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Muncie Arts and Culture Council Video Project

Local art projects are a way for communities to create dialogue, share cultural experiences, solve problems and build relationships that enhance quality of place and local economic development efforts. Part of the Muncie Art and Culture Council’s (MACC) mission is to serve as an arts alliance that builds community among artists and arts organizations, and is a resource for professional growth and opportunity among Muncie artists. In this project, student teams created video to help MACC document Plyspace, its artist-in-residence program and promote other local art projects.

Faculty Mentors: Suzanne Plesha, Tim Pollard
Departments: Immersive Learning, Telecommunications
Community Partners: Muncie Arts and Culture Council
Students: Oscar Arriaga, Jacob Barajas, Matt Carson, Jason Franchville, Connor Hillestad, Grant Mountcastle, Benjamin Ritter, Melody Smith, Parker Stewart, Mason Whitis

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#keepmuncieweirdandwhimsical

This project was an immersive, service learning opportunity where students met with residents of the community to teach creative writing techniques and to collaboratively write a text. Objectives of the project included the enrichment of the creative writing students through engagement in the local community, scholarly study of memoir through relevant essays about creative nonfiction writing pedagogy and community engagement, and through the use of critical and creative examinations of the student’s own work and end project was a publish anthology of the writing generated by the students and residents along with several public community readings around Muncie. In the anthology, Muncie area residents shared their experiences, their memories, and their love of what makes Muncie unique.

Faculty Mentors: Darolyn Jones
Departments: English
Community Partners: Muncie residents
Students: Claire Bauserman, Audrey Bowers, Charlie Cain, Alyssa Clemento, Pam Fancher, Katharyn Fletcher, Vanessa Haro-Miracle, Nikki Kendall, Janie Obrochta, Eileen Porzuczeck, Kayln Reyer, Aidan Sacks, Matthew Swain

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Finding Voices: Mentorship in Forensics and Argumentation

Ball State Students partnered with a teacher and group of students from Muncie Central High School (MCHS) and assisted with creating a debate team. The intent was to create a high-performing
Debate Team squad for MCHS, which would participate in the Indiana High School Forensics Association–and also to assist the project team to become familiar with the skills of basic and advanced argumentation, communication mentorship, and independent research in public policy and general problem solving of political and/or social issues.

Faculty Mentors: Dallis Pike
Departments: Communication Studies
Community Partners: Muncie Central High School
Students: Derek French, Carter Gallagher, Ryan Hugo, Megan Markarian, Jasper Schroeder

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Bringing in and Branching Out: Recruiting Employees and Building Community Connections

According to data from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development in 2016, the poverty rate in Delaware County was 21.6%, and poverty among children under the age of 18 was 25.7% (www.stats.indiana.edu/profiles/). These alarming statistics speak to the need for Open Door Health Services (ODHS) and the services it provides our community. In this two semester project, the immersive learning team will help ODHS draw and retain qualified service providers by updating their website, producing new recruitment videos and materials, and updating the onboarding process for both medical and non-medical employees. The team will also assist ODHS in determining current marketing needs through interviews and focus groups, assessing and improving the new patient orientation process, and upgrading its social media presence.

Spring 2019

Faculty Mentors: Peggy Fisher
Departments: Communication Studies
Community Partners: Open Door Health Services
Students: Abigail Bensman, Haley Collison, Marisa Conaster, Ryan Cosey, Olivia DeSalvo, Margo Morton, Gaylan Owens, Taylor Ross, Erica Smith, Ashley Taylor

Fall 2018

Faculty Mentors: Peggy Fisher
Departments: Communication Studies
Community Partners: Open Door Health Services
Students: Abigail Bensman, Haley Collison, Marisa Conaster, Olivia DeSalvo, Margo Morton, Gaylan Owens, Taylor Ross, Erica Smith, Ashley Taylor

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Book Arts Collaborative 2018-19

Book Arts Collaborative is a community letterpress and book bindery located in the Madjax Building in downtown Muncie. Each semester, we preserve and teach apprentice-taught skills and run a small business. Students are taught analog design skills, business skills, and professionalization of all majors.

