The first announcement of classified documents being found in President Biden’s possession happened Jan. 9, though some documents were found less than a week before the 2022 Midterm Elections. The Department of Justice is heading the investigation surrounding these documents found on four occasions, both in Biden’s Delaware home and in an office in Washington D.C.
Jan. 16: Before the initial law protecting the near-total abortion ban in Indiana was passed, the state’s primary providers of abortion care sued the state, saying the right to make decisions about one’s body is protected by the Indiana Constitution. The law is temporarily blocked courtesy of Owen County Judge Kelsey Hanlon.
Jan. 16: Ball State Women’s Basketball has invited back its former Cardinals to Worthen Arena Jan. 21 for its annual Alumni Night. Ball State will honor its former players before the Cardinals’ matchup against Central Michigan, which begins at 1 p.m. Any alumni planning to attend should contact assistant coach Moriah Monaco at moriah.monaco@bsu.edu.
VOL. 102 ISSUE: 18
Jan. 17: Third-year gymnast Victoria Henry scored a career-best all-around performance of 39.175 at Ball State’s quad meet at Rutgers en route to a Mid-American Conference (MAC) Gymnast of the Week selection. Her score is tied for the 12th-best in program history and contributed to the Cardinals’ 195.450 score which is currently the highest tallied by a MAC team this season.
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Hi: 53º Lo: 30º
Hi: 33º Lo: 26º
Hi: 36º Lo: 28º
Hi: 37º Lo: 29º
THIS WEEK: Next week, we expect temperatures to stay in the thirties throughout the week and maybe dip into the high twenties. Muncie will be staying pretty dry with some chance for a light-shower or two mid-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.
An 18-year-old Indiana University (IU) student was repeatedly stabbed in the head on a public bus Jan 11. IU said the student was attacked due to her being Asian, and surveillance on the bus showed no prior interaction. Billie R. Davis was arrested and charged for attempted murder and aggravated assault, according to court records.
Four people were injured in a car crash on U.S. 35 Jan. 17. Jeff Stanley, Delaware County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy, said a minivan pulled in front of a pickup truck. The van had three juveniles, two were flown by medical helicopters to Fort Wayne and Indianapolis. The other juvenile and the driver of the truck went to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital.
Ukraine’s minister of internal affairs, along with at least 14 others, was killed in a helicopter crash Jan. 18 at 8:20 a.m. in a Kyiv suburb. The helicopter, carrying Ukrainian officials, damaged a kindergarten and a residential tower. An adviser to Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said they’re still figuring out the cause of the crash, as of Jan. 18.
The Office of Victim Services has been renamed The Center for Survivor Support and has been a useful tool for students by educating and responding to the impact of interpersonal violence and continuing to try to create a community free of violence. Kayla Shantz, a first-year media production student at Ball State, is proof of that.
“I believe having an organization like this on campus is so beneficial. As a survivor, it makes me and the women around me feel much safer on campus. It feels like someone has our back,” Shantz said. “I believe this organization is a good resource to have on campus. One tends to feel very alone when faced with this kind of trauma.”
Shantz fully supports the name change and believes it creates a positive organization.
“I think promoting the strength survivors have is super important,” Shantz said via email. “I think more outreach and publicity for the organization would be beneficial.”
I believe having an organization like this on campus is so beneficial. As a survivor, it makes me and the women around me feel much safer on campus. It feels like someone has our back,”
- KAYLA SHANTZ, First-year media production studentA victim advocate is a professional who is trained to support those who are victims of any crime. The homepage for the victim advocate provides students with non-judgmental and confidential support. No information will be shared without the student’s consent. Though the advocacy cannot press criminal charges, it can lead the student to viable service options, such as campus police whom the advocacy works closely with.
Anna McGee is a victim advocate at the Center for Survivor Support.
“The Office of Victim Services’ [name] no longer reflects the extensive and ever-changing education and prevention services our department provides campus-wide,” McGee said via email.
Those within the organization will continue to work with the Ball State University Police Department (UPD) to ensure the safety and support of victims of all gender-based violence. This is not biased towardsany one identity, McGee said via email.
The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) refers to the word “victim” as someone who has been affected by sexual violence, and when discussing a crime or certain aspects of a crime, the
Source: Rainn.org
term “survivor” is used to refer to an individual who has gone through the recovery process.
Jim Duckham, Ball State chief of police and director of public safety, said training has evolved concerning sexual assault. According to RAINN, one out of six women in the United States are victims of rape. Women from the ages 18-24 in college are three times more likely to fall victim of rape. He also stated the student atmosphere has changed when it comes to these certain crimes.
“I think people are always concerned about their safety, [and] I think what is different is the way people are aware of how quickly that information spreads with social media and 24-hour news cycles,” Duckham said. “I think where the changes come is the understanding of how to respond from an investigative standpoint to victims and survivors of trauma.”
If the crime is in the patrol area, UPD will respond and take the report and contact the appropriate on-campus resource, including the victim advocate, with whom they have an excellent
college-aged female survivors received assistace from a victim services agency.
Source: Rainn.org
working relationship, Duckham said.
Shantz is a supporter of the organization, as well as all women going through the process of healing after a traumatic experience such as domestic abuse.
“I’d let [other survivors] know that no matter the circumstances, it is not and will never be their fault,” Shantz said. “Focusing on pushing forward rather than letting the pain overcome you is the only way to heal. You are beautiful, you are loved and you are safe.”
Around 40 percent of women and 26 percent of men have experienced physical, sexual or emotional abuse in Indiana in the last year, according to the State of Domestic Violence Report. Organizations such as the Center for Survivor Support exist to make campus safer and to provide support to those who need it.
If you or anyone you know have been a victim of domestic or sexual abuse, please visit the Center for Survior Support Website to schedule an appointment or contact UPD.
Contact Jayda Mann with comments via email at jayda.mann@bsu.edu.
On the southwestern corner of Ball State University’s campus, nestled on the Quad, sits Lucina Hall.
