BLAKELY HEATON | STAFF REPORTER
Bulldogs in the Streets, or BITS, will be a new student organization on Butler’s campus after applications are reviewed and positions are appointed this November.
BITS, in the past, has been a one-day service project at the start of the school year where students, faculty and community members would sign up and get taken to sites to work on various projects.
The BITS Planning Committee application for 2016 went live and is due on Nov. 9.
Applicants can specify which committee they prefer on the application webpage. Committees include on-campus logistics, information technology, public relations, development and sponsorship, off-campus logistics and education and site leader development.
Caroline Huck-Watson is the director of Programs for Leadership and Service Education (PuLSE), and Rachel Hahn is the director of service and philanthropy for SGA. They work alongside the Volunteer Center to coordinate this new student organization.
Huck-Watson and Hahn will both be reviewing the applications and said after selecting a chair for the committee, they will allow that individual to contribute to the appointing process as well.
They are looking for students with a “passion for service.” They also want to bring together a “variety of experiences” to contribute to the team, Huck-Watson said.
“For some positions on the application it may be helpful to have prior experience, such as the IT position and the PR position, but if someone is willing to come in and learn something new to get the job done, then that is great,” Hahn and Huck-Watson said.
Both Hahn and Huck-Watson said they are very enthusiastic about beginning this new student organization to plan BITS.
“We are really excited to get this organization up and running, because we think it going to be a great enhancement to what was already a great foundation and first year for the changes,” Huck-Watson said. “It will be wonderful to add and enhance it.”
Logan Schwering, a sophomore marketing and finance major, was a BITS site leader.
“I had done BITS my first year here and really just enjoyed the experience,” Schwering said. “And I thought it was a great way to get connected with a volunteer service organization and the Indianapolis community.”
As a site leader, he was responsible for arriving early, setting up the meeting area, bonding his team and encouraging involvement.
This year’s BITS combined the first-year students with the returning students, faculty, alumni and trustees. It also served as a fun bonding experience.
Michelle Kasik, a first-year mechanical engineering student, participated in BITS 2015.
“I really enjoyed doing BITS 2015, and my friends and I plan to participate again next year,” she said.
Schwering said he thinks more people should get involved with BITS because it has a lot to offer.
“I would highly recommend BITS to anyone who is interested,” he said. “Because it is a great way to get involved in the Indianapolis community and meet other students here early on in the year.”
