The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Indiana announced in a March 2 press release that it filed two federal lawsuits against Ball State University regarding the university's Non-Commercial Expressive Activity and Assembly on University Property policy.

Deputy Legal Director of ACLU Indiana Gavin Rose said in a March 5 interview with The Ball State Daily News that the two lawsuits were filed on behalf of 11 students against Ball State officials.

He said the organization decided to get involved after being contacted by "a couple of persons" who shared concerns about the consequences of several of those students' attempts to meet with President Geoffrey Mearns.

The group visited the Frank A. Bracken Administration Building on campus in November 2025 to leave notes for the president to express their "concerns regarding the university's financial ties to Israel," according to the lawsuit.

RELATED: Students target President Mearns during hunger strike rally

RELATED: Ball State protest sanctions draw criticism from FIRE, AAUP

The group of students arrived during normal business hours but were asked to leave the premises, while being allowed to remain in the hallway outside Mearns' office. According to the lawsuit, the group left once the building closed at 5:00 p.m.

Ball State stated in its Non-Commercial Expressive policy that "assemblies, protests, or other demonstrations are prohibited within 50 feet of any building having a classroom, laboratory, library, or similar instructional or research space."

"[The policy] prohibits a wide array of First Amendment activity," Rose said.

The policy also stated that individuals must stay within 50 feet of any indoor or outdoor experiential-learning facility, any building with a computer lab, any building with a testing or tutoring center, any building with an administrative office and any residence hall, family apartment or other university residence.

"Assemblers, protestors, or demonstrators who refuse to vacate any of the locations listed in this subsection upon request may be subject to suspension and/or arrest under applicable laws," according to Ball State's policy.

University officials declined to comment on the lawsuit.

"The university does not comment on pending litigation," Associate Vice President of University Communications and Digital Strategy Greg Fallon said via email March 13.

The first lawsuit, Archer v. Mearns et al., was filed after Ball State student Cooper Archer, one of the 11 students in the activist organization Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), along with other students, visited the Frank A. Bracken Administration Building in November 2025.

Archer was alleged to have violated two university policies: one for prohibiting protests or demonstrations within 50 feet of most buildings on campus, and one requiring students to comply with all directives from university officials, according to the lawsuit.

As a result of these actions and Archer's prior discipline, he has been suspended from campus for the remainder of the spring 2026 semester. He is also seeking damages against director of student conduct, Kaleigh Richardson, and vice president people and culture, Mark Liebling, "the university officials responsible for the sanctions against him," according to the lawsuit.

The second lawsuit, Allen et al. v. Mearns et al., was also filed after the events of Nov. 19, with all students listed in the lawsuit also violating the same policies as Archer. Each student received "a range of disciplinary sanctions," according to the second lawsuit.

In Archer v. Mearns, the lawsuit argues that the plaintiff's discipline for engaging in expressive activity was not disruptive to university operations and still violated the First Amendment. Allen et al. v. Mearns et al. lawsuit also argues that the other students did not disrupt university operations.

The policies that the group of students is accused of violating were alleged to be "unconstitutional" by the lawsuit, saying that the plaintiffs' behavior "was fully protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution."

Both lawsuits allege that the 50-foot policy violates the First Amendment and the Failure-to-Comply Provision, and that enforcing that policy violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments.

The second lawsuit said the group of students is also entitled to damages against Richardson, as well as to damages against T.J. Brecciaroli, associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students, and Melissa Rubrecht, director of employee relations, due to their being "the university officials responsible for the sanctions against them," according to the lawsuit.

However, one of the plaintiffs, Cheyanne Watkins, brings no claim against Rubrecht.

Rose explained that a large portion of the "heart of campus" exists between other buildings within 50 feet of each other because "that is what colleges look like."

"It really is impossible to walk from point A to point B much of the time while march[ing], protesting, or even wearing a t-shirt that expresses your disapproval with certain things," Rose said. "So that's why we filed the lawsuit."

Vice president of the Ball State Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), Matthew Hotham, said that the university "seems to not be adhering" to its non-commercial policy.

He explained that AAUP is seeing more evidence that Ball State seems to be "limiting the ability of students and faculty to create a robust learning environment" due to possible fear of political reprisal.

"If students can't test out the things they're learning in their classroom and see how it applies to the real world without fear that they might be sanctioned by their university, that inhibits the ability for everyone to learn at the university," Hotham said.

Rose said he hopes that if the organization wins the lawsuit, students and anyone who is affiliated with the university will see a benefit in their right to exercise their constitutional rights.

"I think it's a big deal anytime anyone stands up to the government and says, 'you're doing wrong, you're violating my constitutional rights,'" Rose said. "It's an even bigger deal when the people who are doing so are 20, 22 years old."

This story will be updated with more information as it becomes available.

Contact Linnea Sundquist via email at linnea.sundquist@bsu.edu.

Today: The winds will be coming from the southwest at 15 mph with gusts reaching up to 30 mph. It will be mostly sunny today with a few lingering clouds. The high will be 81 degrees, however the temperature will slowly drop throughout the day with the winds slowly picking up.

Tonight: The low will be 43 degrees with the winds coming from the west southwest at 15 mph. Clouds will be making their way into the area bringing some rain with them. There is an enhanced threat in our area bringing harsh winds, hail, and a downpour in rain. This will hit Muncie and the viewing area around 10 p.m. with the heavy rain. This will stick around until early Friday morning.

Tomorrow: After the storms move through tonight and early tomorrow the temperature will drop almost 40 degrees. The temperature will start out in the upper-30s, at around 8 a.m. and slowly uptick into the mid-40s. The day will start out cloudy but the clouds will disperse as the day continues. The winds will stay consistent at 15 mph.

Seven-Day Forecast: The temperature will drop tomorrow but will slowly rise as the weekend continues and into next week. There are rain chances throughout most of next week but the temperatures will stay in those more springlike temperatures. The clouds will stick around throughout the week.

- Weather Forecaster Karina Gross

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NewsLink Indiana is a proud Ambassador for the NOAA Weather-Ready Nation program.

For more information about the Weather-Ready Nation program please click HERE

In this episode of 9-1-1 What's Your Hot Take, Sam and Willow discuss the events of season 9 episode 14 of 9-1-1.

Music track: Talk by Chill Pulse

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Hosted by: Sam Jasionowski and Willow Emig

Edited by: Sam Jasionowski

Graphic by: Willow Emig

That legacy matters. And it is precisely because it matters that the student staff, with the full support of faculty and university leadership, made the difficult but thoughtful decision to move toward a digital-first strategy, while continuing to publish select special print editions each semester.

This decision was not made lightly. It followed years of careful assessment of audience behavior, advertising realities, educational outcomes and student participation. Like newsrooms across the country, the Daily News has experienced a significant decline in print advertising revenue and readership. At the same time, student engagement in the newsroom has reached historic lows- not due to lack of passion, but because the future of journalism now demands different skills, platforms and experimentation.

