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A Ball State mom plays cornhole at the tailgate on Sept. 14, 2019, outside Scheumann Stadium. Charlie Town, located near the Alumni Center, is one tailgating opportunity for families and visitors. Jacob Musselman, DN File

Students and organizers share hopes for Family Weekend 2021

A quarter of the fall 2021 semester has already passed, and many students, especially freshmen, could be feeling homesick. With a little more than two weeks to go until fall break, Ball State is giving families an opportunity to reconnect at its annual Family Weekend Sept. 24-26, complete with a home football game, Emens Auditorium show, children’s events and other activities. 


Ball State students use the brochure to follow along with the game on Sept. 14, 2019, at Scheumann Stadium. The family weekend schedule for 2021 includes a football game, children’s fair, Emens Auditorium show and a Bell Tower recital. Paul Kihn, DN File

Ball State 2021 family weekend schedule

Ball State will host its first in-person family weekend since the COVID-19 pandemic began Sept. 24-26, with one kickoff event Thursday night. Here's the list of events, as well as locations open for self-guided tours.




A very soggy start to fall

Weather Forecaster Kerstin Cox brings you the afternoon weather update on a rainy start to Fall.  


Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter Tiara Thomas poses for a photo in Sursa Performance Hall after an interview with Associate Professor of Journalism Gabriel Tait, Sept. 20, 2021. Thomas graduated from Ball State in 2012 and has since been awarded a Grammy and an Academy Award for song "Fight For You" in the film "Judas and the Black Messiah." Rylan Capper, DN.

Grammy and Academy award winner Tiara Thomas reflects on her career success

Tiara Thomas started teaching herself how to play guitar at the age of 12. She took her guitar with her to school, telling her classmates she would win a Grammy one day before she knew how to play the instrument. At the 63rd annual Grammy Awards earlier this year, Thomas proved her 12-year-old self and her classmates right.



Toni Werner sits at a desk at Warm a Heart ministry in Waterloo. Werner is a 1999 Ball State alumna who taught for 23 years before becoming director of the ministry. Warm a Heart ministry, Photo Courtesy

Ball State alumna becomes ministry director

For Toni Werner, teaching was what she was meant to do with her life. After getting her degree in elementary education from Ball State in 1999, Werner spent 23 years teaching in an elementary school for DeKalb Central Schools.


Ball State University quaterback, Drew Plitt, reviews his passing options against Western Illinois on September 2nd, 2021 at Scheumann Stadium. Kyle Atkisson, DN

3 takeaways from Ball State's loss to Wyoming

Ball State Football has a losing record for the first time since 2019, as they fell to Wyoming 45-12. The Cardinals could never find a rhythm, as they fell into a 31-0 halftime deficit. The second half was closer, but Wyoming still had the edge and ultimately won the game. 


Sister Cindy's controversial sermon at Ball State drew hundreds of viewers to the Quad

TikTok star and viral sensation “Sister Cindy” Smock visited Ball State Friday afternoon to spread her message to the student body. With a Bible in one hand, a sign reading “Slut Shaming Time” in the other and wearing a shirt emblazoned with the message “Be a ho no mo,” Smock spent almost four hours on campus preaching her signature brand of evangelical Christianity.