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Spring 2017 Ball State Immersive Learning Projects

Ball State faculty, students, and community partners are working together this spring on a number of immersive learning projects in and around Muncie.

Abandoned Housing Policy Analysis
Community Partner:  Muncie Redevelopment Commission
Faculty Mentor: Chip Taylor, Department of Political Science

Advancing ecoREHAB Through Story and Strategy
Community Partner:  ecoREHAB of Muncie, Inc.
Faculty Mentors:  Kate Elliott, Department of Journalism; Paul Gestwicki; Department of Computer Science

Assessing Heat Leaks in the 8twelve Target District
Community Partner:  Muncie 8twelve Coalition
Faculty Mentor:  Jason Yang, Department of Geography

Engaging the Next Generation of Leaders:  Character and Leadership Development at the Boys & Girls Club of Muncie
Community Partner:  The Boys & Girls Club of Muncie
Faculty Mentor:  Peggy Fisher, Department of Communication Studies

Maring-Hunt Community Garden Pavilion
Community Partner:  Maring-Hunt Library, Thomas Park/Avondale Neighborhood Association
Faculty Mentor:  Pam Harwood, Department of Architecture

Minnetrista Neighborhood Action Plan
Community Partner:  Minnetrista Neighborhood Association
Faculty Mentor:  Lisa Dunaway, Department of Urban Planning

Rehabilitating Houses
Community Partner: Greater Muncie Habitat for Humanity
Faculty Mentor: Janet Fick, Technology

Story Maps from and for “South-of-the-River” Neighborhoods in Muncie
Community Partners:  Forest Park Neighborhood Association; Thomas/Avondale Neighborhood Association
Faculty Mentor:  Jörn Seemann, Department of Geography

Sustainable Food Production: Integrating Collaboration within the Community
Community Partner:  Muncie Food Hub
Faculty Mentor:  Gerry Waite, Center for Peace and Conflict Studies

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2017 IDEA Conference Resources

2017 IDEA Conference Resources

Take a look at some of the great presentations and materials from the 2017 IDEA Conference:

 

 

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Urban Garden Committee

Urban Garden Committee Meetings:

  • Future meetings TBA

Local Farmer’s Markets:

Flavor Fresh Mobile Market Tree Hill Farms
Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays
(Locations, start times, & options vary)		 Landess Farm Market Daleville
Sunday-Friday | 10am-6pm
(WIC/SFMNP)
Minnetrista Farmers Market
Saturdays | 8am-212pm
(WIC/SFMN_ & IU Health Bucks)		 Muncie Makers Market
Saturdays | 4pm-7pm
(SNAP)
Northern Tropics Greenhouse
Monday-Saturday | 12pm-6pm		 Open Door Farmers Market
Tuesday-Thursdays | 11am-2pm
(Open July 18th | WIC/SFMNP)
Yorktown Farmers Market
Wednesdays | 4:30pm-7pm
(SNAP & WIC/SFMNP)

Click here to visit a map of local urban garden resources

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Shafer Leadership – Community Needs Assessment

Shafer Leadership Academy partnered with this immersive learning project to enumerate the current leadership needs and capacity of the Muncie community. Through gathered need and capacity data, students conducted secondary source research and surveys. The data gathered will help the Shafer Leadership Academy to design appropriate programming and seek relevant funding. In addition to developing research skills, the project team connected with and increased empathy for the Muncie Community and learned about the value of community leadership.

Faculty Mentor: Melinda Messineo
Department: Sociology
Community Partner: Shafer Leadership Academy
Students: Drew Apanavicius, Emmalie Hodge, Audrey Meade, Casey Misner, Zoe Sutton

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Riverside-Normal City: Portrait of a Middletown Neighborhood in a Post Industrial Age

This project conducted an ethnographic study of the Riverside Normal City (RNC) neighborhood, which is the area east of Ball State University in Muncie. Using participant observation, oral history, archival research, photography and semi-structured interviews, students provided an interdisciplinary analysis of how this neighborhood has changed over time. Students attended monthly RNC neighborhood meetings, interviewed neighborhood residents, scanned residents’ photos while collecting stories, reading about the history of Muncie and documenting the neighborhood today. In analyzing this data, students were asked to consider the economic, sociocultural, and political causes that changed this neighborhood overtime and how these changes have impacted local residents. The findings were published in a book.

Faculty Mentor: Jennifer Erickson
Department: Anthropology
Community Partner: Riverside-Normal City Neighborhood Association
Students: Iesha Alspaugh, Simran Bhinder, Abby Clark, Joseph Coachys, Alejandra Diaz-Fernandez, Barbara Dickensheets, Kathleen Harper, Amber Janzen, Savannah Myers, Mia Nickelson, Kathryn Powell, Alexis Smith, Bevin Snyder, Leslie Thomas

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Preventing Financial Exploitation of Older Adults

Financial fraud and abuse are on the rise and older adults are prime targets for functional exploitation. Financial scams targeting older adults have become so prevalent, they are being considered “The Crime of the 21st Century”. Preventing financial exploitation from ever happening in the first place is the best defense for protecting older adults. In collaboration with the Muncie Delaware Senior Center, the project team prepared training materials that included prevention steps, warning signs and typical schemes targeted at older adults. The team worked with the Center and developed a training protocol and process focused on educating older adults on issues related to financial exploitation.

Faculty Mentor: Ronald Dolon
Department: Social Work
Community Partner: Muncie Delaware Senior Center
Students: Samantha Disher, Kelly Eby, Kelsey Freiburger, Laura Groleau, Sarah Hellman, Addie Herndon, Carolyn Keating, Sarah Leone, Haley McAbee, Miranda Morris, Hannah Yeoman