The mission of the Unified Media Lab is twofold:

• To serve the community by telling meaningful, relevant stories
• To prepare students for the journalism and communications careers they will enter today - and five to seven years from now

A digital-first model allows students to do both more effectively. It creates room for innovation, audience growth and sustainability, while ensuring students gain experience with the tools, storytelling formats and business models shaping modern media.

Importantly, this was a student-led decision, unanimously supported by the Daily News board, and supported by faculty, the dean, the provost and our alumni board. Faculty remain deeply engaged in guiding the transition and supporting students through the change, including preparing for the range of reactions that often accompany moments like this.

Change is never easy, especially when it touches something so meaningful. But journalism has always evolved, and the strongest newsrooms are those willing to adapt while honoring their values. The Daily News is not disappearing. It is evolving, so it can continue to educate, inform and lead.

We are proud of the students for their courage, their care for the institution they steward and their willingness to set a bold agenda for the future of journalism at Ball State.

Thousands of newspapers are placed in racks across campus. And every week, most of them are still there, untouched, when the next edition arrives.

That reality is one of the reasons our editorial board recently voted unanimously to end the weekly print edition and transition to a digital-first newsroom starting fall 2026, in accordance with the upcoming academic year.

This was not a quick decision, nor was it one that was made lightly or by administrators. It was made by students - the journalists who run this newsroom and see firsthand how our audience actually consumes the content we create.

Unlike other collegiate student-led publications, this is not an issue of censorship that was made without student input. The Ball State Daily News' decision was made in response to financial realities, following multiple conversations between university staff and Daily News leadership.

Ultimately, the unanimous vote was made entirely by our editorial board, with no university staff members or administrative representatives present during the vote proceedings.

For years, the weekly print paper has cost the organization more than $25,000 annually to produce, while generating very little advertising revenue. At the same time, most of the 5,000 copies printed each week remain in racks by the next print cycle or end up in wastebins, which means the print content we have put our energy into goes unread on a weekly basis.

Continuing to invest in a product that few people pick up and retain not only limits our ability to invest in audience engagement, but it is simply irresponsible.

The shift away from print is not unique to Ball State. National research shows younger audiences consume news more digitally. According to 2025 Pew Research Center data, the majority of adults ages 18 to 29 access news on digital devices. This shows that social media and news websites are far more common sources for young adults than print newspapers.

For us, this poses an issue, as one of our main target audiences is students.

Moving to a digital-first model opens the door for more multimedia storytelling, including video, photography and more interactive reporting. It also better reflects the type of newsrooms today's journalism students will enter after they graduate.

However, we are not cutting print entirely; we are simply scaling back to ease the financial burden of our current weekly print cycles.

These drawbacks include shifting to "special editions" that will highlight Ball State's campus population and the Muncie community in greater, more in-depth detail. The expanded time in between our print cycles will afford our staff more time to learn the inner workings of the editorial process whilst connecting with the population we serve on a more personal level.

The tradition of the Daily News has never been the physical paper itself. It is the reporting and the commitment to documenting life at Ball State. So what is changing is the platform, not the mission.

For years, newsrooms across the country have evolved as audiences and technology have changed, and it is time for us to do the same.

According to the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism's 2025 Digital News Report, audiences are increasingly turning to social media, video platforms and online sources for news rather than print.

Per our namesake, we will continue to publish content online daily. Only the frequency of our print editions is changing, not the quality of our content.

The stories will still be told. They will just reach readers where they already are.

Contact the Daily News via email at editor@bsudailynews.com

An amount smaller than a grain of salt is enough to be deadly.

The Sheriff's Office says Cyclorphine can look like many things:

• Powder: Could have an off-white, grey, or tan in color.
• Pill: Mimics legitimate prescription medications like Oxycodone and Hydromorphone.
• Liquid: Could appear clear and colorless.
• Lacings: Could be mixed into other drugs like heroin, methamphetamine or "Tranq."

The Marion County Sheriff's Office says you should never consume any medication that was not prescribed to you by a licensed physician and dispensed by a legitimate pharmacy. Despite Cyclorphine's potency, Narcan is still the most effective tool to reverse an overdose. Doses should be re-administered every 2-3 minutes until first responders arrive.

To use Narcan, gently insert the tip of the nozzle into one nostril. Your fingers on either side of the nozzle should touch the bottom of the person's nose. Press the plunger firmly to release the dose, then remove it.

Narcan is available for free 24/7 at ten different locations in Muncie:

• Friends Memorial Church, 418 W. Adams St.
• YWCA of Muncie, 310 E. Charles St.
• The Garden at Main Street, 115 South Pershing Drive
• Faith Builder, 1127 S. Madison St.
• Muncie Liberation Studio, 1809 W. University Ave.
• Avondale United Methodist Church, 1314 W. 10th St.
• IU Health Ball, 2401 W. University Ave.
• Connection Corner, 1824 E. Centennial Ave.
• Spero Health, 3700 North Briarwood Lane, Suite A
• Yorktown Public Library, 8920 W. Adaline St.

No personal interaction is needed at any of these locations.

This is a developing story and will continue to be updated.

Contact Sophie Schick with comments at sophie.schick@bsu.edu.

Tonight: You can expect a cool and pleasant evening as temperatures will slowly decrease through the night, reaching 59 degrees. Skies will remain cloudy, followed by precipitation early Thursday morning. A breeze of 15 mph will add a chill, so it would be best to bring a light jacket.

Tomorrow: In the early morning, the temperature will be in the high-50s, eventually reaching 71 degrees at noon, and 79 degrees at 5 p.m. Starting around 1 a.m. Thursday morning, we will receive heavy rainfall until 7 a.m.. It will remain cloudy and muggy for the day, with a possible severe thunderstorm moving in around 7 p.m. This storm will bring damaging winds, heavy rainfall, lighting, and possible lime-sized hail. Muncie's risk remains high from 8 to 11 p.m. with heavy precipitation bringing us into Friday.

Seven-day Forecast: After Thursday's storms have passed, temperatures will remain in the mid-40s to the low-60s the rest of the weekend. Temperatures will rise beginning on Monday, with highs in the low-to-mid-70s and clear skies. Monday through Wednesday will be cloudy, with a possibility of moderate rainfall on Monday and Tuesday.

- Weather Forecaster Dillinger Clark

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and X @NLIWeather for breaking weather updates.

NewsLink Indiana is a proud Ambassador for the NOAA Weather-Ready Nation program.

