Ball State Homecoming 2009

so this is it!

2009-09-27T23:09:00.003-04:00

It's officially Homecoming!! I can't believe it.

Today was flag football prelims and everything ran so smoothly - especially for it being a first time event! Brandon & Paula have worked really hard to get this event ready to go and it definitely paid off! Great job, Brala!!

Monday is Opening Days and the Bonfire so come out to Laf. Field for all the fun! It's also Tech Rehearsal for the Talent Show. Means I'll be busy running around trying to get the last minute details together. I'm a little nervous, but can't wait to see how the show turns out!

This week is going to fly by and I'm really excited, but sad at the same time. It means the time with the Homecoming Steering Committee '09 will be coming to an end. I've had so much fun with this committee!! Thanks to all of you for being such a great group and making things happen!

Best of luck to everyone this week with their events and can't wait to see everyone come out and enjoy all Homecoming '09 has to offer!!

WHO'S READY FOR THE BEST WEEK EVER??

2009-09-23T13:26:00.002-04:00

woop woop! I can't believe Homecoming is next week!!!!!! I am soooo excited for the events. There is a lot going on next week. Even though classes are getting stressful, I hope people can find time to participate in the events, because if they don't they are REALLY going to be missing out! Brandon and I are meeting with the Flag Football captains tonight to discuss the rules and regulations of the games. The Pre-lims are this Sunday!!! It's going to be fun. If you are around campus you should all stop by and see the flag football tournament. The tournament will be on Bethel Fields starting at 10 AM. Cheer on your favorite team, they may need it because their is a lot on the line. The championship teams get to play at THE Scheumann Stadium!! ANDDDDD there's an amazing fireworks show afterwards all on Wednesday night. These are just 2 events out of a 7 day week... imagine how much fun you will have if you participate in every HC event!

So everyone buckle down Friday and Saturday night and get ALL of your homework done because you are not going to want to miss out on the events next week! Do you want to have the Best Week Ever?? then get involved!!!!

have a good weekend! I hope to see everyone at the events!

-Paula T.

ONE WEEK!!!!

2009-09-09T16:39:00.002-04:00

So the Royalty Fashion Show is exactly 1 week away!! I have been working hard on the script and getting everything ready for the fashion show! I am meeting with the Emcee's tonight to go over the script. I have a checklist made and will be working on it for the next week! Voting is happening right now and goes until September 15th at 5pm. The Royalty Fashion Show is on the 16th at 7:30pm. It only costs one dollar.... and is well worth it!!! That is when the top 10 king candidates and top 10 queen candidates will be announced. The royalty is very excited for the coming weeks and so am I!

-Carrie Cozad
Royalty Chair

FIREWORKS!!!

2009-09-07T15:15:00.002-04:00

Hello Homecoming Enthusiast,

Things are moving FAST!!! In a short 3 weeks, homecoming will be here and our duties as your steering committee will have ended. Already thoughts of sadness enter my mind as I look around the conference table during our meetings. Everything from Michelle playing with her hair to Franklin's long updates will be truly missed.

We recently had our Fall Information Meeting and it was a huge success. Although Paula and myself were a bit frazzled at the podium, I think students are excited about our flag football tournament. So far we have three teams and I'm excited to get more! It has been a lot of hard work getting the finite details worked out, but I'm sure the event will be ever so rewarding upon its conclusion.

Fireworks are going spectacularly! I've now met our contact Ron Evans, and he is so great! This man knows everything about fireworks and it was clear from our meeting he has a grasp on exactly how to makes BSU's homecoming fireworks spectacular.

On another note, I'm so impressed with the hard work of other committee members. Peter has blown me away with his contributions to homecoming media. If you haven't yet, check out his numerous videos promoting our homecoming events. Jenny has created an event I'm excited about and has been so on the ball with event planning. Sheri is working so diligently on finding new BSU talent, and everyone else is just flat out rocking their events.

I have to give shout out to Paula Truex! Working as the only homecoming event duo for planning it has been a sincere pleasure watching this young woman grow. Her skills are exceptional and I'm sure she along with all other underclassman on the committee will prevail in upcoming years!

