Ball State Daily News Vol. 103 Issue: 5

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New Education Center opens at Prairie Creek

Sept. 11: Cook Family Education Center has recently opened at Prairie Creek Reservoir. A natural history museum with the center features a historical timeline of Muncie including the Lenape people, the early gas boom, and women’s suffrage. Visitors can also see Delaware County Historic Society display cases.

Bethany Moser earns MAC weekly award

Sept. 12: This is the second time the redshirt junior has earned MAC Defensive Player of the Week. Last week, Moser saved seven of eight shots attempted on goal, accumulating a conference best .875 save percentage. She allowed no goals through the first 87 minutes of play in the Cardinals’ 1-0 loss to Vanderbilt and held Austin Peay scoreless in a 3-0 victory.

VOL. 103 ISSUE: 5

CONTACT THE DN

Newsroom: 765-285-8245

Editor: 765-285-8249, editor@bsudailynews.com

EDITORIAL BOARD

Grayson Joslin, Editor-in-chief

Daniel Kehn, Print Managing

Editor

Olivia Ground, Digital Managing

Editor

Abigail Denault, News Editor

Escaped Pennsylvania inmate captured

Sept. 12: After a nearly two week manhunt, Danelo Souza Cavalcante, who was in prison on a murder conviction, was apprehended. Cavalcante’s escape has circulated online, as the video shows the man crab-walking up the wall from the recreation yard. Authorities are offeting a $25,000 reward for information leading to his capture.

Football home opener against Indiana State

Sept. 16: After losses to the Southeastern Conference’s Kentucky and No. 1 Georgia in the first two games of the season, Ball State returns to Scheumann Stadium for the first time of the 2023 campaign for a Family Weekend contest against the Sycamores (0-2). The Blue Key Victory Bell is awarded to whichever squad wins, and Indiana State won the last meeting in 2014.

Mya Cataline, Associate Photo Editor

Meghan Holt, Visual Editor

Jessica Bergfors, Visual Editor Lisa Renze-Rhodes, Adviser

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4-DAY WEATHER FORECAST

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

CORRECTION

The Ball State Daily News (USPS-144-360), the Ball State student newspaper, is published Thursdays during the academic year except for during semester and summer breaks. The Daily News is supported in part by an allocation from the General Fund of the university and is available free to students at various campus locations.

Kyle Smedley, Sports Editor

Elijah Poe, Associate Sports Editor

Hannah Amos, Lifestyles Editor

Ella Howell, Associate Lifestyles

Editor and Copy Editor

Kate Farr, Opinion Editor

Elaine Ulsh, Associate Opinion

Editor

Jacob Boissy, Video Editor

Brissa Porter, Associate Video Editor

Emma Plank, Associate Social Media Editor

Jacy Bradley, Photo Editor

SUNNY

Hi: 74º

Lo: 46º

SUNNY

Hi: 77º

Lo: 48º

MOSTLY

SUNNY

Hi: 80º

Lo: 51º

SHOWERS

Hi: 74º

Lo: 55º

THIS WEEK: Seasonable & pleasant weather will continue into the weekend. We then expect a frontal system to sweep through and bring showers/maybe a rumble of thunder to the area Saturday night into Sunday morning with early October-like temperatures following.

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The time to

Two Muncie Community Schools (MCS) graduates, a first for the program, were awarded scholarships as a part of the third round of the Ryan Family Scholars and Navigator Program.

The program is funded by a $1.45 million gift from Michelle Ryan, who graduated in 1981 with bachelor’s degrees in both elementary education and special education, and her husband Jim.

It’s the largest philanthropic gift in Ball State University Teachers College history, according to the program’s website.

The funds are, according to the organization, for a full-ride scholarship and connection to universitywide comprehensive student services to all Teachers College students, particularly those who are the first in their family to attend college and/or have financially challenging backgrounds.

John Anderson, director of the Ryan Family Navigator Program and lecturer of sociology, has been working to grow the connections of the program to MCS and expand the program’s reach in order to expand the diversity of applicants. He said the connection is just the beginning, as he looks to

partner with other schools around the nation.

“One of the things that I wanted to do is build out these partnerships and see through this intentional outreach and building partnerships, how much does it add to the variety in our pool of applicants?” Anderson said.

Diversity stretches across many factors, Anderson said, including gender identity, sexual orientation, lived socio-economic experience, race, ethnicity and more.

Currently, the program is funded for seven years with six scholars chosen each year for the scholarship and for the development of cocurricular services. Anderson said he and his team are still working to promote the program to those who could benefit from the services, which include professional development and additional culturally inclusive curriculum offerings.

The Navigators Program is not limited to the Teachers College, but has services allowing any teaching education major to also receive additional programming and wraparound services provided from the original Ryan Family grant.

Associate Vice President for Inclusive Excellence Rashida Willard will be giving Ball State University’s first State of Inclusive Excellence

Address Sept. 19 at 2 p.m in the Student Center Ballroom. The address will include an overview of advancements and accomplishments of the prior year. Light refreshments will be provided for attendees.

