Christina's Blog

Road Trip: Toronto Fringe Festival!

ChristinaL — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Hello again! Can you keep track of where I've been in the world this week? : )

As some of you may remember, I am interning for the IndyFringe theatre festival here this summer. Last weekend, my coworker Justin and I went on a "work" trip to check out the Toronto Fringe and see how they run things up north. We drove all the way there from Indiana... so we spent two days on the road and two days in Toronto! haha. We did have some interesting stops, though, and it was definitely worth it because we totally fell in love with Toronto... I love Butler, but don't be suprised if I transfer to U of Toronto in my final semester and try to become a Canadian ; )

Our first stop was Frankenmuth, Michigan. This is a German town in northern Michigan that has been developed into a tourist attraction involving chicken, polka and Christmas (and some kitschy Bavarian buildings!) It takes me way back to my Michigan childhood - I have fond memories of going on vacation there at age four or five. My return trip at 20 was slightly different, but of course, we indulged in some of the world famous chicken and ran around taking tourist photos. It is also home to the World's Largest Christmas store. They aren't lying; the place is so big, they give you a MAP when you walk in the door!!

The best part of the Christmas store was definitely the culturally horrendous "international ornament" section. Most of the European countries were pretty well represented, but guess what my beloved study abroad country was symbolized by?

Hmmm... must have missed the cowboys and jalapenos in my Spanish education! I guess Spain and Mexico are kind of the same thing... No, no they are not, Christmas store.

After our Christmas in July adventures, we eventually did make it Canada, where we stayed in a backpacker's hostel in downtown Toronto. It was just like studying abroad and bumming my way around Europe again! I loved it.

We started exploring right away - Toronto has SO many cool neighborhoods. Here are just a few pictures:

The Old City Hall - beautiful!

The Distillery - historic industrial district now filled with art galleries, boutiques, cafes and a theatre. Quite adorable.

We also got to visit the University of Toronto. I was a little jealous of their ivy/overall Hogwarts vibe. The best part was accidentally stumbling across the Toronto Pi Phi house, though! Yes, they do have sororities in Canada.

Queen St. - lots of fun shops and, as you can see, interesting street performers! This man stacks rocks.

Augusta Avenue in Kensington Market - aka my hippie haven. SO MANY great restaurants; we could barely choose. There were also lots of independent stores, public art, and environmentalist elements like green roofs, bicycles, and this statement about cars!

We saw even more cool neighborhoods - downtown on Yonge St., Chinatown, Little Italy and my favorite - Bloor St. - and that was only in two days! It was such a blast riding the street cars around and just exploring. Toronto definitely had a very liveable, cultural, European feel to it and it is one of the most diverse cities in the world. Also, all the Canadians were out-of-control nice to us! What fabulous people. I need to live there someday.

So, you may have noticed that I went to Toronto for the Fringe festival, and yet I have no pictures of that! The reason is because when we were at the festival, we were SO busy! Since we were visiting from another Fringe festival, we got VIP passes so we could see any show we wanted to for free!!! AMAZING. We had to take full advantage of that.

If you are not familiar with Fringe, it is a theatre festival that allows total artistic freedom. The participating groups are chosen by lottery and can do whatever they want. The festival takes care of securing venues, promoting the festival, etc. but the performers keep ALL the money they make, so it is very supportive of independent artists. It's also low cost at only $10 per ticket. Because it gives support to smaller companies and younger artists, Fringe festivals tend to attract new works and performers, so we definitely didn't see the same ole thing you could find at any theatre!

We saw six plays in two days!

- Killing Kevin Spacey (two-man comedic play about a man who realizes his life is a mixture of Kevin Spacey characters)

- Quarterlife: The Musical (...musical. About quarterlife crises in NYC. Except that actors were Canadian. We called them out on their accents!)

- It's Just a Phase (musical comedy about lesbians)

- Dancing in my UnBirthday Suit (dance/physical comedy)

- Head First (aerial dance set to indie rock by an all female troupe!)

- Politically Correct Bedtime Tales (fairy tales sarcastically reworked to invoke PC values - so funny)

All very interesting and funny shows!

Hanging out around the festival was such a blast. The Toronto Fringe staff were ridiculously nice. They made us feel like part of the family and gave us great ideas! We also had an awesome time chilling at their headquarters and meeting cool people. We spent like three hours talking with the producer of Quarterlife and met some of the actors from various shows! I think that is an experience that not every theatre festival can provide!!

Overall, it was such a great trip. We ran all over Toronto, made some great new friends (including our waiter at an Indian Tapas place. We're bffs.), fell in love with Canada, and got mildly interrogated/had our car searched at the border before we could re-enter the United States... apparently wearing matching t-shirts from our edgy festival made us supicious! Okay, that part wasn't great, but it was funny, and definitely worth it in the end.

There used to be a billboard at the US/Canada border that always cracked me up which refered to Canada as "The World Next Door." Toronto, at the very least, is a world of it's own, and one I couldn't love more. I can't wait to go back to visit again... and i especially can't wait for us to have our Fringe festival here in Indy!

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Deep in the Heart of Friendship

ChristinaL — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:38:00 GMT

Well, I am back in Indiana... temporarily! We finished up with the conference on Monday night and spent Tuesday sightseeing and traveling home... I already wasn't feeling too good, and when I woke up in my own bed on Wednesday morning, I was definitely sick! I had to take a day off and rest up, because I have just been doing too much traveling recently. But, now that I'm feeling better, let me give you a recap:

The last day of the convention was so much fun and full of surprises and special guests.

We had tons of great speakers that day!

In the morning, US Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson - a Pi Beta Phi alum from University of Texas - came to speak to us! She is the only female senator ever to be from Texas, and when she joined the Senate, was one of only seven women. She talked about the importance of having women well represented in every aspect of society. Her speech was a great introduction to the two other Pi Phi alumnae who received member of distinction awards - one is a noted journalist who is the editor of an African American newspaper in NYC, and the other is a doctor at Johns Hopkins.

The day also had a strong focus on philanthropy. Pi Phi supports literacy, and we partner with First Book, a national non-profit that donates books to low-income children and schools. Kyle Zimmer, president of First Book, came to speak to us at the convention. She talked about all the excuses that people give for why they can't make a difference... and then gave examples of women throughout history who have proven those excuses wrong! She is such an intelligent, funny and passionate woman - I really admire her and LOVE her organization! I am so glad that we support it and I was thrilled to see Pi Beta Phi present First Book with $240,000 on Monday!!

We also gave $10,000 to The Ali Kemp Educational Foundation (TAKE), which was very emotional. Ali Kemp was a Pi Phi from Kansas who was murdered a few years ago. Her parents started a foundation that teaches women and girls self-defense techniques so that deaths like Ali's can be prevented in the future. We had the chance to go through the TAKE training on Monday and learn some moves! It was definitely a great experience and something that I think all women should go through... not to mention it was fun practicing my defense moves on my friend Erikaa! : )

The last part of the evening was the Wine Carnation Banquet, when the fraternity awards are given out and the outgoing national officers speak about one another. It was so sweet to hear about the friendship that our national officers have shared together. All in all, the day showed that Pi Phi is about making a sincere difference in society with our volunteer work and our fundraising... but it's also about the connections and friendships we create with one another along that jouney.

