GEOTHERMAL: Contractor named for project; first phase to begin in July

Construction for Ball State's geothermal heat pump system can finally begin, according to an announcement made last week that awarded a contractor the first leg of the project. Messer Construction, also the contractor for the renovation of the L.A. Pittenger Student Center, received the bid for the first location of construction.



NEWS

Power soccer team finishes national tournament in 4th place

var uslide_show_id = "ae0e4718-a54d-4d76-99df-5f9bd0d2d903";var slideshowwidth = "350";var linktext = ""; After three days of competition, Ball State University's power soccer team placed fourth in the national finals. In the team's first year of existence, the Cardinals advanced to the semifinal game Saturday, before losing 4-1 to the Circle City Rollers from Indianapolis.



NEWS

Indiana Senate proposes state budget that decreases funding for Ball State

The current Senate version of the state budget has more modest decreases for Ball State University than the governor's proposed budget. Ball State's operating appropriation is $130.4 million for the 2009 fiscal year, which ends on June 30. The budget advanced by the Senate Appropriations Committee would decrease this to $125.


NEWS

PARADOX OF A PLAIDED SWEATER: Beloved pet makes its final walk

I was 8 years old when a middle-aged couple walked into my house in Ohio with a Bouvier puppy (a type of Belgian sheepdog) in their arms. He was a black puppy with expressive elegant brown eyes and enormous pupils popping out. His name was Buford, named after a type of hamburger.


NEWS

BALK ON THE BALL: A modest proposal to fix McKinley

I don't know about you, but I love taking a good morning walk around the Ball State University campus this time of year. It's especially lovely to walk down McKinley Avenue, by the duck pond adjacent to the tennis courts. The past week, in addition to the regular company of mallards and crows around the pond, I've stopped to enjoy the company of many of our crimson colored mascots, the Northern Cardinal.



NEWS

FROM THE HOOD: Pence's stance on earmarks hurts us all

Last week, Congressman Mike Pence's recent self-imposed ban on earmarks came into the spotlight. As a result of this ban, certain projects at Ball State University lost a likely source of funding as a result. An earmark refers to any part of a spending bill, which lays out the budget for the government, which allocates money for a specific project or institution.


NEWS

Muncie's Urban Garden project utilizes abandoned lots to grow plants

A fledgling urban garden downtown has high hopes of helping to provide affordable food to locals. North Street Urban Garden - the brainchild of Colby Gray, a landscape architect from Ball State University and Jason Donati, the director for the Department of Stormwater Management - is working to provide a sustainable source of vegetables by offering their abandoned house lot for cultivation.


NEWS

Miss Ball State to compete in state pageant this week

A Ball State University student will be competing in the preliminaries of the Miss Indiana Scholarship Pageant this week. Junior urban planning major Lauren Petersen was crowned as Miss Ball State 2009 earlier this year. In preparation for the pageant, Petersen has trained with pageant director Carol Kosisko and with piano experts to help her with her talent routine.


NEWS

Contestants compete for 'Can You Can It' top prize at Minnetrista

Minnetrista continued their celebration of 125 years of the Ball Jar with their Can You Can It? competition last Saturday. Competitors entered in three categories - fruits, vegetables and spreads - and were judged on presentation, not taste. All entries had to be canned in a Ball Jar.