By Robby Temprano

At Indiana University Bloomington, Professor Benjamin Robinson describes being arrested during the Palestinian rights protest. He explains that the police’s response was harsh and disproportionate given that the protest was peaceful and did not violate any policies.

Robinson mentioned his involvement in social justice causes over many years. He was present to support the student protesters, many of whom he knew from classes and civil rights trips. When police moved in to break up the protest, Benjamin Robinson tried to reason with officers but saw the police commander giving orders to push forward aggressively into the protesters.

Robinson and others were subsequently arrested and spent 6-7 hours being processed before release. Soon after, Robinson found he had been banned from his very own campus, despite having tenure and 20 years of service at the university. He sued the university for …
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By Emerson Romans

Clothes sorted, displays set, customer ready.

Since 2017, the U.S. secondhand market has grown by 95%, with 1.4 billion secondhand apparel items purchased in 2022, up 40% from 2021 according to Capital One’s yearly shopping statistics. “Thrifting” or the act of shopping at a thrift store, garage store, or charity shop, significantly grew in popularity during the pandemic. The TikTok subculture coined “#ThriftTok” has gained over 1.6 billion views online.

The rise of thrifting acts as a cheaper way for individuals to participate in pop culture’s renaissance of several iconic fashion trends from the past, including flared pants, which rose to fame in the early 70s, high-waisted pants, infamously coined “mom jeans” in the 80s, and slip dresses, widely worn in the 90s. The rising appeal towards secondhand clothing has connected many youth with older generations. 18-year-old Bloomington native Minette …
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By Daniella Lainez

In efforts to sustain more safety following nine severe and fatal cycling accidents in the past five years, the city of Bloomington has begun to develop more bike lanes with a 15-year goal of eliminating all cycling accidents and increasing the presence of safety on roads in Bloomington.

Following this project, the level of involvement from cyclists of using these new bike lanes as opposed to the main road or sidewalk has been hit or miss. Residents of Bloomington expressed varying opinions on the matter.

Bloomington resident and Co-Director of SustainCollins and Sustainability Program Tanjimul Alam said, “I have definitely seen a decent amount of people using the bikes lanes but they are a little confusing and we need more signs to distinguish the bikes lanes, a lot of cars and bus tend to park and …
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By Kayla Kiszka, Joelle Serbenta, and Anna Herr

The state of Indiana is mostly known for their dunes and corn fields, but in reality, Indiana has been supplying the country with an underground material, limestone, and Polly Sturgeon is one of the experts.

After nine years full of limestone tours at Indiana University, which she still gives to this day, Sturgeon has become very familiar with the material that fills Indiana University’s beautiful campus. Her passion for the history of limestone is shown through her work in frequent presentations on topics related to Indiana geology in local schools and for the general public through her tours.

“I took over the campus limestone walking tours when Brian Keith, former geologist at the IGWS, retired. I have experience in giving public tours and was interested in expanding the tour to include more campus history,” says …
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By Chase Monroe, Greenwood Community High School, Ethan Palgon, Johns Creek High School, and William Ximenes, Bloomington High School South

There are many large theater franchises, but none can compare to Tivoli. Tivoli Theatre, located in Spencer, IN, has been a staple of the small town for nearly a century. It was opened 95 years ago on December 21, 1928, when all the workers were just volunteers. Due to neglect, economic shifts and changing entertainment preferences, the historic gem came to the brink of extinction in 1999. After nearly being torn down, Tivoli was bought out by Owen County Preservation in 2005 and restored by Cook Medical in 2013 with millions of dollars in funding.

The theater was preserved because of its historical significance and symbolism in the community. When the theater reopened in 2013, much of its original character was preserved. …
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Description of the video:

Views of the Buskirk Chumley theater in Bloomington, Indiana University from the street, near the entrance and a list of upcoming movies

Narrator: Movies have existed in cinema since the late 1800s but with new innovations both in and outside of the film industry cinemas had to adapt to keep their audiences entertained different ways. Streaming services are rising in popularity competing with the theater’s prominent spot in society.

Interview with Alicia Kozma, Director and Marketing Manager at IU Cinema

Alicia: We now just exist in a world where you have multiple ways to watch something and so movie theaters and production studios just have to account for the fact that some things get streamed, some things go to theaters. some things do both.

Scene of outdoor dining area on Kirkwood Avenue

Narrator: Factors such as Covid-19 have impacted the movie industry …
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By Deiana Forde, Greenwood Community Highschool

Evelyn Luevanos, Speedway High School

The Tivoli Theatre was known for decades as one of the finest theaters in the country. Almost a century later, the theatre stands tall in the heart of Spencer, Indiana.

Tivoli’s history has ignited the process of reconstructing the building after a 14-year shutdown.​​ The people of Spencer knew the importance of the theatre to their community, but nothing would prepare them for the connections it would make for so many people around them. Andrea White, the director of the theatre, knows first-hand the different relationships the theatre has enhanced. As she met her husband in the theatre. “During my volunteer time, I reconnected with who is now my husband, and it is with his influence that I decided to take the position of director because he was a volunteer here on …
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By Lilly Essex, Carroll High School

Izzy Hunter, Muchin College Prep

Samantha Enciso, Chicago Bulls College Prep

The Indiana Theatre, or simply “the Indiana” to Bloomington natives, has been a downtown mainstay for generations.The Indiana had been the home for a variety of events and entertainment over the years. It had housed vaudeville acts, live music, and even a few movies.Casey Rich said,“Originally built by Vonderschmitts in 1922, it was used to be a silent films theater.” In November 1933, a fire threatened to destroy the theater, but miraculously, the Vonderschmitts were able to rebuild and reopen it within a few months.he cause of the fire was a mystery. Some said that the old film projector in the town hall overheated and caused the fire, but no one could be sure.Casey Rich said,“…white patrons were able to sit anywhere while African American patrons …
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Description of the video:

White drive-in screen screen, then families in camp chairs sitting near their cars with pets and kids playing on grass nearby

The Starlight Drive-In Theater has been a popular spot in Southern Indiana for almost 70 years

Interview with Mark Freeman, former owner of Starlite

Mark: We couldn’t have done it without the family. It was taken in as a family, and then it was delegated as a family

Interview with Lacee Freeman, daughter of former owner

Lacee: The Freemans played a huge role in bringing the family aspect back to the theater. Having it be like a family-run business and made it super, super fun and kind of brought that family aspect back to the drive-in

Images of families spending time at the drive-in, playing games and eating near their cars

Mark: We tried to not let the public know that we were …
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