Again, I'm sad that this all ends soon, and I think one thing I have liked the most is the time spent with our advisors! Michelle, Kate, Julie, and Ed have been truly inspiring in their efforts to help us! This experience wouldn't be the same without them!

GET EXCITED BALL STATE!! Homecoming this year really is going to be great! The committee is stress free, prepared, and ready for any challenges that may present themselves. I HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL AT EVERY EVENT~!!

Sincerely

Brandon
Special Events!

My First Homecoming All-Nighter!!

2009-09-07T11:33:00.001-04:00

Well its official, I pulled my first homecoming all-nighter. I received video from last years technology chair, Bernardo Madrigal, on Friday August 28th and I wanted to put together the promo video (located to the left above the youtube logo).

I needed to finish the video before the fall information meeting on Wednesday September 2. I knew it would be challenging because it was a quick turnaround, not to mention I had hours and hours of footage to look through.

So on Saturday I went to campus and tried to get into all of the editing labs. Apparently the card access I had last year, has to be redone every year, so here I am unable to capture the video that I need in order to finish the promo before Wednesday at 9pm.

I had some free time in my schedule on Monday so I captured all of the footage that I needed. Then that night after most of my homework was done I began editing, I was able to get all of the individual day promo videos done by Tuesday at 8:00 am.

I spent Tuesday packaging it all together and I am pretty happy with the end result (as you can see if you click the video box to the left).

Thank you Bernardo without you the video would never have been possible.

I plan to shot all events during the week and have video updates available every night online.

While Tuesday was my first homecoming all-nighter I have a feeling it will not be my last.

Get Ready because it's the end of September and that means one thing it's time..... for the "Best Week Ever" Ball State Homecoming 2009.

-Peter Carr
Student Organizations / Technology Chair / Athletic Liaison

Step by Step, Day by Day

2009-08-24T23:13:00.002-04:00

So school is back in session and campus is finally thriving!! I spent my summer in Muncie working with Orientation and of course trying to keep things moving forward with Homecoming festivities. I was a little pumped to see people finally start moving back for another year at BSU.

The crew has been working a lot of events and doing what we can to get everyone pumped up for Homecoming this year. The activity fair and the t-shirt sales at the Scramble Light were both a huge success and a blast! Don't forget to get your Homecoming t-shirt for the big game against Toledo on October 3rd!

My office hours kicked back in today at the Alumni Center and I was really glad to be back - even if I had to listen to Peter talk for an hour... :) I got to see a lot of the goods to be given away during Homecoming and they are all pretty awesome. Definitely won't want to miss out on them!!! It's getting close guys so mark your calendar and be sure to check out the Fall Info Meeting on September 2nd to grab sign up sheets for events and get all of the details for the Best Week Ever!

Sheri Niekamp
Talent Search Chair

Homecoming is getting closer...

2009-08-20T15:37:00.002-04:00

It's hard to believe that the summer is almost over! But that means that Homecoming will be in full swing soon! I have spent most of the afternoon in the office catching up on work and e-mails regarding homecoming.

Homecoming Steering Committee Members will be working at Quad Bash this year! Come out and say hi! We will also be at the Activity Fair on Saturday in the arena. Stop by, say hi and sign up to be on a sub-committee or just learn more about the events!

We look forward to seeing all of you this year! :)

Samantha Adamczewski
General Chair

Less than 2!!!

2009-08-11T22:54:00.002-04:00

Well Hello BSU! Im back on the blog again just thinking of how excited I am about the fact that Homecoming is in LESS than 2 months. I am back working in the Homecoming Office in the Alumni Center again. I've missed the 'ole office. I hope you all are keeping up with the committee's progress as we continue to keep you posted. Check out the Alunmi Center website (HOMECOMING SPECIFICALLY) as there may be changes in dates and times. I will say this a lot but... GET READY, GET PUMPED, AND GET EXCITED, because HOMECOMING IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER!!! GO Cards!

Sincerely,

Maurice Harding
Residence Halls Chairman

And then there was 2!!

2009-08-06T12:38:00.002-04:00

Wow I can't believe how fast this summer has gone. I mean it seems like yesterday I was celebrating the forth of July in Tampa with my family and now school starts in about two weeks.

