In the eight months since the doors of Indiana’s abortion clinics closed, the aftermath has posed questions about reproductive health accessibility.
Did you miss it? Catch up on the news from April 1-4 and take a look at upcoming events...
The Florida Supreme Court ruled 6-1 to uphold the state’s ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy April 1, according to the Associated Press. This means a sixweek ban on the procedure could take effect soon. Additionally, in a separate ruling, the court allowed a ballot measure to be sent to voters to place abortion rights in the state’s constitution.
Ball State welcomes the Hawks to Worthen Arena as the Cardinals look to complete the season sweep of the black and gold. The game will be played at 7 p.m. Ball State is the No. 1 team in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) with a 11-2 conference record. Quincy is the No. 9 team with a 1-13 MIVA record.
April 2: An Israel air strike killed four aids and their Palestinian driver while the group was delivering a shipment of food to northern Gaza on behalf of the World Central Kitchen charity. The charity’s founder, José Andrés, said he was aware of the reports and would “share more information when we have gathered all the facts,” according to the Associated Press.
THURSDAY
RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS
Hi: 43º
Lo: 34º
April 6-7: Coming off of a rainout, Softball will head northeast to face the Bulls in a three-game series. The doubleheader on Saturday will begin at 1 p.m., and the final game will be played on Sunday at Noon. The Cardinals have lost their last seven games and sit at the No. 10 spot in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Buffalo is the No. 7 team in the MAC.
PARTLY CLOUDY
Hi: 50º
THIS WEEK: Below seasonal temperatures will dominate the rest of the workweek, with mixed precipitation likely Thursday. Relief is on the way as we should be into the mid 50s by the weekend before and even bigger warmup into next week!
START CHECKING, FROM DAY ONE.
Waking Up with Cardinal Weather is Ball State University’s first and only morning mobile show focused on getting your ready for the day through local news, weather and lifestyle trends. Waking Up with Cardinal Weather airs every Friday morning at 8 a.m. at @cardinalwx live on Facebook.
A Piper Cherokee aircraft flying into Delaware County Regional Airport crashed along Cardinal Greenway April 1. Only the pilot was inside. The condition of the pilot is unknown; they were transferred to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital. Airport Manager Tim Baty said two individuals on Cardinal Greenway both sustained injuries from the crash and were also transferred to Ball Memorial Hospital.
Police are investigating a downtown Indianapolis shooting that took place March 30, according to the Associated Press. The shooting injured seven people, including two 16-year-olds, three 14-year-olds and a 12-year-old. The police announced April 1 there might’ve been more than one shooter involved, but police has yet to identify either.
The U.S. government was sued by three different anti-smoking groups April 2 over the idle promise by President Joe Biden to ban menthol cigarettes, according to the Associated Press. The lawsuit comes after White House officials missed the deadline they put in place to review Biden’s unpublished rule to ban mint-flavored menthol cigarettes.
Indiana’s near-total abortion ban presents questions on reproductive accessibility and health in the eight months after the decision.
Kate Farr Opinion EditorIndiana’s Abortion Center Directory website sits practically defunct. Beyond sparse text and static links, the site offers nothing more than a “Home” header, navigating visitors to a gray-and-white map of Indiana.
All 92 Indiana counties are labeled on the map, directing site visitors to click on their desired county for abortion clinic information. Each takes the navigator to a page displaying the same message: “No facilities exist in this county.”
It’s been more than half a year since Indiana abortion clinics ceased providing abortions after the state’s near-total ban on the procedure. Following the Supreme Court ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in June 2022 — which overturned Roe v. Wade — the state enacted legislation terminating licensure for abortion clinics, as well as setting guidelines for the few legal instances of abortion care.
Indiana’s four Planned Parenthood clinics and two additional Indianapolis health clinics were stripped of licensing and forced to halt abortion services, according to the Associated Press (AP). Whole Woman’s Health of South Bend, a non-profit that provided reproductive education resources and abortion care, permanently closed its doors.
According to Indiana Senate Bill 1 (SB1), abortion would only be permitted in certain cases, such as when the pregnancy poses a “serious health risk” to the woman, a “lethal fetal anomaly” is detected or a pregnancy of up to 12 weeks is a result of rape or incest.
With abortion legislation in the hands of the states, Indiana is one of 14 states that have complete bans with limited expectations. While women in Indiana face restrictions at home, neighboring states have implemented abortion legislation that provides care for those able to cross state lines.
constitutional protections for abortion access following the Supreme Court ruling. It was the only state to have an abortion rights question on its ballot in 2023, according to the AP.
Illinois enacted comprehensive abortion rights legislation in 2019. In 2023, Gov. JB Pritzker signed House Bill 4664, which protects Illinois reproductive health providers, as well as their patients, marking a win for many out-of-state travelers seeking abortion care in the state.
62%
States with abortion restrictions had a 62 percent increase in deaths during pregnancy or a year after childbirth due to the pregnancy itself or a pre-existing condition that was worsened by the pregnancy.
Source: Guttmacher Institute
20%
Illinois experienced the largest increase in the number of patients traveling from out of state for abortion care.
Source: Front Public Health
Indiana State Representative Sue Errington, who served as the Public Policy Director for Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky for 17 years, said she continues to work on “ways to overturn” the ban.
“Only hospitals and ambulatory clinics can now provide abortion under limited circumstances,” Errington said via email. “Indiana will no longer be an option for people from other states seeking abortions.”
