Meet the Class of 2022: Kate Callihan
Kate Callihan
Major: Sports Media
Hometown: Austin, Texas
High School: Westlake High School
"I am most excited about the growing Sports Media program. It offers so many opportunities here and around Indy, and the professors show so much interest in the students already and classes haven't even started yet. Working with people who are likeminded and driven is going to be just incredible."
Like many high schoolers, Kate Callihan and her classmates studied the Vietnam war during their junior year.They read The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, heard from veterans who visited their class, and, as a final assignment, researched an American soldier who died in, or as a result of, the war.
Unlike many high schoolers, though, Kate took this assignment to the next level–and discovered a passion for storytelling in the process.
The name Kate was assigned was Michael Meyhoff. Rather than do some cursory research, she tracked down his family in North Dakota and made a 20-minute documentary using home movies, photos, and recollections of family and friends.
"I absolutely loved every second of it," she said.
Kate said she'd always loved writing, but it wasn’t until this project that she realized how much she loved storytelling. She narrated the video, "and at the beginning you can hear how timid I was and by the end of it I really found my voice and confidence."
"I realized that by telling this story I was not only impacting my grade and my own agenda, but there was a whole community that benefited from it and it was an absolutely incredible experience," she said.
Kate's English teacher, Dr. James Moore, wrote this about her effort: "The work you put in with calls, interviews, and emails eclipsed that of your classmates tenfold at least. I can tell that you really delved into the material, too, mining it for any little detail that would help fill out your story. "
Kate will continue honing her storytelling craft as a Sports Media major at Butler this fall. She will be one of 1,357 first-year students in Butler’s Class of 2022, the University’s largest class ever.
Butler’s Sports Media program drew her to Indianapolis–and it’s drawn others, too. Since 2017, the number of first-year students enrolling in Sports Media has more than doubled. The program, an integration of Sports Journalism and Digital Sports Production, is the only degreed program of its kind in Indiana, and one of only a handful of degreed programs in the Midwest.
In addition to studying Sports Media at Butler, Kate plans to double minor in Marketing and Theology, with a focus on Monotheism and Biblical Studies. She hopes one day to combine her interests in sports media and theology to bring teams to third-world countries to teach the children there how to play sports.
But that's the future. For now, she said, "I feel blessed to be part of the young Sports Media program and blessed to be part of Butler."
Meet the Class of 2022: Kate Callihan
Butler's Sports Media program drew Kate to Indiana from Texas.
PUBLISHED ON Feb 20 2018
By Jackson Borman '20
From the time that he got his first video camera, Thulani Smith ’20 has been documenting his life through the lens.
“I like to take pictures and reminisce instantly," he said. "My dad and I have traveled the world for my entire childhood, and I liked being able to go there and take a picture and then remember everything about each place.”
As a middle-schooler, Smith captured everything from family trips to everyday life. His specialty at the time was creating basketball trick shot videos of his brother and his friends shooting balls into trashcans in the front yard.
“We thought it was great," he said, "and then my dad said to me, ‘Thulani, are you ever going to film anything besides this?’ and I remember responding to him, ‘Dad, there is nothing more than trick-shot videos!’”
But Smith started experimenting and learning how to create visual effects, and he became more interested in the full potential that filmmaking had. Now, as a digital media production major at Butler, he already is getting the experience he needs to grow in his craft.
Smith currently posts his work on his Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram account is @Marshallmoviemaker.
Starting in his first year at Butler, Smith had Professor Farhad Anwarzai for his First-Year Seminar class called "The Coming of Age Story." Smith said that Anwarzai’s willingness to allow students to learn in ways that they enjoyed was a great start to his college experience.
“For our final project, he said just to do something creative, so I made a film,” Smith said. “He has really been a huge help in allowing me to grow in classes that I have been taking. Being able to take his class and have that relationship with him has been huge because it has restored my understanding of how I want to do college.”
Anwarzai said he was blown away with Smith’s work.
“I thought that the project was not only very well made and very well shot and edited, but it was very mature for a freshman to make,” Anwarzai said. “He’s good at telling these big stories but telling them through the lens of students. That’s one of the things that stands out in my mind when I think of Thulani. It was a spectacular job.”
In Smith's sophomore year, Anwarzai ended up as his professor for the Global and Historical Studies course "China and the Islamic Middle East." This time, he and Smith worked together to write a short film for the students’ final project.
“Having not seen a lot of faculty and student collaboration in the humanities, I wanted to test that, and I thought Thulani would be the perfect person to work with,” Anwarzai said. “In the end, he and the other students created a marvelous work. It added a great layer of depth to the conditions we deal with today.”
The 20-minute film, which was made in nine days with no budget, dealt with the preconceived notions that many have about China and the Middle East.
