ALUMN PROMOTES EQUALITY FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED04 The Habitat Heroine: Habitat for Humanity, Inc. wouldn’t be possible without Sharon Brown.11
Dribble, Aim, Kick: What it means to be a woman playing co-ed sports 08
BACK IN THE
GROOVE Kyle Smedley, Reporter
Almost two years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, Muncie’s music scene is slowly rebuild rebuilding. 15
Raegan Gorden plays a drumset during a band rehearsal March 19. Gorden plays in two bands, Whydah and Leisure Hour. RYLAN CAPPER, DN PHOTO; KAMRYN TOMLNSON, DN DESIGN
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ballstatedailynews.com
@bsudailynews @bsudailynews
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Did you miss it? Catch up on the news from March 20-22 ...
BallStateDailyNews.com You’re Invited: The Ball State Daily News’ 100th anniversary open house celebration
March 31: The staff of The Daily News will be celebrating its 100th
DIGITAL MEDIA REPOSITORY, PHOTO COURTESY
anniversary Thursday, March 31 with an open house event from 5 – 6:30 p.m. The event coincides with the release of of The Ball State Daily News’ centennial celebration special edition paper next Thursday and will be held in the Unified Media Lab on the second floor of the Art and Journalism Building, above The Atrium. A proclamation from the Indiana State House of Representatives will be shared during the event, and the editorial board of The Daily News will share their experiences telling stories related to the newspaper’s past while looking forward to its future.
Ball State beats Western Michigan March 20: The Cardinals
RYLAN CAPPER, DN PHOTO
defeated the Broncos 5-2. Junior Jessica Braun and senior Livia Lukacs earned a 6-1 win against Western Michigan senior Kristina Tiraspolsky and sophomore Karin Hamilton. Freshman Elena Malykh clinched match point after her 7-5, 6-1 defeat over Western Michigan senior Kaitlyn Rogosch. Ball State returns to action March 25 at Buffalo at 1 p.m.
VOL. 101 ISSUE: 25 CONTACT THE DN Newsroom: 765-285-8245 Editor: 765-285-8249, editor@bsudailynews.com
The Ball State Daily News (USPS144-360), the Ball State student newspaper, publishes Thursdays during the academic year, except during semester and summer breaks. The Daily News is supported in part by an allocation from the General Fund of the university and is available free to students at various campus locations.
EDITORIAL BOARD Taylor Smith, Editor-in-chief Connor Smith, Managing Editor Grace McCormick, News Editor Maya Wilkins, Lifestyles Editor Ian Hansen, Sports Editor John Lynch, Opinion Editor Adele Reich, Video Editor Rylan Capper, Photo Editor Emily Dodd, Social Media Editor Emily Hunter, Copy Director CREATIVE SERVICES Maggie Getzin, Creative Director Kamryn Tomlinson, Visual Editor Alex Hindenlang, Visual Editor
Gov. Holcomb vetoes House Bill 1041 March 22: Indiana Gov. Eric
Holcomb vetoed House Bill 1041, a bill that would have barred transgender girls from playing on girls’ sports teams in K-12 schools, March 21. Holcomb said he vetoed the bill because it “falls short” of its stated goal to “provide clarity and one consistent state policy regarding the fairness in K-12 sports in Indiana.”
Lisa Renze-Rhodes, Adviser 765-285-8218, lrenze@bsu.edu The Daily News offices are in AJ 278, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306-0481. Periodicals postage paid in Muncie, Indiana. TO ADVERTISE Call 765-285-8256 or email dailynewsads@bsu.edu between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday - Friday or visit ballstatedaily.com/advertise. TO SUBSCRIBE Call 765-285-8134 between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monay - Friday. Subscription rates: $45 for one year. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Daily News, AJ246, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306.
TO DONATE Visit BallStateDailyNews.com. JOIN THE DAILY NEWS Stop by room 278 in the Art and Journalism Building.
CORRECTION
The Ball State Daily News is committed to providing accurate news to the community. In the event we need to correct inaccurate information, you will find that printed here. To submit a correction, email editor@bsudailynews.com.
4-DAY WEATHER
FORECAST Tyler Ryan, Weather forecaster, Benny Weather Group
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
SCATTERED SHOWERS
MOSTLY CLOUDY
CLOUDY
MOSTLY SUNNY
Hi: 49º Lo: 40º
Hi: 49º Lo: 37º
Hi: 45º Lo: 28º
Hi: 47º Lo: 32º
THIS WEEK: The heavy rainfall that will affect Muncie this week will leave Muncie’s temperatures dropping into the forties by the end of this week. Temperatures began to rise back up as we head into next week.
APPRECIATING
OUR PAST
TO INSPIRE OUR
FUTURE
Special Anniversary Edition
Coming March 31, 2022
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National Women’s History Month
THE PAST
FUTURE PREPARING FOR THE
First female Secretary of State dies at 84 Madeleine Albright, the 64th U.S. Secretary of State and the first woman to serve in that position, has died from cancer at 84, according to a statement from her family. Albright served as Secretary of State under former President Bill Clinton from 1997-2001. In 2012, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor.
Indiana
Muncie’s role in the women’s suffrage movement
Permits for handguns no longer required
Krystiana Brosher Digital News Editor
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed House Bill 1296 into law March 21, letting people ages 18 and older legally purchase a handgun without a permit beginning July 1. Holcomb said permits will still be available for free for those who want them, and specified those who are currently prohibited from buying a gun will still not be allowed to under the new law.
August 18, 1920 was a day women of the early 20th century never forgot, and a day all women born after continue to celebrate — the day women received the right to vote nationally. The working-class citizens the City of Muncie worked since the 1880s for that day. Melissa Gentry, map collections supervisor at Ball State University Libraries, created a website for the centennial of the 19th amendment that tells the stories of Indiana suffragists through interactive maps. In 1917, Senate Bill 77, a partial suffrage law giving women the right to vote in municipal, school and special elections, passed in Indiana. Gentry said Muncie had nine original franchise leagues, two being led by Black women. “I don’t even think Indianapolis had two African American leagues, so it’s pretty
impressive,” Gentry said. Gentry also said the diversity of women involved in the movement was impressive, as women of different societal classes and races came together. “It wasn’t just the society women like the Balls, it was a lot of working women too,” she said. “Especially the African American women that organized — they were so good at organizing and getting women to register.” After the Indiana Supreme Court struck down the partial suffrage law in November 1917, the leagues started to focus on World War I, Gentry said. When the war ended, suffragists continued to fight for their right to vote. While trying to expand their rights, Gentry said a lot of suffragists were against alcohol and were pro-prohibition. “They thought there was a real issue with men not supporting their wives, and a lot of the time, [the men] would even cash their paychecks in a saloon,” Gentry said.
See SUFFRAGE, 04
Aviator Frances Wilson Grayson looks out over the water. Grayson graduated from Muncie Central High School before she went missing during a flight near Nova Scotia in 1927. MELISSA GENTRY, PHOTO PROVIDED
Campus
Ball State to close Noyer Dining, Quiznos Ball State Dining announced March 22 the all-you-can-eat buffet in the Noyer Complex will close May 6, and the Quiznos in the Student Recreation and Wellness Center will close May 1. The announcement cited “declining counts and sales” as reasons for the closures. Ball State Dining also announced a renovation of the Noyer Complex space and a new convenience store in that area.
ON BALLSTATEDAILYNEWS.COM: SGA NOMINATES TREASURER, CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR CANDIDATES
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THROUGH ANOTHER LENS Jeffrey Mittman creates opportunities for visually impaired people.
