Student Government Association members tried to gain support fora new student center Wednesday by rallying in the middle ofcampus.
Seeing SGA members get out of Cardinal Hall and out on campuswas refreshing. Kay Bales, associate vice president for studentlife, said that since her arrival to Ball State in 1989, she hasnot seen members demonstrate as they did Wednesday.
SGA showed Wednesday that its members could rally around onecause and get a message out to the students.
But the message SGA was sending might not be what is best forthe university.
Ball State already has a Student Center, a facility that sits onthe corner of University and McKinley avenues. Though it might notbe the most glamorous structure on campus in the most convenientlocation, it is still capable of holding a number of successfulevents.
University Program Board activities, like Laughter at HalfAfter, have been well-attended. Students were willing to go to theStudent Center, which SGA argues should be closer to the middle ofcampus, to participate in a quality activity.
What Ball State needs more than a new student center isprogramming and options that make the current facility moreappealing. SGA's efforts would be better focused if they stuck totaking what Ball State has and making it better.
New buildings will not change student behavior. Giving studentsa reason to use the current Student Center could. If students hadmore to do on campus within a facility that already exists, theywould take more ownership of the building. The reason the currentStudent Center is not a major gathering place for students isbecause no one has made it that way.
The idea of offering students more option in campus facilitiesis a good one, and SGA has shown that Ball State's facility mightnot be enough.
But the idea of constructing a new facility that serves thepurpose of one that already exists is not a practical one. SGAshould use the group effort it demonstrated Wednesday to push formore realistic improvements.
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