The IT Student Advisory Council met on October 21 to provide updates from Information Technology, beginning the session with a discussion about MyBallState, during which student attendees expressed their thoughts on what they liked and disliked, as well as how often and in what ways they use the platform. Council members provided valuable feedback on new features for the platform. 

Next, students received an introduction to Stellic. This new platform helps students with course planning and degree tracking. Alissa Goldsworthy presented Stellic, and attendees reviewed its layout, information presentation, and the key features. One of the platform’s strengths was its readability, which made it easy to navigate, and many attendees expressed excitement about the possibility of viewing and planning courses within a single platform. 

Following the Stellic presentation, Andrew Arthur introduced the new Fabrication Lab. He explained the Digital Corps’ plans to make it accessible to the public. The lab will offer students at Ball State a chance to explore digital fabrication, and Arthur provided several examples of how departments could encourage students to use the space. He introduced the “adjacent possible”—the idea that people often don’t consider new possibilities until they’re exposed to them in a welcoming, accessible way. This concept applies perfectly to the fab lab, as students might discover hidden interests.

Attendees were then invited to explore the Fab Lab in person, ask questions, and brainstorm ideas about how students could make the most of these facilities. This hands-on exploration offered us an exciting glimpse into the potential opportunities the Fab Lab holds for students by providing them with the opportunity of discovering new skills and passions.