Richard Kann Reporter Jeffrey Mittman served in the U.S. Army as a master sergeant in the infantry from 1998–2005, which allowed him to travel the world and across military units, such as the 101st Airborne, as well as serve in the Gulf and Afghanistan wars. In 2005, Mittman — 2011 and 2013 Ball State graduate in executive development and operations, respectively — served in his fourth combat tour in Iraq as a part of a mobile training team, where he experienced heavy combat as the adviser to an Iraqi battalion. Mittman and his team were soon given orders that would quickly change their tour. “We were ordered to move out and link up with the Iraqis [for] a mission,” Mittman said. He and his team eventually came across a highway. On the other side, enemy forces were prepared for an all-out attack. “There was a roadside bomb, small fire [from assault rifles] and mortar fire,” Mittman said. “I was hit and knocked out immediately.” The detonation of a roadside bomb ultimately left Mittman visually impaired. Although this would bring Mittman’s career to an end, it also acted as a new beginning for him. “I realized my career [in the military] was over, and I thought to myself, the more education I had, the better,” Mittman said. “Being from Indiana, I was already aware of Ball State.” Mittman enrolled at Ball State in 2009 and praised the accommodations he received for classes. “I chose to go to Ball State because, quite frankly, the flexibility of the programs and classes — and then the reputation [of Ball State’s] work with veterans and disabled students and how well they help accommodate for special needs,” Mittman said. “I can’t read a regular book, right?
The accommodations [at Ball State] for the disabled students are second to none.” Courtney Jarrett, director of Ball State’s Office of Disability Services, explained Ball State’s services are unique because each situation is handled based on “the student as to what services they receive.” Jarrett said Ball State’s disability services are “really personal, and that’s on purpose. We want students to come and get accommodations, but also use resources and know they can contact us if they’re having any issues or if they have questions.” From her conversations with Mittman as a student, Jarrett said she “knew that he was going to go on and do awesome things.” During his time at Ball State, Mittman also hosted presentations on campus about his experiences that detailed his recovery and time in military services after his injury. By 2013, Mittman had earned his Master’s of Arts in executive development and Master’s of Business Administration in operations. In 2019, Mittman assumed his current position as president and CEO of Bosma Enterprises. “Bosma Enterprises is a social enterprise and a not-for-profit here in Indianapolis,” Mittman said. “Today, we are the largest employer of people who are blind or visually impaired in the state of Indiana.”
70%
of U.S. adults (2164) who are blind or visually impaired are unemployed.
A NAME FOR HIS TIMELINE HERE 2000
Source: National Federation of the Blind
There’s a lot of excitement around actually making a difference and providing opportunities for people to work. True economic independence comes through being able to support yourself and your family.” - JEFFREY MITTMAN, President of the National Association for the Employment of People who are Blind A 2017 study from Cornell University states the working-class age of blind people in the United States is 70 percent. “So, our whole goal, our whole focus, is providing opportunities for [blind people] through either employment with Bosma Enterprises or through our training with a rehab facility,” Mittman said. According to Bosma Enterprises’ website, its rehab facility “provides guidance and hands-on, customized training in everything from daily living skills to state-of-the-art assistive technology.” Bosma Enterprises offers training on how to cook and clean with disabilities, as well as how best to use cell phones, computers and other technology. Bosma Enterprises also partners with businesses to provide resource management and training programs for visually impaired and blind employees, including offering medical products and examinations for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In January 2022, Mittman was elected president of the National Association for the Employment of People who are Blind (NAEPB). In a Feb. 3, 2022 press release, Mittman said “it’s an honor to take on this role.” “It’s an exciting time to become the president [of the NAEPB], with all the opportunities and
2005
changes in the business environment,” Mittman said. “There’s a lot of excitement around actually making a difference and providing opportunities for people to work. True economic independence comes through being able to support yourself and your family.” Mittman said he is optimistic about increasing opportunities for people who are visually impaired, and one of his main goals as NAEPB president will be to secure the future of Ability One, a federal employment program for people who are visually impaired or blind, by ensuring continued government funding. Mittman said he will be going to Washington, D.C., to work with federal government officials and meet with other disability organizations to “get everybody moving in the same direction so that we can actually accomplish something as a community and not just as an individual organization.” Mittman said “giving somebody with a disability a chance to not only improve your culture, but improve your organization with a different perspective,” is an important aspect of company management. “A diverse group includes those [veterans, disabled veterans and visually impaired people] with different approaches to challenges and different experiences,” Mittman said. Contact Richard Kann with comments at richard. kann@bsu.edu or on Twitter @RichardKann.
2011
Mittman left the military visually impaired after roadside explosion
Mittman receives his first master’s degree in executive development
2010
1998-2005
Jeffrey Mittman Serves in U.S. Army as master sergeant
2009
Mittman enrolls at Ball State University
2019
Mittman becomes president and CEO of Bosma Enterprises
2020
2013
Mittman receives his second master’s degree in operations
2022
Mittman is elected president of National Association for the Employment of People who are Blind
The First Rose
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DNNews
Rachel Lindsay, first Black lead of “The Bachelorette,” speaks at Ball State March 22.
Moderater Imani Butts announces the end of the program and thanks guest Rachel Lindsay for speaking with the audience March 22 in Pruis Hall. The program started at 7:30 p.m., lasted an hour and was followed by a meet and greet with Lindsay. VICTORIA JOHNSON, BYTE PHOTO PROVIDED
Rachel Lindsay awaits the next participant in line for the meet and greet that followed her discussion March 22 in Pruis Hall. Lindsay offered to stay longer than planned for all interested parties to meet and take photos with her. VICTORIA
JOHNSON, BYTE PHOTO PROVIDED
Students, faculty, staff and alumni gather in Pruis Hall to hear guest speaker Rachel Lindsay talk about her role on “The Bachelorette” and her career March 22 in Pruis Hall. Lindsay was an invited speaker for the Excellence in Leadership speaker series hosted by Ball State. VICTORIA JOHNSON, BYTE PHOTO PROVIDED
farmers market at minnetrista: indoor market Every third Saturday now through April; 9 a.m.–Noon Connect with local vendors and discover fresh produce, plants, baked goods, and more! Rachel Lindsay poses with members of her audience after her Excellence in Leadership discussion March 22 in Pruis Hall. The meet and greet lasted until about 9 p.m. VICTORIA JOHNSON, BYTE PHOTO PROVIDED
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SUFFRAGE
Continued from Page 03 As she continued reflecting on the women behind Muncie and its history, Gentry also said she appreciates Julia D. Nelson, the first woman elected to the Indiana House of Representatives in 1920. Nelson was from Muncie, and Gentry said she is impressed by how democratic she and other Muncie citizens were in the early 20th century. “[Julia Nelson] got elected in 1920 — that very first election — but she didn’t get re-elected,” Gentry said. “She tried to enact laws that would help women, but [there wasn’t] a whole lot of change initially.” Courtney Jarrett, director of the Ball State Office of Disability Services, is also impressed and inspired by the role Muncie had in the suffrage movement. During the fall 2020 semester, she and Rachael Smith, assistant lecturer of women’s and gender studies, taught a history of women’s suffrage class available for one semester. Jarrett said the purpose of the course was to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment.
Students in the class read six different books about women’s suffrage, one revolving around the movement in Indiana. Jarrett said one of the students’ assignments was to add to or create Wikipedia pages about the suffrage movement. “We talked about what the voting issues are today and how long it’s taken loads of people to get voting rights even though the [19th] Amendment passed 100 years ago,” Jarrett said. “We researched amazing people — mostly women — who participate in equality for voting, especially here in Indiana.” Jarrett said the most important thing for the community to know is women of Muncie have always been important to the city, and they are still advocates for things that can make the city better. “You can look at any time period in Muncie history and find really amazing women that were helping the cause and doing advocacy work and letting people know what the issues are and what can be done about it,” Jarrett said. “And the same is still today, and that’s really great.” Contact Krystiana Brosher with comments at krystiana.brosher@bsu.edu or on Twitter @Krystiana_21.
“Especially the African American women that organized — they were so good at organizing and getting women to register.” - MELISSA GENTRY, Ball State maps collection supervisor
Map Collections Supervisor Mellissa Gentry points towards Muncie on one of her maps March 2 at Bracken Library. Gentry composed maps of the women’s suffrage movement across the state of Indiana by displaying notable figures and moments on maps. ELI HOUSER, DN
Creating Celebrations Events for Ball State’s 2022 Women’s Week. Ball State’s Department of Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS) will host its annual Women’s Week from March 21-25. The theme for this year is “Grow Locally, Think Globally.”
