While you were sitting in class last week, listening to your professors read your syllabi to you, I had the pleasure of being on the Illinois State University campus. My nice little vacation left me envious.
It has come to my attention that the Village sucks. Definitively.
Illinois State University is like Ball State. It has a quad nearly identical to ours. It is populated by students from farming communities and urban centers. Students drink a lot of beer.
Illinois State also has a student village that tripled my drool output for the week.
To begin with, the ISU Village has a movie theater. Not just any movie theater, but a theater that runs old 1950's sci-fi films and Warner Brothers cartoons. A movie theater that caters to the tastes of the average college student, you say? What a bizarre concept that is!
It also has not one, but three dorktacular stores of interest. They have a gaming store and two comic book stores in walking distance from its campus. These stores weren't merely sufficient, they were glorious. I was able to locate a DVD bootleg of "Battle Royale" and a Gamera action figure within minutes.
Illinois State has an abundance of clothing stores and a plethora of diverse restaurants. It was vibrant. There was even more retail development underway.
Illinois State only has a student population of 2,000 greater than that of BSU. It is comparable in size and demand for these kinds of businesses. Right now, I am feeling like Ball State does not have everything I need.
Why don't we have the same kind of village? Because for whatever reason, the city planners of Muncie seem to believe that Ball State students want a bigger, better downtown Muncie.
Downtown Muncie can go the way of Jamestown, Va., for all I care.
For the three-and-a-half years I have lived in Muncie and attended Ball State, the one city-project that I hear more about than any other is the revitalization of downtown Muncie. They've tried to get us to go to downtown at all costs. They even started that silly trolley.
The city of Muncie needs to realize we don't want or care about downtown. Because of Ball State's parking policies it is wholly impractical for a Ball State student, especially one living on campus, to commute downtown for entertainment. We don't even want to waste our time; a suitable entertainment and culture center should be in our backyards. We want the city to revitalize our own immediate area.
To be fair, we are blessed with two great coffee shops, some decent bars, a very good gaming store and a killer used book store. That is good, but it is not good enough.
The city should place a higher priority on attracting businesses and allowing them to stay profitable in the Village. Bring in a small, independent theater. How about an all-ages music venue? The local music scene's biggest obstacle is that it has nowhere to play for the under-21 crowd. I know a lot of girls and metrosexuals (buzz-word alert!) who would love some locally-owned, independent clothing stores. A mildly fancy restaurant would be a huge plus.
If you build it, they will come. And even if you don't, they still won't take the trolley downtown.
Write to Mouse at bbmcshane@bsu.edu
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