On Tuesday, the convention was all over and so we had some time to get out of the bubble of our hotel. The Gaylord Texan, where we stayed, was massive and included its own versions of some Texas highlights including the facade of the Alamo and a faux San-Antonio-style riverwalk!

But, we wanted to see some of the "real" Texas, so we ventured to the nearby downtown of Grapevine. I think some of its historical Texas charm has been amped up for tourism, but it was so stereotypically Texan that we had fun with it!

Of course, every cowboy town's gotta have a jail for the outlaws:

Overall, it was an amazing trip. I learned so much and feel inspired and ready to help lead my chapter in my last year at Butler. I am so proud to wear the Golden Arrow of Pi Beta Phi!

IN Gamma <3

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Pi Phis Take Over Texas

ChristinaL — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:13:00 GMT

Howdy ya'll! ; ) I am writing to you from DALLAS, TEXAS where I am on location for the 67th convention of the Pi Beta Phi fraternity for women!

I'm not sure exactly how many Pi Phis are here, but there are 134 active collegiate chapters with at least one representative (most have two or more), and there are even more than 150 (I think!) alumnae clubs represented by at least one woman. Okay, so my by-the-numbers approach is lacking some substance but let me just say that there are A TON of Pi Phi women and we have taken over the Gaylord Texan Hotel & Convention Center in full force!

On Friday morning, our chapter president Erikaa, one of our alumnae advisors Kristi, and I all flew down from Indianapolis. It was a long day because we had to take two flights and the only thing on tv while we sat around on our layover was Michael Jackson tributes, so I had "Billy Jean," "Thriller," and that "The Way You Make Me Feel" song that's in Center Stage stuck in my head all day.

But, it was all worth it when we arrived at this HUGE convention center in Texas with *insert very large number* of our fraternity sisters! They don't lie - everything is bigger in Texas. This resort is like a small city with everything you could possibly need; until Erikaa and I took a walk this afternoon (Sunday), we hadn't been outside since Friday afternoon... crazy. There are also a LOT of Pi Phis, so everything is en masse this week.

So what have we been up to?

meeting sisters from other colleges! The best thing ever is learning how many amazing women are part of the larger sisterhood that we share. I love hearing about all the cool things they do personally... and stealing ideas from the awesome things they do in their chapters at home.

meeting alumnae!* It is a common misconception that a Greek organization is something for college students. College is only the beginning, and with so many alumnae of all ages here (literally! there are a lot of "Golden Arrows" here, which means women who were initiated 50 years ago!!), it is so inspiring to see how many women are able to stay involved in Pi Phi activities long after their graduation day. Not only do alumnae clubs support the Pi Phi chapters at colleges, but they also do their own community service and philanthropy and provide a network of friends to support any Pi Phi. If I ever move to a new city, I know that I can look up the nearest Pi Phi alumnae club and meet some passionate, intelligent, engaged women in that community. That's a great network to have wherever I go. I especially loved getting to meet alumnae from our chapter at Butler. I got to hear about what BU was like in the 60s, 70s and 80s. Some traditions like Geneva Stunts have been around FOREVER at Butler...and they're still going strong.

learning about our values. Greek organizations are different from other clubs because they are based on values. Pi Beta Phi's values are Intergrity, Lifelong Commitment, Honor & Respect, Philanthropic Service to Others, Personal and Intellectual Growth and Sincere Friendship.

voting on legislation and electing new leaders for the fraternity.

learning how to create more effective and meaningful programs for our chapter members. Greek life is about developing yourself as a whole, well-rounded person, and at our convention we've talked about the ways that we can help our members to grow as students, women, friends, etc. while upholding and reinforcing our values. It is a huge responsibility to put on programming that educates our chapter, but that's one of the things I love about sorority life - college women take on this great challenge to teach their peers about ideals and qualities they value.

discussing some of the challenges facing college students, like binge drinking and hazing, and how Pi Phis can be a force of positive change on our campuses when it comes to these kind of issues.

learning more about our initiation ritual and discussing why it is so important to us.

eating a lot of really tasty food. mmmm!

singing Pi Phi songs, most of which are meaningful and beautiful... and some of which are really old and silly and have ridiculous lyrics about how Pi Phis won't hold men's hands because they are angels (and thus not promiscuous enough to *gasp* hold hands) ; )

hanging out, having fun and enjoying the fellowship!

It is such a cool experience to see the larger picture of what the fraternity is all about and how it works. We also have the chance to give input into our organization and learn from its top leaders.

At dinner tonight, I sat next to the Grand Vice President of Membership! Luellen is a really big deal... and I got to pick her brain for an hour about how to really recruit the most quality members who live up to our values and will be committed to the chapter. Awesome! While she was there, the former Grand President (aka the leader of the entire fraternity), who also happens to be the most adorable little old (and feisty, intelligent, well-spoken and loving) Southern woman came up to talk to Luellen and gave me a hug. The former Grand President! Highlight of my day, for sure. Her name is Sis Mullis, and she is on my short list of very inspiring women.

I also had a great experience tonight talking to the Risk Management Officer for Pi Phi. We watched a documentary about hazing and binge drinking, and I shared with her an idea I had about a discussion that chapters could have that would be honest and open and try to get to the real issues of why college students sometimes drink excessively. Sarah was really interested in what I had to say, and we're going to stay in touch via email and our discussion might lead to new programming for the whole fraternity!

I guess I say all this to emphasize how great it is to be surrounded by the leaders that are making amazing things happen for a community of over 200,000 fabulous women. I am learning so much, but I'm not just here as an observer, and it is exciting to take an active role in my fraternity family.

More updates - and pictures - will come soon. Tomorrow is the last day of business... I'm not ready to go home!

*Christina's Grammar Public Service Announcement regarding Words That Describe People Who Graduated From An Institution:

Alumnus = singular male

Alumna = singular female

Alum = short, slang version of singular

Alumni = plural verson of alumnus - can describe a group of all males, or a mixed gender group)

Alumnae = plural version of alumna - describes a group of females

I say this because these can be very confusing for people to keep straight and as someone who works in the Alumni Office and with many alumni through campus organizations... this drives me slightly crazy. But, I will chalk it up to a lack of awareness and rectify that situation by explaining the right terminology and trust you to check yourself. My English major, grammar-lovin' soul begs of you:

Please do not use "alum" as a plural form. (I will cry.) As in: "Our alum are such great people. They have so much Butler spirit." ALUM IS NOT PLURAL, PEOPLE!

Ok, now stepping off my grammar soapbox! Have a good night : )

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City Girl Takes a Vacation! Sort of.