For more information about the Weather-Ready Nation program please click HERE

Tonight: Temperatures will drop down to the high-50s, with winds coming out of the southwest at around 15 mph. Chances of rain increase as we make our way later this evening to tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow: As you leave tomorrow morning, you can go without your jackets, but be sure to grab an umbrella. Early morning temperatures will be in the high-50s and will increase throughout the day to the high-70s. Still, with those rising temperatures, we do see chances of rain returning to our forecast, bringing with it the possibility of severe weather. This severe weather can bring thunderstorms, large hail, high winds, and even isolated tornadoes to our area, so be sure to remain weather aware during this time.

Seven-Day Forecast: Over the next few days, we see our temperature increase to record high temperatures on Thursday and then drop significantly on Friday as a cold front moves into our area. This cold front is pushing in some precipitation and severe weather late Thursday and early Friday morning, which could impact your Friday commute. The temperature will pick back up as we make our way into the weekend and into the beginning of next week. With these increasing temperatures, we again see those rain chances return to our forecast on Monday and Tuesday.

- Weather Forecaster Halle Dziekan

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and X @NLIWeather for breaking weather updates.

NewsLink Indiana is a proud Ambassador for the NOAA Weather-Ready Nation program.

For more information about the Weather-Ready Nation program please click HERE

The resolution of her journey to her major came in the form of a monthlong road trip across several states during the winter of her sophomore year. The winter break adventure impacted Silsby-Inman so deeply that her experiences guided her to her calling.

"I saw eight national parks and 17 states, came back changed and officially declared my major" Silsby-Inman said. "The park rangers, the people I met and the cultures I interacted with drove me to want to do the same, and be a park ranger."

While Silsby-Inman has found a passion for public history and the national parks, her journey to her dreams was not always simple. One obstacle that shaped her into the person she is today was her experience at music school.

She described her time as a musician as a very difficult experience, but credits the time for the growth that it brought.

"It sucked; I thought my life was over! But it wasn't," Silsby-Inman said. "I learned so much and found passions and people that I never would have if that hadn't happened. I love what I do!"

Her time as a musician helped guide Silsby-Inman to the path that she is on and helped her find her passion for public history.

"I think the coolest part of being a public history major at Ball State is, for one, the awesome professors and support system in the program," said Silsby-Inman.

She has found community in her studies along with opportunities to immerse herself in her education, both inside and outside the classroom. Including the opportunity to work as an archaeologist during the summer of 2025, an experience she noted among her favorite experiences she has had throughout her time as a Cardinal.

"This summer, I had the chance to work with Ball State Applied Anthropology Lab as an archaeologist!" Silsby-Inman said, "I worked with awesome peers and faculty doing things like test pits and GPR [ground-penetration radar]."

Her passion for public history is not the only passion that she pursues, though it is dominant in her education. She also explores a myriad of different interests, including traveling, hiking, rugby and cars, all of which she approaches with grit and determination.

"I'd say the most 'me' thing about me is that I never give up. I take it in stride, adapt, and crawl my way back," said Silsby-Inman.

All in all, her grit and drive for her passions will serve her well as she strives to become a park ranger for the National Park Service.

At Cardinal Media, we believe everyone at Ball State has a story worth telling. Cardinal Spotlight is our way of getting to know students beyond the surface - what they're up to, what matters to them, and what makes them who they are. Ordinary college life is more interesting than it gets credit for, and we want to hear about it.

I was born two months prematurely with congenital diplegia cerebral palsy. That is a whole story in and of itself.

RELATED: My Body, NOT My Choice

Growing up in a public school system, I saw firsthand how lucky I was to enjoy the "benefits" of the disabled existence: alternative testing locations with extra time allotted, elevator usage without question, close parking spots outside destinations, while still maintaining some "normalcy" of the human existence: the ability to walk, talk and remain in general education classes with my able-bodied friends and peer group.

The older I became, the more I understood my ability to "contort" myself was relatively unique to me. Not everyone who is disabled has the "luxury" of being able to mask it in a crowded room - and thus dispel ignorant first impressions - as promptly or as directly as I can.

Having said that, there was no one with my same duality in my public school system, making me the "token disabled child" until I got to college.

I remember my first collective meeting with Ball State University's Office of Disability Services. I was surrounded by equally intelligent people with disabilities.

Suddenly, I was no longer a disabled person who - by some miracle - happened to be smart. I was a smart person who happened to be disabled. The thing that had made me unique - and predominantly self-conscious - for nearly two decades was no more; my identity was a description.

I knew this cultural identity shift would happen at the collegiate level, but I was not prepared for how it would affect me. I thought it would make me feel relieved or liberated, but I felt gaslit more than anything.

From my perspective, when people began to treat my disability like it was "no big deal," I was taken aback.

"What do you mean it is no big deal? It is my life," my eyes said at a glance.

However, it did not take me long to understand that the remark was rich with subtext. "No big deal" was not a discredit toward the reality of being disabled. Instead, it was meant to underscore the actuality of being seen for more than such. With this understanding came a sense of internal shame: maybe I was the problem.

"If I keep talking about my disability, no one will see me for more than such," I thought.

Coincidentally, I also realized not every disabled person in my college town had made that revelation - particularly disabled men. By now, I worry that the ones I have interacted with may never.

About a month into my first semester of college, I remember how refreshing it was to not look to the left or right of me and see snickering faces or be on edge that people would ask about my gait as I walked by.

I narrowly let go of the angst. Thankfully, not soon enough to let myself be hurt by the inevitable.

The first - and only - person on campus to ask me, "Why you walkin' like that?" was a man in a wheelchair. The irony was not lost on me. It is something I will never forget.

To be clear, the question itself was not the issue. The issue was all in the approach. "Why you walkin' like that?" and "Are you okay?", for example, are two very different approaches that ask the same questions. I am only bothered when answering the first one.

In several of my personal interactions with disabled men in workplace settings, I encountered behavior that felt entitled and dismissive, which challenged my expectations.

I have wondered whether some of the behaviors I have observed could be shaped by overprotective environments growing up, though I recognize that experiences vary widely.

Research from The National Library of Medicine in December 2019 suggests that overprotective parenting disrupts normal independence development, which can intersect with gender expectations.

"Although parental control behaviors are more likely to be considered protective against risky sexual behavior, the relation between parental overprotection and risky sexual behavior is unclear. Furthermore, parental overprotection may influence peer selection and prosocial behaviors in emerging adults, which may, in turn, influence outcomes of risky sexual behavior, as suggested by primary socialization theory," according to the study.

To that end, the same coddling disabled men are given, even beyond their childhood homes and into the streets of society, does not exist for disabled women, as women have historically been declared the "inferior" sex in American society, as noted by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Last month, I sat in on a series of organizational leadership interviews, as part of my role within student media. In one case, I was present not as a decision-maker, but as an observer during both the interview and the deliberation that followed.

One of the candidates, a man that requires a wheelchair, and I were both born with cerebral palsy.

After not being selected, he shared his disappointment on a public social media forum, reflecting on what the outcome might mean and questioning whether his disability played a role in the decision. His response spoke to a broader frustration - one that blended personal ambition with the uncertainty many disabled individuals feel when opportunities do not go their way.

