Heroin use is on the rise among college-aged people in the Indianapolis area.

According to Butler University Police Department Detective Bruce Allee, heroin is present on Butler’s campus but less than state school campuses.

“The scary thing about heroin is that an experienced addict can appear to be functioning,” Allee said. “They will graduate college and begin careers while suffering from an addiction to heroin.”

Allee, a former detective with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, and IMPD Sergeant James Ficus said Indianapolis is a supply hub for heroin. Large quantities of heroin come in from I-70, and people from Bloomington, Fort Wayne, South Bend, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Columbus and Cincinnati come to Indianapolis to buy heroin.

According to a report by the Indiana State Police, heroin is the second-most-purchased drug by Indiana’s State undercover cops. The same report showed heroin use has increased by 21 percent from 2010 to 2011 in Marion County.

“One common thing is students from Indiana University coming to Indianapolis to buy heroin,” Allee said.

Ficus said the increase in heroin use is partly due to a supply strategy by dealers.

“When heroin was used heavily in the 80s and 90s, it was typically used by Vietnam vets,” Ficus said. “Now, heroin is being produced so that it can be snorted instead of injected. It’s more appealing to people who don’t like needles.”

Ficus said many heroin addicts start out addicted to painkillers.

“Many times, people graduate from painkillers to heroin,” Ficus said. “I’ve seen many people who start out taking Vicodin for a work-related injury, and they become addicted. After some time, painkillers won’t be enough to get them high, and they’ll turn to heroin, which in and of itself is cheaper.”

Both Ficus and Allee also said many people who become heroin addicts begin as a “social abuser.”

While many Butler University students like to watch men’s basketball games and try their hand in self-officiating, only a select few actually get the opportunity to take part in the real deal.

Students are getting that opportunity at the Health and Recreation Complex through the intramural program.

Student officials have to go through a two-day training period to become an official, said Emily Gadzichowski, intramural supervisor.

They spend one day in a classroom and one day in on-court training before getting experience in practice games at the HRC.

Colin Holmes, intramural supervisor, said they recruit officials to go through training via social media and callout meetings.

Holmes said the supervisors are in charge of off-court operations and leave it to officials to take care of games.

“We check out a lot of jerseys, we check and make sure scorecards and everything are right, (and) any type of injuries or misconducts are our main duties,” Holmes said. “And then if we see any way we can help out the refs off the court. That’s what we try to do.”

Senior official Jon Collar said he wanted the job because of his love for sports.

“I’ve been doing this for about three years,” Collar said. “I just really like sports, and it seemed like a good job on campus.”

Collar, who primarily officiates basketball and football games, said officiating events can be an exciting experience.

“It depends on the sport and who’s playing, but it can get pretty intense,” Collar said.

Sophomore official Austin Del Priore said he enjoys the experience of the on-campus job but isn’t sure whether he would like to continue officiating after college.

“We spend a lot of time training, and to get to the next level is pretty competitive, probably more than people realize,” he said.

Though it’s merely at the intramural level, most players seem to think the officials do a good job.

“Obviously they’re amateur officials,” Foster said. “They’re not doing a full-time job, but I feel like they’re doing a pretty good job. I’ve witnessed some training in the past, and they do a pretty strenuous process. And I think they do a pretty good job for the situation given.”

Butler University is continuing to identify energy improvements on campus with the welcoming of Amanda Doenges, the new campus engineer.

Upcoming projects include lighting controls and daylight sensors in the front lobby and the weightlifting and pool areas of the Health and Recreation Complex. The sensors will dim or turn lights off that are not needed when enough daylight is outside.

“The HRC is such a beautiful building, and it has such good solar exposure,” said Rich Michal, executive director of facilities. “It doesn’t make sense to have lights on in the middle of a sunny day.”

Another improvement Doenges and the maintenance department are looking at is occupancy sensors in the HRC restrooms and locker rooms that automatically turn off lights when they’re not needed.

Doegnes said they hope to have the HRC light sensors up and running after Spring Break.

Identifying energy improvements also includes Hinkle renovations. Doenges said she is looking at LED lighting and seeing how much energy and money could be saved for the university.

Doenges, whose first day on the job was Jan. 14, said she has a passion for researching energy-efficient alternatives, especially in the sector of higher education.

