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In 2024, 71% of Americans believed doctors should legally be able to end the life of a patient who has an incurable disease if the patient or …
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State budget cuts mean no more free summer Ivy Tech classes for thousands of high schoolers
- Photo by Andrew Neel: https://www.pexels.com/photo/macbook-pro-on-brown-wooden-table-2312369/
In response to the decision from the Indiana General Assembly to cut funding to the state college system, Ivy Tech Community College announced the end of its free summer classes for high-school students and made 202 layoffs across the state.
In Ivy Tech President Sue Ellspermann’s letter to employees sent on May 30, she said state higher education funding was cut by 5% in addition to the State Budget Agency possibly withholding 5% of the school’s allocated funds, resulting in a potential loss of $54 million over the next two years.
Emily Sandberg, assistant vice president of communications and public affairs at Ivy Tech, confirmed that the 202 layoffs consisted of roughly 3% of the college’s total workforce. This included 38 faculty, 162 staff and two administrative faculty members across six different campuses: Indianapolis, Bloomington, Columbus, Kokomo, Evansville and South Bend.
In addition to these changes, free summer college classes for Indiana high-school students are going away for at least 2025. Ivy Tech estimates it lost $12 million in tuition revenue through the program in the three years it was offered. The average student saved approximately $1,000 in tuition and fees.
Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago, chair of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus, gave some comments on the potential impact of these new changes.
“Too many young Hoosiers struggle to achieve a higher education due to unreasonable costs. Free summer college classes help high school students—especially low-income students—acquire college credits that will help them save money when they work on their degree in the future,” Harris said in an email. “As a lawmaker, I’ve worked to make education more accessible for all Hoosiers, and this move will further limit the number of Hoosiers who are able to afford an education.”
This being the only free summer course program in the state, students are left with fewer opportunities to get a head start on college. Harris said these cuts alongside the 202 layoffs threaten the quality of education for future college students.
“Institutes of higher education play a fundamental role in strengthening our state, our workforce and our economy. These funding cuts will limit the quality of the services they are able to provide to students. It’s likely that those who have the option will further their education outside of Indiana, and those getting their degree in our state may be ill-prepared to thrive in the workforce,” Harris said.
More than 6,400 students participated in the free program last summer, and Ivy Tech expected demand to grow by more than 2,000 students this year.
“This is a challenging moment for our College, but I know Ivy Tech is strong. I remain confident in our resilience and in our commitment to our students and to one another,” Ellspermann said. “Together, we will navigate this period with compassion, integrity, and a continued focus on our educational mission.”
Luke Shepherd is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news site powered by Franklin College journalism students.
Medical aid in dying: 18 states debate a controversial path for peaceful passing
Dr. Cynthia Chatterjee had long opposed medical aid in dying—until she watched her father suffering from terminal cancer. His pain was unbearable. But in his final moments, there was peace.
Three minutes after taking the medication he knew would end his life, her father fell asleep, she recalled. Within 15 minutes, he died.
“There was no struggling or gasping for breath, which had been his greatest fear,” she said. “I came away from my father’s death wishing that everyone could have the opportunity to have such a peaceful passing.”
In most of America, that option doesn’t exist. However, there is a growing conversation across the country. Lawmakers in 25 states have filed legislation related to the practice, though not all are considering legalization bills.
The practice, which allows doctors to prescribe life-ending medication to terminally ill patients, is currently legal in 10 states and Washington, D.C. Oregon became the first state to legalize it in 1997 under its Death With Dignity Act. The other states are California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Vermont and Washington.
A 2022 study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society said 5,329 people died using medical aid in the United States from 1998 to 2020. During that time, 8,451 people requested and received a prescription for the medication. About 22% of Americans—74 million people—live in jurisdictions where assisted dying is legal, the study found.
This year, 27 bills were proposed in legislatures to legalize assisted dying in 18 states. This has been common over the years, as similar bills have failed to make it through the legislative process.
In states where physician-assisted dying is legal, safeguards are in place. Generally, a patient must be an adult with a terminal diagnosis and have less than six months to live, confirmed by at least two physicians. The patients must make multiple verbal and written requests and undergo a waiting period, which varies by state. There are also safeguards to prevent coercion and ensure the patient is capable of making decisions independently.
Some states are looking to legalize the practice
Strong political will exists in Illinois, Delaware and New York to move legislation legalizing assisted dying forward, according to Elizabeth Armijo, national director of legislative advocacy at Compassion & Choices.
In Illinois, a measuresponsored by Sen. Linda Holmes and several other senators proposes safeguards such as dual physician assessments and mandatory counselling sessions for the patient.
“Losing someone you love is tough. Watching someone you love suffer is worse,” Holmes said during a committee hearing as she talked about witnessing her parents struggle with cancer. The bill is awaiting a full hearing in the Senate. The deadline for a third reading is May 23.
In New York, Assemblywoman Amy Paulin and Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal have reintroduced a bill supported by 72% of New Yorkers, a poll by interest groups Death With Dignity and the Completed Life Initiative found, including majorities across political and demographic groups.
“Support has continued to grow among New Yorkers for this compassionate end-of-life option,” Paulin said in a statement, according to City and State New York.
Jonathan Thaler, whose mother died in New Jersey, has been a vocal supporter of the bill, which as of May 16 had passed the Assembly and awaited a vote in New York’s Senate.
“When speaking about her coming death, my mother said, ‘Make sure that we use the right terms. I am not committing suicide; I am using medical aid in dying,’” he said in January. “Mom died peacefully and gracefully, surrounded by her loved ones, after living a full life. Governor Hochul, you have the opportunity to provide a true blessing to the people of New York.”
Dr. Jeremy Boal, former chief clinical officer at Mount Sinai, supports the bill as both a physician and as someone who witnessed medical aid in dying firsthand. “If this law is passed, not one more person will die as a result of its passage. But many fewer will suffer. Of that I am confident. Medical aid in dying is a blessing for all of us,” he said in January.
In Delaware, the medical aid in dying bill passed the House in March and the Senate on April 17. The bill, which allows people who have fewer than six months to live, awaits action by Gov. Matt Meyer. A similar bill passed last year was vetoed by the former governor.
Lawmakers in Massachusetts are also taking another attempt at the legislation; a new rule sets a deadline of June 1 to take a call on the bill.
“Seventy-nine percent of residents support it,” said Melissa Stacy, New England campaign manager for Compassion & Choices. “We have 30 years of data from Washington and Oregon showing that the safeguards work.”
Massachusetts Sen. Jo Comerford, who introduced the bill, said it “offers a compassionate option to allow mentally capable patients with terminal diagnoses to choose a peaceful, humane death with dignity.”
In Tennessee, attempts to legalize medical aid in dying have failed repeatedly. This year, House Democrat Rep. Bob Freeman introduced the Dignity in Death bill, which died in the committee. In Arizona, two Death with Dignity bills were introduced by Democrats but failed to advance to committee hearings. It was the 11th time a similar bill had been introduced since 2003 without any movement.
States are looking to amend existing laws
Washington state Rep. Strom Peterson, a Democrat from Edmonds, introduced legislation to expand access to the state’s Death With Dignity Act by reducing mandatory waiting periods for patients in severe decline.
State law currently allows terminally ill patients to request life-ending medication but stipulates patients must make two verbal requests to die during interviews with physicians, separated by a seven-day waiting period and followed by a written request.
This year’s bill sought to shorten the waiting period in certain cases, providing streamlined access to patients in extreme pain and at risk of soon losing cognitive or physical ability. The bill failed to make it out of committee this year, but Peterson said he plans to introduce it again next year.
His motivation for sponsoring the bill is personal. After witnessing his mother’s smooth experience with New Mexico’s more flexible aid-in-dying laws, Peterson saw the need for changes to Washington’s law.
New Jersey is making similar attempts to remove waiting periods. Advocates argue that existing waiting periods can unnecessarily prolong suffering. Oregon and Vermont are also considering legislation to allow certified physician assistants and nurse practitioners to participate in the assisted-dying process. Supporters say this would enhance accessibility and address physician shortages.