In my experience, expectations can differ along gender lines, and I have sometimes felt that disabled women are granted less leeway in certain environments.

The situation raises questions not just about representation and access, but about how we, as disabled people, process rejection, advocate for ourselves and engage with the systems we are part of - especially when emotions are high and stakes feel personal.

My mother, for good, instinctual reasons related to my physical safety, has long-since wanted me to date a disabled man. Instances like the above remind me why I have not, and why I am far more hesitant to do so now.

I was raised knowing that being disabled is not an excuse to get what you want. Disability is a description - not a qualification that automatically pits you above others. When disability, or any minorital label for that matter, such as race, ethnicity or gender is used as leverage without merit, it sets the demographic - and all people who identify within it - back, lessening the impact and credibility of true discriminatory threats.

It is not hard to obtain real-world experiences like internships or jobs solely because one is disabled, as my peer suggested. But, it is hard to obtain such things if one is not likeable or collaborative.

Being a member of an underrepresented population is a delicate responsibility. With it comes the social understanding that one's actions have the potential to influence how someone else views an entire community of people.

When that responsibility is mishandled - when frustration turns outward or accountability is deflected - it does not exist in a vacuum. It can reinforce the very stereotypes others within the community are working to dismantle.

The result is a quiet but constant recalibration, working not only to be seen as individuals, but to counterbalance narratives we did not create. Such perpetuation of stereotypes can be twice as harmful to women.

In January 2022, actor Peter Dinklage, born with achondroplasia, a common form of dwarfism, spoke out against Disney's decision to make a live action "Snow White" during an episode of Marc Maron's podcast, "WTF"

Dinklage called the story and its treatment of little people "backward" for the present-day time period.

Disney responded to his concerns in a statement reported by Variety.

"To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community," a spokesperson said. "We look forward to sharing more as the film heads into production after a lengthy development period."

Dinklage's comments, though they may have been well-intentioned to avoid perpetuation of stereotypes, ended up threatening the livelihoods and opportunities available to actors with dwarfism.

Similarly, the men that use wheelchairs who I have interacted with in close quarters on my college campus view their role as less of a delicate responsibility and more of an opportunity to make themselves the martyr for disabled people, which I would argue, is shameful - and demonstrates a complete lack of knowledge for the fact that disability appears in many forms, across many lives.

There is a difference between advocating for yourself and making yourself a martyr.

Advocacy looks like naming a concern, grounding it in experience and inviting accountability. It asks questions, seeks clarity and pushes for change without assuming intent.

Martyrdom, on the other hand, shifts that focus inward. It frames the outcome as proof of personal injustice before the full picture is understood, turning a moment of disappointment into a broader indictment.

The distinction is subtle, but fundamental. Advocacy creates space for progress; Martyrdom can unintentionally narrow it.

Personally, although it has taken just over two decades, I have no problem advocating for myself. I do, however, feel very uncomfortable in instances where I am called upon to be the "spokesperson" for disability rights and access-related issues.

This, again, is because disability is a spectrum, and I recognize the dexterity and mobility that I am fortunate to have. I can offer perspective; I will not be patronized.

Disability is a description, a piece of the puzzle called life. One's decision to make it their whole identity, something I have - albeit narrowly - avoided via ironclad support from close friends and family, is unfortunate.

I understand the complexities of the disabled existence. Disability is so ingrained into us that it is nearly impossible to believe that other, able-bodied people see us for more than such.

That's why I feel for my disabled peers who have reached young adulthood without the same steadfast support systems I have, which have kept me from becoming my own worst enemy time and time again.

From what I have observed, paralyzed men prefer to act as if the world is working against them, and that as a result, the people within it owe them something.

This is an unfortunate, selfish choice, rooted in paranoia. By doing so, one is prone to automatically assume the worst in people, fostering a lifetime of loneliness and isolation - despite living with something that makes them largely dependent on the strength, help and kindness of others.

That posture does not just isolate the individual - it distorts how the rest of us are seen, forcing others in the community to carry the weight of perceptions we did not create. Advocacy demands clarity and courage; martyrdom demands attention. Too often, it comes at everyone else's expense.

Contact Katherine Hill via email at katherine.hill@bsu.edu.

Dillon Rosenlieb is a third-year journalism and media major and writes "Disability Awareness" for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper.

We celebrate the months of the year in order to commemorate moments in our history and culture. These moments can range from St. Nicholas to the founding fathers, all the way to a fleeting fairy tale of a leprechaun at the end of a rainbow.

March is a month that many do not think has a correlation, but March is full of history, challenges and barriers to overcome for a community overlooked and locked away.

March is a time to celebrate movement through walking, rolling and everything in between. It is Disability Awareness Month.

Growing up with a physical disability, I know all too well the challenges and pressure that society puts on everybody, with a special intensity for those who might not fit the mold of what society deems acceptable. Disability is a spectrum. No two people are alike, no matter if the diagnosis is the same, and I think that is a homage to our humanity.

But disability is rooted in history, defined by jockeying for control and a battle between the forces of acceptance and ignorance.

Acceptance is hard. People are going to have a hard time accepting things and people they do not understand. That is just in our nature. However, I believe human nature has the ability to adapt and evolve like no other living organism on the planet. It just does not happen as fast as we want it to sometimes.

So, I have to deal with looks, inappropriate comments in school about things like intimacy and how it feels to be the only one in my family not to walk. People always assume that if I take someone out on a date, that they drove me instead of me driving them, because there is a cultural attitude that people in wheelchairs cannot drive a car.

When I got my driver's license, the DMV workers did not know how to act and treated me like I was five. These are uncomfortable truths and realities that people with disabilities face on a cultural level, but acceptance is deeper than surface level.

The acceptance of disability has to come from the person dealing with that inability, and that is what Disability Month represents in its totality. It is a movement of acceptance from the people outside looking in, and when we look in on ourselves through self-reflection.

My acceptance journey has come a long way since I was a child, and it has not always been a straight line to get to where I am today. I still carry a chip on my shoulder that gets in the way more than I would like to admit, but I grew up in an able-bodied household. I grew up in that culture and trust me, I was stubborn.

I did my best to keep up with my siblings and not stray too far behind, even on my wheels and on my knees. My parents treated me exactly like my siblings, and that was a blessing in disguise, because it not only made me strong - it made me who I am.

It made me like part of a family instead of feeling like an outsider looking in on my family. Not only that, but it also caused me to not understand that I was different. When I saw other people with disabilities, I would think to myself, "I am not like them." I am not happy to say that I looked down on them.

I was in a special education room, and throughout kindergarten and first grade, I avoided that place like the plague because I did not think I belonged there. I would have rather been with my siblings and people who looked like them than people who look like me.

