TheNew York Timesis suing the Pentagon over restrictions imposed on journalists, who are now forbidden from seeking news and information from government sources that have not been authorized to provide it.

In the lawsuit filed today inWashington's district court, theTimesstates that the new rules imposed byPete Hegsethviolate the First Amendment of theConstitution, which guarantees freedom of the press, and the Fifth Amendment, which guarantees the right to due process.

"The policy is an attempt to gain control over news that the government dislikes," said the newspaper's spokesperson,Charlie Stadtlander, emphasizing that "theTimesintends to vigorously defend these rights against violations."

"Journalistic accreditation should not be a chain," the newspaper added, referring to the fact that dozens of journalists, including those from the conservative broadcasterFox News, who refused to sign a commitment in October to abide by the rules imposed by Hegseth, have lost their Pentagon accreditation.

The Indiana Interim Study Committee on Fiscal Policy members examined teacher and administrator salaries, student-to-teacher ratios and other trends related to education during an Oct. 10 meeting, according to ICC. The median salary for teachers in fiscal year 2025 was $60,100, while the median salary for school administrators was $98,193 and the median wage for corporation administrators was $114,825, according to LSA.

The average salaries for teachers rose by four percent from 2024-25, according to LSA, even though median wages, after an inflation adjustment, decreased from 2020-25.

Just last year, the country was having issues filling teaching roles. Hiring fully certified teachers has been difficult nationwide, including in Indiana school districts, according to ICC, with nearly 75 percent of public schools nationwide reporting issues filling vacant teaching positions for the 2024-25 fiscal year.

Fourth-year student at Ball State University, majoring in theater education and communications, Kira Arkins, expressed concern about finding a job as a theater education major, wondering how she will pursue a teaching career if there "isn't a space available" for her.

She also explained having feelings of anxiety about the usage of artificial intelligence (AI) in classrooms, saying her role as a theater educator is to teach empathy to her students. Arkins said that having AI in classrooms will allow students to "recite" rather than learn how to "critically think."

"It's really hard to teach empathy through a screen," she said.

Arkins has experienced "a little bit" of the lack of teachers in the classroom during her student teaching practicums. She said that her mom also works in education as an assistant principal, and they are "always short people" and always need substitute teachers, Arkins explained.

This can lead to less stability for students, Arkins said, and can cause students to struggle to "communicate with each other," and have difficulty communicating with "mentors in their life."

"It's a little disheartening to see," she said. "[Students] just really need the stability to have somebody they can trust and somebody they can go to just [be] there for them."

Ball State associate teaching professor Erik Shaver explained that pay is a "big problem" regarding Indiana's teaching shortage. Shaver said that, when adjusted for inflation over the past few years, a teacher's take-home pay in today's education system is lower than it was five to seven years ago.

According to LSA, teachers at rural and town schools have had the smallest wage growth, with adjusted wages declining by four to five percent compared to all teachers in adjusted terms since 2020.

According to ICC, Joel Hand, a representative of both the American Federation of Teachers Indiana and the Indiana School Social Workers Association, explained that to address teacher retention, teacher pay will have to be raised "across the board."

"If we want to keep those students who are getting degrees in education from leaving to go to Illinois or Ohio or Wisconsin or Michigan, we have to raise teacher pay," Hand said, in a quote provided by ICC.

Along with problems concerning educators' wages, Shaver said another reason educators are not taking teaching jobs is burnout. He explained that teachers have had increased expectations from their schools, such as dedicating additional time to grading assignments.

"It really leads to intense burnout, which then [causes] people [to] leave the profession, too," Shaver said.

Jill Bradley-Lebine, Ball State professor of educational studies, also claims that "increased stress levels" can contribute to a lack of educators in Indiana. She continued by elaborating on the COVID-19 pandemic and its connection to a lack of teachers in classrooms.

"Teachers were not necessarily prepared to take their instruction to virtual spaces," Bradley-Lebine said. "School districts were not prepared either to provide the kinds of support or infrastructure necessary to take teaching to a virtual space successfully."

On a local level, schools could be affected depending on their location, Shaver explained.

He said that Gov. Mike Braun will lower property taxes, which, according to the website Mike Braun For Indiana, will cap increases in tax bills at two percent for seniors, low-income Hoosiers and families with children under 18, and three percent for all other Hoosiers. This will also allow for a 21 percent reduction in the average homeowner tax bill and result in an immediate 39 percent reduction in the average tax bill for homes worth $80,000, according to the website.

As a result, Shaver said that when property taxes are lowered on schools, they receive less revenue, which could make it harder to "attract" money for school activities. He said that more "socially affluent" areas, such as Carmel or Fishers, will not be "hurt as badly" as smaller school districts in the state.

Bradley-Lebine said that Ball State students will have an "easier" time finding teaching positions, but schools that are less resourced might find it more "difficult" to find educators, she explained. Regardless of that, Bradley-Lebine tells her students not to "discount" these schools because of it.

"They can be extremely rewarding spaces to work in," she said.

Indiana lawmakers and education advocates have made a starting point for potential change through the Senate Enrolled Act 146, approved earlier this year, according to ICC. This law has raised the minimum teacher salary from $40,000 to $45,000, according to ICC, thereby increasing the share of state tuition support that Indiana school districts must spend on teacher compensation.

Along with motions being made by Indiana lawmakers, Arkins also wants there to be less "parental involvement" in schools. She explained that school districts want parents to be involved in "every step of the way" regarding their child's education, explaining that parents do not have an "education degree."

She also wants there to be an understanding of the amount of work that goes into teaching, saying that it is not "just eight hours a day and you're done," and that teachers make sure every student "has what they need."

"None of us would be here if we didn't have teachers," Arkins said.

Contact Linnea Sundquist via email at linnea.sundquist@bsu.edu.

Commencement Reception for Online Students

The Division of Online and Strategic Learning and the Graduate School will hold a Commencement Celebration for online graduate students on Saturday, December 13 from 8:00 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. in the David Letterman Communication and Media building lobby.

Yoga in the Planetarium - Registration Open for Spring

Spots went fast for this semester's Yoga in the Planetarium. If you didn't get the chance to participate this fall, registration is now open for the next session in the spring.

Submit Your Nomination for Outstanding Faculty Award

TheOffice of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairsis accepting nominations for nine outstanding awards, the Rawlings Outstanding Distance Education Teaching Award, and the Lawhead Award in General Education. Please consider nominating colleagues who have made a significant impact on the students, their fields, the university, and/or the community at large.

For more information, go toBall State's Communication Center.

Three years later, Magwood has now finished his career sporting the red and white.

The first time Magwood picked up a football was when he was four years old. His cousin, Ki-Jana Carter, who was the first overall pick in the 1995 NFL draft to the Cincinnati Bengals, signed Magwood up for football before he was even old enough to play.

"I got introduced to the game young and had really no choice but to fall in love with it," Magwood said.

Magwood's mother, Qiana Magwood, said that from a young age, every sport Qian tried to play, he excelled at.

"We just knew he was going to be an athlete," Qiana said.

Qian decided to come to Ball State when he was 17. His mother said that she was "extremely scared" because it was the first time that Qian had truly been away from home.

Someone who comforted Qiana's fears was Kiael Kelly. The redshirt senior quarterback has been by Magwood's side at Ball State since 2021, with the two living together for multiple years, building a bond that extends off the field.

Qiana said that it was amazing to see Qian have somebody who has been there for him through everything, especially when times were tough.

Kelly and Qian have had two different kinds of relationships on the field throughout their tenures at Ball State. The two have been a duo at quarterback and receiver for two seasons, and in 2024, they shared the Cardinals' receiver room when Kelly transitioned to wide receiver.

