From hobby to professional
WAHLS TALKS OF FAMILY
BSU junior didn’t choose the hoop life; the hoop life chose her.
Activist, author shares experience of growing up with two moms
SEE PAGE 6
SEE PAGE 3
DN TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2013
THE DAILY NEWS
BSUDAILY.COM
STUDENTS CHANGE MAJORS FOR PRACTICALITY, MONEY
Attending college in economy, many people look for potentially more lucrative career choices STEPHENS CHIEF REPORTER | CHRISTOPHER castephens@bsu.edu Courtney Netzer knew throughout high school she wanted to go into young elementary education. She even planned to attend Ball State as an education major; however, one adverse effect of the career path kept her from pursuing it. “I don’t want to be poor,” she said. Netzer, a freshman, is one of many students who decided that more factors play into choosing a major above just what they would
Football practices underway
Preparation runs until April 20 when team plays Spring Game MAT MIKESELL SPORTS EDITOR | @Mat Mikesell
love doing. According to a study by National Center for Education Statistics, 80 percent of college students change their major at least once before they graduate. Netzer said she began to have second thoughts about her chosen major, based on not only her possible salary but also on the prospect of gaining a job after graduation. It convinced her to work toward getting a degree from the Miller College of Business. “On [high school] graduation day, I even had a teacher come up to me and tell me not to go into education,” she said. Regardless of major, the goal for the vast majority of college students is to find a career in whatever their field of study is as soon as possible after graduation. But some students, especially with recent economic uncertainties, have to answer an incredibly important question: Do
you want to love your job or love your salary? Joseph Goodwin, assistant director of the Career Center, said he recently talked with a Ball State graduate, whom he could not name, that began her career with a degree in social work. She was unhappy with her salary and was considering going back to school to become a chemist. Deciding money is more important than the job is fine, Goodwin told the client, but she needed to remember why she chose social work in the first place. “For some students the money is more important than the job,” he said. Rajib Sanyal, dean of the Miller College of Business, said the job market is competitive today and college students in general have lower levels of employment than before, which means students should be flexible in the posi-
BY THE NUMBERS
80 percent
amount of college students that change their major at least once before they graduate
tions they are willing to accept, but not to the extent to do something they won’t enjoy. “A student should study a major for which [they] have a passion for,” he said. “It is always a good idea to ask — what will I do when I graduate?” Sanyal said while a major shows an employer that a recent grad has knowledge in a particular discipline, what is really going to give an applicant the edge and help garner a higher paying position is soft skills.
See MAJORS, page 3
SPRING SNOWSTORM Following more than 6 inches of snow, campus closed until 10 a.m. Monday due to current, continuing weather conditions
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Students successfully open a car that had been locked by ice during the snowfall Sunday evening.
Ball State football opens its 2013 spring practice today, though looking at Scheumann Stadium one might say it’s winter rather than spring. But the snow won’t stop the team and coaching staff from getting prepared for the upcoming season. Until the Spring Game on April 20, the team will get its first look at who will be placed on the depth chart and hopefully answer some questions from the offseason. Coach Pete Lembo and his team will have work to get done over the course of the next month. The team will have 14 practices leading up to the Spring Game.
DN PHOTO TAYLOR IRBY
Stephanie Metzger tumbles over sophomore Kat Winton after falling off a makeshift sled. DN PHOTO BOBBY ELLIS
McKinley Avenue and the main section of campus remains blanketed in a continuing snow following large snowfall of roughly six inches Sunday night and Monday morning.
See SPRING, page4
DN PHOTO COREY OHLENKAMP
SPRING PRACTICE
Sophomore Kat Winton sleds down a hill outside of Woodworth using a food tray. The snowstorm caused Ball State to close for two hours.
Weekday practices go from 3:35-5:50 p.m. Weekends go 10 a.m. to noon. Spring game is at 3 p.m. on April 20. Tues., March 26
Wed., April 3
Fri., April 12
Wed., March 27
Fri., April 5
Sat., April 13
Fri., March 29
Sat., April 6
Tues., April 16
Sat., March 30
Tues., April 9
Wed., April 17
Tues., April 2
Wed., April 10
Sat., April 20
DN| BRIEF
MAN ARRESTED FOR POSING AS EXCISE OFFICER AT EVENT
A Muncie man approached an undercover excise officer at Muncie Gras on Saturday and asked for identification, which resulted in his arrest. Joseph Louis Garcia, 24, of Muncie, was arrested on a preliminary charge of impersonating a police officer, a Class D Felony, according to a press release by Cpl. Travis Thickstun, public information officer for Indiana State Excise Police. The incident took place in front of The Columbia Theatre, formerly known as Center Stage’s Backstage Bar, on Walnut Street shortly after midnight when Garcia approached the plain clothes officer and demanded to see his identification. The officer showed Garcia his police badge and revealed he was an actual excise officer. Garcia was arrested and taken to the Delaware County Jail. “Impersonating a police officer is an intolerable offense for which we will have zero tolerance,” Superintendent Matt Strittmatter said in the press release. “Such behavior is not only dangerous to the perpetrator, but can put other citizens at risk.” Two other people were also arrested on a total of six charges, including false statement of age, minor in a tavern, illegal consumption of alcohol, two for possession of false ID and false government-issued ID at Muncie Gras.
DN PHOTO BOBBY ELLIS
ADAM BAUMGARTNER GRAPHICS EDITOR | afbaumgartner@bsu.edu
M
uncie received more than six inches of snow over Sunday and Monday. As a result, Ball State’s campus was closed until 10 a.m. on Monday morning. Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications Tony Proudfoot said two determining factors in whether campus should close are if the grounds are passable between buildings and if the university has power. “The snow was still coming down pretty hard at the time that we made the decision to close, and the crews just needed a little bit more time to get the campus cleared before classes began,” Proudfoot said. The decision to close campus due to inclement weather is up to Vice
President of Business Affairs and Treasurer Randy Howard, Proudfoot said. Howard makes the decision after consulting President Jo Ann Gora and speaking with the crews responsible for clearing campus. They make the decision between 4 and 5 a.m., basing it off current weather conditions and if the snow is expected to continue falling throughout the day, Proudfoot said. Regardless of whether campus is closed or not, Proudfoot said it is ultimately the students’ responsibility to decide if they can make it safely to class. “Everyone is expected and encouraged to put their safety first,” Proudfoot said. “We have found that faculty are very accommodating, and in cases when they aren’t, there is an appeal process.”
– SARA NAHRWOLD
THE BALL STATE DAILY NEWS
MUNCIE, INDIANA
KEL LOVES ORANGE SODA!
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FORECAST
TODAY High: 35, Low: 24 Chance snow
TOMORROW High: 36, Low: 22 Partly cloudy