40 Cool Things We Love About USI

WE DON'T NEED to tell you why you loved attending the University of Southern Indiana. Your love list is long. But we thought it would be fun to gather a bunch of amazing USI things in one long list. We reached out to everyone far and wide to compile a list of things (not everything we love and in no particular order) illustrating a sampling of reasons to love USI.

1. OUR ORIGIN STORY Screaming Eagles Pride is rooted in a band of citizens determined to make sure everyone who wanted a college education didn't have to leave their hometown to earn one…and at an affordable price too. Many had their paychecks automatically deducted to help support the University. That's the power of the people and Screagle power. Don't ever get in the way of a determined Screaming Eagle.

2. JAMES THE BUS DRIVER METS bus driver James Putnam has been doing his share of making USI the friendliest campus north of the Mason Dixon line by waving at every passing vehicle and fist bumping every boarding passenger on his campus/ Evansville route. Students say his small consistent acts of kindness and compassion make them feel good that a stranger cares enough about them to offer a friendly wave and smile. James averages 936,000 fist bumps and waves per year.

3. SHORT AND SQUAT with heart eyes that blink "love" and other messages, campus Kiwibots are the robots used to deliver food across campus. Inside their hollow tummies, bags of food—orders totaled 10,908 in Spring 2024—are dispatched to any building on campus. Newman Hall has the most deliveries with 7 p.m. being the most popular time. It's not just a student thing, faculty and staff love them too. "…many consider them to be part of the USI family," said Kindra Strupp M'22, Vice President for Marketing and Communication. "It is quite common to hear people remark how cute they are as they roll by."

4. NASA GRANTS In 2016, 10 engineering students received a NASA grant to build and deploy the Undergraduate Nano Ionosphere Temperature Explorer (UNITE) satellite, a CubeSat designed to explore and gather vital ionosphere and plasma information from outer space. A team worked with Dr. Glenn Kissel, Associate Professor Emeritus of Engineering, to develop one of the most successful CubeSats launched from a field of 47 colleges, beating biggies such as Stanford. USI's satellite remained in space for 1,047 days, outlasting most other teams.

5. ATHLETIC CHAMPIONSHIPS While there is supposed to be "no crying" per Tom Hank's character Jimmy in A League of Their Own, there were plenty of tears of joy when USI's Softball team captured its first-ever NCAA Division II Midwest Regional title in 2017 and again this past March when the Women's Basketball team won the 2024 Ohio Valley Conference Women's Basketball Tournament Championship. They were the first USI athletic team to bring home a title in the University's Division I era. Over the years, plenty of tears of joy have been shed as USI student-athletes collected 310 championships as teams and individuals in conference and national tournaments.

6. ANCIENT ARTIFICES A 600-year-old Arabic manuscript titled Balaghah (translation: oratory) is a handwritten, incomplete book (middle pages only) on rhetoric, with magic codes and symbols in the margins, donated to the University's John M. Lawrence '73 Library (established by alum John Lawrence '73, accounting, who is passionate about preserving ancient texts) by Michael Aakhus, Professor Emeritus of Art; Dean Emeritus of the College of Liberal Arts, and Patricia Aakhus, Associate Professor of English (deceased). "It is not uncommon for people to write in the margins of their books but what interests me is to do so with the belief that writing has the power to shape yet-to-be events," said Michael. "Religious belief systems are fascinating to me; the ways the mind attempts to rationalize and give meaning to the unknown mysteries of the universe. It is the essence of the creative act to jump into the unknown and then try to make sense of the outcome."

7. FACULTY Sure, every university will list their faculty as a point of pride, but how many go to extremes to ensure every single student has the same opportunities? Case in point, when the Geology, Physics and Environmental Science Department faculty Dr. Kent Scheller, Professor of Physics, and Dr. Matthew Merlo, Teaching Assistant Professor of Physics, were planning the April 8, 2024, Solarpalooza, they learned there was a device created by a nonprofit that allowed visually impaired people to hear the eclipse. Knowing there was a student on campus who was legally blind, Merlo initiated the steps necessary to apply for a device and received two of them. While some aspects of the eclipse could be experienced with senses other than sight—such as cooling temperatures—having the apparatus available to ensure everyone could be immersed in the eclipse was important. "We thought it was a cool way to include them in the once-in-a-lifetime event we were having," Merlo said. "We also thought it was a good way to educate the public, that there are people in our community who are visually impaired."

