Joe's Blog

Phi Psi 500!

JoeW — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 23:08:00 GMT

The Phi Psi 500 graced campus this past weekend. It is one of the last social events of the year and as one of the largest put on by a Greek house.

Phi Psi 500 is a celebration of all the service that Phi Kappa Psi does through out the year. Last semester we completed 813 hours of community service and are on track to pummel that amount this semester. We also complete 500 hours of service the week of 500, which is where the name originates.

It was a large and eventful day. The main festivities began at 3:00 with our beach volleyball tournament; which continued well into a free dinner for all at 5:00 and go-kart time trials at 6:00. (500 has a racing theme.) Then at 7:00 our lipsync competition started. I was in charge of organizing the days events. Because of Butler’s passionate and rhythmic student body these lipsyncs were FANTASTIC- not a bad one in the bunch. However, because this event also showcases our days stiffest competition it was very stressful for me.

After the Lipsyncs were finished on the rise hip-hop artist Krypton Flo took our stage by storm. Keep in mind, this entire event was outside, free, and open to all of Butler- so there were tons of people there. K-Flo was out of this world and you should check him out.

http://kryptonflo.com/HOME.html

The last thing on our agenda was our closed party at 11:00. This was really the only VIP event, but with over 400 people on the list it couldn’t have been too exclusive. 500 was an amazing end to our year, and I’m sure all of the participants agree. 500 let me spend the entire weekend outside in fabulous weather. It was the perfect prelude to my exam week.

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The Jacqueminot Ball

JoeW — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 20:34:00 GMT

It has become somewhat of a tradition for Phi Psi to spend their Spring Formal in Culver, Indiana. Culver, made famous by it’s apparently very legit military academy, is a small town on a lake- meaning that our hotel/formal is on a lake. This is tight.

We always stay at The Cove. You could call it a hotel but that would be like calling Mike Rowe a ‘host’ and I do not like understating things. The Cove has become the Spring Get-a-way for the men of Phi Kappa Psi. We have pictures of formals long past hanging in our study were the brothers of yesterformal are sporting Members Only jackets in front of The Cove’s sign. Needless to say- they know us there.

The Cove is a large grouping of extended stay rooms, they get very busy in the warmer months when families want to spend a few fine days on the lake. Which means that when Phi Psi arrives just as winter’s bitter hand is loosening it’s grip on the fast approaching Spring- we are pretty much have the entire place to ourselves. This is tight.

College students don’t have to be enrolled for more than a month before they have learned everything about the world. A weekend of being with just your brothers and your dates in a sunny splashed retreat you feel like you own only catapults this emotion; simply put- During Formal, we own the world. (Traveling back to the real, post-formal, world is always a humbling and harsh realization.)

Because the rooms are all suites we are completely self-contained. Once you arrive and check in, much time is spent figuring out which rooms everyone else is in and starting up various playlists. Then you and your fellow roommates (your formal family- more like a real family than you would think) begin cooking dinner. (correct, we do not go out to eat. We cook a first class, warning- men in kitchen, style dinner.) After burning various foods and seasoning things to heavily the happy little family sits down to dinner and everyone says the food is good no matter what actually happened to it.

After the eating everyone helps each other get ready. The women take over the bathroom with their tool belts of masking and coloring equipment for an unnamable amount of time and the men realize that they forgot a tie, shoes, their suit, etc. And begin wearing each others clothes. (Guaranteed whoever forgot their belt happens to have two pairs of socks.)

Once everyone looks sharp as javelins they walk to the ballroom which, conveniently enough is just down the hall. Perfect! Once in the ballroom, everyone begins to dance their faces off and swap dates like square dancers.

The evening ends much like it began, people disappearing and reappearing, dates reuniting (possibly) and everyone eating the leftovers enthusiastically.

The morning after formal always comes too quickly. The rays of Sunday sun creeping in to wake tired Phi Psis from their cavernous slumbers. Everyone rises (probably not shining) and the mom and Dad of the room clean. Everyone repacks and returns to Butler- most likely owning a Bob Evans along the way.

They start their weeks hesitantly, filled with stories and hopefully some memories as well. Thinking back to that one night in Culver where they switched from being above average Butler students, into Greek Gods and Goddess. They are all the more excited to go to the next formal, the next semester, and hoping- wishing really, to see Culver in the spring.

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Mi Cumpleaños

JoeW — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:46:00 GMT

I had the privilege of going to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for my Spring Break. I was extremely excited to go because I had yet to have the typical college student MTv generation Spring Break.

