The University of Southern Indiana is aware of a petition formed about a USI student that has received a number of signatures. Due to FERPA and HIPAA regulations, the University will be unable to comment directly on any individual student case.
However, what we can say is the University has a responsibility to protect the safety and wellbeing of all students, employees and campus visitors to the best of its ability. We also deeply value and support diversity and inclusion for all. There is a strong history of providing services and academic accommodations to support the needs of students in a variety of situations. It is the policy of USI to be in full compliance with all federal and state non-discrimination and equal opportunity laws, orders and regulations relating to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, or veteran status.
As such, we appreciate the outpouring of concern and support by those commenting on the limited details provided in the petition as well as those who have provided direct feedback to us. USI will always make decisions with care and concern for individuals at the forefront. To the extent that the larger campus community may be affected by an individual, the University must always consider the safety and good of the whole.
While horseplayers and horse connections from Santa Anita to Belmont Park were prepping for a huge weekend of stakes races, a decision by the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled some historical horse racing (HHR) machines are illegal, sending a chill through Kentucky racing.
Kentucky Downs Director of Marketing John Wholihan plays one of the facility’s HHR machines, which fund a large portion of the state’s horseracing purses. One type of machine was ruled illegal in a state Supreme Court ruling. (Image: Grace Ramey/Bowling Green Daily News)
A chill that depressed Churchill Downs Inc. stock nearly 10% after the news broke. CDI claims a huge portion of the $2.2 billion wagered on HHR machines over the last year, much coming from its Derby City Gaming facility in Louisville.
And a chill that went through the prominent Kentucky horse industry like a Nor’easter. The machines fund a large portion of Kentucky racing purses. Not coincidentally, at an average of $64,250, Kentucky purses are the highest average purses in the country, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal.
Thursday’s unanimous (7-0) decision ruled the Exacta Systems HHR machines are not operating as true pari-mutuel machines because a machine “does not create a wagering pool among patrons such that they are wagering among themselves as required for pari-mutuel wagering,†according to the opinion.
The court determined that because bettors were wagering on different, randomly selected historical races, instead of “simultaneous access to one historical race to the same group of patrons, no pari-mutuel pool can be created among the patrons in which they are wagering among themselves, setting the odds and the payout … “
Seeding Pools Breaks Pari-Mutuel Definition
The court added that because the pools were initially seeded – and not formed through pari-mutuel wagering – the machines did not meet the pari-mutuel standard.
HHR machines look like your garden-variety slot machines, which are illegal in Kentucky. They base their winning combinations on the results of previous races. You’ll find them at the tracks or satellite outlets – Kentucky does not permit casinos. Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement that HHR machines add more than $21 million annually to Kentucky’s economy.
Interestingly, the ruling only applied to HHR machines made by Exacta Systems. CDI doesn’t use the Exacta machines in its facilities, which didn’t stop investors from dumping its stock after the ruling. Exacta Systems does have machines at Ellis Park, Kentucky Downs, and the Red Mile, a partner with Keeneland. Kentucky Downs was the state’s first track featuring HHR machines, instituting them in September 2011.
“After reading opposing legal briefs and hearing the questions asked at oral arguments, we wanted to have an alternative system in place that addressed the objections raised by opposing counsel and the various Justices, as a contingency in the case of a negative ruling,†Exacta Systems President Jeremy Stein said in that statement. “The updated Exacta system is fully compliant with the requirements as articulated by the Supreme Court, and we are excited to present our updated system to the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission in the coming days.â€
Exacta Systems and the Kentucky horse and gaming industry found themselves in this situation courtesy of the Family Trust Foundation of Kentucky. The anti-gaming group pursued this outcome for most of the decade. They issued a statement calling for racetracks to turn off all HHR machines.
Court Sends Broader Issue Back to Kentucky’s Voters
“This decision reaffirms that words have meaning and that even the state’s most powerful industry can’t turn the plain language of the law upside-down for its own economic benefit,†Family Foundation spokesman Martin Cothran said in that statement. “We are grateful to the justices on the Court for their common-sense ruling that the rule of law still prevails.â€
While the decision does that in the short term, the court punted the bigger football of expanding the definition of pari-mutuel back to the state’s legislators. And the people who elect them.
