Irene Stevens, Butler University’s dean of student life, will retire at the end of the school year.

Stevens has served under five university presidents and has seen the university double in student enrollment during her 15 years at Butler.

“I have seen the university evolve from a local institution to a regional institution,” Stevens said. “It has been fun to watch Butler grow in such a way because of not only its athletics but because of its programming and its students and the people here.”

Retirement will come with more time for travel, golf and community service, she said.

Stevens said she will miss the people at Butler most when she leaves her office in Atherton Union for the last time.

“The people have made this job what it is,” Stevens said. “Working on a college campus keeps me young.”

Butler University has reached a deal with Securitas, which will work security at large-scale events where alcohol is served on campus.

Sally Click, dean of student services, said Butler enforced a hiatus on Greek or large-scale events due to the lack of  a security company able to cover the alcohol-related risk.

In years past, student groups could hire off-duty security from Marion County law enforcement to work as the required security at their events.

Last summer, Marion County decided it no longer wanted to work these types of events.  The decision was not due to any incident but made in terms of general liability, said Becky Druetzler, director of Greek life.

Now that Securitas is willing to provide services, groups can register their events and request to serve alcohol if they so choose.

Groups must be approved before they serve alcohol and follow certain criteria as listed in the student handbook.

If a group requests to serve alcohol, stipulations include presence of security, approval at least two weeks in advance, good standing of the group and no alcohol purchases made with university funds.

“For the most part, it deals with how to manage our risk to provide fun and safe activities for everybody that fit within the parameters of the law and university policies,” Click said.

Along with risk management, Click said the task force wants to work on educating students on alcohol policy and the consequences for breaking it.

“Our primary concern is that students are making healthy choices and choices that will allow them to be healthy and successful Butler students,” said Sarah Barnes Diaz, health education and outreach programs coordinator.

Throughout the year, Diaz said a lot of conversation about the alcohol policy goes on to make sure students are educated on the topic.

New this year, incoming students must complete an online educational module before they come to campus. Named My Student Body, the class educates incoming students on alcohol, drugs and sexual assault.

Diaz said this helps make sure every student comes in with baseline knowledge of those critical issues and how they relate to Butler’s policies.

The task force is recommending taking out the pages in the handbook refering to the rule of requesting to have an event.  Even if taken out of the handbook, the rule will still remain in the policy.

“We just need the essential things that everybody needs to know (in the handbook), then link to it for people that are party planners,” Click said.

Druetzler said the committee that chose this company—which included herself, fraternity leadership, Assistant Police Chief Bill Weber and Dean of Student Life Irene Stevens—is professional and will work well with students while being proactive if issues occur at events.

The company has not been used yet because no event this semester has required its services.

All over the country, people are celebrating women and their contributions to society.
At Butler, REACH; Demia; the Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies department; Student Affairs; Health Education; the Diversity Center and the residence life department are all celebrating March as National Women’s History Month with a wide variety of activities and events.
“It’s good, especially for young women on our campus, to see strong female leaders,” said Sarah Barnes Diaz, health education and outreach programs coordinator and one of last year’s recipients of the Women of Distinction Award.
The goal of the month is not only to encourage appreciation of women but also to draw awareness about issues of concern for women on campus to provide support, Diaz said.
During the month of March, different groups will host conversational events, wellness events and events to praise and celebrate women’s contributions.
Demia will host another protest celebrating women and their rights, and the counseling and consultation services center will host a positive body talk program. Diaz is optimistic that the open discussion will help students looking for support with their body image issues.
“There’s no one way to be a strong contributor to society,” Diaz said. “These events can help to highlight some of those opportunities.”
Maya Angelou will come to Butler as part of the Diversity Lecture Series, along with other lecturers­—including Nadja Halilbegovich, Butler’s first student recipient of the Women of Distinction Award.
“We’ll all learn about some of the amazing things women are doing in society,” Diaz said.
Today, the committee will review the nominations and choose a faculty member, staff member and senior student to recognize for their contributions to campus.
“It’s such a fun process because it’s really neat to see the work that folks have done that doesn’t always get recognized,” Diaz said.
Many women being honored this year have made contributions through their work in the community, support of students and, occasionally, through their efforts as activists, said Irene Stevens, dean of student life and one of the coordinators of Women’s History Month.
“Women are often not remembered for their accomplishments, and their work goes unrecognized,” Stevens said. “This is a result of a variety of reasons: history books being written by men, women often work behind the scenes and don’t take the limelight and their work related to being a caregiver is often not valued as much as other kinds of work.
“If women had more responsibility in decisions, there wouldn’t be half the problems the world has,” said Pam Crea, one of the nominees and the secretary for the sociology and international studies department. “Who’s stronger than a bunch of females together?”

