Did you miss it? Catch up on the news from Oct. 06-19...
Oct. 06: The Court of Appeals of Indiana alternated the definition of a lawsuit from May 2020. In it, Keller J, Mellowitz filed a suit of Proposed Class Action Complaint against Ball State University and the Board of Trustees for a breach of contract involving not receiving a tuition refund as a result of moving online during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Oct. 17: October 6, United States President Joe Biden granted full and unconditional pardons to all Americans with federal convictions of simple marijuana possession. According to Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, this executive order will not be effective in Indiana and he wouldn’t allow this unless federal laws change.
Oct. 18: The Ball State Men’s Volleyball team will host the 2022 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) Hall of Fame on campus Nov. 12, according to Ball State Athletics. Five of the seven inductees are former Cardinals: former players Eduardo Ferraz, Barry Long, Wes Lyon and Rick Niemi, along with former Athletic Director Don Pruvis.
Oct. 19: Ball State Gymnastics opens its 2023 season Dec. 11 with the Red vs. White meet at Worthen Arena. The Cardinals will take part in their annual intersquad meet in their first of five meets at home this season. Other home events for Ball State include Jan. 29, Feb. 12, Feb. 26 and Mar. 12. All admission to Ball State Gymnastics events this season will be free.
PARTLY CLOUDY Hi: 58º Lo: 31º
PARTLY CLOUDY Hi: 70º Lo: 50º
PARTLY CLOUDY Hi: 76º Lo: 53º
PARTLY CLOUDY Hi: 77º Lo: 56º
THIS WEEK: After a cooler start to the week, we should be seeing temperatures return into the mid 70’s for the weekend. Partly cloudy skies stick around the area for the later half of the week with wind coming from the south between 10-15 mph through the weekend.
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The reason Ball State’s University’s first Astronomy Slam survived COVID-19: a trophy.
Planetarium director Dayna Thompson already had the Astronomy Slam for 2020 planned out when the pandemic hit. Instead of having it in the Charles W. Brown Planetarium as expected, YouTube was their backup location.
“I was like okay, we have to do it,” Thompson said, “I bought the trophy.”
This year, the third annual Astronomy Slam will be held at Ball State’s Charles W. Brown
shows. In 2021, Shepley, second-year physics graduate student, discussed galaxies outside of the
using the planetarium to present an astronomical topic they are passionate about with only 10 minutes to explain their ideas.
“I wanted to have a public event that was really student centered and gave students time to shine in the planetarium because we had such talented students here … ” Thompson said. “They could be really presenting in some special ways to the public that we weren’t kind of giving them a chance to do.”
Astronomy Slam relies on audience participation. Each attendee is given an event brochure with a QR code on it, and at the end of the program, they will be able to use it to vote for which presentation they think was best.
Though there are four presenters, only one is crowned the Astronomy Slam champion. Thompson said they want to acknowledge all of the students’ hard work, so all participants receive some type of award.
The 90-minute event is open to all ages and tickets cost $4, with food and light refreshments included. They can be found on the Charles W. Brown Planetarium’s website.
Thompson said the event has something for everyone. She said it’s something adults can go to for date night, but it is also a show families can enjoy.
This year, the presenters include two graduate students and two undergraduate students: Caleb Whitcomb, Madeline Shepley, Kyree Standifer
sky, the scale of the universe, the life cycle of stars and searching for another earth. Thompson said students are given complete free-range as far as their creativity.
“They come up with these amazing ideas and outlines, and I’m like, ‘I would have never done that,’ and I love it because it gives me more inspiration for what I do,” Thomson said. “... the students actually bring some new light to what we do for our typical public programs and what they are able to offer in the Astronomy Slam.”
Thompson said the planetarium has already used ideas inspired by Astronomy Slam in their other
They were only visible in a very dark sky, so she showed the difference in visibility at night when the moon is apparent versus when it’s not by “turning off the moon.” Though the planetarium had used a similar feature before, Shepley’s take is something the planetarium implemented into their public programs.