MARCH 24
WGS Informational Tabling
11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., The Atrium Members of the Women’s and Gender Studies program will offer information about classes in the department, as well as free stickers, buttons, posters and pens.
“Celebration of Women’s History Month” featuring Melissa Harris-Perry Event Watch Party 7 p.m., Multicultural Center Multipurpose Room
Sponsored by the Ball State Multicultural Center and Office of Disability Services, Ball State will partner with Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) to stream a conversation with Melissa Harris-Perry — a writer, professor, television host and political commentator who hosted “Melissa Harris-Perry” on MSNBC from 2012-16.
MARCH 25
Each year, Ball State hosts this week-long event with lectures, discussions, film screenings, music performances and art that celebrates the achievements and experiences of women.
“Make a Pact to Never Choose Myth Over Fact” 6 - 7 p.m., Student Center Music Lounge
12-5 p.m., the Quad
According to a flyer from the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies, the events scheduled to be held are as follows:
Presented by the Office of Victim Services, this presentation discusses what services student advocates offer, reporting options, sexual assault examination kits, what consent stands for, and the misbeliefs versus facts of sexual assault.
Everyone is invited to create their own feminist poster. WGS will provide all supplies for the project, but each participant will be asked to bring one package of period products or other toiletries to donate to Cardinal Kitchen.
DIY Poster Day
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ALEX HINDENLANG, DN DESIGN; RYLAN CAPPER, AMBER PIETZ, JACY BRADLEY, MADELINE GROSH, KYLE CRAWFRORD, DN PHOTO
Women’s History Month
Ball State’s women-only sports are empowering and bringing student-athletes closer together. 09 ON BALLSTATEDAILYNEWS.COM: FREEMAN ENTERS TRANSFER PORTAL AFTER 3 SEASONS
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JOSIE SANTIAGO, DN ILLUSTRATION
08
Sho ting for
Equality
Women belong in sports and should not feel intimidated or pressured by their male counterparts. Sophie Nulph Columnist Dribble. Aim. Kick. For the first 18 years of my life, soccer was my sport. I tried softball, volleyball, even choir; but nothing gave me the exhilaration like waking up at 9 a.m., throwing my hair into a ponytail and chasing a ball until the cold wind relieved my sticky skin. There wasn’t a season I didn’t finish ranked as a player on one of the best teams in the league, but I always played with, and against, girls my age. After my recreational league, Westfield’s Youth Soccer Association (WYSA), created a travel league called Westfield Select Soccer Club (WSSC). at the time, My parents jumped at the opportunity to sign me up. Travel sports are a different breed of training and competing, but I had been trained for it. Travel leagues have age restrictions for children to travel, but they classify “kiddie” leagues for competitive training that propel children into the varsity teams of their future age brackets. I trained with a travel league named Hoosier F.C. for almost two years while my older sister played for the travel league in the available age brackets. The summer before tryouts for WSSC, my mom enlisted the help of my sister’s coach at Hoosier F.C., a former World Cup player, to ensure our spots that fall. After a summer of indoor suicides and water breaks once an hour, I was ecstatic to travel the country to show off my moves. Then, our practices got moved to the sand pit because the boys’ team needed extra practice time, and the girls’ team was left to move the goals back to the correct lines once the boys had finished. Our travel competitions were in Ohio and Southern Indiana rather than Texas and Florida. I felt like Amanda Bynes from “She’s The Man.” For the first time in my life, I wasn’t the best in my league, because the female
teams didn’t get the travel opportunities or tournaments the male teams participated in; We weren’t even given the chance. In a broader sense, 28 professional female athletes sued the United States Soccer Federation in 2018 for discriminatory pay after superior performance to the men’s team — who didn’t even qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, while the women’s team had won the cup in 2015. The women’s league won again in 2019 and got their case dismissed by the courts in 2020. It wasn’t until February 2022 that U.S. soccer agreed to pay female athletes in league lump sums back, as well as equal pay to the men’s league going forward. This case helps give women a platform to
because there were not enough people signed up to create separate teams by gender, but I never expected to fall in love with it like I did. I was called the “rock” by my teammates growing up because not even the strongest forward could knock me off my feet. I was a defender, born and bred. I was the last line of defense between a player and the goalie, and I was good at it. The statement held true for co-ed soccer, but I was not liked as much for it. At the beginning of the season, the team always had two weeks of practice before the first game. The two weeks of practices before the game were filled with “Why is she a defender?” and “You shouldn’t keep her in the
Soccer helped force me to realize how valuable silence as an action can be, and helped me find my feminist perspectives early on.” fight for equality, but as the waterfall trickles down, the strength can get lost in the rocks. Little girls continue to feel the effects of this discrimination without the strength or knowledge to stick up to the men. Dribble. Aim. Kick. Coming from a house with two older brothers, both more than a decade older than me, I have never been one to let a man boss me around. From a young age, I learned I can be tiny and powerful at the same time using both my words and actions. I carried that on through school and my travel leagues until I got to high school. I decided after a few years of travel, I wanted to focus on my studies and play on my high school’s competitive team instead of continuing on with my travel training. I knew the high school leagues would be co-ed
whole game.” Comments including “I could get past her with just my speed” and “Why is she down, it doesn’t hurt as bad for a girl” slid off of me the way sweat slid from my forehead. My head spun as I processed the nasty comments from my male teammates and tried to push past them; physically and mentally. I quickly realized I didn’t care what the two men in my life told me I was capable of, but I couldn’t shake a man I didn’t know telling me what I could physically do. I processed the half of me that “accidentally” kicked a ball into the privates of a male teammate I hated, and I processed the half of me that squealed in fear every time someone came towering over me, and I came to a definitive conclusion; I had something to prove. Dribble. Aim. Kick.
In the first game of my first season of co-ed, somehow the slow, short defender ended up with the ball, and because I had something to prove, I wasn’t about to give it up. The crowd of screams roared by as the flat field gained wind. The faces blur past as my elbow collides with a rib and I hear a thud behind me. The familiar voice of a forward breaks through the concentration, “Switch the field! Pass it!” Dribble. Aim. Kick. The last defender hit the ground as I approached the goal line and stood faceto-face with the 6-foot-2-inch, 150-pound male goalie. The world stopped as my vision tunneled around the goal, and Kanye West’s “Stronger” began playing in my head. I dribbled forward, tapped the ball to my right and completed the correct flailing motion taught to me by my old summer trainer. GOAL. Why do I let men affect my soccer skills when I refuse to listen to the instinet doubts of men outside the white spray paint? I realized these doubts stemmed from the same images that made me think I have to be less than 120 pounds yet curvy to be attractive. Soccer helped force me to realize how valuable silence as an action can be, and helped me find my feminist perspectives early on. I walked away from that goal knowing I proved I was equal; equal as a defender, equal as a 5-foot-2-inch woman, equal to the men getting up off the ground. I realized then, I had nothing to prove anymore. I began enjoying the sport more, learning to embrace the competition of a forward twice the size of me. Playing co-ed sports was the most fun I have ever had, and I prefer to play with men and women, as long as each player is treated like a team member, not a gender stereotype. Contact Sophie Nulph with comments at smnulph@bsu.edu or on Twitter @nulphsophie.
09
The history of women-only sports at Ball State still stands strong today.
