By GAIL FAUSTYN Staffgfaustyn@ius.edu

In 83-degree heat and full-police uniform, Ryan Knight, criminal justice junior, has been giving out parking ci-tations for nearly five hours. While he may be tired, Knight said he is very proud of his work as the first police cadet at IU South-east. “I’m extreme-ly happy with my position,” Knight said. “I’ve learned so much even in just my first week.” This new Cadet Program was in-

troduced by Charlie Edelen, IUS Po-lice chief, in July 2012. The program is based off the 40-year Cadet Program at IU Bloomington. “I applied for the funding back in February 2012 and received it in July of that year,” Edelen said. “I was sur-

prised how quickly students re-sponded to the program.” This program will allow stu-dents to gain experience in the police force by working for the university during their junior and senior years. During the application pro-cess, students must have their background checked and go through a physical exam. The student must also be in good academic standing, with a GPA of more than 2.3 or 2.5. This semester, only one stu-

dent was chosen for the cadet position; however, next semester they are look-

ing to hire more. As a junior cadet, some of the re-sponsibilities include dispatching, writing citations and auditing keys. Cadets are also in charge of docu-menting almost all of their work to help them become familiar

with the paper work aspect of the police force.

By CLAIRE MUNNSenior Editorclamunn@umail.iu.edu

Students discovered how to become more in-volved and better informed in politics during “Con-stitution Day: Powering the Individual Citizen,” hosted by the IUS Civil Liberties Union. The event featured a panel of IUS po-litical science professors and a represen-tative from the American CLU of Indiana who shared ways students can take an active stance in government. Stephon Moore, political science and journalism sophomore and president of the IUS CLU, said Constitution Day should be important to students because it impacts their everyday lives. “It’s a document that we need to pay homage to and a document that we need to know about and read,” Moore said. Rhonda Wrzenski, assistant professor of political science, offered numerous av-enues for students to get involved, such as voting, writing letters to their repre-sentatives and attending political rallies. “A really simple way to get involved is to put a candidate bumper sticker on your car or put a sign in your yard,” Wrzenski said. In order to help students become more

knowledgeable about elections, Wrzenski provided a website called Project Vote Smart. Within the site, individuals can find voting requirements for their state, including registration deadlines and absentee ballot forms. Another aspect of the page is an interactive game for people to see which candidates best suite them at both the presidential and state level.

“What’s nice about this is it actually shows you candidates from other parties, so you don’t just get Republican and Democrat, you’ll also get Green Par-ty and American Constitution candidates, so you get the whole field,” Wrzenski said. The game is set up with a list of issues, ranging from abortion to national security and health care to social security. Individuals answer questions based

on these categories and rate their impor-tance. Candidates who have similar view-points will move forward, while those who oppose move back. Dejan Tomanic, political science and in-ternational studies junior and vice president of the IUS CLU, said this was his favorite part of the program. “I’m really excited about how particu-larly Dr. Wrzenski showed how people can go find candidates, not only in their district but also presidential and gage their views against those who may or not be elected,” Tomanic said. “That was really fascinat-ing.” Wrzenski also suggested students who are skeptical of campaign speeches can check out Politifact.org and Factcheck.org. Tom Kotulak, associate professor of po-litical science and adviser for pre-law, said it is important for individuals to do their

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See CONSTITUTION DAY, page 2

Graphic by Claire MunnSource: Project Vote Smart

IUS promotes political activism

Issues IssuesEducation: Require states to implement reforms in order to become eligible for competitive federal grants

Social SEcurity: Refuse the diverting of Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts

EnErgy: Reduce restrictions on offshore energy production

immigration: Require illegal immigrants to return to their country before being eligible for citizenship

BudgEt: Reduce spending on Medicare and Medicaid

national SEcurity: Target suspected terrorists outside of the official theaters of conflict

Election 2012

Cadet Program turns students into officers

Photo by Claire Munn

Rhonda Wrzenski, assistant professor of political science, and Tom Kotulak, asso-ciate professor of political science and adviser for pre-law, discuss the importance of finding factual information when it comes to making political decisions. The event, “Constitution Day: Powering the Individual Citizen,” informed students about how to get involved in government.

Photo by Gail Faustyn Ryan Knight, criminal justice junior, issues a citation for a car parked in a handicapped spot in Central Parking Lot. Knight is the first IUS Police cadet to work for the university.

I’ve learned so much even in just my first week.

Ryan Knightcriminal justice junior

See CADET, page 2

Red Cross draws donors for blood

Week of Sept. 24, 2012

Families pounce to see exotic animals