Melanie Isenbarger, the winner of the first Astronomy Slam, is now the show specialist for the planetarium and has helped with this year’s Astronomy Slam. Isenbarger won with her topic, “The Sound of Science.”
“It was really a good experience, especially in the middle of the pandemic,” Isenbarger said. “It was a good way to kind of stay connected to our community and have them engage with us without being here in person, and it was the first one, so it was kind of a cool learning experience seeing it come together.”
This year, Shepley is presenting on constellation warping and the scale of the universe. This is her second year participating in the Astronomy Slam; last year, she presented on dwarf planets.
Shepley, along with her competitors this year, works at the Charles W. Brown Planetarium. She helps run demonstrations and has been preparing for the next solar eclipse in April 2024.
“Working at the planetarium, I’ve come to realize what an awesome resource we have at Ball State in the planetarium,” Shepley said. “It’s the largest planetarium in Indiana, and … in Indiana, it’s the best one that I’ve been to, and we’re really lucky to have it.”
Contact Lila Fierek with comments at lkfierek@ bsu.edu or on Twitter @fierek_lila.
[The Astronomy Slam] was a good way to kind of stay connected to our community and have them engage with us without being here in person, and it was the first one, so it was kind of a cool learning experience seeing it come together.”
- MELANIE ISENBARGER, Planetarium show specialistPlanetarium Nov. 5 at 6:30 p.m. This year is the first year since the pandemic the planetarium has been able to seat a full capacity of 152 people. ALEX BRACKEN, DN PHOTO ILLUSTRATION; DAYNA THOMPSON, PHOTO PROVIDED; NASA, PHOTO COURTESY
Since 1987, several student organizations have taken center stage inside John R. Emens CollegeCommunity Auditorium, dancing the night away and lip-syncing in front of an audience of Ball State University students.
Air Jam — held Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m. — is one of many events during Ball State’s Homecoming week. It is packed with brightly-colored lights, glamorous outfits and uproars from congested rows of an energetic audience.
Besides providing leisure, this Homecoming week tradition allows Greek Life organizations, performing arts teams, residence halls and many other campus groups to compete against each other in an all-out dance and lip-sync royale.
Tony Sandleben, Ball State 2018 graduate, was involved in Air Jam through his fraternity, Alpha Tau Omega (ATO).
“We were paired with Kappa Delta, and at the time, we didn’t have an actual fraternity house,” Sandleben said. “So, we had to get creative on where we could practice, and it just made it much more fun.”
Sandleben’s team practiced in many different locations, from the College of Architecture and Planning building to the roof of the Village Promenade Apartments.
At the end of each practice, the grueling hours of dance routines left Sandleben with exhausted enjoyment. Thankfully for the ATO member, his theater background was of service.
“It’s all about muscle memory and whatnot,” Sandleben said. “So I ended up picking up on it relatively decently, it’s just my endurance was terrible. So by the end of each rehearsal, I’m gasping for air.”
Even though Sandleben only performed in Air Jam during his fourth year in 2017, it only took one show in Emens to give Sandleben a taste of Air Jam spirit.
“Air Jam is packed,” Sandleben said. “You had people going absolutely crazy because people knew people from other Greek organizations, knew my fraternity brothers, knew me, knew the Kappa Delta sorority members, and so, people were going crazy cheering for us.”
The night of Air Jam occurs usually once per school year, but the Homecoming Steering Committee is always excited for it, committee advisor Michelle Johnson and Air Jam chair Izzie
Horn said.
Both help invent unique themes for each Homecoming week, which remains a part of each event. For the 2022-23 academic year, the theme “Chirp! Chirp! Fever” was chosen to showcase appreciation for student classes throughout the 1970s who plan to return for Homecoming week.
“We’re trying to incorporate the 1970s back into it and really welcome those alumni that were part of that decade to really feel seen and welcome,” Horn said.
Throughout Johnson’s 17-year span as an advisor, she’s seen tough competitors throughout Air Jam’s history, including various Greek Life organizations, University Singers and Outlet. However, while the Homecoming Steering Committee enjoys the presence of veteran contestants, diversifying the range of campus groups competing in the event is always a significant priority.