Neighboring states like Illinois and Ohio have become abortion havens, providing care to patients who can afford to make the trip over state lines.
Ohio is one of the few states that updated its
“[Planned Parenthood of Illinois]’s Champaign Health Center near the Indiana border has experienced an 80 percent increase in out-of-state abortion patients, with 50 percent of those patients coming from Indiana,” Errington said.
According to data from the Guttmacher Institute’s Monthly Abortion Provision Study, nearly one in five patients traveled to other states to obtain abortion care in 2023 — double the amount recorded in 2020.
The surge, according to experts from the institute, is driven by post-Roe v. Wade bans and restrictions sweeping the United States.
The Guttmacher Institute’s report is based on a survey of brick-and-mortar abortion clinics, as well as telehealth
and virtual providers. The institute, which supports abortion rights, relies on a sample from each state to estimate the number of abortions.
Based on the institute’s findings, Illinois experienced the largest increase in the number of patients traveling from out of state for abortion care. The state saw a nearly 20 percent increase from 2020 to 2023 in patients coming from other states.
Illinois, which borders three states with near-total abortion bans (Indiana, Kentucky and Missouri), permits abortion before fetal viability and allows qualified healthcare professionals, not just physicians, to provide abortion care.
Jean Marie Place, an assistant professor of health promotion and ucation at Ball State University, specializes in women’s health, as well as maternal and child health. In her eyes, women are leaving Indiana and seeking abortions elsewhere out of necessity.
“They are desiring freedom and selfdetermination for their lives,” Place said via email.
The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed countries and is the only developed nation in which that rate is rising. Indiana has the third-highest maternal mortality rate among all reporting states, according to a maternal mortality brief from Indiana University. “Put simply, lack of healthcare access hurts health,” Place said. “You can see that play out.”
According to a 2023 study on the maternal mortality crisis in the U.S., states with abortion restrictions had a 62 percent higher proportion of individuals dying during pregnancy or up to one year after childbirth, typically due to the pregnancy or a pre-existing condition that was worsened by pregnancy.
Notably, the rate of maternal and infant death is disproportionately higher among minority populations. The study cited that the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision reduced maternal mortality rates by 30 to 40 percent for people of color, attributing the decline to increased access to safe and legal abortions.
“Abortion access is healthcare, so when healthcare is limited, unfortunately, women may have to get their needs met in ways that ultimately end up hurting their health,” Place said. “I believe it’s a human rights issue …There is no freedom for women without reproductive freedom to decide what is best for their lives and to have access to the resources to aid in those reproductive decisions without coercion.”
Chelsea McDonnel, who serves on the state board for the National Organization for Women (NOW) and as a
Muncie chapter president for East Central Indiana NOW, echoes Place’s stance.
“Minority women have much higher rates of maternal and infant mortality than white women, and we have to address that,” McDonnel said via email. “None of us can move forward if we don’t first make sure all our sisters are rising with us toward justice.”
McDonnel started MADVoters — an organization that promotes voter registration and works to educate voters on legislation in Indiana — with other advocates. McDonnel said that she and other advocates spend time at the Indiana Statehouse during legislative sessions, “advocating for access to abortion, as well as birth control and muchneeded medical services for pregnant Hoosiers.”
“I was at the statehouse when the [Supreme Court] ruling came down,” McDonnel. “I had been there for weeks supporting others and standing with them. I sat down on a bench and I cried. I have had the honor and privilege of working with so many people across our state, and they have shared so many of their stories and experiences with me. Knowing access to abortion was practically non-existent was absolutely terrifying to me for others.”
Beyond the scope of Indiana’s current abortion restrictions, there’s another question on the table: the future of reproductive healthcare. While the Roe v. Wade decision was a hit to comprehensive abortion access, the fate of a commonly used abortion method is before the Supreme Court.
More than a year and a half after the court passed off the matter of abortion to elected officials, the availability of the abortion pill mifepristone is at stake. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled in August 2024 that the pill should remain legal in the U.S. but only with “significant restrictions” on patients’ access to it, according to court records.
Despite the lower court ruling, the Supreme Court on March 26, signaled that it was “unlikely” to limit access to mifepristone. According to a report from Reuters, the
No matter what extremists try to do in the political corridors and courtrooms of Indiana, [we’ll] keep providing Hoosiers with birth control.
- HALEY BOUGHER, Indiana State Director of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates (PPAA-IN)
justices appeared “skeptical” that anti-abortion groups and doctors challenging the drug have the “needed legal standing to pursue the case.”
Haley Bougher, the Indiana State Director of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates (PPAA-IN), works with the organization to implement legislative and reproductive advocacy.
“Anti-abortion extremists have been clear, they will not stop until all access is stopped, including medication abortion,” Bougher said via email. “Abortion bans and restrictions have grave consequences, particularly for pregnant individuals. They make pregnancy less safe and increase the risk of maternal mortality. Moreover, they disproportionately impact marginalized communities, including rural residents, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals and young people. These bans not only limit reproductive rights but also threaten lives by restricting access to essential health care services.”
There is work being done to try to repeal Indiana’s SB1. Senator Shelli Yoder introduced Senate Bill 208 in January 2024, which would reestablish the licensure of abortion clinics, change statutes concerning when an abortion may be performed and remove the eight-week limitation on the use of certain abortion-inducing drugs. It would also allow — rather than require — the revocation of a physician’s license for the performance of an abortion in violation of the law. The bill is currently pending after being referred to the Senate Health and Provider Services Committee.
