Revised Evansville and USI Content Analysis

The city of Evansville Indiana was founded in 1812 and is located in the southwestern corner of Indiana along the banks of the Ohio river earning it the nickname "River City." It is the third largest city in Indiana and is located in Vanderburgh County (. Evansville Indiana is also home to the University of Southern Indiana. The University of Southern Indiana was founded as a branch campus of Indiana State University in 1965. The institution later gained its independence in 1985 after much opposition from Indiana State University and Purdue University. University of Southern Indiana is located at the western edge of Evansville, and is one of the fastest growing colleges in Indiana. Evansville Indiana and the University of Southern Indiana are both exciting places because of their diversity. What does it mean to be diverse? More specifically, what does it mean for a place to be diverse? If asked this question, many people tend to relate a place's diversity to just it's racial diversity. The dictionary defines diversity as, " a state of difference; dissimilitude; unlikeness." In the definition it does not mention anything about race. This is because race is only one aspect of a place's diversity. Whether or not a place is diverse depends on what characteristic of the place is focused one. For example a place can have a wide and diverse variety of sports, but have no diversity in political views.

Believe it or not, Evansville Indiana and the University of Southern Indiana can both be considered racially diverse. Though a high percentage of people living in Evansville and attending USI are Caucasian, not all of them are. Evansville and the University of Southern Indiana are exciting places because of their racial diversity. 86.2 percent of the Evansville population are Caucasian, 10.9 percent are African American, 0.7 percent are Asian, about 0.2 percent are American Indian and Alaska native, and 1.1 percent are Hispanic. Of course these are not all the races in Evansville. Other races such as Hawaiian or pacific islander, occupy a percentage of the population so small that it is almost negligible. based on these statistics, it would seam then that Evansville is not diverse, but that is quite the contrary. By the definition of diversity Evansville can be considered diverse, but as to what degree it is diverse is another matter. In other words, even though Evansville is diverse, it is not very diverse. Of course, how racially diverse Evansville is depends on where one compares Evansville to. For example suppose we compare Evansville to Indiana's capital Indianapolis. 69.1 percent of Indianapolis' population are Caucasian, 25.5 percent African American, 1.4 percent Asian, about 0.3 percent American Indian and Alaska native, and about 4.9 are Hispanic. of course as with Evansville, theses are not all of the races in Indianapolis. the data shows that Indianapolis is more diverse than Evansville Indiana. On the other hand suppose we compare Evansville to Carmel Indiana. 92.6 percent of Carmel’s population is Caucasian, about 1.5 percent is African American, about 4.4 percent is Asian, about 0.1 are American Indian and Alaska native, and about 1.7 percent are Hispanic (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/18000.html). From this data, we see that Evansville is more diverse than Carmel Indiana. The demography of University of Southern Indiana also shows similar trends in racial diversity. About 93 percent of USI's population are Caucasian, 4 percent are African American, .2 percent are Asian, .6 percent are American Indian, and about .7 percent are Hispanic (http://www.campuscorner.com/indiana-colleges/university-of-southern-indiana.htm). Like Evansville, University of Southern Indiana shows racially diversity, although not to a high degree. Evansville and USI may not be the most racially diverse places, but they are none the less racially diverse.

One of the most defining aspects of any place is in how it attracts people. In other words what qualities of the place make people want to visit the place or even live there? The city of Evansville and the University of Southern Indiana both posses many attractions. These attractions not only help define Evansville and USI, they also add to their overall diversity. Evansville and USI are exciting places because of their diverse attractions. Evansville's diverse and unique attractions add to the overall excitement of the city. For people who like to watch the latest films, Evansville has many movie theaters including an I Max theater, four showplace cinemas and even a drive in theater. If one is a fan of the performing arts, there is the Victory theater which is home to Evansville's Philharmonic Orchestra. Evansville also harbors many venues for those who love sports either for spectating or recreation. For people who like to golf, Evansville has numerous golf courses such as Oak Meadow golf club and even miniature golf at places such as Adventure land Golf. If one feels like bowling, there are many bowling alleys in Evansville such as AMF Arc lanes and Diamond Lanes. Those who would rather spectate sports can visit Bosse field, which is home of Evansville's minor league baseball team the Otters. Evansville's Roberts Stadium is the home for its men and women basketball teams as well as its professional indoor football team the Bluecats. Aside from just sporting events, Evansville's Roberts Stadium is also the venue for many concerts and shows. If one likes horse races, Evansville's very own Ellis Park Race Track is the place to be. If a fan of the water, a person can cool of at the Hartke pool and waterslide. If skating is what a person is into, he or she could visit Evansville's own Skate World Incorporated. For people looking for more family oriented events, Evansville has venues for that as well. For example Evansville's Mesker Park zoo and the nature trails of Howell Wetlands are two of many places for family outings. If one prefers the night life, Evansville has numerous clubs and bars as well as its famous Casino Aztar. For those who are fans of museums and history, Evansville is not without its share. Evansville is home to museums such as the Koch Family Children's Museum of Evansville, Evansville African American Museum, and Evansville Museum of Arts History and Science which is home to a large collection of sculptures, paintings, and exhibits which span many decades from the sixteenth century to present day. Evansville is also home to the Angel Mound State Historic Site which is nationally recognized as one of the best preserved native American sites in the United States (http://www.evansvillecvb.org/visitor-information/attractions). Though it seams like a long list, these are just a fraction of the many diverse attractions which Evansville has to offer. Like Evansville, the University of Southern Indiana has its share of diverse attractions as well. First of all, USI offers a wide range of sports for student to participate in. USI offers Soccer, Baseball, Basketball, Tennis, Cross Country, Golf, Track for men, and for women it offers Soccer, Softball, Cross Country, Basketball, Track, Volleyball, Tennis. Aside from its sport clubs, USI also has many different types of clubs and organizations for its students. For example USI has clubs and organizations such as accounting club, activities programming board, Biology club, communication club, filmmakers club, History club, Honors student council, International club, Marketing club, Model United Nations, Math club, Philosophy club, Political Society club, Student Ambassador Organization, Student Government, and much more (http://www.usi.edu/studentorganizations/org_directory.asp). Another attractive quality of USI is its small size in comparison to most schools. USI's size makes it easier for students and faculty to get from one part of the campus to another and also allows for smaller numbers of students in classrooms which in turn allows for more personalized attention to students. USI's housing is also another attractive quality it posses. Its dorm and apartment suites are spacious, nicely furnished, and have two bathrooms unlike many other dorms suites in other universities. Evansville and USI's abundant and different attractions add to their diversity and help make them exciting places to be.

