Abstract:
For years Ball State University and the city of Muncie have been caught in an atmosphere of "Town v. Gown" tension. The pattern of the conflict is cyclical, and therefore, if nothing changes, this tension can only continue and may possibly even intensify. In order to preserve the well being of the community, the university, and the students themselves, something has to change. The Great Garfield Hunt, a picture scavenger hunt throughout the city of Muncie, proposes a method of getting Ball State students to invest in the community, as the community reaches out to Ball State students by giving them a taste of the uniqueness that Muncie has to offer.Several years ago, 25 Muncie organizations created unique Garfield statuettes which were eventually scattered throughout the city. The proposed activity is essentially a prolonged scavenger hunt for these Garfield statues, targeted at incoming Ball State freshmen, to be incorporated as an optional assignment in the mandatory Freshmen Connections and Honors 100 classes. Given access to a list of all of the Garfields identities and current locations, students will hunt down a minimum of 3/4 of the remaining statues and photograph themselves with each Garfield, before submitting the photos to their Freshman Connections or Honors 100 mentors in order to receive credit for the completion of the activity, and a certificate of completion. While this may not solve the "Town v. Gown" tension, the goal is that it will provide the opportunity for students to begin bridging the gap.
