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(09/01/22 1:00pm)
On a typical day, Brian Nixon gets to the farm, gets prepared and gets out to the field to start planting or harvesting. With corn, soybeans and hemp across 3,300 acres of land, the workload is always there. Whether he’s cutting freshly-dried beans in blowing winds from lunchtime into the night or shelling corn “until as late as elevators are open,” he said the days can be long and only Mother Nature can tell him when to stop.
(08/29/22 4:59pm)
Upon entering Maxwell’s Barber Shop, the barbers’ razors ring in harmony.
(08/08/22 1:58pm)
Though it didn’t go exactly to plan, with the scheduled “Special Shape Hot Air Balloon Glow Show” being canceled due to weather, Fire Up DWNTWN took over Walnut Street and the rest of downtown Muncie, Indiana, August 6, 2022. Hot air balloons still briefly took the skies, local businesses set up shop under tents, food trucks lined the street and countless other events ran from 1-10 p.m., prompting Muncie’s community to show out in full form.
(07/20/22 9:58pm)
Art on the side of two buildings in downtown Muncie, Indiana, pictured the morning of July 19, 2022. This art not only showcases the artists' ability but promotes the local businesses inside the building the art is featured on. (Kyle Smedley/DN)
(06/06/22 10:00am)
There’s something about being young and in love.
(04/29/21 9:00pm)
By Elissa Maudlin
(04/15/21 8:02pm)
Ball State Esports recently opened their new competition and broadcast facility in the Robert Bell building. Take a look around as Director of Esports Dan Marino shows Blake Chapman what new technology can be found inside and how it will be utilized by athletes and students in the future. Producer: Blake ChapmanCamera: Jacob HaleVideo Editor: Blake Chapman
(02/19/21 8:00pm)
by Kellyn HarrisonThe walls of the dimly lit hallway leading to MU 123 are chipped with avocado green paint. The flooring has decades of hope, laughter, love, sweat, tears, and dirt from the bottoms of Ball State alumni's shoes caked into the tiles’ seams. Despite the age, the second you enter the quaint mirrored room in the Hargreaves Music Building, you are instantly transported into an environment full of dedication, goodwill, and support. Sounds of laughter, singing, chanting, and clapping all filter into the hallway. Even while social distancing, the Ball State University Singers bring students of all majors together to fill the charming room with passion and warmth.“You just get this giant family that consists of the current cast, alumni, and the director,” junior assistant company manager Kamryn Yenser said. “We are a very heavily student-run group. I mean our director does a lot of logistical things, but our organization holds its traditions to a high standard and that is what keeps us connected.” Alumna Samantha Ragusin pins freshman vocal music education major Zoe McNulty. Photo by Kellyn HarrisonTraditions include the biannual pinning ceremony. This is where new members receive their name tag and pin from alumni as an official initiation to the group. Tags and pins are to be placed over their hearts at every off-campus function. On Feb. 16, three members—Zoe McNulty, Joe Lowry, and Dana Rodriguez—were pinned by alumna Samantha Ragusin. Ragusin graduated last year after four years of being a University Singer. She led as the group’s dance captain for three years.“Everyone in the group has been overly kind and friendly. That moment [getting pinned] meant the world to me because it showed how much I was truly wanted in the group,” freshman vocal music education major Zoe McNulty said.The pinning ceremony was quickly held before everyone left the room in order to let the air in the room circulate. Despite this, you could still feel and hear the excitement filter in from the hallway.Allowing time for air circulation is just one of the many regulations the singers are required to follow as part of the COVID-19 safety precautions advised by the School of Music. This specific regulation was established following a summer 2020 study meant to test how germs spread while playing instruments and singing. The study suggests performances and rehearsals be held outside, but due to freezing temperatures, the singers are forced to cut rehearsal time by practicing in an enclosed space and following air circulation policies.Rehearsal time isn’t the only aspect cut from the singers’ schedules. According to University Singers' director, Alan Alder, the choir has cut most of their performances within the past year due to COVID-19. The group’s 56th Spectacular was canceled last year, and many out-of-state performances were rescheduled.Ball State University Singers sing "Happy Birthday" to freshman Communications and Spanish major Katy Shaffer and sophomore Digital Video Production major Rudy Ahlersmeyer. Photo by Kellyn HarrisonA large project that has been rescheduled for May 2022 included the singers performing in Carnegie Hall. This was originally scheduled for Memorial Day of this year.