8. USI-BURDETTE TRAIL Get a "green bath" on this three-mile paved scenic trail, the result of a partnership between USI and Burdette Park, a designated destination point of the American Discovery Trial, which passes through Southern Indiana.

9. LAKES Reflection Lake and Fountain Lake are open to the public for fishing, provided you have a valid fishing permit from the City of Evansville. Both are filled with bass, bluegill and channel catfish (stocked annually by the Department of Natural Resources to balance the populations of other fish). "I enjoy taking my grandson fishing in one of the USI lakes," said Mike Whicker '98.

11. LIFE-LONG CONNECTIONS You may have come to USI solo, but you didn't leave that way. "I gained so many lifelong friendships–five out of my seven groomsmen were fellow Lambda Chi and Screaming Eagles. I was never alone, and I had so many great people help me along the way, including Janet Johnson M'05 (Director Emerita of Alumni Engagement and Volunteer USI), Dr. Trent Engbers (Associate Professor of Political Science and Public Administration) and many others in the Student Development Programs (now called Center for Campus Life). One of the things I oddly miss the most are the late-night student meetings in the UC with fellow classmates and friends," said Alex Martens '16, history.

"Friendships that transcended our time on campus and became lifelong. Experiences that develop us into critical thinking, kind humans who love learning and want more for our communities," said Rebecca (Smith) Schroeder '01, science (teaching).

"Lexi [Alexis (Leak) Bruner '15, health services] and I both enjoyed our four years at USI very much. We knew each other in school but didn't start dating until after graduation. In my new role as Director of Athletics Ticketing, I love being able to spend time together supporting USI Athletics back on campus. The student-athletes and the community are the best part," said Blake Bruner '15, sport management.

12. ALUMNI MEMORIES We could not list all the formative memories our 54,000+ alumni have of their time at the University, but this one touches on all the key points: faculty, friends, coursework and opportunities. "My fondest memory of USI was the time I spent in the Chemistry Department, whether that was attending class, studying for exams with friends, taking one of Professor (Marie) Hankins's ridiculous unlimited time P-Chem exams or working as a lab assistant to prepare general/ organic chemistry labs, I spent a huge amount of my four years at USI in that department. During that time, I also had my eyes open to the excitement of doing research which led me to a fantastic career path that I would not change. [I was] fortunate enough to spend the summer at the University of Alabama doing research which was directly due to my experience at USI. This opportunity solidified my desire to pursue my PhD in organic chemistry," said Scott Greenfield '98, chemistry.

13. LITERARY PUBLICATIONS Southern Indiana Review–aka, SIR– is USI's internationally recognized literary journal. Co-established in 1994 by English faculty members Matthew Graham (Indiana Poet Laurette 2020–23) and Thomas Wilhelmus, it began as a place for RopeWalk Writers Retreat workshop faculty and students to publish. During its 30 years of literary excellence, SIR has featured National Poetry Series winners, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalists and the current Poet Laureate of the United States, Ada Limón. Students taking courses in the new literary editing and publishing minor edit the journal, correspond with authors and more. "The opportunity to work at a literary journal of SIR's caliber is not commonly available to undergraduates," said Casey Pycior, Associate Professor of English and SIR fiction editor. "We've got something really special here, and we're excited about the experience we can provide students."

14. TRADITIONS There are USI traditions— SpringFest, Culture Night, Welcome Week—and then there are traditions. "I love it that I started a tradition in my family of graduating from USI—nieces, nephews and cousins have followed me [to USI], graduating from this fine institution. I love it that I started [my life's] foundation graduating from USI, worked for 20 years and then completed a master's in health informatics. I love that, because of my successes, I have the means necessary to take great care of my 3-year-old daughter, Wendy," said Jeffery Hay '00, health services.

15. USI SOCKS While we have enough USI attire available—T-shirts, caps, infinity scarves— to show your love for USI wherever you go, the socks fit almost any occasion.

16. MEDIA EXPERIENCE The media plays a crucial and serious role in society, and we love that our campus' media outlets prepare students pursuing those careers with essential hands-on experience by putting them in charge of all the responsibility required of these stewardships.

17. INTERNATIONAL FOOD EXPO Yummy. Who doesn't love food from exotic locales without having to leave the country? Every February, we get to delight our tastebuds. The expo allows USI's international students to showcase the rich tapestry of their home countries' cultural diversity, customs and cuisine to both the USI community and public through main dishes and desserts from around the world. Jazzing things up are musical performances and fashion shows highlighting traditional cultural attire and dancing.