Built as a women’s residence hall in the 1920s, the building has now been turned into an administrative hub on campus, with a portion becoming the Welcome Center. Services like Undergraduate Admissions and counseling and health services also operate out of this building.
As one takes the trip up the stairs to room 245, they walk into the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships; however, this space is shared with a new program that launched October 2022.
Cardinal Central combines services from four offices: the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, Student Financial Services, the Office of the Registrar and Retention and Graduation Services.
The service is described by the university as “a convenient, one-stop location for business processes, resources and information for students and their families,” and members of Cardinal Central hope this service will “streamline processes and improve the student experience.”
Discussions for a one-stop service originally began at the vice presidential and presidential level. When preliminary discussions first began for Cardinal Central, the goal was to simplify the amount of services a student had to go through on campus.
Staci Davis, assistant vice president in enrollment planning and management, was present in the development stages for Cardinal Central. Beginning in August 2021, she oversaw the implementation of the service.
Davis said the plans for a one-stop service came from conversations on the larger issue of retention. The goal was to help the success rate of retention by making the services more “student focused and student centric.” She referred to the administrative “bounce” students were put through going across various offices on campus when students are transferred between different offices on the same call.
“We want to make sure where we were sending the student was to the right and appropriate office,” Davis said.
Gloria Pavlik, director of Enrollment Support Services, had her office, the Office of Retention and Graduation Services, merged with Cardinal Central. Pavlik called Cardinal Central the “frontline” for services like Retention and Graduation Services.
Those working on the project, including Davis, used inspiration from other colleges such as DePaul University and Miami University to develop the structure of Cardinal Central. Davis also noted the University of North Carolina at Charlotte used the same software system Cardinal Central uses.
In these development stages, the first Cardinal Central employee was hired in January 2022; Debra Fenty, coming from Cleveland State University, was appointed as director. This was not Fenty’s first stop at a one-stop. At Cleveland
State, she started at their one-stop service from its inception in 2004 until coming to Ball State last year. Despite the various inspirations for Ball State’s new service, Fenty said “by no means is any university[‘s system] the same as the other.”
“All of them look different, because [there are] ones that are built around the culture of the students and the staff that are at the university,” Fenty said.
Some of the services students will be able to access through Cardinal Central include paying bills, resetting passwords, accessing OneDrive, requesting support and accessing financial aid.
All of these actions are part of what Fenty refers to as another side of college, a side of college reflected in the motto of the service, “Supporting the business of being a student.”
“If the business of being a student is not supported and acted upon accurately and quickly, the other part of being a student doesn’t happen, like going to classes and graduating. None of that happens if the business is not in order,” Fenty said.
A vision Davis pursued during the development of Cardinal Central was the creation and implementation of a mobile app, which is now online. Ease of use and effectiveness were important characteristics of the layout of the app, Davis said.
The app operates much like the Cardinal Central hub online; students can log into their Ball State email, check their FAFSA and set up an appointment. Fenty referred to it as a great option for students to use when phone lines are busy.
• Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships
• Student Financial Services
• Office of the Registrar and Retention
• Graduation Services
Source: Ball State University
With the impending move, all the services Cardinal Central offers will be in one location. Fenty said the experience of the staff will make the move over to the Student Center easier, but she said the goal was a larger picture of working across campus.
“A real big key to the success is working with our partners across campus, [such as] advising instructors, administrators [and] the people who normally do the referrals to our area,” Fenty said.
Student reception to the service so far has been mixed due to “growing pains,” Fenty said. She cites students “not having an option whether to go somewhere else” due to the change of services to Cardinal Central as a reason, but satisfaction rates are at 92 percent, according to post-call surveys.
- DEBRA FENTY, Director of CardinalThe location inside Lucina Hall will be temporary, however, as the service is set to move to the L.A. Pittinger Student Center later this year. The reason for the move, Pavlik said, is for the service to be in a central location on campus.
“Instead of 24 to 48 hours to answer an email, it is taking up to 72 hours and sometimes four days,” Fenty said.
Davis hopes Cardinal Central is able to help students with tasks and help guide them throughout their time in college and beyond.
A sign hangs in front of the future Cardinal Central office, which is under construction, in the Student Center Jan. 17, 2023.
GRAYSON JOSLIN, DN
The service center combines services from various services, including Student Financial Services and the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.
If the business of being a student is not supported and acted upon accurately and quickly, the other part of being a student doesn’t happen, like going to classes and graduating. None of that happens if the business is not in order.”
Central
When deciding what university to go to, James Nichols, a wheelchair user, had an easy choice.
He considered Purdue University, Wabash College and Indiana University, along with Ball State University. In the end, he chose Ball State for a simple reason: accessibility.
“Accessible means a person with a disability is afforded the opportunity to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions and enjoy the same services as a person without a disability in an equally effective and equally integrated manner, with substantially equivalent ease of use,” according to the North Carolina State University’s Disability Resource Office website. “The person with a disability must be able to obtain the information as fully, equally and independently as a person without a disability.”
Ball State ranked in the top 10 of “wheelchair friendly colleges” in the Wheels on Campus edition of New Mobility magazine.
“None of those campuses are as successful as Ball State [in accessibility],” Nichols said. “So, it’s one of the things that I fell in love with [at] the school.”
Nichols, second-year social work student, noted what made Ball State different compared to other universities was that each building on campus has at least one wheelchair accessible entrance, and each building has at least one handicap dooropener button.
When he toured Purdue, he noticed some buildings didn’t follow the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) due to them being filed as “historic.” If making a historic property accessible could “threaten or destroy the historic significance of the building or facility,” then the historic property becomes as accessible as possible within the conditions, according to the ADA website.
The ADA “is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in everyday activities,” according to the ADA website.
The ADA was originally passed July 1990, according to the ADA website, but Ball State’s Office of Disability Services and Facilities were already making Ball State accessible, said Richard Harris, who started the Office of Disability Services.
James Lowe, associate vice president for facilities planning and management, said he started his position in December 1987, where he joined Harris.