Local

First State of Inclusive Excellence Address announced Delaware Co. officials selects Ball State County Ambassador

Titus Hill has been selected to represent Delaware County as a part of Ball State University’s new ambassador program. The program has student representatives from each of Indiana’s 92 counties, who each act as on-campus promoters for their respective locations with hopes of students considering staying in Indiana after graduation.

National

McCarthy directs House panel on impeachment inquiry

On Tuesday, Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he was opening a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. The move comes as McCarthy has been working to get conservative lawmakers to pass legislation to avoid federal government shutdown at the end of the month. Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) will be chairman of the Oversight Committee leading the impeachment inquiry.

Second-year elementary education major Josselline Valdez Salinas poses for a photo Sept. 7 in the Ball State Teachers College building. MYA CATALINE, DN Abigail Denault News Editor

Ryan Family Scholars and the Navigator Program provides students with a full-ride scholarship and developmental curriculum, which many have used as an opportunity to strive further.

Family Weekend Events

THURSDAY, September 14th

‘Night at the Museum’

Student Center programs: Midwest Dueling Pianos

Student Center Tally 8:00

FRIDAY, September 15th

T-Shirt Sale

L.A. Pittenger Student Center

Pruis Hall 8:00pm – 10:30pm - Free

SATURDAY, September 16th

Student Center Programs–Friday Night Filmworks: The Little Mermaid Ball Honors House Backyard

Honors College Open House Scheumann Stadium

– 2:00pm - Free

CharlieTown Family Weekend and Home Opener

Late Nite Tailgate Party Alumni Center 12:00pm – 2:00pm

Ball State fans cheer from the student section during the homecoming game against Eastern Michigan Oct. 22, 2022 at Scheumann Stadium AMBER PIETZ, DN FILES

‘A student success revolution happening’

Ball State administration implements new academic resource centers across campus

Megan Rogers News Reporter

Two years ago, Ball State administration created a task force to address student retention and overall success, finding ways to support beyond just their academics. One of the results is the implementation of Student Success Centers within the university’s colleges.

“There is a student success revolution happening in higher [education],” Patrick Collier, associate dean for the College of Sciences and Humanities, said. “I didn’t hear the phrase student success until four, maybe three years ago … It really is a recognition that, if we admit students, we have a moral responsibility to give them every possible chance to get out of here with a degree.”

In the Miller College of Business, there is an emphasis on providing professional mentors or working with the Entrepreneurial Learning Institute, an online education and training program for business students, to do self-assessments.

Melisa Stevens, director of student retention and success for the College of Sciences and Humanities (CSH), said they have focused on interpersonal support.

“Students in this generation … they often don’t know what they need help with,” Stevens said. “They just know they have a problem. So trying to normalize help-seeking behavior and showing that that is a sign of strength, I think is really important for us.”

While still early in the process of setting up their center in the College of Fine Arts, Stephanie Haglund, the college’s director of student success, wants to eventually use the space for events and a lounge space for students.

She said creating a space to meet the needs of students is most important. She noticed there was nowhere for students to hang out and relax in between classes in the Fine Arts buildings and that students were often seen sitting on the floor.

She is currently in the process of planning out two lounge spaces in two different buildings. Meeting these kinds of needs are what she believes is part of helping drive student success.

“We are truly student-centered [and] studentfocused,” Haglund said. “[We] want to see students not only survive college but really thrive.”

Joel Whitesel, director of student retention and success for the Miller College of Business, said there are many factors that may cause a student to struggle and even decide to not continue their education.

“College is hard,” Whitesel said. “And knowing you have a team of folks whose mission is to make sure you succeed is so important and I love that it’s spread across the campus.”

Full-Time Student Retention Rates

Students retained Non-returning students

Part-Time Student Retention Rates

This year, the university requires all colleges to have Student Success Centers, but each is allowed to determine what that means. All, however, share a common goal: figure out the best way to help students in their respective colleges succeed. These centers act as a hub for directing students to campus-wide resources with the Financial Aid Office, the Career Center and the Health Center to help them be successful throughout their college careers. Collier emphasized the role of helping students navigate their available resources for what they need.

“The main thing we exist for is to be the place where you can come and we will get you the answer,” Collier said. “If we’re not the person who can fix your problem, we’ll put you in front of that person.”

The centers are also helping students build relationships and make connections with people and resources on and off campus.

While every college has its own goals for what it wants to see from its students, increased student retention, student confidence and job placement rates are common themes. As part of the Student Right-to-Know Act, Ball State publicly reports these numbers on their Student Consumer Disclosures webpage.

Haglund hopes students see the hubs as genuine, rather than just a way to increase statistics.

“I hope it is seen by the students as not just a ploy to keep students here, but that the institution itself really cares,” Haglund said. “People in these positions truly care about students and want to do whatever we can to help each one be successful.”