Last summer, Smith had an internship with a company called Train918 that was started by 2016 Butler graduates Tim Valentine and Joshua Gaal. The pair started the company in their senior year at Butler and now create commercials and promotional videos for groups like Downtown Indy Inc. and Indiana University.
“Working with them was a blast because I was able to grow with them while I was still growing,” Smith said. “They had almost the same experiences that I had as far as being a creative on Butler’s campus so they could give me some insight.”
Smith said that Valentine and Gaal allowed him to take a larger role in the company than a typical intern would, and he was able to take control of certain projects. For example, Smith took photos at a fashion shoot over the summer, just a month into the internship.
“It gave me the opportunity to have the camera in my hands, to shoot everything and to come up with concepts, edit it, and call it my own,” Smith said.
In between class projects and internships, Smith still works on projects of his own. He has created video compilations of Butler Basketball games. This winter, Smith went on a trip to Northern Ireland where he took more photos of the Irish landscape and worked on one of his projects. Over the past few months, Smith has also been working on what he calls "The Portrait Project," a series of photos and short videos of a subject that are compiled into a short, portrait-style video.
This spring Smith will be going abroad once again, this time through the College of Communication's trip to Germany.
Through his work, both on his own and at Butler, Smith hopes that he will be able to grow as a filmmaker and one day be able to create on a higher level.
“I think over the next couple of months what I really want to do is just create more,” Smith said. “I’ve done [a lot of projects], but I want to be able to have examples of my best work so that I can point people to that.”
Photo via Thulani Smith
Pictures Worth a Thousand Words
Sophomore Thulani Smith follows his passion for filmmaking.
Sophomore Thulani Smith follows his passion for filmmaking.
PUBLISHED ON Apr 23 2018
The Alumni Association has announced Butler University's Top 100 Outstanding Students, honoring the top juniors and seniors for the 2017–2018 academic year.
The list is below. Top 15 students have an asterisk next to their name.
The students honored each year continue the tradition of dedication and service to Butler. They reflect outstanding character, scholarship, engaged citizenship, leadership, and commitment to fostering diversity.To be considered a Top 100 student at Butler University, students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher and may not be on conduct probation during the application process or the announcement for Top 100 and Top 15.
The Top 100 students are determined by the Top 100 Selection Committee composed of representatives of each of the six colleges, student affairs, academic affairs, and alumni. Each candidate is judged against the core values of the program on a numeric scale. At the end of the judging period, all scores are tabulated, and the Top 100 students are selected.
Visit the Top 100 website to view guidelines for the program.
The Alumni Association in conjunction with the Office of Student Affairs conducts the Outstanding Student Recognition program. The program is in its 57th year.
The full list of honorees, majors, and hometowns:
Lynn Alsatie, International Studies and French, Carmel, Indiana
Siena Amodeo, International Business and Marketing, Powell, Ohio
Deborah Arehart, Middle/Secondary Education and French, Dayton, Ohio
Thomas Baldwin, Biochemistry, Carmel, Indiana
*Adam Bantz, Strategic Communication, Marketing, Muncie, Indiana
Alex Bartlow, Accounting and Spanish, Bloomfield, Indiana
Leah Basford, International Business, Chinese minor, Centerville, Indiana
Brianna Borri, Psychology, Ada, Michigan
Lauren Briskey, Actuarial Science, Statistics, Avon, Indiana
Amy Brown, Accounting, Saint Charles, Missouri
Rachel Burke, Mathematics, Software Engineering, Mount Vernon, Indiana
Jeremy Caylor, Biology, Chemistry, Tipton, Indiana
*Parker Chalmers, Finance/Risk Management & Insurance, Wyoming, Ohio
Lauren Ciulla, Biology, Carmel, Indiana
Brooklyn Cohen, Elementary Education, Glenview, Illinois
Hannah Coleman, Pharmacy, Danville, Indiana
Dana Connor, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Tallahassee, Florida
Vickie Cook, Chemistry, Woodburn, Indiana
Meredith Coughlin, Human Communication and Organizational Leadership, Tipp City, Ohio
*Ryan Cultice, Accounting and Finance, Warsaw, Indiana
Ashley Dale, Physics, Electrical Engineering, New Palestine, Indiana
Erin Dark, Pharmacy, West Lafayette, Indiana