A place's attractions are not the only aspect that help define it and make it exciting. The career opportunities of a city are factors which help define and determine if the place is exciting. The City of Evansville not only has many unique career opportunities, but also has a diverse range of career options which help make it an exciting place. Evansville offers a host of careers in fields such as accounting, government jobs, education, and teaching. People can also pursue construction careers at places such as RW Armstrong and Associates and KoKosing Construction. If engineering is what a person is after they may seek jobs at companies such as the MRINetwork, Vectren, and Cynergy Metro Net. If a person's passion is more in the financial sector, one may seek career opportunities at companies such as American General Financial and Old National Bank. There are also many career opportunities in the healthcare industry in Evansville. Companies such as the MRINetwork, Rotech Healthcare, Kowa Pharmaceuticals, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, and Outcomes Inc., just to name a few, offer career opportunities in healthcare. If a person wishes to pursue a career in marketing or sales, there are many opportunities at companies such as American Classified LLC and Insight Communications. Companies such as Extendicare, a rehab center, Covance Inc., and Three Springs Inc. offer opportunities for those pursuing a career in nursing. If ones wants a career in real estate, they may seek opportunities at companies such as Century 21. If a person prefers to enter Evansville's retail industry, which is ranked second in the State of Indiana, they may seek career opportunities at companies such as Kmart, Sears, TJX Distribution, Toy 'r' Us, Babies 'r' Us. Career opportunities in security, such as a police officer or even a detective at a company such as Owen Detective Agency, are also available in Evansville (http://evansville.jobs.topusajobs.com/). These diverse careers and their respective companies, all located in Evansville, are just a few of the vast number which help make Evansville an exciting place.

Like a city, a University is not just defined by its attractions, but also by the different opportunities it offers. The University of Southern Indiana offers a vast and diverse range of studies for students to engage in. Whatever career path a person wishes travel, USI has a wide and diverse range of majors to choose from. USI is an exciting place because of its diverse range of majors, and pre professional programs. Many of the majors offered at USI coincide with the many career opportunities available in Evansville. For example USI offers degrees in accounting, elementary and secondary education, engineering, finance, political science, marketing, nursing, criminal justice, biology, chemistry, communications, and even foreign languages such as Spanish, French, German and more. Along with a wide range of majors, USI also has many pre professional programs for students wishing to enter graduate schools. USI has programs for pre-medicine, pre-dentistry, pre-law, and pre-veterinary, just to name a few (http://www.usi.edu/studentorganizations/org_directory.asp). These vast and different areas of study at the University of Southern Indiana all add to the diversity of the institution and help make it an exciting place to be.

The city of Evansville and the University of Southern Indiana have several diverse qualities which make them exciting. One of these qualities is Evansville and USI's racial diversity. The racial diversity of Evansville and USI, though slight, help make them exciting places to be. Another special quality of Evansville and USI are their diverse attractions which help make them exciting places. Finally, Evansville's diverse range of career options and University of Southern Indiana's diverse range of majors, and pre professional programs make them exciting places respectively. The analysis of Evansville’s and USI’s contents gives a good idea of the kind of places Evansville and USI are. This information would help me in my public sphere project because it will give me a better idea of how to reach and grab the interest of the students of USI and the people of Evansville.