Sam Klemet

Purdue has no shortage of landmarks.

Its clock tower is visually appealing and the sound of its bell can be heard throughout campus.  The Engineering Fountain offers a beautiful backdrop for graduation and family photos and basketball games inside Mackey Arena spark energy into campus

These landmarks represent what Purdue is today.  But, the land they sit on was once home to Native Americans who now make up less than one percent of the student population.

“People don’t relate to that connectedness that already exists,” said Canek Phillips.

A freshman helped Purdue’s men’s basketball team get back on track.

A.J Hammons scored a team-high 15-points in the Boilermakers 66-56 win over Ball State.

Terone Johnson chipped in 14-points and D.J Byrd and Ronnie Johnson both scored eleven.

The victory ends a two game skid for the team.

Ball State led in the second half, before Purdue pulled away.  Lafayette-native Jesse Berry led the Cardinals with 22-points.

The Boilermakers get a week-and-a-half off, before welcoming William and Mary to Mackey Arena, December 29th.

A new interactive website to learn more about the Greater Lafayette Community is up and running.

Greater Lafayette Commerce launched Hometown2Hometown.com, which is an online tool that provides information about what’s happening in the area.

Jennifer McGarvey is a spokesperson for Subaru of Indiana Automotive whose plant is located in Lafayette.

She sees the site as a way to establish new relationships abroad.

Dead Week for Purdue students is the seven days leading up to final exams.  Sleep comes at a premium, bags under their eyes are the latest accessory, and energy drinks are consumed at Nascar speeds.

But, at the Latino Cultural Center, dead week also is a chance for students to gather one last time before the end of the semester.

On December 6th, about 40 students packed inside the LCC. The center provided free meals for them. 

The state Budget Committee is getting a recommendation to invest more money in Purdue and other Indiana colleges and universities.

The Commission for Higher Education wants the General Assembly to allocate an additional $255-million in the next budget for those schools.

Purdue acting President Tim Sands says that is important to keep tuition cost from rising and make up for previous cuts.

The United States military is getting new officers from Purdue.

The university’s Reserve Officer Training Corps graduated 20 students, Monday, who took the oath of office to join their respective branches of the armed services.

Eight of the graduates are part of the Army program, seven are from the Navy, four from the Air Force, and there was one Marine graduate.

Major Paul Heslin is the Executive Officer for the university’s Army ROTC.

He says the graduates join a special group who has completed the program on the West Lafayette campus.

If you take a look around the food court at Purdue’s Memorial Union, there is no doubt you will see students’ fingers and thumbs aflutter with their eyes completely locked on their phone screens, tablets, and laptops. 

Social media’s role on campus continues to rise.  Students get election results from there, sports scores and news, and even the heads-up on the next great viral video.

But, sites such as Facebook and Twitter also shed light on some of the darker sides of campus.

Purdue’s Board of Trustees is set to finalize contracts for the university’s next president and football coach.

The Compensation Committee agreed to pay Mitch Daniels $420,000 annually.

Trustees chairman Keith Krach says the contract is performance-based.

“We will decide all of those (benchmarks) by June," he said.  "From a directional standpoint it's along the lines student success, graduation rates, faculty excellence, philanthropic development those types of things.”

The Tippecanoe School Corporation expects to fill its vacant board seat next month.

Alan Kemper decided not to run for re-election in District Five and no one decided to put their name on the November ballot.

But, Superintendent Scott Hanback says he is pleased with the number of people now interested in filling the position.

Greater Lafayette is looking to further establish a relationship with China.

Leaders from Lafayette, West Lafayette, and Tippecanoe County met with a group from the Shandong Province, Thursday.

The goal was to share culture and discuss business opportunities.

Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski calls the community’s relationship with China the best in the state.