Ball State track and field hosts the only home indoor meet of the season in the Field Sports Building Feb. 17, 2017. That year, the Cardinals competed in the Music City Challenge in Nashville Feb. 9 and 10. KYLE CRAWFORD, DN Corbin Hubert Reporter For more than two decades, soccer at Ball State was limited to men only. From 1961-82, men competed on the field, and every passionate female soccer player watched from the sideline. It wasn’t until 1999 that Ball State added women’s soccer as an intercollegiate sport. Now, Ball State only has one universitysponsored soccer team, and women rule the sport. “Being the only soccer team that people are able to watch at Ball State is unique because most people only watch men’s sports,” senior midfielder Sammi Corcoran said. Ball State and its 18 athletic programs compete in Division I of the NCAA, and the university has five programs open exclusively to women — cross country, field hockey, gymnastics, soccer and track and field. While there are teams like this on campus today, they weren’t always offered despite the fact that athletics have existed at Ball State since Orville Sink was appointed the first athletic director of then-Indiana State Normal School in 1918. It wasn’t until 1960 that Ball State opened the doors of intercollegiate sports to women, starting with basketball and field hockey. From 1983-99, Ball State Field Hockey won 16 MAC regular
season championships, nine MAC Tournament championships and registered four NCAA Tournament appearances. Gymnastics was introduced as an intercollegiate sport for women in 1965 and has always been exclusive to women at Ball State. Sophomore gymnast Victoria Henry grew up in Woodbridge, Virginia, competing with girls and boys for Apollo Gymnastics. Because Henry said she participated with boys throughout her career prior to Ball State, she experienced a change in scenery when she joined the Cardinals. Competing as part of a women’s only team at Ball State, Henry said the gymnasts do not take for granted the opportunity to unite and represent Ball State in a distinct spotlight. “It’s really nice that it is just an all-girls team and that we can just represent something like that together, as one,” Henry said. Over the years, Ball State Gymnastics secured a MAC Championship in 2002 and appeared in the NCAA Regional Championships in 1999. In 2021, four Ball State gymnasts competed in the NCAA Regional Championship, and the Cardinals achieved a program record for best team score with 196.325 points against Eastern Michigan on Feb. 20, 2022. Although the NCAA didn’t recognize track and field as a championship sport until it held the firstever outdoor national championships for women
in 1982, Ball State Track and Field originated as an intercollegiate sport in 1968 as a member of the now-defunct Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, a governing body for intercollegiate women’s sports from 1971-1982 and one of the various other governing bodies that oversaw intercollegiate women’s sports since first being recognized across the country in 1941. In 1996, the Cardinals captured their first indoor and outdoor MAC championships in track and field. Ball State won indoor and outdoor MAC championships in 1998 and 2001, along with an outdoor MAC championship in 2000. Freshman jumper McKenna Cinotte said despite having a smaller roster size than other teams, Ball State Track and Field thrives off its camaraderie and togetherness. “It’s an honor to be able to represent Ball State on the track and field team,” Cinotte said. “With it being a smaller team, we’re so close, and we’ve been able to come together and represent Ball State the best we can.”
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Senior midfielder Sammi Corcoran goes for the ball against Eastern Michigan Sept. 23 at Briner Sports Complex. Ball State tied Eastern Michigan 0-0. AMBER PIETZ, DN Cinotte attributes positivity and selflessness as traits Ball State Track and Field use to represent themselves and the university. “We’re such a positive and impactful team, not just to each other, but to the school,” Cinotte said. “We want to be there for everyone and impact as many people as possible.” Ball State Cross Country is another women’sonly sport. After its recognition as an intercollegiate sport in 1979, the Cardinals have gone on to capture a MAC championship in 2003 and send runners like Jill Scully, Crystal Meeks and Sarah Huddleston to the NCAA Regional meets. Despite the success these five programs have had, the student-athletes said they do not feel pressure or negativity from the community to achieve even more. “I’ve never seen any negative feedback,” Henry said. “I don’t think there’s any pressure with us being the only gymnastics team [at Ball State].” Contact Corbin Hubert with comments at cchubert@bsu.edu or on Twitter @corbin_hubert_.
It’s really nice that it is just an all-girls team and that we can just represent something like that together, as one,” - VICTORIA HENRY, Ball State sophomore gymnast Sophomore defender Michaela Graney passes the ball to her teammate against Bellarmine at Briner Sports Complex Oct. 15, 2021. The Cardinals fell to the Knights 2-1. JACY BRADLEY, DN
Sophomore Victoria Henry celebrates a solid dismount on vault against Easetern Michigan at Worthen Arena Feb. 20. Henry placed first in vault with a 9.850. JACY BRADLEY, DN
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A 50-YEAR DIFFERENCE Women’s History Month
Title IX has left a lasting effect on collegiate women’s sports.
WHAT IS
TITLE IX?
A landmark federal law passed in 1972, which prohibited gender discrimination in educational programs
TITLE IX AFFECTS ATHLETES IN THREE WAYS: 1.
PARTICIPATION
Requires women and men to be provided with equitable opportunities to participate in sports and institutions to offer an equal opportunity to play.
2. SCHOLARSHIPS
Female and male student-athletes must receive athletic scholarships proportional to their participation.
3. TREATMENTS
Requires equal treatment of female and male student athletes in provisions of supplies, scheduling of games and practice times, travel and daily allowance, access to tutoring, coaching, locker rooms, practice and competition facilities, medical and training facilities, publicity and promotions, support services and recruitment of student-athletes.
TITLE IX DOES NOT ONLY APPLY TO ATHLETICS The law applies to every aspect of education including, but not limited to, course offerings, counseling, financial assistance, student health and insurance benefits, housing, education programs, activities and employment. ALEX HINDENLANG, DN DESIGN
Sources: NCAA, National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education, Ball State Athletics
Colleges across the nation only offering men’s teams were suddenly out of compliance with the law, which increased access to collegiate-level women’s sports.
Female collegiate sports participation grew 403% following Title IX Accounting for
In 1972, there were
2%
OF COLLEGIATE ATHLETES
29,972 WOMEN
Increasing to
By 2001, that number had risen to
150,916
43%
OF COLLEGIATE ATHLETES
COLLEGIATE ATHLETES
1972
2001
A BRIEF HISTORY OF CARDINAL WOMEN’S SPORTS 1994 1960 Ball State introduces women’s intercollegiate sports Ball State’s first two women’s athletic teams were field hockey and women’s basketball. Over the next decade, eight more sports were added.
Women’s volleyball earns first NCAA Tournament win
The 1994 Cardinals finished with a 25-6 (17-0 MAC) record and earned their first-ever NCAA Tournament first-round victory over Illinois. The team was inducted into the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.
1970
Ball State wins first national championship in women’s sports.
Patricia Bergman, ‘72, became the first female to win a national championship at Ball State when she won the 100 individual medley and the 100 backstroke in the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships.
2022
Ball State today:
The Cardinals currently support 11 women’s athletic programs and, as of March 2022, and have won 95 conference championships.
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03.24.22
Habitat’s Heroine Sharon Brown helped build Greater Muncie, Indiana Habitat for Humanity, Inc., from the ground up.
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Byte
The History of the New Batman Since 1943, nine actors played Batman in films, including Adam West, Michael Keaton and Christian Bale. A solo Batman movie in the DC Extended Universe originally was supposed to star Ben Affleck, who was set to direct, write and produce the movie. However, when plans fell through, Robert Pattinson was cast, and Matt Reeves directed the movie using his own ideas rather than Affleck’s original plan.
Ball Bearings
Breaking Down Beauty and Hair White women and Black women in the national and natural hair communities were asked to rate smooth and textured hair on a scale of 1 to 5 according to the categories, “beautiful,” “attractive” and “professional.” Both groups rated smooth hair highly out of 5 for each category, and both groups rated textured hair lower — between 2.1 to 2.9 out of 5 — putting it in the lowest category of “professional.”
Communities
Cornerstone Center for the Arts Open Mic
Sharon Brown, first executive director of Greater Muncie, Indiana Habitat for Humanity, Inc., smiles while sitting in her favorite chair and talking about breakfast food March 22 in Winchester, Indiana. Brown spent a total of 25 years with Habitat for Humanity as both a volunteer and employee. JACY BRADLEY, DN
The Cornerstone Center for the Arts will host an open mic night Friday from 6-9 p.m. The stage is historic and located in a 100-year-old building recognized by the National Register of Historic Places. The open mic night welcomes singers, dancers, poets and musicians and will be at 520 E. Main St. Attendance is $5 per guest.
