Muncie is in need of a makeover more extreme than even network television can provide.
Hardly a day goes by where I do not see some streetlight in disrepair. I cannot read the Muncie Star Press or the Daily News without hearing of some violent robbery committed against innocent victims. Many students, overtaken by their boredom, turn to alcohol in order to occupy their free time.
Ever ride the MITS from Wal-Mart to the mall? You can actually see the people getting poorer.
These once beautiful, historic homes have been reduced to nothing more than decrepit shells of their former selves.
What does this mean for the campus, though?
When prospective students come for campus visits and read the newspaper, I cannot imagine that they or their parents find it very comforting that one student has been robbed twice in the same semester.
Facts like these might make Ball State University less attractive to students and parents less enthusiastic about sending their kids here.
Also, Ball State suffers in the academic department. Professors might not want to take jobs on our campus if they are getting the same offers from other universities in nicer towns. Let's face it: There are a lot of reasons why students usually do not stay in Muncie after they graduate. Why would some professor who could be working in a place like Chicago or even Bloomington want to live in a city that has fallen into such disrepair?
I am not saying the state of Muncie is Ball State's fault. The university is the city's biggest employer and they provide many cultural and recreational opportunities for the area. I just feel as if Ball State could do more.
Ball State is financially sound. Whatever the university needs they can get through tuition increases and fund raising, but we have something that is much more valuable to a place like Muncie - manpower.
Let us believe that Ball State requires a class that leads students to community service projects. Students would only have to take it once and they would commit a minimum of 15 hours to Muncie in whatever field they like. On average, that would generate over 75,000 hours of service to the community per year.
In this arrangement, everybody wins. Muncie gets some much needed TLC in many different areas, thus raising the general appeal of the city and potentially bringing more employers and people in, boosting the economy.
Students gain valuable skills and an interesting resume builder that could help set them apart in the job search from other candidates. Ball State gains bright students and faculty who add to the quality of the university, as well as great PR.
It's a win-win-win situation.
I have a lot of respect for Muncie and its residents, and I hate to see a place with such potential wither away because nobody was able or willing to do what needed to be done. I just hope people act before it is too late.
Christian Robinson is a junior telecommunications major and writes 'Overshare!' for the Daily News. Her views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper.
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