Think “Indiana Jones” on Nov. 14, when the Butler University Student Foundation opens an ancient(ish) relic unearthed from the depths of Jordan Hall during recent renovations.
Junior Julie Robinson, BUSF co-director of student relations, said construction staff recently discovered a date stone containing a time capsule deep within the bricks of the building.
The exact age of the time capsule is a mystery, but it is estimated to be between 20 and 30 years old.
Robinson said not much is known about the capsule or the artifacts that have been locked within it for decades.
BUSF will open the time capsule on Nov. 14. Robinson and Ryan Love, the other co-director of student relations, are organizing the event.
“It’ll be interesting to see what past classes thought was important to Butler,” Robinson said. “Nowadays, a lot of us think of Blue or Trip or basketball as what really defines our Butler experience, so I am curious to see what Butler meant to people in the past.”
Love said BUSF hopes to continue the time capsule tradition by putting the BUSF traditions book back into the capsule to be buried for another class to find.
Love said working on the traditions book and engaging in BUSF gave him a personal connection to the book.
He said he hopes this same personal connection is mirrored in the items left in the capsule by students, faculty or staff from the past.
“I want a personal perspective of the history of Butler,” Love said. “You can go online and find the facts anywhere, but I’m hoping for something that’s handwritten and really gives a better view of what Butler was like 20 or 30 years ago.”
In addition to the traditions book, Robinson said Butler students have the chance to put some of their own memories back into the capsule.
She said students are encouraged to take pictures of what Butler means to them throughout Spirit Week, and those pictures will be considered when the capsule is once again filled.
Students have the opportunity to become a part of Butler history in the making, Love said. Anyone with a love for Butler and its history is welcome to join the event.
“Contribute to something that is much bigger than yourself,” he said. “Give back to Butler what it has given to you.”
Sophomore BUSF member Jaci Turner said the time capsule event adds a different component to Spirit Week.
“On the surface, Spirit Week is getting pumped for basketball season, but overall I think it creates a deeper sense of community within the Butler community,” Turner said. “I think it fits in great with understanding how the campus works together.”
Spirit Week kicks off Saturday with a tailgate party at the Health and Recreation Complex. Monday through Wednesday, there will be tables at the gazebo outside Starbucks hosting different activities in the afternoon.
The time capsule revelation will conclude Spirit Week on Nov. 14 at 4 p.m. in Jordan Hall. It will be on the east side of the first floor, by the Office of Student Accounts.
