They sit among us every day in class or on the shuttle bus. We see them every weekend in line at Dill Street Bar & Grill or with friends at mt cup. We pass them on the streets and don't even know it.
They are Muncie-phobes. They are Ball State University students who are afraid of the "townies" and afraid of what exists outside the boundaries of McGalliard Road and Tillotson, University and Wheeling avenues.
Why students isolate themselves this way is beyond me. Ball State's Web site says the university has nearly 2,800 full-time employees and the student body comprises about 20,000 students. Compare that to about 67,000 Muncie citizens, and it is clear that Ball State is a large part of the Muncie community.
There are some cool things to do here if you are willing to take a step outside your comfort zone and be around people who don't all have Ball State IDs in their back pockets. The weekend is the perfect time to go exploring. You can cure your weekend boredom while expanding your horizons by visiting places off campus and interacting with your Muncie neighbors. If you're not sure where to start, I'll offer a few suggestions.
Walnut Street is one of the more commercial streets in downtown Muncie, with nearly a dozen attractions listed in the Muncie Indiana Visitors Bureau's guide to the city. A personal favorite is The Blue Bottle Coffee Shop. It's kind of like the mt cup in the Village, only cleaner and with a larger selection of food and drinks.
Employee Jenn Turley said the shop doesn't see a lot of Ball State student traffic, but it will soon be undergoing some changes in order to attract more students. She said the shop will expand its weekend hours, invite bands to play shows during the weekend and begin serving dinner. This place is what a small-town coffee shop should be, with employees who know the names and drinks of their regular customers and who will let you create your own drink if you can't find something you like.
To see something authentically Muncie, something that you'll probably have a hard time finding elsewhere, make the short drive to QL's Barbeque, which is unique because it is a drive-through restaurant built on the side of its owner's house on Wolfe Street.
Don't let the bars on the windows of the house or the sign held up by cinder blocks deter you. These things might seem odd, but QL's has been in business for about 38 years, so obviously people don't mind its quirks. My friends ordered half of a chicken for a little more than $5, and those who tried it described it as "delicious" and "some of the best chicken I've had."
For a completely different scene - somewhere not on campus or downtown - take Jackson Street west for about five miles and you'll run right into Cammack, an old neighborhood being restored by developer Richard Howe. The only sign of life there now is a small, old-fashioned American diner called Cammack Station. With a jukebox, old Coca-Cola memorabilia everywhere and good milk shakes, this is the perfect atmosphere for a first date.
Mong said she doesn't see many students, even though she offers incentives for them to come. She said Ball State students get a $2 discount and will be done playing by 10 p.m., "so they still have time to go out and party afterward."
If nothing else, at least check out a show at Doc's Music Hall or The Living Room. You will probably see students there, but at least you will be getting out of the campus area and into a different part of town.
Don't be a Muncie-phobe. Remember that students are a part of this community. There is more to Muncie than just Ball State, and living here is only as boring as you let it be.
Deanna Pogorelc is a junior magazine major and writes 'Oh, Really?' for the Daily News. Her views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper.
Write Deanna at djpogorelc@bsu.edu
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