ChristinaL — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:40:00 GMT

I think it is pretty safe to categorize me as an urbanite. I've lived in residential neighborhoods for the majority of my life... but always close to a city. When I was in elementary school, I actually lived IN the city, in Tokyo, Japan. I used to take two trains every morning to commute to school, so put me in a sea of concrete with some public transportation, and I feel right at home. I like the fast pace, lots of people, always something going on. However, in spite of my urban lifestyle - or maybe because of it - I have always loved being outdoors and seeking a little peace in nature. You probably also know by now that I'm a big tree hugger and I love parks and bike trails and all of that.

A lot of my childhood memories involve being outdoors and away from the city. During the summers when we lived in Tokyo, I used to stay at my grandparents' house in Central Illinois, where life is a lot quieter and slower, and riding your bike all around town and hitting up every park was the thing to do. During the first eight years of my life, I lived in Dearborn, Michigan, just outside Detroit. Our neighbors had a house on Lake Michigan, so almost every year from the time I was born, we would stay up there with them for our summer vacation. I think I am still a Michigan girl at heart because nowhere makes me feel more at peace than at the Lake.

We haven't gone up to my old neighbors' house in years, but we were so excited when my cousin Melissa (my only Indianapolis family member) and her parents decided to buy a house near the Lake in Three Oaks, Michigan. It is a really small, adorable town. The downtown is one street, about two blocks long. The tallest building is the library, where I am sitting right now, because the house doesn't have internet.

My parents, my sister, our dog and I are here for the week for a short family vacation. It has been so nice to just relax and spend some time with each other. We got here on Sunday and have enjoyed some of summer's greatest activities: reading and laying on the beach!! I am usually stuck inside glued to my laptop all day for my internships so I have been looking pretty white, but now I actually have a little color to my skin. My dad and I also took a 14 mile bike ride yesterday down the country roads. We go under the huge old trees, and pass cows and little fruit stands. I have to admit - I don't even mind the stench of the animals, because it reminds me of being a kid and spending the summers up here.

Life hasn't really changed too much since the family vacations of my childhood. My dad and I always work on puzzles. We play board games at night. We go out to eat at tiny local restaurants. My parents go to the winery (I am STILL not old enough! ha.) We even built a sandcastle and collected pretty stones from the beach yesterday. It's nice that some things stay the same. I like to remember being six or seven and yet still enjoy the same simple pleasures - nature, relaxing and being with family.

Unfortunately, I am not able to completely detach and relax. The media never stops, and my vacation lined up with a few deadlines for NUVO writing and IndyFringe publicity. I guess if vacation can't mean a total disconnect from the world and work, at least it means I only check my email two times a day instead of 10,000. That really is a relief, and reminds me why I do not want a CrackBerry while I can avoid it.

I've been doing a little work here and there, and somehow it's all going to get done for deadlines tomorrow. It is amazing how fast you get things done when there is a towel on the beach and a good novel calling your name.

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Museum Marathon: Design, Harry Potter... and The Hills?

ChristinaL — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 04:07:00 GMT

HELLO, hectic weekend. I am officially on vacation now, (even though I unofficially still have a whole lot of work to do!) but so far the begining of my break has been pretty crazy.

Since I am peacing out of Indy for about a week and a half and the European Design exhibit at the Indianapolis Art Museum is closing TODAY, I had to bike over there and check it out on Thursday before leaving town.

If you haven't heard me mention it before, the IMA is literally down the street from Butler and a really awesome art museum with beautiful gardens. It's free for everyone, all the time, which makes it awesome to just pop into and visit for an hour or two when you need a little escape from Butler.

They have a fantastic collection, but they also bring in some really cool exhibitions from around the world. This spring, the special exhibit was called European Design Since 1985, and it focused on decorative and industrial design - furniture, kitchenware, home decorations, etc. The whole thing definitely reminded me of IKEA (which, if you have never been, is an excellent place to buy dorm room furniture... I have a little table I bought for literally $10 that has been a staple of my college room for the last two years.)

I think it's very cool that the IMA includes all kinds of art and design that you might not traditionally think of as belonging in a museum. For example, earlier this summer, they brought in the lead designer from Target to talk about the design that goes into all aspects of the store. He was so geeky and excited about art - I loved hearing about it! You can read the review I wrote for NUVO about his talk to hear more details about what he said. But anyway, the best part about decorative design is that much of it can be mass-produced, so in the gift shop at the end of the exhibit, you actually buy some of the items that are on display in the show to take home with you! It's kind of inspiring to think about your home and the things in it as potential art. If you live in Indy, you should go check it out TODAY because it's the last day. The exhibit only costs $3 with a college ID - yay for cheap entertainment.

After I saw the exhibit and packed up my car, I drove home to Chicago where my family lives. I was up bright and early on Friday morning to drive downtown with my mother to the Museum of Science and Industry!

This was a work day AND a vacation. The Office of Alumni & Parent Programs (where I work this summer) and the Chicago Alumni Chapter were sponsoring a Butler gathering at MSI to see the Harry Potter exhibit. There were Butler alumni, parents and friends of all ages who came in to enjoy lunch and the exhibit together. My favorite part of the event was getting to meet Jen, one of the leaders of the Chicago Alumni Chapter, because she actually works at the Museum of Science & Industry in their development office... what a cool job! Development is a field I am considering for my future, so maybe Jen and I will have to chat again soon. It is always inspiring to see the interesting and fun jobs that Butler grads end up in.

I didn't actually spend TOO much time chatting, though, because I was busy shuttling people from the check-in table up to the room where we had lunch. It was a free day for the museum (which is usually quite expensive) and Jen said that more than 10, 000 people came, including approximately every YMCA day camp in Illinois. So, my job was to lead all the Butler people through the chaos of children to get to our lunch! The ticket-taker man and I became bffs.

It was worth it, though, to work at the event, because I got a free ticket to the Harry Potter exhibit. Walking through there is like being in the movies! They have lots of costumes and props from the films, and the whole thing is set up with music and scenery to make you feel like you are actually at Hogwarts - lots of fun. It made me excited for the next movie to come out this summer - my roommates and I are planning to go at midnight... anyone else??

Here I am out in the lobby of the Museum with the car Harry and Ron fly in from the second film:

After all this, my mom and I planned to drive to Rockford to see the Bluecoats and some of my other friends perform at a Drum Corps International show. Unfortunately, the weather went totally crazy. There were tornados touching down in Northern Illinois and the rain was absolutely insane!! My windshield wipers could not keep up, and we ended up driving like 25 mph with our hazards on because we could barely see the other cars on the road through all the water. This was the sky afterwards:

But, eventually we got there. Even though it made me even more sad about not being in the Bluecoats this summer, it was so great to see so many people I love and have known for ages. Best friends are good for the soul. So is very loud music from some great drum corps.

We didn't get back from Rockford until 2 am, though, and today has been busy with packing for our family vacation and a grad party for a family friend. My dad and I went to downtown Naperville to get lunch and I noticed an unusually large number of girls walking around in short dresses. People in the Ville always dress kind of ridiculously, but today, more than normal. After lunch, I suggested to my dad that we pop into our favorite local bookstore, but when we got there, we noticed a critical mass of those teenage girls. When I saw two of them wearing matching "I Hate Spencer" shirts, I had a feeling that I knew what was up... sure enough, Lauren Conrad of The Hills was in MY bookstore, doing a book signing. Ridiculous. I did not even catch a glimpse of her because she was surrounded by so many wannabe fashionistas, but it was still a strange experience when I was just going for a stroll after lunch!

