{"id":996,"date":"2010-12-09T03:15:05","date_gmt":"2010-12-09T08:15:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/convergegroup\/?p=996"},"modified":"2011-12-08T18:01:39","modified_gmt":"2011-12-08T23:01:39","slug":"hoosiers-debate-central-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/convergegroup\/2010\/12\/09\/hoosiers-debate-central-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Hoosiers debate Central Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Lexie Beach<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Dozens of students in Indiana are hurt or killed every year waiting for their school buses in the dark. Indiana State Representative Phil Hinkle<\/a> has a plan to change that. He wants to move the entire state to Central Time. The proposed time zone change will give Hoosiers an extra hour of sunlight in the morning.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest reason we need to be put in the Central time zone is for the safety of the kids,\u201d Hinkle said. \u201cIt is so dark, so pitch black at 6:15, 6:20 in the morning when the school buses are out, and it\u2019s dark in the suburban areas so you can only imagine what it\u2019s like out in the rural areas. That one hour of light will make a big difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Victims of Morning Darkness<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Ziang Ke, 15<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u2022<\/strong> October 2, 2007 – Six-year-old Dynasty Wortham<\/a> of Lafayette, Ind. was walking to school with her sister and brother at 7:00 a.m. She was hit by a car and died because the driver couldn\u2019t see her.<\/p>\n

\u2022 March 5, 2007 – A 15-year-old girl was abducted \u00a0from her bus stop in Fishers, Ind. at 6:50 a.m. and raped<\/p>\n

\u2022 March 23, 2007 – A 14-year-old Marshall Middle School student was abducted from her bus stop at 7:00 a.m. and raped.<\/p>\n

\u2022 September 6, 2008 \u2013 A young Indianapolis boy was walking to school at 6:00 a.m. when he was hit by a pick-up truck and died.<\/p>\n

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\u2022\u00a0January 6, 2009 – 15-year-old Carmel High School student <\/span>Ziang Ke<\/span><\/a> was waiting for his school bus at 6:45 a.m. He was run over by the bus. The driver said he couldn’t see the student because it was so dark. <\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

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\u2022 October 7, 2010 – New Castle students\u00a0Dalton Hatfield<\/a> and\u00a0Donald Wethington<\/a> were walking to school at 7:30 a.m. in the dark. A car struck both of them. Eleven-year-old Hatfield died at the scene and 17-year-old Wethington was taken to a hospital with severe injuries.<\/p>\n

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Dalton Hatfield, 11<\/p><\/div>\n

Support for Central Time<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Supporters of Hinkle\u2019s Central Time legislation include the Central Time Coalition<\/a>, an organization that aims to educate Hoosiers and promote the benefits of moving the entire state to Central Time. Carmel resident Sue Dillon<\/a> formed the coalition in April 2009 after hearing about Ke\u2019s fatal accident.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s a tragedy, all the way around, a tragedy\u2014for the families, for the teachers, for the whole education community,\u201d Dillon said. \u201cWhen those tragedies happen they point out that it\u2019s unsafe and we don\u2019t want any more victims of morning darkness among our students.\u201d<\/p>\n

Studies show that Indiana currently has 120 days with sunrises before 7 a.m. However, if Indiana moved to Central Time, it would give the state 315 days of sunrises before 7 a.m. Research shows that earlier sunrises will not only increase safety for children in the morning but also improve their performance in the classroom.<\/p>\n

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Indiana Sunrise & Sunset Time Zone Chart<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cSome kids\u2019 schools start at 7:30. That means they\u2019ve been there in their classrooms in their seats almost an hour before the sun rises,\u201d Dillon said. \u201cThey\u2019re not going to perform because their bodies aren\u2019t awake. You might as well write off the first hour of school.\u201d<\/p>\n

Who Else Benefits from Central Time?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Thousands of farmers who work in Indiana could also benefit from the switch. The amount of morning darkness pushes working hours into the evening in spring, fall and winter. This reduces time for family and community involvement. The same can also be said for those who work in construction trades or landscaping.<\/p>\n

Bill Rieber<\/a>, an economics professor at Butler University<\/a>, says many farmers never supported Eastern Time in the first place.<\/p>\n

\u201cFarmers were never really in favor of that because they go by the sun, not by the time,\u201d Rieber says. \u201cThey\u2019re still working at 8 in the evening because it\u2019s light and everyone else is home relaxing, so they\u2019re kind of on a different pace than the rest of the state.\u201d<\/p>\n

Central Time Critics<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Indiana Chamber of Commerce<\/a> argues that from a commerce point of view, it is more effective for Indiana to be aligned with New York and Eastern Time.<\/p>\n

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Marcus Fehman, manager of business development for the chamber, is a proponent of Eastern Time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re on time now with the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq. Even though we do commerce with the West Coast, it doesn\u2019t really make much of a difference to them if we\u2019re on Eastern Time or Central Time. Is California going to be that upset if we\u2019re 3 hours behind them or 2 hours behind them? Not as much as New York or places on the East Coast that are doing business with us and waiting an hour for us to get out of bed and get to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fehman argues that many supporters of Central Time don\u2019t understand how the switch might negatively affect the state\u2019s commerce.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just more strategically advantageous to be in sync with the East Coast rather than the West Coast,\u201d says Fehman. \u201cThat one hour doesn\u2019t necessarily sound that significant to us on a day to day basis but when it comes to the commerce aspect of it, it does have a tremendous effect.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Debate Continues<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Eighty counties are on Eastern Time. Twelve counties are on Central Time. So what time is it in Indiana?<\/p>\n

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County Divisions<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cDaylight Saving Time, DST, eliminated confusion among the states as to what time Indiana was on,\u201d said Hinkle. \u201cThe central time zone will eliminate among Hoosiers as to what time Indiana is on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoosiers are divided into two camps. Some prefer more morning sunlight while others prefer more evening sunlight.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think this is a public policy decision that needs to be based on health, safety and welfare, not personal preference, because the personal preferences are definitely split,\u201d said Dillon. \u201cI think we have to keep our priorities. I mean, how important is it for you to have evening sunlight if it means two New Castle kids are going to be hit by a car?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hinkle plans to present Central Time legislation to the Indiana General Assembly in January. It must pass both the state House and the Senate. Governor Mitch Daniel<\/a>s must also sign the law. The final decision, however, is up to the US Department of Transportation<\/a>, which has the power to switch the state from Eastern Time to Central Time.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Hinkle continues to urge Hoosiers to consider the time change and how it will help keep our children safe.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose who say \u2018Leave it alone, don\u2019t touch it, its fine the way it is,\u2019 it\u2019s not fine the way it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Check out a video version of the story below<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"YouTube<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n


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Poll <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Do you think Indiana should be on Eastern Time or Central Time?<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Eastern Time<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Central Time<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
No preference<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
See Results<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/form>\nTo express your support, call your State Senator or Representative at:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n