At that time, I did not understand that I was not going to be able to keep up with the people who looked like my siblings forever and I was going to have to find a way to adapt to keep up with the people I wanted in my life.

I did not have very many disability role models growing up. Besides family, my therapist and teachers who took me under their wing, it was not until I got to college that I truly understood the meaning of finding your people and accepting other people with disabilities, because there was always a divide.

I felt like there was an intelligence barrier that kept me from having meaningful connections and conversations with my classmates early in my educational career, especially within my special education experiences.

I still have moments of spite with other people with disabilities who have a wheelchair, but can also walk. For a second, I cannot help but think "Do you really need that wheelchair?" But I have learned to turn that negative talk into understanding.

Disability is a spectrum and chronic illness does not always affect the body the same every day, nor does it affect everyone in the same way. It is not easy all the time. I cannot always go speeding in a straight line like my siblings or like an ordinary 21-year-old. But I am okay with where I am, who I have found and the community I have built alongside the path I have carved out for myself.

In my experience, the ignorance I have faced is from the belief that ignorance is bliss in our society. There are the people who just hate other people because they are too afraid to open up their minds and try to see where other people are coming from. Unfortunately, that is just a given sometimes.

You should see the people's faces when I tell them I am part of the largest minority group in the United States. A white man saying he is a minority does not flow well with the perception of what a minority is in this country. I got told that I was a cisgender white man that has had all the privileges in life and had nothing to complain about.

First off, the ability to walk is a huge disadvantage and advantage for people. I am not saying that I would give up my life to walk, but I think people take it for granted more than they realize. That was from a fellow person with a disability.

The Paralympics, which take place in March, and The Special Olympics, which take place in June, are two great organizations that help young adults and children with intellectual and physical disabilities compete on a national scale. They are a gesture of acceptance aimed at challenging societal stereotypes about these athletes.

The Paralympics are Olympic events that happen every four years in the winter and the summer, just like the Olympics, but there is no medal counter on our computers, no reporters on the ground getting significant airtime, and there are no delegations from other countries.

Politicians do not come and support these events because the only money they find in disability is to frame it as an inspirational story, and that is what the national media does. They miss the picture of the depth and history that my culture and community has to offer.

Even at a university that prides itself on accessibility, navigating opportunity has not always been simple. Last month, I learned-for the second time in a year-that I would not be selected as editor-in-chief of the student magazine. I won't lay out my qualifications or make a case for myself, because that's not what this story is about.

But when I shared the news with my parents, there was a pause before any words came out. And then, almost instinctively, we found ourselves asking the same question: is the world - or even this university - ready for an editor-in-chief who looks like me? It is not an easy question to sit with. But it's one I have had to learn how to carry.

Over time, moments like this have a way of turning into quiet reflection. You begin to wonder how decisions are shaped - how much they rely on familiarity, on past experience and on what leadership has traditionally looked like. In those moments, it is hard not to ask whether every story and perspective is fully understood in the room where those decisions are made.

I do not know how many people involved in that process had ever engaged with someone like me in that context before. I do not know what assumptions, if any, entered the conversation. And maybe that is part of what makes it difficult. There are not always clear answers, and sometimes there are no conversations at all.

But those conversations are not always easy to have. Sometimes, the hardest part is not the outcome - it is finding a way to talk about it at all.

You might be sitting in a blind spot that you have never thought about. I am lucky to have lived a fortunate life, but I am an exception, not the rule. I still deal with what some people would call discrimination. However, I would call it an uphill battle and a chance to teach people that individuals with disabilities are more than just a diagnosis from a doctor.

I know some people who read this might connect it to some of the DEI programs that you may have heard about in our political climate, but I can assure you that I believe this story is bigger than just a fickle political policy.

I write this story because it is important to me to celebrate all the people who have gotten overlooked, just like me.

I had a friend in high school, Sean, with autism who would sometimes get overwhelmed by social norms and society's expectations, but he could build a multifaceted functional arm out of building blocks.

There are people out there like Sean that have minds that can improve our society for the better, and I hope that this story gets people thinking about unity, celebrating our differences and that it is not always what is on the outside that tells the whole story. This March marks the 40th occurrence of Disability Awareness Month being observed, and we have come a long way since 1987. Many minority groups suffer, fight and crawl to get national media attention, like Black History Month. I am not comparing my struggles to what they face on a daily basis. But I do know that we are a younger movement than Black History Month is, so it gives me hope to see growth in national eyes and impact.

Hopefully, Disability Awareness Month can be that movement for my community for generations to come.

Look past the inspirational disability story you may see on your feed or in the news. Look beyond the inspirational stories of the Paralympics and see the competitor behind the disability. See the person. The neighbor. The father, mother, son or daughter. Reach out to a friend you know and say, "Happy Disability Awareness Month! Want to celebrate?"

The small things go a lot farther than you may think, and inclusion and acceptance are no small piece of that puzzle. This story may be rooted in my experiences, but it is not about me. It is about celebrating our culture and history with the 70 million Americans who live with a disability.

Happy Disability Awareness Month my friends and to everybody who has helped us advance this far. Your support and dedication certainly does not go unnoticed. We do not always stand together, but no matter how we move, we do it together.

Contact Dillon Rosenlieb via email at dillon.rosenlieb@bsu.edu.

Maloney said that even the Yankees, Dodgers and Tigers even get waxed sometimes, and that it was just Southern Indiana's game.

"They outplayed us, they out pitched us, they out hit us," Maloney said. "In every facet of the game they won."

The head coach said it was a good thing it was a mid-week game and not a Mid-American Conference (MAC) game, but Maloney said the team can go back to the drawing board and learn from it.

The Cardinals struggled pitching, as they walked eight batters, let up ten hits and gave up 13 runs.

"You can't walk eight guys and [win]," Maloney said. "The pitching and defense have to be better than it was today."

Sophomore infielder Brayden Huebner was a positive on the game, as he recorded a double and two runs batted in (RBIs) and hit two other "missiles" as Maloney described.

Huebner has been a big positive for the Cardinals this season, as the infielder is hitting .294 with three home runs in the early year.

"Just a highly competitive kid with a very good swing, he's very athletic," Maloney said. "He's a good player and he's only going to get better."

Ball State's next scheduled home game against Oakland City Mar. 25 was cancelled, so the next game the Cardinals have will be a home series Mar. 27-29 against Ohio.

Maloney said while it is always the goal to win the midweek non-conference games, he said "the MAC games is all that matters." The head coach wants the team to start preparing for Ohio.

The Cardinals' 7-2 conference record is good enough for number two in the conference, but Maloney said that record will only hold as long as the team plays good baseball.

"If you play poorly, any team will beat anybody," Maloney said. "We got to get back to playing good baseball."

Contact Kyle Stout with questions via email at kyle.stout@bsu.edu or on X @kylestoutdailyn.

