I am writing in regards to some issues that have been creeping into Air Jam over my past four years at Ball State University.
I am a member of Chi Omega and due to some communication issues, we were unable to participate in this year's Air Jam competition.
At first, I huffed and puffed a bit, shrugged my shoulders and thought, "Oh well, I'm a senior, but what can you do?"
However, I did attend Air Jam with a group of my sisters and what we saw made us very upset at the fact that we did not get to perform.
Out of 17 acts, eight of them were independents.
Some of these were students organizations that didn't fall under greek or residence hall categories.
A few of them were student organizations whose main purpose is to sing and/or dance, which I don't feel is fair. They shouldn't be allowed to compete against fraternity members who have never had a dance lesson in their lives.
But there were three groups who were not associated with student organizations at all. And all three groups did the exact same thing: hip hop routines that barely - if at all - incorporated the theme of Homecoming this year. These types of groups are appearing more and more each year at Homecoming and I think it's very unfair to the student organizations who get shut out from the competition because it fills up with acts like these.
Please don't misunderstand, I find these groups very entertaining and I think the boys that won, The Final Chapter, did a phenomenal job. But when organizations like Chi Omega put so much time and effort into giving back to the university and then get left out of a Ball State tradition, something about the Air Jam application process should be re-evaluated.
I would like to give out some credit where it is definitely due.
I thought Sigma Chi came out and did a fantastic job with their routine this year. And their hard work wasn't just on the stage. They got pulled off the waiting list about a week and half ago and put that routine together at the last minute, while other groups had been working for months. They did all their choreography without the help from a single girl - as a girlfriend of one of the brothers, I can vouch for that. I wanted to help out since they were in a crunch, but they were determined to get it on their own. I'm glad they turned down my help because I would never have put together what they managed. They even watched "Dirty Dancing" to make sure that section was perfect. I thought it was a shame that they were passed up for the Greek winners because they worked so hard and wanted to win so badly. Congratulations on a job well done, boys. You're the best in my eyes.
I do not want to discredit any of the groups that performed. I thought it was a fantastic show and it was well worth putting off a paper and staying up until almost two in the morning just to go and see Air Jam this year.
But I think the committee selecting the teams that get to perform should look at the process a little more closely and realize that some very active student organizations are getting left out in order to let independent groups, all doing similar routines, some with no organization affiliation, perform. I don't think that's fair, and I don't think I'm the only one who feels that way.
Meredith Heilmann is a senior telecommunications major and wrote this 'Your Turn' for the Daily News. Her views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