Faculty Mentors: Rai Peterson
Departments: English
Community Partners: Tribune Showprint Posters, Inc.
Students: Jodi Aleshire, Danielle Borst, Jessica Bowles, Lane Cary, Erin Davenport, Marie Drascic, Sarah Fox, Rachel Haywood, Morgan Kaufman, Carolyn Kelley, Whitney Kendall, Rayah O’Rear, Katie Obryan, Carrie Pawlovich, Bonnie Prindle, Aaron Stephens, Simeon Stults, Taylor Townsend, Kelli Turkupolis

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Summer & Fall 2018 Ball State Immersive Learning Projects

Ball State faculty, students, and community partners worked together this summer and fall on a number of immersive learning projects in and around Muncie.

Book Arts Collaborative 2018-19
Faculty Mentor:  Rai Peterson, Department of English
Community Partner:  Tribune Community Showprint Posters

Bringing in and Branching out: Recruiting Employees and Building Community Connections
Faculty Mentor:  Peggy Fisher, Department of Communication Studies
Community Partner:  Open Door Health Services

The Brownfields to Brightfields Project Phase II:  Analysis of Solar Potentials for Brownfields in East Central Indiana (ongoing)
Faculty Mentor:  Sanglim Yoo, Department of Urban Planning
Community Partner:  Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter

Computer Science for Middle Schoolers (CS4MS ongoing) 
Faculty Mentor:  Dave Largent, Department of Computer Science
Community Partners:  Northside Middle School, Daleville Junior/Senior High School and Burris Laboratory School

Finding Voices: Mentorship in Forensics and Argumentation
Faculty Mentor:  Dallis Pike, Department of Communication Studies
Community Partner:  Muncie Central High School

#keepmuncieweirdandwhimsical
Faculty Mentor:  Darolyn Jones, Department of English
Community Partner:  Muncie residents

Let’s Build (ongoing)
Faculty Mentor:  Jennifer Warrner, Department of Construction Management & Interior Design
Community Partner:  Longfellow Elementary School

Muncie Action Plan 3 (ongoing)
Faculty Mentor: Lisa Dunaway, Department of Urban Planning
Community Partner: Muncie Action Plan

Maplewood Mansion Learning Lab (ongoing)
Faculty Mentor: Carla Earhart, Department of Management
Community Partner: Maplewood Mansion Learning Lab, Ball Brothers Foundation, IU School of Medicine-Muncie

Muncie Arts and Culture Council Video Project 
Faculty Mentors:  Suzanne Plesha, Office of Immersive Learning; Tim Pollard, Department of Telecommunications
Community Partner:  Muncie Arts and Culture Council

Old West End Action Plan
Faculty Mentor: Lisa Dunaway, Department of Urban Planning
Community Partners: Old West End Neighborhood Association, Friends Memorial Church

Preliminary Study of Lead (Pb) in Muncie (PSLM) (ongoing)
Faculty Mentors:  Carolyn Dowling, Department of Geological Sciences and Jessi Haeft, Department of Natural Resources Environmental Management
Community Partners:  United Way of Delaware County, Muncie Action Plan

Purple Cow: Moving from Ordinary to Extraordinary Care for Children (ongoing)
Faculty Mentor:  Stacey Allred, Department of Elementary Education
Community Partner:  Kidz Korner Child Care Center

Reading the Wor(l)d Critical Literacy and Culturally Responsive Classroom Libraries
Faculty Mentors:  Kristin Cipolione and Susan Tancock, Department of Elementary Education
Community Partners:  Whitely Community Council, Longfellow Elementary School

Rehabilitating Houses (ongoing)
Faculty Mentor: Janet Fick, Department of Construction Management and Interior Design
Community Partner: Greater Muncie Habitat for Humanity

Scenery in Space
Faculty Mentors:  Mickie Marie & Kerry Chipman, Department of Theatre and Dance
Community Partner:  Muncie Civic Theatre

School Safety, Data-Driven Evidence-Based Findings, and Recommendations
Faculty Mentor:  Bryan Byers, Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology
Community Partners:  Muncie Community Schools, Burris Laboratory School

Serious Game Design with Minnetrista
Faculty Mentor:  Paul Gestwicki, Department of Computer Science
Community Partner:  Minnetrista Cultural Center