“Michael Davis is a former Ball State University Singer and director and is currently the assistant artistic director of the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir. He’s been invited to do a choral performance in Carnegie Hall,” Alder said. “He wanted the University Singers to come and be part of the core of the chorus. Learning the music was going to be one of the projects we were going to work on this semester.”However, this hasn’t stopped the group from forging ahead and entertaining local audiences. The group was able to perform once on Nov. 1, 2020, in Emens Auditorium. The venue was different from Sursa Hall’s modest atmosphere, but the singers needed a larger space in order to abide by COVID regulations and safely hold their large fanbase.“It just keeps us motivated. It provides a sense of normalcy for the group and the community. They can come and see a live performance all while being safe,” senior company manager Justin McMiller said. “The only challenge is taking an extra intermission at shows, so air can be filtered. So taking extra precautions like that is important, that way everyone is safe.”In doing so, the singers’ title as “Indiana’s Official Goodwill Ambassadors” continues to ring loud throughout the community.The Ball State University Singers plan to perform their 57th Spectacular in Emens Auditorium on April 9 and 10. Tickets will sell through the Emens Auditorium box office, and it is advised to purchase tickets in advance due to limited seating as required by Ball State COVID-19 policies and CDC guidelines.
(08/28/20 4:00pm)
by Brandon Carson
Debuting in 2013 with a self-titled EP, Glass Animals stormed onto the scene with the song “Black Mambo,” a quirky indie-pop song about being outmatched by someone. Hailing from Oxford, England, the band grew quite an audience with their hip-hop inspired beats and fun, sexy melodies. The band released their first full-length album ZABA in 2014, which featured more or less the same sounds from their EP with more realized songwriting. Their creativity continued to shine with the release of How to Be a Human Being in 2016. The album is a light concept of stories that people had told front man Dave Bayley on tour. Overall, it wasn’t too different from ZABA, but with songs like “Youth,” “Season 2 Episode 3,” and the beautiful closer, “Agnes,” the vocals became just another instrument and made the songs even more powerful. Their new album, Dreamland, unfortunately falls flat and continues to milk the same sounds that gave them success. Don’t get me wrong, as with their two past records, there are quite a few good songs. However, the concept is inconsistent musically and some songs are so by-the-numbers for Glass Animals that they come off as filler. That being said, there are a number of notable tracks that stand out and save the album.
The Glass Animals standard
With Dreamland, Glass Animals have fully realized their sound and what works for their audience. While that’s great for the band, it takes a toll on the music and flow of the album. The fantastic opener, “Dreamland,” sets the tone for the concept of 90s and youth nostalgia with its wavy use of synths and chill atmosphere. While the vocals are basic for Glass Animals, the production is dreamier and more lo-fi than it has been previously. But as soon as “Tangerine” starts, it’s clear that that change was a façade. The hip-hop inspired beat and catchy vocal melodies make it feel like the band doesn’t want to create something out-of-the-box and would rather stick to what they know. “Hot Sugar” continues this trend with yet another hip-hop inspired beat featuring repetitive vocals and a catchy melody.
“Space Ghost Coast to Coast” feels like it could have been the change of pace the album needed with its more fun but chill sound. However, it is too short and repetitive to go anywhere new, making it feel like a standard song for them. Fortunately, their 2019 single “Tokyo Drifting” saves the flow of the album, creating a nice change of pace musically and featuring a great verse from Denzel Curry. Even the lyrical content is different on this song, providing a very braggadocious attitude in contrast to the usual sad boy attitude. The album picks up from here and gets a whole lot better. However, Dreamland is 16 songs long, and it is still peppered with average songs that fill up the space (I’m looking at you “Heat Waves”). None of the songs are bad per se, but nothing about them stands out much, making them a little forgettable.
