Eff It: Ball State Social Life

Ball State University is a campus that thrives on social interaction and meaningful connections. After a long week students often turn to a night out to destress and spend time with friends. The main options for students are in The Village on W University Ave, which is a walkable distance from campus and many residential areas. As each generation of students come to Ball State there is a new iteration of The Village to explore. In the early 2000s there were many different options for a night out, unfortunately that is not the same case today.

The main options available for today's students are Brothers and The Chug. Brothers is a midwest bar chain that started in the 1990s. It has a sports bar vibe including bar food, drinks, and tvs filling the space. There is space for a dance floor as well as outside seating. The Chug is a local Muncie establishment that feels like you’re in a vintage dive bar. It has pool tables, classic bar games, and more. The Chug tends to play more country music and throwbacks, while Brothers focuses on pop, rap, and dance music. Both bars have themed nights and drink deals to keep each weekend exciting. Are they truly doing enough to keep student nightlife exciting? Are these two bars pushing other businesses away? Do students and Muncie locals alike deserve more?

Ball State Student Thoughts

To answer these questions we asked the student population if they preferred Brothers or The Chug. Brothers came out on top with 77% and The Chug got 23%. Overall Brothers came out on top. Some students spoke to us about why they chose Brothers over the Chug.

• “Brothers has more space for dancing”

• “I like the vibes of Brothers better, The Chug is too country”

• “Brothers has better music”

• “I see more people I know at Brothers”

These quotes highlight the main reasons that students prefer Brothers over The Chug. There is an overall sense that The Chug does not fit student’s feelings of what they want from a night out. The Chug does not have enough space to dance, music that they like, and overall the environment does not seem to line up. Brothers gains a much better light compared to The Chug. When evaluating Brothers without this comparison, is it really so great?

History of Ball State Nightlife

Visit Purdue or IU and it is easy to see how many options Ball State is missing. As mentioned previously, The Village used to have many different options for nights out. From 2000-2013 there were about six bars, each with their own unique offering. The oldest opening in 1970 was The Chug followed by Dill Street in 1991. Between 2003 and 2011 three more bars opened, The Locker Room, and Cleo’s. The variety of bars made The Village an exciting destination for a night out.

All of the different bars had their own atmosphere and vibe. Dill Street was a cozy, welcoming establishment. It had a relaxed atmosphere, affordable drinks, and live music. With two stories you had the option to join the dance floor or watch from above. The Chug, originally known as Chug-a-Mug was a favorite of locals and students. The Locker Room was a sports bar where people gathered to watch the latest games. Cleo’s was the peak of nightlife in The Village. It had exciting music, vibrant lights, and a dance floor to tie it all together. They hosted themed parties and events to make every night special. D Luxe was known for an upscale feel. It catered to those looking for a nice cocktail and great conversation. Each business brought a different opportunity for a night out in The Village.

These bars were all locally owned and worked in unison to create an amazing nightlife experience for Ball State students. Everything quickly changed when Brothers Bar and Grill opened in 2014. This was the first commercially owned bar to come to The Village. According to testimonies given by those in Muncie at the time, Brothers came into The Village and undercut the prices at the local bars. This led to Dill Street and The Locker Room closing within a couple months of Brothers opening. After these bars shut their doors, Brothers raised their prices. This allowed Brothers to secure an audience with their low prices and run out competition at the same time. While this is a great business decision, it does not support an exciting environment for Ball State students looking at The Village as a going out destination.

Today’s Challenges

Recently Brothers has seen a management change. This has created a noticeable shift in the way the bar is run. The menu has been adjusted, trivia nights have changed, and the amount of nights with a cover has increased. This leaves students looking for more options beyond Brothers and The Chug.

Ball State students would benefit from added variety in our nightlife scene. It would allow students to find their place and environment that they feel the most comfortable. This creates excitement to support local businesses instead of larger chains. The Village had a sense of community even though the businesses were in competition with each other. This mutual support and collaborative nature is missing in The Village community. The next generation of business owners and entrepreneurs will have to work hard to develop the nightlife scene at Ball State. And when everything is all said and done, will Brothers stand strong?

Want a deeper look into the history of The Village? Check it out here.