Butler Year in Review: The People of 2018
In March of 2018, we launched Butler Stories, a place to share news, tell tales, and engage more deeply with our community. Over the course of the year we have shared more than 100 stories about the Butler community and its impact.
People are what make Butler so extraordinary. Every day, we are reminded of just how compassionate, tenacious, and curious Bulldogs can be. From a patient’s bedside to the sideline at Hinkle, some of our most notable stories of 2018 were about some of the most exceptionable members of our Butler Family.
Here are just 5 of the top profiles of the year:
Butler Roots Run Deep
Having spent much of his youth on the sidelines of Hinkle, Campbell Donovan’s path to playing for the men’s basketball team was a dream come true for both him and his family.
Perseverance and Patients
Cancer kept Trent Tipple from officially receiving his Butler degree until May 2018, nearly 27 years after he enrolled, but that didn’t stop him from pursuing his dream to become a Neonatal physician.
Let Passion Lead You
In the spring of 1985, just days before graduating, Dave Calabro skipped his math final to announce for the first time at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The decision paid off for the man who eventually became the official voice of the Indianapolis 500.
Shelvin Mack’s Homecoming
Shelvin Mack decided to leave school early to pursue his NBA dream. 7 years into his successful professional basketball career, he’s pursuing a old dream – a Butler degree.
Lee-gacy
Award-winning reporter and current editor for Butler’s Collegian Dana Lee ’19 has written for ESPN and hobnobbed with celebrities, but it’s impossible to tell her story without bringing up her two younger siblings, Jessica and Michael, who also happen to attend Butler.
Butler Year in Review: The People of 2018
From a patient’s bedside to the sideline at Hinkle, here are some of our most notable stories of 2018.
For These Students, the Sweet 16 Is That Much Sweeter
PUBLISHED ON Mar 18 2017
Butler fans around the country have been rooting for the men’s basketball team this week, but three students had an extra incentive to cheer: Now that the Bulldogs have made it to the Sweet 16, juniors Alex Tison, Claire Cox, and Kaylynn Cline will be flown to Chicago to appear on a new ESPN quiz show called Bracket Genius.
The Butler team will play Kentucky, North Carolina, and UCLA on March 26 at 5:30 PM. Bonus round episodes will air Monday, March 27 at 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. ET. The final four teams will face off in the Bracket Genius championship episode scheduled to air on Tuesday, April 4 at 7 p.m.
The three students—and an alternate, sophomore Corrine Campbell—were chosen after winning a trivia contest and then going through a Skype audition. The producers used the audition to select students who projected personality as well as intelligence.
“To stand out in the audition, I just tried to be as personable and talkative as possible,” said Tison, a junior Finance and Marketing major from Harrisburg, Illinois. “I just thought if I could leave an impression then they would be more likely to pick me. I also tried to interact a lot with the other people interviewing.”
Bracket Genius, hosted by Trey Wingo, will pit university academic teams, consisting of three undergraduate students, against one another in a bracket-style competition for the chance to have their team crowned the inaugural Bracket Genius Champion and share the prize of $100,000.
The final 16 universities represented in the NCAA tournament will match up in the same head-to-head games on Bracket Genius, where the winning team advances by answering questions spanning history, geography, politics, literature, science, pop culture, the arts, and sports in a race to score as many points as possible against the clock and their opponent.
The opening round matchups are scheduled to air Wednesday, March 22, and Sunday, March 26, at 5:00 PM and 5:30 PM Eastern Time. Each half-hour episode will feature four teams vying for the chance to advance to the Bracket Genius championship episode.
Bonus round episodes will air Monday, March 27, at 6:00 PM and 6:30 PM. These half-hour episodes, Bracket Genius: Extra Credit, will give the four championship contenders a chance to win extra cash prizes of up to $25,000 per episode.
Media contact:
Marc Allan
mallan@butler.edu
317-940-9822
For These Students, the Sweet 16 Is That Much Sweeter
Now that the Bulldogs have made it to the Sweet 16, juniors Alex Tison, Claire Cox, and Kaylynn Cline will be flown to Chicago to appear on a new ESPN quiz show called Bracket Genius.
