Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and Classics Lab

Posted by Elly Fieffer

The Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and Classics (AMCA) lab is a collaborative space for students to interact with each other and artifacts. The lab strives to put the materials of the ancient world into the modern classroom. The lab offers a formal on campus experience for students with artifacts to develop practical skills that relate to archaeological, archival, and curatorial opportunities. There are a variety of ways to be involved in the lab based on individual interests. 

These opportunities include:

  • Social media and Blog management
  • Organization and artifact management  
  • Metadata cataloging and database building
  • Artifact research
  • Educational outreach within the local community

I have truly loved my experience as an AMCA Lab intern. Dr. K is one of my advisors and she has made me fall in love with archeology and artifacts all over again. I have always been interested in museums, but this internship has made me more interested in archival and collections work. My primary jobs as an intern have been artifact research as well as working with the librarians to update on our metadata catalog to digitize our collection. This internship has taught me skills that I wouldn’t learn in the classroom that will apply to my post graduate experience!

Here is what some of the other current interns have to say about their experience:

Sophie Graham, Sophomore History, Anthro, and Classics Majors, shared, “I wanted to be an intern mostly because my schedule gave me so much free time I didn’t know what to do with it and I absolutely love Dr. K and wanted to help out in the Classics Department in any way that I could. I think that I’ve enjoyed just getting to see all of the artifacts that we have stored. On my first day working, I got to see real ancient Egyptian artifacts that had been donated to us and I thought it was the coolest thing ever.”

Gansey Petroff, Junior Classics and Psychology Majors, shared, “I wanted to be an intern because I wanted to become more involved in the department as well as explore my general interest in artifacts! My main job this semester has been accessioning and archiving information, specifically about coins and books. Because of this experience, I have learned to be comfortable with things not always going as planned the first time, but it’s okay to step back and re-evaluate and try again. This internship has given me more interest in museum work and archival work.”

The Enrollment Hassle: Tips on Getting Through Registration

Posted by Elly Fieffer

It’s that time of the year again, Bulldogs, advising is just around the corner. As a senior, I am very grateful for not having to endure this dreadful process again. Every semester, no matter the amount of credit hours I had accumulated, my enrollment appointment was always the last day, and last time for my grade. Each year, more anxiety built as I raced to enroll in the classes I wanted to ensure my ability to graduate on time. As much as I hated the enrollment process, I have learned a few things that I think will help. Here are my tips and tricks to conquering the four horsemen of the Butler Enrollment Apocalypse:

My.Butler

Navigating my.butler is difficult, but the self service student homepage will be your best friend. Here you will find the Student Center, task notifications, and the college schedule planner. The first thing to do is go to the Student Center and find your enrollment appointment date.

Next, look underneath your current schedule at the enrollment shopping cart. From there, click on next semester to view all of the classes being offered. I like to use the “search by my requirements” just to see what exactly I still need before I start searching for classes. Once you have a general idea, you can start browsing and adding classes to your cart. Don’t just plan the end-all-be-all single schedule. I would try to have enough classes in my cart that didn’t clash too much that I could substitute if I needed to rearrange after my advising appointment or if the classes closed. 

From there, I would work on clearing any holds on the account. The last hold you will have is from your advisor(s). 

Advising

Hopefully your advisors will be reaching out to you with a schedule for you to sign up for advising. Some like to use canvas, others will send out google docs or forms. You can always reach out to them yourself to ask about when they plan to start appointments.

Once at your meeting, your advisor will help you plan out your next semester and/or year based on your interests, requirements, study abroad, and other opportunities that apply to you. This is your designated time with a faculty member who is here to help you, answer questions, discuss how things are currently going and changes you would like to make in your routine! Over the past four years, I have built an incredible relationship with my advisors and they have helped me with far more than just building my class schedule. 

Many faculty are willing to offer time to non-advisees during this time to help answer any questions or guide you in fields of interests. One of my now advisors, Dr. K, offered me advising before I was even a major. I had a class with her first semester freshman year and she helped me get a Classics minor, and then turn that minor into a major, while remaining on schedule to graduate! 

If all else fails, or you are unsure about anything, Amy Arnold is always willing to help and offer guidance!

Enrollment Period

Sometimes your enrollment period is far from the ideal time. I’ve had mine become available during classes, at 7 am, and on the last day at the last time slot. If your period becomes open during a class, reach out to your professor ahead of time so they know. I always try to look at my cart at least an hour to half hour before my enrollment period so I can see what is available. Looking a little early helps so you are not completely surprised when you go to register. It can prevent you from scrambling at the last minute to find a class that fits. 

My first registration was at the last time, on the last day, during a class. I didn’t know that classes would fill up, I didn’t understand waitlisting, and I didn’t know how to prepare a second schedule. When I opened my enrollment cart, panic settled in and I immediately left my classroom with my computer in hand to find a secluded corner of Jordan to quickly throw classes together and cry. I didn’t get half the classes I wanted and I wasn’t sure if the schedule I made checked any boxes I needed to graduate. I quickly emailed my advisors and went back to class, completely disappointed. My advisors told me my schedule looked great, I was still getting the credits I needed, and they helped me figure out how to waitlist for some of the classes I wanted. 

