Greek houses are making an effort to keep student safety a priority.

Student safety starts, quite literally, at the front door.  Among the seven sororities and six fraternities on campus, entrance options range from fobs to keypad codes and even finger scan systems.

Phi Delta Theta, a fraternity on campus, runs on the key code system.

“The expectation is communicated to the men that they don’t give out the passcode,” House Director Thomas Whitcher said.

If people who are not fraternity members find out the house code, the system allows the house manager to change the code at any time.

“We usually change the code twice each semester, and we only give that code to members,” Whitcher said.

Other houses on campus, such as the sorority Alpha Chi Omega, have an entrance controlled by a fingerprint system.  The system was struck by lightning at the beginning of this school year, and was unusable for awhile.

The house has a backup keypad system the members used while the fingerprint system was being fixed.

“Our physical safety is protected by a good security system,” House Director Jody Springer said.

Inside a house, behavioral expectations of its members  and their guests are set in policies within housing contracts between house members and the National Housing Corporation.

Still, members of a Greek house are held accountable for their guests’ actions.

Guests not conducting themselves properly are asked to leave.  In some cases, the Butler University Police Department will have to escort people who do not leave on their own accord.

Fraternities are generally flexible on guest hours while sororities have “boy hours.”

These rules are set in place to make sure that both members and their guests are respecting the quality of the houses.

“There’s a lot of money that goes into these facilities,” Whitcher said.   “The expectation is that we maintain the aesthetics and that we’re not allowing it to deteriorate.”

The Phi Delta Theta facility received a multi-million-dollar renovation that wrapped up in August of 2009 when the fraternity re-opened.

Whitcher said that safety was one of the top concerns throughout the renovations.

Part of the renovation was the addition of new automatic exterior lights.

“It’s to keep the building lit up at night so you’re able to see who’s around the exterior of it, as well as back in the parking areas,” Whitcher said.

Other than front door security systems, aspects of safety in the houses include fire suppression and fire alarm systems.

The upkeep of these systems is monitored by annual fire inspections by a fire marshal, as well as checkups with a local fire service company.  Houses will do fire drills and post escape routes on the walls in each room.

“If you keep everything maintained, you’re less likely to have accidents or injuries,” Springer said.

To help with the outlook of possible misconduct or accidents, Greek houses have an elected student house manager to assist the house director and the executive board with tasks such as maintenance work and proper conduct.

“An important aspect of the job is communicating the conduct of what’s expected,” Alex Curtis, junior Phi Delta Theta house manager, said.   “If we see something going on that’s not really safe, we’ll intervene and stop an issue from getting worse.”

Curtis said he has enjoyed his experience thus far as the house director.

“I definitely learned more in this position than I think I could’ve in any other,” Curtis said.

Curtis has done random maintenance tasks, including pumping water out of the fraternity’s basement last Friday when it flooded.

Little tasks, such as changing a light bulb, are taken care of by a maintenance team in an effort to reduce risk of injury, especially in the sorority houses.

“It seems like such a simple thing, but the biggest claim at the insurance companies is people getting on ladders just to change a light bulb,” Springer said.  “People can fall off the ladder and break their arm.”

Other aspects of safety, such as cleanliness, are also taken into consideration.

Some Greek houses are self- sufficient with their cleaning while others are taken care of by cleaning companies, which work to disinfect the houses on a weekly basis.

Whitcher says that donations from alumni for house renovations and upkeep are a result of the alumni caring about the current members’ experiences in the house.

Springer agrees, adding that the order of the rules set in place is for the benefit of student wellness.

“Maintenance, orderliness and cleanliness are the cornerstones of safety,” Springer said.

Even in the midst of midterm- exam season, mumbled curses and nervous breakdowns on Butler University’s campus are likely to occur when someone has a parking drama.

Despite a deficit of 1,412 parking spaces and growing concern in the community, Butler’s administration still has taken little visible major action to bridge this gap constructively.

The actions they have taken have only increased the tensions over this situation, such as the towing of Lambda Chi Alpha members’ cars and the debate over the parking spots near Phi Delta Theta.