"We were both each other's critics [and] we wanted the best for each other," Kelly said. "No matter if that was catching punts or running routes, we were always helping each other get better."

Although their bond on the gridiron is evident, Kelly said their relationship outside of football is something he values very highly, noting that them ending up as close friends was "meant to be."

"When you have somebody that's going through the same things as you, then it's someone that you can lean on," Kelly said. "We just banded together, [and] stuck together through everything."

Kelly came in a semester after Qian, and the receiver said that he and his new quarterback clicked from the first moment they met.

"He's always been somebody that I can talk to," Qian said. "I'm just grateful to have a brother like that."

Qian's redshirt sophomore season in 2023 was his first season getting regular playing time, as he started six games for the Cardinals. That year, Qian began to shine for Ball State, as he recorded 41 catches for 358 receiving yards and a touchdown on the season.

His touchdown in 2023 was the first of his career, and it was a moment his mother described as "amazing."

Magwood's lone receiving touchdown of his 2025 campaign was again in front of his mother in the stands, against his hometown college in Ohio, with all of his family in attendance. The touchdown gave Ball State the win over his hometown team.

"It was a surreal moment," Qian said.

There was a shift in Qian's career at Ball State last year, when former head coach Mike Neu was fired. Neu was Magwood's coach from 2020-2024, and when Neu was fired last November, it created the possibility of Qian entering the transfer portal.

Even though he entered the transfer portal for a short stint, Qian knew that he wanted to remain a Cardinal for the end of his collegiate career.

"When I did enter the portal, I was just always getting pulled back to Ball State because of the family atmosphere [and] the friendships and the relationships that I established over the years," he said.

Even with Qian playing on a slew of different Ball State football teams, this year's squad, led by first-year coach Mike Uremovich, stood out the most due to the number of new faces across the program.

The redshirt senior receiver said that nothing really stays the same across all the teams he has been on and that every team is different. But despite the differences, Qian has recognized a constant with every Cardinals' team.

"Something that always stays the same is the family atmosphere," Qian said. "The locker room is just so sacred, especially this locker room."

As he wraps up and reflects on his time in Muncie, Qian said that the senior day runout before the Cardinals' game against Eastern Michigan was a moment that put everything into perspective for him.

"Before the Eastern game, we ran out on the field, did the whole senior ceremony," he said. "I got a little emotional [like] somebody was cutting onions around me."

The Cardinals' game against Miami (OH) was the last time that both Kelly and Qian suited up in a Ball State uniform together. The Cardinals lost in the seniors' last game, ending their final season with a record of 4-8.

"It was a good run," Kelly said. "However you look at it, all these years we had together, I'm glad that we made the best out of the situation [we had]."

Qian's career may not have been a storybook start in Muncie, as his shoulder injury prevented him from starting a game for the Cardinals until 2023. But even with all of the early obstacles, Magwood would tell his freshman self one thing: it was all worth it.

"All of it is worth it," he said. "I understand it's all for a greater purpose and now that I'm here, I just understand it now."

Contact Kyle Stout with questions via email @kyle.stout@bsu.edu or on X @kylestoutdailyn

The light yellow bricks and blue accents to the administration building in The Quad stand out compared to the rest of Ball State's heavily red-brick campus. Finished in 1899, the building opened to house the Eastern Indiana Normal University. At its opening, it offered sixteen different departments with a tuition of $10 per 10-week term, according to a 1899 pamphlet issued by Eastern Indiana Normal University.

At the time of its opening, the building was praised as an "architectural triumph," according to a 1968 Ball State News, now the daily news article. Inside the new establishment, classrooms were found on the first floor, equipped with chalkboards and furniture. Each section of the building had a designated academic department and faculty offices.

From its opening in 1899, the institution had gone through five name changes and a brief closing between 1907 and 1912, when it became the Muncie Normal Institute. A year later, it was renamed to the Muncie National Institute until 191,7 when debt forced it to close, according to Ball State University Libraries. The site was purchased by the Ball brothers later that year and given to the state, marking the beginning of Ball State in 1918.

From the 1920s and 30s, multiple other academic buildings were completed and opened for the university. The Burkhardt building was completed in 1924 as the "science hall," while the original campus library was finished in 1926, which is now known as the North Quad building.

While renovations were being done on the administration building in 1964, the school used two houses that they had purchased as temporary office spaces.

Near the administration building is Lucina Hall, which houses nine different campus offices and departments, with the building acting as a Welcome Center. The building is the first place prospective students visit, and is one of the oldest buildings on campus.

Construction was finished on Lucina Hall in 1927, originally a women's dormitory for the Ball State Teachers College. It was built to house 110 girls and included a dining hall, which was later relocated to behind Elliott Hall upon its opening.

The building is named after Lucina A. Ball, the oldest sister of the Ball family. Lucina started working as a teacher and eventually became the first secretary of Drexel Institute in Philadelphia, according to Minnetrista Museum and Gardens. Next to the women's hall was Ball State's first residence hall, Forest Hall, which was torn down to make additions of 100 rooms to Lucina Hall in 1941.

During the 1973-74 academic year, the interior of the building was converted from a residence hall to an office building. Twenty years later, another round of renovations was completed. During these changes, the admissions office was relocated from the administration building to Lucina, where it currently resides.

Andrea Sadler, an associate director for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, spends her days working in the historic building. For her, welcoming future students in the former residence hall is special.

"Prospective students are starting their journey where Ball State started [its] journey," Andrea said. "It's just a very connected moment."

Andrea and the Welcome Center staff value the historical space and hope to maintain it in the best shape they can.

"We're constantly straightening the lobby. We're constantly making sure the restrooms are cleaned," Andrea explained. "… I feel like we're the caretakers of the history that's in this building."

Faith du Toit, the Welcome Center and group visit coordinator, works closely with Andrea and shares the same passion for the building.

"Just seeing the history and how far we've come, that's kind of a motivator for us," Faith said. "This is where we came from, we're the start of campus, but then also the start of a lot of these families' journeys that they're starting as well."

Andrea and Faith both agreed that students' connection with Lucina does not end after admission but continues through the other services provided in the building.

Two years before Lucina was completed, Ball Gymnasium was the newest building on campus, with construction finishing in 1925. The gym was a gift from the Ball family, which resulted in the university's name being changed to Ball Teachers College, Eastern Division, Indiana State Normal School in 1922, according to Ball State University Libraries.

One hundred years after the gymnasium complex was completed, it is no longer Ball State's main arena. In the 1960s, Irving Gymnasium was finished, taking Ball Gymnasium's spot for home athletics events. The school continued to update its athletic facilities, completing Worthen Arena 30 years after Irving's opening. Currently, it serves as Ball State's official sports arena with a capacity of 11,500 fans, according to Ball State University.

Irving Gym became part of the Jo-Ann Gora Recreation Center, which was completed in 2010.

Just outside The Quad is Burris Laboratory School. The K-12 school was established in 1929 as a part of Ball State Teachers College. Home games for Burris' basketball and volleyball teams are currently played at Ball Gym. The facilities are still used for some Ball State physical education classes and are open to students for recreation activities.

In December 1964, ground was broken for an $11 million housing project, LaFollette Complex. It was expected to be done in three years and accommodates nearly 2,000 students. A year before its completion, a fire broke out during construction due to a gas line leakage, according to a 1966 Muncie Evening Press article. Despite this setback, construction on the hall continued to prepare it for opening.

