Usually, the main goal of a college student is to earn a degree. (At least that would explain why we spend thousands of dollars on tuition every year.) So we attend classes, do homework and study. However, most students are living on or near campus and away from their families and friends back home. A purely academic experience, no matter how informative, cannot create an atmosphere that fosters creativity, camaraderie or school spirit. It's simply boring.
Even though college students are adults, we still need a chance to kick back and have fun. Most of the best college-days stories don't begin with, "I was reading this fascinating biology chapter ..." Instead, they have strange, intriguing beginnings like, "I was trying to shoot this zombie..." or "We were whacking golf balls at Schafer Tower ..." or even "When we decided to ride the Late Loop all night ..."
It's the spontaneous, off-the-wall activities that students enjoy most while at school, and Ball State University needs to take a clue from games like Humans vs. Zombies. More than 400 people participated in the game, and even though it ended early because of general apathy, it got students involved and connected with each other. And the more students feel like they are part of a community, the more they will enjoy their overall experience at Ball State.
Activities such as Late Nite are a good idea, and many students attend them-more than 7,000 visited the Late Nite Carnival last Spring. But too many university events draw small crowds, and the popular ones can be few and far between. Perhaps Ball State needs to arrange week-long campus games like Humans vs. Zombies that all students can get involved with. Not only will participants be doing a school-sponsored activity (gasp!) but they'll be playing together.
Homecoming has the Ashley Awards point contest, and several student groups take the competition very seriously. However, that's a group contest. Let's create contests that individuals can do. After all, if the point is to get students involved, the university shouldn't cater only to students who are already in organizations. The loners who Ball State should strive to include won't be in groups, and therefore will be left out.
No matter how silly or strange a game or contest sounds, give it a try, Ball State. Humans vs. Zombies was a little out there, but more than 400 students thought it was a great idea.
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