The alcohol task force is discussing possible changes to Butler University’s current alcohol policy.

The current alcohol policy was created in 2002. Irene Stevens, dean of student life, said, since then, the number of hospitalizations due to alcohol, arrests, sexual assaults and summons tickets have increased dramatically.

This school year, seven student arrests have been made. This time last year, only five arrests were made.

Summons tickets are new to Butler, and 34 tickets have been given out this school year between excise police and Butler University Police Department.

“Student affairs and the alcohol task force are concerned with the increases in these areas,” Stevens said. “That’s what has prompted us to change the policy.”

Stevens said the task force’s job is to analyze the culture of campus and decide if the current policy is effective or needs revision.

“The whole purpose of the task force is to look at how we can best encourage students how to be responsible and make good decisions,” Stevens said.

The alcohol task force is comprised of faculty and students, both Greek and independent. The task force itself is divided into two different committees—policy enforcement and education.

Junior Craig Fisher said his role as a Student Government Association representative on the alcohol task force helps give more student perspectives when dealing with possible policy changes.

“My main goal as an SGA representative on the task force is to make sure that student interests are well-represented,” Fisher said. “That’s the goal of all of the students on the task force.”

Fisher said he and the rest of the members of the task force began discussing possible changes to the current alcohol policy over the summer.

“The changes are in response to an increase in statistics of high-risk drinking and alcohol-related incidents.” Fisher said. “We decided that the policy definitely needed to be explored more.”

Fisher and Stevens both said clarity is a major goal for the new policy.

“Right now, I think the alcohol policy on campus is unclear,” Fisher said. “A clearer message is definitely something we want to work towards.”

Stevens said student affairs and the alcohol task force plan on holding many informational sessions with students after the policy is changed.

“We’ll hold meetings with students, forums, and go to SGA,” Stevens said. “We’ll also promote the new policy so that students will have a very good understanding on what exactly the rules are on campus.”

Sophomore Jeff Petty said he thinks increased clarity in the campus alcohol policy would be beneficial to students.

“I would really like to see more consistency with punishments,” Petty said. “It would be great if we students could be made more aware as to what exactly is and isn’t allowed and what will be punished.”

Junior Vinnie Taibi said the presence of excise police especially has created confusion with the drinking policy on campus.

“Right now, people don’t really seem to understand what’s going on as far as excise and punishments are concerned,” Taibi said. “I wish that the school could explain completely and concisely what exactly is going on.”

Stevens said student concerns will be taken into account during the discussion period of policy changes and that students will be asked to contribute their opinions in forums.

The task force plans to have a proposal to the administration ready by January.

Published Sept. 18, 2012

A student shot another student in the head and shoulder with a pellet gun at Apartment Village on Sept. 11.

Ben Hunter, chief of staff and executive director of public safety, refused to release the full incident report. The Collegian was granted access to a redacted version of the report.

Around 6 p.m., Officer Jason Downs and Sgt. Tony Rivera of Butler University Police Department responded to a call from the victim at Apartment Village Building H.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found the victim had bloody welts near her ear and on her shoulder, according to the report.

The victim was able to identify where the shots came from. Officers then questioned the suspect, a black male student, who said he aimed at the victim and shot her with the air pellet gun.

Officers then photographed the evidence, which included an air pellet gun and pellets, according to the report.

The victim declined to press criminal charges. The case has been referred to the office of Student Affairs.

As of press time, Irene Stevens, dean of student life, said that the case was still in the disciplinary process and that hearings had not yet concluded.

Stevens said that university policy prevented her from commenting further on the matter.

Hunter said that the case is still open and that the victim may still decide to press charges.

The incident is listed on the daily crime log maintained by BUPD in accordance with the Clery Act, a federal law that requires campus crimes to be recorded.

Room 103 in Apartment Village Building H, is the listed location in the report, which is open to public inspection and can be found on BUPD’s website.

When The Collegian attempted to contact those living in the apartment, a woman answered the door. She said that she had heard about the incident but had no comment on the details.

Collegian sources have linked former men’s basketball player Chrishawn Hopkins to the incident.

University officials have not confirmed or denied these reports. Hopkins has not commented on the issue.

A prospective student organization was denied endorsement by the Student Government Association last Wednesday, and is up for appeal today.

The National Society for Leadership and Success was presented before SGA executives and was denied endorsement.

SGA Assembly will now listen to the NSLS’s presentation, and will vote to pass it or not.

If the NSLS is approved in the SGA assembly, Irene Stevens, dean of student life, and PuLSE Office Director Caroline Huck-Watson will then review it.

Brian Hannon, the president of the NSLS if it is approved, understands SGA’s initial hesitation but says the organization will help Butler students.

“I think the group was initially rejected by the SGA board because they were worried the fees required to start the organization are too much and too corporate-based,” Hannon said in an email “It is their responsibility to protect the student body from getting scammed, so I understand their viewpoint.”

“The networking possibilities, nationally-recognized speakers and community service events all would be a huge benefit to this campus,” Hannon said.

SGA President Mike Keller said that when the NSLS presented, there were specific parts of the group’s constitution that caused concern.

The financial aspect of the constitution stated that an $85 admission fee to the group was required for each new student.

Of that $85, only $5 went back to Butler University, and $80 went to the national headquarters of the group.

Keller also said that a 3.0 GPA was required to be eligible for the group, which he said did not seem high enough to be considered an honors group, especially here at Butler.

“We really didn’t feel comfortable saying this was a good organization for the students because it would take away money from other groups that are more beneficial,” Keller said.

Marielle Slagel, SGA vice president of operations, said the whole presentation made the SGA executives question if this group could really benefit Butler.

“We are looking out for students and the campus community and are skeptical of the membership fee as well as the benefits that students would receive from the National Society of Leadership and Success,” Slagel said.

Even though Stevens has not seen the group this year, she said that the same group attempted to start a chapter here at Butler in the past.

Two years ago the NSLS made a presentation to Huck-Watson, and she raised her initial concerns to Stevens.

Huck-Watson researched the group online and told Stevens that it is a “for-profit” group, in which the NSLS had to raise thousands of dollars a year just to support its own programs.

The online website for the NSLS boasts 221,000 members yet its membership benefits said there is $100,000 available in scholarships. So if each member were to receive benefits. each individual would only receive $0.45.

“There are better ways to go for a leadership group than to pay a lot of money to a for-profit organization, in my opinion,” Stevens said.

The NSLS will present to SGA Assembly this afternoon.

If upperclassmen are as punishable as freshmen for alcohol violations, then they should receive the same information the freshman do.

Over the summer, the administration revamped the alcohol policy on campus.

The administration forbade freshmen from going inside Greek houses until after last Monday.

Another policy change is that there are no fines for alcohol violations.

Instead, students will have to do a community restoration activity that decreases the negative effects of alcohol consumption in and around campus.

Anyone on conduct probation will be prohibited from participating in Greek life and from holding a position of leadership.

These may be logical punishments, but if no one knows what activities to avoid, they become unfair.

Residence halls will be asked to hang up posters notifying students the legal drinking age is 21 Irene Stevens, dean of student life, said.

Also, they must take part in programs in the fall and spring concerning alcohol
and alcohol abuse.

These program may be informational, but some students will inevitably begin
drinking as school wears on.

If the administration is going to attempt to protect freshmen by keeping them out of Greek houses, then it also should protect the rest of the students and seek a better way to inform them.

Even if that is through email, at least administrators can say they told us
somehow.

The most important fact that the administration failed to inform the student
body about is the passing of the Indiana Lifeline law.

This law guarantees that someone can notify authorities that another individual under 21 needs medical attention due to drinking alcohol without fear of punishment.

Instead of putting up posters notifying people that the legal drinking age is 21, the administration should be telling students about these policy changes.

Most people would rather have the ability to mitigate an emergency than
read about the drinking age limit, which students know unless they come from another country or lived under a rock for most of their adult lives.

The administration is taking the right steps to prevent alcohol abuse on campus,
especially since Butler has witnessed an increase in alcohol-related incidents and emergencies in the past two years said Vice President for Student Affairs Levester Johnson.

The administrators could reach out a little bit more.

They could drop a quick postcard in student mailboxes.

They could send an email outlining the new policy.

Or they could just put up posters giving a quick rundown of the changes.

