The Student Government Association group charged with maintaining Ball State University and Muncie relations will be replaced by a new commission, the Muncie mayor said.
The Muncie Coalition, which started under SGA's Tommy Rector administration, was formed to create a communication line between Ball State and the city of Muncie, Mayor Dan Canan said. But three years after its formation, the coalition is dormant and has not met in about five months, he said.
The new Mayor's Commission will contain two each of Ball State freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students, according to the proposal. Each student will serve a two-year term and is eligible to serve a second term, Tietz said.
Extending membership to people outside SGA allows the commission to better address the needs of all Ball State students, Canan said. Two-year terms allow the commission to carry ideas from one year to another, which will help the group retain its focus, he said.
The coalition encountered problems because the group of SGA members was replaced by an entirely new group of SGA members each year, Canan said.
"Having new students every year, it makes it tougher to have continuity from year to year," he said.
The participating students eventually lost focus of what they were supposed to be doing and stopped meeting, Ben Tietz, president of SGA, said.
Tietz wanted to rebuild the Muncie Coalition, but Canan suggested they scrap the coalition and form another organization for the task, Tietz said.
Canan said he wanted students to stay on the commission for their entire Ball State career, but Tietz thought that kind of commitment would scare students away, Tietz said. Canan would have students stay on the commission from the time they join until after they have reached senior status, meaning a freshman would serve four years and a junior would serve two years.
"It's very hard for students to commit to something for four years," Tietz said. "By having a term of two years it opens the pool of applicants."
The name itself implies change, Tietz said. The mayor controls the commission and is the final word in appointing the students, Canan said. More importantly, Canan has the power to bring city officials to the table who could help resolve problems, he said.
"If there's a topic that revolves around down town I'll make sure the down town people are there," Canan said.
The commission's purpose is to foster communication between Ball State and Muncie, just as the coalition's was. However, the commission won't be exclusive to SGA members, Canan said.
Tietz wants to have the commission formed and ready to begin for Fall 2005 by the end of his term on March 23, he said.
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