The spirit of Illinois State University came alive Monday night as hundreds of students, alumni and community members gathered in Uptown Circle to celebrate the start of Homecoming week with the annual tree lighting and kick-off event. Beneath a crisp autumn sky, the crowd gathered in a sea of red as the lights flickered on, officially marking the beginning of a weeklong celebration that brings together generations of Redbirds. The sound of ISU’s Big Red Marching Machine filled the air, echoing through Uptown as attendees cheered. ISU President Aondover Tarhule described the evening as “absolutely exciting.” He said seeing alumni from past decades mingle with current students is what makes the event truly special. “One of the things I really like is meeting the alumni that come from the 60s or 70s, and they tell stories of how things were back then and the changes that they see,” Tarhule said. “It’s like the passing of the torch.” Tarhule added that the energy of the evening, and of Homecoming week overall, captures what makes ISU unique. “School is important; people come here to earn their degree,” Tarhule said. “But if you just came here to study, study, study and go nowhere, I think it would be pretty boring. It’s having activities like this, the enjoyment, the memories; this is what really stays in people’s minds. It’s what makes a college town a college town.” For ISU senior acting major Taniah Jones, the night was nothing short of “magical.” “Events like these are important because it lets people have fun, it gives people something to do,” Jones said. “There’s a lot of cool, free stuff and it’s cute in Uptown, so that’s a plus.” For many students, Homecoming is about more than just football; it’s about connection. Senior mass media major Aliah Mendoza said she looks forward to the unity the week brings every year. “My favorite part of Homecoming week, really, is the school spirit,” Mendoza said. “Regardless of where you go, everyone's super excited. Everyone's just wearing ISU gear, and of course, tailgating, probably the most. I’m excited for it.” That sense of community is what keeps students like seniors America Vallejo and Diana Solano coming back year after year. “We always go to the Homecoming games,” Solano said. “No matter if we win or lose, we always go and get dinner with friends afterwards.” For the Executive Director of Alumni Engagement, Kristin Harding, the event embodied what Homecoming is meant to be. “Whether it’s for current students or alums, it’s the feeling you get coming back to the institution,” Harding said. “We hope that this instilled a sense of tradition, a sense of celebration and a sense of spirit so that when students graduate, they remember what it was like to be at Illinois State during Homecoming week.” Harding described the night in one word: “spirit.” “Illinois State is highly relational. We’re very committed to the success of our students,” Harding said. “This helps raise that spirit of tradition. People are here to celebrate the great things that Illinois State has accomplished.” As the crowd slowly dispersed into the Uptown streets, the glowing red lights of the trees lingered, a symbol of Redbird pride burning bright. The Homecoming festivities will continue throughout the week, leading up to Saturday’s parade and football game, but for many, the heart of the celebration began right here, under the lights in Uptown Circle.

