the butler
Sports: First baseman Jimmy Risi has added offense to the Butler baseball team this year. Page 5
VOL. 126 ISSUE 21 ESTABLISHED 1886 INDIANAPOLIS
COLLEGIAN
A&E: Bob Barrick was recently named the winner of Java Jams. Page 8
BUTLER UNIVERSITY | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2012 | WWW.THEBUTLERCOLLEGIAN.COM
In order to accommodate more students, the Marketplace at Atherton Union will undergo renovations this summer. Over winter break, food stations were expanded, including the sandwich station.
approximately 600 more seats. Students said they are excited for the expansion of the area. Freshman sociology major Dani Demerly said she likes the idea that it won’t be as crowded. A new ventilation system also will be installed. This will help get rid of the haze that always seems to linger around Atherton. The food lines will also be reconfigured. A Mongolian grill and brick oven pizza will be some newer food stations. The cook will prepare the food in front of the students. “When people see what’s going into their food, and see people
Photo by Josh Morris
see atherton page 4
Tuition increases $1,170
SARA PRUZIN SPRUZIN@BUTLER.EDU PRINT MANAGING EDITOR
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tudents again will shell out more for their Butler University college experience next year. The Board of Trustees voted to increase tuition 3.75 percent, room fees by 3.4 percent and board by 6.1 percent next year. While it is lower than last year’s tuition increase of 4.6 percent, it is more than 2010’s 3.5 percent increase. Tuition was $31,110 in 2011 and will total $32,280 in 2012. Danko said it was his hope going into the Board of Trustees meeting to have the lowest percentage tuition increase in history and keep the hike less than 3 percent. With the realities of the university budget, though, he said a that raise of 3 percent would have the university operating in the red. “While this does not provide Butler with any additional discretionary resources to address a whole range of strategic opportunities—and in fact we have had to tighten our belts—I believe we’ve worked hard to keep our tuition increase quite
reasonable,” Danko said in an email to The addition of guest passes. “The numbers actually come out a lot Collegian, “especially when you consider the fact that we continue to provide serious better,” Johnson said. Danko said in the email to the Butler financial aid bringing the net tuition paid community that to mitigate these raises, the well below the posted price.” Danko said that there are currently not 2012–2013 budget will include nearly $50 million in student scholarships and grants, other ways to cover those costs. “A driving factor in our deliberations which he said is $11 million more than when was the reality that until Butler University the economic downturn began four years dramatically increases its endowment, we ago. —Additional reporting by Kyler Naylor will remain highly tuition-dependent,” Danko said in an email to the Butler community. Alex Bristol, a sophomore business major, said the raise may have been necessary, but it may be a burden to students. $32,280 “I understand it’s a hard time economically, and I’m sure how even Butler would be suffering in it’s own way, but it puts a lot more strain on students,” he said. Addressing the 6.1 percent increase in board fees, Vice President for Student Affairs Levester Johnson said that $31,110 3 students are actually going to be 2-1 1 0 seeing more of those funds come 2 back to them because of an increase in flex dollars in the new meal plan and the
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BEN HORVATH BHORVATH@BUTLER.EDU STAFF WRITER Next year’s team of seven executives in Student Government Association is almost complete, but President-elect Mike Keller is still looking for one more. The SGA vice president of diversity position, one of six vice presidential positions, remains vacant because no one has applied. While the position remains empty, the remaining vice presidential positions and parliamentarian position are filled. Members of assembly appointed Scott Nemeth to act as the vice president of administration. Nemeth will also act as the chair of the Council on Presidential Affairs. Members of assembly also appointed Derek Friederich to act as the vice president of finance. Friederich will oversee the budget and the grants committee. Keller appointed Emily Burgoyne as vice president of public relations. Burgoyne will oversee the organization’s advertising. Keller chose Stevan Tomich as next year’s vice president of operations. Tomich will oversee the SGA shuttle and the day-to-day see sga page 4
Tuition Throughout the Years Butler University National Average at Private Institutions
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The American Student Government Association is weighing in on the Butler University SGA’s refusal to publicly release its election results. Butch Oxendine, the executive director of ASGA, said that the association advises its member institutions to release the data results of their elections. “Student Government election results should be posted at all times, at all colleges and universities, including private institutions. Transparency is wise,” Oxendine said in a comment posted on collegemediamatters.com in response to a story about the Butler SGA’s decision. Oxendine said ASGA is an advisory organization that trains student governments to be more effective. Butler’s SGA is one of the 1,100 member institutions involved with ASGA. It was a founding member when ASGA began in 2003. The College Media Matters story referenced that election numbers are not being released at Butler and raised the question of what the proper level of transparency is for student government elections. The issue arose when The Collegian requested the data after the March election. The Election Oversight Committee and SGA president Al Carroll denied the request, but an SGA representative brought the issue up during assembly. The assembly first voted 58-55 to publicly release the data. The Monday following the vote, an SGA representative made a
BROOKE DEADY BDEADY@BUTLER.EDU STAFF WRITER The second phase of renovations at the Marketplace at Atherton Union will begin as soon as students leave for the summer. The first phase, which took place over winter break, renovated mainly the front of Atherton. The second phase will focus on the back of the building. “Students will be able to see into the kitchen, so there’s not as much mystery,” said Stacey Puck, director of dining services. The phase-two renovations will cost $2.3 million and include an addition of 5,000 square feet, which will accommodate space for
sit
OLIVIA INGLE OINGLE@BUTLER.EDU ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR
Atherton to receive $2.3M makeover
ve r
National SGA advises Butler to release election data
Opinion: Is the tenure review process flawless? We don’t think so. Page 10
students who enrolled in 2009, price to attend Butler for four years will have increased $2,408 each year, or $1,204 each semester.
INSIDE ACADEMICS | PART ONE
Faculty face budget, programming demands HAYLEIGH COLOMBO SARA PRUZIN COLLEGIAN@BUTLER.EDU For the next two weeks, Susan Zurbuchen will be busier than usual. On top of her regular class load and the responsibilities that come with her role as chair of Butler University’s Arts Administration program, she is taxed with finding enough time to schedule half-hour appointments with each of her 35 advisees. The two-person Arts Administration department shares the burden to accommodate students with faculty members
across the university who all face growing program sizes, a competitive faculty line addition process, a tight budget and demands for faculty to contribute to Butler’s core curriculum. The result of these challenges is a delicate balancing act for university administrators, deans, program chairs and faculty to maintain department sizes that comfortably serve both the students and faculty. “It is indeed a balancing act,” Zurbuchen said. “For us, the most important thing is to serve the students.” A university-wide glimpse at the ratio of a program’s size to its
It is indeed a balancing act. For us, the most important thing is to serve the students. SUSAN ZURBUCHEN
CHAIR, ARTS ADMINISTRATION number of full-time faculty reveals the Arts Administration program is among the most strapped, along with Communication Sciences & Disorders, Psychology, Journalism, Marketing, Biology and others. But determining Butler’s
SPORTS 5 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 8 | OPINION 10 | PHOTOS 12
overall faculty stress-load is much more complicated than just simple division, said College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean Jay Howard. “If we want to be true to Butler’s identity and mission, then you’ve got to think more broadly about head count,” Howard said. “It’s about their contribution to curriculum as a whole, and it’s a value judgment.” Tiny programs that appear to be breezing by with a high number of full-time faculty for how many students major in that area, such as Religion or Media, Rhetoric and see faculty page 3
PAGE 2 | THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2012
New libraries dean to take reins LAUREN STARK LSTARK@BUTLER.EDU
COPY EDITOR
One Dean Miller will leave, and another Dean Miller will start at the end of this semester. Butler University chose Julie Miller to become the new dean of libraries when current Dean Lewis Miller retires. “Butler excited me because it’s a place where the emphasis is on academic excellence and student success,” Julie Miller said. “Those are the things that matter to me.” Julie Miller, associate dean of libraries at Eastern Washington University, said Butler libraries have a solid foundation through current leadership and community support. “I really wanted the opportunity to build on success,” she said. She said she sees Butler as a place where academic interest is a priority. “I’m first in my family to go to college, and so, for me, education was such a transformative experience in my life,” she said. “I really want to be at places where that happens.” The title “dean of libraries” can be abstract, but current Dean Lewis Miller said times can change. “The dean is responsible for the vision and direction of the library,” he said. “Five years from now, the task that your staff is doing is going to be very different. How do you prepare them?” This forward-thinking approach will be important for Julie Miller as libraries are in a transition process, said Stuart Glennan, professor of philosophy and chair of the search committee. “We’ve had an information revolution, and libraries are right in the middle of it,” he said. Julie Miller said she recognizes that challenge. “Academic libraries realized they needed to reposition themselves with students because students have choices for resources, and often, the library is not at the top of that list,” she said. “If we think about what libraries will look like in the future, that has to be grounded in what faculty and students need.” In order to understand these needs, Julie Miller said one of the first things she will do when she arrives is talk with students and faculty. Sally Neal, associate dean of libraries and a member of the search committee, said that communication will be important.
Faculty Senate endorses open search The provost also announced a change to the background check policy. SARA PRUZIN SPRUZIN@BUTLER.EDU
PRINT MANAGING EDITOR
Photo by Rachel Anderson
Julie Miller, associate dean of libraries at Eastern Washington University, will assume the role of dean of libraries on June 1. “We were looking for someone who is a good marketer,” Neal said, “to articulate to the campus what our mission and goals are, what our vision is.” Neal and Lewis Miller both said that improvements to the library space will need to be a priority. Julie Miller said that she will work with development and advancement in many ways, such as getting more donors. Neal also said involving librarians in instruction and digitizing more collections will be important steps for the future. Lewis Miller said planning, personnel, the budget and organization of the library are additional concerns for the dean. “It [the position] is considered similar to the dean of a college,” he said. For this reason, the search process was conducted in a similar way to the searches for college deans, Glennan said. “What that meant practically was that there
was elected representation from the library faculty, and then the provost would appoint the balance of that committee,” he said. The search for the dean of libraries began in October when the search committee wrote an advertisement for the position. The committee then reviewed applications and conducted Skype interviews with a narrowed list of candidates. It selected three finalists, who came to campus for visits. The committee then recommended Julie Miller. “The fact that we got who we wanted was just wonderful,” Neal said. Julie Miller will officially begin on June 1, even though she is already getting involved in the Butler community. “I listened to the basketball game the other night,” she said, referring to the men’s loss to Pittsburgh on March 21. “I was really sad. I’m already feeling like part of the team.”
