After being taken down a few days after being installed, the new electronic sign in front of the L.A. Pittenger Student Center was reinstalled Monday evening.
Greg Graham, interim director of facilities planning, said the sign, which cost between $40,000 and $50,000, was taken down last week because of an installation error. It was temporarily removed to replace brackets that would ensure the sign would sit correctly, he said.
Ball State University wasn't forced to pay any additional costs for the repairs since the contractor didn't install the sign correctly, Graham said.
The sign is the first of three new electronic signs scheduled to go up at Ball State within the next month.
Both John R. Emens Auditorium's and University Theatre's current signs will be replaced with electronic signs similar to the one at the Student Center, Graham said. The signs should be completed sometime in November, he said.
The University Theatre sign will cost between $50,000 and $60,000, and the Emens sign will cost about $80,000. The estimated totals include the costs of the actual signs and the masonry.
Graham said the sign updates around campus are a bit of a coincidence, and it wasn't necessarily planned to install them all at once. The Student Center sign had to be moved anyway because the recent renovations. A request for new signs for Emens and University Theatre have been in for a couple of years.
Graham said it just made sense to upgrade to electronic signs because they make it easier to show updates and announcements.
"[The electronic signs] are certainly improvements in the areas of technology and appearance," he said.
But not everyone is convinced the signs are completely worth it.
"[Electronic signs] make it easy to show updates, but [they] lose their personal feel," freshman telecommunications major Bryan Akers said. "But we rely on a lot of things like Wi-Fi and technology, so it makes sense we'd use electronic signs."
Accounting major Sarah Westgerdes said she thinks the money spent is excessive and unnecessary.
"I think it's stupid [to spend $80,000] just for a sign," she said. "I think it [makes campus look nicer], but do we have to spend that much money?"
Read More
Retired high school teacher holds presentation about history of Berlin Wall
By Emma Matlock / 7 hours agoTom Schwartz, a retired Bluffton High School Teacher, talks about the art on the Berlin Wall on April 15, 2024.
Fatal accident along McGalliard Road and Tillotson Avenue
By Staff Reports / 8 hours agoA police chase that began in neighboring Henry County the morning of April 18 ended in Muncie at the McGalliard Road and Tillotson Avenue intersection, according to a press release from the Muncie Police Department (MPD).
Songkran Festival – Thai New Year celebration
By Brooke Follrad / 8 hours agoThailand New Year takes place from April 13 through April 15.