The CSH Success Hub will have its grand opening in North Quad room 160, Sept. 14 from 3 to 5 p.m.

Contact Megan Rogers with comments via email at megan.rogers@bsu.edu

Source: nces.ed.gov

Students retained Non-returning students TIMOTHY NICHOLSON, DN DESIGN

Students in this generation … they often don’t know what they need help with … They just know they have a problem. So trying to normalize help-seeking behavior and showing that that is a sign of strength I think is really important for us.”

- MELISA STEVENS, Director of Student Retention and Success for the College of Sciences and Humanities

DREAM

Beyond the program and the money are the students that make the program come alive and hold the true stories of its value.

Jamie Johnson-Harris, a second-year elementary education major with an English Second Language (ESL) concentration, was not sure of her future plans when she started her senior year of high school. After taking an early childhood education class, however, her future came into focus as she said her time spent working with preschoolers made her realize she wanted to work with children. Her goals have adapted further during her time at Ball State; she now has aspirations of becoming a principal or a professor.

“I just wanted to do something further beyond teaching,” said Johnson-Harris. “My professors here that teach my education classes are so kind and have given me a lot of good information, and I’d love to do that for other college students, too.”

When she applied for the program, she took advantage of the creative component by submitting a lyrical dance video and telling a bit about herself after her routine.

“I don’t consider myself a writer,” said Johnson-Harris. “So when I found out you could do almost anything you wanted with it, that made it easier for me and less intimidating to apply for this big scholarship.”

Johnson-Harris took part in the co-curricular programming, as well as a trip with the scholars to Detroit. Students saw the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the Motown Museum and Birwood Wall (also known as the Detroit Eight Mile Wall or Detroit’s Wailing Wall), which is a monument of redlining in America.

“You get more opportunities beyond just [those] relating to education, which is a really cool aspect of the program,” she said.

Another aspect of the program is the amount that the scholars give back to the community. A point that Josselline Valdez Salinas, a second-year

“It’s more than just a scholarship,” said Valdez Salinas. “We actually know each other and our pictures being on the wall for every first incoming freshman, or whoever, to feel welcome.”

Many of the scholars in the program are often doing more beyond the general curriculum.

Valdez Salinas serves in the Army National Guard outside of classes. When she entered college, she had support from the military for school, but she needed a bit more help. So she applied for the Navigators Program in the second semester of her first year, and received a needed boost to help her continue to pursue her dreams since childhood.

As a little girl, she said she used to play with her stuffed animals and pretend teaching them as she saw her teachers do. Teachers like one she had in fifth grade, who pushed her toward education.

In his first year of high school, Vivas said he didn’t take school seriously. A writing assignment changed his perspective. As he struggled to write for weeks on end, his teacher asked him, “What are you afraid of?”

“I just poured [out] my heart, and what I was going through, in it, everything that was happening at home, how it felt, how I was dealing with it,” Vivas said. “And I again had that moment of just exultation of just getting those ideas out. And I remember turning it in and the next day, he came up to me and he [said] ‘Alex, this is brilliant.’”

The moment was a turning point for Vivas.

“I was like, ‘Oh, I’m heard. I’m actually heard in this space,’” Vivas said. “And then I started treating English classes like I have the ability to be heard. Every time I would go into an English class, I looked for moments where I could talk about my ideas, about anything, with anybody who was willing to listen. Stuff that I actually thought mattered.”

This includes the criminal justice system, which is an interest he has continued to pursue using the lens of education. Now, in between classes and teaching students in Hawaii remotely, he works with inmates at Pendleton Correctional Facility as a part of a GED program. He said he wants them to feel heard, which is why he makes an effort to promote discussion during his classes.

“There’s so many things that are inherently wrong in our criminal justice system,” Vivas said. “They just get taken advantage of and thrown away and forgotten about, and that’s a population that needs to learn that they don’t have to be condemned … and so I spend that time with them.”

it was from their group discussions, one-on-one conversations or Anderson’s efforts to help the scholars explore opportunities.

“She was just very sweet and loving and caring,” said Valdez Salinas. “I remember I was going through a lot of stuff with my parents … she was [the] kind of teacher who actually noticed. And I was like, I want to be like that. I didn’t realize how much of an impact that teacher can make in the child’s life, and she definitely made an impact on mine.”

Other scholars shared how being understanding, as Anderson hopes his students will, makes an impact. Another scholar, Alex Vivas, a fourth-

His admission into the Ryan Family program gave Vivas the time to pursue his goals, something he wasn’t able to think about between two jobs.

“I wouldn’t have had time to dream,” Vivas said about his path before. “It is something that I’ve had the time to do now. I have the time to figure out what I want to do. I’ve had the time to hone in. I’ve had talks with Dr. Anderson that have focused [on] me. When I felt scattered, talks with him and everybody in that cohort would just gather all of

“You can benefit from talking to, I think, any counselor on campus, but there is something unique about going to see somebody in this program,” said Vivas. “[They] sit down and talk [with you] about what your goals are, what your dreams are, and then that person takes a laptop, flicks it open and immediately starts to figure out how to get you there, how to get you on that track. And that’s also something that’s just really invaluable.”