Faculty Senate members voted by a narrow margin to endorse an open search for the next provost. No discussion proceeded the 1312-3 vote, but it has been a topic of conversation in the Senate since the search to permanently fill the spot began. Arguments for an open search included transparency and the ability for faculty to meet with candidates prior to their hiring. Proponents of a closed search said that it allows candidates to look at a position without having to reveal their search to their current institution. President Jim Danko has said that he would like the committee to decide whether or not to hold an open search. He said there is also discussion of whether an outside firm will be brought in to help identify candidates. The committee’s stance has not been released. Interim Provost Kathryn Morris also announced a change to the background check policy for new hires at the meeting. The background checks will now take place before an offer is extended instead of before a candidate can come to campus. The change was prompted by search committees’ concerns about the time the background checks take and the threat of losing candidates in the meantime. “We can still do the background checks,” Morris told the Senate, “but we don’t have to delay the search.”
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2012
THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN | PAGE 3
motion to reconsider. At the next assembly, representatives voted again, and the result was to not release the data. In an interview with The Collegian, Oxendine said that although private institutions have the authority to make their own decisions, a vast majority of them do release election results. When presented with Oxendine’s comment from College Media Matters, Carroll said that, on a legislative level, he is impartial, but he personally believes it’s wrong to release this year’s results because candidates had no way of knowing a release could happen. “On this issue, no amount of advising or public opinion would make me waiver in what I feel is a question of right versus wrong,” Carroll said. Oxendine said that issues like this have come up at other colleges and universities, and he has found that the smaller the school is, the more likely it is to keep the results private. “It’s really their prerogative to do what they want,” he said. “But Butler is definitely not the norm.” SGA President-elect Mike Keller said the issue of releasing or not releasing results should be something SGA pursues and addresses before next year’s election. “My goal is to work with the Election Oversight Committee and have a general review of election rules so that this issue is addressed earlier in the year,” Keller said.
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The chart below shows program areas at Butler that contribute high amounts to the core curriculum.
Source: Collegian Research
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The Center for Urban Ecology at Butler University is busy working on initiatives that its staff hopes will benefit the environment and the community. Tim Carter, director for the center, said the campus farm will expand as a result of a grant from the Nina Mason Charitable Trust. The added land will help provide room to house chickens on the campus farm. Travis Ryan, associate professor of biological sciences and a founding member of the center, said acquiring the chickens will help educate the community about how to make food local and teach kids about how they get their food. “Without an exposure to where food comes from, it leads to some ignorance about food, which leads to making poor food choices,” Ryan said. “This is an educational effort that says...you can do this. You don’t have to depend on stuff in a bag at a convenience store.” Ryan said the farm has already procured the chicken coop from Andrew Brake of
center does—research. Ryan said in addition to studying turtles in the canal and squirrels around campus, he is currently working with students on research involving road kill in residential areas. “By looking at who gets run over, what time of the year and where [they get run over], you can begin to piece together the hidden life of animals in an urban ecosystem by looking at the distribution of dead bodies,” Ryan said. Ryan said students will monitor the new green roof that was installed atop the Pharmacy Building and he hopes to have students using the campus farm as a laboratory for a physical wellbeing class in the near future. Johnson said there is no shortage of ideas among students at the center, either. “It’s kind of cool, because with the CUE, you can have any idea that has to do with urban ecology come to the CUE, and they will fund your project,” Johnson said. Johnson said the center has plans to use canoes to clean up the area of the White River that runs behind Butler during mid-April.
Source: Collegian Research
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STAFF WRITER
naptownchickens.org but is waiting for someone to sponsor the addition of the chickens, which Carter said would cost $1,500. After that, Carter said taking care of the chickens will be a “nobrainer.” “It’s a pretty cut-and-dried system,” Carter said. “Chickens don’t take a lot of management. They go out in the day. The minute [it] starts to get dark, they come inside.” Another low-maintenance project at the campus farm is the bee colony that was installed last year. Shelby Johnson, an intern with the center, said she checked on the bees last week with other members of the center and found that the bees didn’t survive the winter. “It’s the result of global warming,” Johnson said. “All our bees died, so we’re ordering some new bees.” Ryan said the bees then went through their food supply and died of starvation because they remained active during the warm winter when they usually become inactive. Understanding why the bees died is another part of what the
The chart below shows the program areas at Butler with the most majors and fewest full-time faculty.
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RYAN LOVELACE RLOVELAC@BUTLER.EDU
BY THE NUMBERS | FACULTY
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Center for Urban Ecology busy this spring
JAY HOWARD LAS DEAN
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Photo by Reid Bruner
Culture, aren’t sitting idly by though. Professors in these areas contribute to the core curriculum. Howard said that the religion professors also are among the most internationally recognized at the university, which contributes greatly to Butler’s reputation and level of prestige. LAS has a unique staffing challenge because of how many of its programs are imperative to having a unique and diverse core curriculum, Howard said. Foreign languages and the natural sciences, both in LAS, are areas that have a low number of full-time faculty for the amount of students who need to take their classes in order to complete Butler’s core. Most Butler students need to take one natural world class and at least six hours in upper-level foreign language courses, which can sometimes strain faculty in these programs. To prepare for next fall, the university is in the process of hiring four more instructors and adjuncts to help carry the load, interim Provost Kate Morris said. Individual departments are in charge of determining what they will contribute to the core, even though there are overarching university initiatives in place, she said. A goal in the core is that 80 percent of it be delivered by tenure-line faculty members, Morris said. That goal has not been reached. Morris said the percentage of courses taught by tenure-track faculty varies across divisions of the core and that she did not have specific numbers. Howard said he thinks this goal is a “tall order” and that it would be more realistic to stress having 80 percent of the core delivered by full-time faculty instead. The goals create a tension between two things that the university values, he said. “Tenure-line faculty are typically the best experts and the ones teaching the upper-level courses,” Howard said. “If you’re taking them out of those areas and plugging them into the core, who are we going to have teach those courses?” Carmen Salsbury, chair of the biology department, said things have improved, but, historically, her department has not been able to keep up while balancing core and major class offerings. “We’ve been able to keep the problem at bay a little,” Salsbury said. “Unfortunately, you’re sometimes faced with the dilemma of what to do. Do you move faculty from a core section into a major section and hope that someone picks up the slack in the core? You don’t want to have to do that.” Since it is strapped for time, Salsbury said her department is not able to offer as many upperlevel electives as students might want to see. Biology professors also are not able to keep up with the demand to serve students who are interested in completing independent studies or research projects. Salsbury said she has been lucky to have three instructor lines in her department’s budget for the past 10 years, but as the program grows, she said she thinks another full-time faculty member will be useful. “Something is going to give soon,” Salsbury said. “We’re right on the brink.” The process of adding a full-time faculty member to a department’s budget is competitive, Howard said, since there are limited resources. “The reality is resources are finite,” Howard said. “You’ve got to make hard choices.” Faculty requests are made in early spring, discussed by the deans, and approved or denied by the provost. “No one gets everything they think they need,” Howard said. “It’s about trying to keep the big
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FROM PAGE ONE
The reality is resources are finite. You’ve got to make hard choices.
ScScie ien n ceces s & & Cr Str Di Dis e S a so o Cr a>v tra teg r r ea e teg ic A Ar derder tiv M ic Co rts ts s s e M ed C m A Ad ed ia &omm mu dmi mi ia E u ni n n & n nic ca En te at > ter rta ion on ta in Psinmemen Ps yc n t yc ho t ho lo log gy y
FACULTY: SERVING THE CORE PRESENTS CHALLENGE
Last Thursday, a dozen volunteers from the Butler community helped turn 1,300 square feet of the Pharmacy Building roof into a green roof covered in plants. The idea came from Sarah Strobl, a senior biology major, who received $25,000 from SGA to complete the project.
picture of the university in mind. You have to be sensitive to the needs of other colleges.” If the university is not able to fund another full-time faculty member in a department, the department could hire an adjunct professor to help out. In a program like arts administration, Zurbuchen said she is very grateful to hire talented adjuncts to help lighten her course load as well as help diversify her students’ learning. “It’s important that our students get multiple perspectives,” Zurbuchen said. For biology, managing faculty is a little more difficult. Salsbury said she usually does not use adjuncts because they are difficult to find. “It can be a great educational experience because adjuncts bring something different to the table,” Salsbury said, “but they have to have the proper background and expertise. It’s hard to find a random biologist out there that’s not already engaged.”
PAGE 4 | THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2012
TIME editor to speak at commencement KYLER NAYLOR KNAYLOR@BUTLER.EDU ASST. NEWS EDITOR On Saturday, May 12, only one person will be standing between graduating Butler University seniors and their hard-earned diplomas—Rick Stengel. Stengel, managing editor of TIME Magazine, recently accepted Butler’s invitation to deliver an address at the 2012 commencement ceremony. Stengel’s accomplishments include various positions at TIME Magazine, a period of time as president and CEO of the National Constitution Center and a term as Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton. He has also written several books and collaborated with Nelson
Mandela to publish Mandela’s autobiography, “Long Walk to Freedom.” Reactions from students have been positive, according to social media. Senior media arts major Rachel Senn posted on Twitter, “I’m actually super stoked to have Rick Stengel as our commencement speaker. Nice work @butler2012 & @ButlerPrez,” from @RachelSenn. Senior public relations and business major Emily Elliott tweeted, “So excited that Rick Stengel, Managing Editor of @Time Magazine is going to be our May 2012 Commencement Speaker!” from @emilyelliott2. Senior class president Chris Beaman said Stengel was nominated by a very national, service-oriented senior class.
