By Emily Coverstone, Sydney Hamblin and Megan Isenbarger

The family poverty rate in the state of Indiana is at a ten-year low, but similar to the rest of the United States, Indiana is facing a severe shortage of affordable housing for Hoosiers.

The state is facing a shortage of 135,033 affordable and available rental homes, according to a report produced by Prosperity Indiana and the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

Only a handful of candidates running for U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative positions during the 2022 election are planning on taking a stand when it comes to affordable housing. 

U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-Indiana) and U.S. Rep. André D. Carson (D-District 7) are two incumbents running for re-election who have chosen to focus on housing affordability during their campaigns, after observing how the housing crisis has affected the nation.

Drivers of housing costs

Young believes the housing affordability crisis is happening due to discriminatory local zoning and land use policies that drive up housing costs in communities across America.

Young has already begun taking steps to ensure that Hoosiers can find affordable housing. He helped introduce the Task Force on the Impact of Affordable Housing Act which aims to better understand and respond to America’s housing affordability crisis by evaluating and quantifying the impact of housing costs on other government programs to create innovative solutions to aid cost-burdened families.

According to The Polis Center at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, cost-burdened families spend more than 30% of household income on housing related expenses. Households spending more than 50% are considered to be severely cost-burdened.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition found that 72% of Hoosiers are considered severely cost-burdened, which is the highest rate in the Midwest and 13^th highest in the nation.

Young hopes to fix the state’s current regulations to allow Hoosiers to find affordable housing in areas where they work and where children can get quality education.

According to the American Economic Association, cities and neighborhoods with the strongest labor markets and best schools are not building enough housing, even though they have the highest demand, which has contributed to worsening affordability to live in those areas.

“These policies exacerbate the housing affordability crisis and stifle the ability of Americans to move to areas of opportunity,” Young said on his campaign website.

Young’s Democratic opponent, Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott, Jr., did not include a position on affordable housing on his campaign website, and his campaign staff could not be reached for comment. 

James Sceniak, a Libertarian who is also seeking Young’s seat in the Senate, also decided not to focus on affordable housing as one of the top issues in his election bid.  

“I wanted to focus on what I believe is most affecting Hoosier life, and although affordable housing is one of them, polls are showing there are more concerns like inflation and even how we’re taking care of our veterans right now,” Sceniak said in a phone interview. 

Instead of focusing on affordable housing, Sceniak decided to make his top priorities medical freedom, VetCare, fiscal sanity, criminal justice reform, gun rights, and abortion. 

Demand for affordable housing continues to grow

In the race for the District 3 Congressional seat currently held by Rep. Jim Banks, neither Banks, Democratic challenger Gary Snyder, nor Independent candidate Nathan Gotsch, outlined any housing policy priorities on their websites. 

However, incumbent Rep. André Carson, a Democrat who represents Indiana’s 7^th Congressional district, says he is committed to doing everything in his power to keep Hoosiers in their homes and help hardworking, American families avoid losing their homes through default or foreclosures.

Carson says Hoosiers deserve to live in homes that meet their basic needs, but affordable housing for working families has become harder to find and is expected to become more difficult as the demand for affordable housing continues to grow.

The number of active housing listings in the U.S. was at its lowest in at least five years in January 2022, with 408,922 active listings on the market, a 60% drop from about 1 million listings in February 2020, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis also found that around the same time, the national median sale price for a single-family home jumped 25% from $327,100 in the fourth quarter of 2019 to $408,100 in the fourth quarter of 2021. The greatest increases were in the West, Midwest and Northeast. 

Potential solutions to the crisis

Carson supports programs that provide housing assistance to Hoosiers in need as well as public-private partnerships and community development projects that expand affordable housing for more families.

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett announced in September that the city had signed an agreement with JPC Affordable Housing Foundation and Berkley Commons LLC to resolve the city’s lawsuit with the two entities concerning two apartment complexes that were causing issues for tenants.

“This settlement will keep tenants safely and stably housed, while forcing a sale to a responsible owner with the resources and commitment to operate these properties,” Hogsett said in a Tweet.

This settlement will keep tenants safely and stably housed, while forcing a sale to a responsible owner with the resources and commitment to operate these properties.

