THE BUTLER
COLLEGIAN
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY
10 2010
www.thebutlercollegian.com
Proposal for sixth college encounters faculty questions Paige Chapman pchapman@butler.edu The College of Communication, Butler University’s proposed sixth college that would combine the media arts, journalism and communication studies departments, will come with a more than $3 million price tag. This was just one aspect some faculty members questioned about the potential college’s formation during the Feb. 2 Faculty Senate meeting, the first time the proposal was discussed publicly. “There is an opportunity cost involved—that we’re choosing to do one thing instead of another,” Bill Watts, an associate professor of English, said of the college during the Feb. 2 meeting. According to Page 11 of the proposal, the majority of the funds for the proposed college would be re-allocated from six different existing areas: approximately $2.6 million from the Existing Operations Budget; $150,000 from the Media Arts Program & Capital Funds; approximately $159,000 from the Pulliam School of Journalism Fund; $2,500 from the Fairbanks Chair in Communications; $60,000 from the Provost’s WTBU proceeds; and proceeds from annual gifts to the media arts department. Jamie Comstock, university provost and vice president for academic affairs, said that as provost, she has the authority to re-allocate university expenses. Page 4 of the proposal outlines that the converged college would consist of approximately 403 undergraduate students—a statistic that Comstock said is significant. “It is my job to ensure that students are well served and that the curriculum is well-designed,” she said. “Since nearly 10 percent of students are in majors that these programs are housed in, it is imperative to allocate money toward programming that will both attract and retain students. “The synergies a new college would create are important.” Watts, who said he had not seen a written proposal for the college until last month, said his main concern was the proposal focused on hiring an increased amount of administrators, rather than outlining a curriculum. Page 3 of the proposal states that the administrative structure of the proposed college would entail “a dean who reports to the provost.” “I’m not opposed to the college and everyone believes
Indianapolis, Indiana
Established 1886
Vol. 124 Issue 17
Jess Zimmerman: ‘It’s over’ Jennifer Pignolet jpignole@butler.edu
After more than a year of controversy, Butler University junior Jess Zimmerman has declared: it’s over. While the exact terms of the agreement between Zimmerman and the university are confidential, Zimmerman and Butler President Bobby Fong said a final agreement was reached. Zimmerman, who published a controversial, anonymous blog about university affairs at the end of 2008, was set to go through the university disciplinary system after a civil lawsuit with regards to the blog was dropped. Zimmerman said he did not feel the disciplinary system would have been a fair evalua-
tion of the situation, which led him to file a temporary restraining order in the Marion County Court system. The document claimed he would be irreparably harmed, specifically that he could be expelled or have a record that he would have to mention on applications to law school, if he were to be disciplined unfairly. Zimmerman said he didn’t think the process would be fair because of statements the university administration made and how public the issue was. “I figured I’d rather go through (the disciplinary system) and put this entire thing behind me without any more legal issues,” Zimmerman said, “Until I realized it absolutely wasn’t going to be fair, and until I did the research and realized what kind of harm it
might have on my graduate and professional school applications.” Zimmerman filed the restraining order Nov. 13. A judge granted the order the same day. The following Monday, Butler lawyers responded with a bond order of $100,000. If a hearing was held to judge the fairness of the disciplinary system and the courts ruled with Butler that it was fair, Zimmerman would have been forced to go through the disciplinary process and be saddled with a $100,000 debt to Butler. “I saw that, and my first response was, ‘I don’t have $100,000,’” Zimmerman said. “And then I realized, that’s what they want me to say. They want me to look at this and say See ZIMMERMAN Page 5
See story and art on Page 3. A multimedia package from the session can be found online at www.thebutlercollegian.com.
Collegian photo by Rachel Senn
BECKY SKILLMAN: Tuesday, three of The Butler Collegian’s seasoned staff members sat down with Indiana Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman at the Indiana State House to talk about pressing issues that Hoosier students and residents are facing today.
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Candidates seek SGA presidency LAS presents dean candidate Hayleigh Colombo hcolombo@butler.edu
Olivia Ingle oingle@butler.edu
Two Butler University sophomores will battle it out for the presidency of Student Government Association (SGA). The Election Oversight Committee approved Kiely Keesler and Christopher Ring to run for presidency following Monday’s candidacy deadline. Keesler, a double major in international management and political science, and Ring, studying digital illustration and biology with intent to attend medical school, begin their campaigning Wednesday. Previously serving on SGA’s evaluation commission and Council on Presidential Affairs (CPA), Keesler has also held leadership positions in campus organizations Books for Peace and Alpha Kappa Psi. Keesler, who is also a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority, said her experience leading groups of people has given her understanding and insight into the potential of student groups and SGA’s assembly. Her platform is changing the
Butler University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) continued its dean search this week, bringing its fourth and final candidate to campus. The fourth candidate, Richard Collins, spoke in Gallahue Hall Monday about educating the heart and mind in the 21st century. Collins, who holds a doctorate degree in English, is currently the chair of the Department of Arts, English and Humanities at Louisiana State University at Alexandria. Collins discussed the journey of an LAS education and how the journey is not only one for the students, but also the faculty. He described an LAS education as a 10-step process, which he related to his research, “Honoring the Form: Zen moves in Charles Johnson’s Oxherding Tale.” The process starts with a search for students to find their true motivation. “Graduation is not education,” Collins said. “Study is education.” He said when students come to college, they have already begun their search, and it’s the faculty’s job to help. “As long as the students are given the correct resources,” Collins said, “the rest is easy.” He described the second step of the process as “seeing the tracks,” which is when students begin to find their way, whether it be in their chosen fields through specialization or within their identities.
Collegian photos courtesy of Kiely Keesler and Christopher Ring
SOPHOMORE SQUABBLE: This year’s SGA’s presidential candidates are Kiely Keesler and Christopher Ring. structural representation of assembly. “I know it’s been something that’s been brought up constantly within the past few years but it’s because we’re just not getting it right yet,” Keesler said. “It’s a trial-and-error process.” Right now, SGA’s assembly is comprised of representatives from each of the residences on campus as well as every student organization. Keesler’s plan is to eliminate unnecessary student organization involvement and introduce sole residential representation in the assembly, which she hopes
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Paw Prints..............8
Know....3
Reviews............9&10
BUPD Beat.............5
Love/Hate lists of
Campus Pulse........5
the Week..............10
Staff Editorial.........7
On Deck.................11
Columns............7&8
Winter Color.........14
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will increase the likelihood that students will feel like they can talk to their representative. “I believe everyone should have an equal voice and that it should be loud,” Keesler said. Keesler said the changes in representation will help ensure that the people involved in assembly will share her self-proclaimed enthusiasm. “Right now, we don’t have a lot of policy discussion,” Keesler said. “If we were to change representation so that there were a few less representatives who were a little more See PRESIDENT Page 5
Shining a light on injustice
The Best Dates in Indy
Professor Watts examines how Butler University still refuses to give Zimmerman peace.
Find the best places to take your sweetheart during the upcoming Valentine’s Day weekend.
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“An LAS education is showing that specializations are not so unique after all,” Collins said. “It helps us see the inter-connectedness of things.” He said the third step of the process is “seeing the ox,” or knowing what your motivation is. “The fourth step, ‘grasping the ox,’ is when a student feels a sense of control, but also a sense of urgency,” Collins said. “A student becomes an intentional student, with no faculty telling them what to do.” He said a student at this step will not have perfect control in their discipline, but it will be apparent that they are getting closer to mastery. He said the fifth step of the process is “taming the ox.” A student will have engaged learning in the classroom and an “effective practice” in the community. “The sixth step, ‘riding the ox home,’ is when everything becomes second nature and there is a sense of mastery and discipline,” Collins said. He said the seventh step of the process is when “the ox is forgotten.” It is when everything is internalized and a student has not only a sense of purpose, but also a sense of identity. “The eighth step is when ‘the ox and ox herder are transcended,’” Collins said. “It is where it all comes together and everything becomes a whole.” He said the ninth step is “returning to the source,” which involves servant leadership. It is when students connect their motivation and take to others through civic engagement.
Clinching a Piece of the Pie Men’s basketball won three games this past weekend, helping them clinch a share of the regular season title.
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Butler Forecast Today
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Collegian photo by Ryan Murach
SAVING THE HEIRLOOMS: The front lawn of the Blue House will be torn up this spring to make room for a living art exhibit, entitled “Gathering.” The exhibit will be comprised of an area for student reflection, as well as a garden dedicated to saving rare heirloom vegetables. The exhibit will also showcase some of the produce that has been grown in the new campus farm.
Farm, art garden spring up on campus Grace Wallace gwallace@butler.edu Move over Old McDonald, it’s time for Butler University to move in. Two campus programs have teamed together with the goal of making Butler a greener and more self-sufficient place through the addition of a campus farm and artistic garden. Tim Carter, director of the Center for Urban Ecology, is the man behind the scenes for the Butler’s Earth Charter organization, which has received grant money to build a new half-acre campus farm this spring. Carter said the farm, located near the intramural athletic fields on campus, will focus on improving community-wide ecological health. Organic produce will be the main substance grown in the farming proj-
ect, since it will help increase knowledge of the process of growing organic foods as well as the wisdom behind purchasing such items, Carter said. “I think our main goal is to take the themes of the Earth Charter project and then integrate those themes through a hands-on activity, such as the farm,” he said. The campus farm sprouted as part of the organization’s attempt to look at something Butler was failing at and, in turn, make it better. Senior Kaitlin Haskins is part of Butler’s Earth Charter group. “One of the greatest things about this farm is that people can come to see how organic materials are grown, and then take that knowledge back with them and grow the same plants in their own backyards,” she said. Carter said Earth Charter is hoping
to keep the farm self-sustainable by selling its produce to local food stands or markets and allowing all profits to go toward the upkeep of the farm. Another possibility is selling the food to Aramark, which would also benefit the student population, Carter said. In addition, there will also be a garden built on the front lawn of the Blue House as part of a newly-founded art program sponsored by the Sunset Initiative. Leah Gauthier, associate professor of art, helped start this movement last semester and is one of the leading figures in this project. “The garden will be an artistic creation whose medium is rare food plants,” Gauthier said, “It is a multisensory artwork.”
The garden will be formatted in a way to provide students with an area of reflection and collaboration, Gauthier said. The work will be titled “Gathering.” Plants within the garden will mainly consist of a group called heirlooms, which are a very old variety of vegetables not available in stores. “This is a way to introduce people to them and keep them growing either on campus or by growing their own,” Gauthier said. Gauthier said she has worked for a long time with heirloom plants, but eventually she asked herself, “How can I work with the living?” This thought led her to the idea of creating a live art exhibit that uses live plants as the sculptures. The beauty behind such an undertaking is
that it is always changing during the course of time, Gauthier said. “Gathering” will also showcase some of the vegetables that are grown in Butler’s Earth Charter campus farm in order to highlight the work that is being done on campus. The two efforts have collaborated in order to provide the Butler community with, as Gauthier describes it, an art discourse and a practical initiative. Though the dedication for “Gathering” will take place sometime in mid-April, Gauthier said the actual groundbreaking will be in March. Both the garden and campus farm will be constructed and maintained with the help of volunteers within the Butler community. Further information as to how to help with this project will be sent out in the Butler Connection closer to the dates.
Pharmacy partnership promotes community care to underserved Tara McElmurry tmcelmur@butler.edu Butler University is now partnering with Kingsway Community Care Center (KCCC) as a means to provide pharmaceutical services to the underserved citizens of Avon, Ind. as well as some of its surrounding areas. At the clinic, Butler faculty and students are the primary volunteers, but they’re also trying to reach out to alumni in the area to lend a hand. Cariann Richey, assistant professor of pharmacy, became aware of the opportunity through an individual at another clinic with whom Butler already had a partnership. Richey said that while a small number of faculty and staff became involved with the facility in August 2008, the extent of volunteerism by Butler students happening today took shape by March 2009. During the past year, Butler students, faculty, alumni and residents volunteered a total of 991 hours of work, Jessica Callahan, outreach program coordinator in the pharmacy, said.