“We are lucky to have Rick Stengel, because I think he represents the student body well,” Beaman said. “He’s funny, he’s engaging, he’s very active, and he’s involved in national service.” Lauren Pedigo, senior class secretary and integrated communications major, shared Beaman’s excitement. “I was ecstatic when I found out it was him,” she said. “I think he’s a very relevant person to our group and our class.” Beaman said he was unfamiliar with Stengel after the announcement, but after doing some research he was thoroughly impressed with the way he tailors each speech to his audience. “As I started researching him and listening to some of his speeches, I could not be more impressed with
their selection,” Beaman said. “As a graduating senior, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to hear his motivation.” Pedigo said she is eager to hear how Stengel uses his experiences to relate to the senior class. “I’m a journalism minor, so I understand that realm, and I’m sure it will relate to what I’ve been studying,” she said. Butler does not pay its commencement speakers, Beaman said. This is contrary to other universities. “I think it’s valuable that the Board of Trustees thinks a Butler honorary degree should be important and valuable enough to perform a commencement speech with requiring monetary compensation,” he said. “I think it shows us that our education is much
more valued than Butler’s money to throw out to a commencement speaker to bring in.” Stengel’s role will be to offer a last piece of advice and motivation to the graduating class of 2012 before the students step across the podium and enter the real world. “We’ve done all this work to get here,” Beaman said. “The commencement speaker is that one last thing to give us the inspiration, the last lecture we have to sit through to go out and change the world.” Stengel will receive an honorary Butler degree in honor of his role as commencement speaker. He currently holds honorary degrees from Wheaton College and Wittenberg University. Stengel was not available to comment as of press time.
SGA: EXEC BOARD BEING FILLED FROM PAGE ONE
operation of the organization. Marielle Slagel was appointed by Keller to act as the vice president of programming. She will oversee more than half of SGA’s budget, which funds SGA-sponsored events throughout the year. Keller appointed Craig Fisher to act as parliamentarian. Fisher will oversee the procedure in weekly assembly. One of the requirements of running for the empty vice president of diversity position is serving on REACH in the past, which means the applicant pool is small, Keller said. PuLSE Office Director and SGA adviser Caroline Huck-Watson said this position is very important to both the university and the community. “This position is vital,” Huck-Watson said. “This person provides the opportunity to highlight different views and perspectives, which is important to Butler and the
Photo by Rachel Anderson
SGA’s executive board will be full of new faces next semester. None of this year’s members will be returning. college experience.” Keller said there was a lack of interest and time among the eligible candidates. Due to this vacancy, Keller said he has opened up the applicant pool to the rest of campus. “If we are able to find a strong candidate, we’ll have to go through assembly to have him or her voted on and approved,” Keller said. So far, Keller said he has been contacted by three students. Keller said he believes the
lack of candidates is related to REACH’s target audience. “REACH tends to focus on a similar group,” Keller said. “There needs to be a bigger focus in order to attract all of campus.” Huck-Watson said REACH needs to find different ways to communicate with students to help them receive information about REACH. “There are common ways to get out information on REACH to the students, but REACH is also open to other
ways to provide students with information,” HuckWatson said. This situation is not unprecedented. A similar situation occurred last year, and SGA responded with a similar solution, Keller said. Keller said this does not hurt his executive board or his ability to work with them. “This gives me the opportunity to look at my board, see what’s lacking, and see what I can add,” Keller said.
Huck-Watson said she also views this as a positive situation. “This will allow an interested person to participate in SGA and get a leadership position,” HuckWatson said. Keller said he is most interested in discussing new ideas and new ways of doing things with his executive board. “I have a lot of ideas and am very idea-focused,” Keller said. Keller said he wants to
make SGA more accessible through publicizing office hours more and encouraging student attendance at SGA meetings. None of this year’s Executive Board members will be returning to posts next year, including SGA presidential runner-up and current vice president of operations Kelsa Reynolds. Before last Wednesday’s announcement, current SGA President Al Carroll said that he wasn’t sure if he would hold a spot on the executive board. “I will serve at the pleasure of the next president,” Carroll said in an interview last month. “It’s more important that I help the next president be successful regardless of me. This is about making sure that this is a positive organization and not that Al is the leader.” In an email to The Collegian, Carroll said that he would still be involved next year. “I have no intention of spending my senior year too far away from the action,” Carroll wrote. “I will evaluate where I can best serve this organization and then apply. I do not anticipate a third year on SGA exec, but I will apply to serve in some capacity.” Renovations in the Market Place at Atherton Union will add 600 seats. The dining hall has seen an increase in traffic since it underwent renovations over winter break. Photo by Josh Morris
DINING: NEW MEAL PLAN NEXT SEMESTER FROM PAGE ONE
actively preparing it, you get a sense of, ‘How fresh is it?’” said Sally Click, dean of student services. As reported in the Feb. 22 issue of The Collegian, “New meal plan could take effect next year,” an announcement was made that student affairs and the Butler Cuisine Bureau proposed a new “all-access” meal plan that would take effect this coming fall. This proposal was passed, and anyone who signs up for a meal plan will be included in this plan. However, commuter meal plans are still available if students prefer one instead.
With this new plan, meal exchange will be eliminated, and students will receive $400 flex per semester. Ten guest passes will be a part of the meal plan. The new “all-access” plan will allow students to eat whenever they like instead of at the peak meal times. Freshman marketing major Gretchen Schramm-Davis and Demerly both said that not having to go eat at a certain time will be nice, and it will make Atherton less crowded. For the next six weeks, student affairs and dining services will be lining up permits so that the construction can start when Atherton closes for the summer. “This is a good time for input from people,” said Click. “If you have an idea, send it to myself or to Stacey Puck. We’re happy to hear feedback.”
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2012
SPORTS THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN
PAGE 5
Conference switch in the works? Butler reportedly is one of three colleges that could switch athletic conferences and move to the Atlantic 10. KYLE BEERY KBEERY@BUTLER.EDU
STAFF WRITER
In recent weeks, reports from ESPN and CBS led many to believe that Butler may switch athletic conferences within the next few years. Butler could make the transition from the Horizon League to the Atlantic 10 conference and replace departing Temple. The Owls of Temple are currently part of the A-10 in all sports except football. For football, Temple is an associate member of the Mid-American Conference. Temple is joining the Big East next season for football and all other sports the following year. According to reports, Butler may likely be the team to fill the spot left by Temple in the A-10. Butler would bring all of its athletic teams to the A-10 except for football, which is a member of the Pioneer Football League. The change would go into effect beginning with the 2013-2014 school year. Other schools that ESPN and CBS consider to be candidates for filling the A-10 vacancy are Virginia Commonwealth and George Mason. If the crossover is made, Butler would be the second-smallest university in the league. Butler would have more students
than only St. Bonaventure, which has an enrollment of approximately 2,400. Butler’s athletic programs would compete against schools with more than 20,000 students, such as Charlotte, George Washington University and the Massachusetts. However, most of the schools in the A-10 have between 6,000 and 15,000 students. The Butler athletics department declined to comment on conference affiliation or changes, other than Associate Athletic Director Jim McGrath saying that “we are members of the Horizon League.” The move would likely benefit Butler’s men’s basketball team, which competed in back-to-back NCAA championship games in 2010 and 2011. This season, the A-10 placed four teams in the NCAA tournament—Xavier, St. Bonaventure, Temple and Saint Louis. The Horizon League sent only Detroit to the Big Dance. The Bulldogs would see an increase in competition and would have a traditional conference rival in Xavier. Senior guard Rotnei Clarke has experience playing in a collegiate athletic conference more prominent than the Horizon League. Clarke transferred from Arkansas—a member of the Southeastern Conference— last year and sat out this season with a year of eligibility remaining. “It’s a cool thing being able to play in a power conference,” Clarke said. The A-10 is not nearly as big as the SEC, but the A-10 tends to draw more attention from major media outlets—specifically ESPN—than the Horizon League.
POSSIBLE ATLANTIC 10 TEAMS* Butler University**
Virginia Commonwealth University***
George Mason University***
Private schools in italics, public schools in bold *Would join for 2013-2014 school year **Current member of Horizon League ***Current member of Colonial Athletic Association Clarke said the media exposure he experienced during his time in the SEC was a good experience. Clarke will graduate from Butler prior to any of Butler’s teams competing in A-10 play, but he said he thinks the men’s basketball team would still measure up in the new conference if they moved. “I feel like we would compete in the A-10 for sure. No doubt about it,” Clarke said. Like the men’s basketball team, the other squads would see an increase in competition but not necessarily unfamiliar opponents. Men’s basketball, women’s soccer, baseball, men’s tennis and women’s tennis all played or will already play at least one A-10 team during this academic school year. Baseball coach Steve Farley said both Xavier and Dayton, two teams from the A-10 that Butler has faced or will face this season, were in the conference when he took his current job more than 20 years ago. Farley also said he would be OK with the new competition, but he is wary of the way the conference is spread out. “Fifteen-hour bus rides to places like
CURRENT ATLANTIC 10 TEAMS UNC Charlotte University of Dayton Duquesne University Fordham University George Washington University La Salle University University of Massachusetts University of Rhode Island University of Richmond St. Bonaventure University St. Joseph’s University Saint Louis University Temple University* Xavier University Private schools in italics, public schools in bold *Leaving the conference in 2013 Massachusetts, Rhode Island and upstate New York don’t excite me that much,” Farley said. Volleyball coach Sharon Clark said she is not familiar with the A-10 but thinks it would be a little tougher from a traveling aspect as well. As for football, scholarships are available for players in the A-10 but not in the PFL. Reports indicate that if Butler jumped to the A-10, its football team would remain in the PFL.
OVERTIME: Sports editors weigh in on possible move Pros and cons evident for Butler in possible league switch.