“I learned quickly that Ball State had a lot of great things moving forward with accessibility, whether that be physical barriers or other barriers,” Lowe said.
In 1973, Vice President of Student Affairs Jack Beyerl asked Harris, who at the time was serving as the director of freshmen orientation, to form an ad hoc committee, a temporary committee, to help students with disabilities, Harris said.
Prior to this committee, Ball State employees and students were working on accessibility, Harris said. A woman in the Counseling Center
would order taped versions of books for visually impaired students. Going further back to the 1920s, members of the football team would carry a student using a wheelchair up the stairs to go to and from classes, according to an article titled, “The 4 P’s of Accessibility in Post-Secondary Education,” by Leah J. Vickery and Michael D. McClure.
Courtney Jarrett, director of the Office of Disability Services, said she’s “keeping the dream alive” from what Harris started. Because of Harris’ work, Ball State is known to be physically accessible, Jarrett said.
What makes Ball State unique in handling accessibility is the collaboration between departments, both Lowe and Jarrett said.
The Office of Disability Services currently only has three employees, which is new for them this year. Starting in the 1990s, there were only two employees.
“There’s no way that we could do all the things that need to get done accessibility-wise if it was just the three of us,” Jarrett said. “So — luckily — I have friends all over campus that I can call in facilities and housing, in dining, in academic affairs, in orientation and the Counseling Center, the Career Center — all of those places that if a student has an issue or needs an accommodation, that I know it’s going to get put in place.”
The small staffing in the Office of Disability Services is another unique attribute to Ball State. Typically, universities have ADA coordinators who oversee all accessibility on campus for everyone, but Ball State doesn’t.
Independence is one thing that I really strive for.... And so knowing that I can go to any building on campus and get in because there is some type of accessible entrance … is really helpful.”
- JAMES NICHOLS, Second-year social work major
The Office of Disability Services oversees students’ accessibility; faculty and staff accessibility is overseen by human resources. The office also oversees visitors’ accessibility needs, Jarrett said. The office of three manages many students compared to how many students they should be serving per professional staff person.
“Our national organization does research about staffing and how many students per professional staff there should be,” Jarrett said. “And for a college our size, it’s supposed to be one professional staff person to like 200 students, and we’re serving like 3,500, so we’re more at like 1,000 each, a little bit more than that.”
Even though Ball State is a leader in physically accessible schools, Jarrett and Lowe are always focused on improving the campus.
“I wanted to learn more,” Lowe said. “I went out with [the Office of Disability Services] students, and I walked the campus. So, somebody might have been visually impaired … or somebody might have been in a wheelchair. Believe me, you learn quickly what they have in the way of challenges if you don’t remove those physical barriers.”
One thing Lowe removed to help students navigate campus was the bollards from the sidewalks. Bollards were used to help keep cars off the sidewalks.
“Little did we know that was a very physical problem for those who use a cane because if they don’t cross that or find that bollard, they could literally walk into it,” he said.
A future improvement Nichols, Jarrett and Lowe are looking forward to is the renovations to the Arts and Communications (AC) Building, specifically the chair lift being changed.
Jarrett describes the lift like “those commercials [of] old ladies riding upstairs in those chairs.” She notes that while it’s accessible, in her opinion, it’s horrible.
AC was built in 1955, and like many other older buildings on campus, Lowe said it’s a complicated fix due to its age. Since the lift is built into the steps, there needs to be a physical reconstruction done to fix it. Lowe said facilities are planning on renovating AC in the summer of 2023.
The improvements Jarrett and Lowe push for are meant to help those who come to Ball State, whether they are students, faculty, staff or visitors.
“Independence is one thing that I really strive for,” Nichols said. “And so knowing that I can go to any building on campus and get in because there is some type of accessible entrance … is really helpful.”
For more information contact the Office of Disability Services by their website.
Contact Hannah Amos with comments at hannah.amos@bsu.edu or on Twitter @Hannah_ Amos_394.
None of those campuses are as successful as Ball State [in accessibility] ... So, it’s one of the things that I fell in love with [at] the school.”
- JAMES NICHOLS, Second-year social work major
1. “Floor and ground surfaces shall be stable, firm and slip resistant,” except animal containment areas or areas of sport activity.
Ball State is the eighth most wheelchair-friendly campus in the United States according to Accessibility.com
Source: Accessibility.com (2021)
2. “Openings in floor or ground surfaces shall not allow passage of a sphere more than 1/2 inch diameter, with exceptions.”
3. “Changes in level greater than 1/2 inch high shall be ramped.”
4. “The turning space shall be a space of 60 in. diameter minimum. The space shall be permitted to include knee and toe clearance (space under an element between the finish floor or ground and extends 17 inch minimum under the element).
5. “Handrails shall be provided on both sides of stairs and ramps, except in assembly area where a handrail is provided at either side or within the aisle width.”
Source: APA (2010)
Second-year social work major James Nichols poses in front of the Health Professions Building Jan. 17 at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. AMBER PIETZ, DN
The Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays within various East Asian cultures, including China, South Korea and Vietnam. The dates of Lunar New Year vary by culture.
China’s Lunar New Year is known as the Spring Festival, or Chūnjié in Mandarin, while Koreans call it Seollal and Vietnamese people refer to it as Tết.
Every year the Lunar calendar is represented by one of 12 zodiac animals; 2023 is the...
“At home, families decorate windows with red paper cuttings and adorn doors with couplets expressing auspicious wishes for the new year.”
After registering for her 1,000th career point in Ball State Women’s Basketball’s 92-61 win over Miami, Ohio, Jan. 14, redshirt senior Anna Clephane has been awarded the Pridemark Construction Student Athlete of the Week. Clephane recorded a season-high 25 points on 77 percent (10-of-13) shooting in the win over the Redhawks.