When it’s good, it’s amazing
Even though Dreamland feels like an average Glass Animals album at times, when there are good songs, there are quality songs. “Melon and the Coconut” finally brings back the dreamy vibe of the opener and tells the humorous story of a melon and coconut breaking up. The instrumentals are new to the ears, bringing a much-needed change for the album. “Your Love (Déjà Vu)” keeps the fire lit with an exciting and suave song that has the best production on the album. It offers the catchy vocal melodies of old while also taking more chances musically that really pay off. “It’s All So Incredibly Loud” pushes the envelope and delivers both musically and lyrically. Even the subject matter for the song is interesting; it’s about the three seconds after someone tells another person something that they didn’t want to hear, and how the silence after is “incredibly loud.” The closer, “Helium,” is a fantastic closer with interesting production choices, a variety of musical shifts, and the dreamy vibe from the opener that rounds out the album well. While the album is plagued by mediocre tracks, these songs provide just enough quality and change to keep the mediocrity from completely infecting the album.
Interludes that lead to nowhere
One particularly confusing choice in the album comes in the form of its various interludes. There are interludes scattered across the record with similar titles called, “((home movies: <insert individual title here>)).” With four in total, two are very short one liners from Bayley’s home movies as a child. While the concept, reinforced by the childhood quality of the interludes makes sense, it doesn’t really go anywhere, as the songs themselves don’t do much to make the album’s concept known. The other two, however, are longer and create more of a connection with the songs, while keeping the choice to use audio from home movies. Overall, the interludes seem disconnected from the album and easily skippable.
Top Tracks:
It’s All So Incredibly Loud
Melon and the Coconut
Your Love (Déjà Vu)
Recommended if you like:
Local Natives
Portugal, the Man
Hippo Campus
Featured Image: U Discover Music
(08/26/20 6:00pm)
by Conner Tighe
“This digital life was not for them. Not in a mean way, they meant no offense. It’s not you; it’s them, and they needed more. They didn’t know what that ‘more’ was, but they needed it, so they went to find it, and this is that.”
From a band that started as a small group of believers and friends, The Wonderlands have jump-started their music career with their first album This Digital Life. Lead vocalist, guitar player, and Ball State student Miles Jena befriended bassist/vocalist Adam Steele in the eighth grade.
“We started as a two-man band called We Thee Ubiquitous and wrote folksy/indie music. We did that for a while but were unsatisfied because we could never play big rooms or events,” says Jena. Since then, two has grown into five band members. Jillian Gavigan provides keyboard/vocals, Derek Johnson lends his talent with drums, and Patrick Oakes plays guitar and vocals.
This Digital Life is more than another album in the alternative/indie world; it’s a story of these five members coming together to tell an important message about young love and becoming more in the present rather than the trend with technology.
“Free Falling” in passion
There is an absolute passion and aesthetic charm in every track. With atmospheric appeal and digitizing vocals, the message becomes ever more apparent that The Wonderlands know what’s happening with young love. “Morning, Mourning'' shows genuine hurt and resilience in fighting with ourselves when it comes to love. The track talks about how love affects us as people, and just as we lose ourselves within love, we find ourselves when love ends. There is mourning of what once was both within us and within our partner. Yet, as the band implies, it’s all a part of growing up. The track provides a brilliant, emotional message of hurt and hard truths that appeals to listeners.
A new beginning for folk
The Wonderlands have established themselves as a folk/indie band with clear inspirations from jazz and coffee shop music alike. This Digital Life features some collaborations that show The Wonderlands have connections in high places. Nothing is accomplished without friends, and this album is no different. Track six, “Feels Like,” stands out among the rest of the songs due to the collaboration with Saint Lavender and Trey Campbell on this track. The song is a definite jazz phenomenon with a sound that’s soothing and worth repeating on the playlist. The work of collaborations and lyrics behind these tracks are hopefully opening up a new world of Folk music.
If this is the new future of small bands emerging into the music world, keep it coming. There is little room for criticism when it comes to this message of solace without technology enveloping our lives and being present in the now. Having friends that believe in you and support your dream is what The Wonderlands are all about. The music is an honest presentation of talent and folk in a new age.
Getting lost in This Digital Life
This Digital Life contains a message of losing oneself to life and priorities that many people can relate to. Finding yourself again while maneuvering school, friends, and other activities is stressful but comes with perks: love, a passion for music, and friendship. “The meaning behind This Digital Life is that I was searching for answers as to how to live in this digital age. I was extremely frustrated with the fast-paced short-attention-span life I was living, feeling like I wasn’t going anywhere and was trapped by ads and everyone trying to grab my attention,” says Jena.
