Search results matching tags 'Greek life' and 'friends'

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

80s Prom!

ChristinaL — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 15:08:00 GMT

One of the things that the juniors and seniors at Butler are most proud of is our status as children of the 1980s. Yes, we are the babies of the decade, and we really don't have too many coherent memories from it, but it still makes us feel way more retro and cool to say we lived in such a ridiculous and out-of-date era.

We celebrated this cultural golden age last night at my sorority's 80s Prom.

Dances, usually called formals or informals, are another long-standing tradition of Greek life. We rent out a space at a hotel or restaurant to host a dance, and then we all take buses over there together. If you were on the Homecoming decoration committee or if you went to prom four times in high school, then you would love this aspect of being Greek. I, on the other hand, went to precisely three dances in all of high school: two Homecomings and a Disco Dance. I left the Disco Dance early to see Harry Potter in the theatre at midnight. A lot of my friends went to dances, but that just wasn't my thing at the time.

By the time I got to college, I was a bit more of a dancer but formals were not a priority in my schedule. In my sorority, we typically have a formal and an informal dance each semester. The informal ones are the best, in my opinion, because they usually have a fun theme that involves dressing up. However, up until now, the ONLY dance I've been able to attend was a formal two years ago when I was a sophomore. I usually have a super busy schedule in the spring where I'm traveling for different conferences and am out of town on a lot of weekends, and last fall I studied abroad so I obviously couldn't go. However, here I am, a senior, now finally ready to go to my first informal. Thank goodness we picked such an amazing theme as 80s prom.

My little sister happens to be a Goodwill guru, so I asked her if she had anything she could lend me for an 80s prom. She, of course, just happened to have a bright purple, full-length, vintage 80s dress hanging in her closet. HUGE poufy sleeves? check. Bow the size of a small child on the back? check. My cousin lent me big gold hoops earrings, and I was ready to go.

Working the 80s with my old roommate, Kim!

I decided to bring my friend Jared as my date, because he was one of the 17 Butler kids in my study abroad group in Spain last fall. I love my Alcala family to pieces, and Jared and I are especially good friends because we lived across the street from each other in Spain and our host parents were close. We spent our first day in Spain exploring Alcala together with my host dad; we would walk together when we went out at night; one time, Jared even lived with my family for a week when his mama had a family emergency.

Here we are together with Don Quijote on Day 1 in Spain:

But the most epic bonding experience that Jared and I ever had was when we decided to try the gym just down the street from where we lived. We got passes for a free trial, and I convinced Jared that we should go to a group fitness class. The one we happened to pick turned out to be a mix of hip hop striptease aerobics led by a young man wearing women's workout clothing. The class was entirely populated by middle-aged Spanish women. We were definitely the only Americans AND the only ones under 30. However, the situation was so funny that we just had to get into it and dance like fools! Jared is a great dancer and not afraid of anything, so we ended up having a really fun time. After that, we would always laugh and try to recreate our aerobics moves when we went out dancing with our friends. Since the 80s were a time of aerobics and bad prom dresses, I thought I would combine the two by bringing my good old study abroad buddy.

Mini reunion at the Prom! Jared and I with our friend Chelsea who also went to Spain with us.

Although we couldn't remember any of our Spanish aerobics, we still had a great time, and it was so much fun to catch up with an old friend and hang out with all my sisters for my very first informal. Somewhere along my college career, I have become a person who actually likes dancing. I learned a lot about looking like a fool in Spain and, of course, being a Student Orientation Guide this year was all about letting loose and looking silly to help the freshmen lighten up.

If the 1980s taught us anything at all, it's that looking ridiculous is cool - as long as you're having fun!

Our newest alumni = some of my heroes!

ChristinaL — Sun, 10 May 2009 14:16:00 GMT

Yesterday, the Class of 2009 officially graduated from Butler University. I can't even believe it.

The first shocking thing about it is that it means I am only one year away from walking into Hinkle Fieldhouse on a warm Saturday in May with all my classmates and doing the same thing. Now that they are gone, there is no denying it - we are the new seniors.

The second scary part is how many amazing people moved on from undergraduate life at our university yesterday. They were some of my closest friends, our best leaders and definitely role models who will be missed dearly. I want to tell you about some of them to give you an idea of the amazing types of people we go to school with at Butler.

Adam - I met Adam in my first English class freshman year. He is a double major in English and French and has been involved in tons of things, including being a proud Ross RA. What I am most proud of him for are all the things that he and my friend Austin (who's only a sophomore - thank goodness!) have done for the Gay Straight Alliance. Indiana can be a conservative state sometimes, and at every college you will have people who are more and less comfortable with diversity. To combat all these challenges, Adam has put so much work into developing a great network for GLBT students and straight allies. They put on tons of popular events and have really done so much for making diversity more visible and accepted on this campus. (Recently they had a whole week of activities including Sex(uality) on the Mall, which was a carnival with games and infomation about sexuality and sexual health that many campus groups helped with.) Adam has done so much for Alliance, Residence Life, and interning for the Damar Center, a local non-profit, and I love working with him in the Writers Studio where we're both peer tutors. Next year he is going to grad school in Paris to study French!! I am SO proud...and jealous : )

Michelle: another one of my Writer's Studio cohorts! Michelle also does many things on campus and interns at NUVO with me. I really admire her for her writing, especially what she has done this year for The Collegian, our weekly campus newspaper. Michelle has done so many great articles, but I especially appreciated her opinion articles about Greek Life. She was in a sorority and choose to leave it after her sophomore year, but Michelle used that experience to write a critique of the Greek community which she published in The Collegian. That was a very brave thing to do, and even though I don't totally agree with everything she said, she got a lot of people to speak passionately about our Greek community and really opened up a dialouge that otherwise would not have existed. That's what every great writer aims for, and I'm proud that Michelle did it. Michelle is fluent in Spanish and will be teaching it to high school students in Mississippi next year for Teach For America, a huge honor.

Jon: I first got to know Jon through a friend from high school because they are both anthropology majors, and I believe Jon was his Honors mentor. Sophomore year of college, we had Museum Studies together, and I recruited him to be my main photographer for the yearbook staff, because I knew that he did such great photography for The Collegian (He writes for them, too!). Jon is literally everywhere on campus taking photos, especially of our amazing Butler sports. I loved getting to work with him, too, because he's such a funny and interesting person. I am also so amazed at how smart Jon is and how passionate he is about the ideals of a liberal arts education. He has written and spoken extensively about its importance - I think he should be a Dean for the Liberal Arts & Sciences someday! Jon is also an accomplished flutist who has been in the Butler Symphony Orchestra for several seasons, and he is an Honors student and archeologist who has been on a dig in Kenya. If I could grow up to be as smart and talented as one person from the class of 2009, it would definitely be Jon. Recently he has done so much for our university by doing online reporting of issues that our administration doesn't always want to talk about. He is so committed to democracy and truth. I love that he has shown that someone can be a passionate Butler supporter BY critiquing and challenging our university to do a better job - that's what a liberal arts education is all about. I loved working with you on yearbook, learning with you in the classroom, and admiring your journalism work, Jon, and I cannot wait to see what you do.

Kelly: My fabulous co-editor for Manuscripts, the literary magazine. Kelly had never been an editor for Manuscripts before, but when I had to leave to study abroad, she took over and did an amazing job running the magazine all by herself. She made it a lot more organized, and helped us to put on the best all-campus event we have ever had. It was an open mic night in March to celebrate our deadline, and we themed it around the Ides of March and had a peformance contest where you had to title your work "Beware _____" - very entertaining responses! We held it on St. Patrick's Day to provide late night alcohol free fun, so Kelly was able to apply for a grant from the Residence Halls, which gave us money for lots of fun St. Patrick's Day giveaways. Manuscripts could not have functioned without her this year, and I really think we have a fabulous final product! Kelly is also extremely dedicated to Peers Advocating Wellness for Students (PAWS), and has put on more fun health and wellness events on campus than I can even list (although one of the best is always Stress Less Week, which provided free healthy breakfast and chair massages before finals. love it.) Anyway, I really admire Kelly's organization and her passion for wellness issues. She is looking for a job in some sort of health advocacy/education position in Indy, so if you know of any, I have a great candidate for you : )

Chad: If I had to think of the model fraternity man, it would probably be Chad, who has done so much for Greek life at Butler. He was president of his own house, and served as president of Order of Omega, our honors society for the top 3% of Greeks. What really made Chad innovative, though, was his passion for bringing Greeks as Educators, Advocates and Resources (GEAR) to campus. GEAR is kind of like PAWS in that they raise awareness about health and wellness issues, but they have special programs that are specifically targeted towards Greek students. They also train GEAR advocates from every house so that in each fraternity or sorority, you have a friend who is a reliable source of health information to turn to. Chad worked to bring this program to our campus, and I am excited to see it expand in upcoming years. He was also really involved in other campus groups, and served as the VP of Programs this year for Student Government. That is a huge position that includes big projects like Homecoming, Out & About in Indy trips, recreation, Spring Sports Spectacular, and more. He has a great team, but that's a lot to coordinate, and Chad kept that up even while student teaching. I was lucky to get to know Chad when he joined the Student Foundation as a junior, and he was one of the few seniors who stayed active and was a really valuable member of my committee. He has given so much to Butler and I am so proud that he will take his educational background to Teach for America next year - he'll be in Indy, so he already knows that he's required to visit us.

Katie & Jill: I have to talk about them together because they were my two roomates at Pi Phi during my sophomore year and we love to hang out together. These girls were truly the best roommates I ever could have had. They didn't get frustrated with my mess or my stress, and were always there for me when I was sick or upset or losing my mind. They have taught me so much about what it means to be a true friend. They've taught me that when one of your best friends really needs you, you drive across Indianapolis to her house at midnight, sit up talking with her instead of doing your homework, and sleep on the couch, just to wake up at 6 am and drive back to school for class... and you don't mind at all, because you know she would do the same thing for you. When someone's down you cheer them up, and when they do something great, you celebrate it. These two always bring a positive spirit and a heart full of love and passion to everything they do, and our band fraternity and sorority would not be the same without their leadership. I can't believe they are leaving me next year, but Jill is following her dream of zoology/animal conservation research as a grad student at Southern Illinois, and Katie will be studying to be the best nurse ever at Valparaiso University. Road trips are already in the works.

I know that was a lot to get through, but what makes Butler so special is the people, so I wanted to introduce you to just a few that have made an impact on me. (There really are so many more people I could write about here!) Butler is a place where one student really can make a difference, and these guys are the perfect examples. I can't wait to see what they do as alumni!

Congratulations to Adam, Michelle, Jon, Kelly, Chad, Katie, Jill and everyone in the Class of 2009! I love you guys and miss you already.

Family night at Pi Phi

ChristinaL — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 20:56:00 GMT

One fun part of the new member process is finding out who your Big Sis is! This is an older member of the chapter who serves as a mentor for one of our new Pi Phis. We "reveal" the sister pairings at a fun night full of songs, games, and sugar! An old Pi Phi tradition is the cookieshine where we pass around a huge cookie, and everyone takes a piece and makes a wish while the rest of us sing Pi Phi songs. It's very cute and a fun way to welcome the new members to the families. All the beautiful ladies in blue are from my family - the Mooses!

Behind Closed Doors: Sorority Sister Week

ChristinaL — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 17:54:00 GMT

Hey friends! I’m sorry it’s been awhile… things have been craaaaazy here at BU as we just had our first week of the spring semester, and all of that coming right off of formal recruitment for the Greek community. Steph and Liz have done a great job of showing you what it is like to go through as a freshman in their blogs, so I wanted to take some time to talk about the other side of recruitment, which is not so easy to see – the mysteries that happen behind the beautiful facades of the Butler sorority houses!

Ok, obviously I’m being melodramatic. I just know that many people want to imagine Greek life as this crazy hidden web of secrets and drama, and to be on the inside and know how things really are, that makes me laugh.

For those of you who (like me before I came to Butler) know absolutely nothing about Greek Life, let’s do a little primer on Formal Recruitment, or as they may call it in the movies, “rush.”

At Butler, we have our recruitment in the spring semester, so that first year students can take time to adjust to college, grow up, meet people, make their own friends, develop new interests, and observe all the houses before they are asked to make a decision about joining one. The week before classes start in the spring, everyone interested comes back to campus. Men’s recruitment is a little different, but for the women, we have a five-day process. The first day there are eight parties, and for each party, women go to a different house, where they meet and talk to the members for about 45 minutes.

However, imagine hosting 400 girls in YOUR house, all in one day. Obviously it couldn’t just be a random free-for-all kind of party. Who is going to sit where? Where do we put our guest’s coats? How do we get everyone in and out in a timely manner? These are all things that we have to plan from the sorority side. We also have to get our house clean, move furniture, decorate, prepare the entertainment, etc. For these reasons, we a) move back to our house a few days before the freshmen come back and b) pretty much stay in our house all day* – there’s lots to get done! (*exceptions are made for late-night Steak n Shake runs. There is always time for milkshakes and cheese fries, my friends.)

At Pi Beta Phi, we call this time Sister Week, because as much work as there is to be done, you will never find a week when our house is more filled with laughter, inside jokes, and sisterly fun. During recruitment week, people usually ask me if I’m going crazy being “stuck” in my house, but I love it. It is the one week when we don’t have class or work or clubs or anything to worry about except being together and growing closer, and of course, there is nothing to help bond you like working towards a common goal. Whether I’m painting a banner with my best friend, unpacking with my roommate, or going on a hunt for a huge ladder with my small group, there is always fun to be had. And of course, when you're up late decorating... there are BOUND to be some 4 am N'SYNC dance parties.

Me, my roommate Kim, and one of the coolest sophomores I know (Colleen Kelly aka CoKe) doing "the E-Fay" dance move in tribute to one of our graduated sisters, Emily Fay. Don't judge... we had been decorating allllll night... gotta keep it fun : )

Still, we also make sure to have some official playtime. In between our all-house-cleans, decorating and skit rehearsal, we would play Sardines (like group Hide & Go Seek – it’s awesome in a big old house) or share Remember When?s. This is probably our favorite game ever, and consists of someone saying “Remember when…” and then retelling one of our funny stories for the whole house to hear. I love remembering all the funny ones I’ve been around for (or starred in… see the blog about the time I almost burned the house down) but I also love hearing the stories that come from before I even joined the house, and hearing them passed down to our sophomores.

Recruitment is also a time when lots of our alumni come to visit and help out. My Big Sis graduated last year, but she came back to help us decorate and we ran around the house being crazy and ridiculous like always, catching up, and remembering all the good times we’ve had.

My Big Sis Ariel and I! I miss having her around SO much but I was so glad she could come visit during recruitment.

However, my favorite thing about recruitment this year was definitely getting to know all the sophomores better. Since I was studying abroad last semester, I didn’t have as much time to get to know them, and I kind of remembered them as being young and quieter then our outgoing upperclassmen. But when I moved back in to Pi Phi for recruitment, I saw how much they had grown up. All the sophomores now live in the house and have really made it their own. They have leadership positions and always step up to help out; even the shy ones have become outgoing and friendly, and I noticed that they have all grown so much closer to each other and to the older members. They are truly part of the family, and I feel so lucky to have them as sisters. I have gotten to witnes how cool they all are and I love just seeing them around the house with all their antics every day.

Having a home with different generations of women is what makes living in a sorority so amazing to me. The Pi Phis who have come before me inspire me, brighten up my life and make me a better person… and the ones who follow me do, too! I know now that when I graduate, my house will be in amazing hands.

Speaking of the next generation, I am SO excited about our newest Pi Phi Angels!

It has now been exactly one week since we welcomed them into the family on Bid Day, but it already seems like I have known them so much longer. I think I know why. We like to say that Pi Phi is not something girls become; it’s who they already are, and that’s why they were chosen to be here. They have always had that friendly and beautiful spirit that we look for, and so even though I am just getting to know them, I already care about them so much. I am really looking forward to spending time with all of them this spring. Who knows? I may even decide to live in the house again next year so we can spend even more time together.

At any rate, this was my last recruitment from the inside! I was recently elected Vice President of Educational Planning for the Panhellenic Council, which oversees sorority life here at Butler and runs recruitment for the new members. So, next year I will be outside in the cold with the freshmen, lining them up as they eagerly wait to go into the houses and find their new homes. It will be different, and I know it will be very hard to miss Sister Week, but if running recruitment helps women to find a home as happy and wonderful as mine, I know it will be worth it.

Thanks to my friend (and all-star recruitment counselor) Erikaa for this pic of the Panhel side of recruitment!

more email responses!

AnnaK — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:06:00 GMT

Wow, I've been getting a lot of emails lately! Yay! Here are a few responses for you.

Jenna asked: "One of my concerns is going to a college where everyone goes home on the weekends and the place is dead. I think it would be nice to go home on occasion but I really want to become more independent and don't plan on making that trip home every weekend. Does this happen at Butler? Do a lot of people go home on the weekends? Also what do people do on the weekends at Butler?"

This is a great question, because so many people at Butler are from relatively close by. However, Butler students are very independent and love getting involved on campus. So while yes, it is easy for most people to get home whenever they want, not everyone does all the time. It seems as though out of all of my friends here, maybe 2 at a time will be gone for a weekend (or out visiting another school), but everyone else will still be around. I wouldn't be too worried

On the weekends, we do...everything. Some people go to frat parties, some go out to Broad Ripple (my favorite!), some stay in and play Super Smash Bros. Brawl for 12 hours straight, some go shopping, some partake in the on-campus events like movies or Greek functions... there really is a lot to do!

Suzi asked: I read what you said about Ross, and that definitely seems like I would enjoy it more. So basically, I was wondering where you met most of your friends at Butler? Are they mostly people from your dorms? Because in that case, is it hard for girls in Schwitzer to meet boys? Also, where do people usually live their sophomore year?

Suzi, don't worry, girls in Schwitzer still have a ton of fun! There are quiet girls, party girls, in-the-middle-girls, super athletic girls, funny girls, mean girls, sweet girls, whatever girls - in both Ross and Schwitzer. It depends on the people, not the dorm. I'm sure you will find friends everywhere. I met most of my friends at the beginning of the year during orientation, at Playfair (which is part of freshman orientation), and randomly through classes and around campus. A lot of my friends that I see more often are in Ross, yes, however some of my favorite people on campus live in Schwitzer, and a lot of them hang out in Ross a fair amount of time. To answer your last question, many sophomores will have participated in Greek recruitment, so a lot of them move into their fraternity or sorority houses, but those who don't typically live in Residential College - aka ResCo.

Yael asked: "I was wondering if you can tell me what it's like on campus? Are you involved in Hillel at all? If you are can you give me some ideas of what you do? Also, I'm considering rushing...and I was wondering if you can give me a little better of an idea about the sororities and what it's like."

Campus is beautiful. It's never too empty or too crowded, there are a lot of trees, the buildings are beautiful, pretty much - life is good. I am somewhat involved in Hillel, although not as much as I would like to be. There are weekly meetings and Shabbat dinners which are wonderful, but unfortunately I am usually so busy from class I can't go [:'(]

About the sororities - they are all different, but they are also sooo similar. I recommend when you come to campus, go over to each house for lunch or dinner before recruitment to get an idea of the different personalities within each house. I recommend that you go twice, because you may come out with a totally new perspective on each house. Sorority life is a lot of fun, and I love that at Butler, everyone supports everyone else. We truly participate in friendly competition. We are a true embodiment of the term "Greek community" - that's what we are - one huge family that lives in a bunch of different houses

Alright everyone, I hope I answered your questions well, and I hope your college-choosing decisions get easier and easier! Go bulldogs!

I'm a Big Sis now!

ChristinaL — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 18:36:00 GMT

Initiation week for Pi Beta Phi is over! It was tons of fun, but I'm glad that all our new members are now officially Pi Phis and that things will settle down a little bit!

The most exciting part about Initiation Week as a sophomore is getting a Little Sis. We had to keep our pairings a secret until last Sunday, which was Big/Little reveal. It was really hard for me to keep it a secret because I adore my Little Sis so much! Her name is Jackie, and I met her at the beginning of the year when she joined my yearbook staff, so I see her all the time and had to keep reminding myself not to let the secret slip.

Big Sisters are basically mentors for our new members so that they have one special person watching out for them and helping them get into the swing of Greek life. My Big Sis made such a big difference in my experience as a new member so I'm really excited to be that person for Jackie. It was so exciting when we had our ceremony out in Holcomb Gardens to reveal to our littles who their Big Sisters are. Then we came back to the house and had a Pi Phi singalong and family time. My family is, of course, the greatest of all families, because we are the MOOSES : ) We like to make Moose faces and tell inferior families like the Ladybugs that we'll stomp on them with our big Moose feet. Naturally, our family time consisted of eating Moose Tracks ice cream, decorating moose cookies, posing in our lovely antlers and passing down all the Moose gear! (Big Moose slippers, Moose boxers, family trees... the works!)

This weekend was when the real craziness happened, though! Our initiation is a three day process, so we started on Thursday night. I actually really like being on the other side of the rituals, because I think the longer you're in a fraternity, the more its rituals mean to you. The rituals are really important to me because they're all about our values. I think it's so funny that people have such a negative perception of Greeks and especially what goes on during Initiation, because for us, it really is all about reflecting on our morals and striving to be noble, compassionate and educated women. Even though I've already been initiated, it's good to hear all the ceremonies again because they remind me of what's really important and who I want to "grow up" to be. Ha, now that I think of it, being a Greek woman is kind of like the grownup version of being a Girl Scout...you know what I mean? girls uniting together to grow into better people and to make the world a better place, as corny as that may sound. It's sad that the media has got Greek life (at least at Butler) totally wrong.

Anyway, Friday night we had Day Two of Initiation, but before that was Freshmen Skits. This is a really fun event where all the Greek houses' new members put on a skit about life at Butler. The women are always really sweet, and the men are always really funny, because you know how guys can get away with doing the craziest things for a laugh. I was SO proud of our Pi Phi girls - they really one-upped my new member class! The theme this year was Reality TV and so our girls did a skit that was the Amazing Race: Butler and then they had stops at all these places on campus: the cafeteria was Fear Factor hahaha, the library was Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?, and Hinkle Fieldhouse was What Not to Wear? (gotta be decked out in Butler blue!) The girls did a really nice job. I was also really proud of my Little Bro, because he was the director of Phi Kappa Psi's skit, and they won the competition for the 11th year in a row! There was definitely lots of pressure on him, but he did a great job, and my KKPsi Little Brother Jimmy was also in that skit showing off his mad drumming skills! My Greek family members are pretty much amazing.

Anyway, by the time we got done with Freshmen Skits and Initiation on Friday night it was after 1 am, and I still had a ton to do to prepare my basket of little Pi Phi gifts for Jackie and write notes to all the new members! So basically, my Big Sis and I had an all night Pi Phi craft party and only slept for an hour and a half! craaaaziness, but that's what I get for procrastinating.

Saturday we had Initiation all morning, and then more singing, cake, family time, and presenting our Little Sisters with their new Pi Beta Phi greek letters. It was so much fun but we were really tired by the end of all that! You know we were seriously exhausted because I MISSED a men's basketball game to get some rest. (Regular readers of this blog know that I only miss basketball games for class. Nothing else! Buuuut we were playing Detroit, so I figured it was a safe win.) Haha, instead, our whole Moose family was curled up on Ariel's floor in Jackie's new fleece Pi Phi blanket, passed out for naptime.

Anyway, I am way excited to be a Big Sister, but between that and all the values we talked about during Initiation, I am definitely feeling the pressure to be an even better friend and person than I already am. Let me appropriate from Spiderman and say that with great blessings come great responsibility to deserve them!

PI PHI LOVE!

Outside showing off the new letters!

New members with their cakes - 10 points if you can find blogger Anna : )

Bloggers? Sisters!

ChristinaL — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 21:43:00 GMT

First of all I have to apologize for being an entirely delinquent blogger. Since I last wrote, there has been SO much going on. New Year's, trying to cram in last coffee dates and catching up with my friends from home, a wedding in Vegas and of course, the ultimate craziness... Formal Recruitment for Pi Beta Phi!

I got back to Indy on Sunday the 6th, and basically spent seven SOLID days with my sorority sisters on voluntary house arrest as we prepared for and then held our formal recruitment week. Sounds crazy, I know, but it was the most fun I have ever had as a member of Pi Phi. There is nothing like spending so much uninterrupted time bonding with your friends and working towards a common goal (...and we occasionally did leave the house for some fun Steak n Shake and Speedway runs.) I also moved in with my two new amazing roomates, Jill and Katie and we are already loving all the time we have together.

One memory that definitely sticks out: one of our seniors, KB, surprising us by bursting in on one of our meetings dressed in a blonde wig and singing Britney Spears. She will have you know that the true lyrics are "Gimme gimme PI, Gimme PI, Gimme BETA PHI!" hahaha. We love it. Can't stop singing it! We were all about the late night dance parties this week.

The other really great part of recruitment was meeting so many phenomenal young women. Greeks are leaders, scholars, great friends, women of character and generous servants to their community and I'm not just saying that. Everybody has their strengths, of course, but each girl I talked to exemplified at least one of these awesome characteristics. I met atheletes, class presidents, girls who have taught children in Africa or organized swim lessons for local Indianapolis Public School students... the list goes on. It was really inspiring.

We saw over 300 girls go through our house this week, and after four days, we found the 31 of them who will become our Pi Phi sisters when they are initiated in February. It was a phenomenal year for our house and we are so proud of our new Angels! (that's what Pi Phis are called, and they fit the name to a tee.)

However, one of the most exciting parts is that you now have not one but two Pi Phis blogging for you...

That's right....Anna is an angel too! I am so glad to have her as a sorority sister. After witnessing how positive, honest, and considerate she is with answering everyone's questions on her blog, I could tell that she is really Pi Phi material and when my sisters met her during recruitment they all agreed. We are thrilled to have her and the rest of the new girls.

We would have all loved to dwell on the excitement of Bid Day yesterday but it is back to class today and I already have a paper to write! In the meantime....

....gimme gimme PI gimme PI gimme BETA PHI!

2007: A year in pictures

ChristinaL — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 07:00:00 GMT

You may think I put tons of pictures up on my blog, but for every one I post, there are hundreds more on my computer. To celebrate the end of 2007, I picked out some of my favorite shots that you haven't seen before. Enjoy!

Bell tower in the snow, February 2007.

Snow day! The guiding spirit of our music fraternity was named Boh, so we made a Kappa Kappa Psi themed "Boh-man".

Our student foundation is known for our rugbies... but we stole the idea from University of Wisconsin. Our conference in Madison was a blast - it's such a cool city and we loved hanging out with the UW students!

KKPsi hosted Salsa Night last year - here's two of my friends dancing. At Butler, we love ballroom dancing (everyone's favorite PE credit!)

In front of the house with my Greek family after I got initiated into Pi Phi.

Sweet 16 game vs. Florida! Butler showed it on a massive screen in Clowes hall. We may have lost, but we're winning in this picture

When our team arrived home from the Sweet 16 in St. Louis, we were there to cheer for them when they got off the bus.

Sigma Nu's World Vision Bowl (sorority football tournament) is one of the most popular Greek events all year. Check out our team captain getting tackled in the middle! Those girls were intense!

All the music & dance fraternities & sororities teamed up this year for a pirate-themed formal. Everyone else pretty much wore normal dresses and suits, but three of my friends who were the DJs for the evening really got into it.

At our District convention in Cincinnati, my Big Big Big Brother Eric won the highest award a collegiate member of KKPsi can get! We were so proud. It was an exciting convention because my big brother (and blogger) Alex was elected district secretary/treasurer, our former chapter president Jeremy was elected district president, and our chapter was selected to host the next convention in Indianapolis! I feel so lucky to be part of such an outstanding group.

So my friend Julie was studying abroad last spring in Australia, but before she left she had a life-size cardboard cut-out made of herself! We took it to all of our KKPsi events and tagged "her" in all our photos of so she could see what we were up to. In this shot, she's hanging out in Cincy with us. Only Julie...

The American Cancer Society's Relay for Life is a huge event at Butler and so much fun. Last year some of my friends and I dressed up our buddy Paul for the Miss-ter Relay beauty competition. Makeup, shaved legs, panty-hose, jewelry... "Paula" was the real deal. She raised a bunch of money for cancer research and so we won the competition!

Once upon a time, we were cleaning out the band storage room in Hinkle when we found a box. My friend Nate said, "Hey, I can use this!" He took the box home over winter break, and when he came back... Boxbot was born! After that, many late nights were spent doing Boxbot photo shoots around Ross Hall...oh the freshmen dorm life. Nothing like it!

I know this isn't the greatest quality picture, but no record of 2007 would be complete without Steak n Shake. This photo is from a special trip with my "family," but I think we went about once a week. Oh frisco melts - how we love thee!

Finals Week - Spring 07. Somebody soapified Star Fountain!

I absolutely loved my freshman dorm room in Schwitzer. I was so sad to leave it that I went on an insane picture taking spree during the last week of school. It was pathetic... but now I can probably do a great blog post on what a Schwitz room looks like!

I spent my summer performing with the Troopers Drum & Bugle Corps from Casper, Wyoming. We toured the whole country and performed 3 or 4 times a week - so much fun. Here's the colorguard, aka the people I spent ALL my time with and love soooo much! Most of them are from Texas... I miss them!

Check out how tan I was by the end of the summer!

Even though I was all over the country this summer, I never felt too far away from home because there were always Butler friends around. Chris (the guy in the BU sweatshirt) is a drummer who marched with me for 2 summers in a row (and helped convince me to go to Butler!). Evan, in the middle, is also a music major at Butler and is the drum major for a different corps from South Carolina. This photo was taken right after he was named best drum major of all the corps in the nation! Go Bulldogs! : )

Drum Corps International Championships were in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl this year, so we got a day off to enjoy Cali. We spent an afternoon at Santa Monica Pier where MTV happened to be filming an episode of Next (see they bus behind us?) And yes, it is as fake as it looks on tv. The producers tell all the people what to say!

"Make new friends but keep the old"... even though I'm not home very much, I'm still close with some of the same friends I've had since junior high. Ashley (who goes to Augustana in IL) and Sarah (who goes to GWU in DC and took this picture) and I had a campout on my back porch before we all headed back to school in August.

Back at Butler, finally! Block Party is my favorite part of Welcome Week because you can find out about all the awesome student organizations. Here I am at the Butler Student Foundation (BUSF) table with Forrest (president) and Sara (secretary).

BUSF always helps out with Homecoming and this year Kate and I worked at Blue's Family Fun Fair - of course we had to test all the games ourselves before the kids got there!

My Big Sis Ariel was our Homecoming Queen candidate for Pi Phi. Here we are at the football game - she's the greatest!

Living up my nineteenth birthday with two of my best friends, Amy and Betsy.

Pi Phi and Sigma Nu teamed up to plant trees for Keep Indianapolis Beautiful this fall and had such a blast. My friends Jon, Ariel, Ross and I were an amazing team - we planted four trees and named them all after characters from Finding Nemo. This is Sharkbait!

Fall at Butler is so beautiful! I love our campus.

One of my favorite things about being a sophomore is getting a Little Brother for KKPsi. I first met Jimmy at camp when he was 16. Last year when I heard he was looking at Butler I was so excited that I did everything in my power to convince him to come here. Not only did he choose Butler, but he joined my fraternity and now he's my little!

The BUSF exec board puts so much hard work into creating a great experience for Butler students, alumni and prospectives, so it was so sweet that our advisor rewarded us by taking us along to Chicago to help with her conference. These three people with me are some of the most involved student leaders at Butler and I admire them all so much. I feel so lucky to consider them great friends, too!

Basketball was one of the greatest parts of 2007, and it looks like 2008 could be even better! "DAWG POUND! wooooooosh!"

Wow, 2007... my first full year at Butler and such an amazing one. So many great people, good memories, late nights, long days, and fun times.

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful 2008 and that I'll see some of you at Butler this year!