Butler University Student Foundation

Today I was back to my Monday class schedule, which is my favorite day of the week.  I killed a lot of time at lunch today in Atherton just talking to everyone.  Unfortunately though, most of my early afternoon and then early evening was spent doing homework and getting a lot of reading out of the way.  To mix things up for dinner (get away form cafeteria food) a couple of my friends all met up at a senior’s house to cook some of the frozen meals that my mom dropped off last weekend.  It was great to have some home cooked meals.  Amazing how much food brings college kids together.  Later on in the evening a couple girls from Schwitzer Hall came over to hang out and also show us the Dance Marathon dance that they have created—needless to say it will be a pretty fun time.  Another pretty uneventful day, but it was great because I got to hang out and spend a lot of times with friends.  I am really getting ready for the weekend though—no classes, Dance Marathon, and a light homework load. 

By David Korb

My classes today were great. In my first class, I know a lot of the people in it and there are a lot of group breakouts to break up the hour and 15 minute long class.  My second class is still just getting going, so I got an early start to my afternoon and lunch at 11:30.  Thankfully my homework load has not been too bad so far this week, so I again got to spend my afternoon at the HRC and enjoying free time throughout the afternoon.  At night, I went to a bible study on campus that has really been a great way to connect with a lot of really cool, chill, and involved guys on campus.  This is definitely one of the highlights for my week on a regular basis.  Nothing too special about today, but it was still a great time with friends and relaxing.  I cannot express how much better college life is than high school.  Oh, in a couple of days is Dance Marathon.  Twelve hours of dancing for Riley Hospital for Children! I am really looking forward to that. Until tomorrow…

By David Korb

Today marked the start of the first full week of classes for the second semester.  But honestly, being in college is so different. I look forward to all of my classes for both ‘sets’ of my days.  On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays my two favorite courses are actually not part of my major curriculum.  My First Year Seminar, a Socratic seminar/English class rolled in one, covers the works of Homer and Virgil and other Greek and Roman poets.  This class is interesting to me because I have always enjoyed these stories, and now I am actually learning about them in an in depth, not totally analytical way to all you high school students (because believe me, I got sick of that too).  My other favorite class of the day is my history course that covers the urban development the United States.  Although that or other topics and classes may sound dull, at Butler there is always something that will be interesting because of flexibility in your scheduling and the faculty.  For me though, I love this course.  For my afternoon, I put in a workout at the HRC, which is a great selling point for this school.  For the rest of the afternoon, it was really just my time.  I spent the day doing homework off and on and hanging out with my friends in my room.  The freedom at Butler is amazing.  I stayed on top of my homework throughout the day so my evening consisted of hanging out with all my guys at Ross Hall playing Xbox and watching movies.

By David Korb

At least once a day, my friends hear me say, “I just love Butler!”  Even as the end of the semester rolls around and everyone’s stress level is at an all time high, I can’t help but love being a Bulldog.  The friendly atmosphere one receives when they walk on Butler’s campus is extremely welcoming.  The fact that my professors want to help me and push me past my limits is an experience that only students at a liberal arts school like Butler can enjoy.
        As the holidays come up, there is so much to enjoy and be grateful for.  First off and most importantly, a wonderful education and opportunities provided by the university.  Secondly, this weekend’s performance of the Nutcracker by the Butler Ballet depicting one of my favorite Christmas stories.  Lastly, the decorations found in dorm rooms and large wreaths outside of Clowes Hall gets everyone into the holiday spirit.  Regardless of the season, I couldn’t be happier with my college decision and love everything there is to love about Butler.

By Karina Hamamouche

Hey everybody, it’s a beautiful Sunday afternoon here on Butler’s campus. Today our Men’ Soccer team defeated Green Bay 2-1 through penalty kicks to secure the Horizon League Tournament Championship. With this win the team finishes the regular season undefeated with a record of 16-0-2 and now has an automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament. It’s also the last week before Thanksgiving Break and a busy finish to the semester. Everyone is excited for the following week and we hope you are too.

by John Monroe

My name is Joel McVey, I am from Morris IL, and I am a Finance major and Math minor.

Time travels quite quickly here at Butler University.  Coming in as a freshman, I felt a little overwhelmed but had a great opportunity to meet new people through a program called Ambassadors of Change, which allows students to come to Butler a week earlier than their classmates for the purpose of learning about service leadership.   It was through programs like that, as well as through orientation week activities, that I began to meet other freshmen and older students who were very willing to help me fit at Butler.  Orientation week seems like just yesterday, but at the same time it is strange for me to think that all of the people I know now at Butler, were foreign to me just a few short months ago.  Taking after the example set forth to me by the older students at Butler, I have become involved in a number of activities and further developed my network of friends through these activities.