That means the Best Week Ever is less than two months away. After the committees summer meeting in Muncie (followed by an awesome game of laser tag), I have spent all of my free time learning a graphics program known as After Effects.

It has taken me over a week to learn it, but today I created my first intro video, I have not put music with it yet but I think its really cool. In fact I posted it on the Facebook group the video is for the first day of events known as Chirp Factor. The video may seem small its only five seconds long but it took a while to create all of the layers of video that go into it's graphics.

I think I am going to move some of my things into my Fraternity house this weekend. That is the Sigma Chi house at the end of riverside. I am excited to get back up to BSU, I have missed it this summer, and can't wait to see all of my great friends and to begin talking to student groups about all the opportunities they have to participate in Homecoming.

Anyways I have to get back to working on graphics for "BSU's got Talent" of the talent search on Tuesday night of Homecoming.

I am really excited to be a part of the group that is going to make this years homecoming the "Best Week Ever".

Peter Carr

Homecoming Steering Committee
Student Organizations / Technology Chair / Athletics Liaison

YAY FOR HOMECOMING APPROACHING OH SO FAST!!!!

2009-07-25T20:57:00.002-04:00

Well, well, well...Here we are, just under a month before school starts again! Homecoming is approaching steadily and yet we are working to make it "THE BEST WEEK EVER!" So Im pretty stoked about the Homecoming drawstring bags! NICE ADDITION! I love the HSC so much. We are a great group of TEAMMATES! We will be seeing you all soon! Get ready, get set, because here we come!!!!!!!!

GO HOMECOMING and GOOOOOOO CARDS!!!!

Maurice Harding
Residence Hall Chairman
Homecoming Steering Committee

Summer Meeting

2009-07-13T15:10:00.003-04:00

This weekend the Steering Committee met at Playstation in Muncie to catch up with each other and plan out what each of us are doing the rest of the summer. It was a fun meeting followed by a little bit of laser tag action (whoot whoot Red team!).

Even though it's summer, we're still all hard at work on Homecoming issues in addition to our other responsibilities. While some people have been sitting on beaches or delivering pizzas this summer, we've also been courting sponsors, filling out space requisitions and making powerpoints for the Fall Info Meeting.

As for me, I've spent my summer in the nation's capital, Washington DC, interning for a pharmaceutical company. Working 3 blocks from the White House is both fun but stressful.

I hope everyone else is having a great summer and if you're ever out here, hit me up!

Frank Hood
Sponsorships and Promotions

Who knew that the Muncie Board of Public Works could be so exhilarating?!

2009-04-22T11:01:00.003-04:00

We just got back from our meeting to request noise exemptions and street closings. Let me tell you what happened.

We walked into this HUGE building downtown, and all the people in there run the city of Muncie. We walked into this room with so many chairs, there was about 1,000 people in there. At the front of the room, was a tiny little podium in front of a huge desk with the head honchos of Muncie. I had to go first to present the Noise Exemption Request for the Opening Day Games. I had to walk about 100ft to get to the podium. I was shaking in my boots/ flip flops. They asked about 25 questions, and one of questions was, "Do you agree with the current sanitary plan implemented at the meeting on September 7, 2007?" Good think I know how to think on my feet. After a long 30 minutes, they approved my request!

And then they approved Paula's, mine again, and then Laura's. Needless to say, we rocked it. :)

p.s. I am stoked for the Spring Info Meeting tonight!! Peter made an awesome powerpoint.

I feel pretty....oh so pretty!!!

2009-04-20T14:19:00.002-04:00

SOOO

I'm sitting in the office with Franklin right now, and to be completely honest he is driving me insane. All we do is bicker back and forth as to how AMAZING the BEST WEEK EVER is going to be. The boy be trippin...that is all I am saying. (I heart you Franklin)

(P.S. Franklin is killing the sponsorships!! He's been on the phone like a mad man finding out useful information)

Paula and I have been super busy with meetings, dinners, wedding planning, etc. for homecoming week and we couldn't be more thrilled to be bringing the students a face paced, fun, energized event.