While getting lost may be a dreadful thing, The Wonderlands show that getting lost is the best way to be found. This Digital Life makes listeners rethink their lives and ponder their experiences with every note. This five-member band is trying to be something different and breathe new life into a repetitive genre that many of us know all too well. The Wonderlands are here for a new age of music and are here for their fans. They know technology has become a dire need in our lives, which severs real connections that we all might create otherwise. This piece of art is a clear sign of standing strong together with a message of clarity and community.
Top Tracks:
Feels Like
Let’s Take a Ride
Anthem
Recommended if you like:
The Lumineers
The Wallows
Mumford & Sons
Featured Image: Facebook
(05/27/20 8:55pm)
by Arianna Sergio
(03/05/20 3:47pm)
by Baylie Clevenger
The sun is bright and happy; almost seeming to foreshadow the night ahead. The road is bumpy on the way out of Muncie, but we don’t mind.
250 miles. 100 miles. 50 Miles until we reach our destination. Zero miles. We’re here—only a few hours until the lights, laughs, and loud sounds. We’re in Detroit and we came for the music.
(11/11/19 8:24pm)
Cardinal Esports is beginning to take advantage of advancements in cross-
platform technology along with the creators behind some of the organization’s most popular PvP games.
(11/11/19 7:05pm)
by Arianna Sergio
When Sister Act was released in 1992, the movie quickly became a massive hit. Grossing more than $231 million worldwide, it easily became one of the most popular comedy movies of the early '90s. Due to the movie’s success, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit was released shortly after on Dec. 10, 1993. Sister Act the Musical then made its world premiere in 2006 at the Pasadena Playhouse. Sister Act has been so popular to have even spawned Motown-inspired choral arrangements everywhere. Sister Act 3 is in the works and is set to release on Disney’s new streaming service, Disney+.
Sister Act the Divine Musical Comedy opened at Muncie Civic Theatre on MainStage Oct. 11-12, 18-20, and 24-26. The Thursday, Friday, & Saturday shows were at 7:30 p.m., and the Sunday show at 2:30 p.m. This drew a lot of excitement within the community because it was Muncie Civic Theatre’s first time doing Sister Act.
Sister Act the Divine Musical Comedy follows the story of lounge singer Deloris Van Cartier. Cartier witnesses her mobster boyfriend Curtis commit murder, so the police put her into the witness protection program. They did this to ensure her protection from Curtis and his entourage. Now under the alias Sister Mary Clarence, she winds up in a local Catholic church called Queen of Angels. After Mother Superior learns that she can sing—and actually sing well—she has her become the new choir director in hopes that she can improve the choir.
Muncie Civic’s version of Sister Act was different from the other versions for a few different reasons. Director Dr. Thomas Conroy’s production had the band interact with the cast more, added more comedic moments in movement and dialogue, and the song order followed the original Broadway production with only one difference. That difference being that in Act 1, Muncie Civic added a reprise of “Here Within These Walls.”
“It’s always a great time to meet the new people,” said Myles Harris about all the newcomers and working with the cast. Harris played TJ, Curtis’ nephew who just follows him around for the thrill of it. This wasn't Harris’ first time in a Muncie Civic production. His first production was last year in West Side Story, and then shortly after in Tarzan.
“This is the first time I have done Sister Act. For me, it was learning a brand new role, which was an adventure and a journey in itself at 63 years old to learn a brand new role. I think that we really have gelled as a cast and it’s just really became a family, so I’ve made friends and family for life here,” said Kendra Cline, who played Mother Superior.
Cline described Mother Superior as a no-nonsense, tough leader of the Queen of Angels. She loves her sisters so much and just wants to protect them at the end of the day.
Cline is certainly no stranger to theatre, either. “I have done Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music numerous times, so I kind of have been in this role before, so I took that experience and Tom’s vision of her and kind of merged those together to come up with Mother Superior.”
