender identity, veteran status, or AND HEALTHCARE IN AFRicA. any other category protected by law learning experience fun. its FALL COLLOQuiuM SERIES or identified by the University as a WAtcH THE ON DEMAND AT protected class, gender identity or Dani Rider-Basham BIRDS EYE VIEW OF INFORMAtiVE TALKS VIRtuALLY. veteran status. Questions or concerns EDU GLOBALSALON should be directed to the Affirmative Fun fact: this isn't just a mask, but a ANYONE COULD JOIN ONLINE AND USI. / . Action Officer, USI Human Resources Department, University of Southern depiction of me by the time I get my Indiana, 8600 University Boulevard, LEARN ABOut THE PERILS OF Evansville, Indiana 47712. I really love working on this beautiful masters! SCREAMING and BALD (like PLAstics, suBstANCE ABusE AND Things that Things Make Preen Us campus! Go ahead, show ‘em what you got. this eagle)!!! MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS IN JAILS, @gregoryblair_ art @samerenity IMPROVE ABILity TO EVALUATE ARguMENts AND MORE. THE VIDEOS We invite readers to comment on articles and start conversations by bringing unique perspectives to relevant magazine topics. Correspondence and ARE ARCHIVED AT USI.EDU/LAFC. comments will not be limited to letters mailed to the editor, but may be from email or social media networks. Letters mailed to the editor may be published in the magazine unless the author states it is not for publication. Letters should be kept to 250 words, and may be edited for style, length, clarity, grammar and relevance to USI issues. Letters to the editor should be sent to [email protected]. Online 2 | illume 3 | usi.edu/illume STATE OF THE U | Activism ACTIVISM. THERE IS NO ONE SIZE FITS ALL APPROACH TO BEING AN ACTIVIST In my hometown of Chicago, Illinois, along the course Johnson is not alone. Activists—advocates and ambassadors for the community—have IN YOUR COMMUNITY. of North to South Ashland Avenue, the house numbers always been and are all around us. They are the scientists, doctors and nurses, essential mirror each other end to end, so that if you folded a city personnel fighting for the globe to be free of this virus. Fighting for complete strangers Volunteer to have the best healthcare services possible. Putting themselves at risk every day map in half the addresses would align, but that is where Bring your gifts to your community in ways that the resemblance stops. The south side rolls through a once because they believe in the wellbeing of people; they believe in human life and human improve the lives of others. After graduating from thriving neighborhood known as Englewood, that today dignity. Activists are private citizens, teachers, students, policy makers, parents. They college, I volunteered at the Urban League, as a reflects urban neglect. Several areas within the community are volunteers who allowed trial COVID vaccines to invade their bodies in the name of literacy instructor, to teach an adult man to read, have bars on windows, potholed streets and cracked sidewalks. science and the welfare of all of us. and I often think how liberating it was for him and the confidence he gained in himself. Today, one The north side meanders into Rogers Park, a place of obvious of my favorite activities still involves the power of President Barack Obama wrote a letter to John Lewis, “Because of you...” honoring Mr. infrastructure investment, with manicured lawns, silent literacy, and that is to read to school children. security systems and songbirds. The eight miles from one Lewis and all civil rights freedom fighters for paving the way for many of us to occupy end to the other are worlds apart aesthetically, physically, societal roles once not possible. I echo his “Because of you....” You, the unsung heroes Engage economically, psychologically, spiritually and more. On one and sheroes in our community and on our campus. People who work in grocery stores Elders are the brain trust of every society. Within end there is networking and privilege, while the other harbors stocking shelves and packing food baskets for the elderly and unemployed. People who their experiences and memories are the blueprints abandonment and disregard against a backdrop of unyielding come together to find ways to help family members pay for rent or medicine. People of life's successes in building community and healthy relationships across perceived boundaries resilience among its members. One is predominantly White who continue to find solutions during one of the most stressful times in our nation’s that define our humanity. When we listen to them, recent history. People who show up on campus, no matter what, to fix a leak or support while the other Black. one of the great lessons we gain is the ability students who are lonely or depressed from being isolated or quarantined. People who to not replicate poor choices, poor behavior or This street in Chicago is both a reality bring stability, calm, kindness, compassion, dedication, courage and hard work to poor policies that are potentially harmful to our and a work of art by photographer/social the forefront of the dilemmas we face as a nation and around the globe. This is what respective communities, our nation and our globe.