Tonight: This evening you can expect calm conditions with a low of 38 degrees. Mostly Cloudy skies with winds coming in from the south-southwest at 5 mph.

Tomorrow: Just a light coat is all you'll need as you head out the door tomorrow morning. 39 degrees to start of the day, kicking up to 57 degrees by noon. Then to wrap up the day the temperatures get up to 68 degrees. Lingering clouds throughout the day with winds remaining calm.

Seven-Day Forecast: Brief warm up then late week storms cool us down quickly. Thursday evening into Friday morning severe storms are possible. This includes heavy rain, strong winds, hail, and thunderstorms. Temperatures falling 35 degrees from Thursday to Friday. Expect highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s. Then early next week rain returns but temperatures are warmer. Stay weather aware for later this week.

- Assistant Chief Weather Forecaster Elizabeth Myers

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For more information about the Weather-Ready Nation program please click HERE

Ball State softball suffered a close defeat to the Butler Bulldogs and fell to 12-13 on the season.

Butler took a 3-0 lead right out of the gate following the top of the first. Senior Ella Whitney responded by hitting a homerun her very first at-bat of the day, narrowing the deficit to 3-2 at the end of the first inning.

This marked Whitney's eighth homerun on the season.

Ball State tied up the game 5-5 in the third inning with Whitney hitting an RBI.

Butler took the lead back in impressive fashion as juniors Olivia Roberts and Makena Alexander hit back-to-back homeruns to increase the Bulldogs' lead 7-5 through five innings.

The Cardinals responded with Whitney hitting a double and managing to send a Ball State runner home to slim Butler's led to only one.

Ball State showed strong fielding at the top of the seventh and it looked like it was anyone's game.

Butler came out with the upper hand as the Cardinals had three ground outs to finish the game.

Ball State faces Toledo this upcoming weekend in a three game series with a chance to get back in the win column against the Rockets.

Contact Bryce Pennell with any questions @bryce.pennell@bsu.edu or on X @bryceBSUDN

Iandolo: It's pretty good, naturally. I have been a head coach before, and being here so long, I recruited most if not all these players as part of the recruiting process or main part of the recruiting process, either been in the gym with them or had been recruiting them. It's a lot different than going somewhere new to be a head coach where you don't really know anything and know any of the guys like you have to learn all of it. At least here, I knew the guys a lot. There was a lot I didn't have to learn and just made sure the guys were good with the change, and we got some good coaches to help with that as well.

Q: After stepping back into the Muncie area as Volleyball coach, what were some of your main goals you were looking to set in year 1?

Iandolo: Win the conference, you know? The main one is to win the regular season, to win the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA). to go back to the Final 4 ideally, and if we can get to a National Championship, we can compete there. That would be awesome. That's what we want to be doing every year, and the first thing I told the guys is 'the goals haven't changed.' Every year that I have been here, the goal is to win the championship, and we still talk about it every week. We have things that we can get better at…especially as I get new coaches in here and they give their ideas and input. Some areas we can be better at is figuring out what those were and really attacking those to try to push limits.

Q: Do you feel that pressure being Ball State Men's Volleyball coach with the countless banners that hang up in Worthen?

Iandolo: No, I just would like to win and compete at a high level, and I was like that as an athlete. So, it's not new to me and I wouldn't say 'pressure,' but there are a lot of people that care about what we are doing, and I think that's awesome. It brings with it a lot of support, and what comes with [that comes] responsibility to both the players and to the support of the program, mak[ing] sure that we are doing things the right way. No team is perfect, and it's rare that a team goes through the season [that] is undefeated. So, we are going to take losses here and there, but at the end of it, as long as we are playing the way that we need to be playing the way that we need to be playing, whether we win or lose at the end of it, we did it the right way. I will be happy with that. Definitely the goal is to put more banners in Worthen [Arena], and I don't take that as 'pressure.' I want to win and I want the team to be successful.

Q: Did you expect the team to achieve a 17-3 record this early into your coaching tenure?

Iandolo: Maybe not exactly that record, but there was no part of me that didn't think we should win most of our games if not all of them. Our schedule is pretty tough, and we had a lot of ranked teams that we have played at the time of us playing them. We have lost to the number one team and then to a couple of ranked teams in the conference. Those are good losses, not bad losses. We have had to learn some things about ourselves, and we have talked about all year we have everything with our team. We need to win this year and win a championship this year and I wouldn't say it is expected, but I'm not surprised. This is what we are trying to do and it is just that we gotta keep climbing. Just don't let off the gas, make sure we keep going more and more and more to make sure we win this game. That is how I feel about the season.

Q: What type of identity were you trying to create going into the season?

Iandolo: Definitely carrying some of it over as I was a part of what we were doing here. I believed in what we were doing, and I just think there are some things we need to be a little bit better at. One of those was discipline and accountability, especially from our upperclassmen, which I think we are getting this year which is showing itself and then we need to be better with our serves and defense. I think we have made some big improvements there. I think we have gotten better at the serve pass and the defense which is like a high effort, accountability [and] playing together as a team.

Q: How have the players bought into that and have you seen that carry into this season?

Iandolo: They have bought in really well and it was immediate. When the switch happened this past summer those next few days all I was trying to do was call the guys to get them on the phone with as many of them as I could and talk to them. All of them were just I don't wanna go anywhere and I will see you in August. This is how we are going to do things and guys are just pumped ready to go. It has carried itself into the season and nobody's perfect. We have our moments where we are slacking or not doing the things we should be doing, and all that kind of stuff but we have been talking to them about consistency and that is all about doing it right away more often but that does not mean you are going to be perfect. It is just stacking wins and that is just stacking days where you are doing things the right way. Stack practices where you are training the right way and workouts where you are training the right way. If you do that more often than not, you are going to be successful.

Q: Volleyball is a momentum based sport so how has your team maintained that composure in some of those high-pressurized situations?

Iandolo: It is about playing together and staying aggressive. Not backing off when things get tight and I think it's something that we have been really good at this year. We have been responding when things aren't going our way. We have dropped a couple matches but we won the match right after. We dropped a set and then won the set right after that and that's all you can ask for. Then it is how do we fix whatever we are struggling with and how do we make it better. We have to fix it and we just can't let it stay. We didn't play well and we are gonna keep not playing well? No, we need to fix that and need to be better.

Q: As the season continues what areas would you say the team needs to improve on so that they can be reaching its full potential at season's end?

