Members of Greek life are often portrayed as ditzy partygoers with no interest in academics, but Ball State’s Greek life is breaking out of this stereotype. The Office of Student Life released a report comparing the grades of Greek life students to that of non-Greek students. It found that, on average, women in sororites have higher GPAs than women not involved in Greek organizations.
A look at upcoming events for this week.
Radio Station WCRD 91.3 FM made it into the top ten for the 2014 MTVU College Radio Woodie Awards. The student run radio station earned recognition through the first round of online voting organized at ratemyprofessor.com.
Indiana superintendent of public education stressed the importance of students focusing on equality and student-centered accountability during a conference on campus Tuesday night. Glenda Ritz and Danielle Shockey, deputy superintendent, said students of all backgrounds should have the same opportunity to receive a quality education. Ritz said the education department works to create a system for students focused on equality and student-centered accountability and stressed to future teachers to “imagine the possibilities with the kids you have in the classroom, and go make them happen.” She is currently working on the State Commission on Improving the Status of Children where she focuses on underprivileged children. At the first meeting of the commission, she said several speakers ahead of her quoted statistics about student poverty, incarceration and poor health.
When the master planning consultants return to campus, they will host an open forum in the College of Architecture and Planning, but some architecture students wanted the university to get them involved sooner. Sophomore architecture student Jared Monce said he wished the university used the master plan as an immersive learning project for architecture students.
When Lena Neff found out she was pregnant as a freshman at Ball State, she decided her education was more important then the “looks” she would get. “Dropping out wasn’t an option for me,” the sophomore public relations major said. Instead, she and her boyfriend Torrin Tompkins, an Ivy Tech student, decided to make campus home for their 8-month-old son, Xaiden. Although, neither of them would necessarily consider it child-friendly.
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s solar power industry added nearly 1,000 jobs last year, an employment surge that boosted the industry’s Hoosier job force by 178 percent, according to a report released Tuesday by a solar advocacy group. The Solar Foundation said Indiana saw 960 new solar industry jobs last year, up from the 540 such jobs in 2012. The Washington, D.C.-based group’s annual report summarizing solar energy jobs in each of the 50 states ranked Indiana 25th in solar employment, up two spots from its previous report.
Two groups have started campaigning for the executive board of next year’s Student Government Association. On Monday night at the convention, the slates Cardinal Connection and Empower accepted nominations to run. Alex Sventeckis, SGA elections board chairman, said there were no campaign violations and slates were officially permitted to start campaigning when the convention closed. Elections will be Feb. 24 and Feb. 25.
Cars speeding through campus often have people debating whether to step out or toe the line. Walkability is a major concern for students, evident in its inclusion in the campus master plan. The issue isn’t entirely new either — the McKinley Beautification project, started in 2005, also aimed to make the road more appealing and safe.
The Indiana Senate Rules Committee passed the amended House Joint Resolution 3 on Monday, sending it the Republican-heavy Indiana Senate. A vote in the Senate could come within the week. The constitutional amendment passed with its second sentence eliminated, which allows the legal recognition of domestic partnerships in Indiana.
BOSTON (AP) — The trial of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzkokhar Tsarnaev is expected to last three months, plus another six weeks if he is convicted and jurors have to decide whether he should be put to death, prosecutors said Monday. The trial estimate was included in a joint status report filed in court Monday by federal prosecutors and Tsarnaev’s lawyers ahead of a Wednesday hearing.
SEATTLE — The family of a Washington state man imprisoned in North Korea for more than a year expressed alarm and sadness Monday after an invitation was canceled for a U.S. envoy to visit Pyongyang and discuss Kenneth Bae’s release. Terri Chung, Bae’s sister, said in a statement, however, that relatives are encouraged by a growing number of people — including the Rev. Jesse Jackson — calling for her brother’s freedom.
• A suspected member of al-Qaida and an American citizen is the supposed target of drone strike. • President Barack Obama and the government face tougher guidelines for launching drone strikes against American citizens overseas that make the situation precarious. • The subject of the controversy has been apart of an ongoing investagation by the Justice Department since last year. WASHINGTON — The case of an American citizen and suspected member of al-Qaida, who is allegedly planning attacks on U.S.
Ball State will not join some colleges in adding two unconventional items to vending machines – condoms and Plan B, a popular day-after contraceptive. The University of Michigan added condoms to one vending machine in each of its 14 residence halls as a trial project requested by students.
When students leave their hometowns to come to college each year, it can often mean leaving their romantic relationship behind. But others may chose to stay together, making long-distance relationships somewhat common, especially on college campuses. About 25 to 50 percent of college students are in long-distance relationships, according to the book “Maintaining Long-Distance and Cross-Residential Relationships.”
Ball State’s coal-fired steam plant, a stern brick fixture on campus for 90 years, will shut down next month as the university’s groundbreaking geothermal system takes over. The new system, which includes a vast network of pipes that take advantage of the earth’s constant underground temperature across campus, will cut the school’s carbon footprint in half, said Jim Lowe, director of engineering and construction operations. “There will be a $2-million-a-year saving because it is so efficient,” Lowe said.
Ball State news media students moved into the new Unified Media Lab this weekend. Students from the Daily News, NewsLink Indiana, Ball Bearings and WCRD news will now operate from the lab. Located on the second floor of the Arts and Journalism building, the room contains 46 computers. Juli Metzger, coordinator of unified media, said the room was built as a part of an ongoing initiative to give journalism and telecommunications students experience in all branches of the field.
President Barack Obama’s call for a raise in minimum wage has left one Ball State professor doubtful and local businesses in varying degrees of concern. During Obama’s annual state of the union address on Jan. 28 he asked Congress to “give America a raise” by increasing minimum wage. He promised to raise it to $10.10 for federal workers by executive order,, which he will follow by pressuring congress to pass a bill that would increase wages for non-federal workers over the next three years.
Tonight starts the two-week campaign season that Student Government president Chloe Anagnos called “the best of times, the worst of times.” Candidates for the SGA election will declare their candidacy and slate members at SGA’s nominating convention at 7 p.m. in the Arts and Journalism building room 175. The even the kicks-off the campaign season.
An art show in the Village looked to let attendees see violence through the lens of those that saw it first-hand.