“We have some new independent organizations that are participating this year, which we really love to see, like ROTC [Reserve Officers’ Training Corps] and Cru,” Johnson said. “So we’re excited that some new organizations are getting involved.”
Johnson said as long as a student gets involved with a student organization, the doors to entering Air Jam are wide open. Furthermore, Air Jam is a profit system for Ball State Homecoming, serving as a budgeting tool for future Homecoming weeks.
“Air Jam is what helps us create income for the following Homecoming,” Johnson said. “So we charge $15 a ticket for anyone to come watch, and that’s how we get our income for next year’s expenses for Homecoming.”
Without the admission prices for Air Jam, future Air Jams aren’t possible. The event is not
only popular in the Ball State community, but it is also an event Horn believes heavily incorporates student involvement.
“I think since Air Jam is one of the biggest events that organizations can pair with, I feel like the students would feel kind of isolated because they wouldn’t have as big of a part in Homecoming activities,” Horn said.
Air Jam and Homecoming week in general provide the Homecoming Steering Committee bonding time, Johnson said, which is enjoyable because the relationships built “last long into their alumni lives.”
Even more so, the energy delivered from Air Jam is always something Johnson looks forward to every Homecoming week.
“What is most memorable for me is my ears continuing to ring the next day after the show each year,” Johnson said. “The audience gets so excited and into Air Jam that the noise level is at an alltime high.”
Contact Zach Gonzalez with comments via email at zachary.gonzalez@bsu.edu or on Twitter @ zachg25876998
We’re trying to incorporate the 1970s back into it and really welcome those alumni that were part of that decade to really feel seen and welcome.”
- IZZIE HORN, Air Jam chairBall State students pose at the end of their performance at Air Jam Oct. 21, 2021, at Emens Auditorium. AMBER PIETZ, DN Ball State students perform at Air Jam’s dance and lip-sync competition Oct. 21, 2021, in Emens Auditorium. AMBER PIETZ, DN
Trombone Studio Recital (Free)
Thursday, Oct. 20 | 5:30 p.m. Hahn Recital Hall
Friday Night Cardboard: Mountains of Madness (Free)
Friday, Oct. 21 | 6-8:30 p.m. Bracken Library
Guest Artist Recital: 88SQUARED (Free)
Friday, Oct. 21 | 7:30-9 p.m. Sursa Performance Hall
Muncie Children’s Museum
Thursday–Saturday | 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Sunday | 1-5 p.m. Downtown Muncie
Bob Ross Experience and Exhibits
Thursday–Saturday | 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Sunday | 12-5 p.m. Minnetrista
Thursday, Oct. 20 | 6:30 p.m. Madjax Maker Force
Saturday, Oct. 22 | 8 a.m.–12 p.m. Minnetrista
Ball State Football sophomore safety Jordan Riley was named Mid-American Conference (MAC) West Division Defensive Player of the Week after his performances against UConn Oct. 15. Riley, who ranks 10th in the conference in tackles, had a career-high 14 tackles as the Cardinals shut out the Huskies in the second half to complete their thirdstraight come-from-behind victory.
Second-year setter Megan Wielonski and senior libero Maggie Huber were awarded MidAmerican Conference (MAC) West Division weekly honors for their performances over the weekend. Wielonski was named Setter of the Week with her 13th doubledouble of the season and Huber the Defensive Player of the Week averaging 7.29 digs-per-set (best in the MAC) through the week.
Sarah Mahnensmith was the top Cardinal to finish at the Falcon Invite with a 22:01.9 time, which placed 11th. Vivian Van Eck placed 60th at 23:30.7 while Juliana finished closely behind at 23:53.0 for 67th. Sarah Greer, Jenna Schifferer and Grace Dean all finished within 20 seconds of each other. The MAC Championship will be held Oct. 29 in Athens, Ohio.
Mike Neu said he doesn’t remember his first homecoming as a player in 1990, but he will never forget his last.