Butler should stay in the Horizon League to save experience.
COLIN LIKAS CLIKAS@BUTLER.EDU
BRENDAN BOND BBOND@LUC.EDU
SPORTS EDITOR
The Horizon League has been in existence since 1979. Likewise, Butler has been a member of the Horizon League since the conference’s inception into NCAA Division I athletics. As the saying goes, the two go together like peas in a pod. This may be changing in the near future, however. Butler could make a jump to the Atlantic 10 conference as a replacement for Temple, according to a report released by ESPN two weeks ago. Associate athletic director Jim McGrath said that the report is merely speculation at this point and that Butler has not even received a phone call about such a jump from those in charge of the A-10 conference. McGrath also said he has heard that Virginia Commonwealth and George Mason are possible replacements for Temple in the conference. Upon hearing this, the question Butler athletes, coaches and fans should not be asking is “Will Butler make the jump?” Instead, they should be asking why Butler would make such a move. The recent success of the Butler men’s basketball team would seem to be the most obvious reason to move. One of the teams the Bulldogs have played in recent seasons is Xavier, a member of the A-10 and a Sweet 16 finalist of this
LOYOLA PHOENIX SPORTS EDITOR
Photo courtesy of Dustin Livesay
Butler sophomore track and field athlete Mick Wang, seen competing in the Horizon League Indoor Championship meet, will be a senior on a team that could see negative effects from a jump to the Atlantic 10 in 2013. season’s NCAA tournament. Moving to the A-10 would provide Butler with tougher competition both in and out of conference play. This could give Butler a better chance at the NCAA tournament. This was despite the fact that Valparaiso finished with a better winning percentage than both Xavier and St. Bonaventure, another A-10 team that cracked the tournament field. Better competition and a greater chance at making
the NCAA tournament field each season would also bring more exposure to the school as a whole. Butler might also like to join a conference that has some lucrative ties to corporate partners such as Powerade and Geico. The A-10 primarily features East Coast schools. However, Xavier, Dayton and Saint Louis are all Midwestern schools within see PROS AND CONS page 7
Many stories end with the butler committing the murder. But now, can observers say that Butler will be the one that kills the Horizon League? Maybe that’s a bit extreme, but the truth is that the Horizon League will suffer if Butler moves to the Atlantic 10 conference. Reports have indicated Butler is considering the move. This change would affect all of Butler’s sports, but men’s basketball would see the most positive effects from the move by far. The move could potentially be seen as Butler changing conferences for basketball reasons. Butler is clearly the class of the Horizon League even if it did not win the league this year. The Bulldogs still attract the majority of the national attention the Horizon League receives. Also, the competition and strength of the league would be better, meaning that Butler would have a better chance of making the NCAA Tournament even if it does not receive the conference’s automatic bid.
For more on the possible conference switch and results from other Butler sports, check out the briefs on page 6 or go to www. thebutlercollegian.com.
Photo by Rachel Anderson
Loyola sophomore guard Denzel Brito (right), seen in a game against Butler, may get to see a Horizon League without Butler as a senior. It is easy to see that a move to a more powerful conference would benefit Butler, especially with the school’s visibility and ability to keep coach Brad Stevens at the school. So far, Stevens has turned down overtures from other schools—including Illinois most recently—but playing in a bigger conference would help ensure that he is willing to stay at Butler. A move to the A-10 might make sense for men’s
basketball, but the other Butler sports programs might not enjoy the jump as much. Instead of being contenders in the Horizon League, the teams might be relegated to middle-of-thepack status in the bigger, stronger A-10. The other athletic programs at Butler would not suffer most, though. The greatest suffering from see STAY page 7
page 6 | the butler collegian
wednesday, march 28, 2012
IN BRIEF
Runs still at a premium for softball in losses
The Butler softball team continued to struggle, picking up only two wins in a nine-game stretch. Last night, the Bulldogs (6-20, 1-2) took Eastern Illinois into extra innings in the first game of a doubleheader. Butler capitalized on an error by the Panthers (13-13) in the top of the ninth to grab a 1-0 lead. In the bottom half of the frame, the Bulldogs allowed a game-winning, tworun single and fell 2-1. Butler split the doubleheader with a 1-0 win in the second game. The Bulldogs started Horizon League play over the weekend, winning one of three games against Youngstown State. Butler snapped its 12-game losing streak by rallying from a 4-2 deficit and
recording a 5-4 win against the Penguins (16-6-1, 2-1-0). A two-out, run-scoring single from senior catcher Mallory Winters in the seventh inning put the Bulldogs over the Penguins. Senior pitcher Breanna Fisher picked up the win for Butler, allowing two hits and striking out five batters in three innings of work. Butler dropped the next two games to the Penguins. In the second game the Bulldogs started with a 5-1 lead but couldn’t hold off Youngstown State, eventually losing the game 6-5 through 10 innings. The Bulldogs dropped a 4-1 decision in the final game of the three-game series.
Last week, the Bulldogs dropped two more games at home to Miami of Ohio. The Redhawks (17-11) won the first game by a 5-1 score. They took a onerun lead in the fourth inning and added three runs in the top of the fifth inning. Senior first baseman Erin Falkenberry got her first home run of the season, accounting for the Bulldogs’ only run of the day. In the second game, two Miami pitchers combined to toss a shutout. The Redhawks finished the game in five innings, winning 9-0. Butler will take on Michigan State tomorrow before hosting a three-game series against Loyola of Chicago this weekend. -Marissa Johnson
MIAMI OF OHIO VS BUTLER, MARCH 22 SECOND GAME OF TWO-GAME SERIES TEAM Miami Butler
1st 0 0
Baseball gets past Bellarmine The Butler baseball team toppled Bellarmine yesterday, winning 12-5. The Bulldogs (13-12, 3-3) scored three runs in the first inning and seven runs in the second inning against the Knights (12-8). Butler scored 20 runs over the weekend, taking one of three games against Horizon League foe Wright State. The Bulldogs won the first game of a doubleheader against the Raiders (12-10,
2nd 2 0
3rd 0 0
4th 5 0
3-3) on Saturday by a score of 9-5. The victory stretched Butler’s win streak to three games. In the second game of the doubleheader, senior right fielder Mike Hoscheit went 2-for-3 with an RBI as the team fell to the Raiders 1910. On Sunday, Wright State won the rubber match 14-1. Butler will head to Youngstown State this weekend for a three-game series. -Kyle Beery
WRIGHT STATE VS BUTLER, MARCH 24-25 Game 1— Wright State: 5, Butler: 9 Game 2— Wright State: 19, Butler: 10 Game 3— Butler: 1, Wright State: 14 Jimmy Risi: Two hits, two runs, four RBI in Game 1 Butler: Moves to 12-12* on the season, 3-3 in league play
5th 2 0
RUNS 9 0
HITS 10 8
Men’s tennis wins first two league games The Butler men’s tennis team had its most successful stretch of the season, winning two conference matches. The Bulldogs (3-13, 2-0) won 5-2 at Illinois-Chicago 5-2 on Sunday. Despite being swept in doubles play, Butler managed to claim victories in all six singles matches against the Flames (2-11, 0-2). Freshman Austin
ERRORS 0 1
Woldmoe led the Bulldogs with a 7-5, 6-3 victory at No. 1 singles. Woldmoe was named the Horizon League Men’s Tennis Player of the Week after Butler’s two wins. The Bulldogs also recorded a 5-2 win at Valparaiso on Saturday. The Bulldogs defeated the Crusaders (6-7, 0-2) in four of six singles matches and two of three doubles matches. The men will take on Ball State today at 2:30 p.m. -Beth Werge
BUTLER AT ILLINOIS-CHICAGO, MARCH 25 SINGLES No. 1: Woldmoe (BU) def. Raa (UIC) 6-4, 6-1 No. 2: Marx (BU) def. Li (UIC) 6-2, 7-6 DOUBLES No. 1: Raa/Kamath (UIC) def. Weldon/Woldmoe (BU) 8-1
Photo by Reid Bruner
Butler sophomore infielder Callie Dennison fires a ball toward the infield during Butler’s 9-0 loss to Miami of Ohio last Thursday.
Women’s tennis goes 1-1 over weekend The Butler women’s tennis team split a pair of Horizon League matches over the weekend, topping Valparaiso and falling to Illinois-Chicago. The Flames (9-3, 2-0) won eight of nine matches en route to a 7-0 victory over the Bulldogs (4-11, 1-1) on Sunday. Sophomores Stephanie McLoughlin and Gabrielle Rubenstein led the team in the loss, winning 8-7 at No.
1 doubles. Butler had more success at Valparaiso (0-3, 4-7) on Saturday, winning 7-0. Sophomore Caroline Hedrick, returning from a foot injury, won 6-0, 6-1 at No. 1 singles. Hedrick also teamed with junior Brittany Farmer in a win at No. 2 doubles. The Bulldogs won all six singles matches and all three doubles bouts. Butler will host conference opponent Detroit on Friday at 2 p.m. -Beth Werge
BUTLER AT ILLINOIS-CHICAGO, MARCH 25 SINGLES No. 1: Kovaleva (UIC) def. Hedrick (BU) 6-4, 6-3 No. 2: Tsertsvadze (UIC) def. McLoughlin (BU) 6-4, 6-0 DOUBLES No. 1: McLoughlin/Rubenstein (BU) def. Kovaleva/Craig (UIC) 8-7
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2012
THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN | PAGE 7
BASEBALL
Transfer Risi brings power to Butler BETH WERGE BWERGE@BUTLER.EDU STAFF WRITER
Photo by Taylor Cox
Butler junior first baseman Jimmy Risi leads the Bulldogs in home runs, RBI and slugging percentage after transferring from Muscatine Community College.
Kansas State had him once. Muscatine Community College had him once. But now, Butler University has junior first baseman Jimmy Risi all the time. Risi has brought power and team-leading offensive numbers to the Bulldogs despite getting off to what he called a “crappy” start. Risi is currently leading Butler in multiple categories, including slugging percentage (.646), home runs (six) and RBI (26). An Illinois native, Risi was a history-maker at Highland Park High School. He set school records in home runs (27), runs batted in (118) and doubles (38). He also set the school record for best singleseason batting average (.468) and eventually earned a full-ride scholarship to Kansas State. “I stayed [at Kansas State] for a year, but I left the team right before the season started,” Risi said. “I played in the fall and was going to play for the team but decided to leave. It just wasn’t for me.” Risi then spent two years with Muscatine, a junior college in eastern Iowa. There he led the
team in home runs and batting average, among other offensive categories, during both seasons. But Muscatine would not be Risi’s final stop. He began emailing universities, looking to move again. Although the majority sent no reply, former Butler assistant coach Matt Tyner did. “It was exciting,” Risi said. “I didn’t think [the Butler coaching staff] was going to email back.” Two days after his second season with Muscatine ended, he made an official visit to Butler. “It was kind of an emotional time,” said Risi, who had to say goodbye to friends at Muscatine, visit with family at home and visit a brand-new school, all in the span of 48 hours. “I was home for one day, and then it was, ‘OK, now you have to go visit another school and make a decision within a week,’” Risi said. After traveling to Indianapolis, Risi settled on Butler. He said he was enticed by the campus, the school and the people, including those who are now his teammates and coaches. “Right from the first week on, all of the guys were great,” Risi said. “They were all so supportive and welcoming.” Risi called coach Steve Farley
“a father figure” and said that “he treats you like a person, which is different from other places.” “Jimmy is off to a great start this season,” Farley said. “It helped that some of our players from the Chicago area played against him in high school.” One of those players is senior pitcher Brad Schnitzer, who was on a national runner-up team with Risi at age 12. “Jimmy is somebody who, right away, everybody really liked,” Schnitzer said. “He meshed with the team really quickly. He hits the ball harder and farther than anybody else, but he’s so humble about it.” Yesterday in Butler’s 12-5 win over Bellarmine, Risi went 1-for2 with four RBI and Butler’s lone home run. “I just want to continue to help the team win and get better any way I can,” Risi said. He said he has a couple of goals in mind for his time at Butler, including taking more of a leadership role as a senior. The primary objective, however, is a Horizon League title this year. “To me, Jimmy is capable of being one of the top power hitters in the Horizon League,” Farley said. “We are excited to have him in a Bulldog uniform.”
GOLF
Women’s team victorious in Butler Spring Invitational, men finish seventh ANDRÉ SMITH
AMSMITH5@BUTLER.EDU ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
The women’s golf team placed first of six teams in the Butler Spring Invitational while the men placed seventh out of 10 teams in the event. The women’s team finished 32 strokes ahead of second-place Evansville to grab the top spot. Senior Michele Nash led the women in the second round, shooting a six over par 77. “I am happy with the result, but I just wish my scores were a bit lower,” Nash said. “I was a little disappointed with my score, because I always try to shoot around par.” Nash also led the team in the first round. She and junior teammate Julia Porter both shot a 76. “We are going to have to work on playing our short game,” Nash said. “We also have to work on not getting
down on ourselves mentally. Conference is coming up, so now is the time to start working on picking ourselves up and trying to recover.” Senior Clare Cornelius, who shot an 84 in both rounds, also expressed disappointment in the team’s scores despite the victory. “I think we had a decent round of scores, but we could have done better,” Cornelius said. “I think we just need to stay focused in practice and support everyone because everyone’s scores are put together, and one shot can make a difference.” Nash said the Bulldogs need to improve their play prior to their next tournament on April 5. “My expectations were to win today because we have played some of these teams throughout the season,” Nash said. “The result was a win, but looking forward to the [Big Four tournament],
PROS AND CONS: JUMP WOULD CREATE INTRIGUING ISSUES FROM PAGE FIVE
the conference. Also, the average enrollment between the two conferences is separated by fewer than 600 students. However, the negatives of a conference jump may outweigh the positives in this case. The effect of moving to a bigger conference could be troublesome to Butler’s other athletic teams. Many of Butler’s athletic teams have to battle and claw their way through both nonconference and Horizon League play, and a berth in their respective NCAA tournaments is a great achievement. The A-10 is not the Big East or Big Ten, but it is not a cakewalk of a conference either. Butler’s athletic teams would have to make their way past 13 other teams instead of nine to achieve at least a conference championship.
on deck
Upcoming Bulldog home events
SATURDAY
if we do the same as we did today, we will not do as well. “The courses are just going to be harder as we go forward.” On the men’s side, junior Matt Vitale said he was also disappointed with his team’s performance after the Bulldogs dropped from second place in the first round to a seventh-place finish overall. The men recorded a team score of 299 in the opening round and sat 10 strokes behind leader Dayton. However, the Bulldogs had the eighth-worst team score on the second day of play, putting them 18 strokes behind tournament-winning Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis at the end of the tournament. “We definitely struggled a bit considering our position going into the second round,” Vitale said. “The conditions of the course were harder today, but the main
In sports with individual competitions, some Butler athletes could go from being near the top of the Horizon League to the middle of the A-10 pack thanks to better competition. Situations like this could factor into the loss of potential athletic scholarships, costing current and future Butler students. The fact that most of the A-10’s teams are on the East Coast also changes the amount of time Butler’s student-athletes would have to spend on the road. Currently, Butler’s longest in-conference road trip is approximately 350 miles to Youngstown State. Eleven of the 14 teams in the A-10 are further from Butler than that. Butler has stability in the Horizon League. If something is not broken, it does not need to be fixed. Butler should not make this move simply for the money, increased recognition and benefit of the men’s basketball team. If moving to the A-10 benefits Butler and all of its athletic teams, then the school should go for it. Otherwise, Butler should continue its tenure in the Horizon League.
SATURDAY
SATURDAY
MEN’S TENNIS
SOFTBALL
vs. Detroit
vs. Loyola
11:00 a.m.
1:00 p.m.
story is how we performed, and we did not perform how we should have.” Junior Andrew Wegeng, who shot a seven over par 79 in the second round, said the team needs to work on being consistent. “All of us have different things that we are focusing on, but overall, we are just trying to get more consistent,” Wegeng said. “That is what we struggled with in the fall season.” Butler was able to best Evansville, Robert Morris and South Dakota in spite of second-round struggles. “This [tournament] is just one blip on the radar,” Vitale said. “I think we just need to get outside as much as we can. “We had good play in Florida last week, so one bad week will not get us down.” The next competition for both teams will be the Big Four tournament next Thursday in Carmel.
STAY: BUTLER LEAVING HORIZON WOULD HURT OTHER TEAMS
FROM PAGE FIVE
a Butler move would be experienced by the other nine schools in the Horizon League. None of those schools have experienced the national exposure Butler has. In the world of college athletics, the big-money sports are football and men’s basketball. Strong seasons by other squads like Green Bay’s women’s basketball team or Loyola of Chicago’s men’s volleyball team go unnoticed. With no Division I football teams in the conference, the Horizon League becomes a men’s basketball conference. Anything that affects men’s basketball also affects the Horizon League as a whole. That’s why Butler is so important to the league as a whole. No other school has the tradition or past success (Loyola’s 1963 national championship
SATURDAY
SATURDAY
WOMEN’S TENNIS
SOFTBALL
vs. Detroit
vs. Loyola
2:00 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Butler Sports Information
Butler junior golfer Julia Porter follows through on a shot during the Butler Spring Invitational on Tuesday.
3:00 p.m.
notwithstanding) as Butler. Those factors put the Horizon League on the map and have separated it from conferences such as the Big Sky, Summit and Ohio Valley. If Butler leaves, the appeal to cover Horizon League contests will fade from the major networks, particularly ESPN. Coaches will have a more difficult time attracting top recruits without the benefit of that exposure. At Loyola, the biggest crowd of the season for men’s basketball is always at the Butler game. Although Loyola is rebuilding the innercity rivalry with DePaul, Butler remains Loyola’s biggest rival. Butler is the standard for the other schools to match, not only in men’s basketball but also in other sports. The Bulldogs are the class of the Horizon League athletically. Butler might serve itself well by moving to the A-10, but the trickle-down effect of that move might cripple the Horizon League.
SUNDAY
SUNDAY
MEN’S TENNIS
SOFTBALL
WOMEN’S TENNIS
BASEBALL
vs. IUPUI
vs. Loyola
vs. St. Louis
vs. Wabash
7:00 p.m.
12:00 p.m.
2:00 p.m.
TUESDAY 3:00 p.m.
