EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball will be making a push for sole possession of first in the Ohio Valley Conference when it hosts Eastern Illinois University Thursday at Screaming Eagles Arena and visits the University of Tennessee at Martin Saturday. Tipoff Thursday versus EIU is set for 7:30 p.m., while the start time on the road at UTM is 3:30 p.m. in Martin, Tennessee.
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USI also will be promoting the National Association of Basketball Coaches Coaches vs. Cancer program with the annual Suits and Sneakers game. The USI Men’s Basketball coaches will be wearing suits and sneakers as a way to raise awareness and promote cancer screenings.
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The Screaming Eagles (12-9, 5-3 OVC) enter the week with the OVC’s top winning streak (four games) after sweeping their first road swing in Division I. USI started the week with a big win over Lindenwood University, 81-65, and concluded the road swing by holding on to defeat Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, 82-72.
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Senior guard Jelani Simmons (Columbus, Ohio) led USI during the sweep in scoring with 20.5 points per game, including a season-high 24 points in the win over Lindenwood. Sophomore guard Isaiah Swope (Newburgh, Indiana) and graduate forward Trevor Lakes (Lebanon, Indiana) followed with 19.5 points and 16.5 points per contest, while senior forward Jacob Polakovich (Grand Rapids, Michigan) averaged the double-double with 12.5 points and 17.5 rebounds per game.
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Polakovich, who also was named co-OVC Player of the Week, averaged 17.5 rebounds per game with 23 coming in the win over SIUE.
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For the season, Swope leads the way with 14.1 points per game, followed by Lakes, who is posting 13.5 points per game. Simmons is third with 13.4 points per outing, while Polakovich rounds out the double-digit scorers with 11.9 points per outing and is posting a team-best 12.2 rebounds per game.
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The Panthers (7-14, 3-5 OVC) have lost five of six since defeating the Eagles in December after falling to Tennessee State University, 78-74, and UTM, 91-78, last week. Junior guard Kinyon Hodges leads the Panthers with 14.4 points per game.
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EIU took the first meeting of the season, 91-80, in Charleston back in December. USI was led by Lakes and junior guard Gary Solomon (Detroit, Michigan) with 16 points each.
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UTM (13-8, 5-3 OVC) is 3-2 in its last five games, wins at Southeast Missouri State University, 80-60, and at home versus EIU, 91-78, last week. The Skyhawks have three players in double-digits for 2022-23 and led by graduate guard Parker Stewart with 16.8 points per game.
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USI won the opening matchup in OVC play, 80-66, and was led by Swope, who had 21 points. The Eagles have won four of the last five matchups with UTM. The Skyhawks own the series in Martin, 3-0.
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All 2022-23 games are normally streamed on ESPN+ in addition to being heard on ESPN 97.7FM and 95.7FM The Spin.
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Eagles have a split week in OVC USI-EIU is Suits and Sneakers Game​​​​​​​
HOT JOBS
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TikTok Consumer Alert: Todd Rokita Calls On Hoosiers To Take The Chinese Communist Party App Off Their PhonesÂ
TikTok Consumer Alert: Todd Rokita Calls On Hoosiers To Take The Chinese Communist Party App Off Their PhonesÂ
Don’t wait for Washington; patriotically delete TikTok and protect your children and dataÂ
Attorney General Todd Rokita is calling on Hoosier consumers, businesses, and governments alike to be proactive in protecting their pocketbooks and privacy from China’s TikTok app. Attorney General Rokita recently filed two lawsuits which open an entirely new front against the CCP-controlled company.Â
“Indiana residents should not wait for Congress and the Biden White House to take action against this deceptive social networking app,†Attorney General Rokita said. “We’ve got to take the initiative ourselves.â€Â
Despite flagrant security concerns, more than 130 million Americans — including two-thirds of U.S. teens — say they use the app, which pulls their personal data and potentially pushes it right into the hands of the Chinese government. Â
Attorney General Rokita is asking individuals and business owners to delete TikTok to protect their personal information from the app’s egregious exploitation of consumers as they conduct their everyday activities. TikTok uses Americans’ own smartphones to capture their attention and track their behavior. Â
“The app is not only full of toxic material, which is highly inappropriate for children, but it also opens us up to foreign threats,†Attorney General Rokita said. “Specifically, it allows a Chinese company overseen by the CCP to take our data.â€Â
Attorney General Rokita has led the way in winning battles against Big Tech overreach from Google and other California-based companies. But now a potentially larger threat looms as China reaches right into millions of Americans’ personal devices. Â
TikTok misleads Hoosiers and all Americans — exposing them to sexually lewd messages — even while officials in Beijing take steps to protect China’s own minors and consumers from these same hazards.  Â
“China has said they want to be the dominant force in the world,†Attorney General Rokita said. “This kind of technology is part of that strategy. We need patriots who will fight back against the dangers imposed by this app and others that are no doubt on the way.â€Â
UPDATED DESIGNS FOR WESSELMAN AND ROBERTS PARK
UPDATED DESIGNS FOR WESSELMAN AND ROBERTS PARK
JANUARY 24, 2023
Attached are the updated designs for Wesselman + Roberts Park that were presented at the last Parks Board meeting.
Tonight I will be speaking with the Wesselman Neighborhood Association and then the Good Samaritan Nursing Home Board of Directors Tuesday evening. I’ve already met with the Wesselman Nature Society Executive Committee, but will also present the design to their full Board of Directors on February 20th.