— Mayor Joe Hogsett (@IndyMayorJoe) September 8, 2022

Carson praised Hosgett for the city’s actions in a Tweet on social media saying, “Safe, affordable housing is a human right.”

“I am grateful to the City, State, & @citizensenergy for using the tools at their disposal to save these residents from a public health crisis… We must do more to protect tenants from predatory landlords. Without the ability to withhold rent and demand accountability, Hoosiers are left vulnerable.”

Carson’s Republican rival, Angela Grabovsky did not list any housing policy priorities in her campaign material; a website for Libertarian candidate Gavin Maple could not be found. 

Safe, affordable housing is a human right. I am grateful to the City, State, & @citizensenergy for using the tools at their disposal to save these residents from a public health crisis. https://t.co/XRsi0zQTO9

— André Carson (@RepAndreCarson) September 8, 2022

Focus on earning potential, financial incentives to build, and ‘crowdfunding”

Housing prices tend to rise with inflation, according to HomeGuides. A home’s value will begin to increase along with the inflation rate. With the increasing numbers of home values, this means that when selling a house, it’ll be at a much higher price and won’t be as affordable as it would’ve been before inflation. 

On Zillow, the average cost of a house in 2022 is $212,953. That amount is considered a large and fast-growing increase since 2019, when the same house would have been sold for around $150,000.

Many Americans are experiencing their own frustrations with affordable housing. According to Pew Research, 49% of Americans say affordable housing is a major problem in their local community, an increase of 10% from early 2018.

Some politicians are hopeful that by implementing new rules, regulations and protocols, they will be able to provide relief to those who are being affected by the housing crisis.

“There are a lot of things we can do to make housing more affordable,” Sceniak said.  

According to The Polis Center at IUPUI, “solutions to make housing more affordable can include ideas that are oriented toward the promotion of affordable housing development along with increasing the earning potential of low- and moderate-income families.”

There are solutions to the housing crisis that the state of Indiana, and the other states, can consider if they want affordable housing to become more prominent. One solution that is typically tossed around is to use creative finance to allow more people qualify for a mortgage and buy a home, as well as provide more affordable rental housing. 

Many companies have developed approaches called “crowdfunding” to help buyers in the housing market and to also seek investors, according to the Stanford Social Innovation Review. Crowdfunding in real estate is where people come together online and pool their money to purchase property as a group.

Crowdfunding is considered to be a great way to begin the investment journey in real estate without needing to spend an excessive amount of money. 

Another possible solution is to incentivize new construction of affordable homes. 

Financial incentives are required to stimulate both the supply and demand sides. Developers and builders can be encouraged to build new homes that are within reach for future or first-time buyers. According to the World Economic Forum, the way the incentives work is they buy down the capital costs overall when it comes to new housing or renovation projects.

Some of the candidates have taken action in addressing the housing crisis on a local level. Along with the Task Force on the Impact of Affordable Housing Act, Young introduced and secured passage of the Housing Choice Voucher Mobility Demonstration Act. Found on Young’s website, the act “enables the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and public housing authorities to begin developing new models for incentivizing greater choice and improved mobility in HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher Program”. 

Overall, there is a major affordable housing crisis in Indiana. Some Hoosier candidates have made this crisis one of their top priorities in order to make a positive impact on their state, while others have not. Whoever is elected will define whether the state will be able to make strides toward more affordable housing in the future. 

The general election is Nov. 8. Visit https://indianavoters.in.gov/ for information on polling locations and to check registration status.  

Indiana’s U.S. Senate and Congressional Candidates Propose Plans to Tackle Affordable Housing Crisis

Emily Coverstone

Growing up, many of us have heard the story of Peter Pan taking Wendy and her two brothers to the magical island called Neverland. They go on an adventure and defeat Captain Hook, return home, and then they all live happily ever after. But has anyone ever wondered about the story before the story? Who was Peter Pan before he lost his shadow? Before he met Hook? Before finding Neverland and the lost boys?

From Nov. 11 to Nov. 19, students from Purdue Fort Wayne will be holding performances of the Tony-winning play Peter and the Starcatcher in the Williams Theatre at Purdue Fort Wayne.

