Interview with Ball State Student
Informant, who wishes to remain anonymous, is a junior currently attending Ball State University, aged 22. Interview was conducted via text between informant and collector and focuses on BSU’s Frog Baby fountain.
Interview
Frog Baby
Interview was conducted via text, which allowed for informant to think about and edit response more than would have been possible via face-to-face interview. Unfortunately, this also prevents interviewer from seeing visual cues that might be important to eking out important details that the informant doesn’t mention.
Like the previous interview, this interview occurred after the informant was told what would be discussed. Frog Baby is likely to come up while giving directions on campus, as it serves as a campus landmark for many. Based on previous conversations with informant, Frog Baby seems to be more popular with alumni than it is with current students.
Unlike the fountains at Purdue or Showalter Fountain, Frog Baby fountain seems to be more about the statue at its center than the fountain itself. Traditions regarding the fountain are centered around Frog Baby, including dressing her up and rubbing her nose for good luck. Interacting with the statue is not sanctioned by Ball State as demonstrated by her moving from an easily accessible position in an art museum to her central location in a fountain. She seems to be an indicator of community mood based upon her outfit which changes to reflect community events.