Nominations continue to be accepted for alumni awards for Ball State's alumni constituent organizations. Criteria and forms can be requested from the Alumni Association, or via the Association Web site. The constituent groups also have announced activities.

COB: Following its Thursday, January 16 board meeting, the College of Business Alumni board will host a reception for business alumni at the Ritz Charles in Carmel. Reservations are needed by Thursday, January 9.

COFA: College of Fine Arts alumni are invited to attend a Ball State reception at the Westin Hotel, Indianapolis, in conjunction with the Indiana Music Educators Association, Friday, January 10.

The COFA Alumni board will meet Tuesday, January 21 at Ball State's Museum of Art.

FCS: The Family and Consumer Sciences Alumni board will meet Monday, February 3 at the Alumni Center. Plans are being made for an awards dinner, Thursday, April 3.

Journalism: Plans are underway for a reunion of student media alumni. The reunion will be Saturday, June 21, at the Alumni Center and former staff members of all student media staffs will be invited. Anyone interested in assisting with planning should contact the Alumni Association.

The Journalism Alumni board will meet Saturday, January 25, on campus.

NREM: The Natural Resources and Environmental Management Alumni Society will host its annual Internship/Career Opportunities Day, Tuesday, January 28 at the Alumni Center.

Alumni who represent both private and public sectors and who have either internships or position openings are encouraged to participate. The NREM board will meet following the event.

Nursing: Twenty-two graduates were accepted during the December 2002 nurse's pinning ceremony on campus.

The Nursing Alumni board will meet Tuesday, January 7. The board will select recipients for the Outstanding Nursing Alumni award, to be presented at its banquet, Saturday, April 26.

Reunions Scheduled to Bring Alumni Back to Campus

Plans are unfolding for reunions that will be hosted for the Class of 1953, field hockey alumni, and Black alumni.

Class of 1953: The Class of 1953 Reunion Social Committee selected Richard McKee, '53, as its chairman for the Thursday and Friday, June 19-20 event at the Alumni Center.

Social committee members include: Alice (Myers) Arthur, '53; Evelyn (King) Chadbourne, '53MA57; Charles H. Claspell, '53; Christina (Stone) Conn, '53MA60; Kermit Hays, '53MA57; Mary Ellen (Keller) Hays,'53; Crystal (Shipe) Mahoney,'53; and Bob Mantock, '53MA59.

Also, Patsy (Moran) Meachum, '53; Richard Nichols, '53MA55EdD65; Marilyn (Park) Pickell, '53MA63; Georgia (Niehardt) Pope, '53MA55; Geraldine (Kierspe) Schoenherr, 53MAE82; Byron Starr, '53; and Josephine (Snyder) Wagner, '53.

Alumni of the class of 1953 are asked to return their information sheets for the reunion album. The committee will meet Wednesday, January 29 at the Alumni Center.

Field Hockey: Field Hockey alumni will have a reunion reception and dinner Saturday, March 1, on campus. Information is available online.

Black Alumni: The Black Alumni Society has named leaders to plan its summer reunion, which is scheduled for Friday through Sunday, August 1-3 at the Alumni Center. Co-chairing the event are Phillip Anderson, '95; and Pamala Morris, '69MAE71.

Additional committees and chairmen include: awards, John Hall, '72; entertainment, Fred Cox, '74; hospitality, Allen Williams, '73, and Foster Stephens, '73MAE78; and publicity, Charmaine Powell, '75.

Anthony Head, '01; Lavar Charleston, '02; and Tolo Olowomeye, student representative, are assisting with aspects related to graduates of the last decade.

The Black Alumni Society board will meet Saturday, January 11 at the Alumni Center.

Alumni Clubs Announce New Members

Ball State's alumni clubs have planned numerous upcoming events. Board elections also were recently conducted.

Greater Indianapolis: Two new members have been appointed to the Greater Indianapolis Alumni Club board. They are Russ Lawrence, '94; and Jerre McManama, '91.

There will be a Cardinal basketball watch party at the Fox and the Hound Pub and Grille in Fishers, Saturday, January 25. Host is Chad Ellis, '96.

Alumni are invited to the Indianapolis Ice hockey game Saturday, February 1. Tom Andrews, '77, is chairman.