Illinois State University has launched a new Partnership for AI Research (PAIR) project to aid in medical research. Clinical nurse specialist, researcher and Carle BroMenn Medical Center endowed professor in the Mennonite College of Nursing, Marilyn Prasun and assistant professor in the School of Information Technology, Nariman Ammar, collaborated on this project, which aims to detect early signs of Atrial Fibrillation using AI and machine learning technology. Atrial Fibrillation is a cardiovascular condition in which the two upper chambers of your heart don’t contract regularly, and can lead to blood pooling, which increases your risk of stroke. Prasun said that collaboration is a big part of this project. “I think that collaboration is really the exciting part about this study because we’re taking two different disciplines and coming together to really seek to answer questions,” Prasun said. “To my knowledge, I believe this is the first time that the College of Nursing and Dr. Ammar’s area, computer science and technology, have joined together to really seek to answer questions.” Ammar also talked about collaboration and what PAIR is currently focusing on. “This is definitely the first time the School of IT collaborated with the College of Nursing at that level. We are building a research lab for using AI to solve health-related research problems, and so that can be a nice place for all faculty and students, and it will attract more talents for sure,” Ammar said. “We are focusing on cardiovascular for now, so any health condition that can fall under that umbrella will be solved with those AI methodologies, and so it is bigger than just one research study.” Prasun talked about PAIR’s mission, which is currently to use AI and machine technology to detect early signs of Atrial Fibrillation. “Our hope, as Dr. Ammar stated, was to develop this interdisciplinary team skilled at applying machine learning and AI technology to assist in identifying health issues, and for this study in particular, we’re really looking at algorithms to help facilitate the early detection of Atrial Fibrillation,” Prasun said. “The goal is can we find these individuals early and predict the potential occurrence of Atrial Fibrillation, which potentially could lead to people being treated earlier and ultimately having better outcomes.” Prasun and Ammar also talked about how PAIR came to be. “This has been a fun and exciting journey in that Dr. Ammar reached out. Although we’re colleagues working at the same university, we really didn’t know one another prior to this, but she’d seen an opportunity,” Prasun said. “I saw this as an opportunity which was unique. I actually wanted to help institutions who do not yet have this idea for a research lab that would apply AI to healthcare, so they offered us funding to establish the lab in terms capacity building, so basically training faculty and students to be able to use AI in an ethical way, so unbiased, privacy preserving and to be able to do research,” said Ammar. “It’s not just using AI in the traditional way, it’s also respecting diversity in the data and these kinds of things, which are essential for healthcare. It’s also a good opportunity for ISU in general.” Ammar then went on to discuss future plans for PAIR. “There’s a phase two, and we’re hoping we’re gonna get it. We’re applying for bigger grant opportunities within NIH (National Institutions of Health) and other places as well,” Ammar said.

The Town of Normal was awarded its Bird City Illinois designation in recognition of the town’s commitment to nature and birds. In an article posted by the Town of Normal, Mayor Chris Koos emphasized the importance of environmental sustainability to the Town of Normal. “The Town's founder, Jesse Fell, was a great believer in beautiful green spaces and planted thousands of street trees in his lifetime, some of which still stand today,” Koos said. “The Town is committed to environmental sustainability. Part of that means ensuring native habitats and environments exist in our community for pollinators and birds.” Being one of 11 towns considered a Bird City, Normal has many contributions that lead to the official designation. This includes restoration of creek banks throughout the community, having a commitment towards green transportation and many more. According to the Audubon Bird City Council, there are many different benefits to becoming a Bird City, such as a healthy environment, community pride and better knowledge about nature. Becoming a Bird City is a part of The Town of Normal’s larger goal, a move towards sustainability by 2050. For more information on the designation of Normal as a Bird City, click here. For more information on the Bird City Illinois organization, click here.

Illinois State’s Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) held a peaceful counterprotest from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday at Schroeder Plaza. This was a response to the ISU College of Republicans hosting an event with detransition activist Chloe Cole as a guest speaker. Members from YDSA and over 30 supporting individuals gathered in front of Schroeder Hall and waved signs in support of transgender students. YDSA Media Spokesperson Oliver Alvarez Miller discussed the importance of ensuring safety at the counterprotest and included their success in integrating pre-certified first aid individuals at the event. Overall, Alvarez Miller was pleased that the planning executed a strong turnout. “I'm really glad we got a bunch of people, not only from the school but the community as a whole, here to support trans individuals,” Alvarez Miller said. “Trans rights are human rights. We deserve to exist just as much as anyone else. We have the rights to life, happiness and health, just like everyone else.” Protest organizer Jei Jandura said the event took time to arrange, as safety was the priority for all attendees. He continued to share a message to all students: “Trans people should not be afraid to be their true selves on campus. Hate has no place here, and that includes transphobia of all kinds,” Jandura said. “[Students] should look for the organizations that are willing to be here today, because that shows a lot of courage to be here,” Jandura continued. As individuals filed inside Schroeder Hall to attend Chloe Cole’s event, the YDSA counterprotesters shouted chants in support of transgender visibility. The protesters remained outside until the event concluded.

