Sramble Light bins allow students to share music, books

By Heather Collins

There the two of them sit quietly at the scramble light on the Ball State University campus, braving the Muncie weather and the hustle and bustle of student passer-bys. They’re two feet tall, chained to a poll and covered in white, green, blue and red paint.

Originally, they were free job and car trade magazine bins, now they’re used for students to trade music and books. Officially referred to as the Muncie Co-op, The bins at the scramble light serve as anonymous way for Ball State University students to share books they’ve read and loved, music they want someone else to experience or any literature they would like to share.

The Co-op is based on anonymity, and the bins were placed at the Scramble light off of McKinley to encourage the arts and culture on campus.

The forces behind the Muncie Co-op remain anonymous and prefer to be known as Kyle, Pete and Travis. Pete came up with the idea for the Muncie Co-op during a trip to Chicago.Pete was just leaving a concert when he saw a sign that read, “The Logan’s Square Book Share.” When he returned to Muncie, He thought about how he could start his own book share for the Ball State community. Then, in the wee hours of the morning with a little bit of “Subaru Power” and man power, the group stole two car trade magazine bin, lifted them into their vehicle, took them home, painted their frames and then chained the two colorful bins to a pole at the scramble light.

Pete refers to the scramble light as “the spot,” because the pavement at the scramble light sees the most student pedestrians through out the day.

“We did it and we would come back and be excited that they were still there,” says Travis.

Now these bins have become a staple of the Ball State community, and students have been anonymously placing and taking books and music from the tiny doors of the Co-op bins.

“We try to motivate people to try and build off of the anonymity of just putting things in without really knowing who put in there or who will get it,” says Travis. “It’s more of just a service of this is something I may have loved or maybe just something I need to get rid of and putting it in the hands of someone who might really appreciate it.”

Travis and Pete began the book and music collection by going to book sales and buying a variety of books to fill the bins, while hoping others would continue to do the same.

“With the music co-op I would create mixes, and each mix would be to used to describe, define, or expose a group or genre that in my personal opinion is important to society and important to music history.”

In the beginning, The Co-op bins would see CD mixes featuring artists like Rhys Chadam, Joy Division and Tricky, and music genre mixes that included music from genres like shoe-gazing, trip hop, drone and noise rock.

“We want to create an anonymous dialogue with the community,” say Travis. Travis continues to place different mixes inside the bin doors and encourages students to place their own music, poetry and artistic work inside.

“There’s an interesting relationship that occurs with The Co-op because there’s an anonymity there,” says Travis. “These people can share a favorite book that they’ve ever read in their life, or likewise put something in there that they’ve made themselves.”

Students and community members have placed their own poetry, music mixes, magazines and porn into the Co-op bins.

For the past three years, The Co-op has also hosted The Co-op Film Series. The Co-op Film Series takes place every Tuesday in the David Letterman Building, Room 125.

“It’s a series that allows the audience to make a ballot and make a vote on what each week’s film will be,” says Travis. “And that’s why it’s still a co-op, because it’s the audience members who choose what movies they will see.”

Students attending The Co-op Film Series are given a ballot upon arrival. The ballot contains three different movie choices, and student checkmark the film they hope to view.

Previously-viewed films include, “The Freshest Kid,” “Virgin Spring,” “Salesman” and “On the Waterfront.” The ballots contain a brief synopsis of each film. For example, The film, “The Freshest Kids,” is described as “a comprehensive look at the world’s ‘freshest kids.’ This lively documentary isn’t about hip-hop or hip-hop culture as much as about an integral part of that culture. B-Boys are defined variously, as ‘breakboys’ and ‘breakdancers’. The narrative traces their evolution from the South Bronx ‘70s to media crazed ‘80s.”

“They’re films that are not commonly shown, things that you’re not so much going to see especially in Muncie, Indiana. Documentaries, film, independent, under-the-radar type films - not entirely underground,” says Travis. “They are movies that are recognized as classics in American history. Of course, the movie that gets the most votes is the movie that is in essence shared with that audience that comes.”

The Co-op hopes to continue sharing through out Muncie, and plan on hosting open-mic nights, concerts and shows in the future.

Students can find out more about The Muncie Co-op and their latest events at www.myspace.com/muncieco_op.