What a weekend, and it's only Saturday night. Michigan tomorrow!

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Biking with the Mayor!

ChristinaL — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 03:24:00 GMT

One of the best trends to come out of being fashionably green? Riding your bike! Not only is it good for the environment, but it's good for you, and a whole lot of fun.

I have always loved riding my bike, and I find it to be a great way to get around campus. Butler is definitely too small to justify driving around, but I get bored walking more than about 5 minutes. Biking is quick and way more fun.

This summer, I have started to get into biking on a larger scale. There are so many great places and trails around Indy to ride and enjoy being outside under the big old trees.

During the Environmental Leadership Retreat that I went on earlier this summer, we did a bike tour all over the east side of Indianapolis... and it was so much fun that my friend Katy and I decided to go on the Mayor's Bike Ride that weekend. Here we are getting ready, decked out in our helmets!

Mayor Ballard's office put on a free biking event to promote the new bike lanes that are downtown - it was 12 miles! Even though it wasn't a race, a lot of the more serious bikers in town showed up in their spandex haha!

Literally as soon as the race started, it began to rain... but we kept going and it was SO much fun.

Unfortunately, around Mile 7, the screw that holds my front wheel onto my bike fell off! We waited about 5 or 10 minutes for the bike "pit crew" people to show up to fix it, but they didn't have the right parts. Apparently there is a safety catch, though, so I was able to keep riding on it temporarily even without the screw. Sadly, the delay meant we didn't finish at the front of the pack... but we did still beat the Mayor! Here he is, coming in a few minutes after us:

Afterwards, they had lots of free snacks for us... and we tracked down our good old biking buddy, Mayor Ballard:

Today when my roommate and I went to the HRC for a workout, I found a new biking love... the Expresso bikes! Think exercise bike meets Mario Kart... ridiculously cool. The Expresso bikes have a screen with different courses on them, and you can change gears, turn the handlebars, etc. to navigate the courses! Plus, you can plug in your headphones and it has different music channels. I was grooving to some Latin beats and Spanish lyrics while I rode my way through a forest of Redwoods. LOVE IT! I think I need to go back and use those things every day.

So, that's the biking excitement in my life. This weekend, I am heading up to Lake Michigan for vacation with my family, and you can bet that my bike is going with me!

Yes... Biking to the beach! It's going to be fabulous.

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Drum corps vs. Growing Up

ChristinaL — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 03:52:00 GMT

What a ridiculous week! I was working basically 7 am - 10 or 11 pm every night for the anti-hazing conference. I would write more about that... but I am too tired and my brain is fried on hazing matters at the moment.

But anyway, on top of all that craziness, it has also been a busy week for my friends in drum and bugle corps. If you haven't been following my blog for very long, read back to my post about last summer or learn about what drum corps is from this video. I have marched in a Drum Corps International colorguard for the last three summers so it has been a huge part of my life.

Here you can see part of my show from last year with the Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Corps, called "The Knockout."

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Even though I am not marching this summer, I still try to follow up on all my friends who are still doing it. I met my friend Joe way back during spring training for my first summer in 2006, and we have been good friends ever since - even though we have never marched together since that year. This summer, he is with the Blue Stars, who are doing their spring training pretty much down the street at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. The age limit for DCI is that you must be under 21 by May 1st, and Joe just made it - his 22nd birthday was on June 10th. Since it was his last birthday away from home at drum corps, I wanted to make it special for him, so I took a cake over and surprised him!

I love watching the Blue Stars rehearse since they are so close to home, but I've really been missing my own drum corps family. So, this weekend I took off on a pretty spontaneous road trip to visit the Bluecoats at their spring training at Denison University in Granville, Ohio.

I probably shouldn't have gone, because I didn't realize how much I missed them until now. Living with those people 24/7 for a whole summer and pushing through some really tough days that challenge you physically and mentally... that creates some pretty strong bonds. I felt so at home this weekend, even though I haven't seen many of them since last August. I also was SO impressed by their performance, and it made me jealous of my friends on the field... I used to be the one out on the field. I used to be that good. It kind of made me question my decision to stay in Indy and intern and work this summer. I'm having such a great time here and I love all the opportunities I am getting in Indy this summer, but I am certainly not constantly surrounded by 150 people who love me like I am when I'm on tour with the Bluecoats and I am not being challenged in such an extreme way and performing at a world-class level. It also comes back to this larger question I've been struggling with: how fast am I supposed to grow up?

On the one hand, I look at some of my classmates who are so accomplished and have done so many cool internships, have stellar academic records and lead lots of organizations on campus. When I see these people, I feel pushed even more to work hard, build up my resume and gain experience. There are so many smart and talented people out there, so you have to stay competitive. But on the other hand, doing all those things takes up so much time. When I'm such a workaholic, I don't always make time for fun... and isn't college supposed to be fun?

I worry that maybe in my efforts to succeed and get a great job after college, I am throwing away one of the last times in my life when I can just have fun and not stress out about my career so much. Drum corps has little direct correlation to anything I am likely to do with my future... but it IS fun, and an escape from reality that most people can't have.

College is the awkward transition between being a carefree child and a responsible adult. Right now, I'm just not sure what my balance between work and play should be. What do you think? It sounds like an easy question - I know that you need room for both - but youth and ambition are both valuable comodities, and it's hard to sacrifice either, isn't it?

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Workaholic

ChristinaL — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 03:28:00 GMT

You may have noticed that my posts tend to cluster around the end of the week and/or weekends recently... this is because I start off my work week thinking I have tons of time... and then get totally caught up in what I am doing, go crazy with self-imposed deadlines, and generally lose my mind until about Thursday night. I work from home on Fridays, typically, so I can usually take a little bit of a breather.

Not this week, though! Since Tuesday, I have been off from my normal jobs in order to work as the undergraduate intern for the Interdisciplinary Institute for Hazing Intervention, a week long curriculum and educational experience for higher education professionals. How did I get THAT gig? Well, the Institute is taking place at Butler, and they are actually having about half of their meetings at Pi Beta Phi, my sorority house, so they wanted a local Pi Phi student on board to help out with setting up the space, logistics, Indianapolis directions, etc. Becky Druetzler, our Greek Life advisor, set me up with it. I am pretty excited because it is my only real paid internship for the summer, even if it is only for a week.

Anyway, I have been working 8 am - 10 pm days every day this week for this institute (and totally loving it.) I will tell you more about it when it's all done, but at this point I wanted to reflect on a few things I have learned about myself from this process.

1) Higher Education philosophy is something that really fascinates me... probably because it is my life! But as the only undergrad student here, it is so interesting to hear about the issues in student life from an administrative perspective.

2) I am a WORKOHOLIC. Diagnosed.