Key Points To This Plan Include The Following;
- Building designated trails/paths for walkers, runners & bikers
- Redesigning the main park entrance to improve safety for both pedestrian and vehicular traffic
- Increasing the Tree Canopy by planting hundreds of new trees
- Addressing Climate Change by protecting and expanding the “Carbon Sink†of Wesselman Woods
- Expanding Wesselman Woods with 45 acres of new land
- Creating 10+ acres of green space
- Enhancing pedestrian and bike connectivity with 2.5 miles of trail
Additional Components To The Plan Include;
- New ADA-accessible destination playground
- New Basketball, Sand Volleyball, Baseball/Softball Fields, plus a Parkour Course
- New Public Restrooms
- Festival Grounds + Lake
- New Wesselman Nature Visitors Center
- Reforestation of the old Par 3
- Refurbished shelters throughout the Park
- DETAILS LINKS TO LONG-TERM VISION VISION VISION FOR WESSELMAN AND ROBERTS PARK
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Check out more highlights in our latest video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_RyQmEwgBA
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Download the site plan: https://bit.ly/3XSKQhc (PDF)
Biden Directs HHS To Protect Abortion Pill Access
Biden Directs HHS To Protect Abortion Pill Access
President Joe Biden on Jan. 22 issued a memorandum directing HHS to “consider new guidance” to protect legal access to abortion pills in the U.S.
The memorandum directs HHS to consult with the attorney general and the secretary of homeland security “to consider new guidance to support patients, providers and pharmacies who wish to legally access, prescribe or provide mifepristone — no matter where they live.” It also directs the agency to work with the Justice and Homeland Security departments on new actions that will ensure patients have access to reproductive care, including medication abortion from a pharmacy, “free from threats or violence.”
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke about the new efforts, which would have been the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, in Florida on Jan. 22. The landmark court decision was overturned in June.
“Members of our Cabinet and our administration are now directed, as part of the president’s order, to identify barriers to access to prescription medication and to recommend actions to make sure that doctors can legally prescribe, that pharmacies and dispense and that women can secure safe and effective medication,” Ms. Harris said.
Earlier this month, the FDA said retail pharmacies can dispense abortion pills in states where it is legal. CVS and Walgreens have said they plan to distribute mifepristone. Some states have moved to further restrict or protect access in response.
Senator Braun Celebrates Historic Pro-Life Victories At “March For Life” in Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS – Senator Mike Braun spoke at the “March For Life Rally” in Indianapolis today, thanking the crowd for their commitment to defending the unborn and celebrating historic victories for the Pro-Life movement in 2022.
In his remarks, Senator Braun recapped the actions he’s taken in the office to protect the unborn – including confirming Hoosier Amy Coney Barrett as a Justice of the Supreme Court, celebrated the victories the Pro-Life movement has had in the last year and noted that the crowd had more young people than he’d ever seen before.
 “I’ll always stand for the unborn,â€Â said Senator Mike Braun. “I’m so proud to join the March for Life today in Indianapolis and to see so many young people fired up to defend the unborn.â€
USI CALENDAR OF EVENTS
USI Events And Updates For The Week of 1/23/2023
Below is a list of events and activities happening in and around the USI community this week:
UPCOMING EVENTS
5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 24
USI to host film and panel discussion to recognize National Human Trafficking Awareness Month
USI will present a National Human Trafficking Awareness Month film and panel discussion event from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 24 in Mitchell Auditorium, located in the Health Professions Center on campus. The event is open to the public at no charge.
Now through February 5
USI MAC/Pace Galleries to present 2023 Efroymson Bridge Year Fellowship
The Efroymson Bridge Year Fellowship Exhibition, From Here She Grows, is currently on display at the McCutchan Art Center/Pace (MAC/Pace) Galleries in the lower level of the Liberal Arts Center on campus. The show will be on display through February 5.
Now through February 25
Indiana artist Melanie Cooper Pennington to be on display at USI New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art
USI’s New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art is proud to present Climb In and Back Out Again, featuring sculpture, installation and drawings by Indiana artist Melanie Cooper Pennington.
SAVE THE DATE
Beginning Monday, January 30; select Mondays to follow in February and March
USI Romain College of Business VITA Program to offer free tax prep
Through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program, USI students in the Romain College of Business will provide free federal and state income tax preparation on Monday evenings in January, February and March. The service is open to students, faculty, staff and the general public.
Monday, January 30 through February 5
Homecoming Week/Family Weekend
USI will host its 2023 Homecoming Week, featuring a variety of events for USI students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends and family to enjoy, Monday, January 30 through Sunday, February 5. Family Weekend will take place simultaneously during the weekend of Homecoming, Friday, February 3 through Sunday, February 5.
More info coming soon!
February 4
USI to host Regional Science Olympiad February 4
The USI Southwest Indiana STEM (SwISTEM) Resource Center is set to host the Regional Science Olympiad from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. February 4 on campus. Students at USI will be competing in various categories, including anatomy and physiology, meteorology, forestry and more. Six schools will participate, including Heritage Hills High School, Loogootee Middle School, Mt. Vernon Junior High School, New Tech Institute, North Harrison High School and North Harrison Middle School.
March 6-10
USI didactic training to focus on care of sexual assault victims
To increase the number of sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs)Â throughout Indiana, the USI College of Nursing and Health Professions, in collaboration with Southwest Indiana Area Health Education Center (AHEC), is offering an Adult/Adolescent/Pediatric SANE course. A required online self-study for nurses will be held February 1 through March 3, and the on-site training is scheduled for March 6-10 at the Health Professions Center on the USI campus.
A collection of events on campus and in the community can be found on the USI Events Calendar.