Students celebrating the finale of Ball State University's Homecoming Week will have to march to the beat of their own drums this year as the marching band will be absent from Saturday's parade.
This comes as a disappointment to students such as senior elementary education major Mallory Collins. Collins, a long-time Muncie resident, said she has attended the parade for as long as she can remember.
"The band not being in the parade takes away from the whole experience," she said.
Despite her disappointment, Collins said she would watch the spectacle Saturday.
"I've always depended on (the marching band) being a part of the parade, but I can't imagine not going," she said. "I'll just have to make a mad dash over to the game."
Jennifer Regnier, publicity chairwoman for the Homecoming Committee, said the band's absence is a result of the football game being moved from the usual 2 p.m. kickoff to an earlier time of noon.
Ball State's Homecoming Committee remained optimistic about the parade despite facing more obstacles this year.
"Not having the band participate in the parade was disappointing for the committee, but we understand and respect the band's decision to practice and prepare for the game," Regnier said. "Our obstacle now is finding a way to play the Ball State fight song."
Athletics director Tom Collins said Saturday's game time was determined by the football team's commitment to the Mid-American Conference.
"ESPN Game Plan chooses which games they want to televise from the conference," Tom Collins said. "This game has been chosen since the spring, so we just did our best to let everyone know of the change up front. We're hoping for the same kind of crowd as we had for the game against Navy."
Other changes to this year's celebration include limiting parade entries to 30 on-campus organizations and 20 off-campus. Regnier said the slots were assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, but the number of participants was not drastically reduced.
The route of the parade was also shortened to allow students to take advantage of both the parade and the game. A Pre-Game Luncheon for alumni and dignitaries will follow the parade at 9:30 a.m. at the Alumni Center. The march will begin at 8:30 a.m. from Muncie Central High School and is expected to last about an hour, ending on the corner of McKinley and Neely avenues.
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