ON BALLSTATEDAILYNEWS.COM: A PAWSITIVE IMPACT: PETS BRINGING COMMUNITY TOGETHER
DNLife
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HEROINE Continued from Page 11
Greater Muncie, Indiana Habitat for Humanity, Inc. wouldn’t be possible without the efforts and determination of Sharon Brown. Taylor Smith Editor-in-chief With a bottle of water, reading materials and a phone charging on the table beside her, Sharon Kay Brown sits in her favorite rocking chair every Tuesday evening and tunes into NBC’s “Chicago Fire.” “I’m a Severide girl,” Brown said. “He’s a bad boy.” While Brown’s nights may be filled with fictional firemen now, nearly 30 years ago, she spent her evenings on Madison Street in the basement of an overflow for a Muncie women’s shelter. Instead of her rocking chair and TV, Brown’s safe haven consisted of shuffling across the floor varying 13 inches from one side to another while wearing long underwear and boots to stay warm. Within the four cement walls of that basement, Brown started what stands today as Greater Muncie, Indiana Habitat for Humanity, Inc. “Sometimes the furnace worked, and sometimes it didn’t,” Brown said. “We had cockroaches so big the camp workers used to take them home in glass jars to show their mothers and a bullet hole through the front window that scared a few people.” But that basement was home, Brown said, and she remembers the cold days spent watching former Habitat for Humanity President Richard Artes type away on his tiny computer screen with gratitude. Just a few feet away from her rocking chair is a doorway leading to a closet full of Brown’s Habitat for Humanity artifacts — photo albums spanning decades, a key to the City of Muncie and a dress worn by former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, on display next to a photo of Brown shaking former President Jimmy Carter’s hand. Muncie’s Habitat for Humanity became Brown’s purpose, and she reflects on the path she paved with pride as she continues to watch Habitat’s current Muncie team keep her mission alive.
One Working Woman Brown’s Habitat for Humanity story starts in early 1986 within the walls of an old Muncie church that has since closed down. While attending a meeting at Muncie’s Eden United Church of Christ, Brown ran into Reverend Fred Dare, then-pastor of Community
HISTORY OF MUNCIE HABITAT FOR HUMANITY What exists today as Habitat for Humanity started in the mid-1970s in south Georgia when the organization’s founders, Millard and Linda Fuller, started their first building project. It wasn’t until two years and seven projects later when Sharon Brown became involved in the nonprofit.
United Church of Christ, who is now retired and living in Colorado. The two went to Eden that morning to listen to Millard Fuller, founder of Habitat for Humanity International, speak of his organization’s volunteer work spanning two years and seven projects. Fuller’s speech inspired Brown, Dare and three others to volunteer their services at a camp in Americus, Georgia, where the headquarters of Habitat for Humanity International was located before later moving to Atlanta. It was Brown’s first time on a work trip and Dare’s first time running a team of more than just men. “It was all men. My pastor never took women to work camps,” Brown said, “but I told him, ‘I need to make that trip.’” Brown arrived at Americus with Dare, a retired carpenter and her husband, Allan Brown, who was a journeyman electrician. Once she stepped foot on the rusty red clay at the worksite, one thing Dare said during the trip stayed on her mind: “‘Only one dumb person can go on a work trip,’ he said, ‘and it’s not me,’” Brown said. “So, I thought, ‘I need to figure out something, because I don’t have any skills.’ If the light switch doesn’t tell me which way is on, I’m in trouble.”
Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way
When Brown returned from Americus in 1986, she said, her inspiration to help others had only intensified. She “got so much out of the trip” as an unskilled woman who “still failed, but accomplished things” she never thought she could do before. “I pulled handmade nails out of a wooden board so my husband and a retired carpenter could build an outdoor porch for a lady to put her washing machine on,” Brown said. “At the end of the week, I had just had such a wonderful experience with meeting people, and I thought, ‘If I got that much out of it, think about how many other unskilled people could have that sense of fulfillment.’” That thought stuck with her as she continued her job as secretary to then-director of disabled students and fraternities at Ball State, a position she held for 12 years. “My boss knew how much I loved Habitat,” Brown said. “He was going on a speaking tour for a week, so he said, ‘You can have the whole week to Habitat. Just keep things running in the office, and you can do whatever you want.’” Brown said she took that opportunity as a sign and a time to
I thought, ‘If I got that much out of it, think about how many other unskilled people could have that sense of fulfillment.’” - SHARON BROWN, First executive director of Greater Muncie, Indiana Habitat for Humanity, Inc.
Brown turned to old drawing supplies she hadn’t used in years and began sketching scenes from the project, drawing the houses the team was working on from different perspectives. “Fred said, ‘By the way, I told Millard you were going to draw pictures this weekend, and he’s really excited about it,’” Brown said. “I thought, ‘Oh, my God. I’m an amateur.’ It was kind of frightening.” But her fear was for nothing, she said, as Millard was “just delighted” with the drawings she took back with her from Americus to Muncie. Brown’s sketches hung on Eden United Church of Christ’s bulletin boards until she had a Habitat for Humanity office of her own to display them on the walls. Now, they hang illuminated by the window in her closet as a reminder of where she started.
develop a new “opening” for the unskilled to get involved and have a way to make differences in the community. The first thought she had, she said, was The Carter Work Project, which developed from a partnership between Habitat for Humanity and the Carters after their visit to Americus in 1984. The Carter Work Project was building in Chicago in 1986, and the former president and first lady needed a place to stay on their trip back to Washington, D.C. Lafayette’s Habitat for Humanity offered to host them, and they later made tickets available for other volunteers and Habitat workers to meet the Carters and have lunch. “We were only allotted two tickets, but I always think outside the box,” Brown said. She called Habitat’s state coordinator at the time and said she
1986
1988
A decade after Habitat for Humanity began, Brown attends a meeting at Eden United Church of Christ and hears Millard Fuller speak of his organization’s accomplishments since its establishment. Brown is inspired by Fuller’s story and partners with Rev. Fred Dare of Community United Church of Christ to bring the nonprofit to Muncie, Indiana.
Only a year and a half after the group is formally recognized as Greater Muncie, Indiana Habitat for Humanity, Inc., the organization dedicates the first Habitat home in Muncie on April 30, 1988. The house was 1,300 square-feet and cost $22,000.
Brown meets Fuller
First home dedication
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CONSIDERING CHILDREN
DNLife
Sharon Brown points to a pin in her collection while giving a tour of her closet full of memories March 22 in Winchester, Indiana. Other items hanging on Brown’s walls include a key to the City of Muncie and one of former-First Lady Rosalynn Carter’s dresses. JOEY SILLS, DN
As a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, one of the projects Sharon Brown worked on was creating a coloring book for children. After organizing a supply closet one day, Brown approached Millard Fuller, founder of Habitat for Humanity International, and said the organization needed something appealing to children. Fuller asked Brown to create a coloring book, and she had six weeks to make it perfect. After Fuller approved Brown’s draft, he contacted the H.C. Gemmer Family Christian Foundation, which meets semiannually to grant money to philanthropic charities. The foundation funded the publication of Brown’s coloring book. A total of 1,500 were printed and leftover copies remain stacked in Brown’s cabinets with letters to her father written inside covers or framed and hung on her wall. wanted every ticket other Habitats declined. Brown ended up collecting 22 tickets. She reached out to activists in and around Muncie, asking for recommendations of who would be best fit to take on a trip to Lafayette and be part of starting Muncie’s own Habitat for Humanity. Once she gathered her ideal group, Brown and 21 others drove to Lafayette with a mission to meet the president and make Muncie Habitat a reality. “But, Carter wasn’t there,” Brown said. It was just a few days after July 8, 1986, when Carter’s hero and friend, U.S. Navy Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, died at his home in Virginia. The Carters flew back to Washington, D.C. for the funeral and had to cancel their stay with Lafayette Habitat, but they didn’t leave Indiana without a goodbye. “I went to a thrift store, where I’d never been, and the gal there said, ‘Would you like to see the Carter collection?’” Brown said. “She had it all on a rack, and I had $12 to my name.” That afternoon, Brown went home with $2 and three of Rosalynn Carter’s dresses. “I took one to Lafayette Habitat and passed it around and said, ‘If
1994
you want a chance at a Carter dress, put 50 cents in the pot.’” The next day, she received a phone call from Fuller. “Sharon, are you selling tickets for a dress of Rosalynn Carter’s to raise money to start Muncie Habitat?” Fuller said. “I said, ‘Yep,’” Brown said. “He said, ‘You can’t do that.’” And, once again, Brown went home with three of Carter’s dresses, still short on funds to start a Habitat of her own, but fuller than ever with the motivation to bring it to life. Her drive kept up her momentum, and on July 15, 1986, a task force formed to further discuss the possibility of a Habitat affiliate in Muncie. On Sept. 30, 1986, a board and slate of officers were chosen, and less than a year later, Muncie’s Habitat for Humanity was given half a city block consisting of five building sites. By December 1986, the group became formally recognized as Greater Muncie, Indiana Habitat for Humanity, Inc., and on April 30, 1988, the organization dedicated its first Muncie Habitat home — a 1,300 square-foot house at $22,000. More than three decades later, one of Rosalynn Carter’s dresses hangs framed on Brown’s closet wall next to a framed photo of Brown smiling with Jimmy Carter’s arm around her shoulder —
1996
alongside the rest of her Muncie Habitat memorabilia — reminding her of what she has made possible.