Not only have I totally embraced the extremely long days this week and doing any and every menial or overwhelming task with a sense of utter glee and accomplishment (symptoms!), but I have been told by several very smart people that I am a workoholic. For those of you keeping a tally at home, here is what I have on my plate for the summer:

- NUVO Intern

- IndyFringe Intern

- Hazing Institute Intern

- updating social media sites for IndyFringe (aka a job that supplements my unpaid internship)

- Alumni Office Student Worker

- Blogger

- Housesitter/Babysitter

- Starting Honors thesis research (hopefully!)

- Planning ahead for some of the student organizations I lead

- Traveling to Michigan, Dallas, San Antonio and NYC (fingers crossed).

- Personal chef and cleaning lady to... myself

I am always always juggling something, but I have found this summer that I really love that. Hmmmm.

3) I HAVE to eat lunch. Preferably at 1 pm or earlier. I have been busy over the lunch hour checking people in and running errands the last two days and it was rough. You know how your car does not really run so well when you're low on gas? (Ok, maybe just my jank car.) That is me without lunch. My attention span gets really short, I get clumsy, and then I get cranky... You did not want to be in between me and the incompetant Kinko workers I had to deal with as we neared the very end of the acceptable lunchtime window today and I still had not eaten!

It's always good to do some self-reflection and learn about yourself in lots of situations.... and how to deal with your uniqueness. Aka: I need to find time to feed myself. It's important. And, working a lot is okay with me at this point in my life when I enjoy what I do. But I need to schedule in a littttle downtime.

Speaking of which, I need to get to bed... the Institute starts bright and early at 8:15 am tomorrow! I get free breakfast in Atherton so I might have to take advantage of that if I can drag myself out of bed. Check back soon to hear all about the Hazing Intervention Institute. I know it might sound dry but it has been SO fascinating and fun... and awesome to host here at Butler!

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Indianapolis, NUVO and Cultural Vision

ChristinaL — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 16:04:00 GMT

When you think of the most innovative cities in the United States, Indianapolis might not be on the top of your list. But friends, it's time to get over the Hoosier stereotype, and take a closer look at all the creative ideas, passion and vision that Indianapolis citizens bring to our community. At the newsweekly I am interning for, we really value these contributions, so each year we honor a handful of these amazing people at the NUVO Cultural Vision Awards.

This year, we honored artists, environmentalists, local business owners, farmers, animal lovers, feminists, children's advocates, volunteers, a very famous Indy racetrack ... and even a team of fierce roller derby girls.

Not only do we have an awards ceremony for these community rockstars, but we also make sure their contributions are visible We publish an insert in NUVO which profiles all of them, and WISH TV makes short segments about them to show on air. I really encourage you to check out the Cultural Vision Awards website, which includes all the winners' profiles.

It's a great way to learn about what a cool city Indianapolis is, and all the inspiring things going on around us - sometimes in our own backyard. Girls, Inc., the Jazz Kitchen, the Indianapolis Art Center, and the Naptown Roller Girls are actually all Butler's neighbors here on the North side near Broad Ripple and 38th St., and Spotlight Indianapolis, a benefit performance featuring pretty much every performing arts group in Indy, takes place on our very own campus at Clowes Hall.

This year, I was really lucky to get to write two of the ten profiles about two absolutely amazing women - Pat Wachtel of Girls, Inc. and Kristin Kohn of Silver in the City.

Pat, I am proud to say, is a Butler grad! She is now the CEO of Girls, Inc., Indianapolis, a job she is unbelievably passionate about. When I went to interview her for the short profile I was writing, she talked to me for two and a half hours and even convinced me to sign up as a volunteer. Girls, Inc's mission is to inspire all girls to be strong, smart and bold (which I am a huge advocate of as a Gender Studies minor!) and they do this through outreach programs in schools and community centers that teach girls about positive body image, self-confidence, financial literacy, college preparation, healthy relationships, and more great topics. Girls Inc. in Indy won a Cultural Vision Award because instead of running their own after school programs in club buildings, they have taken on this new outreach model that uses existing community buildings, saving on resources and allowing them to reach WAY more girls. I truly believe that they will be a model for other Girls Inc chapter around the nation.

Check out WISH TV's video about Pat, too.

Kristin Kohn was the other fabulous woman I got to write about. She is the kind of person who immediately feels like an old friend, and her energy is so inspiring that you just want to be around her! Kristin owns Silver in the City/At Home in the City, a trendy pair of shops downtown on Mass Ave that sells all sorts of fun and funky jewelry, home decorations and gifts that are really unique. She sells a lot of things from local artists, too.

Kristin is an Indianapolis visionary because she helped to develop Mass Ave as a cultural hub in Indianpolis - and a green one, too. She organized a fundraiser to pay for recycling bins on Mass Ave, and a reusable tote bag that earns shoppers a discount at Mass Ave retailers. Kristin is personally very eco-concious, and usually walks or bikes to work. On top of all of this - she's a wife, mother and community volunteer. I really admire her and loved what she had to say about finding home in Indianapolis after living in Chicago after her graduation from Purdue. Indy does have a community feel that is so welcoming, and people like Kristin maintain that familiarity while pushing our city to think ahead and go green. To see her fun shops and Kristin in action, take a look at WISH's video about her!

Anyway, the Awards ceremony was on Friday at the historic Athenaum building downtown, (which - interesting note - was built by Kurt Vonnegut's grandfather.) It was so great to see all the nominees, and I especially loved hearing what they have to say about NUVO! Joyce Sommers, our lifetime achievement honoree, said:

"When Kurt Vonnegurt died, it was a huge personal loss to me. I was worried, because I thought, 'Who will voice the way I feel about America?'... NUVO will."

WOW! How honoring to be told that we are filling the shoes of an Indianapolis and American icon? It was both a compliment and a challenge, but I think it speaks to what our News Editor Laura McPhee said about us:

"NUVO is a social conscience that also happens to produce a newspaper."

I am always so proud to be a part of the NUVO family, but never more than at the Cultural Vision Awards. I believe in this city and these people. Indianapolis may not be perfect, but as long as there are committed leaders, volunteers and journalists striving to make this a better place to work and live, I'm happy to be here.

To learn more about NUVO, check out http://www.nuvo.net, and to read about the Cultural Vision Awards, take a look at http://cva.nuvo.net.

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My life as a domestic goddess

ChristinaL — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:53:00 GMT

Here is one of the nice things about college: when you live in the dorms or a Greek house, you don't have to cook or clean for yourself.

Here is one of the interesting things about college: Eventually, you have to move out of university housing (or into the Apt. Village) and learn to do these things for yourself. This can be an eye-opening experience.

To be fair, I cannot really claim to be an adult yet, because I am moving back in to the Pi Beta Phi house for my senior year. My parents and I decided that with my crazy school year schedule, me trying to cook for myself would not result in a very nutrious diet... and goodness knows I would not want to make the time to clean the house! However, during the summer, Pi Phi is closed, I have a little more time, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to live in an off-campus house and try out being a responsible adult for a few months!

I am sub-leasing a house for the summer with four other Butler girls. Two are girls from Pi Phi, and the other two are girls I didn't know before, but I like them all and we are having fun so far. Our house is on "The Knoll" which is street just south of campus where lots of Butler students live during their senior year. The Knoll is called that because for three blocks, we have grass where the street would normally run in between the houses. That means all the parking is behind the houses off of alleys, and in between the two rows of houses, there is a large grassy knoll... the perfect place to hang out and see everyone else who lives in the area.

So, the house is in a great location, and the inside is really cute. We all have our own bedrooms and none of them are in the basement (that tends to be a common feature of college rental houses) and we have two and a half bathrooms, so I'd say we're doing pretty well! For our common areas, we have a living room, dining room and kitchen and then laundry in the basement and a large storage room.

Two of the girls have lived in the Apartment Village before, so they know a bit more about cooking and cleaning and had lots of the necessary supplies. I had no idea how many things you need for your own house! Furniture, cleaning supplies, trash bags, pots and pans and bowls and utensils, and cooking spray and salt and pepper... the list goes on and on, and I have been making lots of Target/Meijer runs (and raiding my parents' house) to accumulate all these things.

The first few weeks I was in and out of the house a lot, and we didn't have all of our kitchen set up, so I didn't do too much cooking. My friend Lindsey came to visit me from Kentucky, and we attempted to make pancakes, but without any cooking spray... poor choice. My pancakes were so ugly! haha. Lindsey did a little bit better, so she kept teasing me and telling me she was a domestic goddess.

Since then, I have done some google research and read some of my mom's cook books, and I have actually started cooking!! Usually with friends, though, because that's more fun and they can keep me from screwing it up.

On Sunday, I made fettucine alfredo! Okay, so the sauce came from a kit, but I did have to cook the noodles and some chicken to go in it. Monday night, I made tacos with my friend Jill, and we decided to get really ambitious and make our own salsa. We googled a few recipes, but we couldn't find anything that we had all the ingredients for, so we ended up just improvising - and it actually turned out really well!

Here's our awesome recipe:

- 1 can diced tomatoes

- about two tablespoons of chopped cilantro

- juice squeezed from half a lime

- a quarter of an onion, chopped

- salt and pepper

It is quite tasty, I promise! Anyway, since then, I've kind of been living off the leftovers, but maybe tonight I will cook again.

I am also washing dishes and setting up a recycling system for our house, and I have built some of my own furniture (from the kits you buy at Target) and used my tool box on several occasions... so who is the domestic goddess now??! ; )

If you have any tasty, semi-easy recipes or cleaning tips, send them my way!

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My failed tech crew experience

ChristinaL — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 05:46:00 GMT

I've been a lucky intern so far. I really haven't had to do any busy work... for NUVO, I work on articles like any freelance writer would, and for Fringe I have been working on social media marketing strategies and will soon be writing our program. However, Friday, I finally had my first random crazy intern task: I had to become a one-person tech crew.

I am doing a split internship this summer, continuing at NUVO Newsweekly but also adding on a new position at IndyFringe Theatre Festival. This week was time for FringeFriday, our monthly free performance where we feature some of the festival's favorite entertainers doing a short show in our building. This month was extra special, because we had a massive free cookout to thank our old volunteers and entice new friends to join the volunteer team.

Here you can see the monster grill that master-griller Mark used for us:

I spent a ton of time promoting the event, so I was really glad when we had a huge turnout... except for the fact that our director was out of town and the other interns couldn't make it, so it was basically just me and Justin, the marketing director, running the event!

We had quite the long line for our free food, but my roomie Meg and our friend Katie were willing to stick it out!

This meant that I got to do all sorts of interesting tasks that have nothing to do with media or marketing. I am solid when it comes to saying hello to people or setting up chairs, and I stayed pretty on top of keeping the hot dog buns well stocked on our food table, so I was doing well... until Justin told me that I had to be the one-woman tech crew for the evening!

Since there were only two of us, Justin was going to be on the stage announcing the performers and I was supposed to cue up their music on our sound system, which, because we are a nonprofit organization with not-enough-money, happens to be a jank little CD player with an estimated value of 10 U.S. dollars. (Donations to the Fringe always welcome! haha).

Anyway, I have nothing against cheap things, obviously, since I'm a college student, but the problem is that this CD player is so junky it doesn't really like to work. So, first act, the dancers were out on the stage, doing some introductory movements... no music... they kept waiting... silence. Finally Justin sent them backstage, apologized to the audience for technical difficulties and came back to help me. We have no idea what he did, but after a few minutes, it magically worked again.

Second act. We somehow got the wrong memo about which song they were dancing to, so I put on the wrong music, and had to restart THAT.

Third act. CD player again refused to work. After a few awkward-embarassing-"the dancers probably really hate us right now" and "...the audience does, too" minutes, the jank CD player again mysteriously came back to life. Our conclusion is that maybe it overheats itself and needed some cool down time. I may have to bring my own sound system next time DJ Xtina is in the house.

I guess in the end, all was well. The dancers got to perform all three acts... that's what's important, right? I would like to say that was my first AND last experience with being on tech crew, but this is Fringe - anything can happen.

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Tony Hinkle and our big Butler family

ChristinaL — Fri, 29 May 2009 12:45:00 GMT

Hey friends! Sorry I have been away for a week... I will tell you more tales of the computer crash later, but for now I want to share with you a quick but cool story from work yesterday.

My part-time campus job for the summer is working in the Alumni Office. Sometimes I do really tedious boring things, but a lot of the jobs are actually really interesting. For example, I get to read all the newspaper articles that are associated with Butler for the week to see if there is any news about alumni that we should put in our magazine. Perhaps my most favorite job is working on the mini-yearbooks for the reunions.

For their major class reunions, the alumni send in little bios so we can make a book of what they're all up to, and one of the questions the form asks them is who their favorite professors or staff were when they were at Butler. Yesterday, I was working on the 50th Reunion bios, and it is SO cool to see some of the athletes name the legendary Coach Tony Hinkle as one of their favorite staff members.

Our famous fieldhouse is named after him (the one that's in the movie Hoosiers! even though back then it was still called Butler Fieldhouse), and he developed the Butler Way, and did so much to establish our strong athletics program here. To me, Hinkle is a place, a name that I associate with going to the fieldhouse every Saturday afternoon in the winter and cheering with my friends, Butler spirit and fun campus events... it is like a second home on campus. So, when I read these bios, it is almost hard to believe that there are people still around the Butler family for whom Tony Hinkle was a real person they knew and saw every day! The man is iconic. (Figuratively, and soon, literally as well: the Class of 2009 is donating a bronze bust of Tony Hinkle as their class gift!)

Anyway, I guess it was such a cool moment to see Hinkle's name yesterday because I was reminded that being part of the Butler family means I am part of something bigger. I have always known that we have such a cool history, but I guess it's something I don't always associate with myself here right now at Butler. But looking at the handwriting of all these Butler alums who wrote about Tony Hinkle and other memories of their college days fifty years ago, I realize that these are all real people, and we're in the midst of Butler history right now. These people wrote about how much their memories of their professors and their friends and their sports teams and Greek houses and roomates all still mean to them fifty years later. It was cool to realize that there are so many people out there in the world that I don't even know who carry the same love for Butler with them wherever they go and as they achieve great things.