The 10-story building included housing for undergrad and graduate students, kitchenettes, lounges and laundry rooms on each floor, with an accompanying dining hall. Women's and men's halls and lounges were separate, as well as separate housing for graduate students when it opened.

Eventually, the area surrounding the complex blossomed with the addition of the Johnson Complex and Carmichael Hall. In the decades that followed LaFollette's opening, it stayed open and housed thousands of students, but eventually aged as central air became more standard and other dorms on campus received renovations. Instead of renovating the 50-year-old building, the university decided to start over completely with new residence halls.

In the dorm's 50 years of being open, many Ball State alumni have memories living there, being with friends, or the dining services of the building. Becky Nickoli lived in Woody Hall in the LaFollette Complex in 1966. Because the rest of the building was still being finished at that time, only Woody and Shales' floors were open in LaFollette that year. Even though they opened the floors to students, Becky remembers seeing the finishing touches being made during move-in.

"There were people actively working and still things along the hallway, like doorknobs and showerheads and shower curtains in the bathrooms," Becky said.

For a couple of days, she had a hole in the wall where a phone would eventually be placed to go back and forth between her room and the one next to her.

"If the people in the next room were still up, but you wanted to go to bed, the light from their room would shine right into your room," she explained. "You had to, like, stuff a towel or something in the hole to keep the noise and the lights out."

While the student living spaces were quickly completed soon after move-in, the rest of the building, including dining and lounges, would not be finished. The only dining option for Becky was at Noyer Complex, across campus. It wasn't until homecoming weekend that she was able to see the hall fully finished and ready for guests.

While her family was visiting in the newly completed lounge, the repercussions of the complex being under construction became clear to her and her family.

"I remember that my dad saw a mouse run across the floor in the lounge," she recalled. "It was just kind of funny. He's like, 'What did I just see?'"

After her first year in the complex, Becky was assigned to the dorm again the next year. During this time, she was able to utilize the amenities that weren't open the year prior, such as the dining services in the building. During LaFollette's years, not only did Becky herself live there, but her son and grandson were able to experience the complex as well.

In 2017, demolition began on parts of the LaFollette complex, which would continue until the last pieces were razed in 2022. This decision was made as part of a plan that included the new residence halls, North West and Beyerl residence halls, and North Dining. North West was built to replace Carmichael Hall, and North Dining would become a replacement for LaFollette's services.

Despite its destruction, the building is not completely gone. The LaFollette Brick Project was created to give former residents a piece of their history and raise money for the Thelma Miller Scholarship fund. It allowed people to buy a brick from the building for $75. Not only have some bricks found new homes, but limestone from the dorm was repurposed to create the pillars of its memorial.

Ball State continues to make changes to campus, reviving older spaces and creating new ones. Even with the addition of new buildings or renovations on older ones, the history of and experiences of students still remain. As the university works on The Village, current students will keep the memory of how the area looked during their time. The memories, photos and stories keep the older spaces of campus alive.

This article is a part of Ball Bearings Fall 2025 magazine: The Archival Edition. Read more stories online at ballbearingsmag.com and pick up the print edition of the magazine across Ball State's campus now.

"I thought we played pretty sound for about 32 or 35 minutes tonight, obviously the ball didn't drop like it did Sunday," Head Coach Michael Lewis said.

Ball State shot 32 percent from the field and 25 percent from three, a relatively big dip after shooting 46 percent from the field and 45 percent from beyond the arc against Le Moyne.

"It's early in the year, and I think there's time for growth," Lewis said.

Something to help with their growth could be the return of Junior guard Joey Hart.

"It was good to see Joey Hart back on the court tonight. He can give you a spark offensively," Lewis said.

Hart played in 29 games for the Cardinals last season, averaging 2.4 points and 1.3 rebounds a game. He has been sidelined all season due to plantar fasciitis, but after an MRI on Dec. 1, Hart was ready to go for his season debut against the Aces where he recorded three points and an assist.

As he was able to get back into somewhat of a groove on offense in his first game of the 2025-26 campaign, Lewis emphasized the work that has to be done on the defensive side of his game.

"He looked like he hadn't practiced in a month, defensively not offensively, but he turned a bad offensive possession into three points, which he has the ability to do," Lewis said.

With Hart coming back, Ball State looks to boost their offensive production going forward, but one bright spot from their performance was their ability to stay consistent from the free-throw line.

In their previous game against Le Moyne, the Cardinals shot a solid 71 percent from the charity stripe, their highest percentage when shooting over five free throws. Against Evansville, they were able to match that percentage and rack up two consecutive games shooting over 70 percent from the free throw line.

Ball State was able to make the most out of their free points, as they struggled to find a basket anywhere else, especially halfway into the second half.

Starting at the 10:21 mark in the second half, spanning until the 6:27 mark, was four straight minutes of scoreless basketball for both teams, something Lewis knows the team has to clean up heading into the bulk of the season.

"There was a section of the second half where neither team scored for a long period of time. It's going to happen, you know," Lewis said. "The thing that can be consistent is defense. I thought we put another solid defensive effort out there on the floor… but you're not going to win a lot of college games scoring 52 points, so we've got to be able to knock some shots down and be stronger around the rim."

The biggest takeaway from their defensive performance was their 25 defensive rebounds, seven more than their previous game. The Cardinals' defense also recorded ten blocks and two steals.

Ball State now has an overall record of 3-6, placing them second to last in overall record so far in the Mid-American Conference (MAC), but with two non-conference games left in South Dakota State on Dec. 9 and Campbell on Dec. 14, the Cardinals have time to get ready for conference play when they host Miami (OH) on Dec. 20.

Contact Rylan Crum @Rylan.Crum@bsu.edu or on X @RylanCrum.

I have lived in the suburbs my whole life. I was born in Noblesville, Indiana but was raised in Carmel, Indiana.

I am also on the autism spectrum.

I was diagnosed at the age of two, and during that time, doctors encouraged my family to move me to Carmel if I wanted to have access to proper resources that would help me grow to my fullest potential. My family ended up moving me and my siblings to Carmel, and it was there that they enrolled me into regular classes instead of a special school.

During that time, I had access to speech therapy, occupational therapy and was accommodated to the highest degree. I am not trying to complain or be ungrateful about having access to these programs because I am forever thankful that I had them in a turbulent time.

However, had I not moved to Carmel, I do not think that I would even be a student at Ball State. There are many students out there who aren't as privileged as I was, as students who go to schools in lower income communities will never have access to the programs that Carmel does.

As we continue to have these discussions about income and social inequality, it is important to address the level of inequality in the education system as a whole.

A study by the National Library of Medicine shows that school district resources, as measured by district revenue, are associated with an increased diagnosis rate of autism. The study showed that districts in the top decile of revenue had 21 children per 10,000 that were diagnosed with autism. It also showed that the districts in the lowest decile had only 3.5 children per 10,000.

But one question still remains: How do wealthier school districts get better funding, and why do lower income schools get less?

Many would point to not having federal funding for all public schools. Having public schools be funded locally results in inconsistent and oftentimes unequal amounts of funding for other school districts.

According to The Learning Policy Institute, states with lower budgets for education lead to lower test scores, decreased college enrollment rates and even a loss of teachers. 43 percent of public education funding also comes from local taxes.

For me, I've had the privilege to meet people from different parts of Indiana outside of my hometown, and so many of those people are surprised by the level of luxuries and benefits that the Carmel Clay Schools have because so many of them have never had even half of what I had. Some of these people came from Indiana cities and towns, such as Kokomo, Gary, Elkhart, Muncie and the west and south side of Indianapolis. This largely impacted my mindset on the issue, because I have always admitted to benefiting from being in a wealthier culture and being privileged to the point where I never thought about how so many outside of Carmel are not as privileged as I was in that regard.