Opening Opportunity’s Doors Greater Muncie, Indiana Habitat for Humanity, Inc. was an all-volunteer force until 1994, when Brown decided it was time to leave Ball State as a secretary and began working at Muncie’s Habitat for Humanity full-time as the organization’s first executive director. “There were no paid positions except mine,” Brown said, “which paid less than what I was making as a secretary at Ball State, so I always told volunteers, ‘Every time that door opens is a blessing.’” Brown said her job as executive director reflected Erich Brenn’s plate-spinning act performed on The Ed Sullivan Show. Like Brenn and his five plates, Brown said she was always multitasking and attending to more than one thing at once, but throughout her 25 years associated with Habitat, she “never lost a night’s sleep.”
See HEROINE, 14
2000
Rising up the ladder
Home hopping
The end of an era
After nearly 20 years of volunteering her time with Habitat for Humanity, Sharon Brown is named the first executive director of Greater Muncie, Indiana Habitat for Humanity, Inc.
Greater Muncie, Indiana Habitat for Humanity, Inc. purchases office facilities in 1996 at 1923 S. Hoyt Ave., and the current team continues to run the nonprofit from the same location today.
Once Brown officially hits the milestone of having been involved with Habitat for Humanity for 25 years, she decides to hand her work off to a new team and retire as executive director of Greater Muncie, Indiana Habitat for Humanity, Inc. Source: Greater Muncie, Indiana Habitat for Humanity, Inc.
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HEROINE
Continued from Page 13 “We were surprised at the massive amount of personal problems homeowners came to us with that had nothing to do with houses,” Brown said. “We had more miracles happen within our office than you could imagine. It was just a gathering place, and it brought us the cream of the crop of the retirees of Ball State, it brought us Ball State as a whole … We just grew and grew and grew.” Yet, despite how big her title as executive director became, “never was there any chance of not doing it,” Brown said. When she took over as executive director, she said, she had a friend at Hazelwood Christian Church named Pastor Robert G. Sulanke. “He would call me regularly, and I would pick up the phone, and he would say, ‘Are you discouraged yet?’” Brown said. “I said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Good,’ and he did that the whole six years I was [executive director].” In 1996, Muncie Habitat moved from its location on Madison Street to 1923 S. Hoyt Ave., where it remains today. While Brown retired from her role as executive director in 2000, James Mitchell, Greater Muncie, Indiana Habitat for Humanity, Inc. board chair, said her drive to continue helping others is still present within the office’s four walls. “Have you ever met someone who you maybe don’t remember what they said, but you remember how they made you feel?” Mitchell said. “I didn’t have a chance to meet [Brown], but I heard her speak. She spoke with conviction and commitment — not the words that she said, but how she said them. I remember how she made me feel, and it’s stuck.” What Brown did and continues to do that makes Mitchell’s job possible today, he said, is inspire and empower from a distance. She acts as a role model, and while Mitchell said he can’t pick Brown out of a crowd, he has a bond with her as chief volunteer and with her mission. “She helped make the organization happen,” Mitchell said. “She wasn’t alone in that, and I’m not alone in that today. We really do ride on the backs of the people who came before us.”
Building Beyond Borders
Throughout her time as executive director of Greater Muncie, Indiana Habitat for Humanity, Inc. Brown participated in projects that helped house dozens of Muncie families. Her greatest accomplishment, she said, is that between 1996 and 2000, the organization and its families had no foreclosures. “Every family we built with and for, we were able to keep in their homes once those habitat houses were built,” Brown said. “You’ve got no money involved in the process of human labor. Then, there are outside forces that start sending things to your homeowners saying, ‘We can buy you out if you have this extra money.’ We were able to combat that and show them that wasn’t their best move, and so we had no loss of homes during that period of time.” But Brown’s impact stretches beyond Muncie’s borders, which she said she didn’t realize until speaking at a rally with another Habitat volunteer in an effort to recruit for work camps. “I believed anyone who wanted to go should go,” Brown said. “The other lady had a three-page form you had to fill out, and then you were tested as to whether you could go or not.” At the next conference she attended, a young woman approached Brown with the simple intent to thank her, Brown said, but she didn’t know what for. The woman had a child with disabilities, and she said she was worried about volunteering at a work camp before listening to Brown speak. “She took her child, who couldn’t speak, and went to a work camp,” Brown said. “They came with a big galvanized tub, filled it with water and put him in there, and he played happily. So, I’m a firm believer that if you have any reason at all you want to work for Habitat, there’s a place for you here.”
Cardinal
Kitchen
Spreading the Service Brown’s message continued to inspire people near East Central Indiana, and a couple from Thorn County, Indiana, reached out to her during her time as executive director with a plan to spread Brown’s message all across the state. “They envisioned that we could take this concept literally to every county,” Brown said. “I just thought we couldn’t possibly do that, but I was wrong. We could, and that was the only scary part to me.”
Hey, Ball State! Did you know there is a food pantry on campus? We’d love to help you if you need it. Here’s when, where and how:
See HEROINE, 18
A framed Prime Years magazine hangs on one of Brown’s closet walls March 22 in Winchester, Indiana. Shelves line another wall of Brown’s closet of memorabilia, carrying photo albums so full their weight causes a bend in the middle of each wooden plank. JACY BRADLEY, DN
Located in Ball State
Student Center, Room L-26
Open the last three
Tuesdays of every month
We have groceries and toiletries!
Learn more or donate by emailing cardkitchen@bsu.edu
Cardinal Kitchen
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GROOVE Continued from Page 01
Bands at Ball State and in Muncie look forward to live performances after the COVID-19 pandemic. Kyle Smedley Reporter Guitars strumming. Music blaring. Voices raised. People dancing. Before March 2020, the music scene on Ball State’s campus was as lively as ever. Then, everything changed. Once the pandemic hit, shows were immediately canceled, and the noise that once filled Ball State’s campus became a nearly silent hum. Now, the scene is rebuilding, the sound is returning and music is back once again. Local venues like Be Here Now began booking shows, but live shows were increasingly uncommon due to COVID-19 restrictions. For up-and-coming bands, the profits they lost during the pandemic have been hard to recover. Similarly, while Be Here Now hosts live shows every weekend, many other small music venues have stopped running shows for over a year due to the effects of COVID-19. Connor Boren, Ball State senior telecommunications major, said his passion has been in the music industry from a young age. “When I was 10, I found a guitar in my dad’s closet, and he said I could have it if I learned how to play ‘Amazing Grace,’” Boren said. “Ever since then, I’ve dedicated my life to becoming the best musician I can be, across multiple instruments and genres.” Boren is now the lead singer and guitarist in an on-campus metal band named Whydah. He plays along with fellow Ball State students Raegan Gordon, senior telecommunications major, and Hunter Burnett, senior construction management
“
major, as well as Ivy Tech student Ty Bradshaw. Boren said he remembers how vibrant the music scene was when he first enrolled at Ball State compared to how the scene is now. “I think it’s kind of sad, to be completely honest,” Boren said. “I remember my freshman and sophomore year, every weekend there would be a house show with different bands. Now, there are a lot of hip-hop groups and only two or three bands with instrumentals.” Ball State graduate Isaiah Neal, who is in a local band called Leisure Hour with Gordon and former Ball State student Grace Dudas, echoed Boren’s thoughts about the music scene on campus.
