A Butler University student attempted to bring a drug-testing product to the university this semester.

University officials told the student they would not promote the sale of the product Drink Detective on campus.

This action on the part of the administration seems to stand in direct contradiction to its stated goal of ensuring student safety.

Students can use Drink Detective to find out if anything has been added to the drink in a simple test.

This includes dangerous drugs.

Various officials assosciated with the university have spoken out about the product.

They bring up valuable points — The product is not comprehensive and does not completely guarantee safety.

In other words, the product does not promise “all-clear” reactions.

At the same time, it seems better than nothing.

Drink Detective does not create dangerous drugs or physically harm someone.

Any argument against it seems to ignore the existing problem of people drugging others through beverages.

It is very important to remember that even if this product were allowed on campus, no one is responsible for being drugged.

However, if some individuals choose to use the product, there seems to be no reason to stop them.

Having Drink Detective available on campus should not be seen any differently than offering self-defense classes or promoting educational programs about safe drinking.

None of these programs actually address the cause of predatory behavior.

The ideal solution to any attempted drugging is to force the perpetrators to stop their behavior.

However, some individuals may wish to take action to protect themselves.

The university should do everything in its power to make that happen when the action does not endanger other students.

Butler officials bring up an important point—Drink Detective, and any product like it, cannot fix drugging problems or promise safety.

At the core, though, safety should not be left to the student either way.

The university’s focus should be all for making it incredibly difficult to behave in ways that harm other students.

Making a drug-testing product like this available on campus does not endanger students or create a culture of fear.

It also does not absolve any officials of their responsibility to keep students safe.

If more knowledge about the prevalence of drugging drinks makes people nervous, perhaps this campus needs to be more aware.

Either way, students have a right to know what is going on around campus when it impacts their safety.

And they have a right to know what they’re sipping.

A group of students recently decided to protest Aramark’s food quality by boycotting all the campus dining halls.

Although the frustrations are understandable, students should be more patient and appreciate the changes made at the Atherton Union Marketplace.

The dining hall has come a long way in the last year.

Students fail to remember the sandwich bar, Mongolian grill, pizza bar and dish conveyor belt are all new features.

From the food to the silverware, Atherton is a completely new and improved place.

In total, the school spent $2.5 million improving the dining hall’s options and atmosphere.

Not only did Butler improve the dining hall, but administrators also  took the feedback they were getting from students and changed the meal plan system to better accommodate student’s preferences.

If students were to walk into Atherton around this time last year, it would be completely unrecognizable.

The quality of the food and the facility have both improved considerably.

No, Atherton is not a five-star restaurant.

It is a cafeteria, and the food is at the same level as most campus dining halls.

To continue complaining is ridiculous, and students need to realize they cannot have everything they want.

Students should not eat there with the expectations of a gourmet restaurant.

With a television and homey setting, the Atherton environment is better than the boring setting of a standard cafeteria.

It has also expanded food selections, adding the sandwich bar and Mongolian station.

The cost to attend Butler is incredibly high.

But that money was and is still being put to good use, as seen in the improved dining hall and food options.

Individuals—from second-year students on up—who have overwhelming issues with Atherton can simply drop the meal plan and pay for their own groceries.

And if students start buying groceries, they will likely save money in comparison to the cost of Butler’s average meal plan.

Granted, first-year students cannot take this measure.

Instead, they could voice their concerns in a productive, worthwhile manner.

They could petition Aramark to improve their food quality and choices.

They could set up a protest where their voices are directly heard by the community.

They can leave recommendations in comment boxes in the dining hall if they have concerns.

Without giving any sort of feedback, students cannot expect Aramark or the administration to make any changes.

In this sense, a student boycott of Atherton would not work because students still pay the fee for the meal plans whether or not they eat at the dining halls.

If you make a comment, give administrators ample time to respond and examine the complaint.

Changes do not happen overnight and it takes time, energy and money to improve the facilities on campus.

Plans for a residence hall and parking garage have come to light.

Vice President of Student Affairs Levester Johnson unveiled a few residence hall floor plans at the Student Government Association meeting on Oct. 24 for representatives to discuss.