Contact Abigail Denault with comments at abigail.denault@bsu.edu.

Ryan Family Scholars and faculty pose with the Ryan family in front of the Teachers College Building. The Ryan Family program is a result of a philanthropic gift from the Ryan family. JOHN ANDERSON, PHOTO PROVIDED

Second-year elementary education major Jamie Johnson-Harris poses for a photo Sept. 10 in the Art and Journalism Building. Johnson-Harris is one of the Ryan Family Scholarship recipients. ABIGAIL DENAULT, DN

Fourth-year secondary English education major Alex Vivas poses for a photo up against shelves of books Sept. 11 in Bracken Library. Vivas is one of the recipients of the Ryan Family Scholarships. OLIVIA GROUND, DN

I wouldn’t have had time to dream. It is something that I’ve had the time to do now.”

- ALEX VIVAS, fourth-year secondary English education major

SEC Football is Truly “Special”

Sophomore reporter Zach Carter talks about his experience in Southeastern Conference football country.

Zach Carter Sports Reporter

ATHENS, GA. –– Being from Muncie, I have had my fair share of experience with football. I experience it every Friday night when I cover one of the four Delaware County high school football teams for the Ball State Daily News. With Ball State in the heart of Muncie, the Cardinals are always talked about each fall.

When I was asked to ride in a car for nine and a half hours to Athens, Georgia, to help cover the Cardinals’ week two contest against No.1 Georgia, I couldn’t decline the offer.

I knew I’d witness a different kind of passion for the gridiron. But I still underestimated the enigma.

The closer we got to the city, the more signs of football we saw. Multiple vehicles had miniature Bulldog flags coming out of every window. Those same cars often were covered with decals and other signs that represented the famous “Dawgs.”

My first glance at Sanford Stadium ended with my mouth agape. It was huge; well, maybe that’s an understatement. At first, I questioned if Athens had an NFL team, even though I knew better.

The huge venue was lit up with a red light that made it look like flares were being fired. So yeah, I knew I was in a place that worshiped football like a religion. Then game day came, and it was a sight that I will never forget.

The first thing our group did when we got to the stadium was walk onto the field. I froze behind the endzone.

You know that scene in sports movies where the athlete looks all around him, showing the viewer the whole stadium? It felt just like that.

I kept wondering if the home of the Bulldogs would be full. I’m not trying to paint Ball State football in a negative light, but let’s be honest, Scheumann Stadium barely gets halfway full, even during rival Mid-American Conference (MAC) games.

After associate sports editor Elijah Poe and I began the hunt for the pressbox, it took a few minutes to find the path.

As we found our seats, I looked down at where I was standing just twenty minutes before. I was still in awe.

I’m a smaller guy, so looking tiny isn’t that hard for me, but even the athletes looked like they were insects.

After rushing to the postgame press conference and meeting up with Cataline and Farr, we went back to the press box to finish our work. As our workload lightened and Poe finished his in-depth recap, my editor and I walked outside to get one last view of Sanford Stadium.

We stood there for a minute. The same place that held a sold-out crowd earlier in the day was empty. It was quiet. The field was empty and was getting showered by sprinklers.

Then something clicked. One of the other reporters from the Daily News, senior Caleb Zuver, uses a word all the time. I mean, a lot.

“Special.”

He will say a performance in a sporting event was “special”, or a television episode was “special.”

Usually, I mock him with it and laugh about it. But as I looked over the hollow field, I had just one thought running through my head.

This day was special.

Contact Zach Carter with comments at zachary. carter@bsu.edu or on X @ZachCarter85.

Ball State University fan watches the game from the Ball State section Sept. 9 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga.

DNSports

‘The Big Show’

Women’s Golf

Cardinals host lone home match

After a 14th-place finish at the Boilermaker Classic, the Cardinals will host the Brittany Kelly Classic at The Players Club. The tournament will be from Sept. 18-19. Last year, the Cardinals finished fifth out of 12 teams before junior Kiah Parrott won the tournament individually, setting a school record as well.

Field Hockey

Home opener Sunday

After a seven-game road trip, the Cardinals will return to Muncie for their home opener against Saint Louis University this Sunday, Sept. 17. The match will start at 1 p.m. Before Sunday, the Cardinals take on Ohio University Sept. 15 at 3 p.m. to open up Mid-American Conference play.

Caleb Zuver Reporter

The collegiate cross-country offseason only lasts three months. For successful programs, like Ball State, that offseason can be even shorter.