Fireworks on are going to be super BA this year, and I've been in correspondance with Mr. Firework Man...he is so cool! WLBC will be in contact with Paula and I in the upcoming weeks, as we want them out at our event, and lets talk about food! Mr. MANN IS GOING TO HOOK US UP!!!

ALRIGHT!!! SOO overview...Frank is killing me softly, Paula & I are getting married, Ed Shipley is the MAN!!!, Michelle likes to play with her hair, Kate looks great in forest green...it completments her skin tone, and I ladies and gentleman am still highly in LOVE with HOMECOMING 2009!!!!!

Get Pumped!

2009-04-17T13:21:00.003-04:00

For this year's homecoming I'm in charge of organizing and planning the parade. Hopefully not only will this year's homecoming be the "Best Week Ever" but hopefully we will have the Best Parade Ever! We are getting ready to send out invitations to all the local band directors inviting them to come participate and to a list of convertible owners asking for their donation of their vehicles for the morning. Things are going great so far with planning everything but there is still a lot left to be done! If any readers of the blog own a convertible and would be interested in driving it in the parade please contact us, we are always looking for more convertibles!

A question I've been asked by many people is, "Why are you starting on Homecoming stuff so soon?" There is a simple answer to this question. Many people don't realize how much work goes into the planning and execution of the week of Homecoming events. We have to fill out lots of paperwork asking for spaces to use for events and have to have permits granted through many local agencies. There is a lot of work to do and not a whole lot of time to do it. When we come back to school in the fall there are only 5 short weeks till Homecoming week.

I hope everyone has a great last couple weeks of the semester and are able to enjoy the beautiful weather that we are having!

~Laura Stauffer, Parade Chairman

Ch Ch Ch Charlie....(Sing that to the chia pet melody)

2009-04-08T16:05:00.003-04:00

Ello Followers,

Today has been so full of freaking wonderfulness that my head could just explode. In this two hour jammed filled fun session I have:

Contacted Mr. Fireworks Man
Completed the liability form
Completed the entry form
Updated Spring Infomation Meeting info
Lived, Laughed, and Loved with the ladies of the office

Homecoming is certainly shaping up to be the BEST WEEK OF MY FREAKING LIFE!!!!

Paula and I have also been preparing for yet again another meeting with the Recreation Sevices folk to compile information and confirm the dates for our FLAG FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT!!!

Get Get Get itttttt

Brandon

And the Winner is...

2009-04-08T15:16:00.003-04:00

Hello Everyone!! I'm just hanging in the HSC office working on Royalty stuff. So far we have the Royalty dinner booked and I'm looking at options for the menu :) I have also been looking into items to have the Royalty candidates pass out to students to get them to vote in September. Some other fun things I've been looking at are the tiaras and crowns to give to the Homecoming 2009 King, Queen, and Court!! And it has been oh so fun looking at them!

I'm getting things ready for the Spring Information meeting which is April 22nd... so get EXCITED!!!! Free Pizza and Great Information!!

I'm waiting for Royalty forms to be turned in. They are due Friday, April 10th 2009. Once I have those all turned in I can get things ready for pictures and for the Fall!

Get excited.... it's going to be the BEST WEEK EVER!!!!!

Carrie Cozad
Royalty Chairman

B-B-B-Benny & the...Cardinals.

2009-04-01T15:56:00.007-04:00

So I'm hanging out at the Alumni Center during my office hours and checking things off my list. I decided it was time to blog again.

Abby and I are in the process of meeting with the Emen's staff to set up all the details for Air Jam and Talent Search. So far we have the place booked! I also caved and decided to Twitter (or is it tweet??). Who wants to tutor me, because I'm not really sure I get it? I've also spent most of my office time contacting alum for possible judges and a few potential emcees!

I'm really excited to make things happen this year! Wednesday nights are always entertaining with you all! :) With all the excitement and commitment around that round (oval) table, this homecoming week might be better than the best week ever!

Sheri

Oh...and the fleeces are ordered!!! :D

Did you hear?!?!?!? BENNY GOT BACK!!!