I don't want to be too sappy about it, because no place or group of people is perfect, but regardless, they sometimes become your home and family. I was excited to be reminded yesterday just how far-reaching and historic this family is.

Something cool to leave you with... here are the five principles of The Butler Way as posted in the Men's Basketball locker-room:

Humility - know who we are, strengths and weaknesses
Passion - do not be lukewarm, commit to excellence
Unity - do not divide our house, team first
Servanthood - make teammates better, lead by giving
Thankfulness - learn from every circumstance

I have a feeling that Tony Hinkle was a pretty cool guy.

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Lost (data) & Found (magazine)

ChristinaL — Thu, 21 May 2009 20:47:00 GMT

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't posted in a few days... MY COMPUTER CRASHED! UGH. I'm pretty sure that's a college student's worst nightmare, although thankfully I am still under warranty. This is not the first time in my college/blogging career that my computer has died, so I will repeat for you my most important advice... BUY THE WARRANTY FOR YOUR LAPTOP! College happens, but without a computer, it's not good. (Best advice #2: back up your data on an external hard drive... I did this finals week at a friend's insistence and I am so glad. Those pharmacy kids are smart - they protect their computers!)

Fortunately one of my friends works for Information Resources here, so he took a look at it right after it crashed and confirmed that my hard drive died. He took it in to work with him at IR the next day and he has completely taken care of everything for me... he even called Dell and got my new hard drive ordered. Thanks, Malcolm! I'm not sure if everyone gets that special treatment, but I do know that IR is super helpful (and free) and will help you with pretty much any computer problem you can throw at them... I have no idea what I will do without them when I graduate.

Anyway, I have some cool pictures from this week, but I can't post them right now from the lab computer, so you'll have to wait on those. Here are some of the highlights of my week, though:

1. FOUND magazine tour at Big Car Gallery

If you haven't heard of FOUND, you are missing out on life. All people (but especially the PostSecret fans out there) will LOVE this project. Basically these guys collect found notes, shopping lists, letters, cassette tapes, photos, signs, etc. that various people have written. No one knows who wrote them, but some are very touching and others are HILARIOUS! On Tuesday night, Davy Rothbart, the creator, and his brother Peter performed at Big Car, a ridiculously cool art & music venue that I just discovered (but all the hipsters in Indy already knew about for years). It's in Fountain Square which is another one of the fun Indy cultural districts that everyone must check out. The show was AMAZING! It was not a big crowd and we were up in the front and Davy and Peter are so casual and fun that they seem like old friends. Davy read some of his favorite found items... and Peter sang songs that he has written based off some of the notes - some sad and touching, others totally crazy and funny - plus he happens to be a great musician.

Here is a sample found note stolen from www.foundmagazine.com... they post a new one everyday.

Stolen from the Big Car flickr page... if you don't believe me that the guys are hilarious, you can see me laughing in the second row of this pic!

Once I get my computer back I may also link to some Youtube videos and a review I am writing of the show for NUVO, so check back!!

Edit: Here is the review I wrote - http://www.nuvo.net/arts/article/found-magazines-denim-diamonds-tour

2. New interns... and I'm not one of them!

We had new intern orientation for NUVO Newsweekly on Wednesday... and I am NOT a new intern! I think I am the only returning intern for the summer, so it is fun to feel like I semi-know what's going on for once. The new kids are cool... two new Butler interns are joining the team.

3. Planning street theatre for IndyFringe on Mass Ave

My other internship also tends to be a Butler lovefest, because I am working closely on the IndyFringe theatre festival with Justin, one of my BU friends who graduated in 2007 and is now the Fringe marketing director and we have an 09 Butler theatre grad working with us on the street theatre committee. Yesterday we were planning street theatre for the festival, which is basically actors, dancers, musicians, jugglers, people dressed as trees or picture frames, and whatever other crazy stuff we can come up with who will be wandering the streets entertaining our festival-goers in between shows. Yesterday after our meeting, we walked around looking for good spots to put our performers. I have been spending so much time on Mass Ave lately, but I love it. Such a fun area of town and the weather was BEAUTIFUL last night!

3. The downtown canal: venturing to the mysterious world of IUPUI

We have our own canal right on Butler's campus, which is so great for working out and enjoying nature (I went running there yesterday), but I have to say, if you are looking for a downtown adventure, the canal near IUPUI and White River State Park is even more fun! It runs by several of the museums and the NCAA headquarters and has some cool fountains and artwork along the way. The bridges are all very cute and European looking... and in the summer they even have gondoliers that you can pay to go on! haha. I don't usually venture over to that part of town, but I was hanging out with a friend who is a student at the IU law school, located at IUPUI, so he was familiar with it. Always good to get out of the Butler Bubble and hang with some other students! The funniest part was that even though we were far from BU, we ran into one of my Spanish professors! She doesn't live on the West side either, but she just thinks it's a cool place as well. We stopped to chat for like ten minutes! I love the size of Indy with the feel of being in a city but still running into friends so often.

(Photo of my canal adventures added after my computer was fixed. You can see how close it is to downtown here... the RCA Dome would be in the background... but it was recently deflated for the Lucas Oil Stadium.)

So, that's all for now, friends.... think happy thoughts for my hard drive and hopefully I will have photos and more exciting news for you soon. Happy long weekend!

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Extreme Home Makeover: Indianapolis Edition!

ChristinaL — Mon, 18 May 2009 04:05:00 GMT

If you weren't watching ABC tonight, you might not know that the series finale of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition featured my adopted home, Indianapolis, and our very own Butler University! What an emotional episode.

I don't think anyone could watch that show and not be moved by the story of the McFarlands, a family of a single dad and three teenage boys who live in the Martindale Brightwood neighborhood of Indianapolis. Mr. McFarland organizes a community group for the local kids (Pack 2000) in this neighborhood which needs as much support as it can get - as demonstrated by their deteriorating home. Estridge Homes built the family a fabulous new house and a library for Pack 2000 - all in one week!

Here you can see a fast-motion video of the 24/7 construction process:

(Please visit the site to view this media)

It was so great to see people who have given so much of themselves to the community receive some of the comforts of home many of us take for granted. Yes, the house with all its gadgets is a little over the top, but this is television, and it's all product placement anyway.

So, where does Butler come in? Well, to begin with, tons of our students volunteered at this event. Building a house and fixing up the surrounding area in one week takes nonstop work, and many Bulldogs used their late night college lifestyle for a good cause, taking on the 10 pm - 6 am volunteer shift. We also hosted an auction at Hinkle Fieldhouse which raised more money for the project - yep, Ty Pennington and team were right here on campus!

