Marion County's home value gap

Marion County’s home value gap

Posted on February 17, 2020 by Leslie Wells

Family holding a paper cutown of a house in their hands

Homes in predominately black neighborhoods are often undervalued compared to those in other neighborhoods, even when the homes are similar. In Marion County, there is a more than $41,000 difference between the county’s median home value and that of homes in majority-black neighborhoods. The difference means people in these communities may face more challenges when it comes to building wealth. That can have a lasting impact on generations of black families.

As the nation celebrates Black History Month, it’s important to understand the effect past housing policies have had on the black community—and continue to have to this day. The Center for Research on Inclusion and Social Policy (CRISP) at the IU Public Policy Institute examined how biased housing policies and real estate practices impact the black community in Marion County.

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Alumni donations allow students to learn policymaking through simulation

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Leslie Wells

Students sit together at a table going through documents and reading through policy options, discussing possible solutions to simulated migration issues. — A team of O’Neill graduate students participated in the 2019 NASPAA-Batten Student Simulation, working to solve issues of global migration through policy.

It’s been one year since a team of five O’Neill IUPUI MPA candidates traveled to the University of Michigan to take part in a NASPAA-Batten Student Simulation. There, students form teams to tackle a timely topic and use policy decisions to help address it. The topic on the table: global migration.

But the team didn’t get there on their own. Riley Sandel helped with the trip’s planning in 2019. He says they knew the opportunity was unique—but funding was a problem. Without the support of alumni donations, he says their plan never would have come to fruition.

“In all honesty, our team of five would not have gone without the financial help we received from O’Neill alumni,” he says.

A new group of MPA students will head to the 2020 simulation on March 7 to discuss how to create sustainable cities. Donations from the IUPUI O’Neill School Annual Giving Fund helps to make experiences like this possible for students.

Sandel, Stacy Robinson, Michael Weigel, Meghann Bowman, and Josslyn Kennedy know what this year’s group of students will face. Each of them took on a different role in their fictional country during the simulation. Their job was to manage migration.

They spent 12 hours evaluating the issue, developing policy-based solutions, and working with neighboring nations. But beyond the policymaking practice, the team says they walked away with larger learnings that will last throughout their careers:

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Innovative partnerships increase diversity at O’Neill IUPUI

Posted on February 3, 2020 by Leslie Wells

Two women in cap and gowns smile and take a picture at commencement.

There’s an enrollment boom happening at O’Neill IUPUI. And the wave of new students joining the O’Neill School looks more like the community in which IUPUI exists. Diversity is on the rise, with underserved populations seeing increases from 2018 to 2019.

The changing demographics are no accident. It’s the result of intentional development from Tamra Wright, the school’s director of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and strategic recruiting efforts by Eugene Pride III, the associate director for enrollment management and diversity.

Together, the duo has channeled their energy and experience into ensuring that O’Neill has a student body that is inclusive, welcoming, and diverse by partnering with key organizations both on- and off-campus.

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Securing a legacy of servant leadership

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Leslie Wells

Reece Thompson stands with Jerry Baker holding a large check for the Jason Baker Scholarship. — O’Neill Public Safety major Reece Thompson stands with Jerry Baker at the Beyond the Badge 5k after receiving the Jason Baker Legacy Scholarship in 2019.

Hundreds of people gathered outside the Heroes of Public Safety Memorial in Crown Hill Cemetery in mid-September. Among the crowd stood groups of first responders in uniform, students, families with small children, and other community members. They were there for the annual Beyond the Badge 5k Run/Walk, an event honoring public servants who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

The cause is personal for the event’s organizers, Jerry and Sharon Baker. Their son, Jason, was murdered in 2001 while on duty as a Marion County Sheriff’s deputy. Now, the Bakers not only work to ensure sacrifices like Jason’s are not forgotten; they also use the event to help those who want to follow in Jason’s footsteps.

Ingrid Ortega stands at a podium delivering a speech during the Beyond the Badge 5K, with Jerry Baker at her side. — Ingrid Ortega stands at a podium delivering a speech during the Beyond the Badge 5k, with Jerry Baker at her side. Ortega received the Jason Baker Legacy Scholarship, created by Jerry and Sharon Baker.

Each year, the Beyond the Badge event raises money for the Jason Baker Legacy Scholarship, which provides financial support to O’Neill students pursuing a career in public safety. Since the first Beyond the Badge event in 2002, the scholarship has helped nearly two dozen students become first responders. Each of those students has fulfilled one special request from the Bakers.

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Three questions about O’Neill’s Washington Leadership Program

Posted on January 20, 2020 by Leslie Wells

Jadah Cunningham stands in front of the Indiana and Indianapolis flags outside Congressman André Carson's office in Washington, D.C. — Jadah Cunningham served in Congressman André Carson’s office during her term in the Washington Leadership Program.

Few students get the chance to participate in a program that places them in the middle of the action in Washington, D.C. Yet the O’Neill School provides this opportunity to its students through the Washington Leadership Program. Each fall and spring semester, O’Neill sponsors the semester-long program that provides a unique opportunity for junior and senior undergraduate students of all majors to gain first-hand knowledge of how Washington works.

The deadline to apply for fall 2020 and spring 2021 cohorts is February 1, 2020. Students who have been through WLP often provide a first-hand view of the experience through takeovers on O’Neill’s Instagram account. One year ago, Jadah Cunningham, an O’Neill media and public affairs major, spent time working in Congressman André Carson’s office. We asked her three questions about her experience:

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