Opposition to the issue
Jessica Rodgers, coalition director at Patients Rights Action Fund, is firmly against medical aid in dying measures. Her personal experience of caring for her terminally ill mother profoundly shaped her advocacy against physician-assisted dying. Chief among her concerns is fear that legalizing assisted death creates a lower standard of care for the terminally ill.
“Instead of coming around them and providing support, states where this is legal have a policy saying, ‘This is a valid reason for you to kill yourself,'” Rodgers said.
The Illinois bill has also faced significant criticism.
“I have a problem with the vulnerable people that we’re putting at risk by allowing active participation in death by allowing doctors and the government essentially to allow who decides who dies and when. I think that’s unacceptable,” Dr. Kevin Garner, a physician from Granite City, said during an Illinois Senate committee hearing.
In Massachusetts, the bill has not passed despite being discussed in the Legislature for 13 years, largely due to lobbying efforts from opposition groups.
“The majority of people choose this option not because of pain but because they feel like a burden on society,” said John Kelly, director of Second Thoughts Massachusetts.
One of the biggest concerns, according to opponents, is that errors could happen while treating terminally ill patients. Anita Cameron, director of minority outreach for a disability rights group that opposes medical aid in dying, narrated the story of misjudgment by the doctor in her mother’s case.
“The doctor told my mom she was going to die very soon, and she was convinced she was dying soon and hence wanted to opt for physician-assisted suicide. However, luckily, she didn’t and lived for 12 years,” Cameron said. “A lot of times such misjudgments happen, and it is very concerning.”
Health care groups weigh in
The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine maintains a neutral stance on the issue but raises concerns about potential impacts on medical integrity. In contrast, organizations such as the American College of Legal Medicine and the American Public Health Association support medical aid in dying, emphasizing the importance of strict safeguards.
Supporters faced a potential setback in Montana, where Senate Bill 136, introduced by Sen. Carl Glimm would have invalidated patient consent as a defense in physician-assisted death cases.
“Physicians should not be helping people commit suicide,” said Sen. Carl Glimm, whose bill would have criminalized the practice. “It endangers the weak and vulnerable. It corrupts the practice of medicine. It compromises the family and betrays human dignity.”
Supporters of the bill said it could help reduce the suicide rate in Montana, which ranked first in the nation in 2022, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control. But opponents fear it will drive suffering patients into silence—or worse, despair.
A lot of opposition is deeply rooted in the belief that improving health care is the solution and not choosing to die.
“Instead of legalizing physician-assisted suicide, the state should work on improving palliative care for terminally ill people,” said John Kelly, New England regional director for the advocacy group Not Dead Yet.
Supporters believe that patients deserve control over their lives. “It’s something that always has to be driven by the patient. The patient initiates that conversation and that discussion,” said Geoff Sugerman, a national policy advisor for Death With Dignity.
Armijo also underscored the deeply personal nature of these decisions: “It’s about having the autonomy to make personal decisions for yourself at the end of life. You’ve made decisions about everything else in your life, and this shouldn’t be any different.”
TheStatehouseFile.com is publishing this article as part of the Statehouse Reporting Project, a collaborative effort by collegiate journalism programs operating in statehouses across the country.
Emma Schwichtenberg from the University of Washington, Natanya Friedheim from the University of Missouri and Erin Bruce from Franklin College contributed to this story.
Indiana workforce leaders aim to ‘salvage’ slashed dropout prevention program
Bridgette Edwards is going to college.
The 18-year-old graduated from Cloverdale High School last month despite a “rocky” start. After two years enrolled in career success classes with roots in dropout prevention, she’s gained a “family” of classmates, a “father figure” of a teacher and a vision for her future.
It’s “surreal,” she told the Capital Chronicle.
“Freshman-year me would have never thought that now I’d be going to Indiana State University and going to pursue my dreams,” Edwards said. “I just got an apartment for myself and all that. She definitely would have probably slapped me in the face, like, ‘You’re lying to me; what are you talking about?’”