“No matter what extremists try to do in the political corridors and courtrooms of Indiana, [we’ll] keep providing Hoosiers with birth control … and referrals to abortion care in other states where it is protected,” Bougher said. “By advocating for transparency and fighting against healthcare deception, we strive to ensure that everyone has access to the care they need and deserve.”
Contact Kate Farr with comments at kate.farr@bsu.edu.
Muncie will experience its first total solar eclipse since 957 CE.
Ellie Marker ReporterIt’s been almost 1,200 years since East-Central Indiana has seen a total solar eclipse. Delaware County locals and Ball State students are gearing up and learning about what’s to come.
John Millis, who serves as Ball State’s department chair of physics and astronomy, explained that totality in a solar eclipse happens when the moon completely blocks out the light from the sun’s disk (photosphere) from Earth’s point of view if you are in the path of totality.
Viewers are only able to see the outermost layer of the sun, the solar atmosphere — also called the Corona. It will appear to give a light glow on the edges of the moon, which is a part of the sun behind it.
“Because the sun is so bright, you normally can’t see the solar atmosphere, even though it does light up with radiation, it is so dim compared to the disk that we can’t normally see it,” Millis said. “During totality, when you have blocked all this light from the solar surface, the lumination from the solar atmosphere is now visible.”
The rare sight of totality runs through a few midwest and southern states including Texas, Arkansas, Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. All of Muncie, Indiana, will be in the direct path of totality, something that has attracted many potential tourists. The time in totality is estimated to be three minutes and 40 seconds in Muncie.
“If you were to wait for a solar eclipse to come to you and not travel anywhere, you’d be waiting, on average, 375 years,” said Nicolette Peyton Terracciano, a planetarium show specialist at the Brown Planetarium. “But in the case of Muncie, we haven’t seen a total solar eclipse since the year 957.”
According to Ball State University, the eclipse will begin on campus at 1:52:13 p.m. ET, with totality starting at 3:07:37 p.m. ET. Totality will last until 3:11:15 p.m. ET. The eclipse ends at 4:24:16 p.m. ET. These times are estimated for Ball State’s campus only, meaning times may vary slightly by location.
I’ve always liked astronomy. It’s probably the first time I’ll see an eclipse.”
- ASHTON WILLIS, Third-year computer science major
Special protective eyewear is required to view the eclipse before and after absolute totality. It is essential to protect your eyes and follow safety guidelines explained by NASA.
“If you make a fist and squeeze it really hard for a long time, it will start to hurt, but you will know,” Terracciano said. “[But], you don’t have nerve endings in your eyes, so you don’t know the damage that is happening to your pupil until it is too late.”
Solar eclipse glasses are handed out at Charles W. Brown Planetarium leading up to the event, and bulk numbers can be requested via a request form. Students and faculty are encouraged to donate $1 per pair but are not required.
The eclipse can still be viewed without protective eyewear, as long as the viewer doesn’t look directly at the sun. According to Terracciano, during a total solar eclipse smaller shadows and reflections from the trees and bushes create crescent shapes. These shapes on the ground are safe to view without a pair of eclipse glasses.
Once the sky is dark and looks similar to nighttime, the eclipse will be in totality. During this time it is safe to take off glasses and view the eclipse directly. Once the Corona goes away and the sun is visible again, it is recommended to put the glasses back on or look away for safety.
Delaware County offers many events on the day of the eclipse and some people are planning to camp at Delaware County Indiana Fairgrounds to secure their spot to watch the eclipse with others.
When the moon orbits between Earth and the sun, blocking the light from Earth, and the moon casts a shadow on Earth.
There are three types of solar eclipses: total, partial and annular.
As long as you take time to view (an eclipse) and view them safely, it can be a life-changing experience.”
- NICOLETTE TERRACCIANO, Planetarium Show Specialist at Brown Planetarium
“Citizens are turning this into a very special event for themselves and their families by just celebrating and having parties,” Terracciano said.
Fourth-year public relations major Madison Guimond said she has plans to travel to her parent’s house in Indianapolis to watch the eclipse.
Guimond said this is a “family tradition” as they watched the 2017 eclipse together in Illinois. Guimond said she feels that viewing an eclipse is grounding because of the deeper reflection of how small humans are in comparison to the planet, moon and stars.
“It is great to share the once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Guimond said. “We all really
When the Earth moves in between the sun and the moon, blocking the sunlight that hits the moon.
Lunar eclipses only happen when the moon is full and seen at night.
appreciate spending time together, especially because the experience is limited.”
While some students may be venturing outside of Muncie, others said they will view the eclipse from places around the city or on campus. Thirdyear computer science major Ashton Willis said he has not been able to watch an eclipse before and is excited for the upcoming one.
“I’ve always liked astronomy. It’s exciting that probably the first time I’ll see an eclipse, it will be a total one,” Willis said. “The moon is such a small object compared to other celestial bodies, so it has
The sun, moon and Earth aren’t exactly aligned. The sun appears to have a shadow partially over it.
The sun, moon and Earth are in a direct line. It’s only visible in a small area on Earth, where people are directly in the moon’s shadow.
When the moon is farthest from Earth, causing it to appear smaller. The moon doesn’t cover the sun entirely, instead, it appears to have a light ring around it.
to be in that perfect angle in order to have totality in certain parts of the world.”