My Break, however, was far from typical. I was going to Cabo with 21 of my fellow Phi Psis. That’s right 22 Fraternity men, talk about a motley crew. We were going for the American Leadership Academy, a leadership conference that is for Phi Kappa Psi, by Phi Kappa Psi. Our hotel was paid for and we got three free meals a day. It was fantastic. The speeches ranged from leadership to goal setting to etiquette to self actualization and much more. I really took a lot away from this conference. Seriously.

But of course, the purpose of Spring Break is nopt to become a better person. So please, do not be mislead into thinking we misspent my mexican minutes growing, chaning or learning. In fact, we were of the opinion not learning anything was an indication of a successful Spring Break. Not to mention, I had a Birthday to worry about.

You read me. I turned the big 2 - 0 while we were in Cabo. Meaning, I was taught the only spanish I know- "Mi Cumpleanos! Mi Cupleanos! fiesta! fiesta!" Which means (roughly) - "I am an american on Spring Break, please ignore me"

And, boy, was it a time! Sun, surf, and relaxation. Being an unnecessarily involved student means that I was long over do for some chill time. I didn’t have to plan a single thing for an entire week and it was fantastic, my brothers took care of everything.

Getting to Mexico wasn’t easy. We had three connecting flights to get there and every time someone found out we were going to Mexico they adapted a very solemn look and said, “Be careful boys, please, be careful.” I appreciated that strangers seemed so concerned, but luckily Cabo is roughly 700 miles from the Mexican Border wars and is as American as Miami.

I had two bags- a carry-on and a checked bag. My check bag was actually smaller than my carry-on. When we were going through customs and had to un and re check our bags I realized that because of their size I could just keep both bags with me, so I did- or tried to. I was only thinking of the size of my bag and not it’s contents. Because of the razor, finger nail clippers, numerous liquids, etc.that I unknowingly tried to smuggle onto a plane I am now labeled as a security threat at the Denver Airport. My bad.

Cabo was great. It is a very watered down Mexico, in that USD are accepted everywhere and all the cab drivers speak English. You can get better deals on everything if you only use Spanish, but then you don’t have the thrill of being looked at like they want you out of their country. It was warm and bright and perfect. It was the break I needed.

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TANtalizing

JoeW — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 06:35:00 GMT

I am going to Cabo, Mexico for Spring Break. I am Scotch-English. Together these two things could make a very red, itchy, rashy, sunburned vacation. So about a week ago I sought preventative. That’s right I went the same route many male models, guidos, and bodybuilders have gone before. No, I didn’t go to Jersey. I went tanning.

I had never been to a tanning bed before or really anything that could be called a ‘saloon’. Naturally, I was faced with a lot of hesitation and uncertainty. I knew that a select few of my fraternity brothers went pre-break tanning so they too wouldn’t beach burn. But I wanted to do this on my own, so I got directions to the nearest Tan Lines and struck out into the world wide-eyed and naïve.

After 25 minutes of driving I never found Tan Lines. I struck through it’s hypothetical intersection an unnecessary amount of times, constantly getting misled by La Bamba, Caribbean Rhythms and other businesses with palm trees on their signs. I never found Tan Lines. But my Tan-bition was die hard. “I’m already jacked, why can’t I be tan too?” I kept asking myself- and I can be.

A few days later I tried Classic Cleaners Tan and Laundry. They are in Broadripple which is close and much more familiar than the urban wiles of 38^th street. I arrived last Thursday with an open mind and a kind woman the color of a Metallic Cinnamon Dolce Latte checked me in. By ‘checked me in’ I mean that ‘Dolce’ took me for all I was worth. “Oh, this is your first time? I will give you the complete run down.” She said with a smile. Not only was Dolce kind and attentive she could make strategically burning your skin sound like the most pleasant experience in the world- she could sell a Mac to Bill Gates. Before I knew it I was a member, new owner of a bottle of KISS KISS tanning lotion, and on my way to bronze god status. “With this new membership you can tan everyday for the next week all for 20 dollars.” “Is it even safe to tan more than one day in a row?” I asked stupidly. “It’s safe in our magic bed.” Yes, I said Magic Bed. The magic bed experience is pretty much where Dolce herself points tanning oil at you and says ‘lumos’. But the kicker is that you will not burn- that’s right. The Magic Bed does not burn. Suddenly tanning sounding like the healthiest thing in the world.