Instead of these complicated schemes and punishments that don’t re-envision Butler’s parking situation, The Collegian calls on Butler’s administration to form a clear solution, and soon.

A parking garage could be constructed, and not in the long term when the situation only worsens as more students come to Butler with cars in tow.

Since other buildings such as the Howard L. Schrott Center for the Performing and Visual Arts  are being built and other renovations are planned, a moderately sized parking garage built in the near future could make the situation more manageable.

The $12,000 per space price tag of  structured parking will be expensive, but it will be the best option. It will keep the city off of Butler’s back when it looks to develop further, and it will make students, faculty and staff content.

Another drastic but effective move? Freshman parking could be prohibited, clearing many of these 1,412 non-existent parking spots. Eliminating freshman resident parking permits, while controversial, would create some breathing room for faculty, staff, and students who have greater transit needs.

Student parking pass prices could be raised substantially, reducing the desire for parking passes. This proposal will keep people who only use their cars casually from wanting a pass.

Administrative funding could also bolster programs already set up, such as the Student Government Association-sponsored shuttle system. By improving these programs, the administration will improve the parking situation while supporting community ideas, which would be good for public relations.

The community recognizes a parking issue and has solutions to resolve the issue. Any of these ideas, if used by the administration, would alleviate the parking crisis. The problem here is not a lack of ideas or communication from the community but a lack of major action.

Butler simply needs the administration, with its power and funding, to take the reins and construct a solution like it is supposed to do.

While any administrative solution will be met with controversy, a substantial one will ultimately be a sigh of relief compared to the well-intentioned yet unhelpful resolutions the administration has started.

Yes, some of these solutions will be costly and understandably difficult to complete. But it is time for the administration to admit, yes, we have a parking problem, and it needs to be fixed soon.

Photo by Reid Bruner

Expect your pockets to feel a little lighter, Butler. The Real Business Experience  projects have firmly established themselves on campus.

RBE is a program for sophomore business students.

Students form teams, think up a business idea and then attempt to market it to the campus community or wider, depending on the product.

Businesses this year are many and varied, from managing a rock group to selling environmentally friendly laundry soap to setting up a hygiene product vending machine just outside C-Club.

Kegan Saajasto, a sophomore management information systems and finance major, is part of the group that implemented the vending machine.

“As a freshman, it was just an unmet need,” he said, referring to having easily accessible products such as condoms, toothpaste and shampoo. “The bookstore sells some stuff, but it’s super expensive, and the hours aren’t always convenient. Also, many freshmen don’t have cars to go buy it elsewhere.”

The vending machine has a collection of condoms, mouthwash, toothpaste and brushes, chapstick, floss, shampoo, vaseline and hand lotion.

Saajasto said condoms are by far the most popular. The price range is 50 cents to $4.

He said the business has had a positive reaction, but his group is not as well known as it would like to be.

“We’re facing more setbacks than anticipated,” Saajasto said.

However, the group already has several new promotional ideas, including putting stickers on some of the items and giving the winners Starbucks gift cards.

Robert Beckett’s group took a different route—they’re selling EnviroNuts, an all-natural organic laundry soap.

The soap is made from shells of nuts that grow in India, and four or five are placed in a small cotton bag, which is then put in the washing machine.

Beyond that, however, Beckett said the soap also helps to break down the buildup that chemical laundry detergent causes. The product is USDA certified organic.

Beckett said he found the idea online when searching for business ideas and thought it was really creative.

Beyond just Butler’s campus, the group has sold its product to Good Earth, a natural food store located in Broad Ripple, although it was turned down at many other stores.

“We’ve learned how to hear no,” Beckett said. “The whole process has really made us think outside the box in how to market and sell the product.”

Beckett said his group has already gone past the break-even point and is continuing to think of new ways to sell, including using Beckett’s  fraternity, Phi Delta Theta.

Members of his fraternity will take order forms and make a slight profit on how much they manage to sell. The group hopes to reach a larger audience this way.