Altogether, April 8 will be a special day for the history books due to the rarity of all these moving parts aligning. It will likely leave a lasting impact on those who watch it as well.
“As long as you take time to view [an eclipse] and view them safely, it can be a life-changing experience,” Terracciano said.
Contact Ellie Marker with comments via email at eliana.marker@bsu.edu.
For more than two decades, Marcia and Joe Freeman have been supporters of Ball State women’s athletics on and off the court. 410
The Cardinals will travel to Bowling Green to take on the Falcons April 5. The Cardinals have won three out of their past five competitions but are coming off a 3-4 loss against Western Michigan. Both Ball State and Bowling Green are 2-2 in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The match will start at 1 p.m.
After a ninth-place finish last month at the Auburn Tiger Invitational, Ball State will head to Nashville, Tennessee, to play in the Mason Rudolph Championship. The tournament will be hosted by Vanderbilt and played at the Vanderbilt Legends Club South Course. This will be the second-to-last tournament of the regular season before the MAC Championship.
Junior pitcher Merritt Beeker struck out 13 batters in seven innings in a Ball State 12-3 win against Ohio en route to the award. Beeker has a season strikeout total of 59, ranking No. 10 in NCAA Division 1. This is the Cardinals’ second weekly honor of the season.
The Cardinals are proud of the team they’ve cultivated this season.
Ball State Gymnastics finished 14-4 in the regular season and was named the regular season Mid-American Conference (MAC) champions for the second year in a row. The Cardinals placed second at the MAC Gymnastics Championships, broke several records and gained a spot at the 2024 National Collegiate Women’s Gymnastics Championships Regionals.
Their key to success? Planting bamboo.
Going into the season, head coach Joanna Saleem spoke with the Cardinals about this process. It takes three years for bamboo to grow, but once it breaks the surface, it grows quickly because it has been nurtured and grown strong roots.
Saleem encouraged her gymnasts to do the same.
“That is what we’re seeing now with the competitive success that they’re having,” she said. “They have spent time cultivating that foundation.”
I’m so proud of how far this program has come from my freshman year to what it is now. It has grown astronomically. Freshman year, we were just kind of surviving. Now we’re thriving.”- KELLY SULEK, Student Manager
Ball State headed north Wednesday, April 3, to compete in the Ann Arbor Regional hosted by the University of Michigan.
Ball State finished the regular season with a National Qualifying Score (NQS) of 196.600 at No. 34, while the Fighting Illini had an NQS of 196.690 at No. 31.
After defeating Ball State, Illinois will face Oklahoma, NC State and Ohio State in the second round at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 4.
Five Ball State gymnasts were selected to compete as individuals, which kick off April 4.
Sophomore Zoe Middleton was selected as an all-around competitor, freshman Ashley Szymanski and graduate student Megan Teter were selected for bars, and seniors Victoria Henry and Suki Pfister will be competing on vault.
Pfister will also participate on floor. She is the first gymnast in program history to earn Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) First Team All-America honors.
conversations with one another and working toward setting goals and working really hard at trying to accomplish what they’ve set out to do,” Saleem said.
Before the season started, the team went on a retreat to get to know each other and set goals for the year. Saleem said these trips have been “hugely beneficial” for laying out expectations for the season.
She said the plan helps them push through different points in the year when they may get ill or lack motivation. From loud routines to Nerf wars to yoga ball volleyball, Saleem has to get creative with practices to make sure the gymnasts don’t burn out.
“You’re seeing more wins, and that’s because every person on the floor has the ability to score well and perform well,” she said.
Saleem has enjoyed seeing how the Cardinals have handled potential adversity throughout the season and watching them grow from it.
set out to do.”
- JOANNA SALEEM, Head CoachKelly Sulek, the Cardinals’ manager, has shared similar experiences despite her role being different than that of an athlete or coach.
Sulek is a senior biology major, and while she is the Cardinals’ student manager now, she wasn’t always. Sulek competed on the team for her first two years of school, but after she tore her achilles, she had to step away from the sport.
“I’d made a commitment for four years, so if I had to step up into a different role, that’s something I was willing to do,” she said.
As a manager, Sulek is there to help with
from my freshman year to what it is now,” she said. “It has grown astronomically. Freshman year, we were just kind of surviving. Now we’re thriving.”
Sulek said she is going to miss her teammates and the memories they’ve made, but she is ready for the next chapter in her life. She will be attending the University of Findlay next academic year for physician’s assistant school.
Teter said she is also sad to say goodbye to the program, but she is proud of how the gymnasts performed during her final year.
“We’ve accomplished so much,” she said. “We just continue to get better and better.”
Teter said the Cardinals bought into the idea that they were going to be a championship team and never lost sight of that.
Joe and Marcia Freeman pose for a photo March 29 at Worthen Arena. Joe and Marcia met while working at Ball Corporation when it was headquartered in downtown Muncie. MYA CATALINE, DN
We’ve just been in love with women’s basketball ever since.”
- JOE FREEMAN, Longtime women’s athletics supporter on getting involved with the Cardinal Varsity Club“I’ll do them until I go to Heaven,” Marcia joked. “As long as they ask, I love every second of it. I am a trained counselor, so I also provide their premarital counseling, and they love that, believe it or not.”
Joe and Marcia met working at Ball Corporation in downtown Muncie during a time when it was the corporation’s national headquarters. They knew of each other for a few years and were both involved in a workout group together.