I tanned. I did. I did it that day and then (losing all my tan-ibitions) I tanned the day after. Did I burn? No. But after day two I turned the color ideal for a Ham. It didn’t hurt like sun burn does, but the next day the itching started. The itching didn’t stop. I looked it up and it turns out that (paired with dry skin) someone who is new to bed tanning can become itchy on the areas that get a little less sun exposure (sides, lower back, etc.) because of a melanin imbalance.

That was it. I knew I wasn’t born to be brown. The Magic Bed had forsaken me. I felt like a squib. What did I do in reaction to this? - I waited two days and tanned more. That’s right I will get copper if it cancers me!

I’m just kidding. I did tan again but only because it was suggested to even my skin/melanin out more. Now, however, I am looking to the future. Tanning was an interesting experience, both empowered and emasculated me and now I ‘m good to go with a faint ‘British Isles Brown’ skin tone. I’m excited for Cabo and even more excited that the itching stopped. Oh, and a big Shot Out to all the Bros that put lotion on my back during this tough time. I hope you all have a relaxing break in your future and I hope you get the skin tone you are hoping for- no matter how porcelain or umber it may be.

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All my Single Ladies

JoeW — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:52:00 GMT

Many people would say that your joy on February 14^th directly corresponds to your relationship status. I don’t agree with this, but I kind of do. I am extremely single. I say ‘extremely’ because there are very clear degrees of singularity. (of which, I am the most single) So I was ready and willing to accept all of the emotional distress that was coming my way. I bought a cake; chocolate with chocolate icing and little blue (the color of my feelings) flowers ontop- no hearts, no red roses, no little winged babies shooting arrows. (I even wrote 'My Feelings' in frustrated cursive on the cake in red icing so that I could literally eat my feelings) When I purchased the cake, the baker asked me if I was sharing it with someone special.

“No, it’s just for me.”

“You aren’t spending Valentines day with anyone?” she asked

“I’m spending it with this cake.” I responded

“Oh. Good luck.” She replied, concerned for my emotional state.

Along with the cake I had “Requiem for a Dream”, something that three of my friends said was the saddest movie they had ever seen. So, my cake, sweatpants and I had a fantastic Single Saturday. “Requiem for a Dream” was one of the saddest movies I’ve ever seen, and I may have teared-up a bit, but only because I finished my cake.

After all of the moping I changed into clothes a real person would wear (instead of looking like an emotional laundry basket) and exited my room. I hung out with all of my single friends and we compared notes on exactly how single we were and why we didn’t need anybody, and for the record, we don’t need anybody.

Butler is number seven on the list of the nation’s top ten most romantic campuses. While Holcomb (our botanical garden) and the numerous small, locally owned restaurants have not done loads for my love life; some of my friends have been very successful.

But this isn’t about them, this is about me and you and how single we are; and how we don’t need anybody. Because we don’t need anybody. No, really. We’re fine.

Call me?

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Walk it Out

JoeW — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 04:47:00 GMT

Walk it Out

*warning, I am going to use brombinations (combinations of bro and other words) as many times as possible in this brog.

This Saturday was one of the most bromatic weekends of the year for Phi Kappa Psi. Every year our pledge class goes on ‘Walk Out’. They travel a few hours out of the city to get away from everything and have some serious bronding.

They stay at a pledge brother’s house and invite a handful of active brothers to come with them. Fortunately, our pledge class is brilliant so they choose me to come along. Why, you may ask, would they want me? Well, probably because they knew I would blog about it. Pretty phi sly pledges, pretty phi sly.

Brotherhood is one of our most important principles, so the retreat involves several activities that help the pledges learn more about each other and become closer. Being part of it was fantastic and I am even more excited to see what our pledges will do once they are in our house. Did they get a lot from it too? I’ll be a broptimist and say yes, but in truth I know I got so much from it that I don’t see how they could not be better off.

I have done a lot of retreats in the past for various things. I was very involved in my church growing-up and went to summer camps from the time I was six until I was sixteen. I was even a counselor last summer. I think retreats are a great way to make a deeper connection with people and most houses on campus agree, because almost all of them have some sort of retreat integrated into their pledge program.

Being on the other side of pledgeship has been brantastic. Greek houses are so founded on tradition that I am constantly surprised to see what an organic process it is. Every class is a little different and houses are always changing. I’m glad that mine is browing in the right direction.