2009-04-01T15:05:00.002-04:00

The preliminary flag football meeting went exceptionally well this week. I couldn't be more excited for the possibility that this event is going GLOBAL BABY....I mean AROUND THE WORLD! (well not really, but it would be so sweet) ANYWHO as Paula and I always say "DREAM BIG"

We have another meeting next week with even more people to help make this event possible and hopefully our general meeting that follows will contain numerous updates on how this really is going to be the best week ever : )

The fireworks display is being worked on as we try our best to set this years show to music, and I couldn't be more thrilled that they will take place out at the Scheu!!

GO HOMECOMING

Brandon

Homecoming rulez my life!

2009-04-01T01:05:00.002-04:00

Here I sit in Bracken Library after spending close to 7 hours in the last 30 working on solely Homecoming stuff. I'm not complaining though, because the work I'm doing now should go a long way to making Homecoming week the best week ever. Plus, all this work is making me feel quite accomplished.

Thus far I've created an Excel spreadsheet with the address and phone number of over 200 Muncie businesses to contact as well as updated the letters that are being sent to them in late summer.

Now I'm working on the specifics for the inaugural Business Storefront Decorating Contest. It is going to be a competition between Muncie businesses to see which one can have the best decorated storefront as determined by a panel of judges. I'm excited because if the contest is well received, it will result in the town being painted Cardinal red and white and creates another bridge between Muncie and the university.

Overall, Homecoming is shaping up nicely. Everyone is working well together and the meetings are light-hearted and entertaining yet extremely productive. Across every event, chairs are pushing the limits to the extreme to make everything bigger and better than previous years, and that can only result in one thing: epic awesome.

Anywho, this Word document is calling me (yes, it speaks) so I'll going to get crackin' on that.

~ Frank Hood
Community/Sponsorships and Promotions Chair

That's What Charlie Said.

2009-03-31T10:43:00.002-04:00

And Charlie said that this is going to be the best homecoming ever. :)

I have to say that I love the big steps we are taking this year, especially with the flag football event! That is going to be so exciting and I love all the work that Brandon and Paula are doing on it!

Right now I am working on the logistics of the Bed Race, trying to see if there is any way to make it bigger an better than last year(which is proving to be quite difficult since it is amazing every year)! The committee (and Pete because he is full of amazing ideas) came up with the idea of moving the Bed Race onto McKinley. There is a little list of pros and a long list of cons that I am going to present to the committee tomorrow. We will see what everyone thinks!

And I am really excited for the brand new event we are having this year: a week-long scavenger hunt! One of these weekends you will see me aimlessly wandering throughout campus looking for good clues and spots. :) I really hope that this gets even MORE people involved in homecoming week!

Have a great week everyone!

Jenny Pyle

Special Events Chairman

The Best Ever

2009-03-29T21:20:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone!

I am working on my econ homework and wanted to say hello to everyone! I am so excited to be working on homecoming this year! We have a rockstar committee that make my Wednesday nights fun and exciting!

We are hard at work creating this years homecoming week of events! There are a lot of new and exciting ideas in the works so stay tuned! I'm working on making sure that everything goes as smoothly as possible. If you have any ideas let us know!

Our theme is now finalized and it should prove to be the best week ever. :)

Hope you all are doing well! Don't forget to congratulate the women's basketball team on their amazing success!

Have a good week, we're almost done with school!

-samantha adamczewski

OMG my BFF Charlie...(Cardinal)

2009-03-18T17:46:00.003-04:00

Being back from break comes with its share of responsibilities, and of those is the task of creating a new event. Paula and myself will be enjoying dinner tomorrow to solidify some ideas for the inaugural homecoming flag football tournament. This is so exciting already as we have made some contacts, created a rule guide as well as information packet, and constructed a possible bracket.

Peter, Sheri, and I conversed today about a possible theme, and I have to give it to Peter....what we are going to share at our general meeting tonight could be it. I will wait to say anything so I don't spoil it.

(P.S. I should be writing an essay right now on the media's influence on male consumers, but this is SO much better...GO FIGURE)

I would like to give a shout out to our advisors for being such amazing resources during this experience. Homecoming would definitely not be possible without you.

Thats all for now...