Starting the second half of the season, Ball State won three events as it recorded a 152-148 win over Southern Illinois while losing 197103 to host Indiana State Jan. 14. Third-year Marcella Ribeiro and second-year Hanah Jones recorded wins in the 1,000 freestyle and 100 backstroke respectively, while secondyear diver Ashleigh Provan won the 3M board event with 264.65 points.
Despite winning five events against Southern Illinois University, Ball State fell 196-102 to the Salukis Jan. 14. Third-year Joey Garberick led Ball State with wins in the 100 and 200 backstroke while also placing first with fourth-year Owen Chaye, first-year Jacob Siewers and fourth-year Jack Wolfred in the 200 freestyle relay.
Zach Carter is a first-year journalism major who writes for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper.
Montreal, Québec, is known for a few things. It is the largest French-speaking city in North America and has many famous festivals, but it also has a rich history of baseball.
Professional baseball traces all the way back in Montreal to the 1890s, but it didn’t hit the big stage until the MLB came along and created the Montreal Expos.
The team made its MLB debut in the 1969 season. The first season was rough. They had 52 wins and 110 losses. With this record, some might say the franchise was a bad idea. Their first ten seasons ended without a winning record. But then, they followed with two 90-win seasons.
This is when the Expos started to become a franchise always in the hunt for a championship.
After the MLB’s strike in the 1994 season, the team was poorly handled. Before the strike, the Expos had one of the best team records that season. The MLB canceled the rest of the season, and due to the new salary cap rules, the team lost most of its core players.
This was the start of the downfall.
After the removal of Claude Brochu, head of the ownership group, a new regime was brought in during the 1999 offseason. Fans started to lose interest and stopped supporting the team due to the team being on the cheap side and not spending money on their franchise players. This led to the relocation and rebranding of the team.
If the MLB wanted a new team, why not go back to Montreal?
Montreal is a large city that has 1.7 million people, and a lot of those people are baseball fans. If you go to Twitter, there are many accounts that tweet about the team that ended over 18 years ago. One of the accounts named after the team tweets and retweets anything that has to do with the team. Pictures, stats and merchandise are also on the account.
When you look at the attendance record throughout the team’s history, you can tell there are plenty of fans. Their best stretch was the 1979-83 seasons. Each year, the team was in the top four of the leagues attendance numbers.
But it also proves the fans like to see a winning product. In those four seasons I mentioned above, the team’s best record was 95 wins and 65 losses. Their worst was 82 wins and 80 losses.
The worst stretch was from 1994 to the Expos’ final season. Of course, this is when the strike occurred, forcing fans to give up on the sport. Once the new owners’ group took over, the team finished its final six seasons last in attendance across the MLB.
It’s a trend that still continues to this day. Teams like
the Oakland Athletics and Cincinnati Reds that have “poor” ownership are seeing low attendance numbers.
Even though the team relocated almost two decades ago, fans still want an MLB team to return.
One of those groups is “ExposNation.” They are a group trying to bring professional baseball back to Montreal. The group is recognized by the Baseball Hall of Fame and the Major League Players Alumni Association.
Another reason that I believe warrants an MLB team in Montreal is that the city helped break the color barrier in baseball.
The Montreal Royals were a minor league team for the Brooklyn Dodgers. When Jackie Robinson was signed by Brooklyn, his first step was to play for the Royals.
As history goes, Robinson was not warmly accepted into the league, but that was the opposite when he arrived in Montreal. Both Robinson and his wife made multiple comments about how nice and supportive the city was to them.
In a quote from his own book, “My Own Story,” he recounts his last moment as he left the city for Brooklyn.
“As my plane roared skyward and the lights of Montreal twinkled and winkled in the distance, I took one last look at this great city where I had found so much happiness,” Robinson said. “‘I don’t care if I never get to the Majors,’ I told myself. ‘This is the city for me. This is paradise.’’’
Over two years ago, the Tampa Bay Rays attempted a split season, and they called it the “Sister City” experiment. One-half of their home games would be in Tampa and the other half in Montreal.
This was the Rays’ way of trying to gain new fans since their fanbase was plummeting. The MLB was for the plan at the time.
But earlier this year, the league switched its opinion and canceled the idea.
Since the “Sister City” project did not pan out, ExpoNation has been slowing down. Their site says they are still prepared to bring Major League Baseball back to Montreal.
There is still hope for Montreal, whether it is the Expos or a completely new team. The MLB expansion idea has been picking up speed, and only time will tell what the league decides.
Contact Zach Carter with comments at zachary. carter@bsu.edu or on Twitter @ZachCarter85.
A baseball city that was abandoned, Montreal deserves another shot at professional baseball.
There is still hope for Montreal, whether it is the Expos or a completely new team.”
Brayden Goins is a first-year journalism major who writes for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper.
Imagine this, game seven of the World Series, a sold-out Nashville crowd and a Nashville World Series win. Could you imagine what Broadway Street would be like that night?
Nashville, Tennessee, the city with 692,587 baseball-starved residents, would make a great home for an expansion or relocation team. The MLB has been trying to reach a bigger target audience in Southeastern Conference (SEC) country, and Nashville is the perfect spot for that.
Nashville is already a great sports city, as it has held the Southeastern Conference Basketball tournament every year since 2013. It’s also home to a College Football bowl game, an NFL team, an MLS team and an NHL team.
Ranking 29th in the U.S. for Media Market, a team in Nashville would expand MLB’s market not only to all of Tennessee but also parts of Arkansas, the Carolinas, Mississippi and Alabama.
Not only would it expand to SEC country, but fans in Tennessee are fairly loyal, especially in Nashville. In 2021, the Tennessee Titans (which are located in Nashville) averaged 68,566 fans a game, which was about 99.2 percent of their stadium. With loyal fans starved for baseball, Nashville’s atmosphere would be out of this world.
Speaking of attendance in Nashville, the Nashville Sound, the minor league affiliate for the Milwaukee Brewers, had the highest attendance per game last season. The people in Nashville love baseball, and it shows.