That number of hours equates to $22,118.50 donated to the Avon clinic, she said. The clinic was originally an offshoot of Kingsway Church. The money to support it now comes from private donators and larger for-profit health centers and clinics both in Avon and Hendricks counties. “I knew the clinic could benefit from pharmacy support, and they were very supportive of our involvement,” Richey said. “It seemed an excellent environment for student experiences.” Richey said she thinks that the partnership with KCCC is important to the Butler community for several reasons. “It provides an opportunity for students to learn about caring for underserved patients,” Richey said. “It provides an opportunity for student projects and outreach. It provides beneficial services to patients. It provides an opportunity to learn and practice how to start up services and pharmacy operations at a clinic. “It builds on our interest in public health and serving the community.”
Callahan said that this partnership provides students with an opportunity that they otherwise wouldn’t have. “It’s easier to go to a community pharmacy, say a Kroger or CVS, and dispense medication and determine which medication will be best for the patient,” Callahan said. “But when you also have to consider costs and affordability on top of that, there’s a lot more involved. “So, exposing students to that patient group is really important and just kind of opens [the students] to that scenario.” Laurel Whitlatch, a sixth-year pharmacy student, started volunteering for KCCC last summer as part of one of her rotations. She continues to volunteer there, by both prescribing medication for patients as well as acting as a patient advocate. She provides patients with affordable medications they need, as well as the education for how to use them. “It was an amazing experience,” Whitlatch said. Whitlatch said the KCCC partnership is a way for students to see that people outside of
Indianapolis also need help and support from Butler students. “They really appreciate and need the service,” Whitlatch said. “The passionate professors here from Butler are a big benefit to them, and it gives great real world and eye opening experiences for Butler students.” Whitlatch said she hopes the relationship between Butler and Kingsway continues to blossom because it’s a “win-win-win situation.” Because she is a resident of Hendricks County, Richey said she feels like she is literally serving her neighbors. Involved with community outreach since high school, she has continued with it since coming to Butler in 2003. “From a college perspective, I am inspired every time a new student or faculty (member) comes to the clinic and gets involved,” Richey said. “Everyone is so excited to make a difference and seeing their enthusiasm reminds me of how I got started. This is how we can work together to make a difference in the world.”
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Wednesday, February 10, 2010
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COLLEGIANs THE BUTLER
5
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things you should know
q&a
With Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman
this week
Didn’t have time to watch or read the news this week? Not to worry—the news editors of The Butler Collegian have compiled a list of the top five things we think readers should know this week. Short, sweet and to the point, whether you’re too busy with your classes to pick up a paper or you are glued to your television, here are the tidbits we think you need to know to impress your friends and professors this week.
Collegian photos by Rachel Senn
Jennifer Pignolet jpignole@butler.edu Three members of The Butler Collegian staff ventured to the Indiana State House Tuesday to experience the first-ever College Media Day, featuring an hour-long interview with Indiana’s Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman. Skillman, a Republican who is in charge of almost 50 different departments or projects, oversees everything in agriculture, the office of community and world affairs, the office of energy development, the office of defense development, the tourism office, the state housing authority, the counterterrorism and security council for the state, and serves as president of the senate. Through all of this, she took time to answer questions from The Collegian as well as students from the Indiana University-Bloomington and Franklin University campuses. Q. What are your plans to keep college grads in IN? A. We have excellent schools in Indiana. A lot of our young people leave to explore or find opportunities. I think that’s a big part of the equation. We have to ensure that we have the job opportunities, the type of jobs that you are looking for. You are the jobs of the future. Economic development has been a priority since the governor and I came to office in 2005. We dissolved the old Department of Commerce and we established a public-private partnership and added a board of directors that is made up of 12 highly talented business leaders from throughout the state. Every region of Indiana is represented, as well as various industries. These 12 individuals, as well as Governor (Mitch) Daniels, have as their chief responsibility job creation and job attraction. Q. How are you dealing with breaking up the stimulus money Indiana received last year from the federal government? A. Implementing the stimulus is ongoing. It wasn’t something that came to us in Feb. 2009 and now it’s over. A lot of the programs will evolve over a two-year period. We were one of the fastest states out of the gate. There’s the good, bad and ugly of the stimulus. We didn’t criticize the stimulus, the president or U.S. Congress. We said all along “we will do the best we can with what is given to Indiana.” The large buckets of money came for education or Medicaid and for highways, the three areas where almost every state had the greatest shortfall. But Indiana had been creative and innovative and we had a highway plan in place with the money to pay for it. With all of these projects in the pipeline, we’ll just move them up quicker. Medicaid, health care for the poor; we also had been innovative and created our Healthy Indiana Plan. Q. What about the nearly $300 million worth of state wide education cuts that Governor Daniels announced last month? A. It’s not a fun or pleasant thing to have to shrink state government
expenditures. Sometimes it stinks, and that was the case for public education. It was our last area of all state government to be cut. We took 20 percent out of each government agency out of an already lean state government. Q. So how do you continue to promote education as important for Indiana’s growth while making these cuts? A. We are going after money that is available at the federal level. Only states that have high performing schools receive Race to the Top grants. We have been very much in line with the Obama administration and with Secretary (Arne) Duncan with the Department of Education on excellence and student achievement. The plan we have submitted to the U.S. Department of Education is called “Indiana Fast Forward.” To even apply for some of these dollars, you have to ensure that you’re already meeting certain standards such as incentivizing great teachers to work in low performing schools. Why shouldn’t we use student achievement to measure teaching effectiveness? Q. Why is it important for college students to take an interest in politics? A. What happens here in this building is going to affect your daily lives much more than what happens at Congress. It’s no different than the community you choose to reside in someday and raise your family. It’s part of being a proactive citizen. You’re old enough to vote, so you should have the desire to know what policy makers are doing and how that’s going to affect your lives. We have a lot of young people who come through the state house during the legislative session that lobby their individual legislatures. They get a legislature to introduce their proposals and some find it’s a very rewarding experience. Many people find it a pleasant surprise that they are listened to when they come here and that they had part in changing public policy. Q. For those of us who think of Jack Bauer when we think of counterterrorism, what is counterterrorism like from a state level? A. All of the areas I oversee now in the state government have been longtime passions of mine. This was the biggest learning curve for me because not even the average legislature knows all the state government does on a daily basis to keep 6.4 million people safe. I had to apply for my top secret clearance from the federal government. Essentially the state’s counterterrorism security council meets once a month and has one agency head from all of the agencies that have some role to play in keeping Hoosiers safe and secure. That goes pretty deep, as you might imagine. They talk about our preparedness. We submit a plan regularly to U.S. Department of Homeland Security that updates our preparedness plan. We See SKILLMAN Page 5
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If y o u dri v e a To y o ta, y o u mi g ht hav e to pul l o v er: Last week, Toyota began sending letters to owners of vehicles they are recalling because of problems associated with the accelerator pedals. More than eight million vehicles have been recalled according to a Feb. 6 CNN.com article. The list of vehicles include models of 2005 to 2010 Avalon, 2007 to 2010 Camry, 2009 to 2010 Corolla, 2004 to 2009 Prius and others. For the complete list, visit www.toyota.com/recall. Owners who are affected will be notified as soon as the remedy for their vehicle is available. As of right now, sales on the vehicles affected by the recall have been temporarily suspended. P al i n fo r pres i dent?: Sarah Palin, the 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate, said to “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace that if things were right with her family and for the country, she would consider running for president in 2012. “I think that it would be absurd to not consider what it is that I could potentially do to help our country,” Palin told Wallace. “I won’t close a door that perhaps could be open for me in the future.” Facebo o k g i v es i ts el f a bi rthday pres ent: If your Facebook page got a face-lift during the weekend, the changes were made to celebrate the site’s sixth birthday. Intended to make the site simpler for its users, the changes were minor, Facebook engineer Jing Chen wrote in a blog post on the site. Want to hear abo ut S GA pres i denti al pl atfo rms ?: This year’s SGA Presidential Debate will be at 6 p.m. Thursday. Students can come to hear the platforms of this year’s candidates, Kiely Keesler and Christopher Ring. Sally Click, dean of student services, will moderate the debate. Mi chael Jacks o n’s death pres umed ho mi ci de: The Los Angeles Coroner released a report Tuesday that confirmed Michael Jackson died from propofol intoxication. Conrad Murray, Jackson’s physician, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, according to a CNN.com report. Written and compiled by Hayleigh Colombo
SGA announces DJ ‘Girl Talk’ to perform spring concert Jennifer Pignolet jpignole@butler.edu For this year’s spring concert, get ready to dance. Members of the Concert Committee of Student Government Association’s (SGA) Program Board announced Tuesday the spring concert headliner will be hip-hop DJ Girl Talk. But instead of its usual location at Clowes Memorial Hall, the show will be held in the Egyptian Room at the Murat Centre in downtown Indianapolis. “We wanted to have more of a concert and less of a theater feel to it,” junior and concert committee cochair Max Taylor said. “Although Clowes is a great venue, you can’t really interact with everybody else
who is there and really get into it, especially with a genre that isn’t mellow. We want everyone to dance and have a good time.” The concert will be March 27th at 9:30 p.m. with doors opening at 8:30 p.m. Taylor said SGA will provide transportation for students between the Butler University campus and the Murat, although details have not yet been finalized. Because of its off-campus location, this will also be the first Butler-sponsored concert where alcohol will be sold. Senior and Concert Committee Co-Chair Jessica Ciccarello said they chose Girl Talk after results from an online student survey illustrated a desire for a hiphop show.
Twenty-eight-year-old Girl Talk, whose legal name is Gregg Gillis, has released two albums of “mashups,” taking bits of several songs and transforming them into his own works. His album “Feed the Animals” was number four on Time Magazine’s 2008 list of top-ten albums. “They play every song imaginable,” Taylor said. The opening act will feature the Chicago-based hiphop group New Modern Mafia. Taylor, a recording industries major, said he was able to use contacts through the department to partner with Live Nation to book the artists and venue. “Live Nation’s been great to us,” Taylor said. “We reached out to them and they were really excited to work with us. They’re the largest concert promoter in
the world, so they’re not a bad partner to have. “Hopefully we can use them again in the future and make the concerts bigger and bigger.” Tickets are $10, cash only, and are available at Clowes for students with a Butler ID. Students may purchase two tickets with their ID. Tickets will go on sale to the public sometime before the concert, although a date has not been set. Taylor and Ciccarello said the success of the show could determine whether there are sufficient funds to host another concert later in the semester, possibly during exam week. “We’re still looking into possibly doing another show later in the year, but it would be smaller,” Taylor said. “It depends on how ticket sales go.”
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Phi Beta Kappa chapter installed at Butler Jill McCarter jmccarte@butler.edu Butler University now can claim it is part of the nation’s oldest academic honor society, Phi Beta Kappa. The Theta chapter of Phi Beta Kappa was installed at Butler Feb. 4. Phi Beta Kappa is one of the most prestigious honor societies in the nation with 280 chapters in the country, or just 10 percent of the nation’s institutions of higher learning. “It is satisfying to have this fraternity here on campus because it acknowledges our academic rigor and standards here,” University President Bobby Fong said. The society approved Butler as one of four new chapters in the nation this year. “This installation is a result of years of dedication from the university,” Phi Beta Kappa Secretary John Churchill said. “It’s also a result of lifetimes of dedication of both the students and the staff.” Fong, who is a Phi Beta Kappa member himself, says that Butler’s commitment to liberal arts and sciences played a major role in the new chapter’s installation. “As our mission statement says, we have to be lifelong learners, and the liberal arts help us in fulfilling that mission,” Fong said. According to the Phi Beta Kappa Web site, the fraternity “embraces the freedom of inquiry, thought and expression.” “This university upholds the importance of liberal arts and sciences,” Churchill said. “It’s very important that chapters make sure students are well-rounded.” Twenty members of Butler’s staff, faculty, and administration are even Phi Beta Kappa members. “It brings a great distinction to the chapter to have faculty members as members of the
campusbriefs Retention rate at all-time high Anne Carpenter acarpente@butler.edu
Collegian photo by Ryan Murach
CHARTERING CHAPTER: Butler University President Bobby Fong is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, one of the most prestigious academic societies in the nation. society,” Churchill said. Additionally, 17 U.S. Presidents, 38 Supreme Court Justices and 136 Nobel Laureates are members of the society. Foundation members were nominated by peers to represent the principles of the society: academics, natural sciences, humanities, arts and social sciences. The foundation members of the Theta chapter include Provost Jamie Comstock, LAS Associate Dean Judith Morrel, as well as Butler alumni Craig Anderson, Frank Levinson and Rev. Sharon E. Watkins. Churchill said the foundation members are responsible for establishing Phi Beta Kappa’s permanent presence on Butler’s campus. As foundation members accept their posi-
tions, Churchill said they should work to keep the society’s name upheld on campus. “They have to be willing to promote purposes of the society and to protect it from indignities,” Churchill said. One in about 100 college seniors nationally is invited to join Phi Beta Kappa. “It’s not easy,” Fong said. “These students are in the top 10 percent of the class, they have to show leadership capabilities and they have to have a cultural curiosity. “The ideal Phi Beta Kappan has demonstrated intellectual integrity, a tolerance for differing views and an interest in many aspects of academia.” Students will start to receive invitations to join the chapter in April, but must meet strict requirements in order to be considered.