Based off the novel by Dave Berry and Ridley Pearson, the music filled show upends the century-old story about an orphan boy who turned into Peter Pan. The show will feature a dozen actors portraying more than 100 unforgettable characters many may recognize, while using imaginative stagecraft to bring all the magic from the story to life.

Not only will the audience get to learn the backstory of Peter, but many may learn about the lives of Mrs. Darling, Tinker Bell, and Captain Hook.

 The shows are open to all, with the admission fees as follows; $5 PFW students, High School Students, and Children under 18 / $18 for Adults / $16 Seniors, Faculty, Staff, and Alumni / $14 Groups of 10 or more / $14 other college students with ID.

From Nov. 11, 12, 17, 18, and 19, the show times will be at 8 p.m., and Nov. 13 and 19 show times will be at 2 p.m. Two shows will be performed on the 19^th.  

Patrons are encouraged to call in advance to reserve their tickets and to arrive early before show time. Latecomers will be seated at the discretion of management or at intermission.

For more information about upcoming shows, admission fees, or cancelations go to https://www.pfw.edu/events/peter-and-starcatcher.

Jillian Speece and Emily Coverstone

As Americans become divided throughout the nation, an Indie-Rock band known as The Bergamot have set out to unite America through a timely journey to all 50 states.

The band is made up of husband-wife duo, South Bend natives, and IPFW alumni, Nathaniel Hoff and Jillian Speece.

The Bergaomt has shared the stage with many other artists such as the Barenaked Ladies, All American Rejects, X-Ambassadors, Young the Giant, and more.

On January 2nd, 2016 Hoff and Speece set out on tour to all 50 states of America in hopes of spreading a message of unity through performing 265 shows and by inviting the curious to sign their message of unity on their station wagon known as The Unity Car. (watch the trailer here)

Throughout their journey, The Unity Car wound up being adorned in messages of unity from people all throughout the nation who supported the duo and wanted to become united with those either in the same state as them or on the other side of the country.

One should know that every journey has its rough patches, this means Hoff and Speece had their limits tested. Yet, with their love for each other, God, and people met throughout their journey, they kept on traveling and finished their State of the Unity after 6.5 years.

According to the State of the Unity Directors Statement written by Jillian Speece, she said, “Out on the road, we learned unity starts within, in your mirror, at your kitchen table, on your street with your neighbors, in your community, state, country, and then in the world”.

Earlier last month on Oct. 7, they brought the film to Heartland International Film Festival and screened State of the Unity at Newsfield with a Q&A and live performance by the Bergamot.

“We hope our documentary, “State of the Unity”, can give you a bit of hope and inspiration you can take with you into your daily life” said Speece.

To learn more about The Bergamot and their journey, read the State of the Unity Directors Statement written by Jillian Speece.

Emily Coverstone

Calling all paranormal investigators! If you or anyone you know love spooky stories or enjoy hunting for ghosts, ghouls and goblins, then this local event is for you.

On October 25, 28, and Halloween night, from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. the Bell Mansion located at 420 West Wayne Street, Fort Wayne will be offering guided flashlight tours.

People from all around can attend for the price of $25 and tour around the historical building with just the help of their flashlight.

The guided tour will be a total of 2 hours and throughout it, a guide will provide all the paranormal stories that they or others have experienced there in the building. The tourists will be able to explore all 3 stories of the mansion. Along with the 3 floors, tourists will be able to visit the basement that still have the original gurneys, body boxes, and embalming tables that were used when the building was a funeral home for more than 93 years.

Visitors may be lucky enough to visit the original embalming room where tons of bodies were embalmed when the funeral home was still active.

To get tickets, you can go online to www.thebellmansion.com or also pay with cash or card at the door before entering.  

Don’t worry if you missed all the hauntingly fun tours so far. Every Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. visitors can tour the building and learn how to use paranormal equipment and possibly capture their own paranormal activity.

Quinn Fahrenbach

Some students who finish their studies here at Purdue Fort Wayne may choose to pursue further education at some sort of graduate school. The Career Development Center offers services intended for those students who wish to go further with their education.    

