RETAILERS ARE ‘CRYING WOLF’ BY HAVING TOO MANY SALES: Consumers are confused and disillusioned with the overwhelming number of sales at retail stores. Most shoppers do not have a clear idea about merchandise on discount nor believe the savings are substantial, said Shaheen Borna, a marketing professor. For information about his study, contact Borna at sborna@bsu.edu or (765) 285-5191.

PRESIDENT TO VISIT THREE EUROPEAN CITIES: Ball State President John E. Worthen will visit three European cities from March 29-April 2, meeting with groups of alumni, friends of the university and current students enrolled in exchange or study abroad programs. He will be in Amsterdam on March 30, London on April 1 and Vienna on April 2. For more information, contact Martin Limbird, director of International Advancement, at mlimbird@bsu.edu or (765)285-8129.

PIZZA WARS INTENSIFY WITH LATEST ADS: In the midst of an intense pizza war, Pizza Hut and Papa John’s are spending millions in marketing to outdo the other. The rivals are even mentioning each other by name – once against basic marketing rules - in an attempt to dominate the $25 billion pizza industry, said James Lowry, marketing professor. For information about this intense marketing war, contact Lowry at jlowry@bsu.edu or (765) 285-5180.

PEACE CORPS PROVIDES A WORLD OF EXPERIENCE FOR GRADUATE: Teaching pest control measures to Guatemalan farmers might sound like an odd way to spend two years, but to Ball State graduate Becky Clouser it was an adventure. The Converse, Ind., native was stationed in the city of Santa Cruz and taught formal courses to farmers. She also worked in villages to educate women on the benefits of medicinal plants. Contact Clouser at rlclouser@hotmail.com.

‘FIT KIDS’ DEVELOPS BODIES, SELF-ESTEEM: Children can build healthy self-esteem and healthy bodies as part of a Ball State fitness program.  Fit Kids, offered through the School of Physical Education for children in grades 3-5, focuses on success-oriented activities including non-competitive games, swimming, obstacle courses and scavenger hunts.  For more information, contact Arlene Ignico, professor of physical education and Fit Kids director, at aignico@bsu.edu or (765) 285-5169.

COLLEGE STUDENTS NOT INTERESTED IN POLITICS: Today’s college students may have less interest in political matters than their counterparts of the 1960s and 1970s. A survey of students found that only about nine percent reported being very interested in politics while 14 percent had no interest, said Mike Corbett, political science professor. For more information, contact Corbett by e-mail at acorbett@bsu.edu or by phone at (765) 468-6019.

PROFESSOR LAUNCHES INDOOR AIR QUALITY WEB SITE: A Ball State environmental expert has launched a Web site addressing indoor environmental problems affecting millions of Americans. The Indoor Environment Notebook, located at allows readers to e-mail Thad Godish, professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management. The site is updated weekly with his responses. Contact Godish at tgodish@bsu.eduor (765) 285-5782.

AFRICAN-AMERICANS NOT FAIRING AS WELL AS OTHER RACIAL GROUPS: Despite a booming economy for most of the last decade, African-American residents are not faring as well as other racial groups in Indiana. A review of data from the last 20 years shows that all racial groups have seen their fortunes grow, but not all are sharing equally in the fruits of the economic pie, said Patrick Barkey, director of the Bureau of Business Research. Contact him at pbarkey@bsu.edu or (765) 285-8728.

CLARINET LOVER CREATES ONLINE RESOURCE: A lifetime avocation as a clarinetist and a scholarly interest in making information about the instrument accessible has led to the creation of an award-winning Web site, www.ocr.sneezy.org. Stanley Geidel, systems coordinator in Academic Research and Sponsored Programs, developed the Online Clarinet Resource (OCR) in 1995 when the Internet was emerging as an important research tool. Contact him at or (765) 285-5083.

FRESHMAN APPLICATIONS CONTINUING TO POUR INTO CAMPUS: Potential college students will soon have to choose where they’ll take classes this fall and Ball State looks to be the choice of many. Applications for the fall 2000 semester are up 25 percent over last year with a goal of 3,600 freshmen, said Douglas McConkey, vice president for student affairs, during a Jan. 28 report to the Board of Trustees. Contact McConkey at dmcconkey@bsu.edu or (765) 285-1444.