Search results matching tag 'HRC'

The HRC aquatic Center

BUSeitu — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:36:00 GMT

Though it isn't the size of an Olympic swimming or as grand as a world renowned natatorium it's pretty sweet. I've been there a couple of times over the last four years even though I'm in the gym at least twice a week. All that has changed this semester with the weather taking turns for the worst the HRC's hot tub and sauna have become my new best friends. Last week end after a delicious breakfast of doughnuts and beer (breakfast of champions) I ran over to the HRC braving the biting cold to chill in the warmth of the sauna and hot tub. My activities there normally include but are not limited to

Doing laps in the the six lane lap-swimming pool.
Using the Leisure pool for water basketball, volleyball,
Enjoying the bubble benches, or lazy river.
Chil-laxing in the Hot tub.
and of course baking in the Sauna.

The last thing you would want, is to go there with the intention of either working out or beating the cold via sauna awesomeness, and the HRC was closed so there's actually an online schedule for the for open and closing times during iffy occasions such as breaks and week ends etc.

Goblins and Games... and rabbits

BUOlivia — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 22:37:00 GMT

I've done a lot of things in the past two days, and many of those things were not related to the English papers that are due in under a week. Yay?

Friday night: Student Choreography went pretty well. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to dance in it this year! (I refrained from participating last year due to an injury.) But the shows went smoothly, though I'm fairly bruised. :)

Here's the cover of the program. My roommate did the cover art! Pretty awesome, huh?

Saturday morning: Cleaning my room, doing homework, eating oatmeal, and going to rehearsal for the Nutcracker. I might have mentioned this before, but I'm in the Chinese dance. I accidently slung one of my fans across the room. Whoops? Well, it all happens in rehearsal so it won't happen during the performance. Now I know I have to hold on a bit more when I do my soutenu.

Saturday afternoon: I went to swim at the HRC after rehearsal. Now, I always forget at least one thing when I go to work out, be it my ipod or shoes for the shower or clean socks for after the shower... There's always something. Today, that something was my goggles. I tried to swim with my eyes closed (I wear contacts, so I don't open my eyes under water), but I kept swimming into the lane line and bonking my head on the side of the pool, so I just relaxed and talked to Seitu instead. He's making a video about rookie mistakes, so keep an eye out for it!

I rode my bike. It was awesome! :) You can also see the Butler leaves in the background. They're really pretty--not as pretty as home, of course--but pretty nonetheless.

Saturday afternoon, part two: This is where the pictures begin in ernest. I went to this sophomore class event called Goblins and Games at the HRC. The sophomore class council organized it. Here's a picture of two of the members of the council:

There was a giant game of Twister, dodgeball, basketball, food/prizes.... The only thing they didn't have was cornhole.

And there was pumpkin painting. Here are all the pumpkins, ready to be judged. Afterwards, they were taken to a nursing home. I actually didn't know this, and I was asking about taking mine home to decorate the dorm. Whoops. I mean, who would take a pumpkin from a nursing home? That's just mean-spirited.

I particularly liked the Butler Bulldog pumpkin (it says "Go BU" on the sides) and the witch pumpkin.

The one that looks deranged is mine. It was supposed to be a rabbit. See the side view:

Lop ears. It had a little tail in the back too, which you can see in that first pumpkin picture. I think it looks so strange because I got the eyes wrong. There's too much white. See my rabbit's eyes:

Speaking of my rabbit.... I love her! I love her soooo much! And though you are not technically a captive audience and therefore I should try my best not to be boring, I still think I'll add another picture of Pebbles for good measure. See, she likes to fall asleep on the hearth in front of the fire. And she likes to get in her big bag of rabbit salad. She's fallen asleep in there a few times too.

So cute. But this post has been long enough--and contains approximately one million pictures--and I still have to write my English papers. I'm doing one about Phillis Wheatley's "On Being Brought From Africa to America" and one on America as a place to pursue fame based on a radio interview of Arnold Schwarznegger and on Catharine Maria Sedgwick's "Cacoethes Scribendi." I love the liberal arts.

What I wish I knew then that I know now...