Butler University’s overall retention rate from the fall to spring semester this year is 95 percent, the highest ever. Retention rates can vary from year to year, Vice President of Enrollment, Tom Weede said. Weede said the retention rate has always been a Butler strong point. “Generally speaking, we retain between 70 and 75 percent of our students to graduation,” Weede said. “We use that to compare with other schools in general; one of our goals as a university is to keep that number going up.” When it comes to retention, many factors contribute to the number of students who drop out or transfer. Weede said that based on surveys taken from exiting students, most students leave after their freshman year because of relationship issues or cost. “We know about the cost here,” Weede said. “It is much easier to say you are leaving because you cannot afford it then to say you are leaving because of a boyfriend or girlfriend issue.” Dean of Student Life Irene Stevens said there is no one answer to why students leave. “There are a variety of reasons why students leave Butler,” Stevens said. “Some students switch to a major we do not offer. “Then there are always the students who are doing well, they just do not like the Butler environment.” At Butler, Weede said that honesty is the factor that keeps students on campus, ultimately contributing to the highest ever retention rate. “It does not make sense if we say we have something that we do not,” Weede said. “It is about making sure we do what we say we will do when they arrive.”
Freshman skits tradition to donate proceeds to Haitian cause Jill McCarter jmccarte@butler.edu Butler University’s annual Freshmen Skits will be presented as a Haiti fundraiser Friday at 8 p.m. at Hinkle Fieldhouse. A 15-year-long tradition, the skits are produced by each fraternity and sorority as a way to create some competition among the Greek organizations on campus. The cost to get in is $1, which is different than previous years when the event had been free. Graham Kilian, vice president of membership of Blue Key, said all of the proceeds will go straight to the Haiti Relief Fund. Donations are encouraged at the event. He said it is a great opportunity to have fun while making a difference where it’s truly needed.
“Even if people just donate another dollar, that doubles the amount of money that goes straight to people who need it most,” Kilian said. He said the skits are a longtime tradtion that have been presented for at least 15 years. This year’s theme is BU in 2022, which was chosen by the committee. “The theme came from a long list,” Kilian said. “We kind of just started thinking about what Butler would be like in the future.” All of the fraternities and sororities are creating eight-minute dancing and singing skits to fit one theme. “It is more or less singing, dancing, a little bit of acting and a ton of pop culture references rolled into one fantastic night of fun and entertainment,” Kilian said. Some sororities, such as Alpha Chi Omega,
IMPORTANT INFO FROM SGA... Campaigning begins Wednesday, February 10, 2010. SGA Presidential Debate: Thurs., February 11, 6-8 p.m. in PB 156 Starbucks Forum with the Presidential Candidates: Tues., February 16, 5-6 p.m. Rock the Vote/Elections: Monday February 22, 11-2 p.m. in the Reilly Room. Voting will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
have been practicing every day for about three weeks. Freshman Nadine Hawa, a member of Alpha Chi Omega, says the skits were important in making the transition to ‘sisterhood’ easier. “It has definitely brought us closer because our ideas are built off of each other,” Hawa said. “It’s certainly a unifying experience.” “It’s been kind of overwhelming,” Hawa said. “We’ve been practicing a lot. There are even practices during the weekends.” There may be some big competition at this year’s event, Kilian said. “Sigma Nu won last year, which broke Phi Kappa Psi’s 11-year winning streak,” he said. “They’re the house to beat. There’s a lot of pressure on Phi Psi to get their title back.” The skits are going to be judged by five mem-
bers of Butler’s faculty chosen by the Blue Key Executive Council. While the event is being presented by Blue Key and the 14 Greek organizations on campus, all Butler students are invited to attend. Hawa says the reason to come is for the entertainment. “People should definitely come to the event,” Hawa said. “I’ll be rapping, and that should be pretty interesting, of course.” Kilian expects between 500 and 600 students to attend the event. “With the 14 Greek houses on campus, it should be more than 400 students in attendance,” Kilian said. “That would already raise a substantial amount of money, but we’re hoping for more and we’re hoping for donations to go to the cause.”
The Butler Collegian
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Page 5
NEWS
BUPD Beat Feb. 1 1:18 p.m. – HRC An officer took a report of a theft of private property. 2:41 p.m. — BUTLERTARKINGTON NEIGHBORHOOD An officer took a report of a dispute over property. Feb. 2 1:29 p.m. – UNIVERSITY PARKING LOT An officer took a report of a hit and run traffic accident. Feb. 3 2:02 p.m. – SCHWITZER HALL An officer took a report of a sick person. Feb. 4 8:44 a.m. – HEALTH CENTER An officer took a report of a sick person.
NEWS COLLEGE: Faculty raise financial, administrative concerns of proposed college Continued from Page One
that convergence is right,” Watts said. “But, it concerns me and several other faculty members that the university’s recent hiring practices are making Butler a small school with the administrative structure of a large university.” Associate Professor of Music Doug Spaniol said he’s also noticed an increase in administrative positions, including hiring two new associate provosts in the past year. Both Watts and Spaniol said that, typically, a provost’s salary is a permanent six-figure expense. Hiring more administrators takes funding away from additional teaching support, salary equity and faculty development, Spaniol said. Additionally, Spaniol said there is concern that the new college would detract from the number of majors currently housed within Jordan College of Fine Arts (JCFA). A loss of students would translate into a smaller JCFA budget, he said. However, Spaniol said his primary concern is for students. “It’s our job as a university to serve students better, and we shouldn’t prevent this move if we’re doing it for the greater
good,” he said. “I think the folks proposing the college have a lot of good points, but there is a more cost-effective way than making a new college. “Hiring a dean is an expensive way to achieve these goals.” Kenneth Creech, chair of the Communication Convergence Transition Steering Committee, said the concerns regarding a new dean are not too surprising—especially considering the ongoing JCFA and College of Liberal Sciences (LAS) dean searches. But, he said that communication studies are unique to other Butler majors, since the field combines professional, creative and social sciences approaches. “A dean coming into a college brings the understanding of unique challenges of a hybrid school and focus on making that college thrive,” Creech said. He also said that a dean could provide additional support in the areas of fundraising and establishment of contacts for students within Indianapolis, the 25th largest media market in the nation. Both Creech and Comstock said that while a dean is not responsible for creating a curriculum, he or she would be a
ZIMMERMAN: Student agrees to end controversy
Continued from Page One
Continued from Page One
9:26 p.m. – UNIVERSITY TERRACE An officer took a report of a drug law violation. 11:54 p.m. — HOUSING VILLAGE An officer took a report of damage to university property.
10:32 p.m. – JORDAN HALL An officer took a report of a sick person. 10:50 p.m. – HINKLE FIELDHOUSE An officer took a report of a liquor law violation. Feb. 7 3:56 a.m. — FOUNTAIN MALL An officer took a report of an injured person. 4:59 a.m. — ROSS HALL An officer took a report of a liquor law violation. 3:51 a.m. – OFF CAMPUS An officer took a report of a sexual assault. Feb. 8 1:50 a.m. – BUTLERTARKINGTON NEIGHBORHOOD An officer arrested an individual for drunk driving. 9:25 a.m. – UNIVERSITY PARKING LOT An officer took a report of a traffic accident.
No Ev ent s S chedul ed
she said. Though she said the passage of the proposal would make the new college a bigger power player in the university, the cause of the proposal is worth much more than that. “A college is needed because the artificial divisions between the two departments make it hard to work together, especially with the competition for resources,” Savage said. “Each college (JCFA and LAS) generally has supported each other in the past. Now, the [sixth] college is the right thing for the institution to do, as it will be more efficient and will provide better opportunities for students and faculty.” The proposal has already received a 271 endorsement among faculty and staff, as well as a unanimous vote by the Academic Affairs Committee of the Faculty Senate. Further discussion on the topic will take place during the Feb. 16 Faculty Senate meeting. There may or may not be a vote taking place at that meeting. If the proposal is approved by a Faculty Senate vote, the Board of Trustees will be asked to approve the college at their annual May meeting.
DEAN: Final presentation
Feb. 5 5:46 p.m. – UNIVERSITY PARKING LOT An officer took a report of a traffic accident.
Feb. 6 4:15 p.m. — ROSS HALL PARKING LOT An officer took a report of a theft of property from a motor vehicle.
great resource to utilize when shaping the college’s future curriculum. Creech said that, depending on the college’s approval, a curriculum committee would then look into seeing what core courses could be combined for all journalism students. For example, students currently studying media arts and journalism are required to take separate introductory and media ethics courses. “There are always opportunity costs when it comes to choosing to spend money here and not spending it there,” Creech said. “But, journalists now must know broadcast, print, Internet—converged media. “While we thought we answered most of the anticipated concerns in the proposal, we now need to go back and reinforce why the college is needed.” Ann Savage, an associate professor of media arts, has taught both media arts and gender studies courses during her 12 years at Butler—the former major being housed in JCFA and the latter being housed in LAS. Her experiences working across the colleges have been frustrating at times,
Collegian photo by Rachel Senn
LAS CANDIDATE: The fourth candidate for LAS dean spoke Monday, completing the presentations. The final step of the learning process, Collins said, is “entering the marketplace.” This involves imagination, engagement and intentionality. “Imagination is what students need in the 21st century to figure out what is going to happen,” he said. “Engagement is developing a sense of what needs to be done and intentionality is why something needs to be done.” He said the three words in “entering the marketplace” are important in an LAS education. “The big picture is educating students within their entire being,” Collins said. “In my view, an LAS education is preparing people to engage in the world every day.” Chad Bauman, an assistant professor of religion and an LAS dean search committee member, said the four dean forums went relatively well and they served their purpose of helping various constituencies on campus get a sense of each candidate’s leadership qualities and interpersonal skills. “The next step is for the search committee to come together relatively soon and arrive at a decision,” Bauman said. “Recommendations will then be conveyed to the provost, who deals with the negotiations. We have no real way of knowing how long this will take.”
‘I can’t fight this. I can’t keep going on.’ But then I thought about it a little bit and realized it’s ridiculous.” When asked about the bond amount, Fong said he had no knowledge that the action had been taken. After speaking with university attorneys, Fong said in an e-mail that the bond was merely a legal formality that had to be added to the document for the restraining order to stand. Without a bond listed in the original document, a restraining order is invalid. Because of the deficiencies, the restraining order dropped. Moving forward, Zimmerman and the administration negotiated further and came to the confidential agreement. Zimmerman was able to apply for law school later that day, without a disciplinary record on his file. “I’m very happy with the agreement we reached,” Zimmerman said. He said he fought unsuccessfully to get an agreement without a confidentiality clause.
“I think people should know,” he said. “I wish there wasn’t a confidentiality clause, but that was unfortunately in this situation something I could not avoid.” He said he was thankful for the support of the Butler community as well as faculty and students from schools around the country. Support ranged from T-shirts saying “I support Jess Zimmerman” to a petition, which gathered almost 800 signatures, requesting an apology from the administration. Although he is a junior, Zimmerman will graduate this May, and has already been accepted to three law schools. He said he hopes his situation won’t harm the university in the long term. “Butler has great faculty members, great students and it has a lot of potential to head in the right direction,” Zimmerman said. “But I think there needs to be change. “I feel like I’ve won, but I’m not going to exhale until I graduate.”
SKILLMAN: Lt. Governor discusses Indiana issues. Continued from Page Three
work hand in hand with local law enforcement officers. We have FBI partners, national transportation security partners who attend the meetings as well. Our U.S. district offices are also represented. A part of the role in keeping our residents safe and secure is dealing with natural disasters. 2008 was an extraordinary year for us. We have 92 counties and 82 were declared a disaster, most from the flood, but not all. We have tornadoes, even though flooding was the biggest concern that affected the widest area. We’ve had millions of dollars come in in federal disaster aid in 2008. Q. What are your favori te parts of your job? A. One of my favorite parts of the job is traveling around the state. Seeing how diverse Indiana is, understanding the economic needs and being with Hoosiers in the toughest of times. There’s been some sad duties too, such as when Indiana’s fallen soldiers come home. To stand there with the families and to see how proud they are through their tears.
Those are the moments you never forget. Seeing the strength of our people and understanding how we can overcome adversity. The vivid memories will always be about the people. The accomplishments and moving the state forward are things that are rewarding, but the memorable moments are about the people. Q. Wi th the recent fl oods and economi c woes, how have Hoosi ers handl ed everythi ng i n general ? A. We’re holding our own. We see signs of hope and promise and growth from a number of business extension announcements we’ve been making in the last couple of months. It’s still too soon to see that reflected in the revenues at this point and really too soon to improve the unemployment rate by a great deal. We’re still the lowest unemployment in the entire Midwest, just below the national average, but that is not a good thing; 9.9 percent unemployment is nothing to celebrate. That’s our No. 1 priority and it will continue to be for quite some time.
PRESIDENT: Greek sophomores run for SGA leadership on varying platforms Continued from Page One
accountable to their constituencies, we could have a more engaged assembly.” Keesler said an engaged assembly is imperative to the democratic process. “Everything that’s decided affects us three-fold,” she said. “We’re here studying, we’re here playing and we’re here living, so we should at least discuss what’s going on. It’s about bringing purpose back to assembly.” Presidential candidate Ring has more than four years’ combined experience with student leadership. Not only has he served on SGA’s program board and assembly, he has been a class officer for the past two years.
- Vi si ti ng Wri ters S eri es: Junot Di az Reilly Room 7:30 p.m.
- JCFA Composer’s Orchestra Concert Lilly Hall 112 8 p.m.
In high school, Ring was a district representative of more than 10 counties in Indiana with the Indiana Association of Student Councils. By his senior year, he had a state position as the secretary of the Indiana Association of Student Councils. Ring’s campaign platform is not about introducing mass changes to SGA, but instead giving more responsibility to some of its functions, such as Operations Board, and re-energizing assembly. Instead of restructuring membership like Keesler, Ring said he wants to take away the technicality notion of an assembly position and make representatives actively involved in the governing process.
- Freshman S ki ts Hinkle Fieldhouse 8 p.m. - Fri day Fourth Meal C-Club Lounge 10-12 p.m.
- Java Jams Round 1 Reilly Room 7 p.m. - Mi dwi nter Dance Festi val Clowes Memorial Hall 8 p.m.
“I’d like to solidify their role,” Ring said. Ring said he has a reasonable view of what can be accomplished in a year and the organizational skills to make it happen. When sophomore class president Katie Day left mid-year to travel abroad, Ring took over her position. “I feel as if it’s been a smooth transition,” Ring said. “It’s all been very team oriented.” Ring is also a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity, like current SGA President Chad Lesczynski. “[Chad] has been one of the sources of inspiration as to why I want to do this,” Ring said. “I’m not going to be Chad 2.0,
No Ev ent s S chedul ed
but he conducts himself in a very professional way and he demonstrates good character. Those are things I want to carry on.” Even though Ring said he is proud of his membership in Sigma Nu, he said he doesn’t see being a member of a Greek organization as significant to the democratic process. “I don’t feel like I’m one to flaunt my Greek affiliation,” he said. “Yes, it’s part of who I am, but it’s not my definition.” Both candidates will square off in the SGA Presidential Debate Thursday from 68 p.m. The location is to be determined. Election day is Feb. 22. Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Pi ano at Butl er S eri es: Mi chael S heppard Eidson-Duckwall Recital Hall 7:30 p.m.
- Legacy Leadershi p S essi on: “Di scover a Li fe of Purpose, Meani ng and Purpose” Atherton Union 201 7 p.m.
Page 6
NEWS
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
The Butler Collegian
NEWS
The Greek Defense What does being involved in the Greek community truly entail? Page 8
OPINION
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
A Women’s Issue Why does having the right to an abortion matter? Page 8
Page 7
THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN
THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN The Butler watchdog and voice for BU students 4600 Sunset Ave. Indianapolis, IN 46208 Office Information: Fairbanks Rm 210 News Line: (317) 940-8813 Advertising Line: (317) 940-9358 collegian@butler.edu
Spring 2010 Editorial Staff Paige Chapman Editor in Chief Kelly Patrick Print Managing Editor Allison Brown Online Managing Editor Jennifer Pignolet Co-News Editor Hayleigh Colombo Co-News Editor Olivia Ingle Asst. News Editor Grace Wallace Asst. News Editor Caleb Hamman Opinion Editor Tom Fryska Asst. Opinion Editor Mary Beth Sekela Asst. Opinion Editor Caitlin O’Rourke A&E Editor Kellye Donnelly Asst. A&E Editor Josie Villanueva Asst. A&E Editor Steven Peek Co-Sports Editor Emily Newell Co-Sports Editor Sarah Black Asst. Sports Editor Drew Schmidtke Head Copy Editor Rachel Senn Photography Editor Ryan Murach Asst. Photography Editor Maria Porter Asst. Photography Editor Heather Hanford Graphics Editor Amy Rensink Design Editor Lauren Fisher Advertising Manager Steven Peek Circulation Manager Dr. Charles St. Cyr Adviser The Butler Collegian is published weekly on Wednesdays with a controlled circulation of 2,600. The Collegian office is located in the Fairbanks Building, Room 210. The Collegian is printed at The Greenfield Reporter in Greenfield, Ind. The Collegian maintains a subscription to MCT Services Campus wire service. The Collegian editorial staff determines the editorial policies; the opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of The Collegian, but of the writers clearly labeled. The Collegian accepts advertising from a variety of campus organizations and local businesses and agencies. All advertising decisions are based on the discretion of the ad manager and editor in chief. For a copy of The Collegian advertising rates, publication schedule and policies, please call (317) 940-9358 or send an e-mail to the advertising staff at advertising@butler.edu. Direct postal inquiries to: The Butler Collegian-Advertising. For subscriptions to The Collegian, please send a check to the main address above. Subscriptions are $45 per academic year.
Corrections Policy The Collegian staff makes an effort to be as accurate as possible. Corrections may be submitted to The Collegian and will be printed at the next publication date.
Letters to the Editor Policy The Collegian accepts letters to the editor no later than noon on the Sunday before publication. Letters to the editor must be emailed to collegian@butler.edu and verified by a signature. A signed version of the letter may be dropped off at The Collegian office. The Collegian reserves the right to edit letters for spelling, style, clarity and length. Letters must be kept to a length of 450 words. Contact The Collegian for questions. Exceptions to these policies may be made at the editorial board’s discretion.
Collegian illustration by Heather Hanford
Colleges should converge for communication OUR POINT THIS WEEK: The creation of a College of Communication at Butler University would produce well-rounded journalism students.
A vision of a College of Communication has been in the works at Butler University for years, but it has never seemed to grow into anything more. The media arts and journalism departments, both located in Fairbanks, share some of the same ideas and practices, but they are still separated. The two programs are housed in separate colleges—media arts being in the Jordan College of Fine Arts and journalism being in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. We at The Butler Collegian think Butler should embrace a sixth college, a College of Communication. Currently, journalism majors must decide if they want to study print or broadcast. Since the two areas of study are located in different colleges, it is difficult for students to learn both. With the convergence of the media world, a College of Communication would allow students to study both the print and broadcast
journalistic areas. Employers want to hire journalism professionals who are versatile in all areas, not just confined to one specialty. It would also increase job placement for journalism students because they would have more experience with different media forms. Though the journalism department offers some classes that teach aspects of broadcast journalism, journalism students do not easily have access to the media arts equipment. Instead, they are learning vital media convergence skills on second-rate equipment. A College of Communication would combine all three departments in Fairbanks and give every student access to all of the media’s equipment, regardless of what their major is. Some courses offered by the media arts department and by the journalism department are also very similar. For example, students who study in both departments must take two media ethics classes. If the departments were combined, students would not have to take repeated classes and
could focus on something else pertinent to the field of communications. While some faculty may be worried the merger will cut jobs, the College of Communication proposal explicity states that jobs will not be lost. A more legitimate concern is the cost of the merger. While this may indeed be substantial, the case is that Butler students are paying customers. They deserve a decent return on their investment. Change for the three departments in Fairbanks is needed. Other schools similar to Butler, such as Marquette University and Bradley University, have already made the change. If we combine the three departments to create a College of Communication, students will receive a well-rounded education that will prepare them for anything in the communications workplace. The staff’s view: 31 agreed; 0 disagreed; 0 neutral.
BU v. Zimmerman saga needs to be understood Bill Watts Contributing Writer The entire Butler community was able to breathe a sigh of relief on Oct 27, when the university dropped its libel suit against John Doe, aka Soodo Nym. Unfortunately, that sigh was premature. The internal disciplinary action against Jess Zimmerman, who had come out as Soodo Nym and taken responsibility for the TrueBU blog, dragged on for almost two more months. It took the university an entire year, from December 2008 to December 2009, to resolve this matter. Internal disciplinary processes are confidential, but we also have a window into this case through the public documents filed in Marion County Superior Court, Cause No. 49D010911PL052025. The picture we see through this window is not pretty. In his petition, Zimmerman asks the court to stop the disciplinary process because it is unfair. He claims, among other things, that he was not given access to the evidence brought against him, that Dean of Student Life Irene Stevens was to judge the case unilaterally serving as both the “charging agent, the judge and the jury,” and that she declared him guilty before the hearing even began. Perhaps the most alarming document in the case is the one that lays out the charges against Zimmerman. In an e-mail message dated Oct. 22, 2009, Stevens called Zimmerman to a “conduct meeting,” writing that “it is alleged that you: a) made statements that were threatening
and intimidating to university administra- mail message from the unidentified Butler tors; b) made statements about university Brigade. Butler has an entire police force representatives that were untrue and reck- and could have posted a cruiser in front of less; c) sent an e-mail to university Comstock’s house. administrators that was threatening and This situation did not and cannot justiintimidating.” fy threatening Zimmerman with a lawsuit The e-mail message goes on to charge nine months later. Nor does it justify Zimmerman with a vast array of viola- charging Zimmerman with threatening tions drawn from Butler University’s Comstock in the disciplinary process. Rules of Conduct, including theft, disUniversity officials seem to have taken honesty, physical, menthe view that if they tal or verbal abuse, “During the course of repeated the claim often reckless, lewd, indecent enough, they could or obscene conduct. make it true. But there a very long year, Curiously, Zimmeris simply no credible man was not charged evidence for it. university officials with libel or defamaOne rationale I have tion, which formed the heard from a high uniabused their power basis for the lawsuit. versity official for the Nor was he charged aggressive campaign and the legal and with rape, murder or against Zimmerman is incest. But all of the that his father, Michael, other resources other available charges coached him in composseem to have been ing the TrueBU blog. available to them to thrown at him. I doubt very much However, most that this is true. Given persecute a student.” the fact that the univeralarming of all is the university’s persistent sity has mined the priclaim that Zimmerman threatened vate e-mail accounts of both ZimmerProvost and Vice President for Academic man and Michael, I believe that evidence Affairs Jamie Comstock. Those who of this coaching would now be circulatbother to read the collected works of ing if it existed. Soodo Nym will not find a single threatThe coaching claim is, in my view, ening word in them. just another way in which the university The university has refused to distin- has denied Jess his autonomy and personguish between feeling threatened and hood. being threatened. There may well have Even if it were true that the father been reason for the university to be alert coached the son, it seems to me that the and to take measures to protect Comstock fault lies with the father. This would not in January 2009, after she received an e- have given the university good reason to
punish Zimmerman. Nevertheless, it is clear that the treatment Jess has received from the university was closely tied to dissatisfaction with his father. The Sept. 27 promise to substitute Zimmerman’s name for John Doe in the lawsuit was delivered in the context of his father’s dispute with the university. This was deeply wrong. We, as a university, should not judge our students according to either the sins or the virtues of their parents. Our students are adults, and they should be judged solely in terms of their own merits and deeds. The case against Zimmerman finally came to an end sometime before Christmas in a process overseen by the court. Almost to the end, the university persisted in its aggressive legal tactics, which at one point demanded Zimmerman to post a $100,000 bond. In typical fashion, the university also insisted on secrecy. Therefore Zimmerman cannot reveal the terms of the settlement. A deep injustice has been done to Zimmerman. Our mission as a university is to help our students to develop and thrive. During the course of a very long year, university officials abused their power and the legal and other resources available to them to persecute a student. In doing so, they compromised our most cherished values. Like many at Butler, I want us to move on from this unhappy incident. Before we do, however, we need to understand why this injustice occurred, and what it says about our community.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Page 8
The Butler Collegian
OPINION
OPINION
Criminalizing abortion violates rights Jill McCarter jmccarte@butler.edu The topic of abortion has always been a controversial one, usually considered taboo—not something you can talk about with just anyone. It’s important to share both sides to every story. As an abortion rights advocate, my voice is often hushed in the argument. In a world where teens are often made to feel as though sex is morally corrupt, there are few open discussions about the issue. Making abortions illegal would have the same consequences as making sex illegal—people are going to do it either way. Keeping regulations on abortion and putting the topic out there keeps it safer. It doesn’t have to be a secret, and it is best that it’s done the proper way. Sex is also often a taboo subject for teens to talk to their parents about, so it’s even more difficult to get the best resources to protect against pregnancy. Until we start talking about sex and give teens a decent sex education, it’s impossible to think that teens can really grasp the entire concept of abortion and pregnancy. Another group of women who seek abortions
But would it be wrong to forbid contraception are victims of rape or incest. as some believe it kills living eggs and sperm While I do think that it’s wrong to think of a cells? child as a “consequence,” are you expecting a People have many differing opinions about woman who was forced into this situation to when human life begins, and since there is no carry a child and later give birth to it? definite way of knowing, there The child would serve as an is no way to make an unbiased everyday reminder of what hap“It should be a set of laws without imposing pened to her, and to ask her to go through that would be woman’s decision to do one’s beliefs on other people. The abortion vs. adoption extreme. plea has been made many times. Some people would suggest what she wants with I do think that this is a viable that the victim obtain a mornsolution in most cases. ing-after pill, which if taken 72 her body. Denying a However most women who hours after intercourse decreases carry a child for nine months are the chance of fertilization. person the right to her not willing to give it up for Most rape victims don’t speak adoption. up right away–out of fear, body is denying her shame or anger. Some go their Then, the child is thrown into entire lives without telling anya world where its mother and its most basic rights.” one. family are not completely preOpposition to abortion is pared. Is it really best for the often religious. Our constitution gives us the child to live in a world where he or she would right to practice whatever religion we like, and not get the best treatment or maybe even be negto impose one’s beliefs on another is simply lected? Every child should be a wanted child. unconstitutional. There are times when having a child would Furthermore, many religions forbid women to just not be the best situation. I’m certainly not use contraceptives. Of course, this significantly saying that people should go out and get pregnant multiple times and use abortion as a conincreases the risk of getting pregnant.
traceptive method, but there are times when not having a child would be best for all parties involved. It is also risky for some women to give birth, which can sometimes result in death. It then becomes an issue of whose life is more valuable. I think it should be a woman’s decision to do what she wants with her body. Denying a person the right to her body is denying her most basic rights. Is it really right to have people vote on a topic in which they are not involved? Many men vote in the abortion debate, which I don’t really understand. It doesn’t make sense for an uninvolved party to vote in the discussion. And while it takes two participants to create a child, only one has to carry the child. The simple answer is that if you’re opposed to abortion, no one is forcing you to get one. Keeping legalized abortions does not impose on your beliefs, and it does not affect those who don’t believe in it. This doesn’t mean we should fail to regulate abortion. But when the fetus still has no chance of surviving outside the womb, it should always be a woman’s choice.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Greek column filled with inaccuracies Good opinion writing should accomplish two things: make a well-reasoned, informed argument and create public discussion as a result. The Feb. 2 column “Flaws plague Greek system” ignored the former quality. As a result, the latter was greatly damaged. The Greek system at Butler University is a powerful social structure. To believe it shouldn’t be analyzed and critiqued is cynical. A system that prides itself on leading the campus in academics, retention and graduation rates, philanthropy and service should always be open to improvement. However, “Flaws” was an offensive and irresponsible attempt at assessment. Of the columnist’s many criticisms, one focused on alcohol abuse— specifically binge drinking. Binge drinking is a serious problem, and the Greek community is no stranger to dealing with those consuming alcohol irresponsibly. But, this is where the absence of any real reporting is most obvious. Members of Greek organizations at Butler are required to go through alcohol responsibility training. From my own experiences, I know that every year at my Delta Tau Delta chapter, we spend hours looking at policies handed down from campus administrators, our local organization and the national fraternity to better equip ourselves for the dangers of substance abuse. Furthermore, upon my acceptance into the house, I was required to complete a threehour course outlining proper behavior and responses to issues that may arise when alcohol is abused. But not everyone who drinks in a Greek environment is a member of the community and has been through this intense training. To combat this, fraternity houses also deploy risk managers during parties to monitor what’s going on and to make sure if any problems occur they are ready to take action. It doesn’t eliminate the problem and not all fraternities respond appropriately. But to perpetuate this stereotype that plagues the Greek community without any specific example to back up the claim makes this column undeserving of being published. I’ll address one other egregious claim made. Looking to enhance the column’s strength, the columnist made a positive step toward accuracy by including firsthand accounts of some of the problems she was shedding light on. However, what was included from these interviews was as bad as the piece itself. Let’s take a look at this quote: “Jennifer Tassell, a Butler University sophomore pharmacy student, said that while going through recruitment, she noticed several instances of institutional identity. “When you join a house, you pick up the mentality of that group,” she said. “If your sisters don’t like someone, you don’t either.” Here’s another quote not in the column, but sent to me via e-mail: “The column portrayed me in the wrong light, because so many of my good guy and girl friends here on campus are in Greek life, and I find it to be a great opportunity for building a sense of community. A lot of the things that I said during the interview were overlooked due to their positive nature.” Both of these come from the same person, Jennifer Tassell. While I’ll assume Tassell is well-educated, I find it hard to believe someone outside the Greek system can speak intelligently on the group mentality of a sorority after one week of recruitment. Some of my best friends are in sororities and happen to be some of the most independently thinking individuals I know. To them, this was highly offensive.
“It’s a tough thing for me to grasp, because we look for girls who are individuals and can stand on their own feet,” Sara Zentz, former president of Butler’s Delta Gamma chapter, said. “I believe we have an eclectic group. Certainly, there are similarities and we want our women to get along, but any organization that selects members is going to look for people who can thrive in that environment. We look for individuals who will make us better as people.” Of course, I don’t believe Tassell wanted to accomplish this and it is important to understand that columnists are the ones who get to discriminate what information is included and what is left out. Nonetheless, this source is not qualified and should not have been used for backing up this claim. There are a number of other inaccuracies, prejudices and stereotypes included in this column. But that’s not the real damage being done. I’ll return to my original point that opinion writing is designed for the purpose of responsible argument that elicits thought and discussion from its readers. This column has created a discussion on campus, but not a positive one. When one criticizes irresponsibly, those offended sometimes behave much the same. This is not to say some of the response hasn’t been positive and members of the Greek community haven’t tried to responsibly discuss why such an attack would be made. But if the columnist attempted to write this piece for the purpose of making the Greek community evaluate internal practice, she has failed. Instead, what is more prevalent is a great deal of backlash toward the writer and the paper. In this case, all sides lose and the campus is worse off. Though no longer on staff, I’ve written hundreds of articles for The Butler Collegian. I’m as imperfect as anyone, and I’ve had many bad works published myself. It is my hope though that the paper will do a better job with its opinion pieces in the future. Creating resentment on campus toward the paper overlooks the great work that continues to be done. This paper is not currently and has never been anti-Greek. In reality, it is much like the Greek system in that it remains a shining example of student work on campus. As a campus, it is our responsibility to move forward and engage ourselves in more positive discussion. Brock Benefiel Senior Criticisms of Greek system lacked evidence, logic I played a benefit concert for Independent Council a few weeks back. While I was searching for a few fun cover songs, I asked a friend for suggestions. “‘Chicken Fried’ by Zak Brown Band,” he said. I was initially put off. Country music—I don’t play country music! That’s totally out of my league, out of my interests—everybody knows country music is for backwoods hicks who sit on their front porch, strumming a raggedy, old six-string, singing in a drawl past a hunk of chewing tobacco jammed in their lower lip. A thought struck me: it was a passage I read in Nietzsche’s book, “Beyond Good and Evil.” He wrote, “It is difficult and painful for the ear to listen to anything new; we hear strange music badly.” Being philosophically inclined, I took my friend’s commentary and Nietzsche’s text to heart. I logged onto the Internet and spent the next hour looking up lyrics and tablatures of the music and practicing the chord progression. It is realizations, such as my country music revelation, that dismay
Paw Prints
me all the more when I read The Butler Collegian opinion piece that attempted to undercut and scorn the Greek system. The feeble, and altogether unfounded, argument rested firmly on nothing more than personal prejudice against a system that, to use Nietzsche, the writer “hears badly.” The evidence of this nonsense rests in a lack of any hard empirical description of the system she attempts to undercut. In its place, the writer inserts qualitative assertions from a number of individuals on “both sides” of the system. This is nothing more than glorified gossip, and I expected to see those statements adorning the pages of juicycampus.com before I saw them passed of as legitimate commentary in a student-run newspaper. Caustic phrases such as “the common assertion that involvement in a house distracts students from academics” completely negate the verifiable fact that the all-Greek GPA rests comfortably above the all-campus GPA. What the writer professes is simply bad news writing, and it is egg on the face of every editor that touched the piece and did not demand that it be… what is the newspaper term? Ah, yes—fact checked. That is your job as a newspaper, to put objective (or in the case of an opinion, at least factually verifiable) information into the community. As for your statements of “groupthink” and its woes, let’s look into the science of the matter. Groupthink was presented to the scientific community by Irving Janis in 1971 as a theory to explain how collective thought results in disastrous results. He used four cases of study, (1) Admiral Kimmel’s decision to focus on training and not defense at Pearl Harbor, (2) President Truman’s decision to cross the 38th parallel in 1950 during the Korean War, (3) Kennedy’s authorization of the Bay of Pigs Invasion of 1960 and (4) decisions made by President Johnson from 1964 to 1967 to escalate the Vietnam War. Janis’ attempt with this study was to recognize the antecedents of his term “groupthink.” He stated them as two-fold: homogeneity of member ideology and high stress from external threats. However, when these two concepts were tested empirically in the lab, they provided little realizable support. (See James K. Esser’s article “Alive and Well after 25 Years: A Review of Groupthink Research.”) The failure of groupthink is that it is inappropriately defined by its consequences. When groupthink works, they call it nationalism. Consider America during the Second World War and the massive effort made toward war support. In what way does that not meet the two prior criteria? It is silly to use an unfounded and undefined concept to then imply something negative about the Greek system. Your argument is not real, founded or tangible in any sensible way other than ill-established nay-saying. So as we began with Nietzsche, let us end with another author, Goethe. In his magnum opus, “Faust,” he writes “We are used to seeing that man despises what he does not understand.” We don’t ask for your hand in helping us to be better, we work on it ourselves. However we will accept your opinion if it is founded in legitimate objective statements. I almost forgot. The concert, and the country song—they went wonderfully! As I played through the first chorus, I looked out into the crowd and standing up singing along, now accompanied by five others, was my friend. I don’t know to whom it meant more, but to both be singing along to the same notes, the same words in chorus, surely meant something. As much time as we spend speaking on what we like and dislike personally, we too listen well. Maybe The Butler Collegian simply needs to adjust it’s dials. Robert Warren Junior
How did this weekend’s snow affect you?