ARTS ETC. THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN
PAGE 8
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2012
Folk-rock superstar Sophomore Bob Barrick sounds like a mix of Bob Dylan and Jack White, is inspired by Jimmy Buffett, plans to take his band to Mars and just won Java Jams. That’s just the beginning. CAITLIN O’ROURKE COROURKE@BUTLER.EDU A&E EDITOR Bob Barrick is tired. The sophomore English major and recent Java Jams victor spent the night before our interview in Bloomington, where he and his band—still untitled— performed at one of the member’s ex-girlfriend’s birthday party. The ex was described as a “vegan econut”— so it almost makes sense the band ended up performing at a farm (in the absolute middle of nowhere) where the kitchen was outside and trash was composted. “We performed from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.,” Barrick said. “We started marching around outside at one point, making up songs.” While odd, it may not seem surprising to those who saw Barrick perform his intense, folk-rock songs at Java Jams, bringing in a full band the last round that included an accordion, an oboe and a banjo. While they performed mostly original songs, they picked the Beatles’ “Do You Want to Know a Secret?” for their challenge song, giving proper respect and channeling a ‘60s vibe. You almost expected them
to be in suits, playing on the “American Bandstand” stage. “I’ve been singing since I was a wee boy,” Barrick said. “I picked up a guitar when I was 11 or 12.” He and his band, however, didn’t form until around December. Some of them also came to the interview tired from their long night in Bloomington. They included Scott Janz, senior music composition major; Brendan Cavanagh, sophomore English and education major; and Josh Turner, freshman digital media production major. Turner, however, did not go to Bloomington, instead singing at the “Pirates of the Caribbean” live show at Clowes Memorial Hall last weekend. The band has an easy rapport, talking at length about the night before and planning their future as the first band on Mars. They do, however, have more short-term goals. They’re playing at the Help Heal Haiti benefit concert this Saturday, attempting to play some shows at Indiana University and planning on making an EP soon. Also, as part of their Java Jams prize, they will open for the still-unannounced
Photo by Anne Carpenter
From top: Bob Barrick; Barrick, Brendan Cavanagh and Scott Janz; Cavanagh, Barrick and Janz. Other band members were unable to attend the interview. spring concert band. Their other Java Jams prize was a $100 gift card to any place of their choosing. “We chose Chili’s,” Cavanagh said. Their back and forth isn’t all fun and games, though. They take their music seriously—but not too seriously—citing Wilco, Animal Collective, The Band and Bob Dylan as
influences. Barrick specifically cites Jimmy Buffett, which seems odd when you compare Barrick’s folk tunes with Buffett’s light-hearted beach music. Barrick, however, said that the musician has had the most impact on his life and that he grew up with Buffett’s music. They describe their music as lyrically introspective,
conveying emotion through a song instead of telling a direct story. Janz states it much more simply, saying that they just like to groove. They may not know exactly where they’re heading just yet—except, maybe, Mars—but their success in the third round and Barrick’s personal success in the first two
rounds may have given a push to start a musical career. “He’s really grown as a musician,” said Katie Carlson, a junior Java Jams judge. “I was really impressed with his originals—he’s got a Bob Dylan, Americana feel to him. He managed to have everyone in the room zeroed in on him.”
Students Help Heal Haiti KEVIN VOGEL KJVOGEL@BUTLER.EDU
STAFF WRITER
Photo courtesy of Samantha Helferich
Help Heal Haiti’s vice president of special events Samantha Helferich traveled with president Aaron Harrison over spring break to visit Haiti.
A little more than two years after a devastating earthquake killed hundreds of thousands of people in Haiti—a country already suffering from political upheaval, public health problems and poverty— students at Butler University are working to improve the lives of Haitians. This week is Help Heal Haiti Week on campus, sponsored by the Butler Chapter of Help Heal Haiti. Events will be going on throughout the week. There is a panel discussion about the club members’ experiences in Haiti over spring break today from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Ford Salon of Robertson Hall; Thursday is a give-back at Howl at the Moon; and Saturday there will be a free benefit concert in Starbucks from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. featuring musical acts like Freshly Brewed, Out of the Dawg House and a number of soloists and small bands. Aaron Kelly, a junior recording industry studies major, is part of a band performing this weekend. “It’s a worthwhile event,” he
said, “because it brings light to a good cause. Hopefully it helps as much as it can.” Aaron Harrison, co-founder of HHH and president of Butler’s chapter, said the goals of the week are fundraising and increasing awareness of the problems that Haitians face everyday. “[The Butler community] will be able to put a face to a cause, and we really think that is the most important aspect,” he said. “It’s hard to be passionate about something you don’t see.” Harrison has seen first-hand the poor conditions of the small Carribbean nation. He traveled to Haiti in high school and again over spring break this year, visiting a community in the northwest region called Beau Champ. Harrison described the daily routine of fetching water, which for a Beau Champ child includes a two-hour walk to the nearest river. Inspired by the situation in Beau Champ, Harrison and a group of like-minded people from southern Indiana formed Help Heal Haiti three years ago. After being picked up by the national Northwest Haiti Christian
Mission, HHH became a national organization, with chapters opening up across the United States. Help Heal Haiti’s mission is to install solar-powered filtration systems—costing about $35,000 each—on the wells that a partner company is drilling in northwestern Haiti. Harrison said that this is not their only mission, though. “We are trying not to make (a situation) where we are just doing this, and putting it in there,” he said, “but making it so that they take ownership of it. (The Haitians) have to work with us.” Harrison said that this approach is a solution to a problem that has plagued Haiti for decades: foreign aid comes when needed but without Haitian involvement. Haitians now rely, Harrison said, on the idea that aid will come to them when needed. Butler’s HHH chapter has about 50 active members, with a 12-person leadership team. Harrison said that interested students can contact him directly by email, at agharris@butler. edu, or find more information about meetings on the chapter’s Facebook (Help Heal Haiti: Butler Chapter) or Twitter (@HHH_Butler).
The Butler Arts and Entertainment Calendar 28 Maud Newton Efroymson Center for Creative Writing 7 p.m.
29 Woods Lecture: Wes Jackson Reilly Room 7:30 p.m.
30 Bela Fleck and the Flecktones Clowes Memorial Hall 8 p.m.
31 The Screwtape Letters Clowes Memorial Hall 4 p.m.
1 No events scheduled
2 No events scheduled
3 Faculty Artist Series Eidson-Duckwall Recital Hall 7:30 p.m. Maile Meloy Reilly Room 7:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2012
THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN | PAGE 9
Russian roots guide director KEVIN VOGEL KJVOGEL@BUTLER.EDU
STAFF WRITER
Seven years ago, Elaina Artemiev moved to the United States to teach theater at Butler University, entering a theater climate much different than that of her birthplace, Russia. This week, in the midst of preparation for the upcoming theater production, “The Love of Don Perlimplin for Belisa in the Garden,” the director sat down in her office, in which vibrant pictures of flowers and people rest beside the elegant Cyrillic script on items brought from the east. “Theater in Russia is not just like entertaining, but it’s more like art,” she said. “And we believe that you can be moved by theater, and not just observe and forget when the curtain falls.” She said it’s very difficult, or even impossible, to create here in a few weeks the kind of shows that Russian companies produce. At Butler, where the rehearsal periods are much shorter, Artemiev said that she makes sure she does not tackle Russian plays without adequate time to show the students the language of Russian theater. “We all would like to be loved,” she said. “We all would like for people to understand us, but I think that our lives with loud music and computers just close our opportunities to see each other and see the world.” Taking the time to really internalize the meaning of the play, and learning to communicate with an audience honestly, is the only way for actors and directors to open up to seeing the world, she said. “I never thought that I would move to the United States. Never. But my twin sister lives here in Indianapolis, and I visited her, and one year I met a guy,” she said, smiling. Artemiev, who completed her schooling in Moscow at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts, said she continued working in Russia
Photo by Reid Bruner
Theater professor Elaina Artemiev is directing a spring production. as her husband-to-be sent in applications for her to universities in the U.S. She found Butler and came to campus in 2005. “[Artemiev] is really great,” said Daniel Barnes, a senior theater and Spanish major who is playing Don Perlimplin in the upcoming production. “A lot of directors work from the outside in, but she works from the inside out.” Artemiev said that she was unsure of how she would take to Butler, since it is a liberal arts school and not specifically for theater. Now, however, she said she feels like she is preparing students to communicate with others and know themselves completely through theater. She said theater, and acting especially, can help show that “it’s possible to understand people deeply, not just by words, but between the words,” a skill that she said is invaluable to any profession. Since coming to Butler, Artemiev founded the Butler International Theatre Exchange Program, and takes Butler students to Russia every other year. The theater world is much different there, she said, with shows rehearsed for months, instead of weeks like in the U.S. “The Love of Don Perlimplin for Belisa in the Garden” opens on April 13. Next year, she is taking a sabbatical and working to develop an intensive program for Americans to study directing in Russia.
Photos by Taylor Cox
Ariel Schrag read three of her black and white comics at the Efroymson Center for Creative Writing Thursday night and signed autographs after the reading.
Cartoonist draws laughs ANNE CARPENTER ACCARPEN@BUTLER.EDU ASST. A&E EDITOR To a standing-room-only audience, Ariel Schrag shed light on the vicious and hysterical process of growing up. This graphic artist and comic book author makes the back-stabbing friends and the tortures of being gay at prom something to laugh about instead of a cause for worry and insecurity. This Berkeley, Calif. native, dressed casually in a cardigan, slouchy jeans and white Chuck Taylors, read three of her comics through a black and white slideshow at the Efroymson Center for Creative Writing Thursday night. Not a typical comic book series filled with action heroes and bright colors, Schrag’s comics tell her story of growing up.
No memory is safe, because Shrag draws on her personal experience for inspiration. In one story she read, “Fight at the Gay Prom,” set to a musical soundtrack of punk music and an Aimee Mand ballad, Schrag recounts her evening at the annual gay prom during her freshman year of college at Columbia University. At Barnard College, Columbia’s sister school, Schrag got into a fight with another girl. It really did happen—the fight, the name-calling, the wallet stealing, the being gay. All of it is true. She even was banned from Barnard College property, and she has the ban notice to prove it. Schrag’s unique style of comics combines all mediums in a way that is distinctly her. Julie Bickel, a senior
Professor explores history of the church in new book SARVARY KOELLER
SKOELLER@BUTLER.EDU STAFF WRITER
Butler University professor Paul Valliere’s book is finally published after two years of research and four years of “sweating out each sentence.” The book, “Conciliarism: A History of DecisionMaking in the Church,” looks at how church leaders make decisions about controversial issues. The first part of the book delves deep into history, outlining the beginning of church councils and their evolution through time. The second part of the book is an analysis of the contemporary conflicts in churches today. While Valliere has been working at Butler for three decades, he said the idea of writing a book about conciliarism entered his mind long before he came to Butler. He first became interested in the topic as a young scholar, and after writing several short articles about the topic, he began contemplating the
production of a larger work. “I’ve always had an interest in church councils, that is to say, assemblies of church leaders that make decisions about controversial issues,” Valliere said, “how a community that is pledged to peace and harmony deals with conflict and disharmony.” Valliere’s idea entered the realm of reality when he was contacted by the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University. The university was taking on the project of publishing 15 works about some aspect of religion by 15 different scholars. Valliere accepted the challenge. With the support of The Alonzo McDonald Family Agape Foundation, Valliere began his writing endeavor. “It was about six years ago that I made that commitment,” Valliere said. “Of course, then I actually had to sit down and write the book.” While books on the topic of conciliarism exist, Valliere said his goal in writing the book was to make it completely different
from the others available. Instead of catering to scholars, Valliere wanted his book to be a clear, general introduction to conciliarism that could be read by an educated audience as well as scholarly individuals. “You don’t have to be an expert on conciliarism to be able to appreciate my book,” Valliere said. In addition to being a newly published author, Valliere also has the honor of being published by the prestigious Cambridge University Press. “Cambridge is the top of the heap,” Dean of Libraries Lewis Miller said. “If you get published by Cambridge, you’ve already won the race. They’ve been in business for 500 years, and they set the standard for literature.” Valliere earned the contract with Cambridge University Press through words of recommendation from notable scholars and a polished manuscript. He said a publishing company like Cambridge University Press offers books worldwide recognition. “Cambridge books are guaranteed to find their way
Photo by Josh Morris
Paul Valliere’s new book examines the history of the church. into libraries all around the world,” Valliere said. As a full-time professor teaching religion courses and freshman and sophomore core curriculum courses, Valliere found the hustle and bustle of the school year didn’t afford him much time to write. The summer hiatus provided him the perfect opportunity to devote his full attention to the project. “For five straight summers, I did nothing else but work on this book,” Valliere said. “So my tan is in pretty bad shape.”