“We acknowledge the importance and significance of this industry to this commonwealth. We appreciate the numerous economic pressures that impact it,†the opinion read. “If a change, however in the long-accepted definition of pari-mutuel wagering is to be made, that change must be made by the people of this commonwealth through their duly elected legislators, not by an appointed administrative body and not by the judiciary.â€
Evansville— 10/14/20 — The University of Evansville (UE) members of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) hail the UE faculty, which today passed a vote of no confidence in President Christopher Pietruszkiewicz. The 89-34 result saw 70% of the votes go against the President.
Through its actions, the faculty emphatically supported the vote of no confidence in the President that the Faculty Senate passed last Tuesday by 13 votes to 2. The resolution proposing the Senate vote argued that the form of the program evaluation process presently being conducted by the administration breaches the principles of shared governance that underpin the governance structure of the university.
The Senate’s resolution was a response to the Board of Trustees’ rejection of an earlier Faculty Senate resolution requesting meaningful involvement in the administration’s ongoing program evaluation process and the sharing of the program data that the administration has solicited from theconsulting firm BKD.
The resolution by which the Senate and the faculty have expressed their lack of confidence in the President lays out the means by which the President can regain the confidence of both:
1. The President will release to the faculty as soon as possible all of BKD’s data points relating to academic programs and any accompanying reports.
2. All academic program evaluations will be conducted by a group that includes voting, faculty elected
faculty members from all four of the university’s colleges and schools.
3. The number of faculty members in that group will be at least equal to the number of
administrators.
4. All academic program evaluations will use a set of criteria that has been approved by the
Senate and the Faculty through votes.
We, the UE members of the AAUP, commend the faculty for its clear and forceful commitment to the principles of shared governance. We invite the alumni, students, emeriti faculty, and staff of the university as well as the broader Evansville community to show their support for the faculty and the principles it upholds. At this challenging time, dialogue, cooperation, and transparency are more important than ever. Only by working together can we Save UE
To learn more:
• Visit our website at saveue.com • Follow us on Facebook at Save UE
• Follow us on Twitter at @Save_UE • Follow us on Instagram at save.ue
Ivy Tech Community College Selected by U.S. Department of Labor to Oversee Development of New Apprenticeship Model
As a critical part of the Administration’s efforts to expand access to in-demand job opportunities, the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) selected Ivy Tech Community College as one of 18 organizations in the nation to oversee the development of high-quality Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAPs).
SREs, Standards Recognition Entities, are third party industry and workforce leaders that will evaluate and recognize high-quality IRAPs consistent with the Department’s standards. Ivy Tech, along with the other 18 SREs, is tasked with expanding apprenticeship opportunities in industries where they have been underutilized. The recognition of the SREs follows a rigorous review from the Department to ensure that they have the capacity and quality-assurance procedures needed to monitor IRAPs. SREs can now begin to work with employers and other entities to establish, recognize and monitor high-quality IRAPs that provide apprentices with industry-recognized credentials. SRE recognition is valid for five years.
“While Ivy Tech Community College supports dozens of Registered Apprenticeship Programs through the USDOL, the creation of IRAPs will greatly expand opportunities beyond the traditional programs, and provide additional flexibility and customization to increase apprenticeship programs across the state of Indiana,†said Ivy Tech Executive Director of Apprenticeships Teresa Hess.
Registered Apprenticeship is an “earn and learn†model that combines on-the-job-learning with related classroom instruction that increases an apprentice’s skill level and wages. These programs are especially beneficial to our partners because they enhance employee retention. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 91 percent of apprentices who complete an apprenticeship program remain with their employer.
The 18 organizations newly recognized as SREs are:
AED Foundation (National);
Alabama Office of Apprenticeship (Alabama);
American Nurses Credentialing Center Practice Transition Accreditation Program® (National);
ANSI National Accreditation Board (National);
Apprenticeship Missouri (Missouri);
ApprenticeshipNC (North Carolina);
Colorado Community College System (Colorado);
Energy Sector Security Consortium INC (National);
FANUC-ROCKWELL SRE (National);
FASTPORT (National);
Franklin Apprenticeships (National);
Iowa Department of Education (Iowa);
Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana (Indiana);
National Institute for Metalworking Skills (National);
Attorney General Curtis Hill today applauded a federal appellate court’s summary decision reversing a district court the injunction that would have required Indiana election officials to count mailed absentee ballots received after the statutory deadline. Â
Indiana law says officials may count only those absentee ballots received by noon on Election Day. In response to a lawsuit from Common Cause Indiana, however, a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana said that law is unconstitutional for the upcoming election because the COVID-19 pandemic has created a risk that ballots mailed close to Election Day will not be received on time. The judge issued an injunction requiring the state to count absentee ballots received by 10 days after Election Day.