Edwards is among thousands of Hoosier students participating in the Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) program. After undergoing a massive expansion, Indiana now hosts 250 sites — the nation’s largest network, according to the Department of Workforce Development (DWD). The agency oversees JAG in Indiana.
But JAG is expected to shrink to 30 or fewer sites by the end of the year.
Within just six months of hitting the 250-site goal, the program’s dedicated state funding was eliminated. Federal dollars shared by other agencies were deemed “unavailable.”
That’s left administrators, parents, teachers and students in the lurch — and trying preserve some remnants.
“This is ending the JAG program as we have come to know it in the state of Indiana,” Indiana Workforce Alliance Chair Tony Waterson said. The organization represents the 12 local workforce development boards that administer JAG in Indiana.
“Now, can it be reinvented? Yes. Will it sustain in some fashion? Most likely, (but) on a much, much reduced scale,” said Waterson, who is also president and CEO of board Southern Indiana Works.
Joining JAG
The model dates back to 1979 in Delaware, but former Gov. Mitch Daniels brought it to Indiana in 2006 to address the state’s “growing dropout crisis,” according to a DWD timeline.
JAG participants often face challenges that make it more likely they won’t complete high school or successfully transition into what lies after graduation. They may be low-income, first-generation, struggling with transportation, lacking workforce experience or marketable skills, and so on, per the national organization’s annual report.
In its first year, the program served 217 students at 12 schools.
It’s educated 45,000 since then. And it was set to serve more.
The expansion, which was fully implemented this year and doubled program sites from 125 to 250, was expected to impact 10,000 students annually.
Participants take elective, for-credit classes taught by specialists who also provide advice and other support. They meet multiple times each week, building close relationships.
“When we first got into our class, … you had your friends, but you didn’t really know everybody. But once we got to the end of the year, everybody was like a family,” Edwards said.
She recalled career association days featuring healthy student debate alongside visits from working professionals and educational institutions.
People are nice about it, right? Like, ‘Oh, here’s some options.’ But we’re not really going to be able to go to a private foundation and ask for $30 million annually for the foreseeable future, right? … That’s just not something that’s realistic.
– Indiana Workforce Alliance Chair Tony Waterson
She’d long harbored dreams of becoming a nurse, but a school resource officer’s presentation prompted a new dream. Now, Edwards will enter college studying criminology and criminal justice, with the goal of becoming a forensic scientist or police officer.
JAG, she said, “made me understand more of what I wanted to be for the rest of my life.” She’s also learned how to manage a credit card, present herself professionally to adults and more.
That’s thanks to specialist Karl Turk, whom she called “a father figure to me.” Edwards’ biological father died when she was 11.
But employees like him are in jeopardy.
There are “close to 300 JAG team members whose budget just went from $27 million to, you know, zero,” Waterson said. Some roles may be retained, but “there’s going to be a loss of jobs.”
“Every JAG specialist is touching, you know, 40 to 60 kids. And so now you’re impacting them and their lives as well,” he added. “… It’s a tough day, you know, tough week, tough month, tough budget cycle.”
Dedicated funding dropped
DWD previously received $8 million per year for JAG via a “dropout prevention” line item in the state’s biennial budget.
Gov. Mike Braun kept that in his version of House Enrolled Act 1001.
House Republicans scrapped DWD’s line item and instead included “dropout prevention” under the lengthy list of ways the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) could spend an $86 million “Freedom and Opportunity in Education” funds.
“When JAG funding was eliminated in DWD’s budget, it did not get moved to IDOE,” spokeswoman Courtney Bearsch said in a statement to the Capital Chronicle.
The Senate GOP maintained this in later versions of the budget.
But, with just a week to finalize the legislation, fiscal leaders received a grim revenue forecast — and embarked on major cuts.
“You know, when you’re all of a sudden hit with a budget that says you’re going to have little over a billion less each year, a lot of stuff got caught in the crossfire,” Braun told reporters last week.