By Ryan Murach
“I was supposed to work on Saturday, but it was canceled because of the snow. I was able to enjoy my day and relax for the weekend.” Graham Kilian junior
“I had an annoying drive home because it was so snowy! My 30 minute ride turned into an hour because of the slush.” Adam Ross sophomore
“Work was canceled for me on Friday. But other than that, the snow kept me inside where it was warm.”
Nate Ruse junior
“I went sledding in the Butler Bowl with a couple of my buddies. It was my first time and it was just fabulous!” Artis Hailey sophomore
“I was still able to drive to Chicago with my friends to go ice skating, despite the snow. It was was amazing!” Jessica Sobcinski junior
Hardly OscarWorthy Dan Domsic discusses why “Avatar” is far from the best movie of the year, despite its recent Golden Globe win. Page 10
A&E
Playlist of the Week Whether you can’t stand Valentine’s Day or it’s your favorite holiday, we have music for you. Page 10
ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT Wednesday, February 10, 2010
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THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN
Valentine’s options abound city, beyond Caitlin O’Rourke corourke@butler.edu Oh, the woes of having to take your significant other to C-Club for Valentine’s Day dinner or even worse, taking them to see “Dear John.” Too often Valentine’s Day becomes a bore of roses and chocolates leaving no room for creativity and expression. Never fear Butler University students, for we at the A&E section of The Butler Collegian have heard your pleas for a more interesting way to celebrate the day of love. We hope to have everyone covered, from the stingy money watchers to the deep, poetic hipsters, to the hippie Earth lovers to even the prima ballerinas. 1. Di rty S weetheart’s P o etry S l am. F eb. 1 0 7 p. m. El bo w Ro o m P ub & Del i . $ 3 . Although sadly only for the 21-and -older crowd, the poetry slam is sure to be a great way to both brush up on your poetry skills and impress your current sweetheart. 2. Vo l unteer. Simple, yes, but we believe that service just brings people closer
together. Can’t decide where to go? Stop by Butler’s Volunteer Center, and they will be more than willing to point you in the right direction. 3. F armer’s market. A dinner cooked with local, organic foods sounds pretty romantic to us. Along with picking up amazing food, the community of a farmer’s market has enough love for about nine different Valentine’s Days. 4. Ci rque du S o l ei l ’s Al eg ri a. F eb. 11 to F eb. 1 4 . 7 :3 0 p. m. & 2 :3 0 p. m . C o ns eco F i el dho us e. S tudent ti ckets : $ 3 1 . 5 0 to $ 8 5 . 5 0 . An internationally-acclaimed production, “Alegria,” has been performed since 1994. With promises of amazing trapeze and aerial performances and a name translating to “happiness” from Spanish, this is surely a Valentine’s Day event to make your significant other smile. 5. P ro y ect o : C o razo n/ P ro ject: Heart. F eb. 1 2 . 5 p. m. Earth Ho us e. F ree. It’s a Valentine’s show that has artists using different media to explore what love means. What’s
more creative than that? 6. Wi nter Ni g ht F i l ms : “The Umbrel l as o f Cherbo urg . ” F eb. 1 2 . 7 p. m. The To by Theatre at the IMA. $ 5 . So this may only be for musical lovers (or French majors), but the Toby is dipping into the ‘60s with this romantic French musical about love both lost and found. 7. Indi ana Bal l et Co mpany : “F ro m S hakes peare wi th Lo v e. ” F eb. 1 2 . 7 :3 0 p. m. The Athenaeum. The ballet hopes to attract lovers of all different types of art as they present a multimedia event of dancing, music and Shakespeare readings. Most people will say that Shakespeare is one of the most romantic people who ever lived, so go ahead and celebrate his work this weekend. 8. Vi s i t t he Eart h Ho us e Co l l ecti v e. Yes, we already know we featured an event from the Earth House on the list. But we think this place is so cool that it’s worth repeating. See the local art, eat at the café (Indiana’s
only organic and fair trade coffee shop), take a yoga class and maybe even become a member while you’re there. Something about organic and yoga just screams romantic, doesn’t it? 9. C armel A rts & D es i g n D i s t ri ct Val ent i ne’s D ay Gal l ery Wal k. F eb. 1 3 . 5 p. m. Although it may be a bit of a drive, there will be entertainment and refreshments provided at the many open galleries. An extra special touch? Carriage rides will be also be available for couples. 10. To Hai ti wi th Lo v e. F eb. 1 3 . 8 p. m. Bi g Car Gal l ery. $ 1 0 (at l eas t). Spread love to people who really need it by going to see Accordions, Holy Ghost Canyon and other local bands play as they raise money for Partners in Health in its support for the Haitian people. 11. Vi s i t a mus eum. It doesn’t matter which one: The Children’s Museum, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art, etc. All of them are great, and your sig-
nificant other will be so impressed with how cultured you sound by suggesting it. 12. Bi g Band Val enti ne’s Day Co ncert and Dance. F eb. 1 4 . 7 p. m. The Athenaeum. $ 2 0 . Come watch the Indianapolis Jazz Orchestra perform old favorites that all relate to the theme of the day: love. A big wooden dance floor will be open as well, so you can show off your skills. 13. Take a ro ad tri p. We’re not suggesting something crazy like driving to Vegas to get hitched. Instead, go ahead and venture outside the bubble for a day or two to take in the sights of a nearby city like Chicago or St. Louis. A three to four hour drive isn’t that bad when there’s a whole new realm of possibilities to explore. Hopefully, dear reader, your qualms about the upcoming holiday have been quieted by our list. And if you still feel you will be best served going to see “Dear John” and then grabbing a bite to eat, well, we’ll try not to be too offended. As for your date, we’re not so sure.
Collegian photo from flickr/vidiot
Collegian photo from flickr/MsJackson
Collegian photo from flickr/Ed Yourdon
Collegian photo from flickr/oldtasty
Collegian photo from flickr/MPBecker
LEND A HAND: Help out Haiti by volunteering with your other half.
DEFY GRAVITY: See a circus that isn’t exactly the Ringling Bros.
SO FRESH, SO CLEAN: Make an organic meal for your sweetie.
YOUNG AT HEART: Embrace your inner child at The Children’s Museum.
WINDY CITY: Take a whirlwind, romantic trip to Chicago.
“An Education” shines with Oscar-nominated newcomer Mulligan Josie Villanueva jvillanu@butler.edu Nominated for three Academy Awards, “An Education” is a charming love story about the choices made by a young girl that may infinitely change the direction of her future. Based on Lynn Barber’s memoir of the same name, director Lone Scherfig and writer Nick Hornby join together to create a well-crafted film of a young woman’s quest to find adventure in a drab life. Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is a 16-year-old in 1961 aspiring to be an academic in her Twickerham suburban neighborhood, located in southwest London. Jenny is knowledgeable beyond her years. Although she is dedicated and driven to do well in her academic path, she dreams of an adulthood that will foster her love for art, literature and French existentialism. We watch her as she marches through a dull world of finishing school and mundane, school-
“An Education” MOVIE REVIEW
BBC Films Directed by: Lone Scherfig Starring: Dominic Cooper, Alfred Molina, Carey Mulligan, Rosamund Pike, Peter Sarsgaard and Cara Seymour Rated PG-13
Rating: 5 = perfect, 4 = outstanding, 3 = good, 2 = fair, 1 = poor
girl bickering. Her parents, Jack (Alfred Molina) and Marjorie (Cara Seymour), are especially pushy. Jack and Marjorie serve as the epitome of the Type-A parent, serving as driving forces for Jenny’s path to Oxford. They usher her to success by making her partake in countless hours of homework and cello lessons. It is on her way home from a cello lesson at a bus stop that Jenny meets her gateway to the culture and intrigue about which she fantasizes. In the pouring rain, she meets David (Peter Sarsgaard), a cordial 30-something man. They emerge as an unlikely couple, but their chemistry is instantaneous and undeniable. Jenny is adorably charismatic, and David is impressively cultured. After agreeing to a date and convincing her parents to let her go, Jenny meets David’s sophisticated friends, Danny (Dominic Cooper) and Helen (Rosamund Pike). They serve as the cosmopolitan contrast to the adults to which Jenny is accustomed. She shines among the more mature crowd, embracing every lavish classical music concert and expensive late night dinner. A posh and airheaded Helen also serves as a mentor to Jenny. What she lacks in intelligence and awareness of the rich culture that surrounds her, she makes up for with a beautiful wardrobe. We watch as Helen helps to transform Jenny from dowdy schoolgirl to stylishly chic and modern. However, David and Jenny’s relationship is one that makes the audience uneasy. Despite their cute interactions, David is practically twice Jenny’s age, which is something difficult to ignore as we watch the two play out a romantic love story. We witness Jenny grapple with the decision between an exciting love and a practical route at Oxford. Throughout the movie, we are simply waiting to see what could possibly be wrong with David and whether Jenny will make the right choice. In the end, the direction their story takes is definitely unexpected. “An Education” is, without question, a pleasant film. Most specifically, Mulligan’s out-
Collegian photo from flickr/WorthingTheatres
A MAY-DECEMBER ROMANCE: In the movie adaptation of “An Education,” Carey Mulligan stars as a naive young girl who falls for an older, cultured man played by Peter Saarsgard. standing performance truly captivates every person in the audience. Her Academy Award nomination for “Best Actress” is well deserved. It truly feels like the audience watches as Mulligan grows into a breathtakingly beautiful woman throughout the film. She is absolutely adorable, funny and endearing. I have two favorite scenes in this film. The first occurs during Jenny’s highly anticipated 17th birthday. We watch as Jenny, her young boyfriend, her parents and David, all carry on in perfect harmony, incorporating amusing banter and appropriate awkwardness. Molina is also a personal favorite in this
scene. He plays Jenny’s father well, as the unapologetically and brutally honest patriarch in his family. Though he is often crass, he is also delightfully entertaining. My second favorite scene is during Jenny and David’s trip to Paris. They gallivant throughout the city in a romantic frenzy. These scenes not only portray Jenny and David’s enchanting love story, but they also represent the beauty of Parisian culture in the ‘60s. Mulligan guides us through a story of the banal versus the worldly that every young person hopes to attain and demonstrates the effects perfectly.
The Butler Collegian
Page 10
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
A&E
A&E
L o v e Playlist Hate of the Week
“I Adore You” - melpo mene
01.
01.
“Untouchable Face” - Ani DiFranco
“Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?” -Bob Dylan
02.
02.
“There’s No Home for You Here” - The White Stripes
“I’ll Believe in Anything” - Wolf Parade
03.
03.
“Not About Love” - Fiona Apple
“Bluish” - Animal Collective
04.
04.
“50 Ways to Leave Your Lover”- Paul Simon
“I Was Made for You” - She & Him
05.
05.
“I’m Sick of You” - Iggy Pop
“I Found a Reason” - Cat Power
06.
06.
“She’s a Rejecter” - Of Montreal
“She Smiled Sweetly” - The Rolling Stones
07.
07.
“I Will Survive” - Cake
“Lover” - Devendra Banhart
08.
08.
“You’re So Vain” - Carly Simon
“Maps” - The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
09.
09.
“Lover I Don’t Have to Love” - Bright Eyes
“I Hear Music” - Daniel Martin Moore
10.
10.
“Alone Again (Naturally)” - Gilbert O’Sullivan
“Never Had Nobody Like You” - M. Ward
11.
11.
“Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” - Bob Dylan
“I Will” - The Beatles
12.
12.
“Ex-Girlfriend” - No Doubt
“Keepin’ It Real” - Mason Jennings
13.
13.
“Cheers Darlin’” - Damien Rice
Have an idea for our next Playlist of the Week? Send submissions to corourke@butler.edu.
Have an idea for our next Playlist of the Week? Send submissions to corourke@butler.edu.
