IUPUI center offers solutions

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Susan Hyatt, an associate professor of anthropology at IUPUI, and some of her students went to the east side of Indianapolis to research its roots and talk to the people who make up the many neighborhoods. It was compiled into a book called "Eastside Story."

"The east side gets defined very, very broadly. Almost anything that's east of Meridian suddenly becomes the east side and so I think people in that neighborhood, though, are very sensitive about that idea that the east side has a little bit of a stigmatized part of town," explained Hyatt.

Hyatt turned to IUPUI's Solution Center for help to get the book off the ground.

"The Solution Center was able to provide a grant to print the book," said Teresa Bennett, director of IUPUI’s Solution Center.

"It was really a sight to see everyone just so excited to have a tangible piece of history from their community," said Margaret Baurley, an IUPUI student.

Started in 2004, the Solution Center matches the school's resources with the needs of the community.

"We serve as the front door to the campus, facilitating talent-based relationships between community partners, non-profits, for-profits and government agencies and our students and faculty," Bennett said.

Sherry Mukasa-Matemachani, founder of the "Wellness Team," turned to the Solution Center for help to launch her website. The Solution Center suggested interns and applying for the IUPUI Community Venture Fund, which she was awarded.

"They're also providing financial support as well,” Mukasa-Matemachani said. “It's allowing us to actually pay interns. That's increasing our pool, increasing our capacity."

She's able have the resources to reach out to the community while her student-interns gain valuable experience and a paycheck.

To date, more than 2,000 projects have come to fruition through IUPUI's Solution Center.