The fund was allotted $50 million in the final version. That’s the same amount of money IDOE got for literacy and a similar list of other efforts in the last budget. And, like most agencies, it was hit with a 5% budget cut and directed to withhold additional dollars.
“Due to significant budget constraints, the IDOE will also not be able to utilize state funding to sustain JAG,” DWD Chief Workforce Officer Katie Rounds wrote in a late May program update.
Indiana’s fiscal year – and JAG’s line item funding – ends June 30. The next begins July 1.
Funding flow set to a trickle
The line item isn’t even the largest source of funding cut from JAG.
A collaboration with the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) was set to direct an additional $23.1 million in federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) dollars to fund the expansion, former Gov. Eric Holcomb announced in August 2023. That goal became reality in December 2024, per DWD.
The agency spent $13.3 million from TANF on JAG in the current program cycle — which overlaps with the state fiscal year — but FSSA is closing the spigot in August.
Rounds wrote that the TANF money is now “unavailable” for JAG.
That came as a shock to Waterson and his fellow workforce development board leaders.
“It was a question we asked repeatedly as we ramped up from 125 to 250: was the funding secure into the future? … And we were assured that that funding was secured,” he recounted.
To pull off the expansion, workforce development board members met with students, parents, teachers and administrators at middle schools, high schools and higher educational institutions.
“They signed and bought into the idea of it,” Waterson said. “They said, ‘Okay, we trust you.’ We hired staff.”
“We wouldn’t have done all that had we thought that this was even a possibility,” he added.
Students who’d joined in an initial round of the expansion would’ve been entering their second year of JAG come August, while those part of a later round would’ve gotten started at that point.
“We’ve told these these kids that, you know, you’re committing to us for two years when you do this — actually, three years, because there’s a follow-up period,” Waterson continued. “And now we’re saying, ‘Wait, no, we can’t.’”
Another slice of federal funding contributed by FSSA, typically worth $1.5 million annually, also won’t come JAG’s way. The Vocational Rehabilitation Pre-Employment Transition Services dollars supported disabled student participation for at least five years, according to DWD, including $2.2 million this program cycle.
“For that money to be available, you have to have … non-federal matching funds,” Waterson explained. “That gets dicey if there’s no state allocation.”
JAG’s only intact source of public funding may be federal legislation that expired five years ago. Initiatives under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act (WIOA) operate through annual appropriations, according to bipartisan group Center Forward. About $2.5 million in WIOA Youth funding went to JAG this cycle, as is typical.
But the money also comes with complex requirements — and deep uncertainty about how Congress will fund it going forward.
That leaves private and philanthropic dollars, which added more than $1.2 million to JAG this cycle.
“People are nice about it, right? Like, ‘Oh, here’s some options.’ But we’re not really going to be able to go to a private foundation and ask for $30 million annually for the foreseeable future, right?” Waterson said. “That’s just not something that’s realistic.”
Looking forward
JAG and other efforts hit in last-minute cuts could “be reconstituted,” according to Braun.
“That is going to be part of — on every agency, every program, we’re going to make sure that it’s being run well, (and it) may end up needing more resources if it’s been starved of it,” he said.
But potential aid in the future won’t stave off closures now.
They’ll likely occur in two waves, according to Waterson: most programs that were supposed to begin in August won’t, and most of those that do will shut down after the first semester.
In the meantime, he and other workforce development board leaders are regrouping.
“We are trying to find ways to salvage programming and salvage service to young people, either through alternative partnerships or alternative funding mechanisms,” said Edmond C. O’Neal III, president and CEO of Northeast Indiana Works.
O’Neal’s board is also rethinking how it structures program delivery.
Instead of assuming that one JAG specialist equals one site, he said, “I’d prefer to try to leverage those … people to service as many kids as we can.”
Five specialists, for example, could travel to handle 15 sites, although that introduces logistical challenges.
“It sucks,” Edwards said of JAG’s dim prospects.
“I just don’t think a lot of people are really seeing the good things that come out of it; they just see the academic value,” she added. “Even the students that people may think are quote-unquote ‘a lost cause,’ even those kids, it helps them a lot, getting out of trouble, learning their value of life.”