Now-head coach of Ball State Football, Neu was playing quarterback for the Cardinals in the 1993 Homecoming game against Toledo.
“I just remember everybody left at halftime and rightfully so,” Neu said.
Ball State was down 30-3 at halftime but made the comeback to win the game late.
“For us to come back and win, that was a great day and a lot of fun,” he said. “I’ll never forget that one, that one is at the top of my list. Obviously, every time [I] get the chance to talk to my former teammates that seems to come up, which is not a bad thing.”
The Cardinals host Eastern Michigan in the 2022 Homecoming game with both sides coming into the matchup 4-3 overall. Ball State played a comeback role in the last three games, defeating Northern Illinois in overtime, beating Central Michigan 1716 after trailing most of the game and most recently knocking off UConn with a shutout in the second half after being behind 21-10 at halftime.
“We’ve been coming out the second half on fire,” senior cornerback Amechi Uzodinma said.
“Put a full game together on offense and defense,
and I feel like if we do that, [there’s] really nobody that can stop us.”
Despite the weekend festivities, Uzodinma said the main focus is to be the winning team at the end of the day.
“Homecoming really doesn’t mean much for the players,” he said. “We’re not really part of the festivities and stuff; we’re really just trying to get a win on homecoming, and really just getting the win is the most important part, and obviously you don’t want to lose on homecoming.”
averages 220 yards per game, ranks eighth.
The game will be a coming together of two top MAC running backs as Eagles senior running back Samson Evans is currently third in the conference on the ground with 634 yards and six touchdowns. Evans sits two spots behind Ball State’s sophomore running back Carson Steele who leads the league with 789 yards and eight touchdowns.
“With a guy like Carson, I think he does wear down a defense as he goes,” offensive coordinator Kevin Lynch said on the Chirp Cast Coaches Show. “He always is better in the second half as [he] gets going because one, you get a feel for it a little bit, you start seeing it, but [two] as defenses get tired, it’s natural. He’s just a harder guy to tackle as the game goes on.”
Lynch said. “... The first four weeks of the season, they were what I’ve known Eastern Michigan to be my whole time in the MAC with what we consider a shell defense and playing a lot of zones, you know ‘Bend but don’t break,’ and the last three weeks they’ve been pretty much all man coverage and really aggressive in letting the defensive ends get up the field and wreak havoc.”
At the end of the day, redshirt sophomore defensive lineman John Harris has a favorite part of Homecoming.
“Looking up in the stands, seeing a full crowd and then picking out a few players that you used to play with that are coming back,” he said. “Then after the game, hanging out with them, talking to them and just seeing what’s going on in their life.”
Contact Daniel Kehn with comments at daniel. kehn@bsu.edu or on Twitter @daniel_kehn.
AMECHI UZODINMA,
The Eagles sit above .500, but only one of their four wins has come in the Mid-American Conference (MAC): a 45-23 win over Western Michigan in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Eastern’s rushing offense sits seventh in the MAC, averaging 139 yards per game while its passing game, which
The MAC’s current sack leader with seven, graduate student defensive lineman Jose Ramirez, will be a defensive player the Cardinals keep their eye on. Ball State does boast the best record against sacks, only giving up six in seven games this season.
“They’ve got a guy that leads the country in sacks; he’s [Ramirez] a really good player, so we’ve got to be aware of number four at all times,”
Delaware County, Indiana. A population of 114,461 people. Lesser known to a majority of the United States population. A powerhouse in AAU volleyball.
Munciana Volleyball Club has experienced success on the travel volleyball club circuit with 38 national championships, 22 Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Championships, 15 USA Volleyball Championships and one Junior Volleyball Association (JVA) Championship.
The success started in 1974 when Steve Shondell, son of Don Shondell — the man who started the Ball State Men’s Volleyball program — took 12 players from the then-Muncie Northside High School, now Northside Middle School, and formed the original Munciana volleyball team. In this team’s first season, they placed seventh in the national tournament at Oakland University in Michigan.
