As the lights go down at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in John R. Emens Auditorium, 20 acts will take the stage at this year's Homecoming Talent Search. Sheri Niekamp, Talent Search chairwoman, said the performances should be entertaining. "What we saw through the auditions was a lot of stage presence," Niekamp said.
I rarely go to a film that is so bad to the point where I can't find any redeeming quality in it. There always is a camera shot, a scene, an actor's performance or a great story twist that I applaud. I try to find the positive in any film because it is an extremely grueling process to create a film.
Stan Parrish had to wait 20 years for his second chance. Now his team wants to make the most of their own second opportunity. After being fired from Kansas State University, Parrish waited two decades before he got another head coaching job. So far, his first season at the helm of Ball State University hasn't gone any better than his tenure at Kansas State where he was 2-30-1.
Mark Carter, famously known to Ball State University students as the "Hot Dog Man," will expand his business by returning to downtown Muncie, two years after leaving it. But don't worry Village-goers: Carter said his move downtown won't affect his regular Village business.
Spirits rose while the temperature dropped Monday night at Ball State University Homecoming's Opening Day games, which included an inflatable obstacle course, tug of war and gladiator jousting. "It's pretty cold, but it gets everybody out playing and ready for the week," Abi Dreher, a member of Sigma Kappa who participated in tug of war, said.
Ball State University's greek community has been working hard to give back to the Muncie community with several philanthropic events. On Sunday, Chi Omega held their second annual Yippie-Chi-O at LaFollette Field. The Western-themed event raised money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation to grant a wish of a little girl with Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Forty-seven teams with at least six members competed in the 22nd annual Mud Volleyball Tournament on Saturday and Sunday. The event was organized by Botsford and Swinford halls and was located at the mud pits near the Johnson B complex. The DJ kicked off the tournament by playing The Bloodhound Gang's "The Bad Touch.
Last week, while maneuvering from the Robert Bell Building to the Atrium, I noticed a girl sitting in an alcove at the front of the David Letterman Communication and Media Building on the second floor. She was sitting on the wide windowsill, back against the wall, doing homework.
While professional football teams battled on Sunday, amateur players at Ball State University were in action on Bethel Field. Sixteen teams of 10 each showed up to play during Ball State's first annual Homecoming Co-ed Flag Football Tournament. The flag football tournament replaced Music on McKinley and was open to students, faculty, staff and alumni.
It was a day that had been circled on the women's volleyball team's calendar throughout the offseason. September 26 was supposed to be Ball State University's coming out party and a night in which they put the Mid-American Conference on notice that Ball State volleyball was back by defeating Western Michigan University.
Ball State University's Homecoming Week is kicking off today with the annual Opening Day games. The Opening Day games will be held at LaFollette Field, rather than Irving Gymnasium, and will feature new events. Homecoming Special Events chairman Zach Anderson said the purpose of the Opening Day games is to promote camaraderie among students.
Two local restaurants participated in a fundraiser benefiting Share Our Strength, a foundation working to end childhood hunger. The fundraiser, called the "Great American Dine Out," started last Sunday and lasted through the week, ending Saturday. Across the United States, more than 1,000 restaurants registered to take part in the fundraiser.
To help raise breast cancer awareness, the Ball State University soccer and field hockey teams will be taking part in the "Think Pink" initiative this weekend. The athletics department is encouraging those who attend the games to wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness.
Today, the hustle and bustle of traffic, honking horns and police sirens are gone. Every store is closed, every car is still and everything is quiet. People could even take naps in the middle of streets or highways. Corey Gillman, president of the Ball State University Hillel organization, wouldn't recommend that in Muncie.
Professor Mary Annette Rose was named this year's Rawlings Outstanding Distance Education Teaching Award in the School of Extended Education.
Ball State is in the midst of an intense competition with other schools in Indiana. With the economy in disarray, people are realizing the importance of a college education when competing for a job. More potential students means the university must work harder on recruitment.
The injury bug continues to plague the women's volleyball team just as junior Alyssa Rio returned from injury after missing a month, back up setter red-shirt freshman Andrea Felton is now on the injured list. "It's sort of ridiculous isn't it?" coach Dave Boos said.
Ball State University's annual Homecoming bonfire is happening tonight at 9 p.m., following the Opening Day Games. This year's bonfire will include a performance by the Ball State drumline, an introduction to the football team by athletic director Tom Collins and performances from the Code Red Dancers and Ball State cheerleaders.