18. ARCHIBALD T. EAGLE USI's mascot, Archie, has been your wingman (literally) since 1970, although he wasn't named until 1978 when the Activities Planning Board, Student Government Association and the student newspaper (The Shield) held a contest. Over the decades, he's evolved in appearance and come full circle from his original fierce image to today's modernized version of fierceness, taking on some of the characteristics of our athletic teams—strong, competitive and tough. (Psst, if you want the scoop on what it's like to be in the Archie suit, see page 12.)

19. LOVE MATCHES While we know there have been plenty of couples who met at USI and then married, Men's/ Women's Cross Country Track and Field Head Coach Mike Hillyard might be nicknamed the Marriage Maker, having attended 25 weddings of his runners who paired up for life.

Greeting everyone as they enter campus with its happy dance is the Robert M. Kent Family Fountain. Seeing its 15 columns of water bouncing between 4 and 6 feet high, you can't help but smile when you see it. One person described it as being on par with a Disney World welcome.

21. GUEST SPEAKERS Endowments established by the USI Foundation fund Romain College of Business Innovative Speaker Series, Marlene V. Shaw Biology Lecture Series and Edward D. and Regina Rechnic Holocaust Speaker Series. Scintillating guests such as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Holocaust author Margaret McMullan and Director of CREW (Center of Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife) Dr. Terri Roth spoke on campus.

22. COMMUNITY DENTAL CLINIC Since 1972, students in USI's Dental Hygiene Program have been providing generations of students, employees, and the public with affordable cleanings, X-rays and fluoride treatments. "I have been teaching in the dental programs for 23 years, and we still have some of the same patients who come out to the clinic," said Emily Holt '00 '01 M'04 , Clinical Professor and Chair of the Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting Programs. "Many of our elder patients have been coming to us since they lost their dental insurance upon retirement. Our fees are exceptionally lower than those charged in dental practices, which allows us to provide all services without financial difficulty. Many patients exclaim they receive the best care in our dental clinic due to the high standards of our faculty members and program." (We have a new state-of-the art Dental Clinic where community members can receive treatment. Read about it here.)

23. THE ROUNDABOUT It's the first test students encounter coming to campus. Most ace it, but a few might have to repeat the test.

24. EARTHQUAKE READER This seismometer (buried in an underground vault behind the Foundation office off Clarke Lane) records the Earth's vibrations from earthquakes to building implosions. Owned by the U.S. Geological Survey and maintained by the Earthquake Research Center at Saint Louis University, USI Geology hosts the instrumentation. The one owned on campus has recorded earthquakes in Turkey and Indonesia. It also picked up the implosion of the Old National Bank Tower on 4th and Main in 2021.

25. STUDY ABROAD We love our German sister campus, Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences (UAS), in Osnabrück, Germany. USI and UAS Osnabrück have had an exchange partnership since 1990, making it the University's longest standing exchange program, with more than 200 American and German students and faculty participating since its inception. Timothy Rosignol, a USI junior sociology and German major who was among the 18 students who participated in the 2024 intensive summer program, had this advice for anyone going abroad: "Always try to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, because you're going to be uncomfortable [at times] for the rest of your life."

26. FIELD WORK For the past 30 years, the Geology Program has led a summer field excursion, taking students to visit areas of geologic significance across North America, including Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii, Acadia National Park in Maine, Yosemite National Park in California, Olympic National Park in Washington and provincial parks in Canada. These trips provide students with first-hand knowledge of unique geologic settings.

27. AN EMMY We've got an Emmy! Well, one of our former students, Dan Brummett, gave it to USI. He won 12 of them for his work editing and directing the soap opera The Young and the Restless. Despite not graduating, he recalled the support he got as a student in another USI publication. "I remember the USI staff's dedication to me as a student," he said. "They wanted to see me succeed."

28. THEATRE The Performance Center is a real jewel with 300 seats and a stage that projects into the audience. There is not a single bad seat in the house, and it has exceptional natural acoustics with state-of-the-art lighting and sound.

29. COSTUME SHOP USI's theatre students painstakingly create every costume from scratch down to the smallest authentic detail. Patterns are made by draping muslin on a dress form before transforming the resulting shape into a paper pattern used to cut the fabric. There are thousands of costumes hanging in the stockroom waiting to be deconstructed and repurposed for other plays. Approximately 1,274 hours go into creating costumes for each play— some of them weigh 50 pounds!