Honestly, any details they hand out would be beneficial.

Graphic by Hayleigh Colombo

Several rising sophomores and juniors found themselves on a 2012-13 housing wait list after last week’s housing selection nights.

The lists contain a total of 90 students—36 sophomores and 54 juniors.

“We’re going to go through those wait lists as quickly as we can to get everyone into a place where they are pleased,” said Karla Cunningham, director of residence life.

Cunningham said the wait lists aren’t an unusual circumstance.

Twenty-four students were placed on wait lists for Apartment Village last year.

Dean of Student Life Irene Stevens said the housing shortage always gets worked out over the summer.

“Unfortunately I know it’s disconcerting to the students, but we will find a space,” Stevens said. “Once we get an idea of the incoming class and the numbers there and the numbers of the returning students, we juggle things around a little bit and see what comes out.”

Seniors were given first priority in room selection at Apartment Village. Seniors have the option of living off campus. Freshmen, sophomores and juniors have to live on campus.

Stevens said this year’s wait list is longer than last year’s because a few more seniors than usual signed up to live in Apartment Village. She also said next year’s junior class is bigger than usual.

“It may very well be that most of University Terrace will be juniors, where in the past it’s mostly been sophomores,” Stevens said. “UT is our flexible space that allows us to move people around a little bit.”

She said residence life doesn’t want to have to limit the number of seniors allowed to live in Apartment Village.

“Our philosophy has always been to reward seniors for being seniors, and if they want to live on campus in the village or in UT, we try to accommodate that,” Stevens said.

Sophomore pharmacy major Caroline Hedrick said she is waitlisted for AV but was assigned an apartment in UT.

“Hopefully I’ll get AV as a senior,” Hedrick said. “It’s not that big of a deal for me, but it’s definitely an inconvenience.”

Cunningham said some sophomores who didn’t get a room in Residential College have already been placed in Ross and Schwitzer Halls.

Freshman marketing major Allison Altenberger said she and three roommates put ResCo as their first choice and UT as their second but still were placed in Schwitzer. She said they are on the wait lists for Resco and UT in case a spot opens up.

“I am very disappointed in what has happened, but I am simply sharing my situation and the facts,” Altenberger said. “I think in doing that it will make the whole Butler community aware of a crucial problem that needs to be fixed.”

Stevens said on-campus housing is a numbers game that will continue for a while.

“I think the trustees have looked at whether or not we need another residence hall on campus, but no decision has been made in that respect,” Stevens said. “It probably won’t be made until the trustees and administration set some goals for student enrollment, as far as the numbers they think are ideal for Butler. It’s a combination of enrollment and facilities.”

Stevens said that she is asking waitlisted students to be patient.

“There’s no need to be too concerned,” she said. “There will be space come fall.”

The Butler University Police Department is investigating a woman’s allegation that she may have been drugged while at a Dec. 2 party at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house.

The woman, whose name was not released by police upon her request, first made the allegation to BUPD March 8.  She is not certain her drink was spiked.

“It probably occurred here if something happened,” Hunter said.

After it was ordered to stop operations in the fall, the fraternity could come under renewed scrutiny if the latest allegation has weight.

“If evidence bears out one particular location on campus is an issue, then student affairs will deal with it,” said Ben Hunter, chief of staff.

There is a suspect in the case who is known by the victim and who has been identified to police, according to BUPD’s case log.

Hunter said it is possible that Detective Bruce Allee, head of the investigation, has narrowed the search to one person.

Allee said the investigation is ongoing.

“He’ll either close it out if it’s unfounded, or he’ll leave it open and continue to investigate,” Hunter said.

The university hit Phi Kappa Psi with a cease-and-desist order following an alleged sexual assault that is said to have occurred on its property in September.  That case is still under investigation.

Dean of Student Life Irene Stevens, citing university privacy policy, did not disclose whether the fraternity remains under sanction.

“Phi Psi should not have had a party on December 2,” Stevens said.  “Conduct probation typically [means] no parties.”

Under state law, the act of slipping a drug into a person’s drink is assault.  BUPD has listed the alleged act as battery with bodily injury.

Hunter said the case is difficult to investigate.

“We don’t have the drink,” he said.  “We didn’t have a whole lot to go off.  We’ll look at it and see what we can do to move it forward.”