Iandolo: We gotta be cleaner at the end of sets. Sometimes, we take a little too long to close out games. When we are in the 20s - and then all of a sudden - we give up a couple points. You don't need to give up those points, finish the game [and] don't let the other team back in. We are playing good teams, and if you give them a few free points, they could take that round. You saw what happened vs Ohio State. We were down 8 points, and we almost came back. They let us make a couple of plays - and all of a sudden - now the momentum's back to us. All the teams we play are capable of doing that, and it is all about finishing games. [We] still got to get better and more consistent with our defense. Our blocking's been pretty good, and then we have some matches where we are really good defensively behind it. Then we have some matches where we are not great defensively behind it. So…something we work on almost every day is block and defense, putting in good serves and put[ting] ourselves in good positions, but I think those are two big things. Our offense, we can score points with the best of them. Can we stop the other team and be a little bit better there? Can we finish when we have the opportunities to finish sets? We gotta do it quickly and not give them any life.

Q: What are some potential long term goals as you hope to carry the success that you have made this year into future seasons?

Iandolo: We gotta keep building up. This is a program that I believe should be competing for the top 10 nationally every single year and we have the resources for we have the support from our alumni to do that. We are just continuing to build that. We are using this year as another building block for alumni support and donor support. I am hoping that will translate as we get in the next few years of financial support for more support for the program. They have been great so far, and [we] just gotta keep pushing the envelope. There is a lot of talk right now in coaching circles of 'How [can] we push the envelope of men's volleyball and of our programs? What is the next thing we can do to improve our life for our players, to make our players better to get better recruits like to travel like to travel to do cooler things like with competition?' I would say what we are doing now is just repeating and getting better. It is just an endless cycle, and that is how you develop really good players as you have players as freshman and they see how it is done and come back and they are even better the next year, just continuing the support and [we] gotta keep recruiting the right players so we keep training them and developing them.

Q: Any message you wanna send to fans that have come out to your games in support of your seasons so far?

Iandolo: We are undefeated at home, and one of the bigger reasons why we play better here. It is something that we are working on playing better on the road, but they are definitely a big part of our success. The guys love playing here, and we have got recruits that come on visits and they see that environment that we play in and they want to be a part of that. Our fans are loud and rowdy, and there are always thousands here. That is amazing and awesome. It is fun to play in that environment. I believe we are a top five environment to play in the country, without a doubt. There are a handful of schools, and I think ours is one of them, [where] if we don't have fans coming out and supporting us, we definitely don't have the record we do. Being able to look up and around and see all the people is fun for our guys, and [they] have fun with it. If you are having fun and you can play good volleyball, you are gonna win a lot of games. It is gonna be hard for teams to come in here and do what they need to do. It is going to be big. If we achieve our goal of winning the regular season, we get to host every tournament game we play. That part will be much needed as we continue this season, so [I] just wanna say, 'Thank you.'

Contact Zachary Kendall with comments via email atzachary.kendall@bsu.eduor on X @Kendall_Zachary.

Today: A beautiful day with the temperature being 56 degrees and mostly sunny, winds coming from the south-west at 15 mph, and if your going on a walk, jog, or run bring a light jacket.

Tonight: Cloudy skies with the temperature being 40 degrees with winds coming from the south south-west at 20 mph, and if your going out make sure to bring a jacket with you.

Tomorrow: During your morning commute the temperature will be 41 degrees, and it will also be cloudy, you will see a little bit of the sun and feel more warmth at 12pm during lunch hour, and at 5pm the clouds will come back but it will be in the mid-to-high 60s.

Seven-day forecast: Wednesday high of 71 but cloudy with the low of 60, Thursday high of 80 with thunderstorms in the afternoon with a brief cold front cooling the temperature leading to Fridays high being 46 degrees with morning showers and then clearing up later in the day, Saturday cloudy it with it being 52 degrees, Sunday and Monday being Mostly Cloudy with Sundays high being in the mid-60s and Monday high being 71 degrees.

-Weather Forecaster Jon Urbina-Reyes

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and X @NLIWeather for breaking weather updates.

NewsLink Indiana is a proud Ambassador for the NOAA Weather-Ready Nation program.

For more information about the Weather-Ready Nation program please click HERE

Tonight: Make sure to bring a jacket or coat outside tonight since temperatures will drop below freezing with the low being 28 degrees. The wind will also be a factor tonight with a consistent 15 mph wind and gusts up to 20 mph. Conditions will remain partly cloudy into the early morning.

Tomorrow: As you start the commute to work or school, temperatures will remain below freezing at 29 degrees. However, the wind will calm down to 5 mph in the early morning. Temperatures will quickly rise and the cloud cover will move away giving sunny conditions at noon with temperatures in the mid-to-low 40s. Clouds will move back in through the afternoon as the temperature increases to the high of 53 for the day.

Seven-Day Forecast: After a cool start to the week, temperatures will begin to rise again on Wednesday with mostly cloudy conditions and a high of 66 degrees. Thursday has the potential to have some record breaking temperatures with the high being 76 degrees. However, there is a chance for showers and thunderstorms after 5 p.m. These showers will continue into early Friday morning causing the temperatures to dip drastically. The high for Friday will be in the mid-40s, for an almost 30 degree difference in temperature between Thursday and Friday. The weekend will see the slow climb back up in temperatures with the sun finally emerging on Saturday with a high of 49 degrees. Sunday the high will climb back up to the high-50s with slight cloud cover expected throughout the day. As next work week begins, cloud cover is expected to return with temperatures rising back into the mid-to-high 60s.

- Weather Forecaster Evan Reed

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and X @NLIWeather for breaking weather updates.

NewsLink Indiana is a proud Ambassador for the NOAA Weather-Ready Nation program.

For more information about the Weather-Ready Nation program please click HERE

Glass Alliance Egg Sale and Hunt

Grab your family and friends to help you search for eggs hidden in Oakhurst Gardens, and be on the lookout for a special visit from the Easter Bunny! Candy-filled eggs will be available for children to find-please limit to five per child so everyone can enjoy. Not in the mood for a hunt? Purchase beautifully hand-crafted glass eggs and other themed pieces made by Ball State University students from the Marilyn K. Glick Center for Glass. Each unique piece makes a perfect keepsake or gift.

• Price: Prices vary
• Location: Minnetrista Museum and Gardens Education Center in Oakhurst Gardens
• Date and Time: Saturday, March 28, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

The West Wind

Come see a new play by local playwrights John and Jenni Marsh! Ride the rails across turn-of-the-century America in this heart-warming comedy about finding friendship, purpose and inner strength.

• Price: $20 for adults, $15 for students
• Location: Casazza Family Studio Theatre
• Date and Time: March 20-29. 2026, Friday and Saturday Shows at 7:00 p.m., Sunday Matinees at 3:00 p.m.

Learn about 3D Printing

Curious about 3D printing? Join Fabrication Lab Manager Andrew Arthur for 3D Printing, a two-part introductory series that teaches you the basics of 3D printing. In the first session, you'll learn how FDM 3D printing works, what materials used in the Fab Lab, where to find 3D models, the basics of slicer software, and more!

• Price: Free
• Location: Fab Lab, AT 141
• Date and Time: March 25, 2026 and April 1, 2026, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Live at RoHo's: Andrew T

Come listen to local musician Andrew T and enjoy some delicious martinis at RoHo's!