No other university in the world has a New Harmony in its backyard. Not only is its history unique—home to two early American utopian communities (George Rapp and the Harmonist 1814-1824, and Robert Owen's happiness, enlightenment, and prosperity through education, science, technology and communal living)—but it's a living lab for several of USI's programs, from biology to archeology as well as a destination for first-year students through the UNIV101: Screaming Eagle Experience class. Employees like it too. "In my downtime, my favorite thing to do is rollerblade through New Harmony in the sunshine!" said Audra Lambert, Curator of New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art.

31. COMMUNAL STUDIES The Center for Communal Studies and Collections is the foremost research depository in the United States for historical communal groups, intentional communities and utopias. It houses written documentation collected from more than 500 communities. It contains 15,000 images, 243 oral histories and has New Harmony, Indiana, at its back door—a living laboratory for communal living.

32. LEARNING TOOLS Kinesiology students have some cool equipment to learn on, and the Alter G Anti- Gravity Treadmill is one of the coolest. The Indianapolis Colts have one at their training facility and Adam Vinatieri, former placekicker for the Colts, has one in his house. USI has two. Designed to take the weight off (literally), the anti-gravity treadmill prepares students to use this sophisticated tool in their professional careers. "We have so much cool stuff. We have metabolic carts to measure oxygen consumption, we have 3D motion capture like what CGI movies use, we have Wireless Electromyography, we have advanced body composition equipment such as a Bodpod," says Dr. Cody Strom, Assistant Professor of Kinesiology and Sport. In fact, USI's Bodpod and Strom appeared in an episode of TLC's 1000-lb Sisters when the stars came to campus to get their percentage of body fat measured. That was cool.

33. THE CONE Other campuses have stuffy clock towers, but the structure at the center of our campus is a beacon with a modern twist, and a good place for a photo op.

34. HAMMOCKS Every spring, summer and fall, students stretch out on hammocks tethered to trees on The Quad and outside student housing. When the balance of work, classes and extracurricular activities get out of whack, students cocoon and recalibrate in them.

35. THE GAZEBO The West Side Nut Club gifted this to the University in 2006. It's the perfect place to hang out on a spring or fall day and get some course work done. The breeze off of Reflection Lake is perfect. Dr. David Ritterskamp, Instructor in Mathematics, picked it for the site of his wedding, the first of many in the gazebo.

36. UNDERGROUND RESEARCH There is a U.S. Geological Survey Groundwater Station located inside the Science Center supporting student and faculty research in environmental science and geology. There are two groundwater wells that were drilled into sandstone bedrock prior to the construction of the Science Center. The well heads are accessible in a classroom, providing a one-of-a-kind laboratory experience for our students.

37. LEARNING BY DOING The Applied Engineering Center provides our engineering students access to 3D printers, robotics, laser and waterjet cutters, lathes, mills and grinders. The Center also allows for collaboration between the University and regional industry partners and entrepreneurs. In one such partnership, students helped create and market a device designed to assist people who've lost partial function in their hands, due to strokes or other types of brain and spinal injuries, regain use.

38. PREPPING DOCTORS USI's Pre-Professional program has produced over 500 medical professionals, determined by matriculation into professional school. This includes students who studied pre-medicine, pre-dentistry, pre-chiropractic, pre-optometry, pre-physician assistant, pre-pharmacy, pre-occupational therapy, pre-physical therapy, pre-veterinary and medical laboratory science. The program also offers Indiana's first pre-medical sciences certificate which allows students to pursue any major while still meeting the criteria to apply to a professional school. Students work with experienced faculty in small classes to get the preparation needed to reach graduate schools and professional objectives in the medical fields.

39. FRIENDLINESS We are known for having the "friendliest students" around. The staff, administrators and faculty are pretty darn friendly too.

Students are always on the search for ways to connect with others, express their identity, add personality to their belongings and tell the story of their life's journeys—and USI's stickers are a spoke in their story wheel. The University Creative and Print Department, our professional in-house design and production team, produced 41,517+ of these cool, little must-haves this year. Designs ranged from motivational sayings to images of our iconic Cone and a whole lot in between. Admissions especially loves to give them to prospective students to put on their laptops and water bottles, as do the Library, Biology Department and more. "It's a little bit of personality you take with you and show off," says Aaron Black, Assistant Director of Creative. Keep on sticking!