Campus and Bloomington-Normal organizations in support of LGBTQIA+ rights brought forth their full support for transgender and queer students at Illinois State University with a Day of Trans Resilience. The Queer Coalition, PERIOD. at ISU, Central Illinois FRIENDS, the Prairie Pride Coalition and ISU Pride tabled from noon to 3:30 on Tuesday at Milner Plaza. At every table, informational pamphlets and freebies were offered to students passing by. One of the reasons surrounding the extra support was due to anti-trans activist Chloe Cole, who opposes gender-affirming care for minors following her own detransition, would be hosted by ISU’s College of Republicans in the evening. This event raised concerns among the student body on social media, prompting campus organizations to take action. Co-President of ISU’s Queer Coalition Brie Byers said that the organizations, specifically the Queer Coalition, wanted to pass a message to all trans and queer students that their campus supports them and wants to see everyone thrive. “We're out here throwing a resource fair, just showing [students] all the different resources that are available. Because honestly, it's kind of hard to see what resources are out there, so we're just putting it right out in front of them,” Byers said. Byers gave her input regarding the guest speaker who would arrive later that evening. “Just because transition wasn't for Chloe Cole doesn't mean that transition isn't a good choice for other people, and it doesn't mean that she gets to dictate whether or not other people should be able to,” Byers said. “If you want to talk about irreversible harm, go to all the trans people out there who have been denied trans health care and had to go through the wrong puberty in adolescence,” Byers continued. If a student is seeking a safe spot on campus with informative resources, Byers said the Multicultural Center at ISU is a good place to utilize. The Prairie Pride Coalition worked with the Queer Coalition to attend the event and provide additional resources throughout Bloomington-Normal for students on campus. Prairie Pride Coalition President David Bentlin said the foot traffic was a great way to share their organization’s side of the story. “[We are] presenting facts and resources, things that dispel the myths about gender identity and non-binaryism, so that's our purpose here today, and we're just glad to have the opportunity to meet with a lot of students, faculty and staff,” Bentlin said. The Prairie Pride Coalition provided pamphlets containing a variety of safe spaces across BloNo, along with an LGBTQIA-friendly business and resource directory. “We've got information on other organizations in the community that cater to specific populations within our community, like transgender social groups, transgender support groups, we have a number of other groups,” Bentlin said. “Our purpose here today is to share all that information with the community here on campus … a lot of times [students] are new and they're not familiar with the area of Bloomington-Normal,” Bentlin continued. Throughout the day, students in support of transgender visibility stood outside playing music and writing supportive messages with chalk on the campus’ Quad. Sophomore new media composition major Star Hall shared a reminder to all students on campus. “Be yourself and support the people who want to be who they are, that’s a great thing,” Hall said.

Students gathered Thursday, Oct. 9, at the Center for the Visual Arts to learn about the history of the annual Take Back the Night event and march for a safe campus environment. The event began at 5:30 p.m. with a presentation detailing the history of Take Back the Night. The marches first gained traction in the 1970s as violence against women began to rise. The Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program and Students Ending Rape Culture (SERC) hosted the event, providing materials for attendees to create posters for the march. SERC President Lauren Bounds led the presentation as attendees received pamphlets and pins for the night. “I want this to affect people in the way they need it to. I want everyone to feel individually seen and understood,” Bounds said. Bounds explained how the march takes a specific route, marching in front of local bars and fraternity houses to highlight locations where students may have safety concerns. Bounds said the route was a statement to the town and university to demand safe conditions for all. One of the most prominent stories relayed at the event was the case of Carol Rofstad, a student who attended Illinois State University in 1975 and was found deceased on the front lawn of the Delta Zeta Sorority after being assaulted by an unknown suspect. The story and remembrance of Rofstad stayed strong throughout the night as students marched for justice for her and other victims. Sophomore criminal justice major Melanie Sanchez attended the march to spread awareness for victims. Sanchez said the importance of the event was profound, as society views these matters as taboo and wishes not to discuss them. Sanchez noted that the voices of the united attendees would help spread awareness for others and relay the message of unity and power. Public health graduate student Caitlin Rosendorn emphasized the importance of the event. “This night is dedicated to you, feeling safe and taking back the night once and for all,” Rosendorn said. The march ended with a vigil service dedicated to survivors at the McLean County Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA).