Part of the mall on campus. Collegian file photo.
MEGHAN STRATTON | STAFF REPORTER | mrstratt@butler.edu
This year, members of the Butler community have a new forum to buy and sell items online. The Classifieds at Butler University was created by Susan Wiggington, administrative specialist in the chemistry and biochemistry department.
The Classifieds at Butler University was created in September and now has 77 selling posts. The Classifieds is not a website, but a Google Group. This way, Wiggington can approve members of the Butler community.
“I previously came from a public school that had a very similar system and it worked very well,” Wiggington said. “We decided it would be a good idea to try and establish at Butler as well.”
There are currently 131 members in the Classifieds, but one does not need to be a member to view sellers’ posts.
“Membership continues to grow, so I’m assuming that’s good,” Wiggington said. “I haven’t had any real complaints, and people still post actively.”
The Classifieds is open to faculty, staff and students of Butler University. Only people with Butler email addresses are allowed to view and join the group.
Julie Schrader, associate director of Internship and Career Services, is eager to see more students involved in The Classifieds.
“The greatest advantage for The Classifieds is the convenience factor,” said Schrader. “It’s that level of trust in that we know students, faculty, and staff and are able to sell items on campus.”
The Classifieds is advertised as a “safe and simple way to make cash and clear the clutter.” In addition, The Classifieds has been advertised with posters around campus, notices in The Butler Connection, and by word of mouth.
It is also endorsed by the Staff Assembly, a group of faculty members that works to improve the faculty experience at Butler. Similar to Student Government Association, the Butler Staff Assembly is made up of different committees that recommend improvements and advocate for change.
Sarah Diaz, assistant director of health and outreach programs, considers herself more of a seller than a buyer on The Classifieds.
“Usually I will sell items that I know will be valuable to someone else, but for one reason or another are not valuable to me any longer,” Diaz said. “ In particular, recently I sold a few of my kids’ items that were in really good condition, but didn’t necessarily serve a purpose for our family anymore.”
Professors will commonly sell items for kids on The Classifieds, because it helps to offset the costs of new items and toys for their children.
Diaz also expressed that The Classifieds at Butler is a great way to connect with other people on campus.
“It’s also been kind of fun to meet new people and chat through the Classifieds. I recently sold a car seat to another Butler parent and we ended up talking after work about the ups and downs of childcare as a working mom,” Diaz said.
Schrader agreed that an advantage of The Classifieds is interacting with new people on campus. “I’ve had the chance to meet people that I wouldn’t have otherwise met when buying or selling on The Classifieds,” Schrader said.
Other popular items sold in the Classifieds include women’s clothing, accessories and various household items. In addition, members have even advertised cars and help wanted information.
According to The Butler Connection, Butler University is not responsible nor liable for The Classifieds at Butler University or its postings.
To access the Google group, sign into your butler.edu email on Chrome and go to https://groups.google.com.
You can follow Meghan on Twitter @meghan_stratton.