“More employers are seeking candidates with more advanced education. Even if a master’s degree isn’t listed as a required qualification, many companies will offer a higher starting salary to those holding advanced degrees,” PFW’s Career Handbook states.

Before deciding to enroll in the Counselor Education program at Purdue Fort Wayne, current graduate student Kaliyat Gamba said she thought extensively about what program would be the best fit.  

“Grad school is expensive. I wanted it to be worthwhile at the end of the day. Before I went, I had to know what I am really passionate about,” Gamba said.

The Career Development Center offers a grad prep appointment, where students meet with a career counselor to discuss what the student is looking for in graduate schools. The Center also discuss scholarships and deadlines, Tracey Hanton, associate director for career development, said.  

            Hanton said she also likes to think beyond the academic aspects of preparing for graduate school, like preparing a student who is planning to go to school in a cold place.

“In July, you need to go get your car looked at. You don’t want to get out there in the middle of November and realize that you need new tires, sitting out in the middle of Colorado. That’s not the time to find out that you need new tires, July is the time to find out if you need new tires,” Hanton said.

After making the decision where Gamba would attend graduate school, she said she still had to produce several documents to lead her to the point where her admission status was in the hands of the school.

According to the graduate studies section of the Purdue University Fort Wayne website, in order to apply to a Purdue Fort Wayne graduate program, a prospective student must provide official transcripts, letters of recommendation, statement of purpose, application fee, and additional materials subject to the student’s program of choice. 

Gamba said she struggled the most with drafting her statement of purpose.

A statement of purpose is a 700–1500-word essay describing why you want to go to the school and what do you hope to learn out your chosen program, though this varies with each program, Hanton said.

Gamba said, “I wanted to stay true to why I was going into the program, but also try and not sound too generic. It took me a few weeks and I was satisfied by what I came up with, because I believed it was true to my desires, passions, and drives.”

The Career Handbook Development Center states that preparation for graduation involves many steps and that a student should usually begin the steps throughout their junior year.

Gamba said, “In hindsight, I wish I started a year ahead. Because of unforeseen circumstances, I had to start in the fall instead of the summer semester. If you want to be intentional about grad school, 12 months before you start is a good time to get the ball rolling.”

            Additional information about graduate school can be found in the Career Handbook at https://www.pfw.edu/offices/career-development-center/docs/Career_Handbook_Career-Development-Center-508-DIGITAL.pdf.

Heather McMahan

Interviews can be considered intimidating for some students at Purdue Fort Wayne, and so the campus has thought about this small factor by having the PFW Career Development Center offer a variety of services for students to use when preparing for any upcoming interviews they may have. 

The interview preparation services the Career Development Center offer include online mock interviews, feedback and advice from career counselors, a career closet and information regarding what to do and ask during interviews.

Tracey Hanton, PFW’s associate director for the Career Development Center, said career counselors help students to understand the job industry that they are looking at and what might be some pieces of information that are important to know about their industry that is going to help them prepare for their interview. 

Purdue University Fort Wayne students have access to Big Interview, an online service to practice and record virtual mock interviews.

The service allows you to virtually practice as many interviews needed, and you can choose questions created by a specific industry and major. All responses can be reviewed if needed later. You can even send recorded interviews to our staff, and we’ll provide feedback,” according to the PFW Career Development Center’s website.

Ryan Pezley, a PFW Communication senior who has used the Career Development Center for interview prep, said, “The mock interviews really help you focus in on what kinds of questions the interviewer might ask, and how to appropriately respond to those questions, and doing the mock interviews helped me kind of get an idea on how to craft those responses.”

Students are able to send their mock interviews to staff, along with make appointments to talk with career counselors about any questions or concerns they may have dealing with interviews.

The Career Development Center also offers an opportunity for students to get professional clothing at no cost. The Mastodon Career Closet is located in Neff Hall, Room 361. Currently, students get to keep the clothes and are able to get up to one complete outfit per semester. 

“Students don’t have to use it just for an interview. They could have a presentation in class and maybe everyone is dressing up and they don’t have a shirt, or they don’t have a tie or they don’t have dress shoes. It’s anything that is career related,” Hanton said. 