Why? Almost all cross-country runners also participate in distance events during the indoor and outdoor track & field seasons. In 2023, the Cardinals captured the Mid-American Conference (MAC) outdoor championship and also saw two of their athletes compete at the NCAA championships. With the season already underway, the crosscountry squad is looking to carry the track and field program’s success from the winter and spring into the fall. Head coach Adrian Wheatley is entering his third year as head coach of the cross-country and track & field programs.

“They understand that this can be done,” he

ADRIAN

said. “It was really with the same individuals we had, we just shifted the mindset. We shifted [them] to understand you’re running for each other, not just yourself.”

By now, Wheatley has established the culture he wants and said the buy-in from his runners has been a huge reason for that.

“We just figured out it was really important to be team-led, and not individual-led,” Wheatley said. “We really had a clear vision on how we were going to get there; We’re going to do it as a team, and there’s going to be opportunities for people to contribute to the program. We’re going to have peaks, we’re going to have valleys, but together we’re going to do this.”

When a culture that keeps people committed and invested is built, the departure of seniors who come and go after four years leaves a void that needs to be filled, Wheatley said.

Tennis

Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic win U.S. Open

Gauff picked up the first grand slam victory of her career in women’s singles after beating Aryna Sabalenka in three sets. Novak Djokovic picked up his 24th grand slam title after beating Danill Medvedev in three sets. Gauff is the first American since 2017 to win the U.S. Open.

The Cardinals look to their newcomers and returning veterans to perform in 2023

Cardinal runners warm up before the We Fly Ball State Invitational Sept. 1 in Anderson, Ind. Ball State defeated Lindenwood and Austin Peay in the 5k women’s race. DANIEL KEHN, DN

The MAC is a solid conference. If we do what we’re supposed to do, then we’re going to be in those conversations also. Everything we do is a dress rehearsal for the big show.”

-

WHEATLEY, Head coach

Much More Than a Game

The Surface family comes together as Ball State takes on Indiana State

Trinity Rea Sports Reporter

In the Surface household, nothing is more important than faith, family and, of course, football.

Madison Surface, Ball State Football Operations and Recruiting Graduate Assistant, is one of the most recent Surfaces to be involved in Division-I football. Madison follows her father, Matthew, her grandfather, Mark and her younger brother, Blake.

“The last name Surface and football are hand-inhand, I guess,” Madison laughed.

Upon her enrollment at Ball State University in the fall of 2019, Madison was confident football was going to be involved in her career, but she was unsure how. A love for public speaking, which blossomed in high school, led her to pursue sports broadcasting. That skill, combined with her passion, led to her being offered a position working for the Cardinals her sophomore year, which she held up until she was offered her new position spring of 2023.

Madison said the promotion meant a lot; because of her professional drive, but also because of her family. Growing up with her dogs, Judge and Jeter, named after the star New York Yankees players, Madison has always been intertwined with sports.

“I played just about every sport you could imagine,” Madison said. “It’s just a thing you do as a Surface.”

Madison is the granddaughter of two Indiana football coaches, her grandfather Mark Surface, who coached at Marion High School, and her ‘Papaw,’ Calvin Duff, who coached at Lincoln High School. Even after her Papaw’s passing from Alzheimer’s two years ago, his memory and love for the game have continued to push her and Blake to continue down that path as well.

“He is probably one of the biggest reasons I continue to work in football…if there is anything that would make me and my brother really emotional being in college football, it’s that he’s not here to see it,” Madison said.

With sports being the Surface family’s ‘second nature,’ Blake’s emergence into Division-I football at Indiana State University is no surprise, especially to his sister.

“I could not be prouder,” Madison said. “Blake is the steady hand out of all of us, he’s perfect.” Blake, a redshirt sophomore, is entering his third year with the Sycamores. Madison is hoping this year will be his big breakout season, and Blake, though humble, is confident in that too.

“I’ve always felt like I am chasing the guys before me. I don’t feel like I have come close to achieving what they have, but it’s playful competition and something for me to chase after,” Blake said.

Family is his inspiration, his crutch to lean on, and his reason to keep bettering himself in football. Blake said during the football season, it is hard for him and Madison to talk and catch up given their demanding, contrasting schedules. However, they make it work by Facetiming and always texting in their family group chat shared with their younger brother, Boe, making sure they all feel supported.

Graduate assistant Madison Surface is pictured.

The last name Surface and football are hand-in-hand.”

MADISON SURFACE, Operations and Recruiting Graduate Assistant with Ball State Football

Photo of graduate assistant Madison Surface’s grandfather Calvin “Buzz” Duff is taken Sept. 2, 2022 at Neyland Stadium before Ball State faced off against Tennessee. Duff was a fan of the Volunteers and longtime football coach.

MADISON SURFACE, PHOTO PROVIDED

FAMILY

Continued from Page 11

One relationship in particular, that with his late Papaw, is one Blake misses. As is the case with Madison, his memory has become something for Blake to honor, a goal to further his legacy with every game played.

“He loved football and loved the relationships it created,” Blake said. “It’s sad because I think he would’ve been over the [moon] to watch my brother, who plays at Pendleton Heights, and I play.”