More than three months passed between the time the woman believes her drink was spiked and the first report to police.  Hunter said he didn’t expect that to hinder the investigation.

“At some point, like two years from now, it does lose its ability to go back and be pieced together,” he said.  “December, I don’t know that that’s such a huge hurdle.”

Phi Kappa Psi president Ryan Medas did not respond to a request for comment.  Individual members, citing fraternity policy, declined comment on Phi Kappa Psi’s standing with Butler.

“Probation typically lasts longer than a couple months,” Stevens said.

Hunter said he was not aware of any similar reports stemming from the night of Dec. 2 or from Phi Kappa Psi in general.

Stevens said her office will wait for BUPD to complete its investigation before reaching any decision on potential discipline, which could apply to an individual, to a Greek house or to both.

“We always take past behavior and past sanctions into account, whether it be individual or group,” Stevens said.  “Sanctions will be more stringent on the second and third violation.”

It is possible the case could be presented to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, though Hunter said criminal charges are unlikely.

“It’s going to be difficult to go that route because you don’t have evidence,” he said.

University discipline, Hunter said, is possible if the allegation is found to be true.

The victim has the option to ask student affairs to pursue university conduct charges.  Stevens, who oversees all conduct outside Butler’s residence halls, would then determine whether to charge a student or an organization with a violation.

In his fourth year at Butler, Hunter said spiked drinks have not been an issue during his tenure.

“If it is, it’s not getting reported,” he said.  “If this is occurring in our community, it’s disappointing, to say the least.  We want people to report them to us.”

Stevens said students should keep drinks in closed containers and avoid leaving them unattended.

Allee said they should realize drugs like Rohypnol, commonly called roofies, could appear at just about any location.

“We know they’re out there,” he said.  “We don’t know if they’re pervasive. It’s much more of a hazard away from school than it is here.”

Allee said the drugs severely slow respiration and could even prove fatal if the person does not get to the hospital as quickly as possible.

There is no timeline for BUPD’s investigation.

Photo by Taylor Cox

Butler students will raise their voices and whip out their swimsuits for this year’s beach-themed Spring Sing fundraiser.

The two music fraternities on campus, the women’s fraternity Sigma Alpha Iota and the men’s fraternity Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, organize this yearly event.

Junior French horn major and member of Sigma Alpha Iota Abbey Springer is the Chair of Spring Sing and has been organizing the fundraiser since November.

According to Springer, the teams are comprised of members from all of the housing units on campus, including Greek houses.

Each team will create their own dances and rewrite the lyrics of songs to fit the beach theme of the event.

They will perform in front of Irene Stevens, dean of student life, and associate professors Catherine Pangan and Frank Felice.

Springer said the criteria for judging is stage presence, relation to the theme, music selection, and originality.

While the fundraiser is a fun event that all students and faculty can enjoy, it has a philanthropic cause.

The proceeds from the event will be donated to VH1 Save the Music.

VH1 Save the Music is an organization that raises money for underprivileged schools to help them implement strong music education systems.

The organization reaches out to schools and help kids get involved and passionate about music.

In addition to the $5 ticket charge, there will also be a donation bin at the event to raise more money.

Tickets will go on sale this week in Starbucks.

Springer said she is hopeful that this year’s attendance will be larger than last year.

Due to the men’s basketball team’s success and journey to the Final Four, many students didn’t attend the event last year, and the fundraiser actually lost money.

Springer said the goal is to sell as many of the 400 available tickets as possible and increase involvement among independent students.

“I think people see Spring Sing as a mainly Greek event, and I really wish I could change that,” Springer said.

While Greek members make up the majority of the audience and teams, Springer said that the event is something all Butler students and faculty can enjoy.

Brittany Hansen, a sophomore  education major,  is the captain for the Spring Sing team consisting of Alpha Phi, Delta Tau Delta and Phi Kappa Psi, and she said they are planning to practice every day this week.

“It was a little difficult getting started and getting everyone from each house to communicate,” Hansen said. “But, I really think it’s coming together for Friday.”

Freshman psychology major and member of Delta Gamma Danielle Markowitz said she is excited about participating.

Delta Gamma is paired with Lambda Chi Alpha for the event and practices have given her the opportunity to meet people and make new friends.

“It’s so much easier getting to know someone when you have to sing and dance and just break out of your comfort zone,” Markowitz said.

Spring Sing is at 8:30 p.m. on Friday at Clowes Memorial Hall.