creative writing major, said she thought Schrag’s work was creative and original. “I thought the combination of audio and visuals was absolutely fantastic,” Bickel said. “I never considered that coming from a comic.” Schrag, despite being a solo performer, transforms into the many characters of her stories. Using different voices and facial expressions, it is as if Schrag takes the back seat in her own comics as the characters shine through. Thomas Hostetler, a freshman communication sciences and disorders major, had never heard of Schrag before her readings, but he said he liked it. “I found it interesting,” Hostetler said. Over the past 20 to 25 years, graphic novels have begun to take on a new kind of gravity, said
Robert Stapleton, an English professor who has introduced some graphic novels into his Freshman Seminar class. “It was great that we had someone come who was current and vibrant in the field,” Stapleton said. Schrag finished the three readings and then opened up the floor for questions. Leaving the ban notice up on the screen for effect, Schrag answered questions with honesty, and it became evident that her work was about more than just drawing pictures and writing dialogue. Schrag said the biggest challenge of her career was the unpredictable nature of the business. However, she had a desire to follow her passions. “There doesn’t seem to be much point in life,” Schrag said, “for not going for what you want.”
WITHIN THIS ISSUE
Use these clues to fill in words and phrases from this week’s issue of The Butler Collegian. ACROSS 2. This country is the center of one student group’s fundraising efforts. 4. Brad Stevens said he will not be moving to this school. 5. This organization was behind one of Indiana’s first green roofs. 8. This writer illustrates black and white comics 9. Butler athletics could leave this league in the near future. 10. The men’s_____team won its first two conference games over the weekend. DOWN 1. This professor recently wrote a book about the history of the church. 3. This Butler student recently won Java Jams. 6. Phase Two of this dining hall will begin over the summer. 7. This pup turned eight on Friday.
OPINION THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN
PAGE 10 the butler
COLLEGIAN The Butler watchdog and voice for BU students
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SPRING 2012 EDITORIAL STAFF Hayleigh Colombo Editor in Chief Sara Pruzin Print Managing Editor Olivia Ingle Online Managing Editor Jill McCarter News Editor Kyler Naylor Asst. News Editor Jeremy Algate Opinion Editor Donald Perin Asst. Opinion Editor Caitlin O’Rourke A&E Editor Anne Carpenter Asst. A&E Editor Colin Likas Sports Editor Matt Rhinesmith Sports Multimedia Editor André Smith Asst. Sports Editor Christopher Goff Copy Chief Rachel Anderson Photography Editor Reid Bruner Asst. Photography Editor Taylor Cox Asst. Photography Editor
Tenured professors still need reviews OUR POINT THIS WEEK: Tenured professors need to be better evaluated so that they remain effective teachers. | VOTE: 27-0-5
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resident Jim Danko announced the newly promoted and tenured faculty at Butler University on March 22 through a campus wide e-mail. Tenure is virtually a permanent guarantee of employment that has a long history in universities around the world. Although it is exciting to welcome professors to a permanent spot at Butler, tenure presents some challenges. It allows professors who are no longer as passionate about teaching to remain at the university. It is frustrating that the university may dismiss students for failing academic standards but does not do the same to faculty members. The university needs a more navigable process for reviewing tenure. As class evaluation season draws near, students might wonder how much these surveys really matter—
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hen Butler University’s Student Government Association failed to release the vote totals from the recent SGA presidential election even after the SGA assembly voted in favor of releasing them, I felt that it was a large misstep for SGA. Now, those who think it is wrong to release the numbers should think again about their decision. The leading college media blog called College Media Matters picked up The Collegian’s series of stories on the issue and wrote its take on it in an article titled, “Should Voting Totals from SGA Elections Be Public?” Of the three comments on College Media Matters’ story, two declared that SGA elections should be decided by who can
Adviser: Loni McKown
Corrections Policy
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 contain a phone number at which you can be reached. Letters can also be mailed to 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.
the more important to have options. Butler as a whole employs amazing, passionate individuals who give a huge amount of their lives to our education. That emphasis on teaching is a major deal-maker for prospective students. The majority of faculty takes teaching incredibly seriously and works hard to keep classes engaging and informative. Butler needs to do everything it can to prevent them from losing out to faculty who hold tenure. Reasons to review tenure should not include demanding standards for students or a reputation as a tough grader. Those aspects can make a good professor. But some sort of recourse is necessary when advisers and other faculty members recommend avoiding certain professors’ courses. When common knowledge
dictates that some professors have arbitrary standards, something needs to be done. Avoiding the problem does not solve it. Potentially tenured faculty members find themselves accountable to the Board of Trustees. Obviously, tenured positions are vital. Professors have jobs that shouldn’t be subject to the market or whims of administration. They should instead have the ability to focus on their purpose: educating the students. However, if tenured professors have no accountability to their students, administrators or peers, they may sometimes lose their willingness to adapt. Solutions include taking evaluations more seriously or having a defined and publicized process through which complaints can be brought.
DONALD PERIN
When the top expert in student government affairs gives SGA advice, they should listen to it. hold their bladder the longest, but the third one stood out. Butch Oxendine, founder and executive director of American Student Government Association, commented on the story, saying,
“Student Government election results should be posted at all times, at all colleges and universities, including private institutions. Transparency is wise!” Butler ’s own SGA would do well to listen to Oxendine’s words. The excuses of Butler ’s SGA stack up rather poorly against the advice of one of the top experts in student governments. Oxendine has been working with and writing about student governments around the nation since 1983. He founded American Student Government Association in 2003 in order to connect, guide and educate student government leaders nationwide on how to best serve their universities. SGA ought to release the election numbers. At the very
least, it needs to make certain that the numbers will be released after future elections. If SGA is willing to do things like go against its own constitution and allow a freshman to chair the SGA’s Election Oversight Committee, then it should have no qualms with releasing the election numbers. As an organization that controls more than $700,000 of students money, SGA must be an organization that everyone in the Butler community can trust and believe in. It is time for SGA to earn that, and a good way to do that would be by listening to the advice of an expert like Oxendine. Contact asst. opinion editor Donald Perin at dperin@butler.edu
New green roof is step in the right direction for Butler
Ali Hendricks Advertising Manager
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.
especially in light of the tenure question. Students have a unique perspective of professors and see them at work constantly. Students should be pushed and challenged but not subjected to an ineffective professor. The overall impact of education is lost when faculty lose sight of their role in the classroom. Professors who may otherwise consider moving on might stay. And non-tenure track professors may have less motivation to go above and beyond their expectations. Others settle on one particular teaching style, not choosing to review the class surveys. And non-tenure-track faculty cannot become tenured even with amazing reviews. The university should not consider removing tenure since the frustrating cases are rare. But this infrequency makes it all
SGA should heed advice of national expert
Erin Hammeran Advertising Manager
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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2012
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lready hailed as one of the most attractive campuses in the Midwest, Butler University recently added a garden on campus—four stories above ground. But, this project’s purpose was not to beautify campus. Instead, the installation of a green roof on campus is another example of the Butler community trying to make the university more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Student volunteers, faculty and staff helped assemble a green roof last Thursday on top of the old pharmacy building. Guided by Pat Maloney of EcoRoofs, a green roof professional, and Rich Michal, project engineer on campus, 650 trays, each weighing 40 pounds, were lifted by a crane to the top of the Pharmacy Building. The project began in the fall when senior chemistry major Sarah Strobl wanted to do a green roof installation project for her honors thesis. Though Strobl was not able to do this, she joined the Council on Presidential Affairs and began working in the Green Operations Committee. After several months of working and talking with Butler staff, engineers and manufacturers, the old pharmacy building was targeted for the installation. I could not be more excited that this project came to fruition, since I am very passionate about preventing environmental degradation and investing in clean energy.
