HobNob internship provides next step for students interested in policy

Posted on September 3, 2019 by Leslie Wells

HobNob internship; Michael Grubb; Erin Query; Tom Stucky. — Michael Grubb (left), Cripe vice president of Architecture, and O’Neill Executive Associate Dean Tom Stucky (right) recognize O’Neill’s Erin Query as the 2020 HobNob intern.

For those who have walked the halls of the Indiana Statehouse as interns, it can be a career-shaping experience, providing guidance and clarity for students considering a future in policy or politics.

Each year, the Indy Chamber selects one O’Neill School graduate student interested in policy development and political action as its HobNob intern, named for the Chamber’s annual HobNob event.

On August 29, the Chamber selected O’Neill Policy Analysis major Erin Query, who will begin work when the 2020 legislative session starts in January. She will also receive the $5,000 stipend from Cripe Architects & Engineers that comes with the internship.

O'Neill MPA student Sydnee Cseresznyes stands outside Wood Fountain at IUPUI — O’Neill MPA student Sydnee Cseresznyes served as the 2019 HobNob intern for the Indy Chamber.

But Query will do much more than mix and mingle with influential people at the Statehouse.

Sydnee Cseresznyes, an O’Neill MPA student focusing on public management, served as the 2019 HobNob intern. She says the HobNob experience provides a unique nonpartisan view of the policy process.

“With caucus internships, you’re loyal to a party; lobbying internships are loyal to clients,” she says. “The HobNob internship focuses on issues that impact Hoosiers.”

It’s that political neutrality that appealed to Cseresznyes.

“I think the HobNob internship is the best internship in the Statehouse,” she says. “I was able to interact with everyone. I think doing what is right for the people and businesses in your community is more important than sticking to one side of the aisle. The Chamber hits that nail on the head.”

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Report helps IUPUI better understand student needs

Posted on August 26, 2019 by Leslie Wells

wide aerial shot of students walking around on campus.

If you are a student facing financial, food, housing, or academic challenges, email the Office of Student Advocacy and Support at stuadvoc@iu.edu or visit their office in Room 270 in the Campus Center. If you are facing a non-emergency mental health challenge, contact CAPS at capsindy@iu.edu or visit 719 Indiana Ave, Suite 220. More resources are available at https://helpmeroar.iupui.edu.

Ty Davis, assistant dean of students and director of the Office of Student Advocacy and Support, is charged with helping students facing a variety of needs. From academic advocacy to providing emergency resources, Davis and her team help students navigate through life’s challenges.

“Our students don’t leave their needs at the door,” she says. “Before they even step foot on this campus, many don’t have enough. The problem is they don’t know they don’t have enough until they’re here.”

To effectively respond to students’ needs, Davis needed more information. And she wanted it to come to directly from the source.

“We should always ask students what they need; we shouldn’t drive that part of the conversation,” she says. “Their responses should inform our actions.”

The Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention was also interested in the needs of IUPUI students. Working with CHIP and researchers from the IU Public Policy Institute, Davis got the answers she needed from nearly 500 students.

Four basic needs areas emerged in the 2019 PPI student survey: finances, food, housing, and mental health. But there was also critical information about barriers students face when accessing the university’s support systems.

One was program awareness. Half of students who received on-campus services learned about them from an advisor; another 29 percent found out from a faculty or staff member. Yet 56 percent of students who needed help—and never got it—said they didn’t know where to go.

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Be the voice of O’Neill students

Posted on August 12, 2019 by Leslie Wells

A new name for the O’Neill School in March 2019 meant a new beginning for the O’Neill Student Council. OSC is the O’Neill School’s only undergraduate student organization, and they’re looking for leaders.

The Basics

OSC advocates for O’Neill students and promotes opportunities for service, social networking, community engagement, and professional development.
The organization represents all majors in O’Neill and has leadership opportunities for students.
On Tuesday, September 10, OSC will have its first call-out meeting of the new school year. That’s when they’ll discuss the group’s goals and collect nominations for leadership team elections.

O'Neill Call-out Meeting Tuesday Sept. 10 at 6 p.m.. in BS 4095

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CHJR researchers examine drug overdose deaths in Marion County

Posted on July 22, 2019 by Leslie Wells

New data from the IU Public Policy Institute’s Center for Health and Justice Research shows a drop in the number of opioid-related overdose deaths in Marion County. Despite the decline, opioids were still present in 78 percent of the county’s 361 overdose deaths in 2018. That same year, the number involving fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, was found in 54 percent of the deaths.

There are other concerning trends as well. Both methamphetamines and cocaine are being found in overdose victims at higher rates than in previous years.

These numbers come from a unique analysis done by PPI’s CHJR research team. It’s an analysis that takes into account both coroners’ reports as well as police reports to reveal a realistic picture of what’s happening.

That analysis is currently headed up by Philip Huynh, a PPI project analyst. In 2016, Huynh sat in an office in Fort Wayne combing through police and coroner reports. He was an intern with the Allen County Health Department at the time, helping them get a better handle on what people were dying from so they could address the problem.

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CHJR Director Brad Ray earns award for translating research into practice

Posted on July 15, 2019 by Leslie Wells

Brad Ray has devoted his career to better understanding issues involving substance use, mental health, and the criminal justice system. As the director of the Center for Health and Justice Research at the IU Public Policy Institute, he spends most of his time building partnerships to ensure his research impacts the community.

“I can say with certainty that the best research questions I’ve ever answered have come from relationships with my community partners,” he says.

His dedication to building those relationships—and commitment to ensuring his research gets to those who need it—gained the attention of the selection committee for IUPUI’s Bantz-Petronio Translating Research into Practice (TRIP) Award. They selected Ray as the 2019 TRIP Award recipient.

“I feel a great sense of humility getting this award,” Ray says. “Of all the awards I might have received from IUPUI, this one provides the greatest sense of personal accomplishment.”

Each year, the award recognizes outstanding work by an IUPUI TRIP Scholar in translating research into practice and solutions that provide innovative ways to improve lives or the community.

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