Inform. Inspire.
Impact.
Sports Coverage
Ball State Soccer wins in penalty shootout, advances to MAC Championship
The Cardinals celebrate with chocolate milk and music on their bus ride back to the hotel.
While enjoying their post-game drink the Cardinals sang out Mood by 24kGoldn, a song that Ball State soccer has had in their minds for almost two years.
Ball State Defeats Northern Illinois
Found the inside pass. Took it wide. Sent it into the box. Jumped up for a header and suddenly the Cardinal fans are on their feet celebrating a goal.
Second-year defender Maya Mills said she came out ready for a fight as Ball State Soccer took on Northern Illinois Sept. 29. Mills took time before the game to prepare while having her pregame Panera meal, teriyaki broccoli bowl with a yogurt parfait and a cinnamon swirl bagel, and listening to music.
Ball State flies into the MAC with its 5th win of the season
The odds worked out in Ball State's favor with a 6-2 win against IU Indianapolis (IU Indy).
The Cardinals pressed the Jaguars, forcing a heavy defensive play with few opportunities to score. Quick movement of the ball, controlled touches and loud communication guided Ball State to victory.
Ball State soccer's season ends with zeros on the scoreboard
Despite the 26 shots total, neither team could pull off the win. Ball State (7-8-3, 2-6-3 MAC) ended No. 11 while Toledo (6-7-5, 3-4-4 MAC) finished No. 10 in MAC standing.
“At some point everyone’s season comes to an end, then you reassess, regroup and start over again. Unfortunately for us, we just started that process a little sooner than others,” head coach Josh Rife said.
Event Coverage
Ball State University students respond in protests after School of Art announces stacked classes are no longer
The rules of the telephone game are simple.
Everyone sits in a circle. You whisper a message to your neighbor, they whisper it forward. The message becomes diluted and convoluted, changing as it goes. It becomes a game of “he said,” “she said,” “they said.”
Susan Faludi inspires others as Ball State's Women’s Week keynote speaker
Susan Faludi’s witness to patriarchal issues at a young age sparked her interest in exploring feminism.
Feminist, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist and author Susan Faludi was presented as the keynote speaker for women’s week March 26 at 7 p.m. in the Art and Journalism Building room 175. She visited Dr. Tanya Pearon’s Women and Gender Studies 410 class — feminist theory — at 2 p.m. March 26 to encourage discussion about feminism.
Columns & Features
Guns Drawn
(Award winning)
She looks into his eyes, then down the barrel of the gun.
She stutters through her tears as she tries to talk him down, terrified the slightest move will end her life.
That’s how I imagine my friend’s final moments.
The NFL's Double Standard
I used to be a die-hard Cleveland Browns fan, but it all changed when Deshaun Watson was traded, bringing the NFL’s history back to the surface. I wanted them to do well and maintain good standards for the sake of the city's reputation, but I can no longer support a business or team that dismisses abuse towards women.
Identity Crisis
The blast of heat you feel when you step onto the turf signals the start of a feeling I will never forget. The thunder of rattling bleachers over the roaring crowd follows. Then the touch of the ball at your feet. The sound of it hitting the back of the net before a team celebration.
Suddenly, all of that was gone.
Challenge to Solution
When Ball State University students commit to playing a sport, they typically trade in the stereotypical college experience for a life of order, discipline and mental strain.
Graduate student Emma Hilton and senior Maya Guinn, who both play for Ball State University’s field hockey team, expected to face new demands when they signed up for the team. They didn’t fully understand the scope of the challenges that awaited them off the field.
Cameron Pickett: from cleats to crutches
For many college students, tests are a tedious diversion. But for Cameron Pickett, life itself is a test – and he learned from his.
Pickett — a Chicago native and newly-committed sophomore wide receiver for Kansas — has played football as long as he can remember. As a kid, he would stuff t-shirts under jerseys and act like he had shoulder pads on. He would use kneepads under football pants and run around so he was prepared to play at the age of five.
Lindsey Blom’s instruction makes an impact on Ball State Alumni
Lindsey Blom still remembers where she was when someone told her to give up on her dreams.
Blom was on a soccer field in Indianapolis when a coach from a Division III school told her she would never play college soccer. For many people, that kind of discouragement would be career-ending.
U.S. Army Cadet Command
Leading others through vulnerability
FORT KNOX, KY. – In the early hours of the day, Cadets assigned to Alpha Company, 6th Regiment, Advanced Camp, marched to the starting point of the six-mile battle march and shoot, July 5, 2025. The starlit sky and chilling, damp air encouraged Cadets before they stepped off to start their trek.
Cadet Irene Torrez Flores, University of Connecticut, continued to stay positive throughout the physical and mental exhaustion by remembering why she started. Among several reasons, Torrez joined ROTC due to her passion to help others.
A father's sacrifice
Cadet John Acfalle, University of Texas at San Antonio, 2nd Regiment, Advanced Camp, is a father of two chasing his dream of getting a college degree in applied science with a focus in health science.
Acfalle joined the Army at 33 years old as a combat medic. He spent a lot of time in the field to prepare for Combat Training Center rotations, which are a culmination of training events to validate unit readiness. They spent about two weeks a month for 12 months in the field.
Comfort in purpose
The Cadets assigned to 2nd Regiment, Advanced Camp, woke up before the sun to complete the Army Fitness Test June 8, 2025. After a long day of travel, they quickly realized there was no room for a negative mentality.
They were pushed to their limits as they conducted each event for the AFT. These included the three-repetition maximum deadlift, hand-release push-up, sprint-drag-carry, plank and two-mile run. They were exhausted and uncomfortable, but that didn’t stop them.
Leadership within a team
The crunch of the wet gravel beneath boots and the screech of a hand slipping off a slick wood surface. Cadets assigned to Alpha Company, 2nd Regiment, Advanced Camp, took on the confidence course after a long night of thunderstorms and little sleep, June 19, 2025.
The confidence course consists of nine obstacles to test the Cadets’ physical strength and mental perseverance. The atmosphere was energetic as Cadets cheered each other on through the inconvenient circumstances.
Father before Soldier
FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadet Francisco Millan-Montes, Austin Peay State University, assigned to 2nd Platoon, Delta Company, 4th Regiment, Advanced Camp, has had multiple leadership roles, but is taking this opportunity to pursue his dream of being an officer.
Millan was in the Army National Guard, for about two years, before transitioning to active duty and joining the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) for four years. During this time, Millan had the opportunity to lead other Soldiers as a company radio telephone operator, team leader and squad leader. His opportunities ranged from a rotation to Poland, Estonia and the Joint Readiness Training Center to learning new techniques in air assault school.
Learning on the battlefield
FORT KNOX, Ky. — Gunfire rang out as Cadets ran through the woods to aid their team during their second mission of the ‘Wolverine’ field training exercise on Fort Knox, Ky., June 25, 2025.
The FTX is designed to simulate a combat environment as Cadets take on increasingly complex training scenarios. During a total of 12 days in the field, Cadets go through three phases—Wolverine, Panther and Grizzly. Each one prepared them for their evaluation on the last day of training.