Both are Ball State graduates — Joe in 1984 with a computer science degree while Marcia has earned a few degrees including an associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, two master’s degrees and is working toward her Ed.D. in Adult and Community Education.
After his time at Ball Corporation, Joe returned to Ball State in the Information Technology Services department where he has been since. Marcia, who said she worked a few jobs after earning her first undergraduate degree, attended seminary before spending 23 years as a senior pastor at Blue River Valley Church of the Nazarene in Henry County, Indiana. She also worked as assistant vice president of wealth management at Old National Bank, where she retired in 2015.
The cardinal connection began for Joe and Marcia with the Cardinal Varsity Club after their two daughters moved out. Joe, who was an active Ball State fan as a student, was less involved on the administrative side while Marcia held officer positions over the years.
“It’s what we do for fun,” Marcia said. “We don’t go to movies, we’re not big on going out to dinner. Our weekends are planned around Ball State sports.”
As part of the club, they were invited to a preseason meal with the women’s basketball team one year. There were a few parents and players at their table that day, and Marcia spent time getting to know folks and introduced them to Joe.
Eventually, they made a connection with thenincoming head coach Tracy Roller who coached the Cardinals from 2001-2008.
“We’ve just been in love with women’s basketball ever since,” Joe said.
Joe said there was hardly any fan support for Ball State women’s basketball at the time. As a photography hobbyist who purchased his first camera at 18 years old, he asked the staff if he could go down to the floor and shoot during games. “These days there’s like a million people down there taking pictures, but other than maybe seeing them online [or] on one page, I’ve never seen them, I don’t know where those pictures go,” he said. “I
take action photos, make 4x6 prints and I give them to the coach and the coach passes them out to the players.”
Over the years, the couple’s impact grew outside of basketball to other women’s sports around Ball State. Marcia described their role as a “mom and dad” on campus for players. They could be a shoulder to cry on, a pastor or anything that college athletes may need.
McDonald-Spencer has known Joe and Marcia from her early years as a college student and player to her life now as a coach and mother.
“As a young student-athlete, it was good to have somewhere to go if I needed an ear to listen to my gripes and complaints about the silliest of things to needing advice on how to deal with relationships or different things like that,” she said. “Now it’s more of a friendship where I feel like I’m giving as much as I’m taking from the relationship.”
Joe and Marcia host small groups, dinners and other events at their home for each team and focus on providing emotional support and care for student-athletes during a period of their lives that often sees the most hardships.
“They welcomed us with open arms in terms of hosting us for dinners [and] allowing us someplace to talk about anything that was going on — whether it’s on the court or off,” McDonald-Spencer said.
Current women’s volleyball head coach Kelli Miller-Phillips got to know Joe and Marcia during her time as an assistant coach before succeeding Steve Shondell in 2016.
“[Marcia] is such an inviting personality and
I’ll do them until I go to heaven. As long as they ask, I love every second of it.”
- MARCIA FREEMAN, Longtime Ball State women’s athletics supporterhelps people feel very comfortable,” she said. “All athletes need that, especially for the women to feel like they have another person.
“She’s just a good, easy person to be able to talk to, and [she’s] always, always very supportive of me and that is something that, as a coach, you don’t always hear the positive. She’s a great friend to have as that support person.”
McDonald-Spencer, who was Marcia’s first wedding, said she now shares her friendship with Joe and Marcia with her kids who love seeing them whenever they can.
“She’s just a constant,” McDonald-Spencer said. “She’s always there for our kids, and it’s been fun to watch her grow with the amount of teams she is now helping. It’s been fun to see her grow and touch way more lives.”
Contact Daniel Kehn with comments daniel. kehn@bsu.edu or on X @daniel_kehn.
Marcia Freeman and the 2017 women’s volleyball team pose for a photo at Scheumann Stadium. While Joe and Marcia started with supporting women’s basketball they branched out to other teams as well. JOE FREEMAN, PHOTO PROVIDED
One district. One university. One shared future.
Through The Partnership Project, The Daily News is making a commitment to the community to take notice of what is happening at Muncie Community Schools and it’s partnership with Ball State University and hopes to provide a full picture of the commitment to progress within the district.
04.11.24
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Wizard’s Keep Game and Hobby store has a long 40-year history in the Muncie Community.
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The 21+ event will be held Saturday at Cornerstone Center for the Arts from 2 to 6 p.m. in the Colonade Room. Craft beers, winery and distillery offerings will be served alongside live music and artists. After the event, attendees of the Brewfest can go to the Magic City Music Fest from 4 p.m. to Midnight for free. Tickets, available on downtown Muncie’s website, cost $40.
Spectrum is holding its annual spring drag show April 5 from 8 to 10 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom. The event is free to attend, but cash donations are welcome. Refreshments will be provided at the event, and the show will be hosted by Aura Aurora, a local Muncie drag queen. Doors for the two-hour performance will open at 7:30 p.m.
From 1 to 4 p.m. April 8, weather permitting, Canan Commons will have the free viewing hosted by DWTWN Muncie. Live music will be played, and vendors will be selling their products. It is encouraged to bring your own instrument, as well as blankets and yoga mats to lay on. Totality will occur at 3:09 p.m. causing four minutes of darkness.
