Scholarship announcements:
First scholarship: Oct. 12
Second scholarship: Oct. 26
Estimated Tuition Costs 2015-2016
In-State Year - $7,542
In-State Semester - $3,771
Out-of-State Year - $23,060
Out-of-State Semester - $11,530
Ball State students already have free admission to home games, but they now have a chance to get some tuition paid for.
The Ball State Student Rewards Program is offering the Chirp! Chirp! Spirit Scholarship, which covers one-half of in-state tuition for one semester. There will be two of these scholarships offered first semester.
Shawn Sullivan, assistant athletic director for marketing and fan engagement, said the goal is to see “a growth in attendance, excitement and atmosphere of home Ball State events.” He believes students that attend the games will want to attend more events in the future.
“Anytime you can provide the opportunity to see something once and it’s fun and engaging, and the student-athletes are playing hard, and you see the Ball State across the chest of the uniform, and there’s some passion involved – the hope is, yes, you’ll like what you see and you’ll come back and check it out again,” Sullivan said.
All Ball State undergraduate students are eligible for the scholarships. Students that attended (and checked in at the kiosk) during the soccer team’s 2-1 victory against Eastern Michigan on Sept. 25 as well as the Oct. 2 volleyball win over Northern Illinois must also attend the Oct. 11 field hockey matchup with Bellarmine University to qualify for the first scholarship, which will be randomly selected on Oct. 12.
Attendance at Ball State sporting events is somewhat inconsistent, however. The athletic department is always looking for new ways to attracts students to games and matches.
Josh Heideman, a sophomore education major, liked the idea of the scholarship but is skeptical about whether students would attend multiple games.
“I mean, that should bring more people out to the games,” he said. “But people mainly come out to the games for good athletics, and Ball State has always been average or sub-par.”
Students got word of the scholarship through Ball State email. Some say they knew little about it because they tend to overlook the numerous amount of emails they get from different departments on campus.
Sullivan said the scholarship is publicized on social media, on the athletic websites as well as fliers on campus. The emails are a way of reminding students about the qualifications.
Sophomore Emily Reger is a residence hall assistant, and has received fliers to pass out. Time commitments make it difficult to attend the events for college students, she said.
“If I had the time, I’d do it,” she said. “I’m an RA, I’m a speech path major and then I’m in a sorority, so it kinda keeps me busy. I’m always on the go, and then I’m trying to study and stuff too.”
Mitch Greene, a junior elementary education major, said he will try to attend the games if his schedule allows it.
“I think it’s a really cool idea and [I think] more people will come to the games,” he said. “You get to win a scholarship just for going to the game.”
Students that were unable to attend the first three required contests still have a chance at the second scholarship. To be eligible, a student must check in during the first and fourth quarters of the Family Weekend football game on Oct. 24 against Central Michigan. The second scholarship will be of random selection on Oct. 26.
Sullivan said he was optimistic for the scholarship's success, but will wait to evaluate it until after the events.
“As marketers, we try to come up with ideas that will build our attendance and build our engagement,” he said. “Some work and some don’t; time will tell. ... We'll go through it, we'll evaluate it and we'll see how it goes."
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