USI to hold Spring 2018 Commencement ceremonies
University of Southern Indiana President Dr. Linda L. M. Bennett, graduating members of the Class of 2018, Honorary Degree recipients Dan M. and Janet L. Fuquay and Chris D. Melton, Commencement speakers and guests.
WHAT: USI Spring 2018 Commencement Ceremonies
CEREMONY SCHEDULE:
- 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 27 – Graduate Ceremony
- 9 a.m. Saturday, April 28 – Romain College of Business
- Noon Saturday, April 28 – College of Liberal Arts
- 3 p.m. Saturday April 28 – Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education
- 6 p.m. Saturday April 28 – College of Nursing and Health Professions
*Doors open one hour prior to each ceremony
WHERE: All ceremonies will be held in the Physical Activities Center (PAC). Graduates will report and line up in the Recreation, Fitness, and Wellness Center (RFW). A map of campus that includes the PAC and the RFW can be found at USI.edu/map.
STUDENT AVAILABILITY: Students will be available for interview inside the RFW while staging for the Commencement procession. Due to the unique nature of the procession, students will not be allowed to leave their place in line once the procession begins, and only designated University staff will be allowed to follow the procession to the PAC. Media members who wish to speak with students are welcome to do so as long as students remain in their place in line. Processions will begin 20 minutes prior to the start of each ceremony.
RECEPTION:Â Students will meet their families at a reception following each ceremony in University Center East, sponsored by the USI Alumni Association. Media members are encouraged to attend receptions for interviews with graduates and footage of families.
BY THE NUMBERS:
- A total of 1,276 graduates will participate in commencement exercises, out of a total of 1,618 eligible to participate. A total of 1,665 credentials will be awarded, including doctoral, master’s, baccalaureate and associate degrees as well as post-masters certificates.
- 337 students will graduate with academic honors. 29 will graduate summa cum laude (4.0 grade point average), 132 magna cum laude (3.8 – 3.999 grade point average) and 157 cum laude (3.6 – 3.799 grade point average). 53 students will be graduating as University Honors Scholars after successfully completing the University Honors Program.
- All graduates will become members of the USI Alumni Association, which will grow to more than 42,000 members upon the addition of the Class of 2018.
COMMENCEMENT SPEAKERS:
- Graduate Ceremony – Dr. Linda L. M. Bennett, USI president
- Romain College of Business – Marshall L. Byers ’94 M’19, Private Client Advisor Vice President – Investments, J.P. Morgan Chase
- College of Liberal Arts – Patricia S. Avery ’04, Financial Empowerment Program Specialist, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Pott College – Dr. Kirk A. Page ’98, Dean of Academic Affairs, Connect University, Myanmar
- College of Nursing and Health Professions – Kimberly J. Harper ’87 ’13, Chief Executive Officer, Indiana Center for Nursing
HONORARY DEGREE: At the Graduate Ceremony, Doctor of Laws degrees will be presented to Dan M. and Janet E. Fuquay for their involvement with the University and commitment to its mission and vision through endowed scholarships, leadership and planned gifts, and to Chris D. Melton ’72, president of Field & Main Bank, whose legacy of commitment as a leader and advocate for the University spans five decades.
UE Ballroom Club making award presentation at Glenwood Leadership Academy this Friday, April 27 at 1:45 p.m.
The UE Ballroom Club will be awarding its inaugural Dance Ambassador Award at Glenwood Leadership Academy’s assembly Friday, April 26  at 1:45 p.m. The UE Ballroom Club has been teaching a Cuban salsa routine to Glenwood 4th and 5th graders as part of a city-wide ballroom competition for elementary and middle school students. For more information, text Erin Lewis at 812-449-1044.
IS IT TRUE APRIL 26, 2017
We hope that today’s “IS IT TRUEâ€Â will provoke honest and open dialogue concerning issues that we, as responsible citizens of this community, need to address in a rational and responsible way? Â
IS IT TRUE that in the annual proxy on Vectren’s website in a section called Severance Benefits on page 43 the following is explicitly stated?  …Vectren website states: “We have an executive severance plan and change in control agreements for our executive officers. The change in control agreements employs a “double trigger†upon a change in control such that payments are only made upon a change in control and subsequent qualified termination of employment. We do not provide excise tax gross-ups for change in control benefits. The change in control agreements uses a modified severance payment cap that can reduce benefits based on the particular tax situation of the executive officer receiving payment.“
IS IT TRUE that given this double trigger is in place any Vectren executives who are not included as new employees of Center Point Energy may be set up to walk away with much money in a settlement as they would in any other situation other than a change of control?…given the habits of corporate America to feather the nests of the top level of management we been told that Vectren inner circle could be poised to become very wealthy people as a result of the takeover of Vectren by Center Point Energy UNLESS, they are retained in similar C Level positions in Center Point?…while keeping the Evansville based C Level executives in place is possible, it is highly improbably?…the question that will be answered soon in a forthcoming public proxy statement is just how many top level executives at Vectren will be getting golden handshakes and how much that may be?
