In The Community
Ball State Philosophy Club and the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies is committed to engaging the community in unique and powerful experiences. We pride ourselves on both educating students in a multitude of ways, while also being able to apply our studies to the community at hand. Philosophy Club recognizes how the Muncie and Indiana communities have shaped us and our perspective on the world, so in turn, we believe that it is only fitting that take the knowledge and wisdom found at Ball State and apply it back to the world in which we originated.
Activities
Rachel Fredericks
Jen Rowland
Professors of Environmental Ethics
The students in PHIL 230: Environmental Ethics and I just completed a very full week of environmental service / field experience! All told, we provided nearly 300 hours of service to the natural environments around Muncie (we would have topped 300 if Friday’s rain hadn’t ruined our streak of very nice weather). Between us, we participated in the White River Clean-up (see a related story here), removed invasive species like bush honeysuckle (and trash) from the Red-Tail Nature Preserve, cleared out the dead wood left behind by the emerald ash borer in Christy Woods, and of course, learned a lot along the way!
John Taylor, who supervised the work at Christy Woods…
Quintin and one of many giant piles of dead wood…
In tandem with this experience, students complete two written assignments, and those I’ve received so far make for some great reading. It is great to see the range of things students have to say about our work together, whether it be the surprise and excitement of people who have never had an opportunity to get their hands dirty out in nature, or the musings of people who are no strangers to laboring outdoors, but haven’t previously reflected on the different ethical theories that guide various approaches to such work.
On behalf of all the creatures (human and non-human) who are going to benefit because of it, I want to thank all my students for their hard work and careful thinking! I’m also very grateful to John Taylor, the Land Manager of BSU’s Field Station and Environmental Education Center; Barry Banks, the Executive Director of Red-Tail Nature Conservancy; the Red-Tail staff: Micayla, Arric, and Ben; and all the folks in the department who supported the project in some fashion (Dave, Jen, Juli, Jeff, Ann, Ross, and all the other student workers). It takes a lot to coordinate a project like this, and I appreciate your help!
Sarah Vitale
Philosophy Club Co-Advisor
In December 2015, we began a new initiative – a high school outreach program. We contacted almost 250 public and private high schools across Indiana to inquire into the state of philosophy education throughout the state. In the project’s first phase, Dr. Sarah Vitale and a group of philosophy majors and BSU Philosophy Club members are visiting high schools with philosophy clubs and classes. They have already visited five schools, including several schools in the greater Indianapolis area and Twin Lakes High School in Monticello, IN. Vitale leads a discussion in the style of BSU’s philosophy club with the high school students and BSU students, on topics such as censorship and ethics, and then the BSU students field questions about their own experiences with philosophy and college in general. Ball State students have been very eager to participate and have found the outreach very rewarding.
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So many students wanted to travel to the last site visit of the semester that Vitale’s car was not big enough; they had to get a van. BSU students also have been very impressed with the level of curiosity and intellectual engagement displayed by the high school students. Vitale is working with BSU students to develop the outreach program, and they plan to begin visiting schools without existing clubs or philosophy classes in the coming year to provide students with an initial encounter with philosophy. They have also promised to return to the schools they have visited, whose students were very appreciative of the opportunity to engage in an extra-curricular conversation about philosophy with university students and faculty.
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