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Tips for Formal Recruitment

JoeW — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:08:00 GMT

I am writing this because I wish someone had given me a little advice before I went through recruitment.

Take things with a grain of salt- Keep in mind that everyone loves their own house and you should not get caught up in how much they like their house, it is how much you like it. Also, please, please, please be wary of some of the theatrics of Rush week. Keep asking yourself if people are being real with you. If you think people or a certain house are not representing themselves truthfully- do your best to sift through the façade. Don’t allow them to shuffle you around.

Ask good questions- When I was rushing I had new (and difficult) questions prepared each day. You need to do this before you leave, if you don’t think of them beforehand they won’t come to you. As someone on the other side of Rush, I can verify that we love questions. It shows you are really thinking about your decision, and you care. You should also not be afraid to ask difficult or touchy questions. Remember, this is a huge decision and if you don’t ask questions like “Do people in your house do drugs, Do you haze, is there binge drinking” they won’t volunteer the answers. There is no reason to ask difficult questions just to try and stump people. Ask questions that you think will yield good answers or reveal things about the house and please, listen to the answers. (something I forgot to do)

Be Yourself- If you act/dress/talk differently than normal and a house gives you a bid-they gave a bid to the person you were pretending to be. Once rush is over and you stop the act- both you and the house will be disappointed. During rush Greeks are looking for the people who are being fake, if you aren’t genuine you will not get a bid. If a house isn’t crazy about you- that’s fine, you would not be happy there anyway. Remember, you can only get into one house after all.

Think it over- It is tempting to go with the house most of your friends like, the house your family members are in, the house with the prettiest colors, etc. but all of these reasons are not enough. Make sure the houses you are visiting are for you. And again, make sure the house you join is one you will be happy in for a long time, not just rush week. While I do not often hear “I like my house, but I should have gone (insert house)”, it is said more than it should be. We schedule recruitment before classes so that you have all the time you need to make a good, focused decision- use your time.

Keep in mind what you want- Each house has lots of positives, but they are not all for you. If a house offers lots of help with your studies but you don’t need help, don’t view that quality as a plus. If a house helps you get involved but you are already involved, you don’t need their help. Lots of rushees find themselves excited about things they don’t even need.

All of that being said my last tip is to have fun. Rush week is fun. It is. But only if you make it. Going into recruitment may seem daunting, but thousands of less friendly, dumber, more boring, angrier, and lamer people have gone before you. Everything will be ok! I promise.

Good Luck!

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HRC how big I am!

JoeW — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 04:48:00 GMT

It’s true that I love Modern Poetry and the Indianapolis Museum of Art, but that has no effect on my instinct to be meaty. By ‘meaty’ of course, I mean great large in muscle mass and small in personality/feeling. Gettin’ meaty is a past time for many males my age. I say this not because women can’t get meaty but because they get toned instead. Which I’m sure has a lot of its own stereotypes. “Janice, what happened” “I told Sarah she had split ends and then she got real toned. She just started grunting and punched a hole in the wall.”

I work out 2-3 times a week at The Health and Recreation Complex or HRC as all us Gym Bodies call it. The HRC comes completely free with being a Butler student. It has three levels, two large banks of cardio vascular equipment, free weights, weight machines, two studios (for group classes) , two basketball/volleyball/whatever courts, a 1/10 mile track, locker rooms, a six lane pool, a smaller pool, a bubble bench, 12 person Jacuzzi, a Wii, and many more free and amazing things that everyone uses all the time.

A lot of my brothers (Andy) are unfairly shocked that I work-out so often. I am not sure why- because I’m massive. But whenever I announce “No, I can’t go to the Opera with you, I have to work out.” I am always greeted with looks of distrust and dismay. Which is unnecessary, because I lift (heavy things) (often).

I work out every Monday and Wednesday then if I need to, (I don’t) on Friday or Saturday I will get swoll for a third time that week. So, if you see me on a Monday or Wednesday- ask how my work out went. (Because I defiantly worked out) If you see me on Friday or Saturday, however, let me bring it up first; because if I didn’t get to wail on my pecs (yet) it is def bringing me down and I don’t want to discuss it. Besides, it is not that I am taking a day off (I don’t do that) it is just that I plan on doing it later in the day.

Now, when I say the HRC is free to Butler students I mean every aspect of the HRC: the group (Pilates, cycling, Zoomba, aerobics, Guts and Butts, etc.) classes are all available; as well as, fitness instructors and supervisors. The HRC is staffed by student workers. (another one of Butler’s >900 opportunities for student employment) It also hosts a counseling center for singles, couples, group therapy, Alcoholics anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous and stress reduction workshops. Not to mention the HRC has a health clinic with staffed Registered Nurses and a visiting Doctor.

What I am trying to say is that I am three reps away from being called Jotein shake, which would be appropriate because I contain so much protein. The HRC is a great place to go and get healthy, and if you visit then I will see you there, because I am always there picking-up and putting down very heavy weights. Really.

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Noros are People Too!

JoeW — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 01:21:00 GMT

In case you are not aware, the Norovirus (Plague) has been taking down Butler’s campus for about a week now. Hundreds of people (Noros) have been infected and because I like to exaggerate and have no loyalty to ‘facts’ I am going to say we are at 1,236 sick students. The Norovirus takes students harshly and without notice. The poor individual then spends the next day/day.5 producing vomit and diarrhea. After that they are healed, but not before passing it on to countless others.

Butler is making efforts to deter the disease. Bottles of disinfectant are absolutely everywhere and I mean everywhere; and tips for healthy Noro-free living have been posted and e-mailed to the student body.

However, what becomes of the victims? What do we do to those who contract the disease? Well, we ignore them. They are contagious and unclean and smell like vomiting. Noros have been put into isolation, quarantine, and shame. At first, I was totally fine with this because it’s true that diarrhea is gross. But today I found out -- my roommate is a Noro. Yes, my friend and brother has the Plague.

It was at this moment that I realized our behaviors were cold and hurtful. Noros are people too, even if they are gross people. So I’m publicly declaring I am Pro-noro and I want to abash some of the filthy rumors and misconceptions about Noros.

-No, you can not get it from sharing a towel, room, or memory with a Noro.
-No, there are not ‘carriers’ who walk unaffected and just mobilize the disease, so you only need to be wary of actual Noros (they are the ones throwing up)
-No, you can not get it just by being in love with a Noro.
(Although, I wouldn’t recommend it. You would fall in love with them because you enjoyed taking care of them and being needed. But then they get you sick. Just when you get sick they will get better and leave you for someone who doesn’t have the Norovirus, a Normo.)

I understand. I am a Pisces so I love taking care of people. But it would break your family apart if you told them you were in love with a Noro. Think of how awkward your winter holiday of choice would be if you brought a Noro home. They would be cramping the whole time and the only gift you could give would be Pepto Bismol.

So, in favor of my Noro friends and brothers I am making a Noro advocacy group on Facebook. The link is below and it is for friends and victims of the Norovirus. Please; we need your help.

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=6223&uid=53308901857#/group.php?gid=53308901857

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Give me a Break

JoeW — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 02:59:00 GMT

    Thanksgiving Break is here. I was very much looking forward to it. Not only because of its definite interruption of the daily grind, but also because I have not yet been home this semester.

    For Fall Break I went to my room mate’s house. There is a short and very awkward video of us on our way back already posted. My room mate, JD, is from Decatur, Indiana. In Decatur I went to my first corn field, saw my first Amish individuals, and spent quite a sizable portion of time gawking at how flat and expansive all the land was. It was a really fun and relaxing time. By relaxing I mean that JD and I watched roughly 10 movies in 3 days. JD’s family was very, very hospitable. I ate lots of really good food, and was always comfortable. I even went along to JD’s stepsister’s cousin’s wedding- talk about being in the family! The cake was delicious. Needless to say, I was sad to go and I hope to one day return to Decatur.
There are pictures of Decatur and my segregate family in my photos section.

    For Thanksgiving I am home. My parents have redone our living room- a very typical empty nester move. It looks nice, but I of course miss the old living room- a very typical college student come home move. I am looking forward to the big day and the food that comes with it. My favorite component of a traditional Thanksgiving meal is the stuffin’. Stuffin’ is the same substance that others might call dressing or breading. I spell it with no “g” because that is how I pronounce it and because I am losing my southern scent so rapidly I want to empower the remnants.