The Minor League team is not the only baseball team to come through Nashville. From the late 1930s to the early 1950s, there were the Nashville Stars. The Stars were a semi-pro team in the Negro League baseball team. The Stars were never a part of the MLB, but instead, they were part of the Negro Major League (NML) and the Negro Southern League as well.
The Stars weren’t Nashville’s only Negro League team, as a dominant team was on the rise in the early 1930s known as the Nashville Elite Giants. The Elite Giants moved to Baltimore in 1938, but their impact on Nashville will be forever lasting as players like Sammy Hughes, Jim “Junior” Gilliam and Norman “Turkey” Stearnes are all honored with street names, murals and photos across the city.
The ballpark the Nashville Stars and Nashville Elite Giants played in is known as Sulphur Dell, which was demolished in 1969 and rebuilt into First Horizon Park. The diamond has seen some all time greats come through as players like Hank Aaron, Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays Hays and Leroy Robert “Satchel” Paige all drew sold out crowds at this park. Though those players never played for the Stars or Elite Giants, they did play for opposing teams. Sulphur Dell was also home of the 1932 Negro Southern League Championship. This was really the big awakening of baseball in the Music City.
The expansion to Nashville isn’t unlikely as multiple teams, like the Athletics and Rays, are considering moving cities in order to increase revenue and attendance. A group of investors named “Music City Baseball” has put together the money to build a new baseball stadium in Nashville. The stadium is set to be built in 2025 and will be used in 2026 if a team takes over. The group of investors includes country music stars and other locals, so you can probably expect to see concerts after the games, which would also draw in more people for the games.
Some notable investors include businessman John Loar, former US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, music stars Darius Rucker and Justin Timberlake, and the newest person on board is former MLB first basemen and manager Don Mattingly.
The stadium that the investors are looking to build has not yet found a home, but there are some rumored locations where the stadium could be built. One of the biggest rumored spots for the build is next to Ted Rhodes Park on the corner of Walter Davis Boulevard and Ed Temple Boulevard. The site assessment is rumored to start within the next several months if things go smoothly.
With the MLB looking to expand or relocate teams, it’ll be interesting to see where they land, but it definitely seems that Nashville is a legitimate contender for a new or relocated MLB team.
Contact Brayden Goins at brayden.goins@bsu. edu or on Twitter @b_goins14.
If the MLB wants to tap into SEC country, an expansion team in Nashville just might be the way.
... A team in Nashville would expand MLB’s market not only to all of Tennessee but also parts of Arkansas, the Carolinas, Mississippi and Alabama.”
Scott Reporter
Calvin Scott is a first-year media major who writes for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper.
Charlotte, North Carolina, should undoubtedly be the number one candidate for cities up for an MLB expansion or relocation team in the near future.
The city is ranked the 16th most populous city in the United States with a population of 874,579, according to the 2020 U.S. Census.
The population should most definitely matter in the course of outreach to spectators as Charlotte has more people than other cities with MLB teams such as Pittsburgh (300,431), San Francisco (815,201), Cleveland (367,991), and it has twice as many people as Miami (439,890).
Charlotte is more than capable of getting fans aboard to the love of America’s pastime. The city of Charlotte is home to three major professional sports teams: the Carolina Panthers of the NFL, Charlotte Hornets of the NBA and the newly established Charlotte FC of Major League Soccer.
There is a team in every major professional league in the state of North Carolina except for baseball. The Carolina Hurricanes of the NHL play in the state capital, Raleigh.
Charlotte already has the foundation for an MLB expansion team. The city is home to the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, the Charlotte Knights. They play at Truist Ballpark in
uptown Charlotte.
Don’t get me wrong now, it may sound silly, but although it is a minor league ballpark and the capacity is 10,200, I truly believe the city of Charlotte can reinvent the stadium with an all-out blueprint.
When you take into account where Charlotte is geographically, the city has all the outreach in the Carolinas. The city is surrounded by a bunch of other major cities in the North Carolina and South Carolina areas. Those include Raleigh, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Rock Hill and Spartansburg. All the audiences of these areas need a team to root for, and a team in Charlotte would bring that all the way in.
That whole region of the United States doesn’t really have an MLB team to support. Other than the monotonous teams in Florida, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Miami Marlins, people in the South only have the Atlanta Braves to claim as their team.
The perfect name for the expansion team would be the Charlotte Aviators because of the history associated with North Carolina and the Wright Brothers. The Wright Brothers, Orville and Wilbur, were trailblazers in the American aviation field. They are mostly recognized for inventing, constructing and flying the first successful motored airplane. The Wright Brothers moved to Kittyhawk, North Carolina, to start the journey of their gliding and flying experiments. Ultimately, the Wright Brothers flew the first successful airplane in Kittyhawk where they traveled in the air across the North Carolina coastline.
Contact Calvin Scott with comments at calvin. scott@bsu.edu or on Twitter @CalvinAJScott.
The Queen City would be perfect for an MLB expansion team.
On Your Feet! The story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan is coming to Emens Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 23. The musical is about the aspiring true story of heart, heritage and two people who believed in their talent to become international sensations. Some of the songs include “Conga,” “Get on Your Feet” and “Rhythm is Gonna Get You.”
The annual Unity Pageant will be held in Pruis Hall by the Black Student Association Jan. 22 at 7 p.m., and this year, it’s the drumline edition. Students participating in the co-ed pageant can win a number of scholarships through their talent and knowledge. Originally called the Miss Black Ball State Pageant, it first began in 1969.
For the last couple years, COVID-19 has been an excuse for dismissing travel plans due to borders being closed and high chances of getting sick. Though COVID-19 is still a problem all over the world, life is beginning to return to normal, and with that, more study abroad opportunities are opening. While some study abroad programs are still getting back on their feet, according to the International Education Exchange, 83 percent of institutions reported an increase in study abroad numbers for the 2022-23 school year compared to the previous year.
For those looking to study abroad in the near future, here are some of the top study abroad locations offered at Ball State University.
