Muncie, Ind. — College can be a rough time for many people just graduating high school. With moving to a bigger school, parting ways with longtime friends and living away from home the stress can really get to students. Joining a club or organization is one of the easiest ways to settle into the college experience, and with the offer of free food, the midnight pancakes event is a great way to meet people.
The Christian Campus House hosts a free event every Friday from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. where they serve free pancakes to every person who attends. They aim to create a welcoming atmosphere where students feel safe all while bonding over a breakfast comfort food.
“I just hope we develop a reputation of being a place where students feel like they can come here without fear of judgment or fear of not fitting in. I really think that we have solidified our reputation of being that place where students feel safe," said Colin Bisel, outreach coordinator at the Christian Campus House.
This event has become a long-standing tradition within the organization over the past few years. It originally started with a group of foreign exchange students with a love of cooking who wanted to work with the Christian Campus House to cook some American-styled food, in order to bond with others in the surrounding community. Since then the event has cemented the organization as the Pancake Church, which can be seen in the church’s logo and merchandise.
“In that sense, we started to get a name for ourselves, not just as a religious organization on campus but as a place for students to feel safe on campus. That was really our goal, which is to have that community aspect incorporated with the event,” Abby Burns, another outreach coordinator for the church, said.
Over the years midnight pancakes have brought in many students who keep coming back due to the uniqueness of the event.
Jacob Newlin, a Ball State 2023 graduate, was in attendance Friday night. Newlin said that the novelty of the event is what drew him in during his freshman year, and he ended up loving it and still coming back four years later.
The Christian Campus House hopes that all students will feel welcome to attend Friday night pancakes and that no student feels uncomfortable or unsafe.
Contact Aiden Murray with comments at aiden.murray@bsu.edu.