    My Family is a Turkey-potatoes-stuffin’-succotash-gravy-rolls family. Succotash is a southern vegetable dish I can’t explain because even I do not understand it. But it takes the place of other families’ green bean casseroles or glazed carrots. We also have sweet potatoes/yams covered with marshmallows; but I don’t include it because I am unaware of which root vegetable we actually use and I just eat the marshmallows anyway. More importantly, however, is the fact that my family always has turkey. It is my opinion- not eating turkey is not celebrating Thanksgiving. I’m not implying that vegetarians are unpatriotic, but I actually am.*

    Thanksgiving is an all around first-class holiday. It offers all of the gathering and eating of Christmas without all the anticipation and anxiety. Not to mention, if none of your family members make you frustrated or upset- you can just go shopping the next day and put a check mark beside those two emotions.

    All around, I believe winter is a time to stay inside and create homemade presents, to eat warm things and tell stories, to read and write and not get a lot else done. Happy Holidays!

*This is satire. I am highlighting the fact that people should not get so hung up on what type of poultry (if any) they serve at Thanksgiving. I don’t think vegetarians are unpatriotic, if anything they are more patriotic and should get to vote twice.**

**This is double satire. I am highlighting the fact that what you eat has nothing to do with you being respected as a person/citizen, unless you like mayonnaise. ***

***No satire, I just don’t like mayonnaise.

Stumble It!

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I Never Thought I'd Go Greek

JoeW — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 02:52:00 GMT

Many people cannot wrap their heads around why anyone would want to join a fraternity. I can’t say I could either. I grew-up beside ‘big’ Greek Life- the large university scary Greek Life that ends up on the news. Because of this when I came to Butler, I was not only never going to join a Greek House- I wasn’t even going to go inside of one. But I did, however, fill out the recruitment application on the last day it was due; so if, sometime over Winter Break, I decided I did want to rush, I would be able to come back. I came back.

The reason I showed-up to recruitment was so I could go through it and make absolutely sure Greek Life wasn’t for me. The first day of recruitment I was excited but skeptical. We took a tour of each house on campus and after that were left to our own devices. Each day following, students were allowed to visit Greek Houses during two 2 ½ hour appointments. Butler’s recruitment is dry and students aren’t allowed to go to houses outside of these specified windows. It is very structured, very well run and (to my surprise at least) very relaxed and fun.

I was a skeptic. I wasn’t at all sure about this Greek Life thing. So each day I asked good and important questions. Each night I called people who’s opinions I respected and where generally not for Greek Life. I was being won over, so I wanted to make sure that it was completely legitimate. I thought about it all for a long time. But when it came down to the end of the week- I wanted to be a Phi Psi.

Everything that happened after, mounds together in what happens to be the best decision of my college career. I love Phi Psi and it loves me back. I never thought I would ever be Greek, but that is true to many men in my house. Butler’s Greek Life is different. Many people can agree on that. Butler has just 4,000 undergrad students. Because just a little over a third go Greek it leaves a very manageable community for Butler to watch closely- we couldn’t get away with things that large schools could. Additionally, We do 2^nd semester recruitment only. This means all freshmen have an entire semester to get settled into college before they have to make the ‘big Greek decision’. Also, because Greek students spent an entire semester growing close to students that may not have gone through recruitment- everyone has Greek and Non-Greek friends; we don’t have a huge rift in our campus.

I would recommend recruitment to anyone, even if they decide not to go Greek in the end, you meet more friends in those four days than you could anywhere else. Men interested in signing up for Formal Spring Recruitment (rush week) can do so at

http://www.butler.edu/greeklife/?pg=528

The form for has to be completed by Dec. 12. Interested women should have already signed-up.

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Butler's Big Secret

JoeW — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:19:00 GMT

It has long since been rumored that a system of secret, sealed-off, underground tunnels is plunging through Butler’s underground. This rumor is simply a rumor; a true rumor. Yes, Butler does in fact have an underground tunnel system and I, BUJoe, Blogger in the field got to infiltrate these tunnels.

Butler has two tunnel systems. The larger one connects Schwitzer Hall to the back of C-Club in Atherton Union’s basement. The second connects the Sunset Ave./Hampton Dr. corner of Ross to the Parking Lot/ 44th Street corner of Ross.

The tunnel in Schwitzer was built as a food service tunnel. Back in the day (no idea when “the day” was) men and women at Butler separately; men ate in Atherton Union and women ate in the basement of Schwitzer Hall. (This is interesting because Butler was one of the first colleges to admit women on an equal basis as men, and Butler has always been a Coed school- so meals and living [and sports, of course] were the only divided activities.) The meals were prepared in Atherton’s large kitchen and then taken to the women using the tunnel system. After eating became a coeducational activity at Butler the tunnel was no longer needed, it not of use to students because it connects directly to the storage areas in the back of the kitchen. The tunnel runs directly under the pathway that one would take to go from Schwitzer to Starbucks.