By 1982, the first national championship came from the 13-and-under (13U) boy’s team, Munciana 13. The MVP of that team for the tournament and All-American was John Shondell, brother of Steve and current assistant for another Shondell brother, Dave, at Purdue.
In a 2017 article from the JVA, club director of JVA Dave Weitl attributed Munciana’s success to applying feedback from coaches, consistency and pacing when it comes to training at different levels.
Munciana’s mission statement is “We are committed to teaching and training young athletes and educating coaches to teach the game of volleyball.”
By having 13U teams, Munciana is able to meet that mission statement of teaching young athletes the ins and outs of volleyball.
“Munciana has shaped my entire culture when it comes to volleyball,” third-year libero for Ball State Women’s Volleyball Kate Vinson said. “They taught me so much of the basics and just how to work hard and grind it out, and they made the
transition to college volleyball so much easier.”
Vinson said one of the ways Munciana prepared her for playing at Ball State was practicing at a pace more accustomed for collegiate players.
The coaches at Munciana trained their players to play at the next level but also reaffirmed their players after all of the work they put in.
“The coaches did a great job making you understand you were good enough to play anywhere you wanted to,” Zoe Conway, third-year libero for Ball State Women’s Volleyball, said. “It is the culture too, it is obviously intense, but the people next to you could be going Power Five; it did not matter — there was just a lot of respect between players.”
With that respect comes bonds formed among teammates and coaches.
“Having grown the connections with all of the coaches I have had is really special to me,” Vinson said.
Vinson and Conway both started to play for Munciana when they were 12 years old. They were on the same team every year they played for the volleyball club.
“Playing with Vinny [Vinson] was special to me,” Conway said. “She was a consistent teammate, and
she grew into being one of my best friends.”
While playing for Munciana, Conway and Vinson were able to get experience playing against some of the best players and teams in the nation during national tournaments.
“Being in nationals every year was a great experience,” Conway said. “We were always pretty successful … I’d say we did pretty good, so that was always a cool way to end out the year.”
Current head coach of the University of Kentucky Women’s Volleyball team, Craig Skinner, was born in Muncie, an outside hitter for Men’s Volleyball at Ball State and a coach for Munciana. Skinner was also an assistant coach for the Men’s Volleyball team at Ball State from 1999-2000.
Skinner’s tenure as a coach for Munciana started in the spring of 1990 when he was an active player for the Cardinals.
“I was the junior varsity coach for Muncie Burris High School in my first year back at Ball State after transferring from Michigan when Dave Shondell asked me if I wanted to coach at the club,” Skinner said.
He said he remembers the excitement and joy that came with coaching at Munciana.
“You love the people you work with,” Skinner
said. “You build a relationship with the families and a relationship with the Muncie community and the organization. When you represent Munciana in tournaments and matches, you feel an enormous sense of pride.”
From Skinner’s point of view, the coaches and consistency are what helped turn Munciana into a powerhouse, reinforcing the beliefs of Vinson, Conway and Weitl.
“As a coach [at Munciana], you are not basing your opinion on one coach or one player or one season, but you are basing your judgment and reasoning on years and years of success and teaching,” Skinner said. “There is a reason why great organizations sustain over time, and it typically is the guiding principles, the foundation and those running the organization.”
While Munciana has a nationwide presence in the volleyball community, Skinner still believes it remains somewhat unknown to the general population.
“Muncie, Indiana, is this little blip on the radar in terms of the country and the size of the city, but it is a major blip on the radar in terms of volleyball recognition,” Skinner said.
Contact Corbin Hubert with comments at cchubert@bsu.edu or on Twitter @corbin_hubert_
Five current Ball State Women’s Volleyball players developed their game at local powerhouse Munciana Volleyball Club
Munciana has shaped my entire culture when it comes to volleyball. They taught me so much of the basics and just how to work hard and grind it out, and they made the transition to college volleyball so much easier.”