“My senior year of college, I took an energy efficiency class as an elective, and I fell in love,” Doenges said. “I’ve kind of always been interested in helping the environment and looking at the bigger picture, like how I can make an impact to save the world.”

Doenges went to the University of Dayton, where she received her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and her master’s in renewable and clean energy.

After college, she worked at Heapy Engineering, where she was the LEED project manager.

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Engery and Environmental Design, is a sustainability rating system for buildings. The system is funded by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The Schrott Center is pursuing LEED certification right now, Doenges said.

Senior Project Manager Craig Hardee said he will not know for sure about the building’s certification for a couple of months.

Buildings can earn LEED certification through a point-rating system scale after meeting certain LEED prerequisites.

Hardee said the points are based on how well the building does environmentally and how much energy the building can save.

The building earns points for the rain garden on its exterior, which naturally filters rainwater and reduces the collection of water in a drainpipe.

The building has occupancy sensors in the rooms to shut off lights when they are not needed. It also has water fountains and toilets that use less water, Hardee said.

Michal said they have committed to ensure all new buildings on campus will be LEED certified.

Doenges said she already has a sense of what working at Butler will be like.

Doenges said she likes all aspects of her job as well as how well the different colleges work together to make energy plans.

She uses listervs to ask other colleges how they are dealing with energy-efficiency issues on campus. She said she receives tons of responses and feedback on dealing with certain issues.

“I’d like to get us to the point where we’re recognized as being a super sustainable and energy efficient campus amongst all of our peers, especially in Indiana if not nationally recognized for it,” Doenges said.

Michal said the university always had a commitment to sustainability and has been at the forefront for years with different projects going on around campus.

“We want to be good financial stewards because energy and water are expensive, finite resources,” Michal said. “We need to do everything we can to not only be sustainable and reduce our carbon footprint but also to save money and make sure that the students who are investing in their education are getting the best quality and most efficient service that they can.”

The Health and Recreation Complex’s “Battle of the Bulldogs” had everything it advertised.

The event started out with an Aqua Obstacle Course that challenged its contestants with an obstacle course in the pool.

Next on the agenda was the popular Nerf Battle.

Many teams signed up to compete, and groups received Nerf guns and glow-in-the-dark sticks to represent what team they were on.

The lights were turned off, and tables and obstacles were set up on the battlefield for the contestants to hide behind.

“It’s a lot of fun,” freshman Bryan Richter said. “It’s good to kind of get that paintball atmosphere going and get some competition going. It’s just a good time with your friends.”

It was Richter’s first time participating in a late night event at the HRC.

The final event of the night was the Boot Camp. This was a class that worked out many of the contestants.

The HRC employed various students to work the event, including sophomore Danielle Thomas.

“It’s fun to see other aspects at the HRC other than just working out,” she said.

Thomas works at the HRC while helping out with late night events.

Workers said this event was planned quickly, and some workers were even getting the experience they want to help them in their career field.

“I want to plan events as a career,” said freshman Whitney VandenBos, who was working her first HRC late night event. “So any kind of experience I can get in that kind of field will help.”

She said the event went smoothly and she wants to work more events in the future.

Butler University Health Services is seeing a spike in the number of pink eye cases on campus recently.

Dr. Maria Fletcher, Health Services physician, said the clinic was seeing around 11 cases per day as of press time.

She said students with pink eye first started coming in after Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Health Services was only seeing about three or four cases per day then.

“It’s definitely not life-threatening.,” Fletcher said. “It’s definitely not horrible discomfort, but it is a nuisance because you see it. It’s in your face, so you can hardly ignore it.”

Recently, the Butler University community has seen statistics on both sexual behavior and mental health.
Together, they paint a surprising and saddening picture.
Of sexually-active students, contraceptive use is very infrequent.
And in more recent statistics, Butler students confessed in large numbers to feeling overwhelmed and even hopeless.
While no one can say for certain what the link between these might be, the statistics indicate a definite risk for recklessness.
Over 40 percent of both men and women who were respondents indicated they have felt hopeless.
Students have resources all around them.
The counseling service on campus is free for students.
Contraceptives are free through some events (including those sponsored by Demia) and also for purchase in the Apartment Village Dawghouse and C-Club.
Students need to recognize that actions they take here can have long-term consequences.
They also should do their best to take care of themselves.
Feeling of hopelessness and being overwhelmed are serious.
And Butler students do not have to face these feelings alone.
Meeting with one of the counselors at the HRC could not hurt.
College students are particularly busy and exposed to sleep deprivation, odd nutrition and complex relationships.
Some of these conditions are unavoidable, but it would hardly be college if these were all in balance.
But students need to seek out healthy outlets, as well.
Part of this response means the community should consider having a conversation about mental health.
People frequently describe various mental health issues as made up or whining.
But mental health issues are not something we democratically validate.
Depression is as real as the flu.
Not everyone who feels hopeless is depressed.
But college students put themselves through tons of stress.
They go to new living environments, work on short schedules and coordinate finances.
So they should take stress and mental health as seriously as they take exercising, eating and passing class.

Just like the long lines in Starbucks, spotting Blue II at the HRC and unpredictable Indiana weather, scaffolding and construction crews have been the norm around campus, especially at Jordan Hall.

The current construction projects on Jordan Hall include repairing the entryway near the old post office location and the entryway by the College of Education.

Jerry Carlson, director of maintenance services, said the entryway project near the old post office started last June when some bulges were noticed around the entrance.

The crews have been working on tearing down the wall, putting in new mortar, relaying the stones and putting new limestone around that entry’s arches. The other entryway project near the COE consists of similar repairs.

The repairs are addressing stones that have become loose due to mortar disintegration around them.

The post office entryway is set to be finished March 1. The budget for the project is approximately $700,000, Carlson said.

The university’s own five-person mason crew is working on the entrance near the COE, and that

funding comes from the operations budget.

Eventually, the plan is to relay the stones around the whole building, Carlson said.

Richard Michal, executive director of facilities, said he likes to think of Jordan Hall as the Golden Gate Bridge, which constantly has crews touching up the bridge’s paint.

Michal said the repairs are not structurally important as far as holding the building up, but weather wears on the stone walls.

When the mortar around the stones begin to break down, cracks conform and let moisture into the building, and cause bubbles in the paint and plaster on the walls.

Michal said the cracks in the walls are also what allow leaks when it rains. The stair towers in the building have covers on the ceilings to collect leakage.

“Those are the bane of my existence,” Michal said. “I want to get the whole building fixed so we can eliminate those and restore the building back to original beauty.”

Taking on that challenge has not been without its challenges.

Charles Truax, structures supervisor, said along with inclement weather conditions, the building itself can get in the way of renovation.

“It’s the scale of the size of the building,” Truax said. “You can’t work everywhere on the building at one time.

“We have to always make adjustments to be sensitive to the activities of the building. It can be quite noisy, which can disrupt classes.”

Truax said to be respectful of classes, the crews occasionally have to rearrange their schedules to work around class time.

The more than 80-year-old building will require more work, so Carlson said he hopes to have some deferred maintenance money identified so work can continue.

Jordan Hall has been under construction for more than 25 years, but Carlson said officials hopes this relaying of stones will be more of a permanent fix, rather than just touching up the walls at the mortar or joints between the stones.

The tuck-pointing, or touching up the mortar, was a quick fix to address leaks but only lasted four or five years, Truax said. The relaying of the stones should last closer to 20 years.

Next up for Jordan Hall is a five-year plan to address the building’s most vulnerable aspects, which include many of the entryways.

Specifically, the entryway just to the west of the post office entrance will be fixed next. Then, over the summer, crews will start working on the entrance near the president’s office.

Although crews are constantly doing preventative maintenance and it requires a lot of resource, Michal said it comes with the territory when dealing with historical landmarks like Jordan.

“It’s a blessing and a curse,” Michal said. “Our challenge is to recognize it as that. What great opportunity and what beautiful buildings to have. You can never rebuild those buildings or replace them.

“We’re stewards of these resources, and it’s our responsibility to protect them and to preserve them while also meeting the mission of the university to provide safe, comfortable environments for our students, faculty and staff.”

New data from Butler’s spring 2012 American College Health Association survey shows surprising information: Less than 50 percent of Butler students used contraception the last time they had sex.

The association surveyed 436 Butler students, all between 18 and 24 years of age, male and female, homosexual and heterosexual.

The actual wording of the question asked if students used any kind of contraception, including birth control and condoms, during the last time they participated in vaginal intercourse.

Only 48 percent of students answered “yes,” that they used a method of contraception. Of that 48 percent, 70 percent said they used a male condom.

In the survey, students could answer the question about contraception by saying that they

had never had vaginal intercourse.  Therefore, students who had not had sex did not account for the percent of students who did not use condoms.

Sarah Barnes Diaz, health education and outreach programs coordinator, said Student Health Services and the university have been trying to get this information out to students and find out why condom usage is so low on Butler’s campus.

“I have a hard time believing that access is an issue,” Diaz said. “Butler sells condoms at the convenience store in the Apartment Village, in vending machines in C-Club and we give them out in the (Health and Recreation Complex).”

Diaz has a large bucket of banana-flavored condoms in her office. At Student Health Services, every room—including the waiting room—has a variety of vanilla, chocolate and plain condoms and lubricants.

Dr. Maria Fletcher, physician at Student Health Services, said the new flavored condoms are somewhat of an encouragement.

“It’s a different way of viewing condom use,” Fletcher said. “It makes it seem less awkward and more fun, different and exciting. And people are definitely picking them up.”

Fletcher said over the last few years Student Health Services has made major changes to the way it approaches sexual health and contraception.

“We don’t want to look like we’re endorsing sex,” Fletcher said, “so we aren’t putting condoms in every bathroom or just throwing them out to people. What we are doing is keeping a steady balance between keeping condoms and contraception very available to students with a chance to breach a conversation at the same time.”

Fletcher said in every instance that students obtain free condoms, they will receive some kind of sexual health education or consultation.

“If you approach an issue casually, it will be dealt with casually,” Fletcher said. “We are continuing to make condom use and contraceptive use, STD and STI testing, all of that, an intentional decision for students, not a casual one.”

A common student excuse for not using condoms is that sexually transmitted diseases and infections are not very prevalent at Butler.

One female Butler student found out she contracted a sexually transmitted infection on Butler’s campus. After having sex only once, she contracted genital herpes.

“The threat to contract an STD or STI is very real, even at Butler,” she said. “There are so many different kinds that spread in different ways, and some you don’t even know that you have them until a breakout, like with genital herpes. They’re annoying, uncomfortable and not always treatable. Not only are they physically painful, but they can cause you to feel terrible mentally as well.”

She described the pain and discomfort that resulted from the infection and said an STD or STI is something that she “wouldn’t ever wish upon her worst enemy.”

She said she wanted students, especially females, to know that condoms are just as important to use as birth control.

“It’s not just the risk of getting pregnant that is out there,” she said. “It’s all the infections and diseases that go along with it.”

“Pregnancy can cause you to have to drop out of school, change serious plans and other things. But STDs and STIs can cause physical and mental damage to you and everyone else around you.”

Fletcher said people diagnosed with an STD or STI, especially women, typically feel betrayed and emotionally distraught.

Diaz said the likelihood for sexually transmitted infection is as likely on Butler’s campus as anywhere else.

“We know that today’s college kids live in a hookup culture, and this data supports that,” Diaz said. “But if students are having sex, we want them to know what precautions they can take to protect themselves from exposure to infections and pregnancy and how to go about taking said precautions.”

Fletcher said she has seen a number of cases of sexually transmitted diseases and infections on campus. Gonorrhea, chlamydia, HPV and herpes have all been or still are present on Butler’s campus. Others may have been present but not found or treated on campus.

“Girls will tell me, ‘But I haven’t been with anyone else, and neither has he,’” Fletcher said. “The naiveté is sad, and sometimes, people change a lot as a result of finding out they have an STD. In some cases, it isn’t, but in most, STDs are totally preventable, and that’s the most heartbreaking and angering part.”

The HRC holds “Get Yourself Tested Tuesdays,” where students can receive free, confidential STD testing.

Diaz said one goal of Butler’s health department is to reduce the negative stigma of testing on campus.

“The misconception is that testing is painful, expensive and embarrassing, and that’s certainly not the case,” Diaz said. “It’s not only for dirty people.”

Student groups like Greek Educators, Advocates and Resources and Peers Advocating Wellness for Students hold information sessions and events for students to discuss topics concerning student health and wellness on campus.

PAWS will be pairing with the Butler residence life department for the “That’s What She Said” program on Monday, Feb. 18, at 7:30 p.m. in JH141. Fletcher will be in attendance to answer questions students have submitted about sex and sexual health. Also, students can win “sex swag,” Diaz said.

Diaz said women should be prepared to protect themselves as well.

“It’s typically assumed that men will bring the condoms,” Diaz said, “but it doesn’t hurt for women to have some on hand. Contraceptives are not just for protecting against pregnancy. Women should be sure to actively protect themselves from infections as well.”

Diaz said she believes the discomfort of discussions about protection and contraception between new partners may contribute to low usage figures.

“We know that it’s a difficult conversation to have, especially the first time,” Diaz said. “It’s up to each pair to know when and how to have that conversation. Just go easy on it. It may be a brief moment of awkwardness and anxiety, but it is a much smarter decision in the long run.”

Road safety is a two-way street. Pedestrians and drivers need to be more respectful and aware of each other on the streets.
Walkers are a little too comfortable crossing campus streets. Last week, I almost hit two pedestrians because they walked across the street without paying attention to oncoming traffic. One of them was on the phone and did not look up the entire time he   was crossing the street.
If a driver happened to be distracted at that moment, the pedestrian could have been seriously injured or killed because of their disregard.
Nighttime drivers have to be especially cautious because walkers will just move into the street without regard to any oncoming traffic. Pedestrians act as though they are invincible.
Students walk down the middle of the street that runs behind Atherton and in front of Fairbanks with a sense of entitlement. Walkers could share the road and walk on the side, allowing traffic to pass.
Now that the weather has made driving conditions worse, pedestrians should be more cautious when they are on or around streets.
Safety and respect go both ways. Everyday drivers roll through stop signs and fly through crosswalks like they are the only ones on the road. It seems like every time I slow down to drive around the bend in front of the HRC, I have someone riding my bumper because I am going too slow for them.
Now that we are in the thick of winter, drivers need to be extra cautious about pedestrians and other drivers.
By slowing down and abiding by the laws, drivers drastically reduce their chances of harming themselves or someone else. Drivers need to remember that, if they hit someone, they will be held responsible if it is their fault or not.
It is in everyone’s best interest to respect others on the road.

A fresh wave of reinforcements has entered the war on all body parts pudgy, portly and plump.

To the dismay of many Health and Recreation Complex regulars, New Year’s intentions disrupt typical workout schedules.

So what can year-round health nuts do to cope with these gym greenhorns? For those of you who can’t wait until Spring Break is over, I’ve created a few tips to help you navigate the HRC.

Treadmills and ellipticals are often the first casualty in the assault on leftover holiday flab.

To avoid crowded treadmills or ellipticals, try running to and from the HRC or using the track upstairs.

Fickle Indiana weather may also give runners the chance to enjoy an outdoor jog. Local jogging routes are available on the HRC website.

Veterans accustomed to unlimited time on gym favorites like bench press or cables may be in for a rude awakening.

Meatheads looking for a way to work out their same upper body glam should try alternative exercises like flat dumbbell press, dumbbell flys or push-up routines. These exercises are easily accessible and will spice up your workout.

Players who want to hit the court may also find an influx of ex-athletes dominating the hardwood.

Those frustrated with long wait times in their pick-up games should look for fun fitness elsewhere.

Structured classes like turbo kick or pick-up games of water volleyball will burn just as many calories, are just as much fun and are typically far less prone to injuries.

In the case of resolutioners in the gym, the old saying “If you can’t beat them, join them,” is the best approach of acceptance and community.

The HRC is a place of self-improvement. People go to the gym to live a healthy lifestyle and improve themselves. This is a daunting task and deserves respect.

Regulars sometimes forget how intimidating the HRC can be to rookies.

If you view yourself as a seasoned HRC vet, why not put your muscle where your mouth is and encourage amateurs to keep up the hard work? After all, isn’t that the Butler Community of Care