The Peterson Foundation elaborates, saying, "School districts with high-value property are often able to fund their schools above the minimum level established by the state, contributing to wider disparities. Those disparities become more apparent during economic downturns because wealthier school districts benefit from relatively stable revenues from property taxes."

As Indiana goes down this path of gutting the funding for public school districts while also promoting charter schools that only wealthier families can afford, we already have an issue of our own regarding funding disparities. Just last year, The U.S. Department of Education acknowledged that students from lower income households may require as much as two to three times the funding as students from affluent backgrounds.

A city like Muncie, Gary or even parts of Indianapolis receive half of the funding that cities like Carmel or Westfield, Indiana get.

The level of inequality in education funding is not an issue of government overreach. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has been federal law for more than thirty years and yet states are not abiding by it.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division , Title II and Title III of the ADA, which applies to state and local governments along with businesses and nonprofit organizations, are required to provide auxiliary aids and services for those with vision, hearing and speech disabilities.

These services include sign language interpreters, notetakers, communication boards and even technological resources like tablets. By definition, the state and local governments that don't provide an even level of funding are violating federal law by creating laws that make both public and private schools in wealthy communities receive more resources than other schools.

If the states, local governments or private sectors fail to provide for people equally, then why should the federal government not intervene and secure rights for the marginalized?

Looking back at my time in the Carmel Clay School system, I was the first and only student on the autism spectrum that was enrolled in a mainstream class at the time. This led to an entire parent-teacher conference with every last parent of the students in my class along with the teachers. Aside from having access to different therapies, there was even a third-party observer who made sure that my school was providing me with the proper accommodations and equal access.

It's crazy to me that Carmel has the money and power to provide the level of resources for just one kid while schools outside of Carmel don't even have the resources to accommodate an entire school of students. This lack of equal federal funding has made this into a human rights issue that isn't and hasn't been addressed.

Let's start having the difficult conversations that many are uncomfortable having when it comes to student's futures - not just during Autism Acceptance month, but all year long.

Contact Jacob Rodgers via email at jacob.rodgers@bsu.edu.

The author of Indiana's new congressional redistricting bill acknowledged the maps are "politically gerrymandered" during committee questioning Tuesday but defended the proposal against accusations of illegal racial gerrymandering.

The maps,released Monday morning, were drawn "purely for political performance" of Republicans, Rep. Ben Smaltz told indignant Democratic colleagues.

The current districts, drawn by the GOP in 2021, are 7-2 in favor of Republicans. The House and Senate GOP worked with the National Republican Redistricting Trust to engineer a likely 9-0 sweep of the districts ahead of the 2026 midterms.

"They're politically gerrymandered, if you'd like to say that," Smaltz, R-Auburn, said.

He was adamant that no racial information was used in craftingHouse Bill 1032.

The targeted districts now held by Democratic Reps. André Carson and Frank Mrvan are by far Indiana's most racially diverse. The maps split Carson's district, which largely overlaps Marion County borders, four ways, and halves Mrvan's.

"You're okay with … racially gerrymandered maps if you get your desired outcome for … politically gerrymandered maps?" asked Rep. Cherrish Pryor, D-Indianapolis.

"We didn't look at that, at any of that," Smaltz replied.

He faced more than an hour of intense questioning from Democrats on the House Elections and ApportionmentCommitteeon Tuesday, which also featured ominous testimony from Marion County's elections chief and a prominent Republican.

It was the House's only hearing on the maps, held with less than a day of notice. A committee vote is expected sometime today.

'Chaos' incoming, clerk says

Local election officials typically have a year before an election to make redistricting-related adjustments, Marion County Clerk Kate Sweeney Bell told the committee.

If approved next week as planned, clerks would have a matter of months before the May 5 primary election.

She detailed the complex updates required to reassign the likely hundreds of thousands of impacted Indianapolis voters, retrain thousands of poll workers, update public communications and more - all on a smaller budget.

Precinct splits present further "administrative burden."

"If any of this is done incorrectly, voters are going to feel the impact when they come to vote," the clerk said.

She urged lawmakers to reject the proposal, adding, "If it passes, there will be chaos. Chaos in clerk's offices around the state. Chaos when candidates file at the election board. … That's exactly what election administrators want to avoid."

More than 20 witnesses spoke in opposition to the proposal by mid-day, including retired Ivy Tech Community College President Sue Ellspermann. The Republican previously served as lieutenant governor under former Gov. Mike Pence, and as a House lawmaker.

"We have fair maps. The ones we have performed - some might say over-performed - for the Republican majority," she said. "The plea to redraw Indiana's map is coming out of Washington, D.C. Some may argue that they have the right to ask, and in that case, we certainly have the right to answer, 'No.'"

She reminded lawmakers - including former colleagues amid 2011 redistricting - that they pledged to "serve all Hoosiers, not just those who voted for us or the current president" in their oath of office.

Hoosiers "have a reputation for standing up to political pressure," Ellspermann added, lauding Pence for his refusal to overturn the 2020 election.

Just two witnesses had spoken in favor of the maps by midday: Allen County resident Paul Logemann, who is a lobbyist with D.C.-based Heritage Action, and Marion County resident Nathan Roberts.

Logemann pushed legislators to advance the maps, saying they "reflect the will of Hoosiers and ensure that Hoosier voices are not diluted in Congress."

California, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and Utah have already heeded - or countered - President Donald Trump's call for more GOP U.S. House seats.

This story will be updated.

"[Campus] was ugly," he said. "It [had]a utilitarian, mid-20th-century kind of lookfor everything."

Chris, who's now a senior lecturer inthe Department of Media on campus, haswitnessed campus flourish. He enjoys sittingin his office, looking out his window at thebeautiful view in front of him.

Ball State has evolved considerablysince the university opened in 1918. Eachtime a major moment of evolution occurred,whether it be the removal or addition of astructure, a cartographer was tasked withcapturing that moment on a map.

At the turn of the century in around 1900,Chris said there was a movement called "CityBeautiful," as towns hoped to revitalize theircommunities in response to the SecondIndustrial Revolution. During this, factorieswere dumping polluted waste into the rivers,streets were filled with trash and the air wasfilled with smog.

When Ball State's campus was built,they wanted to create a space for studentsto congregate, so they designed thecampus Quad.

"There's always been an effort to makethe natural space good," Chris said.

Comparing what he sees now to when hewas a student at Ball State, Chris said thatthere are more hubs on campus for studentsto "just exist." When he was a student, allthey had was the library.

For over 20 years,Melissa Gentry has beenthe supervisor of the PaulW. Stout map collectionin Bracken Library.

She said that mapsare more than justfor navigation;they are an"archive of theworld.' Notonly do wesee changesin thephysicalworldaround us, but also how political climatesand society have changed through time.

In 1976, the collection started with 8,000maps, but now holds over 140,000. Thecollection grew in part because of a federaldepository, meaning any map made by thegovernment was automatically entered intothe collection. Paul Stout, the originator ofthe collection, attended summer workshopsat the Library of Congress, where he wouldtrade maps for the collection.

Maps can be used for much more thannavigation. We can use them as resources inour history or as visual aids in presentations.Melissa said that maps are also great forvisual learners when it comes to research.

"You can write a paper that's thousandsof words, but you can have that same topicrepresented on a map," Melissa said.

The Paul W. Stout map collection has theentire set of Muncie's maps and Melissa saidit is interesting to see its changes over time.

One example she pointed out was inMuncie's early history. There were "horse-related buildings" such as barns, stables andliveries. Years later, those buildings wentaway as the bicycle became popular. Nowthey are replaced by gas stations.

