Meredith Boldman has only one class this semester. She's a sophomore and a telecommunications major, but she's no farther behind her peers in credit hours. Sometimes she goes to class from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Sometimes she goes for an hour or two. It's up to her and her partner. Her class doesn't have a final exam. It doesn't require tests, quizzes or two-page papers once a week. The class even allows Boldman and her classmates to travel around the country.
This class type may seem unrealistic in a college setting, but it exists. All Ball State students have the opportunity to take a class at the Virginia Ball Center. Yet, despite the description, these classes are not, according to Boldman, all candy canes and roses.
"My initial thought was that the VBC would bring a better work environment as opposed to getting up early to walk to class, studying for exams and doing homework," Boldman said. "It's like an actual job ... spending 14 to 16 hours daily in the TCOM editing lab isn't too much fun."
Still, Boldman recommends the class for it's real-life experience. She considers it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She said it gives students a chance to work with real people and real situations.
"I've learned a great deal from this project, and I'll walk away with hopefully a wonderful project under my belt as experience and many new friends," Boldman said.
Boldman's class is one of two going on at the Virginia Ball Center this semester. Boldman's instructor is Dr. Beth Messner, and their class topic is Hate Speech in Indiana. The other class is run by Dr. Lauren Onkey, a communications teacher. Onkey's class is studying how a Ireland's tourism affects its culture and economics.
The Virginia Ball Center offers two classes such as these every semester. The classes are composed of 15 students who apply and are accepted. The students work as a group originally to learn background information and are then split into small groups.
The final project must be designed "in collaboration with community sponsors and are presented in a community forum for discussion and debate," according to the VBC Web site.
"We are creating a Web site containing personal interviews of hate speech victims, curriculum activities for middle school students and younger students, as well as a timeline history of hate and discrimination within Indiana," Boldman said.
Onkey's class is creating an Indiana radio documentary. The class has gathered over 40 hours of audio so far, both of Indiana residents and Ireland residents. According to Onkey, students have been out every day collecting interviews. The class spent the first six weeks discussing and reading about key issues of tourism studies and radio programs. They then hopped a plane for a two-week stay in Ireland.
"We went to a wide range of small and big cities, in Northern and Southern Ireland," Onkey said. "We looked at the contradictions of what people imagine and what it is, how a country markets itself."
Onkey's class then returned to work on the technical aspect of the project. All the editing is done at the center through a collaborative itinerary set by the group. Yet, each student receives credits they need so they don't have to take a semester off for the project.
"Every student gets a different package of credits depending on major and what they need," Onkey said.
Boldman says it's likely she won't graduate in four years but isn't too worried about it. Some of the classes she's getting credit for in the VBC program go hand in hand with her major, but others do not.
Both Onkey and Boldman say the VBC is a worthwhile project, though. Boldman has enjoyed taking trips to the National Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., the National Civil Rights Museum in Tennessee, and the Southern Poverty Law Center in Alabama.
"The most important aspect I've learned about this seminar is that hate and ignorance is everywhere," Boldman said. "People aren't going to change their attitudes, beliefs until someone makes a difference, and that's what we're trying to do with this seminar."
Onkey recommends the program for a couple reasons. First of all, she says it allows students to get out into the community. The work speaks to a larger audience than just one professor. She also considers the project a great way to work collaboratively. The project depends on the team, and it resembles very closely what may occur in a professional setting.
"I think that it's a unique opportunity to really take control of education," Onkey said. "It's been my experience that students of the class have a lot of respects of the shape and definition of the class."
The Virginia Ball Center is currently accepting applications for next year's classes. For more information, contact the center at 287-0117 or go online to www.bsu.edu/vbc.
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