Administrators and SGA have a huge opportunity to connect to students by involving them in the planning process.

This change can bring the community together by incorporating everyone’s voice while developing the building.

To allow this public forum to happen, administrators, SGA officials and anyone involved in the development process need to market the events.

If and when administrators publicly present blueprints for this project, they should inform the entire student body so everyone can voice an opinion.

Students have a deep and undeniable stake in this project.

Students invest in university projects with tuition dollars.

Finances aside, students have several other reasons to be involved in this process.

If students feel they have a direct impact on aspects of the building, they will likely feel much better about the future state of the university.

The idea of leaving a visible legacy is especially appealing for students.

It would be incredible to return to Butler as an alumnus and point out a building that you helped create.

Perhaps most importantly, the student body’s college  experience would bring a needed perspective in how the building is constructed.

Students may have a different opinion than administrators and trustees about how the project should develop.

Due to the high stakes students have in this plan, the administration must ensure that students have many opportunities to voice their ideas.

Butler University’s small size and connectedness make it simple to gather student input.

Administrators could send out a survey over BUmail to get ideas from students.

They should also use BUmail to publicize future meetings and events about the developing projects.

More public forum events, similar to President Jim Danko’s discussion about the Student Strategic Vision last week, should be formed to discuss these changes.

If another discussion about developing building plans happens at SGA, members could let campus know through the organization’s Twitter account.

When these significant discussions happen at SGA, officers should publish the minutes through either the Butler Connection or BUmail for those who miss the meeting.

No matter how the leaders on campus decide to incorporate the student body in these decisions, they should not pass up the opportunity to do so.

Otherwise, they miss a chance to bring the Butler community together to make vital positive changes for the community.

Bill Lynch’s career path has come full circle.

He played football and basketball at Butler, and after a series of football coaching jobs, he finds himself back at his alma mater.

After 33 years of coaching football, including 18 as a head coach, Lynch has now been serving as one of Butler’s associate athletic directors since March 2011.

Lynch is the associate athletic director for development, as well as the football sport administrator. He helps manage the Bulldog Club, which provides annual donations to athletics.

The Bulldog Club gets gifts from alumni, faculty and community members to help provide benefits to athletics, such as the current Hinkle Fieldhouse renovations.

Lynch said he considers himself to be a “point person” for the campaign, as he helps the fundraising process.

Lynch began his coaching career as an assistant football coach for the Bulldogs before becoming the head coach in 1985. He led the team to four conference championships in five seasons before going to Ball State as an assistant.

Lynch’s successor as head coach at Butler was former football teammate Ken LaRose, who is now the radio color commentator for Butler football.

“He’s a winner ever since I knew him,” LaRose said.

Lynch’s first head coaching position was with the Cardinals from 1995 to 2002, where he led the team to one bowl game and two division championships.

After one season as head coach at DePauw in 2004, Lynch served as an assistant at Indiana University for two seasons. He then became head coach of the Hoosiers for four seasons, earning a trip to the Insight Bowl in his first season.

Lynch came to Butler in  1972 as a student and played both football and basketball. Lynch said he took a lot away from his playing days with the Bulldogs.

“I think it’s like anybody that looks back at a playing career,” Lynch said. “It’s the relationships you’ve built and the friendships and the ones that have lasted throughout the years.”

Lynch played right after Tony Hinkle retired, during a transitional period, but he said it was a great experience. He said the team played to a degree of success, but it pales in comparison to the recent success of the men’s basketball team.

Butler Athletic Director Barry Collier played basketball with Lynch for the Bulldogs and said Lynch was the first Butler student he ever made contact with.

In the summer of 1974, Collier received a recruitment letter from Lynch, who was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha chapter at Butler, and Collier eventually became Lynch’s fraternity brother.

Collier, who transferred to Butler as a junior, said he was impressed how easily Lynch made the transition from football season to basketball season.

“He was a leader on the team immediately,” Collier said. “He was kind of a ‘player-coach’ on the floor, because of how he relied on experience and knowledge to succeed as much as he did physicality.”

Collier said a lot people think Lynch and Butler are synonymous.

“Whether that makes him ‘Mr. Butler,’ I don’t know,” Collier said.

LaRose said he likes the title of Mr. Butler for Lynch.

“He is the perfect ambassador for Butler in the position that he is in,” LaRose said.

“When you think of Butler, many people think of Bill Lynch,” Collier said. “And when you mention Bill Lynch, many people think of Butler.”

Students should be more accountable for the information that administrators send to them.

Focusing on information that administrators circulate at the beginning of each semester is critical because every year there are important new policies that students should know.

Administrators utilize many tools to try and open lines of communication for students, including email, the Butler Connection, and mail.

According to Sally Click, dean of student services, email is the official form of communication between the two factions.

Email is also a good choice among some students.

When  junior Sam Foust was asked which form of communication he finds most effective, he said, “Email, because at least I can see the head line of it. So I can at least get an idea of what it’s about.”

Every year, administrators send out the “Know the Code” email, which provides students with a link to the handbook.

Click said this year only 48 percent of students opened this email.

Only 2 percent of students who opened this message went to the handbook link or visited the student conduct website.

Some might say they receive too many emails on a daily basis, and reading them all is tedious.

Still, the load of emails isn’t an excuse for not knowing the rules.

Students might also point out that administrators are not faultless in this matter.

For instance, administrators could have marked the “Know the Code” emails with the red exclamation point to let students know that the content of this email is important.

Although administrators could do things a little differently, it isn’t their job to spoon-feed information to each student.

Ultimately, students need to meet administrators half-way to better communicate.

Students should be proactive in obtaining the information they need to know.

OUR POINT THIS WEEK: Butler looks to the future with new majors, improved facilities and new administration. | VOTE: 33-0-1

One word defined Butler University during the 2011-12 academic year: transition.

From the inauguration of a completely new president to the installation of a new fireplace in the Market Place at Atherton Union, the changes kept rolling all year.

While all major changes are sure to bring about some less-than-desirable outcomes, the promising improvements on campus tend to get overlooked.

Looking back, new programs have blossomed, new facilities are being constructed and the strategic discussions on this campus have become extremely forward thinking—all during the course of one academic year.

Butler has much to be excited about and has many new opportunities to explore, but we can’t rest on our laurels. There is much room to expand on the achievements we have already made.

Dance, theater and music students will finally get a larger, necessary recital hall when the Howard L. Schrott Center for the Performing Arts opens. The budding art + design program recently received much needed studio and gallery space by expanding its program into the former Academy of Dance Annex.

Arts aren’t the only programs to gain ground this semester. Entirely new majors, such as the peace studies, risk management and communication organization programs will be available next semester.

All these new programs are ripe for inter-college collaboration, something that university administrators and deans  should focus on as Butler moves forward.

While academics are thriving, Butler’s athletic programs continue to set a high example of professionalism, despite increased outside scrutiny in the national collegiate athletic arena.

President Jim Danko and his cabinet are doing the right thing by putting an increased focus on compliance with federal and local laws. Moving forward, Butler needs to make sure that any potential violation is investigated and resolved  so that Butler maintains a clean slate.

Administratively, Danko came in ready to institute real change and listened to student concerns from his first day.

While his national tour to promote Butler kept him busy, he didn’t stop responding to student emails personally and holding student office hours. This needs to continue.

Another promising sign: When ideas have gone awry and problems have developed, Danko’s administration generally remained transparent, even though it sometimes meant answering difficult questions and admitting potential flaws.

Moving forward, Student Government Association should strive for better transparency and openness, as well as strive to hold its members more accountable to following the SGA constitution.

Butler is not perfect. We don’t live in a utopia. But we made considerable progress over this past year, especially during a transitional period.

Butler will only continue to improve as long as every member of the community continues to strive for positive, dynamic change.

On April 18, Butler University’s Office of Student Affairs released the numbers from  its diversity survey.

The data revealed that most Butler students do not believe the school is very diverse.

Specifically, 71 percent of students of color and/or gay and lesbian students thought this.

If students, faculty and staff want to see a more inclusive university, everyone needs to take responsibility and not simply “encourage” diversity.

Students of diverse backgrounds are uniquely positioned to see this in action.

Each member of the community—from administrators to students—must take action to see a more respectful, diverse community at Butler.

Butler’s public relations materials talk about encouraging a worldview that considers other cultures and perspectives equal.

The community should not take these statistics negatively though.

Whether students think so or not, the university is not very diverse.

When respondents see that, the community demonstrates self-awareness.

And that means we have the opportunity to improve.

The university may indeed want to see more diversity.

But when the community stays relatively the same, perhaps inclination is not enough.

Everyone needs to take the commitment to diversity beyond simply tolerating others or wanting more obvious examples of multicultural students.

In other words, Butler and the people who make up the university all need to improve the school with direct action.

That starts with little gestures.

The university should consider converting some of the existing restrooms on campus into gender-neutral ones.

Any sort of deliberate move to include people of differing backgrounds speaks louder than mission statements do.

The university needs to find ways to work with the community and make Butler less of an island.

The bubble should not have such tough boundaries.

But a big part of responsibility falls on every student as well—myself included.

Students answered their surveys by saying that as few as 28 percent participate in diversity events.

This is unacceptable, especially when so many respondents say they want to see more diversity.

All of us, need to get involved.

Attend the events and take advantage of all the programs Butler offers.

Our community demonstrates over and over again that philanthropy and fundraisers are important.

Butler students should channel that energy to improve things close to home as well.

A more inclusive community makes everyone stronger.

And the events themselves help allies and activists unite over their common goals.

Any effort to build community support is better than nothing.

So the students must take advantage of the groups and events on campus.

And the university absolutely must do its part to include people of diverse backgrounds through accessible facilities and programs.

In any community, the free flow of information plays a vital role in people being able to do their jobs.

Butler University needs to take ownership of and interact with the newspaper and all other forms of media in a constructive and collaborative manner.

The Butler Collegian—among other media outlets connected to the university—belongs to the entire community.

This is true of every newspaper but particularly at colleges like Butler.

In such a small population, each individual’s voice matters more than it does at bigger schools.

When people participate in the discussion, whether they love or hate an issue, the community is strengthened.

In other words, voice your opinions to campus media about how you feel about important issues.

Participate.

Even a single opinion can redirect the media’s focus.

In this nation, journalism is valued because it comforts the afflicted and holds public officials accountable for their actions.

That includes issues that happen out of sight or that may go unnoticed.

Like any part of democracy, newspapers function only as well as their community.

If anyone feels that issues are being ignored, they owe it to the newspaper to say so.

The same is true when readers feel that issues are getting too much attention.

Without input or interaction, Butler grows weaker.

If no one offers criticism, those in power may not see their shortcomings.

That goes for journalists, too.

Everyone in the Butler community can and should demand nothing less than the best from both the administration and student media.

Participate in readership surveys. Attend open forums and town hall-style meetings. Write letters to the editor.

Discuss important issues with anyone who will listen.

If students, faculty and staff feel that power is being abused—it is not simply a right to challenge it.

It is a sacred duty.

If someone feels he or she is going unheard, he or she must speak up.

Every perspective in the community has value and should be given a chance.

So do your part: Voice your perspective.

Published April 10, 2012

OUR POINT THIS WEEK: Hiring unnecessary staff while vital positions are being cut is not the way to help Butler students succeed | VOTE: 27-0-4

A core curriculum program  $400,000 in the red. Four percent increases in tuition.

Recent controversies whirling around campus seem to be following the tone of money, money, money.

Despite all of these fiscal mishaps and concerns, Butler University’s administration stands unfazed with its hands on its wallet. Butler President Jim Danko will be hiring three “advising staff” for the sole purpose of “mitigating student concerns.”

While these three overqualified individuals fill up space in the administrative offices, several committed, necessary faculty and staff are being undervalued.

From faculty put on constant one-year contracts—deservedly or not—to the elimination of the College of Communication’s internship coordinator, people on campus directly involved in “student concerns” are being removed while Danko stuffs his office with unnecessary positions.

Even worse, when approached about the elimination of CCOM’s internship coordinator, Interim Provost Kathryn Morris said it was simply a CCOM problem.

The problem is that some CCOM majors require an internship in order to earn their degree, not to mention that internships guarantee an increased likelihood of scoring a job after graduation.

The provost’s job is to oversee the university and ensure that students recieve the best education possible, and that includes involving herself in the grimy issues of the individual colleges.

By writing off the administration-mandated termination of a position that greatly benefits students as a college problem, the administration makes itself appear callous to the concerns students have about their education.

This administrative tendency to appear and act out-of-touch affects more than just CCOM. It stretches campus wide.

This becomes especially clear when looking 15 years back, during a financial crisis. Despite the severity of the situation, the administration found ways to retain and fund crucial positions, including the internship coordinator.

Students, staff and other community members have voiced their worries about widespread issues including parking, hiked tuition, financial aid and underfunded classes and programs.

But the administration has not proposed a long-lasting solution or, rather, not prioritized its spending in a way that reflects student concerns.

Instead of finding ways to work with the current budget to fund the core or save some vital positions, Danko’s administration has taken money from the same “underfunded” system to pay for three positions.

Instead of making pay equitable or expanding swamped departments, money is spent on installing fireplaces in Atherton and purchasing a Charger for the Butler University Police Department.

Instead of concrete, honest solutions and outlooks on Butler’s multitude of issues, we have more evasive answers and mixed messages about Butler being a “community of care.”

Enough politicking.  Enough unclear goals and innovation funds.

Butler administrators, if they really believe we live in a community of care, should prioritize spending to improve the very reason for their existence: the students and their educations.

The remaining portion of the Butler University Student Government Association’s 2012-13 budget will most likely be approved today at assembly, said Dan Schramm, vice president of finance.  SGA approved almost half of its budget at the last meeting.

“Only some of the smaller boards remain,” Schramm said. “If it isn’t approved this week, it will be the week after.”

It is the first time the next year’s budget has been approved by the previous year’s administration.

The new system is designed to give boards more time to schedule events, since they will now know over the summer how much money they have, said Schramm.

The new budgeting system will most benefit Program Board, said Council on Presidential Affairs Chair Mike Tirman.

Program Board makes up more than 54 percent – the largest part of the $655,000 budget.

Derek Friederich, next year’s vice president of finance, said one of the main things he is focused on improving next year is utilizing R.E.A.C.H. grants more effectively.

“R.E.A.C.H. programming on this campus has potential,” Friederich said. “Next year we need to focus on publicizing more awareness.”

Tirman introduced a new line item under the CPA’s expenses, which is designed to make the campus more “green” through advertisement, and programs like Recylemania.

“One of my hopes last year was that I wanted to expand CPA’s role in sustainability,” Tirman said. “I think we were successful this year, and this new line item will help us improve even more.”

Most of CPA’s $13,000 budget this year was used for green programs, Tirman said.

CPA brought the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment contract to President Jim Danko this year, which puts Butler on a path toward sustainability and carbon neutrality, Tirman said.

The new system of budgeting has pros and cons, SGA President-elect Mike Keller said.

Friederich said one of the main advantages of the budgeting system is the communication between the old and new executives.

“I like the new system because you get the old executives’ knowledge, combined with the new executives’ ideas,” Friederich said.

Keller said one of the disadvantages of the new system is that new executive board members are not familiar with SGA and therefore may have difficulty budgeting.

Schramm also said it is difficult not knowing the definite dollar amount while budgeting, whereas in the past the university could provide SGA with a better number.

“We have to go off a $655,000 assumption, which is a safe number,” Schramm said.

Keller said as president he plans to tweak the budgeting system.

“It needs to be late enough for new executive members to become more acclimated and talk to the right people,” Keller said. “It is a step in the right direction though.”

SGA assembly approves the budget in chunks by a simple majority after executive members have a meeting to discuss the budget, Keller said.

Prior to voting, the assembly goes over the budget line by line and has a discussion about it, Keller said.

The budget can be amended at any point during the year by a simple majority, Keller said, but Schramm said budget amendments are rare.