The Career Development Center has a career guide that has a section offering a variety of information dealing with interviewing and etiquette. It provides information like types of interviews, a guide to interview research, tips on proper attire and etiquette, types of behavioral and illegal questions, along with how to negotiate salary and more.

“Successful interviews require preparation to make a good impression,” according to the PFW career guide.

For more information on interview preparation, visit the PFW Career Development Center website at https://www.pfw.edu/offices/career-development-center/students-and-alumni/interview or the PFW career guide at https://www.pfw.edu/offices/career-development-center/docs/PFW_Career_Handbook.pdf.

Emily Coverstone

Calling all Mastodons! On October 14 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Purdue Fort Wayne will be hosting their annual Trunk or Treat in parking lot 6 located on campus.

Children of all ages are welcome and are also encouraged to dress up in their Halloween costumes for the event.

“This event is helping out the Diaper Bank, Mission Motherhood and FWCS! We will be accepting donations of menstruation products and diapers to donate to the organizations,” said Onestini Jones, PFW junior.

Jones and her Communication class hope to achieve their goal of helping those in need who aren’t able to buy the products on their own.

FWCS will be providing the products donated to them to their schools for young women.

Tara Mesaros

The Northwest Allen County Schools Board of Trustees met at the end of August to discuss a variety of topics that affect the corporation. One of the bigger items on the agenda was the voluntary annexation of North West Allen County Schools (NACS) properties.

Huntertown Town Manager Beth Shellman and Council Member Brandon Seifert spoke to school board members and requested that the school corporation consider the voluntary annexation of Carroll Middle School and Eel River Elementary School into the town limits.

Huntertown officials say the town is growing rapidly and they want to continue annexing to the West and to the North. They say the first step in that process is annexing the school corporation’s property.

Huntertown Town Manager Beth Shellman pointed out “The town doesn’t normally extend their water and sewage unless you’re in our corporate limits, currently, Carroll Middle School and Eel River Elementary school utilize Huntertown’s water and sewage systems.”

 “This is the only school property that we have service for utilities that is not apart of our corporate limits. The school doesn’t pay property tax so it really doesn’t affect you one way or another. And you’re already on our utilities” said Shellman.

If NACS does not sign the voluntary annexation, Huntertown will have to opt for an involuntary annexation. Town officials say it is more costly and takes longer than the voluntary annexation, but it’s something they are willing to do.

“The school wants to have a good relationship with Huntertown and not be in an adversarial posture, but the property tax caps are the issue,” said NACS School Board President Ronald Felger.

Shellman said the fiscal plan shows that there is zero negative tax impact for the school corporation.

Huntertown officials say that by annexing, they will also be taking on a portion of the street maintenance on Hathaway Road with no additional tax increase coming from the school.

In response to Shellman, Felger stated that following the last annexation, the corporation lost about $60,000 in the first year due to the property tax caps. Although the proposed annexation is projected to be tax neutral for the district it could lead to future annexations, which could open the door to future property tax cap loses.

Additionally, NACS School Board Vice President Kent Somers stated that he doesn’t think Carroll Road and Hathaway Road could handle the additional 1,600 to 1,800 houses and the traffic they would bring.

“Huntertown has a 5 year pavement improvement plan, and the road reconstruction project on Carroll Road will be done next year and the Hathaway Road project is set to be done in 2027” said Spellman.

After hearing from Huntertown Officials, Spellman and Seifert, the NACS School Board decided they needed more time to consider before signing the petition for voluntary annexation.

“It sounds to me like we need a little more information, but we’re not saying no…” said Felger.

The school board doesn’t want the burden of the property tax cap losses to fall on the taxpayers.

“It’s just the estimated property tax cap losses that have to be made up.” said NACS Superintendent Wayne Barker.

The NACS school board motioned to table the conversation on the Huntertown annexation until they receive further information.

Eli Jones | Fall 2022

Purdue Fort Wayne’s Student Activities Board held a Campus BBQ event during their Welcome Week activities, where students could participate in food, games, and other activities as long as they had their Student ID, school email, or student number. This event took place in the Science Mall, located in between Neff Hall and the Liberal Arts Building, on Aug. 24 from noon to 3 p.m.

