This week’s Ball State pandemic update features BSU President Geoff Mearns reflecting on the guilty verdict of former Minneapolis police officer Derrick Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd.  He details an email he wrote and sent to the Ball State community earlier this week regarding the verdict, including the continued work he says Ball State and the Muncie communities need to do to be more equitable and inclusive of all people.  Mearns says although he feels Ball State has made good progress in treating all people fairly, “we have more work to do.”

The U.S. Department of Justice soon will be investigating the Minneapolis Police Department regarding the death of George Floyd.  The probe was announced by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland. Mearns was once a federal prosecutor who worked for Garland.  He remembers Garland as smart, committed to justice, passionate about equal justice, measured, and deliberate about any investigation, including the upcoming Minneapolis inquiry.

Incoming federal money for COVID-19-related expenses will be a relief to various Ball State budget line items, according to Mearns.  He is hopeful about the positive effects the funding will have to the school’s bottom line, including areas such as student financial support, housing and dining.

You can hear the entire interview, aired Friday morning (April 23) on Morning Edition, by playing the audio app, below.