Muncie based artist Zorn Crowder poses for a photo in front of his work April 2 at The Cup. Under his artist name “Sleep Seeker,” Crowder displays his paintings while working at the establishment as a barista. ANDREW BERGER, DN
An artist’s story of house paint, family and a local coffee shop.Abigail Denault Reporter
The Cup’s patrons might take their beverage into the seating area to the tune of an indie-alternative song and like Jessica Wolfe, a 2023 graduate of Ball State University, they might notice new additions to the walls since their last visit.
“I’ve always liked the National Geographic wall, and then I like that they added the two paintings on top,” Wolfe said. “It’s all of them together, they fit so well. They’re all so unique.”
Another patron, Meghan Lutes, an English graduate student at Ball State, said her favorite art piece is a black-and-white painting of two figures drawn in the same signature style of multiple eyes and mouths.
“I always noticed that one because it just catches your eye, and I always thought it was very interesting,” Lutes said.
For frequent visitors, there might be a sense of recognition with the style of the artist known as “Sleep Seeker.” Recently, he has been close enough to hand them their coffee under a different name — Zorn Crowder.
“I didn’t want to be attached, as an individual, as a person,” Crowder said about his pseudonym. “I wanted it to be more of some type of alter ego, where it wasn’t me doing it.”
The name itself is a call back to the mid-’80s and early to late-’90s: what he says was the “cultural boom.” A time of bright colors and art that mixed cultures and styles, especially in street art and graffiti. A starting point for a lot of his art’s style and color, which involves techniques such as layering each color of paint, is reminiscent of screen printing.
In his time growing up in downtown Muncie, his style developed through his friendships with graffiti artists and the influence of local shops, including tattoo parlors around town. Another influence was his life experiences, which have not always been as brightly colored as his work.
“I was painting really heavily in my late teens,” Crowder said. “I was unmedicated, struggling super hard with depression, suicide and drug addiction and alcoholism, and the only time I would entertain the idea of painting was when I was just completely wrecked.”
At that time in his life, he said he worked with his hands and tried to illustrate how he felt, but eventually, he lost joy in everything, including the craft he loved.
For nearly 10 years, he did not touch a paintbrush or doodle like he used to. Then, art came back into
I didn’t want to be attached, as an individual, as a person. I wanted it to be more of some type of alter ego, where it wasn’t me doing it,”
- ZORN CROWDER, Local artist known as Sleep Seeker
his life as quickly as it left with the impending arrival of a baby girl.
“Right before my daughter was born, I had gotten sober and cleaned up,” Crowder said. “And when I had that type of time on my hands, I had to figure out what made me, me.”
In his return to painting and drawing, he found himself becoming happier. His style developed into its current state after a mistake on a doodle led to him creating multiple sets of eyes.
“All of a sudden, it kind of branched into what I think we are,” Crowder said. “We have this face that we have to kind of reconcile what we want to say before it comes out of our mouth. That’s where the second face comes from. You’re looking at something or two different sets of eyes … somebody that struggles with who they are.”
Around the room, paintings range from Westernstyle to futuristic motifs each sporting the same added pairs of features.
“I like the cowboy one. Honestly, the piece of straw out of their mouth is just so good,” Lutes said. “And that one definitely has two mouths because there’s a cigarette. I love that.”
The colors themselves were less metaphorical and more of an artistic challenge. Crowder said the black-and-white portrait of two figures was a result of only having those two colors available in house paint; A similarity which carries through the set of paintings as he purchased other house paint specifically in colors he did not normally work with.
Color is less of a challenge for Crowder given his time spent working alongside his father as a painter and finisher.
store has withstood location changes and changes in ownership to serve the Muncie Community.Hannah Amos Lifestyles editor
The roll of dice. The fwip of cards. Jokes, taunts and laughs exchanged alongside strategies and plans. Bonds are formed and made stronger simply by playing games.
For 40 years, Wizard’s Keep Game and Hobby store, located in White River Plaza, has been serving the Muncie community and providing a place to buy and play tabletop games.
Opened in 1984 in the Village on Ball State University’s campus, the popularity of fantasy games, like Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), inspired the name. In 2012, the store moved to White River Plaza for more space and better parking.
David Barnette has been the owner of the store for nearly 20 years, taking over in 2005 and becoming the second owner. He fell in love with the store during his time as a Ball State pre-law and philosophy student.
During his downtime, he hung out in the store and played different games. This led to him working in the store and connecting with fellow tabletop gamers.
“I’ve always had a love and a passion for games, but also gamers, so we’ve developed a community. I’ve made a lot of friends from people that come here and shop and hang out,” Barnette said.
Before he took ownership of Wizard’s Keep, he worked in the store in the ’90s for six years and became the store manager. When it came time for him to graduate, he was at a crossroads between going to law school or taking over the store.
“One thing I really liked about [being the owner of Wizard’s Keep] wasn’t just a job where you could go work in the factory or you just gotta do it to cash your paycheck, but it was also a community and my social scene as well,” he said.
I’ve always had a love and a passion for games, but also gamers, so we’ve developed a community.”
- DAVID BARNETTE, Owner
Barnette believes the long history of the store, along with the wide selection of games, sets it apart from other stores.
Currently, Barnette is the only employee at the shop working all seven days it’s open.
The shop is divided into two main sections, with the front lined with different shelves and racks holding board games, role-playing games (RPG), figurines, cards and other gaming materials. The back of the store is open for people to play and connect with others.
Barnette finds it important to have space for people to play the games they bought.
Players like Brandon Price, an avid board game player, have become regulars at Wizard’s Keep. On Saturdays, he and a group of others play different board games, such as Clash of Cultures, a modular board game about civilizations.
