I once heard a pessimistic fellow say that all the educational system does is process mindless automatons that are taught what to think, what to say and what to do, thereby taking away their free will. Although I do not prescribe to this man's way of thinking, I do believe that most of us, including myself, strive to follow the pack.
CLEVELAND - During the Mid-American Conference portion of the season, Ball State University and Western Michigan University split its two head-to-head games. Whichever team breaks the tie with a win today in the MAC Tournament in Cleveland will prolong its season by advancing to Saturday's semifinal round.
While Chinese is a daunting language for many English-speaking people, a handful of Ball State University students polished up their skills for a weekend speaking contest and two will compete nationally. The Chinese Club hosted its first annual Chinese Speech Contest on Saturday.
Two divers for the Ball State University swimming and diving team competed at the NCAA Zone Diving Championships during the weekend, with one finishing in the top 18 in the 3-meter dive. Junior Stephanie Paul finished 18th in the 3-meter dive among the women with a score of 463.
The Ball State University men's volleyball team lived dangerously in its two matches this weekend, but set itself up nicely for a big showdown against Ohio State University next weekend. On Friday, the Cardinals (10-6, 4-1 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) rallied from a 2-1 deficit against Quincy University, winning game four 30-27 and game five 15-8 (30-28, 26-30, 27-30, 30-27, 15-8).
The final regular-season game for Ball State University's men's basketball team went much the same way the rest of the season had for the Cardinals. Ball State allowed Western Michigan University to go on a 12-0 run early in the second half and was unable to recover, falling 71-67 Sunday afternoon.
Jane Austen novels such as "Pride and Prejudice" and "Sense and Sensibility" are often associated with themes of romance and novelty. Common merchandise available online includes "Pride and Prejudice" paper doll sets, Austen Victorian-themed cookbooks and bumper stickers that read, "I'd Rather Be Reading Jane Austen.
The Ball State University men's tennis team beat Eastern Kentucky University 6-1 on Saturday. The Cardinals started out strong, winning the doubles point. The No. 3 doubles team of Jarrod Epkey and Joe Vallee won its doubles match 8-6 against Eastern Kentucky's Max Schindler and Fred Goncalves.
If you watched the 79th Academy Awards, you witnessed "An Inconvenient Truth" win two Academy Awards. The film won an award for best documentary feature and another for best original song. The former Vice-President Al Gore prominently appeared to accept the former as well announcing with Leonardo DiCaprio that the ceremony had gone entirely green.
Even though the Ball State University softball team had a losing weekend, coach Craig Nicholson was pleased with the team's play. On Sunday, the Cardinals (4-9) split their games. They defeated Western Illinois University 9-5 and then lost to Indiana University 6-2.
The Ball State University baseball team allowed three total runs in the final two games of a three-game weekend series against Austin Peay State University, picking up victories in each game. The Cardinals scored 14 runs in those two games and went 2-1 during the weekend.
For a lot of fans, last week was the last straw. Not only will Ball State University lose more games this season than in any previous season in the history of their men's basketball program, but The Star Press also reported that the Cardinals' coaching staff committed NCAA violations soon after they were hired.
The men's basketball team suffered its fifth straight loss Sunday. This brings their overall record to 9-21, the worst record since Ball State University joined the Mid-American Conference and the most losses in team history. In Ronny Thompson's first season at Ball State, there have been unfortunately few highlights.
Every year, the Newberry Medal is given to the best children's book written that year. Previous winners include "Johnny Tremain," "Island of the Blue Dolphins," "A Wrinkle in Time" and "Shiloh." Over the years, the award has become synonymous with the highest caliber in school-age literature, and its winners have become staples in elementary and middle school classrooms.
Check out the slideshow to see the photos that were considered to be the best of the week.
Chris Ames is known for bringing his energy to the court. He is not known for his scoring. In fact, earlier this season coach Ronny Thompson asked Ames if he could hit water if he threw the ball over the side of a boat while floating in the ocean. Ames responded by leading the team in shooting percentage, making almost 70 percent of his shots for the season.
For only the second time in school history and the first time since 1971, Ball State University's men's basketball team will end its season with at least 20 losses after falling to the University of Toledo 71-61 Thursday. Ball State (9-20, 5-10 Mid-American Conference) was having its best shooting performance with less than 10 minutes left in the second half, making 20-of-32 from the field.
When Nana Ekow Maison was an art student at Kwame Nkrumah University, he studied Western art movements such as Baroque and Realism more than the art from his African homeland. The Ghanaian painter did not discover his homeland influences until he began graduate degree studies at Bradley University in Peoria, Ill.
When Audrey McDonald was a little girl, her father built her a basketball court in front of their house.-á Growing up in central Indiana, having a half-court playing surface in the driveway was far from a rarity. The difference that separated McDonald's court from others is the distance the 3-point line was from the basket.
On the basketball court, Ball State University point guard Kelsey Corbin is the last person you want to go one-on-one with. The senior has let her deft ball handling and deadly mid-range game lead the way to her finest season with averages of 11.7 points and a team-high 4.