IS IT TRUE that due to the generosity of the Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission that is filled with less than consumer friendly appointments, Vectren’s profits are about much higher than their publicly traded peer group?…Vectren earned profits of over $214 million in 2017 which is about $70 million more than comparable companies that have lower rates earned?…without the less than consumer friendly appointees made by past and present Governors this would not have been possible?…one would think that the ratepayers of Vectren should share in this windfall since the IURC is what made the higher utility rates possible?…we don’t recommend holding your breath waiting for a double trigger severance check or a rate decrease at the personal level?…given the level of earnings and the age of most Vectren C level executives, it would be entirely possible for several Vectren executives will share in a golden handshake that could total well over several million dollars each?…anyone who is not retained at the highest levels may be set up for life?…being set up for life just for managing a legislated monopoly is simply mind boggling?…it is good work to the few who are hand picked to get it?
IS IT TRUE that with the buyout (let’s call this what it is) of Vectren by Center Point Energy, the beautiful building on the riverfront will no longer be a corporate headquarters?…all of the talking heads in City government and the local Illuminati (Evansville Business Committee office is located in the Vectren riverfront building) have taken pride over the years in touting the importance of having as many corporate headquarters as possible?…Vectren and Mead Johnson have or will move their headquarters out of Evansville in the near future ?…this never bodes well for local engagement or hiring at high levels?
Todays “Readers Poll†question is: Do you want the local media to publish the public proxy statement concerning how much money the top level executives at Vectren will be getting from the sale of Vectren to Center Point Energy?
USI rallies in the ninth to win “Battle at the Braunâ€
The University of Southern Indiana baseball team rallied with two runs in the top of the ninth to defeat the University of Evansville in the “Battle at the Braun”, 5-3, Wednesday evening. USI watched its record go to 22-17 overall, while Evansville ends the game 7-27.
The Screaming Eagles flew out to a 3-0 lead after three innings. Senior first baseman Nick Gobert (Jasper, Indiana) plated senior leftfielder Drake McNamara (Mt. Vernon, Indiana) in the first inning to give the Eagles a 1-0. McNamara, who finished with a team-high three hits, increased the lead to 3-0 in the third with a RBI-single and would later score on a wild pitch.
Evansville closed the gap to 3-2 with a pair of runs in the sixth and tied the game, 3-3, with a tally in the bottom of the seventh.
USI regained the lead in the top of the ninth, 5-3, with the help of a pair of Evansville errors. Junior catcher Logan Brown (Mt. Vernon, Indiana) singled to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a throwing error before scoring when freshman shortstop Ethan Hunter (Terre Haute, Indiana) reached on a throwing error and advanced to third while attempting to sacrifice.
Hunter crossed the plate two batters later when he scored on a suicide squeeze by junior second baseman Jacob Fleming (Evansville, Indiana) to extend the lead to two runs and the eventual 5-3 final.
USI senior right-hander Nick Coudret (Newburgh, Indiana) picked up his third win of the year, his second in relief. Coudret (3-2) dominated for 2.2 innings, striking out six batters and allowing two hits and a walk.
The Eagles got four strong innings from sophomore right-hander Tyler Hagedorn (Evansville, Indiana), who was making his first career start for the Eagles. Hagedorn scattered five hits in a perfect four frames of work.
USI starts its final homestand of the 2018 regular season Saturday and Sunday when it hosts McKendree University for a four-game GLVC series. Game time Saturday is 2 p.m., while the first pitch Sunday is noon. Sunday also is Senior Day for the seven USI seniors.
The final regular-season home game is May 1 when the University of Missouri-St. Louis visits USI for a 6 p.m. contest.
Sierra Club Releases Statement on Vectren Merger
APRIL 26TH, 2018 
TYRONE MORRIS INDIANA
Now they will take their multi-million dollar payouts and run, crippling our community with their costly projects.
