As I understand it, universities exist for numerous purposes: toemploy professors, to provide a venue for research, to provide aplace for corporations to advertise, to take up physical space, tocreate a congregating place for tank-top clad, 20-something girls,and so on.
Providing students with a suitable learning environment layssomewhere down that line of reasons.
Us students at Ball State do not have the luxuries of a cooltown like Bloomington. We do not have a good sports program likePurdue. We aren't near much of anything, really.
Day in and day out, we college students endure the drudgery ofMuncie. The Muncie smell, the Muncie people and the Muncie grayskies are the chains that shackle our Midwestern existence.
The last thing we Ball State bottom-feeders need is countrymusic. Naturally, I am speaking of the BSU Shuttle Service.
Let me preface by saying that I have had many pleasantexperiences with the shuttle service on campus. Those pleasantexperiences are far outnumbered by the times the shuttle has pulledaway right in my face, but I can still say with some certainty thata few of the shuttle drivers are extremely kind.
But back to the subject: country music. We aren't talking aboutthe Willie Nelson- or Johnny Cash-cool kind of country music. We'retalking about Darryl Worley and the Dixie Chicks. We are talkinglistening to that drek every single time I step onto a shuttlebus.
I can't take much more of it.
I recognize that the employees of Ball State deserve to behappy. All the same, I along with my cohorts are the reason thoseemployees are employed. They are paid to drive us around like thespoiled college brats we are. They work for us, and I don't thinkvery many of us want to listen to any more country music.
It is true that if the student body was allowed to choose theshuttle bus music, we would never agree. Truth be told, I don'tthink I'd want to listen to the most popular music on campus,anyway. If one more Puddle of Mudvayneback band gets played on theradio, I might have to do something drastic -- like start listeningto Rush.
Still, I think the university can do better than piping popcountry into our ears every morning. You may not be aware, but BallState actually has its own radio station! How bizarre would it beif the Ball State transportation services and the Ball State diningareas actually played the Ball State radio station? Yes, it is arevolutionary concept, but one with merit. Perhaps WCRD wouldproduce better-quality programming if it was guaranteed morelisteners.
Assuming the adult shuttle bus drivers do not want to listen tocollege radio (which is understandable), I have another solution:National Public Radio. Because this is a place of higher learning,would it kill us to air the news on our shuttle busses? An alarmingnumber of college students don't vote or even pay attention to thenews.
I think changing the shuttle bus radios to NPR would be whollybeneficial for our entire campus. Just get Darryl Worley and theDixie Chicks off the air.
Write to "Mouse" at bbmcshane@bsu.edu
visit www.classicalgeektheatre.com
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