Ball State offers eight programs for study abroad in the United Kingdom in Aberystwyth, Bath, London, York, Worcester and Stokeon-Trent. According to TheStreet, the U.K. is the most popular study abroad destination for American students. Over 600,000 students studied overseas in the U.K. in 2020. This European country is known for the quality of its education, being ranked number two in education by U.S. News. The U.K.’s tuition is capped at 9,520 pounds (approximately $11,000), according to Study in the UK. A benefit of studying in Europe is students can easily travel from country to country.
Japan has 11 programs for study abroad with Ball State offering travel to Akita, Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kyoto City, Nara, Sapporo and Nagoya. Japan was one of the most popular study abroad locations, with 242,444 students studying there in 2021. Japan is in the top 10 safest
countries right now, as its global peace index is 1.336 on a scale of one to five, one being the most peaceful, according to Vision of Humanity. Japan is an island on the east side of Asia, known for its unique culture and cuisine.
The only country to also be a continent has five options for travel through Ball State. Students can visit famous cities such as Gold Coast, Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Wollongong. The sixth largest country is home to rainforests, the Great Barrier Reef and the famous Sydney Opera House. Australia is especially famous for its wildlife, being one of the only countries to naturally home koalas and kangaroos. This country was listed as the third most popular country to host study abroad students, according to International Student.
Italy is home to many famous cities including Rome and Florence, the two options of study for Ball State’s seven study abroad programs in the boot-shaped country. According to Leverage Edu, on average, public universities in Italy cost between $1,000 and $4,800 a year. Students who study in Italy can visit famous landmarks like the Colosseum and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Students can get a taste of pizza, pasta and Renaissance art, all originating in Italy.
Costa Rica, located in Central America, is home to rainforests, volcanoes and waterfalls. Only three programs are open to Ball State students in Costa Rica, located in San Jose and San Ramon. According to the Happy Planet Index (HPI), Costa Rica was named the most efficient country in 2021, leading the list for four years. HPI measures how satisfied people are with their lives, life expectancy and ecological footprint. Costa Rica’s
motto, according to CostaRica.com, is “Pura Vida,” or pure life. For coffee drinkers, Costa Rica is a top coffee producer. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that Costa Rica contributed over 1.3 million 60-kilogram bags of coffee to the U.S. in 2022.
France is home to the most-visited city in the world, Paris, also referred to as the “City of Love” and the “City of Light.” The Eiffel Tower, the Palace of Versailles and the Louvre Museum are just some of France’s most famous landmarks, according to Atyls. Ball State offers 10 programs to France including to Paris, Cannes, Grenoble, Chambery and Nancy. France is a popular study abroad country; according to Erudera, France hosted over 370,000 students in 2021.
Spain has the most programs offered by Ball State, racking up to 12. The cities offered are Barcelona, Madrid, Granada, Seville, Salamanca, Valencia, Alcala and Segovia. Spain is a top spot for study abroad students. Over 208,366 students studied there in 2022, according to Erudera. The country is famous for flamenco, siestas and the Running of the Bulls. Siestas, meaning “sixth hour,” are, according to the Sleep Foundation, a time when businesses close to take a short break. For soccer fans, or football, as they call it, Spain has two teams in the top 10: Real Madrid and Barcelona, according to Football Database. Spain is also the birthplace of the Spanish language.
Ireland was rated the third safest country in the world by the Vision of Humanity, being given a GPI of 1.288. Ball State has six programs in Ireland with options for Limerick, Dublin and Maynooth. This island country hosted over 25,000 students in 2021, according to Apply
Board. Ireland, according to CEA Study Abroad, is home to over 30,000 castles and the Cliffs of Moher. If students are lucky, they can be there to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, a holiday dedicated to celebrating Irish culture.
Argentina is the most popular tourist destination in South America, according to the Council on International Educational Exchange. Argentina is home to Patagonia, a region known for its mountains, glaciers and unique wildlife. Ball State offers three programs to Argentina, all to its capital Buenos Aires. Argentina is home to the southernmost city in the world: Ushuaia. According to Numbeo, the cost of living in Argentina is 57 percent lower than in the U.S.
As of 2022, Germany is home to over 400,000 study abroad students, according to Erudera. Eight programs to go to Germany can be found through Ball State, with students being able to visit Berlin, Munich, Regensburg, Mainz, Ramstein and Dortmund. Germany is known for its unique culture, famous for their cars, markets and festivals. Oktoberfest is a famous beerrelated festival in Germany held every October. Making for easy travel, Germany is also home to, according to WorldAtlas, the largest train station in Europe.
While these countries are some of the most popular study abroad locations, Ball State offers more than 35 countries for students to travel to. For those interested, Ball State’s Rinker Center of Global Affairs will be hosting a study abroad call out meeting in the Student Center Jan. 19 from 5-6:30 p.m. Students can learn more about Ball State’s study abroad programs on the Rinker Center website.
Contact Lila Fierek with comments at lkfierek@ bsu.edu or on Twitter @fierek_lila.
Ten countries to look at when considering studying abroad.Lila Fierek Lifestyles Editor and Copy Director
The first step third-year Ball State student Hunter Seagraves took to winning the Pre-Seed Fund: rejection. Two years ago, when Seagraves applied to the Entrepreneurship Center’s bi-annual grant, he was turned away. He said he was never going to apply again.
A few words of encouragement at an Entrepreneurs-in-Residence event were able to change the accounting major’s mind, and he decided to submit Matchbox Clothing, his clothing resale shop, to the program. This year, Seagraves was one of the awardees and received $1,100 toward his business.
Each semester, the Entrepreneurship Center gives out pre-seed grants from money donated by alumni. Students are eligible for $2,500 a semester, but winning doesn’t mean they will get the full amount. Marie Thompson, program coordinator at the Entrepreneurship Center, said the fall 2022 semester had the most applicants the program has ever had, going from an average of three or four submissions to 19.
Seven students were chosen to receive the grants last semester, the largest number since the grant began in 2019. The winners include Seagraves, Charlie Agnew, Lucas Gotceitas, Michael Habegger, Jack Jones, Francys King and Kortni Minter.