“I just like the social aspect of [games],” Price said. “Every game has different game mechanics. So, I like exploring the different game mechanics and how they interact and how you interact with players in the game.”
Price was introduced to the store when he moved from Virginia in 2011.At the time, he was “getting big into gaming,” and he needed an outlet that both sold and allowed people to play games.
Price said Wizard’s Keep provides a great outlet for the community, and he enjoys the “friendly atmosphere” of the store.
Other players like Marie Bayer, Andrew Wiman, James Benjamin and Logan Kelley meet up on Saturdays around noon and play Magic: the Gathering, a collectible card game released in 1993.
They play a format of the game known as commander, a non-competitive multiplayer format of the game. The group plays the causal, social version rather than the more competitive one-onone version to prioritize fun and getting to know each other.
Kelley said competitive games are more focused on winning than creating an experience.
Wiman was a part of the original commander group that started around 2010, but the game didn’t stick until recently.
Bayer is a few weeks new to the group. To join,
all she did was simply ask to play.
“That’s the nice thing about the game is you can literally just come in, know nobody, and say ‘Can I play?’” Bayer said. “Suddenly, you’re in a group of people playing a game and having fun.”
The open gaming space and weekly Magic games are what introduced her to the shop. The same is true for Benjamin, a Ball State first-year architecture major, and Kelley.
Bayer appreciates the gaming space because it allows her to experience the social aspects of gaming while having a “neutral, safe space to
“Girls in these games tend to be statistically less. There are far fewer of us to play a lot of these games,” she said. “I feel completely safe coming here to play games with anybody at any time.”
Despite the lack of women who play these games, Wizard’s Keep provides a space for them to feel more comfortable getting involved.
“It was a big thing for me because it was a place I could find people like me, and people wanted to play the games like me,” Barnette said. “So in that regard, it is kind of important to kind of carry that tradition forward.”
The customers believe the space helps the gaming community grow, allowing new players to learn how to play games.
Benjamin notes that the mission of the store and the community building was easy, people simply just love to help new people play, he said.
A community once stereotyped as maledominated has expanded into one of all types of players. Barnette said when they first started, it was “white nerdy males” that would play.
But things have changed, Barnette said. At Wizard’s Keep, “everybody games now.”
Contact Hannah Amos via email at hannah. amos@bsu.edu or on X @Hannah_Amos_394.
Reporter Arianna Lessner contributed to this article.
Game mats and cards for Magic: the Gathering, a popular fantasy card game created in 1993, on a table in Wizard’s Keep Game and Hobby store March 23. Throughout the week, Wizard’s Keep lets people play games in the back of the store. HANNAH AMOS, DN
Firstborns often bear the brunt caused by parenting pitfalls.
Cristal Mariano
Columnist, “Breaking Barriers”
Cristal Mariano is a first-year journalism major and writes “Breaking Barriers” for the Daily News. Her views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper.
Being the oldest daughter in an immigrant family can be a blessing and a curse. While it’s great being a role model for your siblings, it can be very complicated when trying to balance life as a student, the oldest sibling in a single-mother household and an individual human being all rolled into one.
Eldest siblings are often seen as a guiding force for their younger brothers and sisters. The pressure to excel academically, professionally and socially can be immense as we are expected to pave the way for our siblings to follow. Because if not, who will we look after?
And in the same breath, there’s an added layer of complexity when being the child of immigrant parents.
From helping parents navigate official documents to bridging the communication gap with teachers and healthcare providers, the oldest sibling often plays a crucial role in ensuring smooth communication within the family.
And you’re always having to remind yourself that you are sacrificing for the sake of your family — that you’re breaking generational cycles. There are thoughts like: “How can I care for my siblings and be there for my parents while also leading my own life?”
According to a study by UCLA, researchers found that mothers tend to depend on firstborn daughters to help in caring for younger siblings, especially in high-stress environments.
From a young age, the responsibility of an older sibling is having to learn responsibility and adapt to an adult outlook while still being a child yourself.
That’s a lot to take on.
In my case, my siblings were more worried about being their own person and fitting their roles as a child and students. As the eldest, I didn’t get to do that. I was fitting the role of an absent father.
I rarely had time to focus on myself or focus on what goals I had for the future. Instead, my focus was: “I need to finish my assignments and finish cleaning the dishes,” or “I wonder what I am going to make for dinner tonight.”
These responsibilities were very hard on me at the age of eight — which was when I started to take on roles more typical of a parent or guardian. One day, my mom sat me down and told me about a job offer she accepted. She told me, as she grabbed my hand, “I want you to help me with your sisters because, after all, we have each other, and we need to look out for each other.”
As a kid, I didn’t understand what she meant, but when the responsibilities hit me all at once, it took a lot of my childhood and teen years to make sure my siblings were taken care of.
Getting older seems to pay off as you cross into the threshold of adulthood. Instead of the harsh transition many face, it’s smoother. It’s because you’ve acted like and done the duties of an adult for years.
But while I thought being a good role model for my siblings was stepping into a parental role myself, what I feel I should’ve done was set boundaries with my parents. I don’t want my siblings, or even my parents, to go through what I’ve gone through. I don’t want them to experience the embarrassment of saying the wrong words in English. I don’t want them to feel like a failure after every single sacrifice of the person before them. Forming boundaries with my family was an example of a role model for my siblings to know that boundaries can be a healthy way to take care of yourself.