However, he added he’s optimistic about its future. “There was a music scene in Muncie before COVID hit, but once that hit, it really dampened it,” Neal said. “Now, we see it building back up, as there are more house shows and shows at Be Here Now.” Brittney Hosler, senior music media production major, is the leader of Cru Worship, a group that consists of 14 members. Cru Worship is part of an organization funded by Ball State, simply titled Cru. Hosler said her major helps her learn more about the music scene on campus since Cru Worship doesn’t play at venues like Be Here Now. “Being a music student helps me out a lot,” Hosler said. “It’s very diverse, and it’s very welcoming. It doesn’t matter who you are.” Although her group is religious, Hosler said anyone can listen to their music and enjoy it, as it’s not specifically for Christians. She said music can be used to bring people together and invoke real emotion. “The cool thing you can do with music is be able to cross boundaries that you may not be able to with a conversation,” Hosler said. “I believe that we have been able to be a positive light because our songs are songs of hope and are intended to remind people of the purpose they have, no matter who they are.” Nolan Biddle, senior advertising major with a minor in creative writing, is part of a hip-hop group Our Way of Life (O.W.L.) alongside Gordon and former Ball State students Henry Werking and Grant Ogburn as well as Kahuna Lono. Biddle said his love of music started early. O.W.L.’s other members felt the same way, prompting them to form the group. Although Biddle plays the drums, he is not the main drummer for O.W.L. Gordon is the group’s drummer and also plays the drums for Leisure Hour, O.W.L. and Whydah. Boren said Gordon is one of the most driven people he has ever met, noting that she will practice the drums for four to five hours a day on top of being involved in three different groups. “I really would like for this band to take off and have it be my career, but at the same time, I’m applying for jobs,” Boren said. “Raegan’s mindset is, ‘I’m going to be a musician.’ She will do
There was a music scene in Muncie before COVID hit, but once that hit, it really dampened it. Now, we see it building back up... ” - ISAIAH NEAL, Ball State graduate anything to make that happen.” Current Ball State students Brandon Carson, Evan Tusing and Alex Bevington, as well as Chris Stephen and Ian Chambers, make up local band Kitty Kondo. They all said they value community in the music scene and believe that helps strengthen the music as a whole. “O.W.L. and Leisure Hour have kind of become our ground zero of bands we love to play with,” Carson said. “We have so many different sides to us, and it comes out in the music. That can be a very welcoming thing, that everyone who likes music is welcome at our shows. There is always something for someone to like.”
DNLife
Raegan Gorden and Isaiah Neal rehearse March 19 near Jackson Street. Their band, Leisure Hour, rehearses multiple times a week in a basement to prepare for shows around Muncie. RYLAN CAPPER, DN While each of these five groups formed at Ball State through classes, fraternities, religious gatherings and social media, they were also all formed out of love for music. Grace Dudas, co-lead singer of Leisure Hour, said she has been given a lot in her life through music. She said she wants to give back to listeners what she has been given. “We want to create a space for new people that music has created for us,” Dudas said. “Even if something connects [with] just one person on a specific level, we want them to feel like they’re a part of something.” The members of Kitty Kondo said they think people can find something in their music because of how close they are. “Our music started speaking for itself, and people caught on,” Carson said. “They can see our energy when we play, and that kind of has a role in it, too. They see us up there, jamming with each other and having a good time, and they want to have a good time, too.” All five of these groups have begun to play live shows again or are working toward it. Through these five bands and many others, Ball State’s music scene is creating a community, despite the difficulties brought on by the pandemic. Neal of Leisure Hour said he hopes his group’s listeners can be themselves. Boren of Whydah said his group wants to inspire independence in people. Hosler of Cru Worship said she aims to inspire both Christians and others. Members of Kitty Kondo said they want their listeners to just have fun. Biddle of O.W.L. said he encourages listeners to follow their passion. “Enjoy life as you have it,” Biddle said. “If you love music, make music. If you love to cook, be a chef. Do what you’ve been put here to do, and enjoy it because it’s what you’ve got.” Contact Kyle Smedley with comments at kyle. smedley@bsu.edu or on Twitter @smedley1932.
Grace Dudas rehearses March 19 with her band. Dudas plays bass for Leisure Hour. RYLAN CAPPER, DN
DNOpinion
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RYLAN CAPPER, DN PHOTO; MAGGIE GETZIN, DN PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
Because if we don’t, who will?
I
t was a gray day outside my kitchen window in December 2019 when the news caught my attention. I was grabbing my lunch box out of the refrigerator, about to leave for school during my senior year; I was headed to Ball State University to pursue a degree in news the next fall. One of the stories on WGN-TV that morning before I headed out the door was jarring: “Runner who smacked reporter’s backside on air arrested, charged.” It was a shocking script to hear. It was even worse footage to see. For many workers, no matter the field, there are always risks while “being on the
job,” but knowing sexual harrassment was going to be a risk in my career one day frightened me. I shrugged it off, though, because I knew my love for journalism would trump any fear in my way. But then it got worse. A little more than two years later, in 2021, another Today Show headline caught the public’s attention in January: “Reporter hit by car in the middle of liveshot – and keeps reporting,” just as I was preparing for another semester of NewsLink Indiana, Ball State’s student newscast. I had read the article and watched the footage, and what astounded me most was that the reporter, Tori Yorgey, had been hit by a car before — in the same
Grace Bentkowski Columnist
Grace Bentkowski is a sophomore news major and writes “Discussing The Hypotheticals” for The Daily News. Her views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper.
ON BALLSTATEDAILY.COM/BYTE: REALITY CHECK S1 E1: DIVING INTO “TEMPTATION ISLAND”
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We support the journalists who continue to serve a world in need of news 24/7, but what do we do to protect them?.”
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DNOpinion
TIMELINE OF JOURNALIST ATTACKS
2013 Freelance journalist Stella Paul faces scrutiny for her piece revolving around women “forced into the commerical sex industry” of Hyderabad, India, including death threats, harassment, and physcial attacks. Source: Share America
2014
circumstances while in college. Even a week ago, amidst the violence in Ukraine, I read a story on air that made my heart heavy: “Two Fox journalists killed in Ukraine, underscoring dangers.” When the news broke, Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott said it was a sad day for “all journalists risking their lives to deliver the news” in an online AP article. While these three instances became top stories, what about all of the other times reporters were put in situations that challenged their safety that were swept under the rug? We salute journalists like freelancer Stella Paul, who faced scrutiny for exposing human trafficking for her coverage in India in the early 2010s. We remember journalists like James Foley, who lost his life in 2014 reporting news in Syria’s battle zone. We support the journalists who continue to serve a world in need of news 24/7, but what do we do to protect them? According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), these situations are “attacks on media professionals [which]
are often perpetrated in non-conflict situations … making local journalists among the most vulnerable.” In 2020, only 13 percent of crimes involving journalists were considered “resolved” in a report from UN News. I was curious to see if the numbers break down any further. They do. UN News states that out of different types of journalists, “television journalists constitute the largest group among the victims,” from data spanning over 2018 and 2019. Poynter shared 2020 reports from the Radio and Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), which revealed “one in five television news directors reported attacks on employees.” With that logic, of the five employees you see, watch or personally know who work for a news station, at least one of them has been attacked in some form. Just like it happened to Yorgey in school, these experiences are not limited to the “real world.” On camera, I’ve caught distant shouts and whistles coming from cars as I filmed on the side of the road. I’ve been flipped off while recording on multiple occasions. I’ve been followed around and verbally harassed at events, no matter the type, as a student journalist.