The club will host a casino night at Jillian's Saturday, February 8. Outing chairman is Steph Meyers, '91MA92.

Michiana: Two officers and three new board members have been elected to the Michiana Alumni Club board.

Jenn Crist, '90, was re-elected president, and Vince Von Der Vellen, '87, has been re-elected vice-president. Bryan Golden, '96; Gail Jaskowiak, '77; and Kristy Schermerhorn, '94, were selected for the board.

Northeastern Indiana: The annual TGIF gathering will be hosted Friday, February 21 at Columbia Street West in Fort Wayne. Chairman for the event is Mike McKay, '87.

Alumni Membership Offers Rewards

All alumni of Ball State University are considered members of the Alumni Association. With membership comes the opportunity to enjoy the programs, activities, and services of the Association, including utilization of the extensive records system to keep in touch with acquaintances.

The term "active alumnus" is given to any alumnus who contributes to any recognized university fund through the Ball State University Foundation. Gifts can be made for any amount to any established account.

Active alumni are eligible to serve on various boards, enabling them to participate in Association decisions.

Also available through the Ball State Alumni Association is a free notary service. To have documents notarized, contact Erin Lambert.

For further information about all alumni services contact the Alumni Association during regular business hours, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Post-Its

Career Center: Career Center events include the Cardinal Job Fair, March 26 and Teacher Fair, April 30-May 1. Both will be hosted in Worthen Arena.

More than 150 employers will be on campus to discuss full-time and internship opportunities with Ball State students and alumni during the fair.

Teacher Fair: Almost 100 school corporations from across Indiana and the United States came to campus for the 2002 Teacher Fair. Employers conducted 1,725 interviews with Ball State teaching candidates.

Florida Events: Members of the university community will travel to Florida for five events throughout the state in January and February.

The cities and dates are: Orlando, January 29; Sarasota/Bradenton, January 30; Tampa/St. Petersburg, January 31; Ft. Myers, February 1; and Naples, February 2. Details of the activities will be mailed to Florida-area Alumni.

Lucy Bansley, '02, still gets excited talking about her appearance on The Price Is Right.

Bansley appeared on the program November 13, 2002, less than six months after graduating from Ball State and moving to Los Angeles in an attempt to break into show business.

Bansley was joined by several other aspiring actors and actresses during the taping of the show, September 13. The Chicago native admits using a bubbly "girl-next-door" personality to get on the program.

"The producers look for people who are outgoing, and I was a total ham," she says. "I had my Ball State sweatshirt on and was trying to be as bubbly as I could."

"The next thing I know my name is called, and I won the first prizes. Then I got onto the stage to meet Bob Barker and then won a car. It just happened so fast. If you didn't watch the first few minutes, you missed me."

The Price Is Right is the longest running game show in television history, now in its 31st season. The show is hosted by Barker, winner of 12 Daytime Emmy awards.

"I watched the show and always wondered why people act so crazy when they get on," Bansley says. "At first I wasn't nervous at all. I think it was due to my theater training at Ball State."

"But, when I won that car, I lost all sense of reality. My friends said I just dropped to my knees and went crazy," she says. "I don't really remember it."

Rodger Smith, one of Bansley's Ball State theater professors, was not amazed that his former pupil took home several prizes.

"Lucy is one of our most promising graduates," he says. "Her talent, work ethic, and ability to focus have all prepared her for an outstanding career in the entertainment business.

"She also has the passion and energy to take advantage of whatever opportunity is presented to her," he continues."Her Price Is Right success isn't surprising. That they didn't offer her a job, is."

The show is the second opportunity for the young actress to showcase her skills. In addition to landing a role in an upcoming stage play of Macbeth, Bansley was recently cast as a high school cheerleader in the NBC drama American Dreams.

"I was on set for a couple of days and learned a great deal from the experience," Bansley says. "I don't know how much of me they will use when they air the show later this year. It could be a lot, or you may only see my hand."

Bansley credits her undergraduate education and roles in several Ball State television commercials with helping her handle the competitive market found in Los Angeles.

She was featured in three "Everything You Need" commercials while at Ball State, in addition to several stage plays on campus.

"My professors were so wonderful and many became my mentors while I was in school," Bansley says. "Those television commercials were great because they gave me my initial experience and a lot of exposure. Ball State did a lot for me."

by Marc Ransford