Butler University’s Information Technology department has the ability to read students’ email, but Chief Information Officer Scott Kincaid said it chooses not to do so.

“We have the technical ability, I don’t want to deny that,” Kincaid said. “We do it very rarely. And we do it only per a policy.”

The Privacy of Personally Created Content Policy was updated after Butler filed a lawsuit for online speech against student Jess Zimmerman in 2009 when he criticized Butler’s administration.

The policy states that Butler personnel may access students’ information if there is the possibility of “substantial university risk of harm or liability.”

The policy is referring to risk associated with the Butler network, said Ben Hunter, chief of staff and executive director of public safety.

Huner said BUPD has requested information twice in the last four years–about a student suicide and missing-student case.

Kincaid said since he came to Butler in 2001, IT has accessed students’ private information fewer than six times. He said the policy is very clear about the circumstances of when a student should be notified.

“If they were threatening the whole computer system in some fashion, we would have the right to notify them afterwards,” Kincaid said.

Before accessing students’ private information, Kincaid said IT would generally need approval from himself, a vice president or dean at the university and someone from human resources.

“If I had … any thought that someone was intending on bringing some kind of harm to individuals, I wouldn’t have to hesitate … in order to save the community,” said Vice President for Student Affairs Levester Johnson. “Whether it was a joke or however it was intended, we’re going to follow up on something like that.”

Johnson said he thinks adding a student representative into the process of deciding when a student’s privacy should be invaded would be a greater invasion of privacy.

Student Government Association President Mike Keller said he agreed personally with not adding a student representative but would represent the student body’s voice if it felt differently.

Azhar Majeed, an attorney for the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, said while Butler has a pretty good free speech record, it may have overreacted to the case that brought about Butler suing one of its students in 2009.

Creating and switching to a private email is an option students should entertain if they are concerned about Butler’s monitoring capabilities, Majeed said.

“I know several people who use Gmail themselves just because they’re more comfortable knowing that is a more private thing to be able to utilize,” Keller said.

Johnson said students should be cautious with their language, regardless of where they say things online.

“Just like you wouldn’t and you’re not supposed to say certain things at an airport,” Johnson said. “You know what you shouldn’t be saying and insinuating and doing certain things with a computer as well.”

Broad Ripple, a popular destination for Butler University students, has been hit with a recent crime trend.

A representative from one popular destination, Buffalo Wild Wings, said that any sort of crime is possible.

“We see all sorts of people around… but we do not get in their way and let the police handle any situation,” the representative said.

Crime has been on the rise for the past three months, and both the Butler University Police Department and local authorities are taking extra measures to ensure the safety of local residents.

BUPD has been warning students of the danger through email, and students are now aware of the risk they take by traveling to Broad Ripple.

“I’ve heard of other students having bad experiences, such as drugs being put in drinks and a friend being stolen from, so I don’t want to get hurt by going to Broad Ripple,” said Rachel Fish, a freshman exploratory business major.

The first step toward safety for Butler students is awareness, said Bruce Allee, a BUPD detective.

“We as a force do not have the manpower to cover the Broad Ripple area, but we encourage students to call us if they need an escort or help at any time they deem it necessary,” Allee said.

Students who do go out at night should make sure to keep valuables out of sight in a parked car.

“Even if a suspect sees a bag, they will break the window to look for anything they can grab,” Allee said.

And in the case that someone attacks, not fighting him or her is the best way to avoid injury.

“Do not fight with anyone over something of small value or a debit card that can be cancelled within a mere 30 minutes of the confrontation,” Allee said.

He also said to take advantage of any transportation Butler has to offer students on the weekends to and from Broad Ripple.

“The whole purpose of the shuttle is to provide safe transportation for students to and from Broad Ripple, and it is available to any student who wants to use it,” Student Government Association President Mike Keller said.

Students can reach the BUPD at (317) 940-9396. In case of an emergency, local authorities can be reached by dialing 911.

The Student Government Association’s office in Atherton Union has a new look.

The door was open, and boxes were scattered everywhere as SGA President Mike Keller stood atop a step stool, remodeling the room.