When discussing the evolution of BallState's map, Melissa said some may believethat the campus started from the Quad andmoved north, but it actually evolved non-linearly, partially due to former universitypresident John Emens.

During his time in the role, the TeachersCollege, Hargreeves Music building,Arts and Communications building, andLaFollette Hall were built. This left a largeempty field between the Teachers Collegeand LaFollette Hall that would later be filledin by other campus buildings, like BrackenLibrary in 1972.

Dean of the Estopinal College ofArchitecture and Planning David Fergusonhas worked at Ball State for over 35 years andis trained as a landscape architect, an alumof the Ball State College of Architecture andPlanning (CAP) program.

David said before the 1980s, campuswas planned "haphazardly" until landscapearchitecture became intentional. It wasn'tuntil the 1990s that we began seeingpathways that are curvilinear lines.

"Most of the impact on our footprint has been generated by landscape architecture and master planning firms," David said.

One of the first gathering places on campus came with the addition of the Frog Baby Fountain in 1993. Eric Ernstberger, a Ball State CAP alum, opened a design firm in Indianapolis whose team has designed many features on campus, such as the Shafer Bell Tower and the Frog Baby Fountain.

"We as human beings have an intuitivesense for spaces that have energy to them,"David said. "We can tell when there's a gooddesign in front of us."

David said campus is not the same placeas it was when he was in undergrad. Whenhe attended Ball State, the CAP program wasin what was then called the Quonset huts,former army barracks turned into classrooms.

After the original CAP building was builtin 1972, the College of Business then tookover the Quonset huts until the WhitingerBusiness Building was erected in 1979.

For some time, David said, he felt thatthe east side of McKinley would never bedeveloped. At the time, that area was a pathnow referred to as "The Cow Path." It wasn'tuntil 1984 that all of that changed whenRobert Bell was built and the UniversityGreen became an official quad. In 1988,Ball Communications and the Lettermanbuilding were built, starting the centralcluster of the current campus.

Currently, Ball State is moving into TheVillage, starting with a new performing artscenter. This will serve as a catalyst to startThe Village Revitalization Project.

Chris hopes to see a stronger connectionwith The Village in the coming years. Hesaid that ideally, a grocery store or a movietheater would be added so students could liveon campus without the need for a car.

As campus continues to grow, we willcontinue to see additions to its map. As welook towards the future, we can ensure that itwill be captured in history.

This article is a part of Ball Bearings Fall 2025 magazine: The Archival Edition. Read more stories online atballbearingsmag.comand pick up the print edition of the magazine across Ball State's campus now.

UPDATE: 3:15 p.m.

On Dec. 2, the Muncie Sanitary District posted an apology on Facebook, for a miscommunication due to a "potential delayed start."

"The Muncie Sanitary District has initiated road closures in Downtown Muncie for upgrades to the large sewer line which crosses under High St. and runs along Franklin St. The roads will remained closed for approximately two months," according to the post.

###

The Muncie Sanitary District is closing roads in downtown Muncie for up to a month due to "ongoing maintenance work," according to a Dec. 1 Facebook post from theCity of Muncie.

The closures include: Wheeling Avenue at the High Street Bridge, High Street from Wysor Street south to Gilbert Street, Franklin Street from High Street south to Gilbert Street and Wysor Street from High Street east to Walnut Street.

Contact the Daily News via email at editor@bsudailynews.com.

Indiana House Republicans released Monday a proposed redrawing of the state's congressional maps aimed at producing a 9-0 Republican U.S. House delegation.

The proposed map splits strongly Democratic Indianapolis among four districts that all stretch far into rural, heavily Republican counties.

The map obliterates the current 7th District now held by Democratic Rep. André Carson. The new 7th District would span from the north side of Indianapolis to counties along the Ohio River near Cincinnati.

The Lake Michigan shoreline area that now makes up the 1st District held by Democratic Rep. Frank Mrvan also is split up. Republicans propose a new 1st District taking in Democratic-friendly Lake County then heading southeast to take in the areas around the small cities of Logansport, Peru and Wabash.

Indiana House members are scheduled to meet Monday afternoon to start the process of considering the congressional redistricting that President Donald Trump has been demanding for months to improve the chances of Republicans keeping their slim majority in the U.S. House.

House Republicans will announce today who will carry the bill as well as information on public hearings. In 2021, lawmakers held14 hearings around the stateand in Indianapolis.

The state Senate, where several Republican senators have expressed opposition to the redistricting, is expected to meet next week.

Trump won each of the districts under the proposed map by at least 12 percentage points in the 2024 election,according to an analysisbyIndianapolis City-County Councilor Nick Roberts, a Democrat.

Trump's narrowest win was in the proposed 1st District, where Republican Gov. Mike Braun won by a 6 percentage point margin, according to Roberts.

Cookie Decorating & Goodie Bags

Get into the holiday spirit with cookie decorating! Hot cocoa will be provided. Volunteers can stay after to help make goodie bags for the creative team of The Nutcracker.

• Price: Free
• Location: AR 145
• Date and Time: Tuesday, December 2 from 5:15 p.m - 6:15 p.m.

Snowflakes and Storefronts: Muncie Holiday Shopping

Step back into Muncie's most magical holiday traditions at this nostalgic presentation. Explore dazzling downtown memories, iconic window displays, and the stories that made "Magic City" shopping unforgettable! This event is brought to life by expert archivists and historians. Admission is free with a reservation.

• Price: Free
• Location: Ball State Alumni Center
• Date and Time: Wednesday, December 3 from 6:00 p.m - 7:30 p.m.

Light Up Muncie

Enjoy the festive performances, food trucks, shop at the Holiday Makers Market, and witness the magical lighting of the animated community tree at Canan Commons. NEW this year, Lighted Parade and kid's fun zone. Bring your family and friends for a magical night in Downtown.

• Price: Free
• Location: Downtown Muncie - Canan Commons
• Date and Time: Thursday, December 4 from 5:00 p.m - 10:00 p.m.

Enchanted Luminaria Walk

Kick off the holiday season with family and friends at Minnetrista. Enjoy three miles of enchanting lights, sweet treats, food, live music, live theatre, winter crafts, a barrel train for kids, their popular Holiday Artisan Market, and more.

• Price: Free
• Location: Minnetrista Museum & Gardens
• Date and Time: Friday, December 5 from 5:00 p.m - 9:00 p.m.

Evergreen Wreath Workshop

Create your very own Holiday Wreath to adorn your door or home! The workshop includes a live 12" mixed evergreen wreath with variety of bows, dried materials, holiday picks, and all the tools needed to create your holiday wreath.

• Price: Free
• Location: Wasson Nursery
• Date and Time: Saturday, December 6 from 10:00 a.m - 11:00 a.m.

Head coach Michael Lewis said that he cannot overstate how proud he is of the effort that his team gave to bounce back.

Lewis served as an assistant coach on UCLA's 2021 Final Four team, and he said that even coaching that run, he has never been prouder of a performance than he was in this win.

The team's third win of the season came after losing 80-73 to Monmouth and losing 55-37 to Lafayette. Their 96-85 win over Le Moyne concluded a three-day trip to Pennsylvania.

In the Cardinals' win, it was their first time outrebounding an opponent since Nov. 7 against Mansfield. The Cardinals grabbed 12 more boards than Le Moyne and a bulk of those came from freshman forward Preston Copeland.

The freshman started for the first time this season against Lafayette and had the best game of his first season in his second consecutive start against Le Moyne. Copeland had ten points on 4-7 from the field while also grabbing 16 of the team's 38 rebounds.

