It is Katelin Carter's goal to see kites flying in the sky over University Green. As founder of the Ball State Kite Flying Society, Carter, a sophomore photojournalism major, along with the 81 members of the group, have taken steps this month to become an official campus club.
Carter said she hopes to hear a decision by semester's end. Carter and sophomore speech pathology major Carol LaFoe and Tessa Click, sophomore art education major, founded the unofficial kite flying organization during the Spring Semester when they began flying kites on University Green.
"It ended up being a lot of fun, sparking some youthful zest within us and attracting passersby looking to experience the fun of flying a kite from when they were kids," Kevin Rhodes, a junior finance and economics major, said.
After they began flying kites, many students showed interest in joining a group that got together to partake in this timeless, childhood activity. Since its first meeting in March, the group has steadily grown, Carter said.
"It's just a different experience, it's not something really common," Carter said. "It's simple, but really fun. It's easy to gather a big group of people together to experience it."
This group is different from other organizations on campus because it does not have regularly scheduled meetings. Whenever there is a windy day, Carter will send out a Facebook message to the members of the society stating a time and place to fly kites.
"The worst part seems to be the lack of consistent wind," Rhodes said. "Many days aren't too windy or favorable for kite flying. We also have a lot of downtime due to winter."
Club members must take some precautions when they get the chance to go out and fly kites on a windy day, Carter said. Hazards such as people, trees and buildings must be avoided to keep the kite flying strong.
"We've had kites hit people walking by," she said. "We have to be careful about that. We hit a couple on a date once. They had a picnic blanket out and then it [the kite] just dived and hit them."
For some club members, avoiding trees is the ultimate goal because the string can easily get tangled up in the branches. Rhodes, a member of the society, thinks differently.
"Climbing trees to retrieve stuck kites is fun for me, but I doubt others enjoy it as much," he said.
Sophomore architecture major Caleb Wild said he has an unusual goal that he would like to accomplish as a kite club member.
"During my first field experience with the kite flying society, I realized that one of the kites was edging closer and closer to Shafer Tower," Wild said. "Unsurprisingly, I thought it would be really cool if we could keep tying the lines together so we would be able to ring the bell. I mean you can do as much advertising as you want, but hearing the bell tower ring at 5:37 is going to grab some attention. Not to mention, getting a kite stuck on the bell tower would be awesome. I thought the Ball State Kite Flying Society could use this attention."
No matter the goal, flying kites brings members of this organization back to their childhoods.
Kite society member Hannah Birky, a junior psychology major, flies kites to bring back childhood memories and nostalgia.
"I know that flying kites was something I used to do as a little kid, and it's so great to be able to do as an adult and still have a good time. I think that the society allows people to act childlike without feeling dumb or embarrassed," Birky said. "It's innocent fun and that's what I love about it."
Members of the organization are happy to have students join even if they are just walking down the street and see them out flying, Birky said. Anyone can participate in the society and Birky encourages people to join the Facebook group so they'll be able to know when and where it's meeting.
"Even if they don't own a kite, we always have plenty and it's always a great time," she said.
How to become a club:
1. Students must complete and submit the Intent To Organize Form to the Office of Student Life.
2. The student organization must have an adviser who is a Ball State faculty member or professional staff member.
3. The organization must have an on-campus mailing address, which can be obtained through the Office of Student Life.
4. A constitution must be created following the guidelines from the Office of Student Life.
*For more information, contact the Office of Student Life 285-2621
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