It is no secret to anyone on campus that Thursday night's guest speaker, "Fast Food Nation" author Eric Schlosser, arrived to his fair share of criticism and controversy. There's also no surprise in saying that this controversy has existed for quite some time now.
Schlosser's apperance is part of the budget for this year's highly-debated Freshman Connections program, as with numerous other speakers, viewings and materials associated with its theme. Many students on campus have said that the program is part of the university's goal to indoctrinate freshman. Others have laughed off such claims and paid closer attention to the program 's intended purpose.
In either situation, the fear and concern people have expressed with the details of the university's Freshman programming show only one thing.
It is making a difference.
In terms of the program's theme, the opinions of those who disagree with it are no more valuable than those who agree with it. Regardless of right or wrong, left or right wing, herbivore or carnivore, the arguments over this year's Freshman Connections theme show that the program has strength and popularity.
Otherwise, why would people care?
Freshman Connections was implemented back in 1997 with the help of a $3 million grant from the Lilly Endowment. The program was initiated in hopes of creating a better sense of community amongst incoming freshman and, for the university's benefit, increasing their retention rate from freshman to sophomore year.
They have obviously succeeded.
The program, whose funding now comes from the university following the grant's expiration, has been awarded numerous honors since its inception. In 2002, the university was named an "Institution of Excellence in the First College Year" by the Policy Center on the First Year of College. It was one of 13 finalists out of a pool of 130 nominees.
And just this year, Ball State's freshman program was given the honor of "programs to look for" in the first-year experience category by the U.S. News and World Report. They reported featured schools that tied freshman closer to campus while increasing retention and student success.
As for that retention, it has been on a steady rise from the 68 percent mark in 1998 to a high of over 80 percent this year.
The fuss over such accusatory theories and hidden political agendas involved in the school's Freshman Programming have been, currently are and more than likely will be overshadowed by that very programming's praised success.
And frankly, we don't see too much to complain about there.
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