Making the Right Choice

Walking through the College of Education on Friday, I noticed something very unusual. Men in suits were standing outside the front doors greeting people. Odd. Inside I observed important people - like the Dean - with metal name tags milling around. Double odd. Glancing into the atrium, I noticed the magnificent buffet of hor-dourves. Eureka! I remembered that in less than two hours, the College of Education would be dedicated to the Bayh family.

A small giggle escaped my lips as I compared my old gym clothes to the business attire of people attending the event. As I hurried out of the building, I stopped and admired Indiana State for a moment. They could have closed the College of Education and kept under dressed students like myself out – but they didn’t. Instead, they believed it was important to showcase ISU as a live campus, complete with students meandering to class in non-business attire.

According to reporter Sue Laoughlin, the U.S Senator Even Bayh said he was “touched” and “humbled” by Indiana State’s decision to name the college of education after several generations of the Bayh family. President Dan Bradley presented the Senator with an honorary doctorate for his late mother, Marvella Bayh. She had attended ISU from 1952-1958 and was instrumental in getting Hoosier Girls State moved to the ISU campus.

This is an excellent step for Indiana State University. We are finally honoring a family who has been dedicated to Terre Haute and the University for generations. Instead of turning our backs on people who can build us up, we are embracing them. If ISU continues to make these types of decisions, we might have the opportunity to take this University back into the limelight.