“When people come to see Sister Act they think ‘Oh, it’s nuns, it’s about Jesus,’ but it’s not. It’s about this woman who overcomes and realizes that she doesn’t need to be in the spotlight. She thought that that’s everything she longed to be, but then she found a relationship with all these people and I think that that’s what it shows. It shows unity,” said Ian Sanchez, who played Pablo. Pablo is a part of Curtis’ trio entourage, who plays the comedic relief and speaks mostly in Spanish during the show. Sanchez has also been a part of a past Muncie Civic production, with his role in West Side Story.
In the great words of Kendra Cline, “You should come and see us because we are fabulous, baby. We’re fabulous.”
(11/04/19 10:11pm)
by Baylie Clevenger
Every year, Ball State students fill Emens Auditorium on Halloween for the shadow cast performance of the cult classic Rocky Horror Picture Show. The movie is a cult classic and has been for a long time, but what makes this show special? A few of the cast members from this year's performance sat down with Byte to explain the ins and outs of Rocky Horror.
(11/02/19 8:39pm)
The Ball State Quidditch Team is away this weekend competing in the 2019 U.S. Quidditch Great Lakes Collegiate Regional Championship. In 2017, BSU secured first place and this year the team is looking to reach that height once again.
Max Jolly, a senior architecture major, and head coach of the quidditch team at BSU, said he’s confident in this year’s team.
“I’m personally feeling really good about how the team is going into regionals. We’ve improved a ton over this season, and we’ve had a lot of really positive feedback from the quidditch community… This weekend we’re going to be bringing a full roster (21 athletes) and I think everyone is really going in with the right mindset,” Jolly said.
Jolly used this week’s practices to prepare for regionals. For the Oct. 29 practice, the team scrimmaged for the entirety of practice to get as much playing time as possible. Then, for the Oct. 31 practice, the team had a game film night to study up on their competition.
“It’s going to be difficult; teams always bring their a-game to regionals. It’s the most important tournament of this semester. Everybody is gunning to get a bid for nationals and trying to get that first-place spot at regionals, that’s the excitement of it,” Jolly said.
Favian Cervantes, a senior architecture major, and a chaser for the quidditch team at BSU, recently joined the team and hasn’t ever played quidditch before. Cervantes is both excited and a bit nervous to travel to regionals.
“Honestly, I think it’s (regionals) going to be times 10 of what I’ve had in my mind at least. We’ll see this weekend, but I’m expecting to see a lot of people hyped for regionals and trying to reach that next level,” Cervantes said.
14 teams are scheduled to compete at the Great Lakes regional championship according to U.S. Quidditch.
Ball State Cardinals
BearTrain Quidditch
Bowling Green State University
Carnegie Mellon Quidditch Club
Cleveland State University Vikings
Grand Valley Grindylows
Indiana State University Quidditch
Indiana University Quidditch Club
Miami University (OH) Quidditch
Michigan Quidditch Team
Michigan State Quidditch
Ohio University Quidditch Club
Quidditch Club of Pittsburgh
WVU Summit
Elizabeth Pruim, a sophomore religious studies major, and a 2019 season chaser for the Indianapolis Intensity, a major league quidditch team, said she’s proud of how far the BSU team has made it before regionals.
“I’ve seen a lot of improvement in us over the past couple of months. A lot of our team is new this year, about 70 percent of us. For the most part, we understand all of the basics and then even past that,” Pruim said.
The Ball State Quidditch Team did compete in regionals last year and Pruim believes the team this year has a good shot at placing in the top three.
“It’s been our dream this entire semester to finish top in regionals and just show that Ball State is back to what we were used to be,” Pruim said.
The 2019 USQ Great Lakes Collegiate Regional Championship takes place this weekend at the Voice of America Park in West Chester Township, Ohio. Teams arrived on Friday and games start Saturday with the final games to be held Sunday.
(10/29/19 9:00pm)
Story and Photos by Eben Griger
On Wednesday, Cardinal Esports hosted a conference with Paul Todkill, a project manager, producer, and caster for ESL. ESL is the largest official eSports organization, hosting tournaments across the globe.
Using Discord video chat, Todkill was able to sit down and talk with Cardinal Esports about how he got involved with esports, what his job at ESL entails, and then took questions from various members of Cardinal Esports.
Todkill talked extensively about the pros and cons of being in the esports business.
