Ball State University will soon be held to an ironic challenge.
With funding running dry on the school's Late Nite program, the university is now being asked to come up with equivalent funds to run the program next year.
How important is the program to the university? A look back at recent history tells us that if the university were to not fund the program it would be quite the downfall for the school's recent advocacy against alcohol.
Following last year's "Police Yourself" campaign, the university was forced to scrap the threat-based theme and turn to an "awareness campaign" at the start of this school year. With that new campaign came a more loosened attitude of students around campus: Slowly but surely, BSU was dispelling the myth of "student enemy." Thanks in part to the University Program Board, host of Ball State's almost weekly Late Nite events, the university began to provide positive reinforcement to the students, not negative.
How did they do it?
More events.
At the beginning of the year, BSU announced that it was increasing funding to UPB to increase the total number of Late Nite events from last year's 11 to this year's 23. This effort, of course, was partly to help curb students away from alcohol-related activities -- activities which "Police Yourself" had warned against all last year.
As Doug McConkey, vice-president for student affairs and enrollment management, said after that announcement, "With additional funding, we want the programs to be bigger and better than ever."
If the university really wants this program to succeed, now would be the time to show it.
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