chant, participants usually place their index finger and thumb together, extending the other three fingers straight up, and moving their arm in an up-and-down motion.
For at least a decade, it had become a tradition for students and visitors to stick pieces of chewed gum to a honey locust tree between Emens Parking Garage and Pruis Hall. The trunk of the "Gum Tree," as it had been named, was covered in colorful wads of used gum. The tree was removed in 2017 by the university in preparation for construction of the East Mall.
== Notable alumni ==
Ball State University has about 197,000 alumni worldwide. A few of Ball State's most notable graduates include:
Kent C. "Oz" Nelson (BA 1959, LLD 1994), former president and CEO of UPS
Jim Davis (BA 1967, LittD (h.c.) 1991), creator of the Garfield comic strip
David Letterman (BA 1969), Emmy Award-winning former host of the Late Show
Actress Joyce DeWitt (BA 1972)
Architect Craig W. Hartman (BArch 1973, DA 2009)
Angela Ahrendts (BA 1981, DHL 2010), former CEO of Burberry …