"He has an extremely high ceiling," Lewis said. "His athleticism, his ability to move, he's kind of like a blank canvas as far as what you can do with that and work with him."

Early in the second half against Le Moyne, Ball State went down by as many as eight points. But the Cardinals fought back to take the lead just a few minutes later.

"They very easily could've shut it down and packed it in, [but] they stayed together and made a lot of plays," Lewis said.

After taking the lead with nine minutes to go in the half, the Cardinals held a lead the rest of the way and controlled the game until the final buzzer.

Lewis said that it would be difficult to talk about all of the players that played at a high level against Le Moyne. But a player in particular that made huge contributions in the game was senior guard Juwan Maxey.

The transfer guard from Youngstown State had his best performance of the season, scoring 27 points and splashing in seven threes. This comes after a few rough shooting performances to start the season, but Lewis is confident that a performance like this can spiral into even more.

"When you're a shooter like he is, when that ball doesn't go in it's easy to lose confidence," Lewis said. "Normally when your shooter sees those things go in, nights like tonight happen and they continue to happen."

The Cardinals' loss against Lafayette was arguably their toughest loss of the season. The team shot 22% from the field and ten percent from three, and it capped off a five-game losing streak. Lewis said that the team went through a lot, but that he is proud of how they turned it around with a win.

"To be able to flush that and to be able to come back and perform the way that they did today is special," Lewis said.

The Cardinals will be back in action on Dec. 3, when they will go on the road to take on Evansville.

Contact Kyle Stout with questions via email @kyle.stout@bsu.edu or on X @kylestoutdailyn.

They are making breakfast, setting up practice and checking on every single detail you could imagine.

Pete Roley, the Ball State football chief of staff, wants a seamless operation at all times. It is the accumulation of a million different little tasks that add up to be a huge part of how a football program runs.

"We probably put out 50 fires, and if nobody knows about them, that is great," Roley said.

Head coach Mike Uremovich said they deal with budgets, travel, equipment, operations, spring football and more.

"We could not have a football program without them," Uremovich said.

The Chief: Pete Roley

Roley started his collegiate football career not as a coach, but as a player at Western Illinois University. When a graduate assistant spot opened up, he took the job.

At the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level, Roley learned how to do it all. He shot video, learned what went into operations and coached at the same time.

Roley eventually landed at Northern Illinois University, where he met Ball State football coach Mike Uremovich. Roley comes to Ball State after two seasons in West Lafayette with Purdue football.

It was his time as a graduate assistant when he realized coaching was not the path for him; he loved the interconnected moving pieces that went into running a football program too much.

It is the organization, the communication and nonstop, ever-changing problem-solving that resonates with Roley to do the best he can do for a program. And to him, it is personal.

He said athletes are constantly worried about performance, and with dreams to make it to the NFL, that pressure can hold weight. But Roley and the other operations managers do not have to be the tough coach; they are there to support.

"Hopefully, we can make a memory for them," Roley said.

Roley's whole goal is to give every single Ball State football player and coach exactly what they need in order to be the most successful they can be on the field. The chief of staff said he wants all the distractions and every possible scenario on him, so nobody else has to deal with the small issues that can arise in the everyday world of collegiate athletics.

"All the different moving pieces in their lives are coordinated," Roley said. "It's so they can concentrate on football only."

Uremovich said he believes Roley is in the upper echelon of college athletics in his job. He said Roley is always organized, but the thing that sets him apart is his relationship with the players and his genuine desire for every athlete to better themselves.

Football to desk job to football: Ryan Lezon

Ryan Lezon worked a desk job in logistics for Spot Freight, calling truck drivers all day after graduating from Butler. He said he thought he knew what he wanted to do with his life.

He soon found out it was not for him. He wanted to get back to being in athletics, specifically football.

He talked to his coworkers about an open position and put in his two-week notice at Spot Freight. 24 hours later, Lezon was hired at Ball State. His career goal of wanting to be a general manager or chief of staff was now something real.

"I couldn't pass up doing work in the sport that I love," Lezon said.

Lezon played at Ball State for three seasons before playing under Uremovich at Butler in his final collegiate season.

"It made me fall in love with football again," Lezon said about his time at Butler.

Lezon is currently a football operations and player development assistant for Ball State.

Lezon said he went from trying to be everyone's friend as a player to now being more of someone who has to hold people accountable. He said there are benefits and downfalls to that because he can connect with players because he was in the same locker room they are in, but he is also trying to help run a program.

Lezon works closely with football operations graduate assistant Grant Timms. The pair work alongside Roley to ensure the operations side of the program is running smoothly.

They've got to set up breakfast, set up the practice field and ensure food is available post-practice. After working with the team, they shift their attention to making sure the program is ready to pack for the upcoming week.

They then prepare the truck, plan for hotels and much, much more. It is a pure focus on consistency with no room for error.

Game weekends for Lezon and Timms are just as chaotic as practice days, if not more so. It's checking in on the hotel, checking every key card, light, toilet, clock and television. It is ensuring meals are served, stadium set up, coaches' communications ready, helping with recruits and more.

Once warmups and the games finally do start, it is checking to ensure everything is running smoothly for players, staffers, coaches and fans.

"It's long days, but I wouldn't trade it for anything else," Lezon said.

In the age of Name Image and Likeness (NIL), Lezon said he would eventually love to know all the ins and outs of building a roster in the current state of collegiate football and wants to set up future athletes financially.

Uremovich said Lezon "works his butt off." He said he wants to keep his former player on staff for as long as possible but said Lezon will be a chief of staff somewhere soon enough.

Lezon's favorite part of the job is to win on the road, but he loves it even more if the operations teams can get everything ready for the road in under an hour. The former football player stays true to his competitive nature.

From a trial period to a full timer: Grant Timms

Grant Timms went to Purdue with sports always at the back of his mind. He started out as a volunteer equipment manager for the Boilermakers. Soon enough, he was getting paid, and then he was a "makeshift" waterboy.

Timms was introduced to Roley as a sophomore at Purdue. He went into Roley's office one day wanting to pick his brain about the operations job.

Roley said he might need some help down the line, and Timms told Roley 'You know who to call.'

In the summer of 2023, he worked with Roley on a "trial period," and that period was extended. The past two seasons at Purdue, Timms has worked alongside Roley.

Roley said he can recall when Timms came into his office at Purdue. Even if he was hesitant at first, Roley said Timms "killed it."

After he graduated, Roley gave Timms a call that he might need some help at Ball State. Ever since, Timms has been working with the Cardinals.

"It is a great feeling knowing that you are doing something impactful that is helping everybody," Timms said.

The graduate assistant said doing so many jobs for a football program like Ball State has opened his eyes and given him invaluable skills for his career. And even if there are countless days with long hours, Timms said it brings things into perspective where every day he goes into work, he knows there is not a single player, coach or staffer he has a gripe with.

Timms envisions himself being a chief of staff or director of operations in the future, but for him, it is never about title. Instead, it's about having an impact on people and an organization.

In fact, if you ask Roley, Lezon, or Timms about their favorite part of their jobs, it is never about the job itself. It is always about the people they work with and the athletes they help along the way.

Contact Elijah Poe via email at elijah.poe@bsu.edu or on X@ElijahPoe4

The school's dual-language program integrates both Spanish and English instruction to strengthen bilingual learning and cultural understanding among students in Muncie.

The Indiana Department of Education has grown the Dual Language Immersion Pilot Program from four schools in 2014 to 42 schools in 2022. West View Elementary is the only participating program in the Muncie Community School District.