“I have no complaints about last year’s SGA group,” Keller said, “but this year we’re going to focus on some new goals.”

Keller said SGA wants to make changes that are more than cosmetic.

“We’re working with Butler IT right now to make a nicer, easier-to-use website,” Keller said.

Keller said the website will be online in September, and students can volunteer to receive a weekly newsletter via email.

Keller said his biggest goal was being physically accessible.

“I really want students to feel like they can just stop by the SGA office any time,” Keller said. “Our door will always be open.”

After two summer retreats and multiple mini assemblies, SGA has come up with a list of over 100 goals for the 2012-13 school year.

“We definitely want to continue on the great foundation that was left for us,” said Scott Nemeth, vice president of administration. “We’re going to inherit some really cool grants and projects this year.”

Those projects include new Brita water stations as part of the Council on Presidential Affairs Green Operations sector and a new bike rental system that will give students the opportunity to check out bikes.

“We want to make more big projects out of student ideas,” Nemeth said.

SGA has already begun scheduling coffee chats in Starbucks, where students will get a chance to talk to SGA and Butler officials about changes and ideas they would like to see implemented.

SGA also wants to distribute more surveys to students to help prioritize the projects for the year.

One of SGA’s largest annual projects is the Butlerpalooza concert.

Butlerpalooza is scheduled for Sep. 7, and while the artist may soon be revealed program board chair Stevan Tomich said he is sworn to secrecy.

“I really can’t tell anything, but this year there will be an after party in the Reilly Room after the concert,” Tomich said.

Time will tell if SGA is ready for its latest challenges, but Keller said he has tremendous faith in the group.

“I’m just constantly amazed by this new group’s enthusiasm,” Keller said.

“If we keep it up, I really think that we’ll be able to make some positive changes to the campus this year.”

Students are not the only ones working behind the scenes for Butler’s Student Government Association.

The PuLSE Office has four individuals who advise SGA and its various boards.

Dean of Student Life Irene Stevens said the role of an SGA adviser is to help executive members do the job to the best of their ability and help them avoid pitfalls they may encounter.

“I don’t necessarily always have the answers,” said Caroline Huck-Watson, director of the PuLSE Office. “But I can also help direct someone to figure out where those are.”

Huck-Watson advises the Council on Presidential Affairs, Finance Board, the SGA president and SGA’s Executive Board. As PuLSE director, she also helps other staff advisers when issues arise.

SGA President Al Carroll said the advisers are there to say when students are or are not on the right track.

“We don’t always agree with them,” Carroll said. “But that’s the way it is.”

She said that while there are no specific guidelines for her to follow as adviser, there are expectations in terms of the role she plays. She said the entire PuLSE staff follows university law and procedures.

She said that doing so allows the advisers to help students navigate university systems.

Other PuLSE advisers include Julie Pakenham, associate director; Rob Miller, assistant director; and Jen Agnew, assistant director.

The PuLSE staff reports to Stevens.

“I also work with the exec on some issues occasionally,” Stevens said. “It’s not unusual for me to have a meeting with the president of SGA, in particular the CPA president and vice president, about various issues.”

Stevens also said that her role allows her to attend various SGA assemblies.

“It gives me a sense of what’s going on with students and what the issues are that they’re dealing with,” Stevens said. “I do enjoy going in and hearing what they’re talking about.”

Stevens said the advisers are able to provide students with a historical perspective of SGA and the university.

“I rely on Caroline quite a bit,” SGA President-elect Mike Keller said. “Al has been great with the transition, but Caroline is who I look to for knowledge of the past.”

Huck-Watson said she sees challenging students as one of her roles.

“I would hope my role is that when students are making decisions, I’m helping them see a variety of different perspectives so that they can make the most informed decision that they can at that time,” Huck-Watson said.

She said she is ever-evolving as an adviser.

“It’s such a moment of pride to see a student be a successful leader, to make change on campus, to really feel empowered, to lead a group and to make decisions that have an impact on our community,” Huck-Watson said. “That happens every year. It’s so wonderful.”

Keller said he’s already had a great experience working with the advisers leading up to his transition into office.

