Paper, cans and other trash around campus will disappear Sunday afternoon when Ball State University's Student Government Association conducts the first Campus Clean Up.
The event will be from noon to 4 p.m., and volunteers should meet at the University Green between Bracken Library and the Architecture Building. As they arrive, volunteers will be sent to specific locations on campus with plastic bags and gloves provided by the university.
"It was just something that was noticed on campus, and since it was Homecoming Week, we thought it would be a good idea to pick it up and make it look nice for all the alumni and people coming in to participate in Homecoming," Community and Environmental Affairs Chair Katie Bills said.
Areas that will receive special attention will be around the dorms, the football stadium, the L.A. Pittenger Student Center and along McKinley Avenue.
Bills said she expects more than 100 people to volunteer for the event. There are currently between 50 and 60 signed up among SGA and greek organizations, but Bills said any campus organization or individual can show up and help out. At the end of the afternoon, she said the organization with the most volunteers will be recognized with a plaque.
"There are about 15 to 20 [SGA senators], but other members will be coming through with other organizations they are involved with," Bills said.
Volunteers can also become involved with the Campus Clean Up through Student Voluntary Services and use the time as required community service hours for classes or organizations. Bills said people are not required to volunteer the whole time - just whatever works for their schedules.
Senator Drake Land, who is a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, is volunteering for both SGA and his fraternity and plans to volunteer the full time. Bills said Sigma Alpha Epsilon is signed up to bring about 25 volunteers.
"I'm in SGA, and a lot of people there are pushing for a good turnout," Land said. "Cleaning up the campus is a big job. It will be good to have it picked up instead of full of litter."
This is also a chance for SGA to reach out to their constituents and learn about student concerns, Bills said. "It allows us to have a lot of one-on-one contact," Bills said. "If people have any concerns and didn't know who on campus to talk to, we are there, and they can talk to us. They can see who we are, and if they ever have any problems they want addressed, they can contact us."
Even though Campus Clean Up will prepare Ball State for Homecoming Week, SGA also plans to hand out trash bags to people who tailgate at the Homecoming football game.
"It will make picking up a little bit faster and easier for those people who have to clean up on Sunday if we provide trash bags to keep people from throwing things on the ground," Bills said.
Land, who also works for Recreation Services, said he has to help clean up glass, bottle caps and other hazardous items after football games to make the fields safe for intramural sports. Most of the larger items, however, are already gone by Sunday morning when Recreation Services comes to pick up.
"If they all get passed out, I think it will really help the people who clean up before us," Land said. "It will set a good precedent, and more people will try to pick up and stay clean."
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