‘Avatar’ falls flat, lacks originality Dan Domsic Contributing Writer
film’s lack of a unique plot as well as the presence of a blunt political message qualify it to be a great overall James Cameron’s action adventure movie. film “Avatar” does not deserve a The film can be laughably comGolden Globe for “Best Picture,” and pared to Kevin Costner’s 20-year-old it should not have been nominated in story of life on the western plains, that category for an Academy Award known as “Dances with Wolves.” either. “Dances with Wolves” graced theCameron’s film is the story of a aters in 1990. Cameron started prosoldier who goes to a distant planet ducing “Avatar” seven years later. In to help win the hearts and minds of 12 years, the span of time between its inhabitants and eventually the production and release dates, a becomes one of them. story line with more meaning and Hardly origisubstance could nal. “Avatar was in production for have been proAnd that is duced. exactly the prob“Dances with at least a decade, cost $460 lem. “Avatar” Wolves” details was in producmillion to make and does not how Costner’s tion for at least a character transdecade, cost forms from a show any sign of originality ap p ro x i m at el y simple soldier to $460 million to a member of a beyond visual effects.” make and does Sioux tribe livnot show any ing near his outsign of originality beyond visual post, a lot like the soldier in effects. Cameron’s sci-fi flick. “Avatar” is The breathtaking visuals in the starting to sound familiar. film may have been innovative, but The story is so predictable that that is why there are awards for tech- viewers can predict major plot points nical achievement. “Avatar” finally at least 15 minutes before they hapmade three-dimensional properties pen. worthwhile in film and merged comAs for the blunt, anti-imperialistic puter-enhanced characters with quali- political agenda, think of it this ty acting. That does not mean the way—there is a difference between
Collegian photo courtesy of flickr/xploitme
FAR FROM ORIGINAL: Though the film “Avatar” has grossed more than $460 million worldwide and is nominated for nine 2010 Academy Awards, our entertainment columnist argues the film’s political premise is clichéd. thinly veiled political criticism and hitting the audience over the head with a hammer. Unfortunately, there is political bludgeoning, such as the film’s antagonist calling his campaign
against the local population one of “shock and awe.” Is it possible Cameron took time to write that into the script after George W. Bush said it? I cannot be sure, but after a decade, time is not exactly a com-
modity. “Best Picture” should go to a film that is great because the sum of its parts is extraordinary, not because one part is so remarkable that it overshadows the rest of its mediocrity.
‘To Write Love on Her Arms’ movement advocates suicide prevention Kellye Donnelly kdonnell@butler.edu “To Write Love on Her Arms” (TWLOHA) is neither a clothing company nor a record label. But, it has been featured on T-shirts and has been heavily promoted at concerts across the
country. TWLOHA, a non-profit movement dedicated to preventing suicide and depression in teens, was founded by 27-year-old Jaime Tworkowski soon after he received positive feedback to a story he wrote of the same name as the movement.
Collegian photo from flickr/laurenmarek
AN ACT OF LOVE: The “To Write Love on Her Arms” movement, that was started in 2006 to prevent suicide and depression in teens and college students, has recently raised $100,000.
“We aim to present facts about these issues (pain-mainly depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide), and, more than anything, present hope creatively and tastefully,” Tworkowski said in an interview with Wrecked e-zine. The story that originally inspired the movement was Renee, a 19-year-old girl struggling with addictions to cocaine, pot, alcohol and pills. In the article, Tworkowski said he spent five days with her after her suicide attempt, trying to revive her interest in life. At the end of those five days, Renee gave Tworkowski her razor blade. Much of TWLOHA work is focused on teens and young adults, because suicide is currently the third-leading cause of death among teenagers. Tworkowski was scheduled to speak at Butler on Wednesday, but the event has been canceled due to inclement weather. Campus Podium coExpressions co-chair Brandon Russell said he hopes to reschedule the event soon. After a student took his own life at Butler University last year, Russell and his co-chair and senior Kacey Carroll said they wanted to bring a speaker to campus who could speak about suicide and depression awareness to a college audience. The board found the characteristics it was looking for in TWLOHA last spring when a
student suggested it to the council. “We noticed that it was a subject that needed to be brought to campus, considering the events that caused it to hit so close to home,” Russell said. TWLOHA is not only about helping oneself, but also helping friends or family that may need help as well. “I think it is crucial for teens to have an activist group like TWLOHA because with teens, many are too afraid to go to help in situations like [that],” freshman Brady Ripperger said. One of the main ways that TWLOHA has approached teens to make the subject more relatable is by reaching out to bands, such as Tworkowski’s close friends in the band Anberlin. They have also set up booths at concerts, like Warped Tour, where teens are the main audience. Ripperger said he thinks this really helps the topic to spread even faster because it “makes it cooler to talk about.” TWLOHA has received enough publicity to put the subject in the public’s eye as well. Recently, Tworkowski won an MTV Woodie Award for promotion of TWLOHA to teens. TWLOHA also raised $100,000 through text voting and Chase Bank, making it readily available to its target audience of teens and young adults.
SPORTS
Making History Women’s basketball did something Saturday they had not done in 21 years. Page 12
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
One-and-Done The case against the NBA’s eligibility policy; it’s ineffective. Page 13
Page 11
THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN
MBB snags share of league title
Collegian photo by Rachel Senn
REACH HIGH: Junior Matt Howard put up 20 points in Monday night’s win versus Loyola.
Mike Ellis mellis@butler.edu Butler (21-4, 14-0 HL) has clinched at least a share of the Horizon League regular season title, after rallying to beat Loyola (13-11, 4-10 HL), 62-47, at Hinkle Fieldhouse Monday night. Junior Matt Howard led the Bulldogs with 20 points on 12-of-14 shooting from the free throw line, while Willie Veasley contributed 12 points and eight rebounds.
“It wasn’t pretty, but it’s definitely a win I’m proud of,” head coach Brad Stevens said. The Bulldogs trailed by as many as nine points in the first half, but they trimmed the deficit to just two at halftime. Butler went into the locker room down 26-24 since they shot only 22 percent from the field and received no points from sophomores Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack. Veasley heated up at the beginning of the second half, scoring 10 points in five minutes and 15 seconds. Veasley’s scoring was contagious for Butler, as the Bulldogs outscored the Ramblers 38-21 in the final 20 minutes. Also, the Ramblers were simply unable to establish any rhythm on offense. Loyola missed all eight of their second-half three-pointers and shot five-ofnine from the free throw stripe. Despite the strong second-half performance, Howard said his team must play better for the whole 40 minutes. “We can’t come out like [we did tonight] if we want to beat the elite teams in the country,” he said. Butler also shot a season-high 67.5 percent and was one field goal away from setting a school record for shooting percentage Saturday night during the course of their 74-62 victory against Wright State (15-9, 8-5 HL). Senior Willie Veasley was a perfect nine-for-nine from the field and scored 19 points, while Matt Howard added 12 points and snatched six rebounds. Veasley attributed much of his success to being the beneficiary of good ball movement. “My teammates found me when I was around the basket,” he said. “We’ve been so good because we play well off of each other.” First half scoring was tight, as both teams frequently traded baskets and leads. With the game tied at 29 with two minutes remaining in the half, the Bulldogs finished with a 6-0 run, capped by a Mack 12-foot buzzer beater. “I thought we played well for 18 minutes, but the
game got away from us in the final two minutes of the first half,” Wright State head coach Brad Brownell said. “Momentum is a powerful force in this sport. That’s why it’s tough to win on the road.” Brownell said he felt the Bulldogs were so effective from the field partly due to their size and physicality. Thursday, Butler survived 21 turnovers en route to a hard-fought 63-58 win versus Detroit (15-10, 7-6 HL). The win moved the Bulldogs to a 6-1 standing in games decided by five points or less. “This is just a poised group,” Stevens said. “I think [poise] is a quality that a lot of these guys have.” Hayward paced the Bulldogs with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Howard added 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting. The Titans’ leading scorer, Chase Simon, led his team with 15 points but shot just 5-of-16 from the field. Butler raced to a 10-0 lead, but Detroit was resilient and trailed by only four points at halftime. With the Bulldogs leading 45-44 and just more than nine minutes remaining, Hayward converted the first of two important three-point plays to extend the gap to seven. The Titans made one final run and trimmed the deficit to 53-50, but sophomore Ronald Nored scored six clutch points in the final four minutes to seal a Butler victory. “Gordon and Shelvin were being defended well all night,” Nored said. “I just had wide-open layups. I didn’t have to do anything special.” This week, the Bulldogs will travel to Youngstown State (8-15, 2-11 HL) Thursday before heading to red-hot Cleveland State (12-12, 8-4 HL) for a Saturday afternoon showdown. Stevens said though his team has improved since the beginning of the year, they must continue to get better and be successful down the road. “We’ve got to be better with the basketball,” he said. “But I also want our guys to play with free minds and an attacking mindset.”
Tennis defeats Bradley, falls to Hoosiers Megan Moles mmoles@butler.edu The Butler men’s tennis team did not let the snow outside damper their play Friday as they defeated Bradley, 5-2, in the Bulldogs’ first home meet. Butler swept all three men’s doubles matches to earn a point, in addition to their four singles victories. Butler head coach Jason Suscha said the doubles wins were promising. “I really think we have the potential to be a better doubles team,” he said. Junior Bryce Warren also emphasized the need to focus on doubles. “I think we need to compete better in doubles as the season goes on because winning the doubles point is such a crucial aspect in starting every match,” he said. The No. 1 doubles team of junior Chris Herron and Warren defeated the Bradley doubles team of Milos Romic and Juan Cuadrado, 8-6. “It was nice to win the doubles point and win at all three positions,” Herron said. Warren went on to defeat Callen Fraychineaud in a straight-sets win in the No. 2 singles match. “I was able to take my opponent out of his comfort zone and then capitalize on my
opportunities,” Warren said. Herron went on to face Romic again, but this time the two faced off in the No. 1 singles match. Herron lost a close three-set match, 5-7, 6-3, 1-0, after a third-set tiebreaker. The No. 2 doubles team of sophomore Zach Ervin and junior Lenz Theodor defeated Bradley’s Richard Robertson and Eric Nguyen, 8-5. Both Ervin and Theodor went on to win their singles matches. Ervin won in the No. 5 singles spot in straight sets, and Theodor battled to win the No. 4 singles event through three sets, 1-6, 62, 6-4. “I thought the team did a good job of coming out ready to play,” Ervin said. “We got off to a good start by sweeping the doubles. “The win feels good, and it will help us in the future by giving us a confidence boost.” Junior Brandon Bayliss and senior Ben Raynauld teamed up to win No. 3 doubles against Fraychineaud and Brock Reiman, 8-5. “I thought our team showed a lot of intensity and energy in our win against Bradley on Friday,” Warren said. “This was our first home match of the year, and it is always good to win at home.” Saturday, the Bulldogs traveled to Bloomington, Ind., where they took on Indiana, who is ranked 49th nationally. The
Bulldogs fell 7-0. “Down at IU, their courts are fast,” Suscha said. “What that means is the serve becomes the most important part of the game. We didn’t serve well.” The team has made perfecting their serving a new goal, Ervin said. “As a team, we are looking to improve our serve quality and work on holding a higher percentage of serve games,” he said. “We are looking to keep finding patterns that work to our specific game styles. “I am just trying to improve my serve and to play my game to dictate play more and more as the season goes on.” Herron said he felt that serving troubles led to the shutout at Indiana. “In singles, no one on the team served well, causing us to lose pretty handily,” Herron said. “We are going to work on our serves this week in hopes to regain our confidence. “We’re looking forward to getting back on the right track.” Warren said the team has decided to view the match against Indiana as a learning experience and build on it for future matches. “Indiana was a tougher opponent on Saturday,” Warren said. “It is always good experience playing against Big Ten opponents.” The Bulldogs are back in action Sunday when they host Illinois State at noon.
Collegian photo by Rachel Senn
GUIDANCE: Senior Willie Veasley demonstrated consistent scoring this past weekend.
Our Top Three Favorite Commercials of Super Bowl XLIV 1. Google’s “Parisian Love” (Yeah, we’re a bunch of saps, but it was cute and came just in time for Valentine’s Day.)
2. Doritos’ “Play Nice” (The kid was adorable and laid down the law.)
3. VW’s “Punchdub” (It had a great use of a well-known game and Stevie Wonder.)
Need more Bulldog sports? Get your fix throughout the week by following The Butler Collegian online! thebutlercollegian.com THURSDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
TUESDAY
Women’s Basketball vs. Youngstown State 7 p.m.
Women’s Tennis vs. Ball State 4 p.m.
Men’s Tennis vs. Illinois State 12 p.m.
Men’s Tennis vs. Xavier 3 p.m.
Men’s Basketball at Youngstown State 7 p.m.
Women’s Basketball vs. Cleveland State 2 p.m. Men’s Basketball at Cleveland State 2 p.m.
