Bloomington City Council offers statement on stabbing of IU student
Bloomington City Council prepared a joint statement on the stabbing of an IU student last Wednesday, which occurred on a city bus. The isolated act of violence has shocked the Bloomington community, as 56 year-old suspect Bill R Davis allegedly made comments during the horrific act leading officials to believe that there might have been racial motivation behind the act. The victim is a member of the Asian-American community.
The defense is claiming that mental illness is the root cause of the action, as the suspect is believed to be a transient with a history of mental illness.
Here is the statement issued by Bloomington City Council which was signed off on by all 9 members:
Ivy Tech Community College Partners with Ascendium and RAND Corporation to Conduct Three-Year Research Evaluation on Achieve Your Degree Program
Ivy Tech Community College today announced a partnership with RAND Corporation to conduct a three-year research study on the Achieve Your Degree (AYD) program. The nonprofit organization, Ascendium, is providing funding for the study. The study, led by RAND Corporation, will provide a detailed, first look at the AYD program across Ivy Tech to inform continuous improvement in the program and other Ivy Tech programs focused on low-income working adult learners. The study will focus on learner level outcomes, including persistence from first to second year, credential completion, time to obtain a credential, and labor market success and upward social mobility.
Ivy Tech launched AYD six years ago, originally at the Evansville campus, and has since scaled the program statewide. AYD is a partnership between Ivy Tech Community College and community businesses and institutions to offer employees the opportunity to receive a community college education at minimal up-front cost, given employer tuition benefits. Data retrieved from the study is expected to improve the AYD program and guide the implementation of similar programs for low-income learners across the nation’s community college campuses.
Project insights will be distributed to various stakeholders throughout the course of the project. Stakeholders interested in learning more about the program and its supports for low-income working adult learners in partnership with employers can visit the Achieve Your Degree webpage on the Ivy Tech website.
Black History Month 2023, a celebration of Black innovation, kicks off at City Hall on January 30
Members of the public are invited to join friends and neighbors to kick off the City of Bloomington’s 2023 Black History Month celebration on January 30 at City Hall (401 N Morton Street). The event begins with a reception in the City Hall Atrium at 6 p.m., with the program beginning in Council Chambers at 7 p.m. The kick-off is free and open to the public.
The theme for the 2023 Black History Month celebration is “Black Innovation.” The month’s events will celebrate and explore Black inventors, creators, and change agents and how they’ve changed the way we live through their contributions, from the traffic light to the cell phone. Most people have heard about famous inventions like the light bulb, the cotton gin, and the ironing board, but there are countless others. Often overlooked, these creators and their inventions make our daily lives easier.
Additional Black History Month events include:
- The Black Market on February 11 at City Hall from 10am-6:30pm In collaboration with Indiana University’s Black Graduate Student Association, this event will feature a coalition of organizations, Black-owned businesses, Black creators and artists, and provide a medium for local talent, business owners, and groups to share information and sell goods. The Black History Month “Black Market” pays homage to the original Black Market that was located in downtown Bloomington and was destroyed by a firebomb on December 26, 1968.
- Young people will be honored at a February 16 ceremony for the winners of the 2023 Black History Month Essay Contest at Fairview Elementary School (500 W 7th Street, Bloomington) at 6pm
- Black History Month Gala will be held on Saturday, February 25, at Woolery Mill (2250 W Sunstone Drive). The event will feature dining, dancing, and a recognition of the 2023 Living Legend recipients, along with the Commission on the Status of Black Males’ Outstanding Black Leaders of Tomorrow recipients. The reception and silent auction will begin at 6pm, with the program at 7pm Tickets go on sale on January 30 at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater at bctboxoffice.org or by phone at 812-323-3020.
- For a full listing of Black History Month events in the community, visit bloomington.in.gov/bhm.
This Week in Hoosier History
1818 – The governor and legislature established libraries to be included in the counties of Ripley, DuBois, Randolph, Lawrence, Monroe, Vigo, Vanderburgh, Spencer, Perry, and Crawford. Delegates to the Constitutional Convention had included a provision for a county library system. Due to limited financing, many of the libraries were closed by the middle of the 19th century.
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