The Ball State Daily News Online

Section: FORUM
Originally published: 11/19/08 at 10:49 PM EST
Last update: 11/19/08 at 10:46 PM EST

Dave Studinski is a graduate student and writes 'Bewildered Society' for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. [Click to enlarge]

Question: What's stumbling down University Avenue in a flurry of misery, chaos and deceit?

No, not the angry, stiletto-heeled girl whose fake ID just got denied at the Locker Room.

Answer: The Village.

The Nov. 11 Village business roundtable was a practical PR move, but it did little to further the conversation of a more vibrant economy in the three-block business district just south of Ball State University. If anything, the conversation only became more controversial.

The forum was hosted by Village business/property owner Myles Ogea, who faces an uphill battle thanks to a reputation that makes Donald Trump seem angelic, as 47 DN|Online article comments show. Suffice to say, this event did little to boost the approval ratings of Ogea's work.

Problems were discussed and ideas pitched, but very few solutions were offered. At times the event resembled a political stump speech, promising bold new ideas without every really disclosing how they'd be implanted.

Everyone knows the Village needs a face-lift, but only a handful of people have the power to implement it. To awaken the Village from its slumbering mediocrity, strong leadership must emerge.

We classify bars near campus not by their atmosphere, rather by the company they keep. The Chug is a dive bar not because you walk down a flight of stairs, but because its clientele is remarkably laid back compared to those who frequent Dill Street Bar & Grill.

Visit major cities, even neighboring college campuses, and you'll see bars with personality, flair and style. It's clear the owners there invest in the aura of the bar. It's a façade equivalent to picking a top-shelf liquor over a well drink.

What Scotty's Brewhouse lacks in price sensibility it makes up for in style. It's why Scott Wise was able to expand the franchise so rapidly in a matter of a decade. It's a challenge to find other bars on campus with that much personality.

In owners' defense, college students are fickle. There's a quest for binge drinking at downright ridiculous prices that drives people in hordes to specials like "Penny Pitchers" and "You-Call" nights.

We also tend to be irresponsible assholes when under the influence.

Drunken fools throw their feet around like it's an ultimate fighting competition, damaging bathroom sinks and urinals. Cigarette burns tattoo carpet, tables and vinyl booths, if not others in attendance. We tip bartenders - most of whom are in school themselves - like crap. Toilets overflow because - woah! - beer bottles and tampons don't fit there. Across the Village we're left with missing sinks, partially-running faucets, horrific-smelling bathrooms and stalls that aren't really stalls. It's a consequence of our immaturity.

The real problem lies as much with patrons as it does owners. There's logic behind not maintaining facilities to their tip-top shape: Managers figure we'll just destroy it again.

It's a classic chicken-and-egg situation. If owners fix up their establishments, is there a guarantee the patrons will not beat them all to hell? If patrons start treating the current facilities with more respect, do owners promise to renovate the shoddy interiors?

In the midst of the business roundtable Myles Ogea made a valid point: He lives here. Ogea said it's in his interest to see the Village thrive (again), and if I were him I'd be pretty worried, too.

We students are all vacationing. Muncie is our layover to bigger and better places. The success of the Village affects our night life, but not our bottom line. We'll keep drinking, though how much, how long and with whom are factors that can be changed by new businesses and opportunities. The problem is attracting the attention of people who have yet to find their niche in the Village.

Most of the forum's audience seemed too young to frequent the Village's bar scene. The under-21 crowd wants a place to go beside house parties and Late Nite. Their attendance reaffirms it.

There are other unfilled niches, too: The people who enjoy watching drunk groups but don't enjoy being part of them, the people who want a laid-back environment but can't afford MoTini's prices, the cultural individuals who enjoy eateries like Creole Kid. Let us not forget the one static audience: locals. This alone may be the largest hurdle owners face.

So, Mr. Ogea, Mr. Wise (son and father) and the other mysterious figures lurking behind the Village's successes and, more often, failures: Quit following, and start leading. Students will lead you astray - we have little vested interest in the situation outside our four-to-six years. Use your business knowledge - the stuff students are here to learn - and put it to use.

If you build it, they will come. Hell, we're already here.

We don't care how - it's not our problem. The attendance at the roundtable proved such. You bought the property, now it's yours to do something with. Talk is cheap. Prove to the community that you're willing to invest by actually doing it.

It's worth a shot, if only to save your reputation. Without this effort - financial and physical - nothing will change. And if Village business or property owners are unwilling to make the investment, perhaps they've reached last call.

Write to Dave at heydave@bewilderedsociety.com

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