Drawing Ball State University students and parents downtown during Summer 2006 Orientation and keeping students coming back during the academic year is a chief goal for the Mayor's Commission for Ball State Student Relations.
Ken Hughes and Cheryl Crowder of Muncie Downtown Development suggested engaging parents during summer orientation by dropping them off at a strategic point on Walnut Street and allowing them to explore the downtown area through a scavenger hunt or special visits for one and a half hours.
Asher Lisec, Student Government Association president, said downtown restaurants could also offer free food samples to attract parents and provide them with dining options beyond the chain restaurants on McGalliard Road. During the year, the L.A. Pittenger Student Center could also be transformed into a mini version of downtown Muncie through contributions from local business owners, Lisec said.
For example, local pottery shops could offer workshops for students, or the Cornerstone Center for the Arts could offer belly dance or swing dance lessons, Crowder said.
Such activities would not only inform students about what exists downtown but also encourage them to further explore the community during their term at Ball State, said junior Gennie Nguyen, a member of the commission.
"Give me flyers," said Nguyen, who recently discovered Uncle Montes Soul Food Restaurant on Mulberry Street. "Give me something else so I know what's going on and I will bring other people out. It's not that I'm scared to go out in the community. I just don't know what's out there."
Hughes said the Muncie community did not do enough to treat students as visitors despite constant efforts to attract tourists from around the region.
"We don't take advantage of that at all," Hughes said. "We need to treat the university like a group of tourists and have better signage from here to the university."
During past commission meetings, city officials and students discussed the possibility of moving a Late Nite event downtown. However, Amy Rosenquist, a graduate advisor for Late Nite, said the organization preferred to keep Late Nite at the Student Center because the relocation would be a huge liability and risk management issue for the university, especially because students who used shuttles to get to the alcohol-free event would still have access to downtown bars. In addition, the events are more accessible to everybody at a campus location, Rosenquist said.
Although Late Nite has quadrupled its attendance during the past three years, the organization still works with the same budget and seeks ways to attract more funds, Rosenquist said. Late Nite, which strives to keep costs at $7 per student, relies mostly on businesses in Michigan, Ohio and Virginia because they offer good deals, but officials would like more community involvement. Rosenquist said she sent out 297 letters for help locally and made 52 phone calls, but not many local business owners responded.
"How do we get them to recognize the university as a key component in the community?" Rosenquist asked.
By working with downtown development, officers from Late Nite and other student organizations can more effectively establish relationships with other businesses and request their aid, Hughes said.
Adam Link, secretary of community relations, said the meeting was simply a starting ground for developing innovative ideas to bridge the town and university.
"This is the start and by no means perfect, and it's not something we can get done overnight," Link said. "But hopefully we can get something going."
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