The advisers sat in on his vice president interviews.

“It is my decision,” Keller said. “None of them tried to influence it, but they were able to provide a lot of helpful pros and cons for each candidate.”

Carroll said he has great respect and gratitude for all of the SGA advisers.

“They make my life easier,” Carroll said. “I’m thankful for that.”

Huck-Watson said she is blessed to have the opportunity to work with Butler students in such a profound way.

“I look around sometimes at events and things that are going on that our students are accomplishing,” Huck-Watson said. “It just takes my breath away sometimes.”

The recent struggle for Student Government Association President-elect Mike Keller to find nominees for the position of vice president of diversity programming has shed some light on the issue of filling SGA vacancies—and how best to push and represent diversity on Butler University’s campus.

SGA usually requires that applicants for vice president of diversity programming have served on R.E.A.C.H. before running for the position, but nobody from R.E.A.C.H. stepped up to run.

Keller then extended the applicant pool to the general campus population. He said that the current four applicants exceeded his expectations and that he expects more.

Perhaps more SGA positions should be opened in a similar fashion, to give those not involved with SGA a better chance to represent the greater student body.

The fact that a position that influences the administration on how to diversify Butler is usually closed off from the general public makes very little sense to me.

I think this open applicant pool for vice president of diversity programming should be a permanent change.

The position ought to be held by a student who is open-minded and driven to educate the Butler community on diverse cultures, ways of life and frames of mind.

Not to say that the people in R.E.A.C.H. do not strive to do these things, but when no one steps up to a leadership position, they show that those who are part of an organization are not always those fit to run it.

Keller said that open applicant pools work better for some positions than others if the applicant has qualifications matching the position.

However, Keller said that some positions like those on the Council on Presidential Affairs, Program Board and Finance Board are areas that require experience in order to effectively lead them.

Butler may not be famous for being an ethnically diverse campus, with a vast majority of the student body being classified as “white non-Hispanic.”

However, there are plenty of students here, both inside and outside of SGA, who are diverse in their ethnicity, in ways of life and in schools of thought.

If an applicant for vice president of diversity programming is white, black or even neon green, it does not matter.  If he or she is open-minded and care about educating the Butler community on diversity, he or she should be able to run.

Being as that I am so far away from Butler’s campus this semester, The Butler Collegian and Connection are the only two ways that I receive any news whatsoever regarding the happenings within the university.

It is my great displeasure to share with you that I extremely disagree with the way you went about handling your Student Government Association presidential endorsements.

The editor in chief clearly made her point clear that she would be voting for Kelsa Reynolds, completely undermining her entire paper’s endorsement of Mike Keller.

Now I know that not everyone is going to agree on a single person on which to cast their vote, but when showing support as an entity, it almost looks as an abuse of power for the editor to write a contradictory article right below the staff’s endorsement.

It’s not fair for any of the candidates, especially the aforementioned two, to show such division, such lack-luster support, within your own organization.  It’s about being professional.  This really came as a shock to me, as I’m usually a huge supporter of everything The Collegian does.

Once again, it’s one of my only means of attaining relevant Butler information.

It also hit pretty close to home with me when the latter article in the paper brought gender into the mix.

Maybe it’s just because I’m male and I don’t understand, but if this particular topic hasn’t surfaced in the past, why is the editor in chief bringing it up in her article to the masses?

It’s unbelievable that such a stab be taken towards the male candidates.  It’s not their fault that no female SGA president has been elected in quite some time.

How about basing your decisions on platforms? On values? On priorities?  You know, things that will matter once the “chosen one” takes office.  I just couldn’t believe my eyes when I read such things.

So please, I beg of you, continue reporting without such contradictory messages to your readers.  There are more of us than you think, and not all of us are still at Butler to see these issues resolved.

I apologize for writing such a letter, but I felt these topics needed to be brought to light.                    

—Kyle Stuard, Butler student

On Monday, Butler University students will hit the polls ready to vote for the next Student Government Association president.

For those reading this very editorial, they’re seeing the giant headline that shows that the staff of The Collegian approves of Mike Keller and found him to be the best-suited candidate in the election.