Brandon A. Schenk

Special Events Chairman

Here We Go! BSU HC09

2009-03-18T10:53:00.002-04:00

Hey Guys! I am currently working in the office and trying to organize my ideas for Homecoming. First I'd like to say I LOVE the theme "The Greatest Show on Turf". Not only is it a great play on words, but it allows us to have a solid theme for every activity we do. Just imagine, if we went with the Circus theme we could have circus tents everywhere, an elephant on McKinley ( I know it's a long shot but we could try!), and so much more. The logo would be really fun to create. I also like the "It's time to Chirp" theme and it is definitely my second favorite.

We are trying a new activity this year. We are having a flag football tournament for one of our special events. Brandon and I are meeting this week to discuss and organize all of the details.

=) I hope everyone is enjoying the sunshine this week!

Paula Truex

Special Events Chairman

It's A Cardinal Celebration

2009-03-14T14:55:00.002-04:00

Okay so as I am preparing to come back to BSU tonight, I am still brainstorming theme ideas. My top is still... It's Chirp Time because it is about everybody and not just the game and team. I was going through ideas that would include everyone and include what homecoming is all about and suddenly one dawned on me... "IT'S A CARDINAL CELEBRATION!" This is just another idea to throw on the table but I do believe that it symbolizes what homecoming is all about plus it inclusive of the WHOLE BSU population. What do yall think? See ya soon!

Mo

2009 Residence Hall Chairman

Back to the Grind

2009-03-14T11:48:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone!!

Spring Break is wrapping up and I'm excited to get back to Muncie and continue working with you all! Like I'm sure all of you are, I have been trying to think of possible Homecoming themes. I can't begin to tell you how excited I am to work with all of you and make BSU Homecoming '09 an incredible time! I can tell by just the few meetings we have had that this is going to be a unique experience and one I am definitely going to enjoy!

I'll see you all at the round (oval) table Wednesday ;) Hope your last two days of break are superb!

Sheri
Talent Search Chair

Reflections from the poolside

2009-03-13T20:11:00.002-04:00

Hello Homecoming Enthusiast,

As we endure the final days of "Spring Break 2009" I find myself brainstorming ideas not only for a theme, but all events for the amazing week that awaits us eight months away. I was sitting in the pool outside the house I am staying in and realized that this is the most amazing experience I have been involved in. Every time I walk into that conference room around the round (oval really) table, I am elated with the joy of working with a group of inspirational leaders and amazing individuals. It is such a fun experience that I highly suggest all students consider pursuing.

ANYWHO DIDDLES... homecoming is going to be a blast. The classics like royalty, air jam, bed races, and the big game all will continue to be bigger and better. This year presents new opportunities for students and alumni alike and I couldn't be more excited about inspiring change within homecoming and its traditions. I hope you all stay tuned to the magic homecoming week has to offer and continue to have a fantastic break.

As for me...I'm laying in the warm Arizona sun enjoying time with family. I hope you all are having fulfilling breaks and are ready to move full force for the last weeks of the semester!

Brandon A. Schenk

Special Events Chairman

Homecoming 2009

2009-03-13T17:45:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone! My name is Samantha Adamczewski and I am the General Chair for Homecoming 2009!

I am really excited to start planning this years homecoming! Currently I am home for spring break, but I will be returning Sunday. Our goal to accomplish this week is finding a theme for the year. Vote on the side of the blog to give your input!

I look forward to meeting everyone as the months go on! If you have any questions, feel free to

e-mail me at samantha.adamczewski@gmail.com

See you soon!

-sam.

YES! It IS CHIRP TIME!

2009-03-13T15:48:00.002-04:00

Im excited yall. What do you think about thunder stix for this years Dinner Give-aways? IDK... I thought it would be pretty awesome but loud!

It's Chirp Time

2009-03-12T21:30:00.004-04:00

Well this is officially the first Blog for Homecoming 2009. Sixteen students from differnt backgrounds will come togeather as voulnteers to plan, promote and create a memorable homecoming next fall.

I am currently on spring break back in Cincinnati, spending time with my family.

One of my positions for the homecoming steering committee is Technology chair, that is the reason I created this blog.

Currently we do not have a theme finalized, but I am confident that we will have one in the next week.

I am so happy to be a part of the committee and I am really looking forward to making Homecoming 2009 one Ball State will never forget.

Peter Carr
Student Organizations / Technology Chair / Athletic Liaison