Charity Surface, mom to Blake and Madison, and daughter to Papaw, said she could not be prouder of her two oldest children.

“I am proud of the success they each have,” Charity said. “The brotherhoods they have, the friendships they have, the knowledge… It’s awesome.”

Charity is a Ball State class of 95’ alumna, cementing her place among the generations of Surfaces who were also Cardinals. However, she wants to be known as a mom first, traveling to all three of her kids’ football games in different cities, and recently, different states.

This weekend, she will be donning her custommade half-Ball State and half-Indiana State jersey when the two rivals meet at Scheumann Stadium Sept. 16 to cap off Ball State’s Family Weekend.

“It’s at the seamstress right now being made!” Charity said. “I am so very excited, [and] it really doesn’t matter who wins, I just want Blake, if he’s given the opportunity, to showcase his growth, his intensity and his know-how.”

Excitement and pride aren’t the only emotions felt by Charity, though, as she, too, misses the relationship shared with her father, just like Madison and Blake.

“It’s very bittersweet,” Charity said. “Man, there’s always a moment before I go into any of these games where I just know how much he would have loved to see kids doing this sport that he loves so much.”

The connection every one of the Surfaces has to football drives them. Without the sport, without the love and relationships now intertwined with their family and communities because of it, they would not be in their current positions in life.

Whether on the field, in the stands or in front of the camera, they’re furthering that connection with each other and with those they’ve lost but know are still watching. Football is a Surface legacy.

Contact Trinity Rea via email at trinity.rea@bsu. edu or on X @thetrinityrea.

Boe Surface (left), Madison Surface (center) and Blake Surface (right) pose for a photo. MADISON SURFACE, PHOTO PROVIDED

Charity Surface (left) and Blake Surface (right) pose for a photo at a little league football game. MADISON SURFACE, PHOTO PROVIDED

Left: Charity Surface (left) and Blake Surface (right) pose for a photo at an Indiana State football game. Right: Madison Surface (left) and Blake Surface (right) pose for a photo at an Indiana State football game. MADISON SURFACE, PHOTO PROVIDED

He loved football and loved the relationships it created. It’s sad because I think he would’ve been over the [moon] to watch my brother, who plays at Pendleton, and I play.”

- BLAKE SURFACE, Sophomore linebacker at Indiana State University

DNLife

Campus

University Theatre to present Little Women

People from various tribes gathered in Alexandria to celebrate Native American culture

Kate Hamill’s play, adapted from Lousia May Alcott’s book, focuses on four sisters growing up in the midst of the American Civil War. Veronica Santoyo, associate teaching professor of theatre, directed the play, which be performed Sept. 1423. Showtimes for Sept. 14-16 and Sept. 20-23 are 7:30 p.m. and Sept. 17 is 2:30 p.m. Tickets are available on Ball State’s theatre and dance website.

Muncie Civic Theatre’s youth program to perform Sept. 21-24

Muncie Civic’s Youth Education Encore Program will perform “This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl does Nothing” on the Casazza Family Studio Theatre. The performances for Thursday to Saturday are at 7 p.m. and the Sunday matinee is at 3 p.m. Tickets are available on Muncie Civic Theatre’s website with adults being $12 and students $10.

Community Campus

New exhibits brought to the David Owsley Musuem of Art

“Rising to the Surface: Paintings by Debbie Ma” and “Fibers of Being: Textiles from Asia in the David Owsley Musuem of Art’s Collection” will be displayed Sept. 28 to Dec. 21. Ma’s, an abstract artist, paintings are a part of Ball State University’s Arts Alive Series, presented by the College of Fine Arts.

Gabriel Ayala performs traditional guitar during the Andersontown Powwow Sept. 9 at Beulah Park in Alexandria. Ayala, a member of the Yaqui Tribe, earned a Master’s Degree in Music Performance from the University of Arizona in 1997, and traveled the country teaching and performing since. RYLAN CAPPER, DN

Cultural Celebration

See CULTURE, 18

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Sue Prifogle stands in the arena wearing homemade regalia at the Andersontown Powwow Sept. 9 at Beulah Park in Alexandria. Prifogle is a non-native, but has been dancing in powwows for over 40 years. RYLAN CAPPER, DN

Park Hall

Joseph Secody performs a Hoop Dance during the Andersontown Powwow Sept. 9 at Beulah Park in Alexandria. Secody placed 6th in the 2022 World Championship Hoop Dance Contest. HEATHER PARKER, DN

Head Man Ryan Worden stands in the arena during the Andersontown Powwow at Beulah Park in Alexandria on Sept. 9. Worden dressed in regalia specific to the Crow Tribe in Montana. HEATHER PARKER, DN

A Fangirl’s Two Cents

Olivia Ground is a third-year advertising major and writes “Liv, Laugh, Love” for the Daily News. Her views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper. I have spent the majority of my life defending the way that I am passionate about the things that make me happy. Read that again, and really take it in for what it’s worth. I have had to defend the way I am passionate about the things that make me happy.