Offense backs up Scott as Otters win series
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Evansville Otters (20-23) outlasted the Florence Y’alls (17-25) 5-4 in game two of the weekend series at Bosse Field.They are now 6-1 in series at home with two splits against Washington.
Evansville sent out Braden Scott for his ninth start and he didn’t disappoint. He started off strong by striking out the side in the first inning.
Offensively, the Otters exploded in the first at-bat, with a Dennis Pierce leadoff home run that gave Evansville an early lead. That is the second leadoff homer for Pierce this season. Keenan Taylor led off the second with a double, and eventually came around to score after back-to-back sacrifice fly outs, putting Evansville up 2-0.
Scott continued to impress, pitching through the first five innings hitless and facing the minimum. Florence finally managed a hit in the sixth, and parlayed some soft contact into holes to put up three runs in the sixth, giving them a 3-2 lead.
The Otters didn’t wait to respond, as JT Benson unloaded a long home run to lead off the sixth. Facing a new pitcher, LJ Jones earned a walk, and Taylor doubled for the second time in the game. With runners on second and third, Pavin Parks hit a long sacrifice fly and Logan Brown singled to score Taylor to give Evansville a 5-3 lead.
Scott came back out to pitch the seventh and worked a clean inning to finish his outing. He worked his fifth straight quality start pitching seven innings, allowing just three runs and striking out eight.
Nick McAuliffe was called on to pitch the eighth and faced the minimum, setting up Alex Valdez for the ninth. Valdez worked around some traffic but converted his fourth save after an incredible play off the bounce from Parks Bouck en route to a 5-4 Evansville victory.
Benson finished his night perfect from the plate, going 3-3 with a home run, double and a walk.
The Otters are back in action tomorrow night looking for a sweep of Florence with a 5:05 p.m. CT scheduled first pitch, with gates opening at 4:00 p.m.
In The Word 120, The Role Model by Jerome Stewart
The Role Model by Jerome Stewart 
We often hear the word role model being used. We seem to always think of a favorite athlete or those making lots of money or those highly successful at doing
something. There are lessons throughout the bible of those who have been very good role models and some who would not qualify as such. It is good to have
someone to look up to because of their successes in life, and then there are others, although they may be highly successful, it does not mean they are to be
considered as a role model, especially if what they acquired came at the expense of ungodly or immoral behavior. I have some good news and some bad news
to share. The bad news first and it is this. As long as a person is willing to trust in anyone more that having trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior, be advised your role
model will at some point let you down. There is a difference between having trust in a role model and having trust in “The Role Model.” Mankind’s role model has
many imperfections unlike The Role Model in the person of Jesus Christ, who was God in the flesh while on earth, who has no imperfections. It matters greatly the
people we listen to and follow in life. For those who know Jesus as Lord and Savior we are to model our behavior based on the knowledge of the gospel.
Philippians 2 vss. 5 thru 8 Paul said to the brethren. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery
to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance
as a man He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” In order to model our behavior for the cause of Jesus
Christ there must be a willingness to follow Him. Jesus says in John 10 vs. 27; “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them and they follow Me.” It cannot be lost in
the messaging relative to the magnitude of the meaning of what Jesus said about His sheep. Vs. 28 Jesus says; “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never
perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”
Rainbow Romp with Bluey | July 2
Event Details:
Date: Wednesday July 2
Time: 2 PM
Location: Browning Gallery
Rainbow Romp with Bluey – Summer Reading Program
Get ready to play! Join us Tuesday, July 2 at 2 PM at Willard Public Library for Rainbow Romp with Bluey, a colorful afternoon of fun featuring special visits from Bluey and Bingo!
Families are invited to enjoy playful activities, rainbow-themed fun, and plenty of chances to say hello to everyone’s favorite Heeler sisters. Part of our Color Our World Summer Reading series, this event is sure to be a hit with Bluey fans of all ages!
To sign up for the Summer Reading Program and view the full schedule, visit: https://www.willardlib.org/children-s-summer-reading-program
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