“It’s essentially the same idea of selling Girl Scout cookies,” Beckett said.

While both groups said the program has been a lot of work, they said it was worth it for the experience they’re receiving.

“It taught us that business isn’t easy, however cheesy that sounds,” Saajasto said.

Hayleigh Colombo | Editor in Chief | hcolombo@butler.edu
Ryan Lovelace | Staff Writer | rlovelac@butler.edu

A city board’s vote on Jan. 11 to expand Butler University’s parking plan effectively brought to a screeching halt a long-standing dispute between the university and the Phi Delta Theta Foundation.

Since 2009, the two parties have clashed over who controls 22 perpendicular parking spaces adjacent to Phi Delta Theta on Clarendon Road.

The Indianapolis Board of Public Works’ 4-1 vote on Resolution 1, 2012, gives the university control over those parking spaces, as well as spaces along a stretch of Sunset Avenue.

Butler’s position is that the new deal allows it to remain compliant with a decades-old legal agreement. The fraternity foundation says it has had years of “bad blood” with Butler and that the university is using the parking capacity issue as a means of control over the spaces.

At the root of the argument is a parking shortage on the Butler campus.

The Collegian previously reported in “Faculty, staff, students left with permit, no parking” (Aug. 31, 2011) that the university issued 3,997 parking permits last year but that there only are 2,585 designated spots on campus, leaving 1,412 permit-holding drivers without a spot.

Even though the number of parking spaces in question on Clarendon Road amounts to less than 1 percent of the university’s current capacity, the two parties have not been able to agree about who should have the right to park in them.

This particular stretch of spaces is located within the city right-of-way, meaning that the city of Indianapolis regulates all activities conducted on it, regardless of who owns it. Until the recent Board of Public Works vote, the parking spaces were considered open parking spaces for the community.

The Phi Delta Theta Foundation maintains that it owns the property but recognizes the city’s control of it. The foundation applied for an encroachment license in 2011 for control over the spaces, but it was eventually denied by the city.

As for Butler?

“We know we don’t own it,” Ben Hunter, chief of staff and director of public safety, said. “That’s between the city and the foundation.”

Hunter said the university has tried to resolve the issue.

“We’ve worked with their counsel, with their attorneys,” Hunter said. “We could not come to an agreement.”

Ronald Reed, chairman of the Phi Delta Theta Foundation, said that members of the foundation have met with Hunter in the past to resolve the issue.

“We would love to have the university support us,” Reed said. “I’m a reasonable man, but I’ve reached my limit.”

The Butler Tarkington Neighborhood Association comes from a more neutral spot.

“It’s not that we’d prefer [that Butler control them],” Jeremy Stewart, neighborhood association president, said. “Butler and Phi Delta Theta could work out an agreement, but they don’t seem to want to do that. The ultimate thing is that we just need them designated.”

Butler parking signs were installed along the road yesterday, per the city’s resolution.

The spaces will be designated as “Greek parking” spaces.

Compelling Reasons for Control
Butler has a “compelling” reason to control the property: a 1989 legal agreement between the university and the Butler-Tarkington Neighborhood Association.

The Collegian reported in “Before Butler grows, officials will answer to neighborhood” (Sept. 7) that the agreement requires that the university enforce permit rules against parking on neighborhood streets and holds the university responsible for providing adequate parking for the Butler community, specifically mentioning Greek students.

It also gives the neighborhood association the right to remonstrate, or protest, new projects.

Without the Clarendon Road spaces in the parking plan, Hunter said the fear was that someone could protest against the university for going against the 1989 agreement.

Stewart said including the spaces in Butler’s parking plan “helps to further control the parking along campus.”

He also said it was a means of giving Butler the right to ticket non-Greek students who park there.

Phi Delta Theta has its reasons for wanting control over the spaces, too.

When its chapter was reinstated at Butler in 2009 after a seven-year hiatus, the foundation said it promised designated parking spots as a perk for prospective pledges.

“To say that parking is important to me is an understatement,” Reed said. “That’s the only way I could compete. It became a recruiting tool.”