I have been one of the biggest Taylor Swift fans since I was eight years old. I spent most of my formative years — the years most integral to my being — defending myself when people said I was weird for liking “someone like her.”

Even now in my 20s, I find myself having to defend the way that I cried at The Eras Tour, the way I am so fast to call out people or even corporations for not using the available rerecorded versions of Swift’s music or the way that I am 20 years old and dancing alone in my dorm room while listening to “Sparks Fly (Taylor’s Version)” the same way I did in my childhood bedroom.

I spent my childhood defending the way I held strong opinions about “The Hunger Games” and how I played pretend with sticks for a bow and arrow with my childhood best friend at recess in elementary school.

When I tell people I enjoy animes, the assumption is made I like “girly animes.” I get pushback that I just “don’t get them” when I say I do prefer sports or action animes. And even if I did enjoy romance animes or high school animes, why is that a problem?

I defended myself when people around me called me cringe or emo for being very passionate about music like My Chemical Romance or Twenty One Pilots in 2016.

Digital Managing Editor and third-year advertising major Olivia Ground poses for a portrait in the photojournalism studio Sept. 7. Ground shared her experience with the misogyny in fandom culture. JACY BRADLEY, DN

To be fair, I don’t bring that part of my life up proudly because nobody loves their emo phase. But I don’t regret it, because it was part of my personal growth.

I feel like when I look back at my life and the “phases” I went through, the memories are a mix of being happy and passionate even though I was met with pushback from my peers and the adults in my life.

A large amount of these pushbacks were followed with statements like “You’re such a fangirl.” Honestly, I am a fangirl. I am a girl who is a fan of something.

But the way people say it, with a judgmental tone in voice and an eye roll, they say it in a way that insinuates that it’s “cringe” to be a girl who is a fan or is passionate.

Now that I’m older and working on letting go of what others think of me, I can’t help but notice the way that this

fans of the sport. It’s normal.

When I cry because Taylor Swift is literally performing live in front of me for the first time in my decade-plus years of being a fan, I’m exuding “cringe” behavior. I’m being a dork. I’m being dramatic.

When I, or other Swifties, spend hundreds to thousands of dollars on Eras Tour tickets, we are being “unreasonable with our money.” More often than not, men are the ones who tell me they can’t comprehend how or why I would spend that much money.

The double standard is there and it’s huge. And I just can’t wrap my head around it.

According to multiple studies, the passion men hold for sports tends to lead to violence. A study done by Jodie Swallow from the University of Chester in England in 2017, collected the stories of multiple women who experienced domestic abuse. They shared stories of their male partners who committed acts of physical and sexual abuse against them after their team lost.

Another study from Annie Crowley, Oona Brooks (University of Glasgow) and Nancy Lombard (Glasgow Caledonian University) showed that in intense rivalry games of Scottish football (soccer), there can be between a 13 and 138.8 percent increase in reported domestic abuse following games, depending on varying context such as match scores and the day of the match.

I am not saying that all men who enjoy sports are violent. But people can be passionate without malice or violence. And women can be passionate without having to be negatively stereotyped over it, especially when that passion isn’t leading to the harm of others.

When I want to post multiple times a day that Taylor Swift broke another record and set another record, I shouldn’t have to feel like I’m annoying.

judgment is laced with misogyny.

Many of my male-identifying coworkers at the Daily News are big sports fans. I think this is great.

When they turn their journalism career into being a sports reporter, people call it strategic. It’s a good move because it’s what they’re most experienced in.

When I want to focus my career on the music industry, it’s just a long way into meeting celebrities. Or it’s cheap. It’s attention-seeking. It’s my way of trying to fanfiction my way into meeting a musician.

When my male coworkers cry because their favorite team wins, it’s vulnerable. They’re being passionate. They’re just big

I will never regret being a fangirl because it means I am pushing a rule that shouldn’t have existed in the first place.

If men are allowed to be passionate about sports and make their lives about sports, I can make my life about the music industry and Taylor Swift.

Contact Olivia Ground with comments at olivia.ground@bsu.edu or on X @ liv_ground_25

Women can be passionate without having to be negatively stereotyped over it, especially when that passion isn’t leading to the harm of others.

SHOW

Continued from Page 9

“Our team is honestly working really well together, honestly better than years past,” Spletzer said. “We have really good team chemistry right now, and a lot of people are motivated and wanting to do well.”

Collegiate cross-country means early morning practices where the athletes need to complete runs that are much longer than their 6k races in order to be ready to compete. They only get to race once every two weeks during the cross-country season.

With only six guaranteed meets on the schedule, most of the time spent in cross country is at practice. Mahnensmith said meets are where the uniqueness and challenges of this sport are highlighted, which makes it all worth it in the end.

