Ball State group spends spring break in Cuba

A group of Ball State students will be some of the first to take advantage of the restored diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba.

Fourteen Ball State students and three faculty members are spending their spring breaks in Cuba this week as part of a travel journalism project.

“This is one of the last opportunities to see Cuba as it is and as it was,” Jonathan Miksanek, who is studying chemistry, said in a press release. “With talks of ending the embargo, it's very possible that Cuba will no longer be the time capsule we know it to be. With something that was so very much a part of our recent history, it's almost our duty to grasp what's left before it disappears in the luxuries of modernity.”

Students will be writing stories with accompanying video and photos, updating the site eightdaysincuba.com. No content has been posted yet. They left Sunday and will return March 8.

The stories and other information on the website is meant to be helpful to future visitors to Cuba. Information will include how to prepare to travel to Cuba, what to bring and potential problems with currency. They will also document how people in Cuba live on a daily basis.

Journalism instructor Ryan Sparrow said he started putting the trip together last summer, and President Barack Obama’s recent announcement easing travel restrictions helped.

“I’ve always wanted to go to Cuba, and my fascination with travel journalism fits perfectly with the trip,” he said in a press release. “At the same time, I believe our students will gain a deeper understand about the history of Cuba.”

Back in the U.S.

Another Ball State group of students is in Florida covering MLB spring training. Sixteen students and two telecommunications instructors will post stories, videos and photos on social media and bsuspringtraining.com.

They will follow the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros until March 6.