To win the grant, each student must fill out an application and submit background on their business idea, along with a budget allocating what the grant will be spent on. Thompson said the committee looks more for students who have started research and begun putting work into building their businesses.
Seagraves is a student that stuck out to Thompson.
“[He] was someone that I wouldn’t have expected to apply for it because, I’m assuming, he doesn’t have to necessarily start this business as a full time job, but it’s someone who has really been able to make a side hustle successful,” Thompson said. “And that’s what entrepreneurship is in itself. It doesn’t have to be a full time job, but [it’s] someone that just does something that you didn’t want to make money at but really enjoys.”
Seagraves pursued a business in clothing because it’s something he knows and is passionate about.
“If you’re gonna do something, it’s got to be done right, and you really have to care for it,” he said. “You want to take it to that next level.”
After working with a few other students, Seagraves decided to expand his original sneaker business to clothing too. Though he is on his own now, he said he enjoys getting interesting clothing items. He said wearing clothes he likes helps him feel more confident and like the best version of himself.
“I want to feel good and look good, and so passing that on to other people is kind of something that I understand the importance of,” Seagraves said.
Through the pre-seed grant, he was able to expand his business’s reach by cross listing his store, meaning his items are posted on various selling platforms through one software. He was also given a subscription to PhotoRoom, PosherVA and other computer software systems. These help him stay in control of his tasks and improve his picture quality. The labeling printer he received from the grant also aids to his efficiency.
“I knew that if I hit the nail on the head with my application and actually got the money for the things I requested, … it would be able to help my business grow as much as possible,” he said. “You want to grow, you want to keep improving day in and day out, and, ultimately, that will help you in the end in so many ways.”
Seagraves doubted himself at first, but he knew taking the risk to apply for the grant would be worth it and that the process would teach him a lot. He said he spent more time on the application than any paper he’d ever written for school.
“[The Pre-Seed Fund has] been a huge help so far in terms of just saving me time [and] effort, and it allows me to use some of that time being saved to apply it to the things that … require more of my attention to kind of take my business to the next level,” Seagraves said. “And so I’m really thankful for that. It’s been a game changer.”
Teah Mirabelli, fourth-year theatre student, also grew from this experience. She won the grant in the spring 2021 semester for her magnetic nail business. Mirabelli received approximately $1,000, but her budget was allocated toward getting safety equipment and the pieces she needed to build her prototype.
That’s what entrepreneurship is in itself. It doesn’t have to be a full time job, but [it’s] someone that just does something that you didn’t want to make money at but really enjoys.”
- MARIE THOMPSON, Entrepreneurship Center program coordinatorAlthough Mirabelli enjoyed being able to act like a “little scientist” for a while, she realized she didn’t have the chemical engineering knowledge to go any further with this business. The grant helped her to figure this out before she invested a lot more money and resources into making her product.
“I think as far as I could go, it was successful for me,” Mirabelli said. “It was really cool, and … I’m extremely grateful to the Pre-Seed Fund and to Ball State for allowing me to have the opportunity to try and figure that out for myself, and … even though it didn’t fully work out, it was still very telling, and I learned a lot.”
to take our own money and invest it, so the grant helped us be able to reach that next point without using our own funds.”
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, it costs about $3,000 to start a microbusiness, a type of small business with fewer than 10 employees.
The pre-seed grants provide students with an opportunity to grow or start their business without having to use their own funds, which can be difficult, especially for college students who have to pay their way through school.
Habegger, first-year entrepreneurship student, is using his video production business, Out The Box Media, to pay for college. He received $700 from Ball State for a fluid-head tripod and a website to promote his business.
Habegger said he has a “pay to win” mentality. He knows if he puts money into his business, he will be able to do higher quality work. He said his website has given him the opportunity to reach more people, and his new tripod moves smoother than his last, making him feel prouder of his footage.
“A big thank you to the entrepreneurship department for being willing to invest in younger people and help them reach toward their dreams,” Habegger said. “I really appreciate it. It was super helpful for me.”
Contact Lila Fierek with comments at lkfierek@ bsu.edu or on Twitter @fierek_lila.
Ball State’s Pre-Seed Fund had the most applicants in the grant’s history.Teah Mirabelli, fourth-year theatre major, holds a bat representing her win at the Big Idea Pitch. Mirabelli got third place in the pitch for her magnetic nail business Nov. 2020. TEAH MIRABELLI, PHOTO PROVIDED Teah Mirabelli, fourth-year theatre major, and her dad work on creating magnetic nails for her business. Mirabelli won safety goggles along with other materials through the Entrepreneur Center’s Pre-Seed Fund, spring 2021. KATHY MIRABELLI, PHOTO PROVIDED
First-year computer science and physics major Elaine Ulsh poses in the photojournalism studio in the Art and Journalism building on campus Jan. 18. JACY BRADLEY, DN
OCD is a mental disorder, not a personality trait or a lifestyle.
Elaine Ulsh is a first-year computer science and physics major and writes “The Occasional Observer” for the Daily News. Her views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper.
All my life I have had an internal struggle. Everyone else seemed to have a much more simple version of life than I did, and I couldn’t understand why. It made me feel like something was wrong with me.
However, I grew up in an age where mental health started becoming a more talked about topic. This caused me to be more aware of some of my issues. I did not automatically assume I had a mental disorder, but it did make me wonder if I did.
I was recently diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD as it is more commonly referred. And though I am now learning techniques to cope with some of the things I did not know I was going through, I never got the relief I thought I would.
I thought once I knew what I thought was “wrong” with me, my life would get a little easier. Close friends kept telling me, “knowing won’t change things,” but I always just responded with, “I just want to know.”
The average age of onset for OCD is
OCD obsessions are repeated and unwanted thoughts, such as fear of contamination and needing things in order.
OCD compulsions are repetitive behaviors, such as following a strict routine and checking things.
Source: Mayo Clinic
runs my life. In a way, I live by those rules. Even writing this, I feel a sort of anxiety when the word count is odd.