You’ll see that six staff members abstained. I am one of those six.

Abstinence is the way to go with endorsements, especially during a fragile time in media.

Throughout my time practicing journalism at this fine institution, I’ve been told countless times to never let the source or the reader know what I’m thinking unless I’m appearing on an opinion page, and even then, I should know when not to cross any lines.

News outlets seem to just ignore those lines and slap their stamp of approval on a candidate just because it’s election season or because it’s the tradition.

Regardless of the tradition of endorsing a candidate, there’s no place in the newspapers for special treatment of
anyone.

The most that a newspaper endorsement can do is to tell people which candidate they should vote for.

That’s why candidates have press secretaries.

If a candidate wants to get ahead in the race, stop talking to the newspaper and start showing why he or she will be the best SGA president ever.

Credibility with the press is at an all-time low with Americans, according to the annual Pew Research poll on the media. Only 38 percent of Americans view news media outlets as moral.

At this time where all media outlets—The Collegian included—are working to improve their reputation for balanced news coverage, it is a step in the wrong direction to back a candidate.

By putting our staff support toward a candidate, those at The Collegian may have damaged the ability to look fair, balanced and level-minded when covering the remainder of the election and next year’s SGA.

A candidate who didn’t receive The Collegian endorsement could say that any future coverage of him or her was not in a fair
light.

And if Keller wins, we run the risk of him thinking that we’re never going to question any of his
actions.

Endorsing a candidate jeopardizes the credibility and reputation of future coverage in The
Collegian.

In elections today, the politicians running want to create distance from Washington and convince the electorate they are the ‘outsider’ that will change government.

But when it comes to our Student Government Association elections, it is better for a candidate to have as much experience than the other candidates and be considered the ‘insider’ in the race.

The student body runs the risk of voting in someone unaware of what needs to be fixed inside SGA, while the person with little experience might also slow down any momentum with projects that were headed into the finals stages of completion during the previous administration.

The SGA presidential race is set for Feb. 27.  James Schubert, chairman of the Elections Oversight Committee, announced the SGA president candidates this past weekend.

Josh Grant, former co-chair of R.E.A.C.H. and former representative for College Republicans; Mike Keller, a member of the SGA Finance Board; Katie Palmer, chair of the Academic Affairs Committee in the Council on Presidential Affairs; and Kelsa Reynolds, SGA Vice President of Operations are the four candidates.

All four candidates are bringing distinct perspectives and experiences into the presidential race.

Reynolds provides an analysis of SGA through her time serving on the executive committee while Palmer and Keller currently each serve on branches of SGA.

Grant, though not holding a position currently, offers opinions from the time served in R.E.A.C.H.

Students on campus should elect someone who has more experience than the other contenders.  It is very important, especially when dealing with projects that take time to organize and implement by the SGA executive committee that the student body votes for someone that understands and knows what is going on.

Former president Christopher Ring said, “I believe SGA board experience is most important going into being SGA President.

“I think you have a better understanding of the organization’s infrastructure, the way in which money is handled, and the time required of the position.”

The president and the vice presidents have maybe six months to implement their ideas on campus. Ring makes a great point referencing the large budget SGA is responsible for. And, we would not want to see large portions of the SGA budget spent on a decision that was quickly made without sufficient experience and prior knowledge.

But I know there are others who do not share my outlook. Students want to see SGA go in a completely different direction, and would enjoy supporting a candidate that aligns with those views.

There is nothing wrong with a student that has never been to SGA assembly or served on a committee to quickly learn the procedures and then outline his or her vision for the next year.

While Kyle Inskeep, former vice president of R.E.A.C.H., said it is important for candidates to have prior experience, he said, “I think it is very possible that someone with little or no experience in SGA could do a great job as SGA President, but they would need to surround themselves with a great executive team and be prepared to overcome various obstacles and challenges that they could not have foreseen.”

I ultimately believe that it is better for SGA to have a president that knows what is going on and can continue the dialogue with administrators and faculty rather than having to start anew.

Kasper is the former chair of the Council on Presidential Affairs.