Throughout time, civilization's preservation of language can be described as an evolutionary journey. Various creative techniques, like art and music, allow for many forms of communication to garner universal understanding without words. Preserving languages greatly benefits oral histories.

A large contribution to language preservation is teaching various languages to the next generation. West View Elementary School's Dual Language Program is actively encouraging Spanish-speaking in Muncie by sustaining linguistic diversity and cultural empathy as a product of its success.

Dual-language programs immerse students into learning two languages, commonly in a 50/50 or 80/20 model, to achieve bilingualism, biliteracy, academic excellence and sociocultural competence, according to the Center for Applied Linguistics.

West View is now in its ninth year of the program. Initially, the initiative started with kindergarteners on an 80/20 model, in which kids were only using the Spanish language 20 percent of the time they were in the class. As the program grew, they expanded into a 50/50 model, where students in kindergarten through fifth grade learn in each language 50 percent of the time.

West View principal Eric Ambler notes that it is not uncommon for new students to join the program in first grade, even if not enrolled during kindergarten. He explains that the program develops "sibling-like relationships and interpersonal relationships" that help the program feel like a family, since many students are in their specific cohort with their peers from kindergarten to fifth grade.

"The empathy that those kids show each other… I think it's magnified by being in that setting," Eric said.

Students can continue their learning at Northside Middle School, with the first cohort from the Dual Language Program now entering eighth grade at the school.

In the classroom, Kira Zick teaches Spanish all day through subjects like third and fourth-grade math, Spanish and Spanish language arts. The third graders switch from English learning in the morning to learning Spanish-related subjects with Kira in the afternoon.

One of Kira's teaching methods includes using music to immerse the students. By picking out key vocabulary and learning about the artist, students learn different dialects.

"It's impactful to witness the growth throughout the semester," Kira said. "…Learning another language, it seems like it opens up so many doors."

Over time, students become more comfortable speaking Spanish confidently and even spontaneously. With Kira finding fulfillment in exposing students to different cultures and the benefits of learning other languages, she sees firsthand the positive outcomes in how students interact with each other.

"I think it's really neat that they are exposed to other cultures [and] people that aren't like them. They're excited to learn about places all around the world," she said.

Eric describes the program as one that "preserves and honors cultural and linguistic heritage, fostering a diverse and inclusive school culture." He explained that the dual-language initiative serves both native Spanish speakers and English learners, and that "significant language acquisition" has been observed among all students.

Eric and his staff have witnessed the program's growth impacting both native Spanish and English speakers. The program's success has led to community recognition and a growing waitlist at West View Elementary.

As West View Elementary and Northside Middle School look ahead to expand their Dual Language programs, teachers and administrators continue to see the impact beyond the classroom. Each new cohort of students help construct a bridge between English and Spanish that grows within the Muncie community.

This article is a part of Ball Bearings Fall 2025 magazine: The Archival Edition. Read more stories online at ballbearingsmag.com and pick up the print edition of the magazine across Ball State's campus now.

The death of Charlie Kirk was a tragic act of violence. No individual should experience such a violent end.

In the weeks following Kirk's death, I have witnessed dishonest attempts to reframe his legacy. These attempts blatantly ignore Kirk's well-documented beliefs and his history of violent rhetoric. In an instant, he was a man who sought to bridge the political and cultural divide, killed by a violent left-wing assassin. That is not his story. That is not Charlie Kirk.

Who was Charlie Kirk?

In the Antisemitism Worldwide Report for 2023, the Anti-Defamation League described that Kirk linked American Jews to supporting and financing anti-white causes. Kirk also madestatements about civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. during a convention speech at AmericaFest in 2023. WIRED magazine reported on Kirk's statements in a 2024 article, quoting Kirk from when he said, "MLK was awful. He's not a good person. He said one good thing he actually didn't believe."

According to a 2024 article published by PolitiFact, Kirk spread conspiracy theories via Instagram about the "Great Replacement," a baseless conspiracy theory that the Democratic Party isreplacing white Americans with immigrants. According to an Instagram post Kirk made on Feb. 24, 2024, he stated, "'The 'Great Replacement' is not a theory, it is a reality." He did not have "mature, respectful conversations about our differences of opinion," as previously stated in the article titled "Prove Me Wrong" - he was an inflammatory white-nationalist media personality.

Political violence in America

According to "Prove Me Wrong," a recently posted article published by the Ball State Daily News, "The United States has seen an increase in the number of left-wing terrorist plots, according to a Sept. 25 article from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, marking the first time in more than 30 years that terrorism from those groups outnumber violent plots from the far right."

While the reported increase in left-wing terrorist plots raise concern, more context is needed. The two graphs below use data from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and shed light on the broader circumstances.

One hundred and twelve killed by right-wing extremism. Thirteen killed by left-wing extremism. I condemn all terrorism, regardless of political motivation. However, this article grossly misleads the reader and directly contradicts the data.

I wish for the same result as the author of "Prove Me Wrong," but the evidence used is misleading and salacious. We cannot build the political dialogue on a foundation of lies. We require honest representation of facts, and a mutual commitment to dignity.

Contact Jeffrey Dreyer via email at jeffrey.dreyer@bsu.edu.

The Cardinals beat Pittsburgh 55-41 on Nov. 28 and followed that up with a 70-38 win against Alabama A&M on Nov. 29.

Head coach Brady Sallee said that it was good to rebound after taking one on the chin at home.

"With a brand-new team, you don't know how they're going to respond in those moments," Sallee said. "It was good to see us flip the page."

Sallee said that the team played well defensively in the two wins. The Cardinals averaged allowed points on the weekend was 39.5.

The head coach said that as long as he has been coaching, he expects his teams to have three or four games where they do not make shots. Their game against Pittsburgh was one of those, as the team scored a season low 55 points, and shot 28% from the field. But the difference maker for the Cardinals in the win was their defense.

"A lot of teams, when they don't score, they get beat," Sallee said. "This team keeps defending even when the balls aren't going in, and that's important."

A strong suit for Ball State on the weekend was their rebounding. The team outrebounded Pittsburgh by ten while corralling 22 offensive rebounds, as well as outrebounding Alabama A&M by 19.

Senior Tessa Towers has been a big reason for the Cardinals' rebounding success, as the center has recorded 10-plus rebounds in five straight games, bringing her season average up to nearly ten a game.

Sallee said that he does not know if he can put it into words how impactful Towers has been this season.

"Teams are using two, three people trying to keep her from rebounding," Sallee said. "It's everything for us right now, and it's becoming expected, which is exciting."

Ball State is now eight games into the season, boasting a 7-1 record as conference play starts in less than a month.

Sallee has elected to put out the same starting lineup once he added Towers to the starting five against Northern Kentucky earlier in the season. Even though Sallee has found a consistent starting five, he is still figuring things out in the deeper rotation.

Ashlynn Brooke is a player that Sallee said played really important minutes on the weekend, and the junior guard scored a season-high eight points against Alabama A&M. Sallee said that whoever gets the job done in any given game, it is fine with him.

"There's still room for people to play their way in and some minutes to get dispersed a little bit," Sallee said. "I think we're still trying to figure out a rotation, but I'm okay with going with the hot hand."

The Cardinals will have a short break before playing at Worthen Arena again, where they will take on Oakland City on Dec. 3.

Contact Kyle Stout with questions via email @kyle.stout@bsu.edu or on X @kylestoutdailyn.

Everyone in the program wanted to win the final game for the senior class, but the 45-24 loss would still bring the "uncertainty" of tomorrow for the senior class, even if it was a win.

Uncertain if they will ever suit up again. Uncertain about what their future holds.