When asked about all of the activities available during the event, James Valez, Director of Student Activities, said, “Food, games, giveaways, and music, are opportunities for students to just hang out with one another and to also get to know each other.”

Valez said the food provided for students were hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers and brats. The meal also came with condiments, chips, pasta salad, and a drink.

Some of the games seen set up throughout the event were ladder ball, spike ball, giant Connect 4, cornhole, and a giant chess board for students to use.

“There are games that people can checkout so they can go play beyond the outdoor, large-scale games that we have,” Valez said.

Nathan Mills, Purdue Fort Wayne Student, said, “I got a hamburger, went and socialized with the cross-country team and just had a good time. We played some games, especially cornhole.”

“When you see all of the tables over there, it’s very specific to try and put chairs out with them so people can sit and meet new people and they can interact with each other.” said Valez.

Valez’s strategy of gathering the student body in one place to share a meal together and to play games with one another, seemed to have worked.

Tanveer Sings, Purdue Fort Wayne Student, said, “I made new friends, and saw a lot of old high school peers too.”

The event attracted a large number of students for the majority of the event, almost exceeding the anticipated number.  A total of 1,032 people attended the event, while the Student Activities Board had only anticipated 1,100 attendees.

“In the first 45 minutes we already had 600 people check in.” said Valez.

While talking about the rest of the Welcome Week events Valez said, “Most of our programs during Campus Kick Off are going to be geared towards our entire student body.”

To stay updated on upcoming events on the Purdue Fort Wayne Campus check out the Event Calendar on www.pfw.edu/events or follow @pfwsab on Instagram, @purduefw on twitter, or @PurdueFortWayne on Facebook.

To find information on how to join Purdue Fort Wayne’s Student Activities Board, go to Student Activities Board – Purdue Fort Wayne (pfw.edu) or email sab@pfw.edu or call 260-481-6595.

Liv Colón and Sydney Hamblin | Fall 2022

As Purdue University Fort Wayne welcomes students for the new year, many events are underway to help students connect with peers and get involved with campus programs and resources. 

On Tuesday, Aug. 30, the Student Activities Board at PFW hosted the annual Community Engagement Fair and Root Beer Float Social. The event was held in the center of campus at the Science Mall and attracted many students and faculty members. 

The event took place on the PFW Science Mall from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with the purpose of giving students the chance to grab a root beer float and check out local non-for-profit organizations to learn more about different service projects and opportunities around the Fort Wayne area. 

The social was part of the Campus Kickoff, a series of events hosted by the SAB. These events are put on to connect students to the various resources, opportunities, and extracurriculars that PFW has to offer to students. 

Other than just enjoying root beer floats, many students took the opportunity to walk through the tables set up by local non-profits. 

More than twenty booths were set up on the PFW Science Mall to give students the opportunity to engage with non-for-profit organizations in the Greater Fort Wayne community. Some of the organizations that attended the Root Beer Float Social were: Junior Achievement, Fort Wayne Trails, Community Harvest and Fort 4 Fitness.  

Many of the booths attended the campus kickoff event because their organizations were actively looking for volunteers. Sue Cassel, the founder of Max Cavie’s Guinea Pig Haven, said she has many guinea pigs in her shelter that her and her volunteers need help taking care of.  

“Guinea pigs need care 365 days a year… they live six to eight years, so people get tired of having them… we take them in and find them new homes.” 

Cassel said she has a small group of volunteers that help her take care of the animals they have in the shelter, but they’re looking to add to the group of volunteers they currently have.  

Indiana University Fort Wayne Senior, Adriahn Hindsley, also attended the event Tuesday. Hindsley said that she loves getting involved in and attending various PFW and IUFW events. 

“I try to get involved in any event I can, especially since I will be graduating this next spring,” Hindsley said.  

Hindsley said she likes the unique atmosphere of PFW and IUFW, she said it is different than other universities and that the atmosphere on campus is one of her favorite parts of being an IUFW Red Fox.  

Visit https://www.pfw.edu/microsites/campus-kickoff/ for more information about PFW’s 2022 campus kickoff events where students can enjoy tons of free food, giveaways and fun activities.