Now that the Bulldogs have made it to the Sweet 16, juniors Alex Tison, Claire Cox, and Kaylynn Cline will be flown to Chicago to appear on a new ESPN quiz show called Bracket Genius.
Schwitzer is Gone. Long Live Schwitzer.
PUBLISHED ON Aug 01 2017
Schwitzer Residence Hall came to life in 1956 and for 60 years was called "home" to many Butler alumni and current students. Demolition of Schwitzer Hall was completed March 1, 2017, and construction of the new residence hall is currently underway. Although Schwitzer Hall has been removed physically, its ashes will be spread throughout campus and it will continue to serve a relevant purpose throughout the Butler University grounds.
In the early stages of construction, bed frames, mattresses, chairs, and desks were removed from Schwitzer and donated to Goodwill. Existing doors, hardware, and equipment were also removed. These will aid in repairs for other Residence Halls throughout campus. The original stone entryway arches and sections of the building facade were removed and preserved. These parts will be incorporated elsewhere on campus. Thus, beloved Schwitzer Hall will continue to live beyond its useful life.
As Schwitzer's walls and floors were taken down, its remains began to fill the site of 750 West Hampton Drive.
As part of the LEED building process, all existing brick, concrete, and stone will be recycled onsite and used as backfill for the new residence hall. The bones of Schwitzer will continue to serve a purpose as the foundation for the new facility.
Shiel Sexton Company is General Contractor for the new $30 million residence hall, which is being developed by American Campus Communities. This is the second phase in the new frontier of modern student housing, a continuance 
of Fairview House. The new student housing will contain 660 beds in apartment-style units, a fitness center, study lounges, game rooms, a large community meeting space, and much more.
In the end, this traditional residence hall gives way to a modern facility, but the ashes of Schwitzer Hall will lay the foundation for a new place that will soon be called "home" to many at Butler University.
All-American Erik Peterson Qualifies for U.S. Olympic Trials
PUBLISHED ON Jun 28 2016
Butler All-American Erik Peterson has earned a spot in the upcoming U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field. He'll join 23 of the best runners in the country in the 10,000 meters on Friday night, July 1, 
in Eugene, Oregon. The field was set late Monday night.
The men's 10,000 meters final highlights the first day of competition in Eugene, with the event set to begin at 6:15 PM (Pacific, 9:15 p.m. Eastern). NBC Sports will provide coverage of the Olympic Trials throughout the week.
"For Erik to rise to this level from such modest beginnings is a testament to his remarkable work ethic and his consistency," said Butler head coach Matt Roe. "Much like his stride, he is a moving picture of economy and efficiency. He does exactly what he needs to do, when he needs to do it, exactly as prescribed. He never wastes a step, and equally as important, he never overthinks it. Erik is as steady and as consistent as any athlete I have ever coached."
Peterson is the youngest runner in the field and the only with remaining collegiate eligibility heading into the 2016-17 academic year. He turned 22 just two weeks ago. Peterson was also the youngest in the field when he competed at the 2015 USA Track & Field National Championships in Eugene almost 12 months ago.
"Most of the men in the field are full-time professionals in their late 20s to early 30s," said Roe. "That is the peak age range for an elite distance runner. Beyond sheer talent, it takes tens of thousands of miles of running volume to get to the Olympic Trials 10,000 meters. Recent athletes who have qualified for this race around Erik's age have almost universally been phenoms, guys like Galen Rupp, Dathan Ritzenhein, and Chris Derrick."
As a frame of reference, Peterson is one month younger than Rupp was when he first ran in the Olympic Trials in 2008.
Peterson's time of 28:26.08 gave him the 24th and final spot in the field.
Earlier this month, Peterson earned All-American honors by finishing eighth in the 10,000 meters at the NCAA Championships.
Rupp has the top qualifying time in the event at 27:08.91.
Media contact:
John Dedman
317-940-9414
jdedman@butler.edu
All-American Erik Peterson Qualifies for U.S. Olympic Trials
Peterson will join 23 of the best runners in the country in the 10,000 meters in Eugene, Oregon.
Peterson will join 23 of the best runners in the country in the 10,000 meters in Eugene, Oregon.