In response to the State’s motion to stay the injunction, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit summarily reversed that ruling on Tuesday. The appellate court wrote that while the COVID-19 pandemic has “caused great loss,†it is “not a good reason for the federal judiciary to assume tasks that belong to politically responsible officials.â€
“People who worry that mail will be delayed during the pandemic can protect themselves by using early in-person voting or posting their ballots early,†the court wrote in its ruling.
Attorney General Hill praised the ruling and has argued for weeks now that changes to Indiana’s election system this close to Election Day would do more harm than good.
“Our system provides adequate opportunity for all Hoosiers to cast a ballot by Election Day, and the absentee ballot-receipt deadline as written by the Indiana General Assembly helps most races to be called on Election Day, and not days or weeks after,†Attorney General Hill said. “The U.S. Supreme Court has said repeatedly that courts should not issue election-related injunctions at the eleventh hour, and we are pleased that the court of appeals has implemented that directive.â€
In addition to Election Day voting, Hoosiers may cast a ballot at various early-voting locations for 28 days prior to Election Day. Indiana also permits mail-in absentee voting in 12 different circumstances, including when voters are disabled or elderly, or when voters expect to be away from their home counties on Election Day.
Attorney General Curtis Hill said today that the sentencing of a Fort Wayne woman demonstrates the seriousness with which authorities view the crime of health care fraud in connection with the Medicaid program.
After pleading guilty to health care fraud and aggravated identity theft, Susanne “Suzi†Gawel was sentenced Wednesday to 48 months in prison, one year of supervised release and ordered to pay $646,690.32 in restitution.
Gawel worked as an office manager at a Fort Wayne company that sold durable medical equipment (DME) to clients across northern Indiana. Some of the company’s clients were Medicaid beneficiaries. Through her work, Gawel had access to Medicaid patient information, including patients’ names, addresses, dates of birth, Medicaid ID numbers and treating physician information.
From about January 2015 and continuing to about October 2018, Gawel devised a scheme to defraud Medicaid, according to court documents. During this time period, she submitted over 200 reimbursement claims to Indiana Medicaid for DME, including oximetry devices and pneumatic compressors, which were not provided to Medicaid recipients and/or for which they had no medical necessity and/or for which there was no physician order.
In total, her scheme defrauded Indiana Medicaid of approximately $646,690.32.
“We are committed to exposing waste, fraud and abuse of Medicaid funds and bringing to justice those who have broken the law,†Attorney General Hill said. “I am proud of the investigative work of our Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in this case, and I am grateful as well for the contributions of our federal partners.â€
Besides the Office of the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, other agencies that worked on this case are the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Justice, which prosecuted Gawel.
“My Office is focused on prosecuting fraud cases such as this one,†said United States Attorney Thomas L. Kirsch II. “Defrauding a federally funded health care program like Medicaid cheats all taxpayers. This case demonstrates that when individuals exploit a federally funded program, our law enforcement partners will investigate and my Office will prosecute and hold accountable those responsible.â€
FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenan said, “The investigation of health care fraud is a priority for the FBI and this type of illegal conduct will not be tolerated. This sentence not only emphasizes the cooperation between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to identify and investigate those who engage in this type of crime, but also sends a clear message to those who would exploit federally funded health care programs that they will be held accountable.â€
The Indiana Medicaid Fraud Control Unit receives 75% of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a federal grant. The remaining 25% is funded by the State of Indiana.
“Right Jab And Middle Jab And Left Jabâ€Â was created because we have a couple of commenters that post on a daily basis either in our “IS IT TRUE†or “Readers Forumâ€Â columns concerning National or International issues.
The majority of our “IS IT TRUE†columns are about local or state issues, so we have decided to give our more opinionated readers exclusive access to our newly created “LEFT JAB and Middle Jab and RIGHT JAB† column. They now have this post to exclusively discuss national or world issues that they feel passionate about.
We shall be posting the “LEFT JAB†AND “MIDDLE JAB†AND “RIGHT JABâ€Â several times a week.  Oh, “LEFT JAB†is a liberal view, “MIDDLE JAB†is the libertarian view and the “RIGHT JAB is representative of the more conservative views. Also, any reader who would like to react to the written comments in this column is free to do so.