It will work out.

Waitlist

Do not be afraid of the waitlist! And don’t be afraid to stay on that waitlist all the way through the first week of classes. I have gotten into almost every single class since that first enrollment that I waitlisted for. Different departments have different waitlist policies, but many work with their majors to make sure they are getting into the classes they need. Each professor and department is different, so make sure you reach out to your advisors about your options and check in with the department’s administrative specialist, Amy Arnold! 

 

Writing Intern for the History, Anthropology, and Classics Department

Posted by Elly Fieffer

The History, Anthropology, and Classics Department seeks a student writing intern to assist with projects throughout the academic year. Past projects include writing blog articles and newsletters, conducting focus groups, planning and creating promotional materials for events.

Writing interns will be asked to:

  • Conduct research, including personal interviews, archives and online resources
  • Communicate with professors, alumni, and fellow students to discover or research relevant articles
  • Write and edit with precision and clarity
  • Use WordPress to publish blog posts
  • Use Google Drive to collaborate with staff and other interns
  • Use Canva to create graphics and flyers
  • Work independently and within deadlines
  • Collaborate on other special projects

Applications for next year’s writing internship are now open until Friday May 6th!

Here’s what Chloe Meredith and I have to say about own experience as interns:

“This internship has been an influential experience for me! As a student, I have developed a number of new skills while expanding upon previous ones outside of the classroom. From my first article, reaching out to recent Alumna Claudia Vinci, to my most recent, The Enrollment Apocalypse, I have expanded my writing skills to consider the needs of the audience, you! I have enjoyed brainstorming ideas with Amy and following our inspirations to create these projects and articles. It has been daunting when trying to pinpoint what is interesting or useful, but I have been supported in exploring and executing my ideas. It has been incredible to network with a number of students, alumni, and professors who have continued to expand my ideas and make these projects come to life. As a senior, I wasn’t sure how much more I could grow, but each day teaches me something new while also allowing me to build new relationships that have a lasting impact. The work feels purposeful and brings me closer to our little community! 

The work I do varies day to day, and that’s what I honestly love the most about it. I have learned how to be flexible and open minded. Some days, I’m mastering wordpress and canva, other days I’m brainstorming with Amy and reaching out to professors about upcoming events. Much of the work I do, I learn by experience. I have become comfortable with trial and error as a learning method, especially when it comes to problem solving and making creative choices. There’s no wordpress or canva handbook (although I wish there was). I have to work with the site’s structure to determine the best way of representing each article. In addition to posting the articles, I have learned to edit them. The process of learning to edit continues to present many choices that I have weigh individually, but also collectively as each change impacts the overall direction of the piece. 

As someone who longs to be in museums and archives, this internship has helped me gain confidence in my abilities as a researcher and as a liaison between past and future. When I received responses and basic data points, I expanded upon them to make the narrative more accessible for the audience, much like those history researchers I hope to join. People consider research as an independent study of a topic, but this internship has taught me that it is truly a team effort as our individual work comes together to create these stories.”

– Elly Fieffer, Senior History, Political Science, and Classical Studies

 

“Working as an intern for the History, Anthropology, and Classics department has been one of the most enriching experiences I have ever had at Butler University. When I first started, I had been disconnected from the department due to the pandemic shifting us to online learning, and I was incredibly nervous about getting involved again. I wanted to reconnect with my peers and department faculty, but struggled with how to do that. This internship was the answer.

For the department blog, I reached out to students and faculty to discuss their academic career paths and sought ways to highlight their talent. I was instantly reconnected with the department I fell in love with 4 years prior, and discovered all of the different ways our people celebrate history, anthropology, and classics! It added whole new meanings to the events I saw pop up in notifications, and I found myself actively rooting for others in the department in their academic endeavors. This internship is an investment in the Butler University community, and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to become involved again. 

Beyond the current community, I sought out Butler alumni from our department, and the skills I learned in searching and networking with people inspired me to pursue a career in recruitment and administration after graduation! Employers have been beyond impressed with how an internship with the department has exponentially expanded my skills with finding talent and connecting people. This internship has made a lasting impression on my career beyond Butler University, and it definitely will for the next set of interns, too.

But the internship’s benefits did not stop there! Despite the fact that for me it started as a writing internship to help with the department blog, through collaboration, our team has adapted to different roles to better help the department. In the more creative direction, I have made flyers for the events in the department and helped put together different methods to get student feedback. Now, I am helping make the bulletin boards for the department, and I am so happy with the direction our team led me. Under Amy’s amazing leadership and with Elly’s incredible help, I have been able to explore the different ways I can use so many untapped skills and interests! This internship has helped me in ways unimaginable, and I will be forever grateful.”

 – Chloe Meredith, Senior History, Political Science, and Business Law minor