Indiana's First Lady sat down for lunch in the Atrium Wednesday with a handful of campus organization leaders and Acting President Beverly Pitts.
Maggie Kernan spoke with students on topics ranging from tuition to social life on campus to educational opportunities at Ball State.
Much of the conversation surrounded Ball State's proposal to raise tuition by 4 percent in the fall and the recent request made by her husband, Gov. Joe Kernan, that public universities limit in-state tuition increases.
Kernan said she understands that universities need money to be able to offer a good education, but she also realizes students would be opposed to a raise in the cost of education.
"Joe asked (for a tuition cap) because of the economic times and the recession that has affected our state and our economy," Kernan said.
She said higher tuition rates place a heavy burden on families sending their children to college and on students who are paying their own way to go to school.
As for government money public universities receive, Kernan said, "The funding the state would like to provide just isn't there right now."
Kernan said she could remember students holding campus demonstrations to voice their opinions against a tuition increase when she was a student at Purdue University in the 1970s.
SGA President Ben Tietz said Kernan seemed to be receptive to students' concerns.
"That was excellent, knowing she understands where students are coming from," Tietz said. "She understands raising tuition does not allow some students to come to school."
Kernan, who works in management with South Bend-based 1st Source bank, was on campus to meet with Don Kuratko, professor and founding director of the entrepreneurship program, and to interact with students in the Miller College of Business.
Another topic of the lunchtime conversation was the new "Police Yourself" initiative instituted by the university. Kernan asked the students what the social life was like on campus, and that opened the door for discussion about recent campus events.
Kernan said she had an "outside looking in" perspective on the tragedies at Ball State, but she said the troubling deaths of students Michael McKinney and Karl Harford are not reflections on the university.
Kernan said it is important for everyone involved to learn from the situations and move on.
"It sounds like there are proactive moves being taken to open the lines of communication," Kernan said. "I think that's so important."
The students who attended the lunch said they could tell Kernan was interested knowing more about Ball State.
"I appreciated her asking questions about the little things like the social life on campus," Lindsay High of Alpha Gamma Delta said.
Bo Moreland, Interfraternity Council president, called Kernan a "straight shooter." He said he came in expecting her to sound administrative in her questions and responses.
"She's professional yet personable," Moreland said. "She wanted to understand why students come to the university and know about our everyday lives."5521-¦+â-¦~?N_first lady pg1_4/8/04DNEditorial552SORT+++â-ä2AUDT
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