• Price: Free entry
• Location: RoHo's Martini Bar
• Date and Time: Saturday, March 28, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Hull Property Group, a real estate company based in Augusta, Georgia, that focuses on improving enclosed and run-down malls, has previously purchased 37 other malls across 17 states for redevelopment.

RE/MAX Real Estate Group's broker-owner Ryan Kramer said the original plan for the Muncie Mall, established in 1970, was to tear down the old movie theater, JCPenney and the Sears building to make way for four storefronts and major retailers.

But he said that as anchor spots and mall tenants continued to decline, the mall became less and less viable.

"Anchor spots are very important because they drive a lot of traffic," Kramer said. Losing those anchor spots can take a toll on a business.

"So, once they started to lose Sears and JCPenney's and Carsons, then it became kind of a tumbling effect to, you know, losing a lot of that momentum with the mall," Kramer said.

John Mulherin, the senior vice president for government relations at Hull Property Group, said, "Once all your anchor stores leave, it puts a lot of pressure on the interior shop stores because those stores don't have the foot traffic to make them successful."

Mulherin said the lack of foot traffic in secondary-market malls, such as Muncie, is leading to many of them being shut down.

"In these secondary markets, they're being shut down," Mulherin said. "And once they're gone, they're gone, right? And they're not coming back.

However, the lack of foot traffic and interest in the space from major retailers is not the only reason Hull Property Group has decided to proceed with the demolition; rather, it is because of the building itself.

"The building is the misimprovement," Mulherin said. "The building keeps people away, both mentally and physically."

Hull Property Group discovered that the 130,000-square-foot mall has only one air-conditioning system throughout the building, along with one fire riser, one fire suppression system and one electrical system. The cost to split up the infrastructure would have totaled "a million five," Mulherin said.

"You're better off tearing it down and creating the offering and then build[ing] something new," Mulherin said. "It's actually cheaper to tear it down and build something new."

But that was not the only turning point that convinced Hull Property Group that demolition was the best decision for the Muncie Mall.

Because of the leases the current tenants of the mall have, Mulherin said Hull Property Group did not want to interrupt them so close to the holiday season. But in November 2025, Hull Property Group began receiving notices from tenants stating they would be out of the mall space after Christmas.

It got to the point that Hull Property Group realized the mall itself might no longer be viable.

"Between the tenants who had already notified us and the tenants who were month by month, who could leave any time they wanted, I was going to be down to about a 7 percent occupancy in June of this year," Mulherin said.

Mulherin said that as the mall continues to deteriorate, it will negatively affect the target, the goals and everything around it.

"Blight begets blight," he said. "Nobody is going to make a multimillion-dollar investment on the curb out parcel unless the behemoth behind it is a viable going concern."

Ever since the mall opened in 1970, its value has continued to decline. In the last 30 years, the mall's value has gone from approximately over $2 million to less than $70,000, Mulherin explained.

"The value of the mall is based on the rental income coming in on the mall. And when it's full, that mall is worth a lot of money because of the occupancy of the unit. But now the occupancy has went down. The value of the mall goes down with that," Kramer said.

All of these components led Hull Property Group to one conclusion: that the mall was no longer viable and their original redevelopment plan would not be cost-effective. The cost of the original plan, Mulherin said, was approximately $9.8 million, whereas the cost to demolish the building is roughly $5.3 million

"I've got a much better opportunity of attracting someone to the property with a clean slate than I ever would have with our original phase one because the mall behind it was not proper[ly] viable," Mulherin said.

With an open, viable plot of land, various tenants have the potential to move into the space. Mulherin said there are multiple interested buyers with their eyes set on the site.

"So, we develop, and we'll build, you know, we'll build for whatever tenant that comes along," he said. "But we've had interest already since the word's gone out that we're going to have eventually a blank slate now."

With phase one of the plan set to begin in April with the demolition of the JCPenney and the Sears, Hull Property Group cannot begin the second phase of the demolition, which consists of the rest of the mall, until within 90 days of the last tenant vacating the property. This can take anywhere from six months to two years, Mulherin said.

Despite that, Hull Property Group aims to move forward with its plans as soon as possible because it knows the Muncie market is strong, especially along McGalliard Road.

The main challenge will be scheduling, as there are still tenants in the mall. It would be easier to tear the building down all at once, but because Hull Property Group is working around tenants, Muherin said that cannot happen.

Hull Property Group has made it known that there are two main things being focused on when it comes to the mall's redevelopment: developing the site to meet market demand, and being more disciplined about who gets let back onto the lot.

"It's not necessarily the tenant you have, it's the tenant you don't have that counts," Mulherin said. "You can put the absolute wrong tenant in there. It's going to keep a lot of other tenants out."

The current tenants of the mall are all looking to relocate, but there is no word on whether or not all of the current businesses will remain in Muncie.

"I did hear that Books-a-Million definitely wants to stay in our market and is actively looking for replacement space in the Muncie market. So, the hope is that others will also do the same thing," Kramer said.

However, the challenge many tenants will face is the moving and tenant improvement expenses they are likely to incur, Kramer explained.

As of March 2026, there are plenty of ideas for what could replace the Muncie Mall, but Kramer said everything remains speculative until contracts are signed.

"It's a concept. So, that back 25 acres could be apartments. It could be a national wholesale club, it could be a car dealership, it could be anything," Mulherin said.

Mulherin believes the lot has potential as an apartment site, but is unsure whether apartments are needed in that area of Muncie.

From a real estate perspective, Kramer disagrees.

"I am not a big fan of considering apartments on a lot like that, because there's plenty of room to do it there, but I would much rather see all business there," he said. "But there may be some opportunity, because there's so much space that there could be some mixed use."

Owl Mayhall, a fifth-year landscape architecture student at Ball State University, whose thesis is about the redevelopment of the Muncie Mall with a focus on wetland filtration, spoke about their thoughts on the new redevelopment plans.

"I think it is a bad idea. I mean, that's an understatement, I guess. But I think they are very blinded by the monetary issues of it all," Mayhall said. "Like, right now, it's not making money, and that is the only thing they're seeing."

As a student and a resident of Muncie, Mayhall said they had expected the demolition for some time.

"I was very hopeful for some type of renovation, but I think Muncie specifically has been struggling in a lot of different ways."

The current Muncie Mall building adds no value to the tax roll and is considered a misimprovement, but Mulherin believes that the ad valorem valuation for this site can increase as potential major retailers gain more interest in the lot's clean slate.

"We're projecting right now that the ad valorem valuation can potentially go from $2 million, as it currently sits, to over $45 million," Mulherin said.

Mulherin said the demolition should be done by the end of 2026.

This story will be updated with more information as it becomes available.

Contact Jayden Vaughn via email @jayden.vaughn@bsu.edu.