Of the hundreds of on-campus organizations, the Ball State Women's Club stands out.
Established in 1923, the organization began as a social outlet for the wives of Ball State faculty members, then later evolved to include female faculty and staff members.
"Through the years it has evolved to include professional women, as well," Sue Taylor, assistant director of Alumni Programs, said.
Instead of simply being a social club, the organization is now a small society intent on making a difference in the lives of non-traditional students.
Non-traditional students are students who have special circumstances or experienced a series of events that kept them from attending college straight out of high school, usually a span of at least five years, Taylor said. Many times non-traditional students are a bit older than the average college student, and many are also raising children.
The organization's scholarship committee annually chooses three recipients who each receive a $1,000 scholarship, Taylor said. Recipients are chosen after a series of interviews and applications, and after being reviewed by scholarship committee. They are also required to fill out the FAFSA, which helps determine their individual need.
Of this year's scholarship winners, one is receiving the scholarship for a second time. Taylor said pre-med major Pamela Filby received the scholarship last year and again this year.
"She's really an excellent example of what a person can do when they put their mind to it," Taylor said.
Alice Thomas, head of membership for the Women's Club, said the club keeps tabs on recipients. About 98 percent of them graduate.
"One of the unique things about our scholarship organization is that we keep track of our recipients and see how many graduate with their degrees," she said.
Although the organization has been around for nearly 90 years, not many people on campus know it exists.
"Basically what we offer is friendship and service," Thomas said. "It's a neat organization, but it's kind of invisible."
The organization's main goal for this year is fundraising, Taylor said. It wants to raise enough money to be able to increase each scholarship by about $500.
Taylor said most of that goal has to do with the organization's desire to be as helpful as it can, but it is also due to the economy and the rising cost of tuition.
The organization will sell $5 coupon booklets for the department store Carson's (formerly Elder-Beerman) in the Muncie Mall. Taylor said she hopes that through fundraising, as well as charitable donations, the organization will be able to provide even more assistance for non-traditional students.
Although she is unsure of the amount needed to raise the scholarship value, Taylor said that it's a substantial amount.
"We've got a lot of work out there," she said.
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