The statement from Wendy Bredhold, Senior Campaign Representative for Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign in Indiana and Kentucky, reads:
“This is the culmination of a sales process Vectren reportedly began months ago but has been preparing for much longer. Indiana’s investor-owned utilities make their profits on the guaranteed return from their capital investments. The more ‘steel in the ground,’ the greater the profits for the utility. All of the projects for which Vectren has sought approval – the $514 million infrastructure plan, the $68 million mandatory smart meters, the $900 million fracked gas plant and 23-mile pipeline – were intended to increase the value of the company to a buyer and maximize profits for shareholders, not serve customer needs. In preparing this deal, Vectren CEO Carl Chapman and top executives were thinking only of their profits and their platinum parachutes, while saddling our community with debt for decades to come. Now they will take their multi-million dollar payouts and run, crippling our community with their costly projects. Still pending approval is a $900 million fracked gas plant. Vectren should scrap those plans and force CenterPoint to go back to the drawing board in 2019 when the utility’s next 20-year planning process is scheduled to begin. CenterPoint should create a new generation plan that truly serves customer needs and begins to move our community beyond economically risky and polluting fossil fuels.â€
Where Does Bucshon Stand On Immigration?
My America First Immigration Platform
By Richard Moss, MD Candidate for Congress, Republican Party, 8TH Congressional District
Jasper, IN: We begin with the fact that Congressman Bucshon is a resident of Washington DC, not Indiana’s 8th district, having moved there with his family. He dodged his one televised debate with me unwilling to defend his record, citing his 90% name ID in the district as the reason. He has a Heritage Action Conservative score of 52%, an F. He voted for the disastrous Omnibus bill, the 2300 page $1.3 trillion monster that funded sanctuary cities, DACA, amnesty, and Planned Parenthood, tacking on another trillion dollars of debt. It did not secure our southern border. Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer praised the bill. Yes, Congressman Bucshon stood with Pelosi and Schumer to fund Democrat priorities. Â
So where does Bucshon stand on immigration? This is, after all, the issue of the day. He’s an Open Borders guy. I most emphatically am not. I present my platform for true America First Immigration policy.Â
America First Immigration
Build a wall and secure our southern border.
Abolish DACA, amnesty, chain migration, birthright citizenship, and the “diversity†visa.
Deport illegal aliens, including the so-called “Dreamers†and all illegal alien criminals.
No access to public programs for illegal aliens. No Drivers Licenses or Social Security Cards. No jobs.
E-verify and Entry-Exit Visa Surveillance including biometric registration.
Employer Sanctions.
Deputize local and state law enforcement to work with ICE Agents on immigration matters. Increase internal enforcement and detention facilities.
End asylum and refugee programs, “Catch and Release,†and TPS (Temporary Protected Status).Â
Restrict immigration or an outright moratorium for ten years. Promote patriotic assimilation of legal immigrants already here.
Full defunding of sanctuary cities and states, appropriate legal actions, and, if necessary, police and military enforcement of our federal immigration laws.
No immigration from any nation associated with terrorism.
Ideologic screening of prospective immigrants who must accept our Constitutional system as the Supreme Law of the Land. They must also embrace and be knowledgeable of our culture, history, traditions, and language (English).
 Full repeal of the Kennedy Immigration Act of 1965 (which created “Chain Migrationâ€)
Physical exams and medical screening. Prospective immigrants must be in excellent health and not carriers of disease. They must have a confirmed job so they will not become public charges.
Merit-Based Immigration: Immigration should be restricted, meritocratic, diverse, and highly selective, choosing the best candidates that are most likely to succeed, benefit the country, and assimilate. Â
What is Bucshon’s position on the central question of immigration? No issue is more important for immigration has become entirely politicized, an instrument used to transform the nation demographically and, in effect, convert it into one giant “blue†state – rather than to better it by bringing in individuals most likely to flourish and contribute to society. As it turns out, Bucshon supports Open Borders and continued mass immigration from third world countries to satisfy the “cheap labor lobby†like the Chamber of Commerce. We know this because he endorsed Marco Rubio for President, who is famous for his support of the “Gang of 8†Amnesty Bill. Trump, on the other hand, campaigned on building a wall. So which is it, Larry? Amnesty Rubio or Build a Wall Trump? Bucshon is obviously a Rubio supporter, pretending to be a Trump guy. Just like he’s a liberal pretending to be a conservative – a big government, big spending, “Open Borders,†Amnesty liberal.
Dr. Richard Moss is a board certified head and neck cancer surgeon and was a candidate for Congress in 2016. He graduated from the Indiana University School of Medicine and has been in practice in Jasper and Washington, IN for over 20 years. He is married with four children. Â
FOOTNOTE:m For more information visit RMoss4Congress.com. Contact us at hq@rmoss4congress.com. Find Moss For Congress on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.