MATT KASPER
The garden on the Pharmacy Building’s roof is a project that should cover all of campus. Indiana is mainly powered by coal, which is a big air pollutant when burned, and the water ways in Indianapolis are also polluted due to an inefficient sewer system. Installing a green roof is a great project to better the environment. Strobl said that the biggest benefit of the garden is that it cuts down on heating and cooling costs, since the garden acts as insulation. Therefore, Butler would not need to increase its electricity usage when heating and cooling the building. Furthermore, when it rains, the water runoff that would have usually been drained into the river gets soaked up by the vegetation on the roof. Though it is small, the first green roof on campus will hopefully lead to more installations, ultimately helping Butler have less of a footprint on the environment. “I would like to see every
Onlookers observe the new green garden atop the Pharmacy Building. building on campus with a green roof,” Strobl said. The campus is filled with buildings that have flat roofs, and installing more green roofs on campus and covering larger areas will keep providing benefits for Butler. Senior chemistry and biology major Eric Shoemaker was a student volunteer with the installation. He said the roof project was a phenomenal project and that students need to get involved with these types of undertakings because it is our future we are protecting. “We are the future voice of this generation after we graduate,” Shoemaker said. Shoemaker went on to say that he also wants Butler to become more of a green university than it
Photo by Reid Bruner
currently is. The students, staff and faculty working to make this university sustainable must continue to receive help. It was great that SGA funded this project and similar projects should continue to be installed in the short term. Having a line-item every year in the SGA budget for sustainable projects is, in itself, not sustainable. Along with the green roof, I hope that President Jim Danko signing the American College & University President’s Climate Commitment on April 16 will truly put Butler on the sustainable path the community wants. Contact columnist Matt Kasper at mkasper@butler.edu
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2012
THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN | PAGE 11
Provost search does not signal change
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Cartoon by Hali Bickford
Equity raises a moral necessity
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utler University’s Board of Trustees decided to table the topic of equity raises once again at its recent meeting. The Trustees decided to withhold equity raises until a later date due to other concerns. President Jim Danko recommended as much last fall. While business concerns play a vital and practical role in the university, Butler must prioritize moral concerns first. Equity raises are short-hand for a broad number of pay adjustments to eliminate discrimination. These raises sometimes refer to gender equality. If a male professor has a higher salary than a female of the same degree and experience level, the raises attempt to remove that difference. At Butler, most tenured faculty members are men. That gap has shrunk with the most recent announcement from the Board of Trustees. Hopefully progress will continue, but the university needs to take more direct action. The university maintains that equality is important but that other concerns demand immediate fixes. In today’s world, even academic institutions cannot ignore the costs and concerns of business. Carefully planned projects could
solve the equity problem with future profits. The university faces a number of different concerns at this point, all of which carry price tags. Butler continues to grow and must continually adjust its focus between professional and academic focuses. One only needs to glance at the rest of this paper to see a variety of ways to spend the university’s money. Yet this issue stands out as one defined not by practicality but principle. I’m certain that gender and other forms of equality are important to the administration. However, this issue cannot be postponed indefinitely. And to treat Butler purely as a business will not reward the university monetarily or otherwise. The market demands constant expansion, and potential success or failure colors every investment or project. No matter how careful. This uncertainty is the nature of the economy and perhaps explains why the endowment cannot continue to support Butler in its current expansion. So to wait for some future situation where the university has comfortable stores of cash to spend on equity raises is to wait for a day that will never come.
JEREMY ALGATE
Butler needs to make equity pay a priority, regardless of economic concerns. Butler presents itself as a liberal arts university with strong values that help prepare students not just for the business world but for lives of purpose. For many students, emphasizing liberal arts means taking a stand for principles beyond mere profits— enriching lives through education, understanding other cultures and making responsible and sustainable choices. If Butler wishes to present itself as a true liberal arts institution, it should strongly consider sacrificing something other than equity raises. In an age where every institution seems to focus on profitability, Butler can and should stand out by making the principled decision. Contact opinion editor Jeremy Algate at jalgate@butler.edu.
New CCOM dean shows promise
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lthough many people fear change, Gary Edgerton, the new College of Communication dean, brings change that I can believe in. Edgerton comes from Old Dominion and brings many things to the table that could take CCOM to the next level. His experience is the first thing that jumps out at me. According to his website, Edgerton has published 10 books and more than 75 essays and was co-editor of the “Journal of Popular Film and Television.” As impressive as this is, I expect Edgerton to bring even more. Interim CCOM Dean William Neher said one of the reasons Edgerton was interested in coming here was because “he sees a great deal of potential.” With a school newspaper that is nationally recognized and an academic environment that is competitive, the potential is tremendous. The advancement of student organized media outlets should be one of Edgerton’s top priorities.
RHYAN HENSON
Edgerton has chance, credentials to drastically improve CCOM. He should use his experience to take our programs to the next level. With that said he should offer advice from a distance because one of the greatest parts about our media productions is that they are student-run. As a journalism student I want to see the new dean expand the school beyond Midwest recognition. Coming with a diverse background and from a school on the East Coast, Edgerton should use his resources to make Butler CCOM graduates known all over the country. I enjoy being in a major where the
education constantly improves each year. I want to see Edgerton continue this upward trend of excellence and take CCOM to the next level. In a more immediate time frame, I expect Edgerton to make CCOM even more competitive with other colleges on campus. Using cross-collaboration initiatives and growing and expanding upon majors will help diversify and improve the quality of CCOM majors. Fifty percent of jobs today have a significant communication aspect, Edgerton said. The cross-collaboration initiatives will not only improve the curriculum but also better prepare students for the real world. When people talk about the top colleges on campus, CCOM should be one of the first that people think of. I want to see Edgerton capitalize on all of the potential and resources so that CCOM can reach a new level. Contact columnist Rhyan Henson at rhenson@butler.edu.
f there’s one thing that Butler University students, faculty and staff can count on, it’s that during the course of their tenure at this institution, they will experience the thrill and the tease of an administrative search process. Butler goes through administrators almost as quickly as Parking Enforcement Officer Aaron Chalmers makes his daily parking ticket shake-ups. In the past three years, we’ve searched for and hired a new president and four new deans. The most recent hire is Julie Miller, who interim provost Kate Morris announced last week is to serve as the new dean of libraries. I’ve either personally attended or overseen The Collegian’s covering of each of these searches, and the experience is always identical. The community’s involvement in the process is always a letdown, and the mini-dramas that ensue are always identically riveting. The titillating process has started again. A search committee to find Butler’s next Jamie Comstock has assembled, and in 2013 when it’s over, the Butler community will welcome the new provost to his or her new office in Jordan Hall. It doesn’t matter if the search committee votes to keep the provost search open or closed. The candidate who is hired at the end of this will always be someone’s favorite and someone’s adversary. If you’re new to Butler and are interested in saving yourself more than a few hours of griping during the next year, here are a few lockins about the process. First, don’t expect to be officially kept abreast of what goes on during upcoming search committee meetings, even if the process is open. But have no fear. While you’re not going to receive much official communication, you’ll hear about what the committee members think. It will be around the water cooler, over a Starbucks mocha, or—in my case—at the end of an interview when committee members just can’t help but divulge the details of their latest meeting. Next—if the search is open— there will be open forums. I live for these and usually
HAYLEIGH COLOMBO
Whether the provost search is open or closed, the results will be the same. attend them for fun, even if I have no reason to show up. All of the public forums will have a few rowdy audience members, and all of these people will be the same people who have showed up to forums for the past five administrative search processes. The tenured folks will ask the questions. Everyone else will be silent and gripe about it on the way back to their offices. The debates about each candidate’s qualifications will be the same as they were last year. There will be lovely questions about important topics: pay equity, the core requirements, the balance between theory and internships, the importance of adapting to new technology. There will be a lively debate if one of the candidates is lacking a doctoral degree. Last, the announcement will always be at some random moment, right as students, faculty and staff leave for a school break. The faculty will hear first in an email from the president. Someone will break the news to The Collegian. It will not be the president. Then it will be over, and the new hire will fit right into Butler’s administration until someone decides to do something that costs too much money or is unpopular with Butler’s usual politicians. Or some other administrator will step down from her post or have his contract expire, and we’ll be at it again. Sure, the debates and drama are a thrill, but trust me—this process is formulaic, and if you decide to tune out from next year’s search, you won’t be missing much. Contact editor in chief Hayleigh Colombo at hcolombo@butler.edu.
PawPrints
BY JOSH MORRIS
What is your favorite Butler basketball memory? “My first game at Butler was fun to experience with my parents.”
“The lastsecond victory against Purdue at Conseco.”
Sofia Valdiviar Freshman
Craig Middleton Junior
“After a March Madness game, everyone rushed onto Hampton. ”
“Butler beating Purdue in the Crossroads Classic.”
Samantha Helfreich Sophomore
Steven Meuleman Freshman
Have an opinion of your own? Love what we do? Send emails and letters to the editor to collegian@butler.edu. See page 10 for guidelines.
THE BUTLER COLLEGIAN | PAGE 12
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2012
OVERHEARD ON TWITTER The Butler University community this week in 140 characters or less. Follow @butlercollegian for more of our favorites.
Who’s excited for @mansionsmoon Wednesday?! @BUCofeehouse Anyone dine at @cafepatachou or @NapolesePizza this week? If you did you’re supporting local produce from our farm. Tell us about your meal! @CampusFarm Perfect evening 2B on the gorgeous @butleru campus... people playing catch & soccer, walking, cycling, & just relaxing. #Ilovebutler @ButlerBethanie Thank you! RT @holisticselect: Congrats to our pal @ ButlerBlue2! @Mashable named him a “Top Dog” in Social Media! @ButlerBlue2 672 hours of service logged this Alternative Spring Break! Roll, Dawgs, Roll! #ASB2012 @VolunteerCenter It was all really fun. Thanks for everything! Butler basketball is the BEST!! @BUnored5 This is a delayed tweet, but I’m actually super stoked to have Rick Stengel as our commencement speaker. Nice work @butler2012 & @ButlerPrez @RachelSenn Life gets real when you’re researching post-grad insurance costs. #realitycheck @breanne_wilson
Butler Blue II celebrated his eighth birthday bash with First Lady Bethanie Danko, Trip, owner Michael Kaltenmark, Indianapolis media and the Butler community.
BLUE II GETS GRAND BIRTHDAY BASH B
utler University’s live bulldog mascot, Butler Blue II, celebrated his eighth birthday with friends from around the Butler community. Students came to eat cupcakes, don party hats and sign a giant card to celebrate the charmed life of the city’s sassiest pup. Photos by Marcy Thornsberry