Visit the Horizon League online for conference news. horizonleague.org/ horizonleaguenetwork.tv
Haven’t read Aaron Cummins’ post on the Super Bowl? Go to the Butler Sports Blog! busportswriters. blogspot.com/
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Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Page 12
The Butler Collegian
SPORTS
SPORTS
WBB snatches historic win at Valpo Megan Moles mmoles@butler.edu
Butler women’s basketball won at Valparaiso for the first time in 21 years, pulling within half a game of second-place Green Bay (19-3, 8-3 HL) in the Horizon League standings. Saturday’s win takes Butler to 7-3 in the conference, while Detroit leads the league at 9-2. Senior Melanie Thornton continued her streak of high-scoring games with 17 points. Thornton also grabbed six rebounds and had five blocks. Freshman Claire Freeman joined Thornton in an early second-half scoring run as the Bulldogs went on a 16-2, four-minute run versus the Crusaders (6-15, 3-7 HL). “I thought in the first five minutes of the second half we pretty much set the tone,” Butler head coach Beth Couture said. “That really helped our confidence playing here at Valpo because this is a place we haven’t won a lot.” Sophomore Devin Brierly said that team chemistry led to good play. “The team played really well together Saturday,” Brierly said. “If we continue to mesh like that on the floor, we will be hard to beat.” Brierly and senior Susan Lester each scored nine points in the 66-52 Butler win. Butler shot 42.6 percent on their way to that score, holding the Crusaders to 31.3 percent from the field. Butler entered halftime with a 30-25 lead.
Crusader Raegan Moore scored 13 points in the first half, but the Bulldogs were able to maintain the advantage. In the second half, Butler’s defense held Moore to only two points. Early in the second half, Thornton scored on a three-point play to give the Bulldogs a 39-29 lead. Freeman quickly followed suit by adding a three-point play off a steal. Thornton then scored two successive shots to bring Butler’s lead to 17, forcing the Crusaders to call a timeout. Valparaiso fought back late in the second half, cutting the difference to 12. Three-point plays by Lester and junior Alyssa Pittman with less than three minutes remaining sustained the Bulldogs’ lead until the final horn. “This is a rivalry game in a place that we haven’t won,” Couture said. “To come up here and pick up a win was very big for us and what we want to do and that’s compete at the end.” Brierly said that the road win was a big victory for the Bulldogs. “It will help us in future games now that we have all the confidence in the world that we can win road games,” she said. The Bulldogs are already looking ahead to their next game and hope to use the win at Valparaiso as a way to improve as a team. “Our team can work on putting a complete game together,” Brierly said. “If we can play a whole 40 minutes like we can, we will be unstoppable. We have great team chemistry and one goal in mind, and that is to win.” The Bulldogs are back in action Thursday at home versus Youngstown State at 7 p.m.
Collegian photo by Rachel Senn
FRESH FACE: Freshman guard Claire Freeman made one free throw and two shots in the paint against Valparaiso.
Baseball builds unity with team challenges Swimming prepares for league finals Sarah Black sablack1@butler.edu
What is a baseball team to do in the offseason before they are allowed to have full practice? Butler’s baseball team has spent their time engaging in an Iron Man competition, a tradition they started last year. The men from Butler’s team have been competing against one another in their Iron Man challenges since winter break in order to test their bodies and build team chemistry. Following a 13-41 record last season and a 13-33 record in 2008, hopes are high that a feeling of team unity will bring success for the Bulldogs. “This year, there’s more of a new energy,” senior pitcher Jamie Feldheiser said. “There’s a great group of freshmen and three new transfers. There is a really good chemistry already.” Junior infielder Grant Fillipitch, one of the team captains, said that this is the first year that the team has new players that aren’t freshmen. “The three junior transfers have already played college baseball, so they have proven themselves already,” he said. The Iron Man competition split the Bulldogs into two groups that competed against each other in physical challenges. Some events were relevant to baseball, but swimming competitions and obstacle courses also marked the Iron Man event schedule. The Iron Man challenge was no easy feat— the team did two or three challenges each week. There were running challenges, an obstacle
course in the West Gym and a towel hang, in which the team members tested their endurance by hanging from a towel on a pull up bar for as long as they could. The team captains, Fillipitch and junior pitcher Jared Wagoner, chose their Iron Man competition teams. Team Wagoner beat Team Fillipitch in every event. “We got smoked,” Fillipitch said. “I thought I had a good team. I drafted good baseball players but maybe not good swimmers or mile-runners.” Feldheiser was on the losing team, but he said that winning wasn’t necessarily the point. “It’s more about team building,” he said. Feldheiser also said that the competition was effective conditioning for the team. “You definitely could tell who worked out over break,” he said. Head coach Steve Farley said that he thinks the Iron Man competition is good for the team. “We were limited to conditioning and a smaller amount of practice hours, because we couldn’t start full practice yet,” he said. “We’re right where we want to be right now. Our condition level is good.” The baseball team’s newest development is their indoor batting facility on campus. “It’s a modern chance to take some real-life batting practice,” Farley said. “We don’t have to drive to do it anymore; we’ve got it all here.” Feldheiser said that it gives the team an opportunity to get into a rhythm with simulated game play. “It’s great; we’ve been using it every single day,” Fillipitch said. “We’ve been getting so
much use out of it. It’s definitely worth every penny.” The Bulldogs, who started full practice Feb. 1, are preparing for their season that starts Feb. 26 with the Wofford College Tournament in Spartanburg, N.C. Butler’s first home game will be March 3 against Indiana State. From there, the team heads to Winter Haven, Fla., for seven games between March 6 and 12. The team’s first conference game is March 26 at home against Youngstown State. “Hopefully we’ve established our roles on the team by then,” Feldheiser said. “We should definitely see where we are and where we measure up. “Usually the top two Horizon League teams are UIC and Wright State, so when we’re up against them we can feel out where we’re at.” Schultz said that the team is required to keep working throughout the season. “You get into a midseason groove, but there are so many little things to work on during it,” he said. Farley said that conference play is early enough in the season that the team will still be making adjustments. “Baseball season is a marathon,” he said. “We’ll still be working on things. Having the new building will help.” Senior infielder Kyle Schultz also said he looks forward to a good season. “Baseball requires you to work throughout the season,” he said. “But already we’re really meshing into a team.”
Mike Ellis mellis@butler.edu Sophomore Megan Wesler won the 200-yard freestyle and freshman Nikki Weston placed first in the 200-yard individual medley at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind. Friday. The Bulldogs earned four points, finishing second to host DePauw, which accumulated 30. IUPUI finished third with two points. “I think I swam a solid meet,” Wesler said. “I think I’m where I need to be.” Weston finished second in the 100-yard freestyle but was not satisfied with her results. “I know those were not my best times, but I feel like I’m in a good position to swim my best at [the Horizon League Championships],” she said. The Bulldogs also received strong efforts from senior Momo Wilson, who placed third in the 200-yard breaststroke, as well as sophomore Kyle Johannsen, who finished third in the 1,000-
yard freestyle. Butler’s next meet will be the Horizon League Championships Feb. 24 to 27 at the Flames Natatorium in Chicago. “We’ve been training anywhere from 16 to 25 hours a week for [conference finals] since August,” senior Stephanie Moles said. “The physical work is all there. Now it’s time to mentally get into the swing of things.” Wesler said she is excited about swimming at the upcoming conference meet. “This is where the six months of training pays off,” she said. “I think [the team] is well prepared to swim lots of season-best and lifetime-best swims.” Weston said she is equally confident about the conference championships, and she is also looking forward to a productive future as a Bulldog swimmer. “I think the program is going along a good path,” she said. “We just need to keep getting more girls to join the team and keep up all the hard work.”
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The Butler Collegian
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Page 13
‘One-and-done’ college deal must end Emily Newell enewell@butler.edu Kobe Bryant. Kevin Garnett. LeBron James. Dwight Howard. All are great basketball players. All were drafted to the National Basketball Association (NBA) straight out of high school. Until 2005, the NBA, unlike the National Football League, had no rules forcing potential draftees to attend college prior to being selected by a franchise. Starting with the 2006 NBA Draft, a new rule was enacted. Outstanding high school players were no longer allowed to move straight to life as a professional athlete. Commissioner David Stern imposed a rule stating that no player may enter the NBA Draft until he has spent one year out of high school and is at least 19 years of age. Essentially, players end up being “one-and-done.” That is, they’re in college for one year, then off to the NBA. Players don’t necessarily have to go to college; they just need to be one year removed from high school before entering the NBA. Spending a year playing overseas, like Brandon Jennings did before entering the 2009 NBA Draft, is also an option. But, for the most part, potential straight-out-ofhigh school players, such as Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Tyreke Evans and Derrick Rose, all spent one year playing college ball before entering the draft. In 2008, after completing their mandatory year out of high school, Oden and Durant were respectively the first and second overall draft picks. One-anddones. This year, Kentucky Wildcat John Wall is likely to follow suit. Stern discussed the age limit idea several years before it was enacted in a 2001 interview with Wolf Blitzer. Stern said that players straight out of high school “are physically mature enough to be part of the NBA, and they are great young players.”
“Framing the issue, the question is whether a couple of years more of seasoning would increase their maturity, their skills, their collegiate programs and ultimately what it could do for sending messages to kids who are practicing their skills who should think about getting an education rather than coming right to [the] NBA,” Stern said. Perhaps these players are gaining more skills and experience by playing a year of collegiate basketball, but I’m not sure that’s always the case. For example, look at Greg Oden. A nationallyknown, high school star at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, Oden was expected to have been taken first in the NBA Draft straight from high school. But, because of the new rule enacted in 2006, Oden went to The Ohio State University to play under Thad Matta for a year before entering the draft. As expected, he proved himself to be a stellar college player and got one season of experience outside of high school under his belt. Then he left. And like that, he sunk into mediocrity. What has he done as a professional? Not much. So what exactly did that one year of college help him achieve? Oden has spent much of his time as a professional player injured. In the time he has played professionally, he hasn’t been the standout he was in high school and college. We’ll never know if he would have done better straight out of high school. But the year of experience that Stern discussed as beneficial seems less than so for Oden. He’s now an average NBA player continuing to deal with an injury-plagued career. And that year of classes? It didn’t give him a degree. One year of college classes isn’t much more of an education than a high school diploma, as freshmen schedules are full of introductory courses. The “one-and-done” rule has created a system for players, whether or not they succeed outside of college, in which education has become a mandatory, burdensome step along the path to professional glory. But the National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) has made the burdensome process easier for “one-and-done” athletes. According to the NCAA Rules and Bylaws, an eligible player must only have passed six credit hours the semester or quarter before the NCAA basketball tournament. So athletes could be eligible for the tournament without completing classes their second semester. All that is required is that they are enrolled as full-time students. The student-athlete need only pass six credit hours if he or she wishes to remain eligible for the next academic year. But when that player is headed straight to the NBA, who needs that? Classes no longer mean a thing. Former college basketball coach Bobby Knight expressed his frustration with the new NBA Draft rule and the creation of the “one-and-done” player. “Most ‘one-and-done’ freshmen forget their classroom locations the minute eligibility is guaranteed through the NCAA tournament,” Knight said. His statement is a testament to the joke being
made of a college education. After all, shouldn’t the students filling the spots in a classroom desire the education, not be forced into it? “I don't like the ‘one-and-done,’” Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said in an interview with The Washington Post. “First of all, I don’t really understand how we get away with that as a league, that we tell a guy out of high school he can’t come and play in our league. The guy should have the right to make a living and to come into our league. “What I really don’t like is the way our system is set up. To me, and I know this sounds absolutely ridiculous, but kids should be going to college if at least part of what they want to do is get an education. To me, it’s a sham.” The NBA policy that prohibits players from entering the draft immediately after completing high school needs to be re-worked or eliminated. Stern’s idea has done less good and more harm to collegiate athletics and education.
Collegian photos from MCT
LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL: LeBron James (left) found success straight out of high school. Now players like Kentucky’s John Wall (right) must wait a year before entering the NBA Draft.
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BUTLER COLLEGIAN
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
The Butler Collegian
BUTLER COLLEGIAN
Collegian photos by Maria Porter and Rachel Senn Collegian illustration by Rachel Senn