But, the part that I am most excited about is that the three McFarland boys have been offered full ride scholarships to Butler. It was so cool to hear this being explained on the show (to people across the nation... HEY great publicity!) and see how excited Mr. McFarland was that he doesn't have to worry about college for his kids. I also know that the Education Dept at BU has offered to give the boys any academic support they need to prepare them for Butler. One of the boys wants to be a news producer for TV, so I think that he should shadow my housemate Meg. She is going to be a Butler senior Media Arts & Journalism student and is spending the summer interning and looking at production behind the scenes at WISH TV this summer! : )

At this moment, the episode is not yet up on ABC.com, but if you didn't see it, I really encourage you to watch the episode once it is posted. It really shows the spirit of Indianapolis and our community. I was actually just volunteering in Martindale Brightwood at a youth camp on Thursday, and it is SO cool to see how many people are devoting themselves to improving this neighborhood.... it's not just an act that Indy puts on for tv. Yesterday my friend Ryan and I were talking about what makes Indy special. Ryan has a masters degree in non-profit management and works with some of the city's biggest donors through the Central Indiana Community Foundation. He thinks that Indy is a really philanthropic city, and I think we are also a community very passionate about volunteer work. This means we are not only improving our city everyday, but we're becoming closer in the process.

I was so proud to be from Butler and especially Indianapolis tonight. Welcome to the Bulldog family, McFarlands! To all my non-Indy readers: you don't know what you're missing! This is a not just a town; it's a community, and tonight we showed that to the nation. YAY Indy!

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Saving the Planet, Indianapolis Style

ChristinaL — Sat, 16 May 2009 03:49:00 GMT

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this too much on my blog, but I am very passionate about recycling. I never throw away paper or aluminum cans, and I try really hard to recycle everything else as well. For the last few years, I pretty much just focused on my own recycling. Since I've been writing environmental stories for my internship at NUVO Newsweekly this semester, I've started to realize how many more environmental issues there are and try to be more concious of what I can do to help... trying to use products with less packaging, walking, biking or combining trips or carpooling to cut down on gas usage, eating local food when I can... but I still am no expert by any means.

This week, I got to learn so much more about being green at Indiana Campus Compact's Environmental Leadership Retreat. ICC is an organization that brings college students together for various projects, and this was one that was advertised through the Volunteer Center's listserv at Butler. We had to apply for it, but the two of us who went from BU had our registration covered by Butler (I am a champ at going on trips on Butler's dollar... but this was definitely the best one: It only cost BU $25!)

Anyway, it was an awesome experience because there were 11 students from 8 different campuses and we all lived together for a week here in Indy and did service and learning related to environmental issues in Indiana. It was such a blast to meet like-minded people (I like to call us hippie nerds) and share ideas about how to improve environmental awareness and activism on our campuses. To be honest, I really feel that Butler is lagging behind, but campuses like Purdue, IU and Depauw have a lot of great ideas and programs that they shared with us which I would love to implement at BU in the next year. It was great to make those contacts at other schools who have already solved some of the issues we're facing.

The other really inspiring thing I learned was that you CAN recycle plastics 1-7 in Indianapolis! I have always been told you can't, but it is indeed possible at the RockTenn facility just south of downtown. If you live in Indy, take your paper, cardboard and plastics there! It's at 1775 S West St. and anybody can drop things off.

That was just one of the many things we learned. We had a very busy schedule:

Tuesday: We moved into our home for the week, the Peace House, a beautiful huge old house in a historic neighborhood in downtown Indy. It was such a fun place to live and we really loved the big kitchen for communal cooking. I made some killer pancakes for everyone : ) After we moved in, we had a cookout and made tree diagrams that represented our values and inspirations, the issues we care about, and our goals... lots of good stuff to start to get to know each other.

Wednesday:

9 am - 2:00 pm: We spent three hours in the morning volunteering for Keep Indianapolis Beautiful. They are doing a huge tree planting all over the city with 8500 volunteers next week so we did some of the prep work... loading, unloading and moving hundreds of trees that will be in Washington Township Park.

(I'm a tree hugger!)

It was hard work, but good exercise and I love me some trees! Afterwards, we had a pb&j picnic in the park and then went to check out KIB's cool new facility which is a LEED certified building (a standard for green buildings). It is the first non-profit with a LEED building in Indiana... awesome! They even have three of their own wind turbines!

2:00 - 3:00 pm: We toured RockTenn recycling center.

It was so interesting to see what happens to the things we recycle and to learn about why it is easier to recycle certain things than others. Basically, recycling plants serve as the middle men, collecting and sorting objects and then selling them to companies as a material to make new products with. This is why it is important to buy things made from recycled materials... if we don't have enough demand for recycled materials, than the cycle doesn't work! The funny thing at RockTenn was that they were processing tons of old Gatorade containers, so the whole plant had a sugary grape smell! I loved this place because, like I said, they recycle more materials than the other waste management companies in Indy and the manager said he might be able to put a bin for us at Butler if we can convince our administration to give them permission... that will be one of my summer goals! Plastics 3-7 want to be recycled at BU! : )

3:00 -5:00 pm: a little downtime at the Peace House after our busy day

5:00 - 6:00 pm: Janet McCabe from Improving Kids' Environments came to talk to us about environmental health hazards for children, especially in urban settings and poverty stricken areas. We learned a lot about lead poisoning in children which can come from paint chips or dust in old houses. Very informative.

6:00 pm: We cooked spaghetti for dinner and had reflection and bonding time for the rest of the evening.

Thursday:

9:00 am - 5:00 pm: We did a bicycle tour of some Brownfields sites in Indianapolis. Brownfields are sites that have been contaminated by some sort of chemical, usually from a former gas station, laundromate or other industrial facility. Because they have been abandoned and have hazardous chemicals, the city and state clean them up and redevelop them rather than have a vancant lot. We biked allllll over the east side of Indy and got quite some exercise! We used the Monon Trail a lot, which is a bike/pedestrian path along the path of where a railroad used to be. It's pretty close to Butler's campus and a great place to get a workout. We also did some volunteering, digging up a garden patch for an inner-city youth camp that does community gardening.

6:30 pm: Dinner at Bazbeaux's - an amazing local gourmet pizza restaurant. (Butler has our own close location in Broad Ripple, but there is also one on Mass Ave, a really artsy street downtown with lots of theatres and galleries. It was my first time eating at the Mass Ave location... oh so tasty! Great place to bring your parents.) After dinner we shared specific success stories from each campus' green efforts. We got to hear from Butler, IU Bloomington, Purdue, IUPUI, Marian College, DePauw, Earlham, and IPFW. And then.. I was WIPED out from biking 12 miles and crashed in bed.

Friday:

We hosted the president of the Hoosier Environmental Council and one of his staff members who came to talk to us. They lobby in the state legislature and taught us a lot about policy. We also talked a lot about the importance of personally contacting your political leaders. It is amazing how much political policy involves the environment.

What a fabulous week! I had so much fun, met so many amazing and passionate people and feel so inspired and ready to make a difference at Butler! Go green! Hug a tree... and then take action in your home or community. Students can and will have a huge impact in the green movement.

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