While the fraternity wasn’t able to hold up that deal, Reed said he didn’t mind the spaces being open parking for the community because it allowed Phi Delta Theta alumni to park there without hassle.

In the Past
In 1997, Butler paid for the $61,319 renovation of the 22 adjacent spaces, as well as spaces in Phi Delta Theta’s back parking lot.

The staff report from the Department of Metropolitan Development said that the combined renovation would yield a total of 64 parking spaces for Butler students.

Reed said that Butler subsequently paid Phi Delta Theta $300 per space during the next few years that was to be applied against the cost of the project.

The Board of Public Works originally granted Butler permission to add city streets on its parking map in a 2010 resolution.

Hunter said it was a mutual decision between Phi Delta Theta and the university not to include Clarendon in the plan at that time.

“I felt it was in the best interest for the university to work with the organization on their concerns, so I did not include [it] at that time,” Hunter said of the decision.

Reed said he believes the university didn’t include the street in the plan originally because Butler knew the foundation would remonstrate against it.

Nathan Sheets, Board of Public Works member, argued for the resolution to pass at the July 14, 2010 meeting.

“The majority of the roads that are included in this proposal are essentially the property of the university,” the meeting minutes attributed Sheets as saying.

In 2011 the university withdrew its proposal to include Clarendon Road in its parking map from the consideration of the Board of Public Works.

Moving Forward
Reed recently created an online petition against the updated parking plan.

It currently has garnered 55 signatures.

Reed said he plans to take that petition before the neighborhood association at its next meeting.

Meyer Najem, an Indianapolis construction firm, received the award of excellence from the Associated Builders and Contractors of Indiana for their construction of the environmentally-friendly Phi Delta Theta house on the Butler University campus.

According to phideltatheta.org, the house was a 33-bedroom, 10,000-square-foot project consisting of a complete renovation to the 1929 structure to be the first LEED certified fraternity house in the state of Indiana.

Sam Mishelow, executive vice president of business development at Meyer Najem, explained what it means to be LEED certified and why LEED is an important distinction in the construction field.

“LEED  stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design,” Mishelow said. “The U.S. Green Building Council represents the nation’s foremost coalition of leaders from across the building industry working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work.”

The interior was completely gutted back to concrete floors and brick walls to allow for all new interior framing and finishes, including new heating and air conditioning, fire sprinklers and electrical systems.

The entire limestone exterior was patched and repaired, which included the installation of new windows and membrane roofing.

Mishelow said the Phi Delta Theta house was designed to encourage sustainability and utilize renewable resources, while maximizing energy efficiency.

Jeff Beck, senior member of Phi Delta Theta, said he appreciates the eco-friendly approach Meyer Najem took when reconstructing the Phi Delta Theta house.

“Lights [in the house] are on sensors, highly reflective material is used on the roof, a state-of-the art heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning system both heats and cools the house with forced air, eliminating the need for a boiler,” Beck said. “In addition to a sprinkler system and downstairs kitchen, the house includes a room dedicated to the storage of recyclables.

“Outside, high-efficiency cars get the premium parking spaces, which have electrical outlets for hybrids.

Locked and covered bicycle parking is also provided.”

Beck said the only thing missing in the Phi Delta Theta house is the coveted “new house smell,” because the HVAC system uses low-or-no odor materials.

Phi Delta Theta president, junior Mark Minner, said he feels every house on campus is unique and adds its own character to campus, but he said he feels the Phi Delta Theta house stands out from the rest.

“I think the Phi Delt house has a totally different look,” Minner said. “As one of the oldest buildings built on campus in the 1920’s, [it] really stands alone.

“It was coined ‘the castle on the corner’ for that reason, it is a centerpiece to the south end of Butler’s campus.”

Minner said there is nothing about the Phi Delta Theta house he can complain about.

He said his favorite part of the house is the top deck that has, “an incredible view overlooking campus.”

Prior to the recent renovations, no one had occupied the Phi Delta Theta house since 2002.

The actual construction of the house cost approximately $1.7 million and took a little over one year to complete.