Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University is grateful for our mutually-beneficial relationships with community organizations and businesses that provide our students, faculty, and staff with volunteering and learning opportunities as well as dining, retail, entertainment, leisure activities, and other services.

We are asking community organizations and businesses to take the Cardinals Care Partner Pledge as an indication of their commitment to maintain a healthy and safe environment for employees, customers, volunteers, and guests.

The partner pledge is not required, but encouraged, among organizations and businesses that provide voluntary entertainment, dining, retail, leisure, and other services to Ball State students, faculty, and/or staff.

The partner pledge is required of organizations who desire to host Ball State students, faculty, and/or staff for on-site volunteering, learning activities (e.g., service learning, immersive learning, field experiences, internships, etc.) or Ball State-affiliated events (e.g., student organization hosted events, fundraisers, etc.).

Please direct questions to Erin Moore in the Office of Community Engagement.

As a Cardinals Care Partner, we pledge:

We will take measures and institute safeguards to ensure a safe environment for our employees, customers, volunteers, and guests, consistent with the State of Indiana’s Back on Track guidelines and industry-specific best practices. These may include:

Utilizing a symptom screening procedure for employees reporting to work (e.g., self-assessments, screening questions, or taking temperatures).

Requiring symptomatic employees to stay home.

Regularly cleaning and disinfecting high-contact items, surfaces, and areas.

Actively promoting regular handwashing, mask-wearing, and physical distancing among employees, volunteers, guests, and any other parties as determined by our leadership and board. This may be accomplished in a number of ways, including training and signage, providing physical barriers, limiting capacity, and cancelling or postponing in-person events when physical distancing guidelines cannot be met.

Discouraging spontaneous or unstructured gatherings in common areas.

Assigning staff to monitor groups of student volunteers and/or classes at all times while they are on the premises.

As a Cardinals Care Partner, we can expect:

Ball State students, faculty, and staff will wear masks, wash hands often, and maintain physical distancing on campus and in the community.

Ball State students, faculty, and staff will monitor their health on a daily basis and stay home if they feel sick or believe they have been exposed to someone with COVID-19.

Ball State students, faculty, and staff will educate themselves regarding regulations, requirements, and guidelines as part of the broader community.

Ball State students, faculty, and staff will abide by protocols set by businesses and other organizations to help mitigate the transmission of COVID-19.

Ball State students, faculty, and staff will demonstrate respect and compassion for those around them.

Take the Partner Pledge
Download the Pledge (PDF)
See Our Community Partners

Frequently Asked Questions

Read the pledge guidelines, which are consistent with the State of Indiana’s Back on Track protocols, then take the pledge.

Our ultimate goal is the safety and wellbeing of the entire Muncie/Delaware County community. We hope that our collective efforts will raise awareness, promote compliance, and prevent future outbreaks of COVID-19.

A dynamic list of pledging organizations and businesses will be featured on our website and as part of the campaign to students, their families, faculty, and staff. 

All Cardinals Care Partners will receive a window cling and digital logo to publicize their commitment.

The partner pledge is not required, but encouraged, among organizations and businesses that provide voluntary entertainment, dining, retail, leisure, and other services to Ball State students, faculty, and/or staff.

The partner pledge is required of organizations and businesses who desire to host Ball State students, faculty, and/or staff for on-site volunteering, learning activities (e.g., service learning, immersive learning, field experiences, internships, etc.) or Ball State-affiliated events (e.g., student organization hosted events, fundraisers, etc.).

The partner pledge commitment is intended to last for the school year: August 2020 – May 2021.

Since requirements and best practices around COVID-19 are constantly evolving, pledging businesses and organizations are expected to continue accommodating new or revised recommendations from the State of Indiana and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Cardinals Care Pledge and Cardinals Care Partner Pledge are commitments made in good faith and will not be formally monitored. However, if the University receives information indicating that an organization or business is not complying with its pledge, the University reserves the right to remove the organization or business from the list.

Any concerns about compliance or questions may be directed to Erin Moore in the Office of Community Engagement.