In the moment, I brushed all those interactions off because I was preoccupied doing what I came to do. Compared to other stories I’ve heard, what I’ve faced as a student journalist hasn’t been “that bad.” Isn’t it awful to imagine what other, more severe incidents have put journalists in uncomfortable and unsafe positions while they’re on the clock? The truth is, we put journalists in those positions every day. I remember scrolling on Twitter one day and stumbled across a meme that read: “the highest honor in journalism is to be killed by the government.” It can’t truly be much of an honor if UNESCO states that only one out of 10 cases regarding the death of journalists are solved. While some organizations are making the effort to make journalists feel safe, like the Commitee to Protect Journalists and International Federation of Journalists, I believe more actions should be taken by larger entities, like the government and public, in order to create a secure environment for journalists to work in. That would be an honor enough. Saving our storytellers, regardless of the narrative, should be a priority – no matter the medium and no matter the company they represent. Passion will always trump fear, but safety while doing so should never be in question. Contact Grace Bentkowski with any thoughts or comments at gmbenkowski@ bsu.edu or on Twitter @GBentkowski.
Freelance photojournalist James Foley is murdered by members of the Islamic State while covering the Syrian civil war after being kidnapped in 2012. Source: New York Times
2019 Reporter Alex Bozarjian gets sexually assaulted by a runner on air while covering a local running event in Georgia. Source: WGN 9
2022 Reporter Tori Yorgey is hit by a car when she is live on air covering a traffic update in West Virginia. Source: Today.com
2022 Videographer Pierre Zakrzewski and journalist Oleksandra Kuvshynova are pronounced dead after their vehicle was under fire whilst covering the conflict in Ukraine. Source: AP News
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HOROSCOPE FOR MARCH 24, 2022 Written by: Nancy Black
ARIES March 21-April 19 Today is a 9 — A professional challenge has your attention. Speak with respect. All is not as it appears. Angels guide your actions. Stay flexible. Take the high road. TAURUS April 20-May 20 Today is an 8 — Revise the itinerary as needed. An obstacle could block your educational objective. Emotions prevail where logic fails. You’re on the right path. Listen and observe.
GE MINI May 21-June 20 Today is an 8 — Discuss shared finances. Don’t make any important moves until conditions appear favorable. Study the situation and revise budgets to suit. Take charge for desired results. CANCE R June 21-July 22 To d a y i s a 7 — Negotiate to refine the plan. Don’t worry if you don’t know h o w. C o l l a b o r a t e t o figure it out. Practice before you launch. Learn new tricks t o g e t h e r.
HEROINE Continued from Page 14
Brown and the couple recruited a group of people with Habitat’s mission “in their blood,” and, every weekend, they traveled somewhere for Habitat. “We went to Anderson, and Anderson started a Habitat,” Brown said. “We went to Newcastle, and Newcastle started a Habitat. We went to Winchester, and Winchester started a Habitat.” Now, more than three decades later, Brown’s metaphorical footprint is all over Indiana.
LEO July 23-Aug. 22 Today is an 8 — Maintain healthy practices despite a busy schedule. Don’t pressure yourself, though. Avoid risky moves or unstable terrain. Keep advancing, one step at a time. VIRGO Aug. 23-Sept. 22 Today is a 7 — Listen to your heart. Share emotional support around recent changes. Don’t get pushy. Avoid irritating someone’s sensitivities. Relax and enjoy simple pleasures. Music soothes.
so many people to take hold of their dignity and take hold of their work, to take hold of the power that they have,” Mitchell said, “and I think that that makes all the difference.” At the heart of Habitat, though, remains what Brown intended all along — to help families turn a town into a community one nail at a time. “Putting community engagement and worth and value and dignity and investment back into the community all comes from a simple home,” Mitchell said. “Those are the types of things that the people like Sharon, whether they knew that’s what they were going to do or not when they started this, that’s what they’re impacting today.”
Adaptation & Reformation
A Lasting Legacy
As Muncie continues changing alongside society and the people that come through, Mitchell said Habitat is attempting to do the same. Standing up for and supporting social justice issues, including redlining, which Mitchell said occurs when people of different racial or ethnic backgrounds are not allowed to buy homes in certain places. “Habitat — as an organization internationally and here locally — is really committed to this idea of justice and helping people build wealth,” Mitchell said. “The transfer of wealth through the stability of a home really has put some people far ahead of others, … and the people who aren’t in that are left behind, and they keep getting further and further behind. As we look at the impact of Greater Muncie Habitat in our community, in our county, people’s lives are changed.” Whether it be through providing children a stable home or helping families avoid paying $600 a month in utilities, Mitchell said Muncie Habitat aims to help people find their place. “Muncie Habitat gives the opportunity for
When she considers all she’s accomplished with the Greater Muncie Indiana Habitat for Humanity, Brown said, she looks back at her involvement with nothing but thankfulness for the past and hope for the future. With current leadership she “sincerely appreciates” — including Lindsey Arthur, who holds Brown’s former role as chief executive officer of Greater Muncie, Indiana Habitat for Humanity Inc. — Brown believes what she started has “the right person in the right place at the right time.” Brown remains involved with Muncie Habitat through newsletters and attending annual events like the Dream Builders Breakfast, and while she may not have an office anymore at 1923 S. Hoyt Ave., Mitchell said she continues working to make Habitat a better place. “Whether it’s 20 years or longer [without] people we may never ever see,” Mitchell said, “her impact is still being felt by families and in our community today.” Contact Taylor Smith with comments at tnsmith6@bsu.edu or on Twitter @taywrites.
LIBRA Sept. 23-Oct. 22 Today is a 7 — Domestic repairs could interrupt your schedule. Fix something before it gets worse. Home and family take priority. Adapt to provide what’s needed in the moment. SCORPIO Oct. 23-Nov. 21 Today is a 9 — Find clever solutions to a challenging puzzle. Reach out for another view. Discover great ideas through your social networks. Share solutions and opportunities.
SAGITTARIUS Nov. 22-Dec. 21 Today is a 9 — Follow the money. Don’t get pushy. Adapt around market changes. Provide valuable goods and services. Exchange, trade and barter. Keep things elegantly simple. CAPRI CORN Dec. 22-Jan. 19 TToday is an 8 — Take charge. Gentle pressure works better than force. Listen powerfully. Carefully consider what you discover. Avoid automatic reactions. Provide leadership with a challenge.
AQUARIUS Jan. 20-Feb. 18 Today is a 7 — Imagine the possibilities. Old assumptions get challenged. Consider a situation from multiple perspectives. Adjust plans around changes. Figure out how to get farther. PISCES Feb. 19-March 20 Today is an 8 — Rely on your friends and teammates. Wait for an obstacle to resolve before pushing ahead. Support each other with a group challenge. Discuss potential solutions.
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CROSSWORD EDITED BY RICH NORRIS AND JOYCE LEWIS; SUDOKU BY MICHAEL MEPHAM ACROSS Clues start here 1 Bar passer: Abbr. 4 Donkeys 9 Silly 14 Heckler’s word 15 Kind of milk one shouldn’t cry over 16 Luxury watch 17 CPR expert 18 Petite Mattel doll with her own Netflix TV series 20 Put on a peg, as a golf ball 22 Carp in a pond 23 WWII subs 24 Rich as Croesus, e.g. 26 Lire replacers 28 Person, place or thing, in grammar 30 Irish or English dogs 34 Guy featured in “Practical Principles of Plain and Perfect Pronunciation” 38 MSN competitor 39 Ooze with 40 Silent assent 41 Main blood vessel 43 World Wide __ 44 Porky’s girlfriend 46 Wand symbolizing royal authority 49 Snow pea holders
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