Setting boundaries, of course, took time for me to do. I started going to therapy. I set realistic goals for myself. Forming and adapting boundaries, especially with those you love, can be tricky.
There are sometimes feelings of guilt I deal with since I chose the road of higher education instead of staying as a caregiver for my siblings and translator for my parents.
My priority for myself was last, and responsibilities as an elder daughter and caretaker were always put first.”
Now, as a current adult with a job of my own, I have gotten myself things I wish I could have as a kid, such as stuffed animals and anime-related items. It is very healing for my inner child as an adult, which makes me happy now.
Being a first-generation Latina in college has brought before me a lack of obstacles, such as low selfconfidence, the quality of my work and my academics.
I felt I was always supposed to give but never intended it for myself. It is a difficult path when you’re pressured to be successful and make your family proud since they made so many sacrifices for you to be here. My priority for myself was last, and responsibilities as an elder daughter and caretaker were always put first. Now on my own, it is hard to set boundaries with people and put myself first when my whole childhood was based on nurturing others.
But I have to put my future and myself first and start figuring out who I really want to be. It took a lot of thinking to decide to pursue higher education since coming to college meant I would have to leave my sisters at home without me. But this was the best decision for me, and I learn more about myself every day.
My journey as the eldest daughter has brought me closer to my sisters. Sometimes there’s a barrier to keeping up with them and making sure they are on the right path since I am setting the example. At the very end, we have each other to support. Family is really important. Learning to embrace boundaries and self-respect is a healthy way of representing what it means to be a role model for the little ones to see and our parents to understand.
For other eldest siblings reading this, it is a process, especially when you decide to proceed with higher education. Just remember why you started and why you want to continue.
The responsibility of being a role model and the anxiety of being a person of guidance for every member of your family can take a toll on your mental health. Breathe. You may be a student or an eldest sibling or someone just finding a way to stay afloat, but at the end of the day, you are human too. `
Contact Cristal Mariano with comments at cmarianovargas@bsu.edu or on X @remkearchangels.
Continued from Page 14
“My dad is an artist. A master in color theory, very knowledgeable about art and technique and traditional techniques,” Crowder said.
The color theory Crowder learned is exemplified in one of his works at The Cup, a blue alien with six eyes that alternate shades of pink.
“The way they are placed, it’s a test in art theory and how your eyes connect to color,” Crowder said. “They’re the exact same color, one just has a tiny bit of white. And when your eyes look at it, they can’t focus; they’ll jump back and forth because of where the pinks are at. Your eyes never
Right before my daughter was born, I had gotten sober and cleaned up. And when I had that type of time on my hands, I had to figure out what made me, me.”
- ZORN CROWDER, Local artist known as Sleep Seeker
Continued from Page 08
In fact, Teter was one of the Cardinals who broke a handful of records this season. At the Tennessee Collegiate Classic, Teter earned her first 10.000 on bars. Alongside Middleton, she earned the first perfect score on bars in program history.
She said the Cardinals could have decided that all of the wins and records were enough for them, but they decided to push themselves to get even better.
The Ohio native celebrated her second senior night March 17, but this time, it was her last.
The all-arounder earned her bachelor’s degree in 2023 in biochemistry. She is taking classes at Ball State this year, but she plans to go to Butler University for the 2024-25 school year to become a physician’s assistant.
Going into this final season, Teter wanted to be a leader and role model for the team.
“I just wanted to do my best to bring up other leaders so that way, when I leave, the legacy will continue,” she said.
Saleem said the seniors have excelled at being mentors and pushing people who aren’t comfortable in leadership roles. Teter did this by getting close to the freshmen and showing them what it means to be a Ball State gymnast. She wanted to make the underclassmen feel welcome by showing them that the Cardinals are all one team.
She said her teammates mean everything to her. They’re her family, her sisters, her critics and her support system. She said she will miss the feeling of competing and having her team to back her up.
“I’m just thankful for it, thankful and grateful that it happened,” she said. “I wouldn’t go back and change it. I feel very content and happy.”
Saleem believes the future is bright for the Cardinals. She has already recruited four new gymnasts for the 2025 season: Viviana Campuzano, Avery Kantor, Karli Mercer and Breelyn Rickey. Saleem said there may even be more additions before next year. However, with at least one meet remaining, her eyes are on the road ahead.
“Don’t count them out,” she said. “For any meet or any competition, you don’t count this team out. They will fight to the end. It’s pretty awesome to have that in a team, and they’re ready to get back after it.”
Contact Lila Fierek with comments at lkfierek@ bsu.edu.
stay still when you look at it.”
Much like his relationship with his own father, Crowder’s daughter has also carried on the family’s artistic spirit.
“She is all about her crayons, and I love it,” Crowder said. “I remember the first time she took one of my pens [when] she was itty tiny bitty. I held it, and she pushed it down and started moving it, almost made me cry.”
While there are many years until his near threeyear-old can put her own art on the walls, until then, the patrons of The Cup will continue to come and go among the work of “Sleep Seeker.”
Contact Abigail Denault with comments at abigail.denault@bsu.edu.
Ball State head coach Joanna Saleem cheers March 23 at the Mid-American Championship at Worthen Arena. Ball State placed second for beam overall. ANDREW BERGER, DN
WE LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER, AND OUR FUTURES.
Emergency contraception is most effective 3 – 5 days after unprotected sex.