The tunnel in Ross is home to a large Basilisk and the Heir of Slytherin, false.
The tunnel in Ross was strictly for maintenance. The Sunset/Hampton corner of Ross was built first and stood as its own building for several years until the Parking Lot/44th corner could be added. When the new section was built a new boiler room was built as well. The tunnel connects these two areas and runs diagonally through the courtyard. As I understand it, the building runs on only the new boiler room now, so the tunnel in Ross is also obsolete.

I have many pictures from the tunnels and from sealed off chambers in Schwitzer’s basement in my photos section. I left the Ross Hall tunnel unexplored so who knows what dangers could be growing in its darkness at this very moment. To get to the tunnel in Ross a student would have to go through the Boiler Room. Which I don’t think can be done (hmmm..) and a Schwitzer resident can find the locked door to the pre-tunnel chambers right beside their basement kitchen. (which makes sense) This door is locked, of course, but all you have to do is “Speak Friend and Enter” (in elvish, of course) I would advise students not to try to enter these places, not because it is wrong or dangerous, but because if you have ever read a book besides Thomas the Tankengine - nothing good ever happens in tunnels, and I fear you will unleash a great evil upon the Campus.

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The Flattest Land I've Ever Been To

JoeW — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 21:33:00 GMT

Just babbling on the long straight way back to Indianapolis.

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Phi Psi Wins Alpha Chi's Frisbee Fling

JoeW — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 21:21:00 GMT

Alpha Chi Omega had their philanthropy week to raise money for the Julien Center which houses victims of domestic violence. Their week is called "Fribee Fling", I'm the one in the bandana.

I feel that the best part is at about 3:30 when we are clearly waaay to tired to be cheering.

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What does the Speech Team actually Do?

JoeW — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:29:00 GMT

I am a proud member of the Butler Speech Team so I was pleased to go to the Bradley /Illinois State University Swing Tournament. A swing tournament is when two schools have two tournaments in the same place. For example we may have one tournament all day Saturday, the come back Sunday morning and do it all over again.* This was my first tournament of the year so I was pleased to get back in the swing of things. (bad pun intended) This is my second year on the speech team.

Being on the Speech team does not necessarily mean that I give speeches, a common and understandable miscommunication. Speech or Forensics is simply an umbrella term for the acting, speech, and debate events that fall underneath it,which means- At a speech tournament there are tons of different events to compete in; some involve current issues and persuasive speaking with others are more based on the use of strong emotion and creative topics**. The list of diverse acting, speaking, and debating events is far too long and unnecessary to get into now, all you really need to know is that --when we compete (whatever that competitive event may be) we wear suits.

That is right. To compete in Intercollegiate Speech and Debate you must be both poised and classy (or at least appear so). I must say that our small but mighty team of overzealous oratators can look pretty intimidating when we walk in a business professional power-V. We like what we do (whatever it is) and Butler shleps*** all around the frivolously flat Midwest.

Not only is the speech team at Butler an important activity and a strong resume builder, but it is also a class. At Butler every student has to fulfill a public speaking requirement. They can take a public speaking class or they can be on the speech team for two semesters. The beauty of this arrangement is that instead of sitting in a class room the student who chose the latter gets to travel and eat.

You read me! When you are on a speech trip all of your food (and hotel, entry fees, etc.) is paid for! Speech is defiantly a very worth while activity and I love doing it. Additionally, if anyone would like more information about the speech team I have plenty to give! If you are really interested then you should know that Butler’s Speech Coach is Janis Crawford and you can get a hold of her through the Butler website.

I hope this was helpful!

-Joe

*The reason that Swing tournaments are so popular is because a team can travel from very far away and get two tournaments in a weekend instead of one, which means two tournaments but only one hotel, one location, and one trip. Some schools will only come for one day, so even though a lot of people stay the competition does change from day-to-day.

**To clarify even more- the three areas are Platform (formal speaking), Interp (Interpretative/acting events) and Limited Prep (events where the speaker uses a brand new prompt each round instead of a prepared piece)

***Shlep- v.(Yiddish)- To carry or drag. 1. I shlepped my books all over campus today, and this heat, feh! I’m shvitzing like a matzo on a chaza’s fork! Kvetch?! I haven’t begun to Kvetch ya shnook!

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