“It’s the hills, it’s the uneven terrain. We don’t have the same course. You don’t run the same course twice,” she said. “Making sure that you’re able to adapt to courses [and] to different competition.”

As the Cardinals look to improve upon their ninth-place finish in the MAC and 22nd-place finish at the NCAA Championships a season ago, the ones who are putting it on the line for Wheatley look to continue to push this program in a positive direction. The motivation, along with the fun atmosphere he’s provided, keeps them going.

“He always has these dad quotes that he’s always saying and it’s hilarious,” Mahnensmith said. “At MAC [last year] it was like ‘Hay is in the barn. This is the big show, we’re ready for the big show.’”

CULTURE

Continued from Page 14

The “big show” is the code word for the MAC Championship. In pursuit of a championship this season, Wheatley said it’s important to not look at what other teams in the conference are doing.

It’s more about how the Cardinals can improve every single day, and be ready to compete when that time arrives.

“It’s not like other sports where you can call timeout, and you can strategize. I can only worry about the young ladies in our program,” Wheatley said. “The MAC is a solid conference. If we do what we’re supposed to do, then we’re going to be in those conversations also. Everything we do is a dress rehearsal for the big show.”

Their first dress rehearsal came Sept. 1 in the We Fly Challenge 5k, Ball State’s only home meet of the year, where Ball State claimed first place out of three teams competing at the event. The Cardinals were led by junior Shelby Christman who ran a time of 18:12.2, and Mahnensmith who clocked in at 18:43. Spletzer and junior Jessica Velez rounded out the top four for the Cardinals.

After a solid start to the season, the team will run once again Friday, Sept. 15 in Bowling Green, Ohio, for the Mel Brodt Collegiate Open. Contact Caleb Zuver with comments at cmzuver@bsu.edu or on X @zuves35.

A group of dancers stand in the arena during the Andersontown Powwow at Beulah Park in Alexandria Sept. 9. The Powwow is an inter-tribal celebration and welcomes all dancers to join in the arena HEATHER PARKER, DN

Joseph Secody poses for a photo after his performance during the Andersontown Powwow Sept. 9 at Beulah Park in Alexandria. Secody is ranked 6th in the world for his traditional hoop demonstration ANDREW BERGER, DN

Dancers gather in the arena during the Andersontown Powwow at Beulah Park in Alexandria Sept. 9. Non-tribal members earn the right to wear traditional regalia by routinely attending powwows. HEATHER PARKER, DN

Senior Ashley Craycraft poses for a photo with her teammate after completing her 5k run at the We Fly Ball State Invitational Sept. 1. Craycraft finished with a 23:59.3 time, not placing. DANIEL KEHN, DN

Crossword & Sudoku

ACROSS

1 Student __ relief

5 Copperfield field

10 Reading basics

14 Grad

15 Sweet smell of success, at a bakery

16 “Drag Me to Dinner” judge __ Patrick Harris

17 Grocery section

18 Subway map dots

19 Spanish cat 20 Oft-torn knee pt.

21 Pattern with teardrop shapes 23 Seeded bread 24 Biblical “you” 26 Have a look at 27 Per person

29 Pitchfork projection 30 Gasteyer of “American Auto”

31 God of Islam

33 Civil offenses

34 Mario Bros. console

35 Item held by Lady Justice

36 Latin years

37 Knight clubs

39 Parliament members

40 Powder on a gymnast’s uniform

43 *Bookmark, in a way

46 *Frame style of some vintage glasses

50 Charlottesville sch.

51 Prepare cocktails

53 Cloud location

54 Org. that issues Challenge America grants

55 Fill-in worker

57 By the book

59 Michelangelo’s “The Creation of __”

60 Monster movie, and what the answer to each starred clue has?

63 Attach, as a trailer

64 Individual

65 Preserves in brine

66 French head 67 Strikes (out)

68 Mimics

DOWN

1 Father, in baby talk

2 Subatomic particle in a cloud

3 *Speaker at a protest?

4 “No more details pls”

5 Tortilla dough

6 Like some farmers market products

7 *Spout shape for some kettles

8 “That makes me very happy”

9 Suffix with suit or brief

10 “Life of Pi” director Lee

11 *Fan-shaped breakfast pastry

12 Local wedding venue

SOLUTIONS FOR SEPTEMBER 7

13 __ gin fizz

21 Labels (as)

22 Votes in favor

25 Tempt

28 “Little Women” novelist

29 School fundraising org.

32 The Chiffons’ “__ So Fine”

37 Actress Henner

38 Nurse

41 Sandwich meat

42 Utter aloud

43 __ oven: cast-iron cookware

44 “So done with that”

45 Cell produced by meiosis

47 Live through

48 Hankers (for)

49 Namesake of an iconic chair

52 Photocopier brand

53 Strongboxes

56 Treaty

58 Chromosome part

59 Upon

61 Specifying article

62 2010 healthcare legislation

initials

FRESH, FLAVORFUL Authentic