- KATE VINSON, Third-year libero
Muncie, Indiana, is this little blip on the radar in terms of the country and the size of the city, but it is a major blip on the radar in terms of volleyball recognition.”- CRAIG SKINNER, Head coach of the University of Kentucky Women’s Volleyball team Fourth-year middle blocker Lauren Gilliland and second-year setter Megan Wielonski create a wall to stop a point from their opponent Eastern Michigan Sep. 30 at Worthen Arena. EVE GREEN, DN
The Strother Theatre production of “The Moors” by Jen Silverman (directed by Karen Kessler) opened Oct. 16 and will run through Oct. 28 with shows every other day at 7:30 p.m. On Oct. 22, the show will begin at 2:30 p.m. The 2017 dark comedy is a tale of two unhappy sisters whose lives are turned upside-down by the arrival of a secretive governess.
Imani Butts Reporter
The Indiana Exotic Pet Expo held at Delaware County Fairgrounds is a platform for businesses that cater to a niche community. Led by Ron Bililingley, the Indiana Exotic Pet Expo held Sept. 25 showcased hundreds of different types of animals and products brought by vendors, breeders and exotic animal enthusiasts from around the country.
Aspen Wheeler, owner of Furry Friend Hideaway, saw the expo as an opportunity to expand their customer base and offer cage accessories for smaller animals, such as rats and ferrets. He said the cage accessories, like hammocks sold online and in stores, didn’t have the quality needed to keep Wheeler’s rat, Fievel, from chewing through it.
“The hammocks and stuff you can buy from big retail stores, they’re flimsy, one piece of fabric … But when it comes to rats, that’s not going to cut it, so I started working on making my own hammock,” Wheeler said.
After trying multiple designs and his rats chewing right through them, Wheeler finally
settled on a design in 2021, but then he discovered there was a need for similar products for larger animals. He aimed to increase the longevity of the hammocks and cage sets.
“If you’re spending $70, $80 on something, you want it to last,” Wheeler said. “Everything I [build] is meant to withstand the most weight and damage it could possibly take. I have a set that I made for my ferrets that I’ve now had for two years, and it’s still up and running.”
Although he has a lot of experience with expos, Wheeler has bigger plans for himself and Furry Friend Hideaway.
“What I want to do is I want to be able to partner with an exotic animal rescue of some form, be it [Exotic Animal Rescue and Pet Sanctuary] or Five Points Ferret Refuge … and I want to basically have a cat café but for exotic animals,” Wheeler said. “I want to be able to work with shelters of animals that need homes and have them in the facility to help adopt them out and … also be able to storefront my products.”
Storefronts are a large goal for many of the businesses that attended the Indiana Exotic Pet Expo. James Applegate, owner of Rockin Pet Depot, and Nikki Ruman, manager of the Rockin Pet Depot, started to rely heavily on exotic pet shows to connect with customers after a gas leak destroyed their storefront. Traveling from expo to expo gave Rockin Pet Depot a platform to share their brand.
“I will generally stay more focused with the animals and help educate people with the actual animals, so they can gain that type of experience,” Ruman said. “I have created two different care sheets based on our personal knowledge of taking care of [animals], which is a lot more than you get at an average pet store,” Ruman said.
On Oct. 22 from 11 a.m–3 p.m., Gordy’s Fine Art and Framing at 224 E. Main Street will feature the work of local silk painter Carrie Wright, whose art won first prize at both the Hoosier Salon in summer 2021 and the Indiana State Fair in 2022. Her work is inspired by both Japanese and European techniques and design.
A 5-week pottery class for adults will begin Oct. 22 at 2 p.m. and takes place the next three Saturdays, as well as Dec. 3. Participants will gather at the MadJax workshop at 515 E. Main Street in downtown Muncie to learn about clay preparation, basic pottery-ware construction and decorating techniques. A $20 registration fee is required to attend.
Traders, vendors and breeders of exotic animals share how the Indiana Exotic Pet Expo has impacted themJason Michael shows off his 3-yearold Cuban rock iguana to guests Sept. 10. ALEX BRACKEN, DN
I think if you can put on a good show, you’re gonna bring a good audience, and I think it’s all about how you present yourself.”
