Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign announced Wednesday she will make a stop in Muncie three days after her daughter spoke at Ball State University on her behalf.
Clinton will attend a "Solutions for the American Economy" rally Friday at Muncie Central High School, according to a press release from Clinton's Indiana press office. Doors will open 6:30 p.m. and the event will begin 8:30 p.m.
Clinton's stop is part of a two-day campaign tour of Indiana.
Messages left at Mayor Sharon McShurley's home Wednesday night about Clinton's visit were not returned.
Although Clinton will not be on Ball State's campus, Tom Morrison, associate vice president for human resources and state relations, said Ball State invited Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain to visit the university.
"We contacted them even before people realized that Indiana and the university may be a viable contact," Morrison said. "As you look at other states, it's not unusual for candidates to make visits to college towns."
Morrison said it was not a surprise presidential candidates have begun to visit the city.
"We were making contacts through the state party and so it's just been recently that the campaigns have been sending people to Indiana," he said. "It's not just about Ball State. It's about demographics and what population they want to be near."
Morrison said candidates will probably make more stops in Muncie.
"Whether they're on campus, that's another issue," he said. "It would be naive of us to think that they would just come to Ball State."
Political candidates' visits to Muncie will be beneficial for Ball State students as well as the rest of the Muncie community, Morrison said.
"I think it's a good opportunity for students to see this whole process played out," he said. "It's a good chance to have their voices heard ... Indiana actually has a role in the presidential primary. We think that's good for the students and that's why we are aggressively inviting candidates to campus."
Ball State University Junior Travis Schilla, who helped bring Chelsea Clinton to Ball State, said Hillary Clinton's visit to Muncie would help expand a student organization to support the senator.
"I think any time someone like this comes, it's going to help build support," Schilla said. "I had nothing to do with Hillary [visiting Muncie], but they were kind of gauging a visit based on the response to Chelsea coming. We're really excited to find this out."
Schilla said he began the group after Chelsea Clinton's visit rallied more support for her mother's campaign.
"With this group specifically, it would be with Hillary," he said, "[but there is] such an interest in general for politics, we're hoping to bring together people to do more political things on campus."
"From there, we've been building support around the event," he said. "It's really early in the planning stages, but there's been a lot of interest."
Kay Bales, vice president for student affairs and dean of students, said Ball State would welcome an on-campus visit from any of the candidates.
If another political figure were to visit, Bales said, the university would probably use a different venue than with Chelsea Clinton, whose campaign workers requested to use the Atrium, Bales said.
"When you look at when Chelsea has made visits to college campuses, places like the Atrium is where she is going," she said. "They wanted to be in a place that was very open where students hang out - near a bookstore [and] food court. They were looking for something informal. They did not want an enclosed environment."
Go seeHillary Clinton at the "Solution for the American Economy" rally
Time: 8:30 p.m. Friday (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
Venue: Muncie Central High School
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