Head coach Mike Uremovich said the hardest part for the seniors is that uncertainty, which is something redshirt senior quarterback Kiael Kelly, senior defensive end Nathan Voorhis and redshirt senior wide receiver Qian Magwood all feel.

Voorhis said he was not even thinking following the game; his mind was perfectly clear in the "surreal moment."

Voorhis said the whole 2025 season took a toll mentally because it was win a game, lose a game and so on. But he said that adversity defined Ball State in 2025 because the Cardinals always wanted to win the next one that much more.

The defensive end finished the 2025 season with 12 sacks, a feat that has not been done by a Cardinal since 1982. Voorhis said it is great to finish the season with 12 sacks, but instead wishes he had another opportunity to suit up with Ball State alongside his teammates who have had his back all year.

"I'm truly scrambling knowing that the clock just hit zero for the last time," Magwood said.

Magwood said oftentimes football players can take moments for granted, but he said everything he has done on the field, he had dreamed of doing years and years ago.

Magwood said he hopes he can leave a legacy of consistency with the underclassmen at Ball State. Consistent in attitude, practice and in everything.

The head coach said whenever the staff changes, there can be a lot of things that change within a football program, but the Ball State senior class did not push back one bit.

"I couldn't be prouder," Uremovich said of the senior class.

Magwood said he is thrilled to see what Uremovich and staff can do with their first season behind them.

"I think this place under coach U is going to be special," Magwood said.

Magwood has been beside Kelly as one of the longest-tenured Cardinals, and the wide receiver said it is a bittersweet moment to close out this chapter. He said the pair has always talked about doing things their own way, with Kelly as QB1 and Magwood as his receiver.

"We got to live that out, so I'm just thankful for that," Magwood said.

Kelly said it is always tough to lose, but he said he would be more hurt if he did not give it his all. But he said he gave it his all every single chance he got.

Kelly summarized his time at Ball State as being "persistent." The quarterback said he always showed up, did what was asked and did what he could do to the highest professional ability. With that work, he said he hoped he would be able to come out better, and he said he did.

Kelly said being the starting quarterback for a full season at Ball State is everything he has ever asked for. Although he said it was short.

"I gave it all I got, because this was my last year, it was all I could do," Kelly said. "I wanted to go out with a bang tonight, but we lost."

In the Name Image and Likeness (NIL) age of college athletics, Kelly said he has instead created a new family at Ball State by staying a Cardinal for every season of eligibility.

"We always got each other's numbers," Kelly said about the seniors. "We're always going to remember that we were the ones who stuck it out. Because ultimately, that's the goal."

Kelly said the younger Ball State football players are seeing the good in staying at a university, instead of transferring. He said it can be easy to up and leave, but the Cardinals have himself as a perfect example of what a fighter looks like.

So even in a loss and even in a season where Ball State did not make a bowl game, Kelly holds his head high. As does the rest of the Cardinals.

Contact Elijah Poe via email at elijah.poe@bsu.edu or on X@ElijahPoe4

Ball State fell to the RedHawks 45-24.

Here are three takeaways from the action and the season as a whole.

Offensive battle early that Ball State lost

After the first quarter, Ball State trailed 21-10. There was 328 yards of total offense between the two teams, but the Cardinals lost the early offensive battle.

A lot of Ball State's struggles in this game came from their lack of defensive presence in the first quarter. The Cardinals' defense was coming into this game riding a six-game streak of getting an interception, but they allowed freshman quarterback Thomas Gotkowski to pick them apart early.

The Cardinals' defensive eleven allowed 199 total yards in the quarter, while allowing Gotkowski to throw for two first quarter touchdowns. The team also allowed the RedHawks to march down the field every possession, giving up 10 first downs in the early action.

The defensive struggles continued into the second quarter, as they allowed Miami (OH) to tack on 10 more points to extend the lead to 21.

The offense also had a standstill in the second quarter, as they produced zero total yards and zero points, creating a 21-point deficit heading into the break.

Young talent shined

One positive from the loss was that the Cardinals' young talent produced. With 23 seniors on the roster, Ball State is looking towards their younger talent for potential future success.

Freshman receiver Donovan Hamilton produced his best game of the season, bringing in four catches for 72 yards. Freshman running back Jalen Bonds added to that, as he ran in his first touchdown of the year.

Freshman tight end Kameron Anthony added to an impressive freshman season, catching one ball for 16 yards, totaling out to 117 yards and two touchdowns on the year.

The end of Uremovich's first season

After moving on from previous Cardinals' head coach Mike Neu, former Butler head coach Mike Uremovich took over in Muncie this season.

The new Cardinals' head coach went 4-8 in his first year, after welcoming in an almost entirely new roster. The year featured some highs, like beating Ohio for the first time since 2012 and competing for the MAC championship for a good majority of the season.

Despite a 1-3 start to the season, Uremovich led the Cardinals to claw back to a 4-5 overall record, with the possibility of a bowl game appearance in sight. That is where things took a turn, as a loss to Eastern Michigan on senior day spiraled into losing out and finishing the year on a three-game losing streak.

Through all of the highs and the lows of the season, the main takeaway is this: Ball State can be very good with Mike Uremovich at the helm. Through some of the highs this season, it has been evident that the offense can be very good.

The team has had four games recording over 350 total yards, coming away with a win in three of those. The first-year coach has also led a pair of comeback wins against Ohio and Akron.

The Cardinals will lose a lot this offseason. Redshirt senior quarterback Kiael Kelly will leave the offense along with redshirt senior receiver Qian Magwood. The linebacking core will lose a lot, with three seniors in Joey Stemler, Alfred Chea and Jack Beebe.

But if Uremovich can retain a lot of the youth in the secondary and add to an already successful start to next year's recruiting class, Ball State football fans have a lot to look forward to.

Contact Kyle Stout with questions via email @kyle.stout@bsu.edu or on X @kylestoutdailyn.

The advisory, a yellow status, is the lowest of the county's travel warning levels. These different declarations signal that hazardous conditions may impact routine travel and urges drivers to use caution.

Delaware County's Emergency Management Agency reported numerous accidents throughout the morning, keeping emergency crews spread thin as snowfall continues.

With heavier snow expected to continue through the afternoon, officials are discouraging unnecessary travel and reminding residents to give themselves extra time, slow down and avoid travel if possible until road crews have time to make a larger impact on road conditions. By Friday afternoon State, County and City agencies reported that they has snow fighting assets deployed.

As of 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) was reporting that 28 of 92 counties had declared a travel advisory. A majority of those counties were in the northeast part of the state.

INDOT keeps an updated map of travel advisories here. Travel status information is provided by each county's emergency management agency. As counties initiate official travel advisories and notify the state, the map updates with that information.

If you need to travel this weekend, officials are urging everyone to keep extra supplies in their vehicles, including flashlights, food, and water, in case of an emergency.

As for the snow, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Indianapolis issued a winter storm warning on Friday for much of central Indiana including Muncie and Delaware County. The warning is in place from 7 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 29 through 10 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 30.

According to the NWS, heavy snow is expected with this storm cell. Forecasts show four to seven inches of accumulation possible across parts of central and east central Indiana.

Estimates of exact snow totals are ranging widely, though impacts across the region are expected to be substantial regardless. Snowfall totals will depend on how fast snow mixes with or changes to light rain Saturday evening.

Visibility may drop quickly during heavier snow bands, and roads could become slick or snow-covered in a short amount of time.

The snow is expected to continue into Saturday night and Sunday morning, with the potential for more rounds of winter weather early next week.

THIS STORY WILL BE UPDATED AS MORE INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE.