While this may be Butler’s first year in the Atlantic 10 Conference, Blue II and Trip have already made a name for themselves on the East Coast with their Big Dawgs Tour.

Over the weekend, the Butler bulldogs headed to Washington D.C. with Michael Kaltenmark, director of web marketing communications and the dogs’ caregiver, to see the sights, cheer on their team, and meet with their mascot counterparts.

On Friday morning, Blue II and Trip were introduced to Georgetown’s bulldogs, Jack and Jack Jr.—also known as JJ.

The dogs hung out for about three and a half hours, and though Blue II and Trip were initially apprehensive of the Georgetown duo, they were able to get along, Kaltenmark said.

“There were a couple tense moments,” Kaltenmark said. “Jack and JJ were protecting their turf, but once we got them outside, they were fine.”

As the Butler dogs roamed around campus, they were continuously acknowledged and welcomed by the Georgetown community.

Continuing their journey through Washington D.C., the dogs visited the national mall to see the monuments and attended Butler’s game against George Washington University. While seeing the sights, the dogs were repeatedly recognized by the locals.

“When we would be out and about on the street, the D.C. residents knew who the dogs were. You expect to get that type of respect in Indianapolis,” Kaltenmark said. “In D.C., they knew that they were the Butler dogs, and this wasn’t just one time.”

Blue II and Trip also had the chance to visit the National Public Radio headquarters to be a part of its new campaign, “I Heart NPR.”

Along with famous musicians and actors also involved with the campaign, the dogs had a glamorous photo to show their support for NPR.

“These handsome devils were itching to show their NPR love,” wrote Caitlin Sanders in her campaign blog. “So excited, in fact, that they could barely sit still!”

At the game, as Blue II strutted around the court, George Washington fans were enthralled with Butler’s live mascots.

Many fans wanted to meet Blue II and get a picture. Blue II even had a famous fan eager to meet him.

Luke Russert, son of Tim Russert and an NBC news correspondent, jumped at the chance to get a picture with Blue II and even tweeted the picture.

This trip showed the national recognition that Blue II and Trip are beginning to gain.

“On one circumstance, yes, I am little bit surprised,” Kaltenmark said. “But once I see the pictures of the Butler bulldogs and the Georgetown bulldogs together, then it doesn’t surprise me that the outlets want it and the fans want to see them.”

The Big Dawgs Tour has taken Butler’s bulldog mascots to Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Louisville, Nashville, Dayton and Columbus, according to the tour’s webpage on www.butlerblue.com.

With the D.C. attention the dogs received, Kaltenmark is looking forward to taking Blue II and Trip to visit the Big Apple this weekend. Although it is a busy city, Blue II and Trip will likely be noticed.

Group projects no longer require an actual meeting and date nights can be planned via mobile applications…Welcome to a new age of technology and a campus accessible anywhere in the world. 

The days of scouring the library for empty tables to accommodate group members appear to be coming to a close.

Now students do not even have to meet with their groups to complete a group project.

Butler University’s Information Technology has launched a new way to stay connected on campus by promoting and encouraging students to use Google Docs—a part of Google Apps.

Google Docs is a suite of tools designed to help make group collaboration easier, said Tyler Johnston, the systems support project coordinator for the IT department.

“The reaction [from the students] has been overwhelmingly positive,” Johnston said.  “We’re really excited about that.”

The new tool allows students to chat about a document, make changes and read it all in real time.

Students can access the document from anywhere in the world—Study abroad students, that means you too.

Johnston said that more than 700 students have logged in since the program’s launch last Thursday.

Even Butler Blue II was spotted using Google Docs to help train Blue III.

Google saw the tweet documenting

Blue III’s education and retweeted it, causing it to go viral.

“As Tyler says, we use the dog to our advantage,” said Sandy Meers, a junior management and information systems major.

Who can resist a face like that?

Kodi Colip, a senior marketing and art + design major, said that social media and technology are important for universities because it helps keep them current.

“We need to stay with the students,” Colip said.  “We need to make sure we don’t fall behind.”

Colip said that other college campuses have apps designed for their students, and Butler is working to move its technology in that direction.

For instance, the university’s website has a more condensed version that is accessible from a mobile device that highlights what is most important to students.

Athletic schedules, dining options and the Student Government Association shuttle schedule are available at the touch of a finger.

Students can even check what books are available in the library for their next research paper.

However, the walks through campus to class are not going away any time soon, and technology cannot replace every aspect of a classroom.

Since just about every student and his roommate has a smartphone, mobile apps have evolved from just fun and games into useful tools.

Need to stay organized and have a straight schedule?

Want to keep track of your spending in Broad Ripple?

Looking for new places to eat on the weekend?

No worries—there’s an app for that.