Before I even knew what the term was, I had heard of OCD. This mostly came from things making fun of the term, like kids cartoons or the song “My OCD” by Rhett and Link. I thought it was so funny, much like many kids at the time.
While not necessarily just their fault, I do think that song contributed to the stigma against OCD. I have gotten a few people tell me everyone is a little OCD, which is not the case. According to a Healthline article, most people have obsessions or compulsions at some point in their life, but this does not mean they have OCD.
What distinguishes someone with OCD from someone who also has intrusive thoughts is whether it is a major part of their life.
clean freaks I have ever met. Because of this, I jokingly told them it was his fault I am like this.
When my parents looked confused, I explained that I meant he always made us do things a certain way. He had a strategic way we always had to do the dishes growing up. I remember when I first started doing them, if I didn’t fill it the way he wanted it to be, he would take them all out, show me how he wanted it and make me do it again.
My mom then said, “Sounds like something your dad would do,” while giving him a side eye. Although, while a joke, I do wonder if he did have anything to do with me having OCD, seeing as it can be genetic.
Don’t get me wrong, I was never a clean child. The mess in my room was one that would make Monica Geller from “Friends” crawl out of the television and clean it herself if she ever laid eyes on it. Nevertheless, there were definitely obsessive signs in my childhood.
Yes, many people have a specific way they like to do their chores, for example their laundry or the dishes. However, that is completely normal. What is not normal is feeling a panic when you see someone not doing it as you would, or if you are not able to do such a compulsion.
For me, when I see that, I do not feel better unless I have them fix it or I fix it myself. This can make me unlikable or even unbearable at times due to how some of my compulsions have to do with a schedule or control.
of affected adults experienced their first symptoms in childhood.
One thing I was not prepared for in receiving my diagnosis was now knowing certain things I do are not just quirks. My need to have everything a certain way is not just because I can be controlling but rather because a part of my brain is essentially malfunctioning.
I thought only being able to eat things in even numbers was just some funny thing I had always done, but that is not the case.
Telling my parents was entertaining. My father grew up in a household that was not the cleanest, which, in turn, caused him to be one of the biggest
At around ages 9 or 10, while waiting in the car for my mom before school one day, I made up an entire set of rules for numbers in my head. For example, I believe 1, 2, 4 and 5 to be the best prime numbers. Therefore, multiples of them make me extremely happy.
To continue off of that, my first favorite number was 4. But I realized if I squared that, it became 16, then that was my favorite number; it still is. My least favorite numbers are 3 and 9, especially 9 because it is the square of 3, and 3 was bad enough on its own.
Any number that is not somehow a multiple of the best prime numbers makes me uncomfortable. It is a bargain whether numbers such as 6, 12 and 18 will make me uncomfortable. Most of the time they still do. In a way, this obscure set of rules
OCD affects adults in the United States.
Society needs to stop treating mental illness like a personality trait or a lifestyle. It can be crippling. OCD can be crippling.”
Many people think OCD is a cute and funny way of life that is unbelievably organized. There may be some people with OCD who behave in such a way where everything must go in their place; there are others who have an hourly schedule. I, myself, do some of these things.
People can have OCD without any of those traits because it is not a defining factor. There are a lot of different ways OCD can look, and it can be different for each person.
One of my personal defining compulsions is how things feel when I touch them. Not the texture but the pressure on each one of my hands or feet. I need it to be even on each of them, or I will keep going back and forth touching things until it feels even. This can take up a lot of time.
I believe this is one of my biggest issues with my OCD. Not only can it take up time, but it can cause significant amounts of anxiety. Not many people see these compulsions; therefore, they do not think I could suffer from OCD. However, just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t occur.
Personally, I do not feel ill-willed toward people
who use the term OCD incorrectly. I am also not debilitated by my OCD. It does affect a big portion of my life, but I am able to push my panic aside if I really need to. A lot of people cannot do that. So, I can see why OCD being essentially commercialized is irking the people who are really suffering.
The media paints OCD as a neat personality trait, but it’s truly a disorder, and I think people forget that. This is because our society’s understanding of OCD comes from funny characters in television shows who are chaotic, meticulous and extremely anal-retentive. Such characters include the aforementioned Monica Geller as well as Emma Pillsbury from “Glee.”
In a time when mental health issues are romanticized and people, from my perspective, seem to be faking disorders left and right, I find this extremely harmful. It is glossing over how debilitating OCD can truly be. In order to move forward as a society, I believe we need to get rid of such romanticized and, therefore harmful, stigmas.
According to a 2010 study from Maastricht University, people can actually give themselves a mental disorder through faking it. This feigning tricks the brain into thinking it has such symptoms and can cause the person to truly develop them.
With how common romanticizing mental illness is in today’s society, it is extremely important something is done to change it. Mental illness is not a fad; it is harmful. The romanticized stigma is harmful.
Society needs to stop treating mental illness like a personality trait or a lifestyle. It can be crippling. OCD can be crippling. People are obsessed with the idea that having a mental illness such as OCD makes you different, and that it makes you stand out. But once you have it, all you really want is to fit in.
I am going to be honest and say that I am not going in depth in all the ways that OCD has affected my life. It is not one of the fun parts. But some things are just too personal to share with complete strangers. However, I will say that in order to have people suffering from this disorder not feel alienated, we need to get rid of the stigma our society has created regarding it.
Contact Elaine Ulsh with comments at elaine. ulsh@bsu.edu.
Ball State improves to 13-5 for the first time since 2011 after fending o a last-second push from Mid-American Conference rivals Western Michigan.
to get to the basket in a game against Western Michigan Jan. 17 at Worthen Arena. Sparks would account for eight of the Cardinal’s 34 rebounds. BRAYDEN GOINS, DN
A Ball State student holds up a sign reading “Welcome to the Nest” in a game against
Michigan Jan. 17 at Worthen Arena. The estimated crowd total for the game was roughly 3,799 people. BRAYDEN
