The primary purpose of this study is to outline the institutional structure and to present an historical survey of international education and the Foreign Student Programs at Ball State University. An effort has also been made to relate the Ball State experience to international students on a national level. To make this information valuable in a readily usable form, an intensive study has been made of the history, development and expansion of the international student program at Ball State from 1945 through 1980.Major Points of the StudyChapter One reviews the history of international students in the United States from its beginning at Yale in 1784 through the year 1980. Also this chapter discusses the United States government's role in international education and exchange programs which began in the early 1900s and promoted foreign study to the point that the United States by the 1960s was educating more than a quarter of the world's international students.Chapter Two carefully examines the history of international students at Ball State University from its beginning in 1945 through 1980. Discussed are the program's year of origin, its development (1950-1965) and the expansion era (1965-1980). Especially emphasized are the roles of five International Student Program Directors and the contributions they made to both the program and the students.Chapter Three provides information about the population of overseas students at Ball State, the number of students enrolled, and the region and origin of countries from which they came. This chapter concludes with a section discussing the reasons why foreign students chose Ball State for study.Chapter Four studies the academic experiences of international students at Ball State detailing their academic status, number of undergraduate and graduate students, fields of study and number of degrees granted.Chapter Five reviews the status of foreign students after graduation. It provides information on the number of students who returned to their home countries, the number of students who continued their education and the students who remained permanently in the United States. Also this chapter discusses the value that American education and training had for Ball State international students. The chapter concludes with a section on Ball State contacts and relationship with its foreign alumni.

Existing policies and procedures have been uniformly applied to all undergraduate traditional and non-traditional students at Ball State University. The purpose of the study was to determine the judged effectiveness of existing policies and procedures when applied uniformly to undergraduate students over age twenty-three at Ball State University. The study was designed to reflect the judgments of three distinct sub-groups of nontraditional undergraduate students and personnel of four selected administrative offices at Ball State University.A questionnaire was developed and mailed to a random sample of undergraduate non-traditional students and to the personnel of four selected administrative offices: Admissions, Curricular Advising, Financial Aid, and Registration and Records. Student respondents accounted for a 46.3 percent return and administrative personnel had a 55.5 percent return. A Likert Scale with levels of agreement or disagreement as Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Disagree (D), or Strongly Disagree (SD) was used. A Chi Square Analysis at the .05 level of confidence with one degree of freedom and a p level of 3.84 was used to test the six null hypotheses of the study.Findings based upon the study were:1. Undergraduate enrollment in institutions of higher education is projected to decline.2. Enrollments of undergraduate non-traditional students in institutions of higher education are projected to increase.3. Needs and characteristics of non-traditional students differ from the traditional undergraduate student.4. Seven questionnaire items showed significant differences between undergraduate non-traditional students and administrative personnel regarding Office of Admissions services.5. Three questionnaire items showed significant differences between undergraduate non-traditional students and administrative personnel regarding Office of Financial Aid services.6. Six questionnaire items showed significant differences between undergraduate non-traditional students and administrative personnel regarding Office of Curricular Advising services.7. Two questionnaire items showed significant differences between undergraduate non-traditional

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between Expected Family Contribution as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid process and college student persistence to graduation at Ball State University.The population for this study was defined as 3,772 Ball State University full-time students who matriculated in the fall of 1995. The sample equaled the population. In response to the research question, the sample was divided into five subgroups (Full-Pell, Partial-Pell, No Pell-Need, No Pell-No Need, and No-FAFSA).It was determined that students at Ball State University with greater financial need (Full-Pell and Partial-Pell) persist and graduate at smaller rates than students in the other financial subgroups. In addition, students with high financial need are more likely to academically disqualify than other students. Statistically significant differences existed between the average rates for graduation and academic disqualification, and the graduation and academic disqualification rates for the Full-Pell and Partial-Pell groups. Institutions may need to determine if they are meeting the financial and academic needs of students from low-income families. / Department of Educational Leadership

The purpose of this study was to examine the computer habits and involvement of residential freshmen matriculates at Ball State University to determine if there was a difference in campus involvement levels between students who excessively used the computer for personal or recreational activities and students who did not.The project consisted of 149 non-excessive users (five or less hours per week) and 323 excessive users (more then five hours per week) of the computer for the personal or recreational purposes. Freshmen matriculates were involved in a wide range of opportunities. The higher levels of involvement were from opportunities in Residence Hall, Welcome Week, and UniverCity categories.The findings also indicated that excessive computer users were involved as much as non-excessive users. The amount of time students spent on computers for personal or recreational purposes did not deter students from being involved during their first semester at Ball State University. / Department of Educational Leadership

This thesis focuses on the academic advising and teaching needs of adult learners. It1 is a qualitative study involving twelve Ball State University adult learners, three academic advisors, three college instructors from different departments, and four Student Affairs administrators from different campus offices. The past research explores demographics of adult learners, academic advising strategies, classroom etiquette, and campus resources. The researcher used observations and interviews in the research design. The information was divided into common themes. The themes were demographics, reasons for returning to higher education, concerns, classroom procedures, advising procedures, and campus resources. The conclusion includes a discussion on adult learner needs on-campus and how to address them. There is also a discussion on the responsibilities of the institution.. Included in the thesis are recommendations for future research. / Department of Educational Leadership

The object of this study was to determine the current attitudes of Ball State University students toward hazardous waste disposal. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data on political affiliation and ideology, knowledge of the hazardous waste issue. and environmental attitudes. A total of 103 freshmen and 77 seniors returned usable questionnaires for an overall response rate of 49%. Computer analysis of returned questionnaires answering six research questions and forming conclusions. It was determined that there were measurable differences in attitudes between freshmen and senior students. While both groups expressed environmental concern, seniors were more knowledgable of the issues and more thoughtful in their choices. However, several indications were discovered that environmental concern in this survey group will probably not lead to political action.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306

The purpose of this project was to compare the financial management habits of Ball State University first-year students and seniors living on campus.A stratified, systematic sample of 100 first-year students and 100 seniors were surveyed during December 2000. Data were collected on 25 variables, 4 describing personal characteristics, and 21 describing personal financial management habits.It was determined that Ball State University first-year students and seniors have similar financial management habits. Statistically significant differences between first-year students and seniors existed on the following variables: having a student loan, knowing when the loan must be repaid, having one or more credit cards, carrying a balance on one or more credit cards, having a savings account, and recording expenditures in a check register.Financial management is an area that Student Affairs practitioners may want to consider investing more time educating students. Current financial management programs may need to be evaluated for their effectiveness. Using current research, new programs may be developed and implemented. / Department of Educational Leadership

Nutrition knowledge, Locus of Control, and dietary practices were assessed and compared among male and female athletes at Ball State University with the goal of designing an appropriate nutrition education program. Members of the men's basketball (n=ll), track (n=12) and women's basketball (n=12) and track (n=14) teams were selected as participants in this study. Each participant was required to complete nutrition knowledge, Locus of Control and food frequency questionnaires in addition to completing three 24-hour food recalls on separate occasions.Comparison between gender revealed that female athletes had greater nutrition knowledge levels than male athletes. Women averaged only 90% of advisable caloric intake whereas men exceeded their advisable caloric intake.Male athletes were found not to have better dietary practices than female athletes as previous research suggest. In fact, males exceeded the percent of advisable intake of protein and fat. While, women exceeded advisable protein intake, they consumed less than the maximum advisable fat intake.Comparisons made between sport form revealed two trends: (1) track athletes had greater nutrition knowledge than basketball players and (2) track athletes tended to consume a greater percent of kcalorie intake as protein than basketball athletes.It can be concluded from this study that greater nutrition education should be given to male athletes to encourage lower fat and protein intake. Female athletes need to be educated in the areas of approximate caloric and protein intake. All the athletes need to be educated in general nutrition and nutrition as it relates to physical activity. Further investigation is needed to evaluate the effect of Locus of Control on the dietary practices of both male and female athletes. / Institute for Wellness

The purpose of this study was to qualitatively analyze what motivated students with physical disabilities to get involved in extracurricular activities on the Ball State University campus. Ten students with physical disabilities were asked a series of questions that helped to determine why these students chose to participate.The examination of these data revealed that students with physical disabilities chose to get involved in extracurricular activities in order to meet peers, develop their resume, and gain leadership skills. Recommendations made to encourage more students with physical disabilities to become involved on campus included strengthening Disabled Students In Action, educating the university community, committing to physical access, and developing a specific advertising campaign for the programs most often utilized by these students. / Department of Educational Studies

The purpose of this study was to assess which particular circumstances of HIV antibody testing are most important to Ball State University students when making the decision whether or not to be tested. This study also looked at psychological variables within the individual that may influence one's decision whether or not to be tested. A descriptive correlational study design was used. Subjects were recruited from the psychological science subject pool. These students were enrolled in the Psychology 100 class at Ball State University during the Spring, 1992 Semester. Subjects were also recruited from sororities, fraternities, and business fraternities. A total of 397 subjects (210 males and 187 females) were recruited for the study.Subjects filled out four surveys: an HIV Antibody Testing Inventory, an AIDS Knowledge Survey, the MultiDimensional Health Locus of Control Scale, and the Social Desirability Scale. Results indicated students in this sample preferred going off campus for HIV testing versus on campus. They preferred a medical setting with a medical counselor doing the testing. These subjects did not want peers doing the HIV testing or counseling. The level of AIDS Knowledge subject had did not correlate with their stated likelihood of being tested for HIV. Subjects preferred anonymous testing, but appeared to recognize the benefits of recording basic demographic information. / Institute for Wellness