My typical week:

As far as classes go, Monday is the busiest day of my week.  I wake up at about 8 a.m., get dressed, brush my teeth, and head to ResCo. for breakfast before starting my classes.  From 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., I am in classes that include Calculus, my First-Year Seminar on Faith, Doubt, and Reason, and Freshman Business Experience, where I participate on a group of 5 students designing a pet product and preparing a business plan for this product.  After my business class, I eat lunch, then head to my food science class and lab from 1:00 to 5:00.  I have enjoyed my lab much more than expected, because, like my business class, the professors have been very consistent on providing outside-the-classroom experience to complement our lectures, including field trips and guest speakers.  I have a similar schedule on Wednesdays and Fridays, minus the lab.  Tuesdays and Thursdays are my homework days, because Calculus is my only class.

In addition to these classes, I have enjoyed participating on a number of activities on campus.  I am currently a member on the Butler Catholic Community leadership team, where I have been thoroughly pleased with Butler’s opportunity for students to develop their faiths in a real, caring community of students.  I have been able to continue another passion of mine, by playing on the Club Tennis Team.  Tennis has been a great way for me to form friendships and blow off steam from the stresses of college life.  I have also been able to develop career strengths by serving on Finance Club, the Scholars for the Advancement of Business Leaders, Math Association of America, and Alpha Kappa Psi professional business fraternity.  These have been great outlets for me to develop my personal strengths with others who have similar interests to me.  Moreover, I am grateful for my roles in becoming connected with other students and the surrounding community, by serving as my dorm’s Treasurer and Student Government representative, and serving on Butler University Student Foundation (BUSF), the organization for that I am writing this blog.  BUSF is an excellent way for prospective students, current students, and alumni to connect to each other.

Occasionally, I have time to relax and have fun around campus.  By participating on intramural teams, going to events on campus, and learning to live with the members of my living unit, we have formed friendships and given each other a sense of belonging on campus.  With these people, along with other friends, I may go play pick-up basketball, go out to fraternities, attend a sporting event, see a movie, or make frozen yogurt runs.  It has really been easy to get along with everyone on campus.   The first few months have given me life changing experiences, and I remain hopeful for the future.

by Joel McVey

TGIF everyone! I absolutely love weekends at Butler. A lot of people think that since it’s a small school there’s nothing to do on weekends.

Wrong. Very, very wrong.

Tonight the student government association (SGA) is sponsoring a rave at the student Union. And it’s free. Charlie St. Cloud is also playing in Jordan Hall tonight–there are movies every weekend, highlights including: Inception, Toy Story 3, and Get Him to the Greek. It’s free.

Tomorrow basketball season officially starts. And it’s free (for students). I’m apart of Dawg Pound (student section) which costs $20. Tomorrow afternoon Lambda Chi Alpha is hosting a cookout. And it’s free.

See a theme? Yep, there’s a lot to do on campus that doesn’t cost a thing which is really nice for the poor college student without a car. Usually things on campus don’t cost any more than $5. I especially like that all sporting events are free. I have friends at big 10 schools that spent a ton of money on season passes. Yet another reason Butler rocks my socks.

By Lynsey Sell

Wednesdays are homework days mainly because I have only 1 class. Sounds delightful, right? Well, it’s at 8AM. I was a morning person in high school.  

A note to future college students: that does not transfer to college.

On a bright note, my walks to class are no longer than ten minutes. My 8AM class is literally a three minute walk. You won’t find that at IU. So, I’ve been spending all day doing homework. Specifically Shakespeare essays. It’s not exactly fun, but I have a good idea about what to write about because I’ve been emailing my professor all day.

Another plug for small schools: your professor knows you. I email my professors quite a bit and they are always really prompt with responding to my questions. Plus, they know my name. None of my classes are bigger than 20 students which is the norm here at Butler.

By Lynsey Sell

Hey Guys!

So, I’m having a typical Tuesday morning…homework and watching Ellen. I let my homework pile up this weekend because it was parents weekend! My family came down Saturday and took me grocery shopping which sounds lame, but believe me, Target runs are a major thing in college. We also hung out downtown. Downtown is literally ten minutes from campus. I’m from the Chicago area where parking is extremely expensive so I love love love going downtown and paying $1.50 for 3 hours of parking. There’s also a really cool food scene. We went to eat at The Ram. Delicious food and as a bonus…Brad Stevens was there! Sunday we went to the sorority open houses. I personally love the fact that rush is deferred to second semester here. I like the fact that I’ve gotten an opportunity to have meals at the houses and learn more about Greek life here on campus. Anyways, we toured four houses and learned about the values and traditions at each. Needless to say, I cannot wait until rush in January.

Only 11 more days until Thanksgiving break. What am I thankful for this year? The fact that Butler 1) offers an entire week off for break (yay private school!) and 2) that I have had such an amazing first semester at Butler. Go Dawgs!

by Lynsey Sell