BUTaylorM — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:04:00 GMT

Let me start this off by saying that it finally feels like fall. It's lovely. As I look back on all the time I have already spent here, I thought of all the things that I have learned in the past few weeks... thing I wish I had known before I started school. I don't want to leave everyone in the dark so I will shed light on some burning, prospective students' questions.

1. Flex-Dollars/Dawg Bucks/Meal Plan(s)

I am not going to sugar coat it. As an incoming student, meal plans are confusing. I had no idea what flex dollars were, what dawg bucks were, if they were the same thing, or how to use them. Flex Dollars are points, essentially, that come when you get your meal plan. I, for example, have a 240 meal block plan and it comes with $150 flex dollars. The 240 meals can be used at Atherton or ResCo dining halls (or through the C-Club Meal exchange, which I will explain in a minute.) and they last for the semester. I have, honestly, had trouble getting to meals at Atherton because I have a busy schedule and, often, I don't worry about my meals. Flex Dollars last only for the semester and don't roll over. Dawg Bucks do. Also, Dawg Bucks are something you buy to supplement your flex dollars if you go through them quickly. You can use your flex dollars/dawg bucks at C-Club, Starbucks, or the Zia juice bar in the HRC (health and recreation center). *see below for useful sites about meal plans*

2. C-Club Meal Exchange

I love the meal exchange. It is available from 4:30-9:30 PM at C-Club. Basically, you get yummy food like wraps, sandwiches, quesadillas, or chicken strips with a side and a drink and it counts as one of your meals rather than deducting from your flex dollars. If this weren't an option and I went to C-Club as often as I do, I would be out of flex dollars already. This is something I highly recommend you use as an incoming student.

3. Wi-Fi/Internet Access

Before I came to Butler, I was unaware of the fact that the campus in its entirety is not wireless. However, don't let this deter you from Butler. Schwitzer Hall now has wireless internet (Ross Hall does not) and buildings like Jordan, Gallahue, Holcomb, and the Pharmacy building have wireless, too. The thing is... Butler is an old campus (that was something that attracted me to the campus) and things like wireless and air conditioning are hard to install in the beautiful old stone buildings but like I said we are on our way to a wireless campus. In all honesty, I haven't had too many problems with internet connections or any of that.

4. Homecoming/High School-like Events

Currently, Butler is having Homecoming Week. It's really exciting as the sidewalks are covered in chalk... a huge thing here at Butler (if you need to know what's going on, just look where you're walking). Just this past weekend, there was an '80s dance. I wasn't really aware that there are still dances, homecoming, and clubs like high school. If that is something you were afraid of losing from high school, fear not! It is still here! If that is something you thought would go away, fear not! You don't have to go to Homecoming... there are plenty of other things to do. College is kind of awesome like that.

5. Dry Houses versus Wet Houses

A dry house is a fraternity/sorority that cannot have alcohol on its premises. All the sororities and one of the fraternities are dry houses. Now, for some that may sound like a terrible thing. What's college without parties, right? Well, I am not condoning underage drinking whatsoever but WHEN you are of age, there are places to have a good time. The nice thing about dry houses is that they are, generally, a lot cleaner. Without alcohol, there aren't parties where the house gets trashed.

6. Greek Life

Like I said above, we have wet and dry houses. Another thing I didn't know, specifically regarding Butler, is that Butler's sororities/fraternities are not off in their own little world. There isn't a divide between the 2 groups. In fact, there is a club, Independent Council, that serves to join the 2 groups together: Greeks and Non-Greeks. Also, because Butler is not a large state school... you won't find the groups separated. Campus is united... something I didn't know. Another thing that is really great about the Greek system here at Butler is that you don't rush until your second semester (unlike Purdue and Ball State where bid day has come and gone). This allows you to really get to know the houses, the girls, and Butler's campus in general. You won't have to make a rash decision because you have no time. Awesome, no?

7. Hall Commodities

Things Schwitzer Hall has that I didn't know about:

-Kitchenette for each unit (microwave, sink, recycling bins)

-Kitchen with stove/oven in basement

-Movies/kitchen utensils, pots, and such

-Ice machine

-Laundry Room

-Computer Lab

-Study Rooms

-TV lounge

Granted, you will see/hear a lot of this if you go on a tour or to information sessions but still... it's nice to know that you really don't need a microwave in your room. It's all there at your disposal. Who knew?

8. Club involvement

Something I learned really quickly here at college is that you do not want to get overly involved with clubs because the meetings will overlap and it's not worth it. It is more useful and tactful to choose a few clubs to get really involved in and focus on them. Granted, that is just my opinion and there will be other people that tell you otherwise but I have always found my time to mean much more to an organization when it is focused and not worrying about other things (if that makes sense). To each his own, I suppose.

8. Free Stuff/Free Events

5 words: College students LOVE free stuff. It's everywhere. Find it and get it! You'll never need a pen or notepad ever again and pizza will never taste as good unless it is free.

9. Laundry

I am not going to lie to you- laundry is expensive. If you have 5 loads of laundry, it will end up costing $10+ if you wash and dry it. If you do your laundry at a busy time, like Sunday, then you will have to wait. Either way, laundry can take forever. Some tips that I have found useful are

Only wash what you need (if it's something you won't use for awhile, let it sit in your basket until you can take it home)
Make a makeshift dryer in your room using a drying rack and fans
Watch your laundry 24/7. Take your books/laptop and work while you wait.
Moms will help with laundry (THANKS MOM!)
Sort your clothes before you get there.
Fold clean clothes in your room (the laundry room can get a little gross... same goes for above).
Get the most out of your money... don't wash small loads because it will cost the same either way.
This is what I do while waiting:

I would like to credit my unit friends: Bethany R., Bethany G., Laura S., Lexi C., and Megan R. with giving me some extra ideas and thoughts on BU.

Hope this was useful, Dawgs.

P.S. Meal Plan info:

Meal Plan Terms

Meal Plan FAQ

Sedentary Reflections

BUKevin — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:31:00 GMT

My roommate and I recently got into an argument about whether to walk or drive to a bonfire two blocks away. I was all for walking, Adam thought we should drive. I lost as soon as he replied "You've skipped out on every athletic event in the past week." Well...maybe. That doesn't mean I'm lazy...per se... I mean yes I missed the ultimate frisbee game (we won by forfeit anyway), yes I missed the dodgeball tournament, and yes I missed the paintball outing with CRU. But that doesn't mean I'm lame...right? Just that have other priorities. Although I must admit how miserably I have failed. My high aspirations coming to Butler were to visit the Health and Recreation Complex (HRC) at least three times a week on the days when I don't have class until 10. So far in the past three weeks I've gone...twice.

Hmmm...which should it be?....

Now please don't be so hasty to judge, although I really don't have an excuse. The HRC features a basketball court, pool, treadmills, ellipticals, weights, weight machines, and an indoor track, and is free for all students. What's my excuse you say? Well during the middle of the day when it's hot and I'm sweating just sitting in my dorm room, there's nothing that could make me walk to the HRC and sweat more. That leaves the mornings for me to work out, and I guess I prioritize and put sleep over abs. But in the end I'm ok with that, we can't all be Chippendale models or Bowflex "after" pictures, some of us have to be the "before" picture. But hey, there's always tomorrow morning!

Until next time

Labor Day: the meaning of cornhole and other such items

BUOlivia — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:15:00 GMT

[I had a spiffy video to go with this post, but as I'm experiencing technical difficulties, we'll just pretend that you watched it and you loved it. I'll add it in later if I figure it out.]

Labor Day weekend. Appropriately enough, we rest on the day that celebrates labor. Actually, who am I kidding? We didn't attend any classes, but I read approximately two thousand pages of early American literature and got a head start on my Global and Historical Studies reading: It was a productive morning.

In the afternoon, I walked with some people in my unit down to RecFest. Apparently, this is the first time the Health and Recreation Center has held RecFest; I don't remember it last year, though that does not mean much. RecFest was basically an HRC party in front of the HRC. I played with Blue and watched my friend climb the rock wall--I've posted a picture below. Then my friends went to take mini fitness classes to be entered into a prize drawing while I spoke with and was massaged by Butler's own masseuse! There was even food from Jimmy John's. Yum... Avacado. But before any of this happened, I played a rousing game of cornhole.

Ah, cornhole. I am from Richmond, Virginia--i.e. not cornhole country--and I remember my first exposure to that lovely activity. It was during Block Party (which is when all of Butler's organizations set up booths on the Mall, and students can walk around and see what the school has to offer), and I was sweating in the August afternoon with my new roommate. And there it was. Right between the equestrian club and the rowing team (or something similar). Butler's Cornhole Club.

Now. I am not bashing cornhole or the people who play it. I just do not understand. Why do people get so excited about a game that is essentially glorified bean-bag toss? In Virginia, small children throw bean bags at plywood scenes at school carnivals: a Tootsie roll if you get it through the clown's foot, a plastic whistle if you get it in his nose. But here, when we see an event advertised with "free food, music, and corn hole," what does my friend say?

"Cool! Corn hole! Let's go."

Now. I spent the latter part of last year making fun of cornhole, but I must say I've changed my mind. I played cornhole at the Butler Catholic Community's Luau and made a new friend, and I played cornhole at RecFest and got to know my neighbors a bit better. People from the East Coast, I'm here to tell you that cornhole is more than bean bag toss: It's a social event, something that encourages playful competition, cheerful heckling, and, most importantly, conversation. So, cornhole. I accept it.

That said, I still don't understand the intensity behind the complicated rules and guidelines, which may be found on the American Cornhole Association (or the ACA) website.

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.

A New Champ, But No bulldog

butlerblue2 — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 18:57:00 GMT

Well, another Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show has come and gone, the 133rd to be exact, and we’ve got another stunner taking the “Top Dog” spot this year. Last year it was the Beagle (named Uno), this year it is a 10-year old Sussex Spaniel named Stump.

My congratulations to Stump on cheating death and coming out of retirement, as of last Wednesday, to become the oldest “Best in Show” at Westminster! This dog has quite a story! Check it out at USAToday.com; http://www.usatoday.com/sports/2009-02-10-westminster-dog-show_N.htm

All that aside, I’m still waiting for the English Bulldog to bust out of the Non-Sporting ranks and take the top prize. People will be saying, “Uno and Stump who?” An English Bulldog with the silver cup will blow peoples’ minds!

I’d do it, but there was a certain procedure that my good vet, Dr. Kurt Phillips performed on me back in the day that has since disqualified me from competition. Remember, these shorts of shows are judged upon “breedability” and the best dog to pass along his/her defining breed characteristics. I think you get the idea now as to why I cannot participate.

A-hem, anyway, as I was saying, I would be happy to capture the crown for the English Bulldog, but it wasn’t meant to be. So some bully, somewhere, is going to need to get their A-game together and make it happen. Personally, I think it’s only a matter of time. Our recent climb into the AKC’s Top-10 breeds over the last two years has us prime to make a stand at Westminster in the near future. When it happens, you can just remember that I told you so!

In a non-related story, I finally visited those “comment-leaving” HRC life guards this morning down at the HRC pool. My dad had to teach Boot Camp this morning, so that means a 5:30 a.m. wakeup call for this tired pooch and an early trip to campus. My reward was a trip down to the pool to pay the life guards a visit. I think they loved it! After all, they’ve been clamoring for it over the last two semesters!

Thankfully, I did not jump in the pool, so my dad says that I can come back and visit again. It was tempting, but I was good boy and refrained. That water sure did look refreshing, up until the point I remembered that I sink like a rock in water.

Finally today, I leave you with the promised pictures from my most recent photo shoot. You know the ones I mentioned in my last post regarding the recycling shoot and my new Nike jersey shoot. I’ve included some below (photos by Brent Smith), but for the rest, head to the album on my Facebook fan page, located here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=59617&id=23981937738&l=bbed4

I wish everyone nothing but the best on Valentine’s Day! If haven’t got a special someone to share it with, then I’ll be your “Valentine!” Oh, that reminds me, I must send a special thanks to Leslie Bishop for sending me a Valentine’s Day card! It’s so nice to be loved! Thanks Leslie!

Much love,

Blue II

A Chaotic Week of Fun...

StephF — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 20:51:00 GMT

Wow, the past week has completely flown by!! I really hope that the entire year doesn't go by this fast. My classes have been alright, they would be much better though if I was in the doing stuff for classes mode already. It takes me a little while to get into that mindset, and by then I am already behind, so that stinks. But in my Freshman Business Experience class we are getting ready to start working on our project that is our main grade, so tomorrow morning we find out what group we are in, which is what we have all been waiting for for the past two weeks! The suspense is killing me, especially since we are put into the groups according to our personality styles, so I really want to know what kind of personality the computer says that I have. :)

Last week I ventured out to the HRC for the first time, once to go to a Hip Hop class, and once just to work out. I was pumped for the Hip Hop class, and it was completely amazing. It was an intense hour-long workout, but so much fun at the same time. Then the next day I just did the bicycle thing...which wasn't as fun, even though there was a TV in front of it. (I'm obsessed with watching TV, my roommate always makes fun of how I turn it on every time I just walk into the room.) I didn't like that as much as the class, because I've never been that dedicated to working out to just do the same thing for a prolonged period of time. Maybe for 10 minutes, but that's pushing it.

So I have always prided myself on my exceptional sense of direction, but last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday I didn't do too well driving places around town. :( First I got lost on my way to my cousin's house for dinner, because apparently 56th street ends and then picks up somewhere else in Indy. Good to know, good to know. The other days I think I was just not confident with myself like I usually am, so I basically cursed myself. But in my defense, one of those times the directions from Google Maps were partially not on the paper, because it printed out kinda strangely, so we just guessed where to go, and I think that we did pretty well!!!

On Saturday I tried out for the Butler Dance Team, and I made it!! :) It was an intense day of learning stuff and trying to get it all down and do it well. I haven't danced in awhile though, so I was really nervous and on Sunday morning I was REALLY sore. It hurt to walk, to sit, to stand, everything. But I think it will all be worth it, because I haven't danced all summer, and I really missed it. So if you come to a basketball game or anything, be sure to check us out!! :)

On Friday I was just walking around campus with my friend Chris, and I took a bunch of photos of some really pretty places on campus (which is pretty much everywhere right now!!). I love just walking around right now though...it is absolutely beautiful! Sometimes when I am walking into Schwitzer, I just have to like remind myself that I get to live here for the rest of the year. It's pretty sweet. All the pictures are in my photo album, but I think that this is my favorite one....

If you have read my past blogs, you probably know that I really like my room...so i decided to make a video of it, and show all of you where I live... :) And Hannah and I had to clean my room for it, so you had better enjoy it! Just kidding....but really....I hope you like it. I do...:)

getting settled in....

LizM — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 03:43:00 GMT

I’ve had so much fun at all of the welcome week activities! Its so funny because people that I’ll have only talked to for two minutes at playfair will run into me all the time. I feel like I already know a bunch of people even though we have only been here a few days. Its so nice to feel like a community, like we are not alone! That was one of the things that I was pretty worried about prior to arriving at Butler. Luckily I have met some amazing people and they are always willing to hang out. I’ve gone to dinner with different people every night and struck up conversations with complete strangers just about everywhere on campus--even in the dorm bathrooms while brushing my teeth haha. Although the social aspect is fantastic its also great to have some alone time. The weather the past few days has cooled down and has been pleasant for walks around campus. Sometimes I just need to take some time for myself to process the day’s events. What do you like to do for recreation on campus?

Welcome Week

LizM — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:22:00 GMT

The first few days of Welcome Week blazed by. I didn’t get to blog much because I was so busy, but I’m sure everyone can relate to that feeling! It really has just been so much fun! Saturday night not everyone had arrived, but there was a social for all those students who had moved in. We played the typical icebreakers and it was fairly entertaining, but the best part was meeting all kinds of different people from all over the place. I guess I was expecting to mostly meet Hoosiers, but there were students that had come from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and even North Carolina. What also struck me was how inviting and engaging everyone was. In High School there were just some people that were, “those people.” The ones who were far too above everyone else to talk to those they hadn’t deemed acceptable. The people who thought us lowlings should worship the ground they walked on and consider even a passing “hello” from them an immense privilege. Thank heavens they didn’t come here! Think of one of the nicest people you met at welcome week. What kinds of traits made them so attractive to you?

I met some really fun people at the social. My roommate Abby and I decided to go out to Broad Ripple with some girls from my group. We had Hot Box pizza and I pretty much fell in love with it--I love how everything is labeled! I know some OCDers that would kill to have one of those in Columbus. It was great to get out off campus and check out the area as well as hang out with a few girls and really get to know them.