- BRANDON SCOTT RUHL, Owner of Serenity Raptors
With their focus being education, Rockin Pet Depot attempts to be the mediators between interested but intimidated pet owners and the exotic animals they care for. Both Applegate and Ruman encourage their own children to help with the process.
“A majority of the time, they come with us to the expos, and they are also educating adults and kids. It kind of helps [customers] realize, ‘if they can hold them, maybe I can and my kids can too.’ We’re a family-friendly educational place,” Ruman said.
For many of these businesses, family is the motivation for their entrepreneurship. While the Rockin Pet Depot may not be a family affair, it does play a large part in their efforts to be successful.
Brandon Scott Ruhl, owner of Serenity Raptors, heavily relies on his exotic pet business as an outlet to spend more time with his daughter. As a child, Ruhl was always intrigued by animals, and he received his first gecko at 9 years old. He started his first reptile business as a teenager, but it didn’t succeed due to his limited knowledge about business. He decided to build his current business with his daughter in mind and with the aim to have more people understand the exotic animal lover community. Serenity Raptors specializes in breeding small reptiles like geckos.
“I was doing this even before she was born … so it just drove me a little bit harder,” Ruhl said. He still works full time but has aspirations to grow
Serenity Raptors. He said showcases and expos give him the face time to impress customers and give them the experience he believes they deserve.
“I think if you can put on a good show, you’re gonna bring a good audience, and I think it’s all about how you present yourself,” Ruhl said.
“What I’ve been doing at expos has been topping
James wants his prices to be as equitable as possible, he said.
“It’s hard for people to have these reptiles and stuff when they have to feed every two weeks,” James said, “and I try to get people as good as deals as I can while still making sure that I’m covering food and housing for the animals.”
James said he’s very cognizant of the risks that come with breeding mice.
“Some people don’t like breeding, but with any pet, you can’t have top-quality stuff without it. You have to keep the diseases out, especially in the rodent community. We have to be as careful as possible to make sure it doesn’t reach other breeders’ stock,” James said.
Working in the world of exotic animals means trying to encourage people to step outside their comfort zone to expand the exotic animal community and move past their fears, Ruman said. She said she’s observed multiple customers who have assumed they were afraid of animals but fell in love with them.
my internet sales. I think it’s a lot easier to make a presence when you’re actually in person.”
However, not every owner wants to have a large business. Expos are helpful in attracting customers interested in the niche community, but some owners are happy with how their small business is doing.
Iann James, co-owner of Mouse Army Mousery, is a full-time photographer but enjoys breeding mice as supplemental income. He prides himself on breeding “fancy mice” — mice that don’t have any genetic deficiency or carry harmful diseases. The mice that don’t get sold become feed for reptiles, like snakes and monitor lizards.
Ruhl believes many people are scared because they are unaware of what it’s like to be around exotic animals. However, it’s his hope that opportunities like the Indiana Exotic Pet Expo will change minds. Muncie residents have another opportunity to visit the Indiana Exotic Pet Expo on Nov. 27 from 10 a.m.–4 p.m at the Delaware County Fairgrounds.
“People like myself are just trying to bring this a little bit more out there to where people can understand what’s actually going on,” Ruhl said. “I think it’s a misunderstood community, and I would like it to be more understood in the future.”
Contact Imani Butts with comments at imbutts@bsu.edu or on Twitter @imani_butts.
Bed Race Friday, October 21, 2022 | Noon | Riverside Avenue
Chase Charlie 5K Saturday, October 22, 2022 | 8:45 a.m. | Downtown/Campus
Homecoming Parade Saturday, October 22, 2022 | 9 a.m. | Muncie Central/Downtown/Campus
Ball State vs. Eastern Michigan Football Game
Saturday, October 22, 2022 | 2 p.m. | Scheumann Stadium
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It kind of helps [customers] realize, ‘if they can hold them, maybe I can and my kids can too.’ We’re a family-friendly educational place.”