“I would say one of the easiest parts of the jobs is that it’s something… we’re super passionate about. I don’t think there’s a lot of people here where its not something they care about deeply. But that’s sort of a double-edged sword in a lot of ways because, because its such a passion project for so many people. People are out there grinding nonstop… we are working our butts off all the time, every project... Because that’s how you do it. The second you stop, there’s somebody younger, there’s somebody hungrier who wants to come and take your job.”
[ngg src="galleries" ids="32" display="basic_thumbnail" thumbnail_crop="0"]Todkill also talked about how to set yourself up for success on the casting side of eSports.
“I think the single biggest tip I can give somebody starting out is to find a good co-caster. Because there are so many bad habits you develop when casting on your own.” Todkill explains. “The second most important thing… you are a storyteller. You are there to tell the story of the match, the story of the players, to say why this is important.” Todkill went on to say that anyone can look at the screen and recognize a good play, but it is the casters job to add to it by giving context to things that happen in the match.
The biggest audience for eSports, in Todkill’s opinion, is people who already understand the game and are trying to get better. According to Todkill, one of the most important skills for an eSports broadcaster to have is the ability to “break [the game] down to the audience in layman’s terms, but without belittling their intelligence.”
Todkill also touched on the importance of being able to learn and take constructive criticism, knowing your way around both sides of the camera, and his favorite flavor of PopTart (which was strawberry).
(10/21/19 7:54pm)
by Baylie Clevenger
The homecoming season brings plenty of energetic events jam-packed with school spirit. Every year, Ball State hosts the annual Air Jam in Emens Auditorium.
Air Jam features different student organizations like residence halls, independent organizations, and Greek life. The groups choreograph a dance and lip-sync to popular music. At the end of the show, the performers receive awards like fan favorite, independent winner, and overall winner.
Before the show, student Carter Miller, a senior who has previously performed at Air Jam with Phi Kappa Psi, said that he was excited to take a break from performing to watch all of the fun unfold.
“Watching my friends perform sounds pretty fun,” Miller said.
Jake Maple, senior, also said he was excited to attend his first Air Jam. “I think it will be a little bit quirky… I think it’ll be a good time, it’ll be interesting,” Maple said.
[ngg src="galleries" ids="31" display="basic_slideshow"]At the end of the night, some of the winners included: Delta Zeta for best Greek life performance and Studebaker West for best residence hall performance.
The overall winner of the night was Outlet. According to Benny Link, "Outlet is an all hip-hop dance team that was started in 2003 as an ‘outlet’ for students to get away from the stress of schoolwork and everything else that comes along with college. Outlet is known for their performances at Air Jam, being overall grand champs 9 times in a row. We perform at various events around and on campus and hold our own showcase at the end of the spring semester.”
(10/21/19 7:52pm)
The homecoming season brings plenty of energetic events jam-packed with school spirit. Every year, Ball State hosts the annual Air Jam in Emens Auditorium.
(10/04/19 3:00pm)
by Blake Chapman
Ball State University Libraries held the Tech Fair in Bracken Library on Sept. 24 and 25 to present faculty and students with tools and solutions for the academic year and beyond.
Multiple organizations across campus including University Technology Services, the Digital Corps, and the Division of Online and Strategic Learning presented hands-on learning sessions across the library. Tech Center consumers got crucial information about the programs they demanded the most.
“The focus and primary goal of the Tech Fair this year was to introduce faculty to technology tools and solutions available on campus that can be used to enhance the classroom experience,” Brad Faust, the University Libraries co-chair, said in an email.
Information sessions on Box.com and the Adobe Creative Cloud were the most popular, but they were not the only hands-on presentations offered to students and faculty. Learning sessions on topics like Canvas, Print Smart facilities, Qualtrics, and Web Archiving were available to attendees as well. Vendors like Apple and Microsoft were also brought in to better explain the potential for productivity with their products, including iPads in the classroom and Office 365 respectively.
When it comes to the future, University Libraries has engaged with groups like the Student Government Association to react to student ideas and keep up with demands of the community. Focus groups, surveys, and unsolicited comments have also provided comments on new services and programs that Faust hopes “we can use [that information] to plan and develop future activities and events.”
Information technology hopes to better future opportunities with partners like Dell, Adobe, and others to showcase products available to the Ball State community.