- NIKKI RUMAN, Manager of Rockin Pet Depot
Andy Hopkins is a second-year social studies education major and writes “Bread and Roses” for The Daily News. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper.
One of the biggest issues facing today’s world is the lack of people who care.
Merriam Webster defines apathy as a “lack of interest and concern,” and it is something I have been surrounded by my entire life. In schooling, I’ve noticed people around me who simply did not and still do not care about the larger picture of what is going on around them. I can admit I have been guilty of this in the past as well.
It wasn’t until the pandemic hit I began to really step back and look at what was going on in the world. It was only then I recognized my careless nature towards what was going on in my town with issues, such as homelessness or drug abuse, or even larger problems worldwide. I began to read and learn about what was happening around me, with the knowledge that I want to build a better world, and that helped drive my aims and ambitions coming into college.
When asked about an issue, many may have an opinion about the topic, but how many people are out there taking action? Would we rather sit back and watch “Thursday Night Football” or “Grey’s Anatomy” than spend our time trying to make the world more sustainable? There are days when the last thing I want to do is give a speech in front of a crowd or present a plan for how the surrounding community can be improved.
However, when I ask myself the question, “If not me, then who? If not now, when?” I fail to falter in my quest to improve the communities I am a part of.
There are dozens of modern examples of apathetic behavior we see today, but one is the current persecution of Uyghur people by the Chinese government.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, almost one million Uyghurs, a Muslim minority group in China, were imprisoned by the Chinese government, and those who have not been are subjected to intense surveillance, religious restrictions, forced labor and forced sterilizations. When discussing this event with a friend of mine last year, she was completely unaware, and although I explained what was going on, she simply could not be bothered to care about what was happening to these individuals.
If we refuse to care or speak out against injustices in our world, then evil will always win. Albert Einstein reiterates this
exact point` when he stated, “The world won’t be destroyed by those that do evil but by those who watch them without doing anything.”
Most times in discussion when important topics are brought up, people I have interacted with may simply not know anything about what is going on, and they seem like they don’t want to take the time to educate themselves to enact a call to action.
There are
certainly many issues and events that are prevalent and ongoing in today’s world, and it can be hard to stay informed and up to date on everything going on. This is not an excuse, however, to give up caring about what is happening in our communities or throughout the world.
It is imperative now more than ever we mobilize and begin to speak up for what we care about, no matter what that is. Empathy is required in place of apathetic behavior in order for good to occur in the world and positive change to manifest
The actions of Nicholas Winton are a perfect example of this behavior, with him saving 669 children, most of them Jewish, from the tyranny of the Holocaust.
We need to use our voices to tell the stories and speak up for those who cannot or will not for fear of persecution. Problems we choose to ignore or not care about today can come to affect us as individuals in the future.
A famous poem written by Martin Niemoller reflects this: “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out — Because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out — Because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — Because I was not a Jew. ”
This poem is a perfect example of apathetic behavior, but it is also a warning to us still today that if we do not protect those who are persecuted, not only may people in our lives and communities suffer, but oppression may come to affect us one day.
Nothing turns me off toward a person more than a person who doesn’t take action. I encourage you to get out there and use your voice. Posting infographics and news articles on Instagram and Snapchat stories is simply not enough. People need to get involved with clubs, organizations and movements for what they believe in.
It is time to take a stand against the evils
of the world, to be informed about what is going on within our external factors. We must have the confidence and will to be a leader and push for the change we want to see.
The time for apathetic behavior and slacktivism are over. People need to start speaking out and caring for what they believe in, so I encourage all of you to get out there, whatever it is you are passionate or interested in to get involved, in any way you can, regardless of your political affiliation or stance on certain issues.
Not only will your participation safeguard society, but it will better you as an individual.
Contact Andy Hopkins with comments at andy.hopkins@bsu.edu.
Only one mile from campus!
a gathering place for friends
It is imperative now more than ever we mobilize and begin to speak up for what we care about, no matter what that is.”
CROSSWORD EDITED BY KURT KRAUSS; SUDOKU BY MICHAEL MEPHAM