Darby DeFord, Biology and Chemistry, Spencer, Indiana
Matt Del Busto, English creative writing and Spanish, Carmel, Indiana
David Dunham, Human Movement and Health Sciences Education, Zionsville, Indiana
Suzanne Dwyer, Pharmacy, Tinley Park, Illinois
Shelby Jo Eaton, Psychology and Sociology, Indianapolis
Ashlyn Edwards, Philosophy, Critical Communication, and French, New Albany, Indiana
*Katie Edwards, Marketing and Finance, Libertyville, Illinois
Sarah Elam, International Studies and Spanish, Indianapolis
John Evans, Accounting and Finance, Indianapolis
Hannah Faccio, Psychology, Belmont, Michigan
Megan Farny, Pre-PA, Evansville, Indiana
Megan Fitzgerald, Elementary Education and Religion, Dublin, Ohio
Annie Foster, Spanish and Chemistry minor, Westfield, Indiana
Jacklyn Gries, Pharmacy, Evansville, Indiana
Hannah Hartzell, Strategic Communication and Spanish, Powell, Ohio
Patrick Holden, PharmD/MBA, Brownsburg, Indiana
Jonny Hollar, Finance and Marketing, Warsaw, Indiana
Kate Holtz, Risk Management and Insurance, Finance, Godfrey, Illinois
*Nick Huang, Finance and Marketing, Geneva, Illinois
Karla Jeggle, Actuarial Science, Upper Arlington, Ohio
Nathan Jent, Health Sciences/Pre-PA, Crawfordsville, Indiana
Drew Johnson, Pharmacy, Noblesville, Indiana
Jakob Jozwiakowski, Chemistry, Boston, Massachusetts
Colton Junod, Biology and Biochemistry, Vincennes, Indiana
Libby Kaufman, Elementary Education, Chanhassen, Minnesota
*Nida Khan, Pharmacy/Pre-Med, Noblesville, Indiana
Rachel Koehler, International Studies and French, Franklin, Tennessee
*Caroline Kuremsky, Elementary Education with a Mild Intervention Minor, Cincinnati, Ohio
Carly Large, Accounting, Bloomington, Illinois
*Emily Lawson, Chemistry and Mathematics (Pre-Med), Fort Wayne, Indiana
Becca Lewis, Biology and Chemistry, Danville, Illinois
Rachael Lewis, Marketing, Spanish, and International Business, Danville, Illinois
Kayla Long, Critical Communications and Media Studies, Digital Media Production, Spanish, Evanston, Illinois
Kelsey McDougall, Biology, Canton, Michigan
Kirsten McGrew, Pharmacy, Louisville, Kentucky
Kasey Meeks, Health Sciences and Chemistry, Robinson, Illinois
Rachel Metz, Health Science, Ferdinand, Indiana
Joshua Murdock, Pharmacy, Grand Junction, Colorado
*Kelly Murphy, Human Communication and Organizational Leadership, Dublin, Ohio
Emily Nettesheim, Health Sciences and Spanish, Lafayette, Indiana
Alexis Neyman, Biochemistry, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Olivia Nilsen, Communication of Sciences and Disorders, Neuroscience minor, Ballwin, Missouri
Gehrig Parker, Sports Media, Park Ridge, Illinois
Justin Poythress, Accounting and Finance, Geneva, Illinois
*Tori Puhl, Actuarial Science, Mequon, Wisconsin
*Salman Qureshi, Biology, Fishers, Indiana
*Courtney Raab, Health Sciences, Highland, Indiana
Jordan Rauh, Pharmacy, Wabash, Indiana
Allison Reitz, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Newburgh, Indiana
Kate Richards, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Effingham, Illinois
Sophie Robertson, Dance Arts Administration and Journalism, Gig Harbor, Washington
*Abdul Saltagi, Biology, Fishers, Indiana
Kaitlyn Sawin, Marketing, Appleton, Wisconsin
Olivia Schwan, Marketing and Spanish, Kalamazoo, Michigan
*Abby Sikorcin, Health Sciences, Lisle, Illinois
Sundeep Singh, Biology and Political Science, Fishers, Indiana
Maree Smith, Spanish and Marketing, Monticello, Minnesota
Lilli Southern, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Solsberry, Indiana
Madison Stefanski, Elementary Education and seeking licensure in Special Education with minors in Reading, Frankfort, Michigan
Isaiah Strong, Strategic Communication/Recording Industry Studies, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
Natalie Van Ochten, Biology and Biochemistry, Shorewood, Minnesota
Alexander Waddell, Accounting, Greenwood, Indiana
Skyler Walker, Pharmacy, Racine, Wisconsin
Kathryn Warma, Science, Technology, and Sociology, Carlinville, Illinois
Riley Wildemann, Pharmacy, Plainfield, Indiana
Alexander Wright, Chemistry, Fishers, Indiana
Heather Wright, Music, Greentown, Indiana
Jill Yager, Biology, Rushville, Indiana
Due to a tie in scoring, more than 100 students are being honored for the 2017–2018 academic year. All honorees were recognized at the Outstanding Student Banquet on April 13, where the Top 15 Most Outstanding Students were announced.
This list includes all students who opted to post their names.
In the photo:
Front row: Emily Lawson, Nida Khan, Nicholas Huang, Caitlyn Foye, Katie Edwards, Adam Bantz, Kelly Murphy
Back row: Abby Sikocin, Abdul Saltagi, Courtney Raab, President Danko, Salman Qureshi, Tori Puhl, Ryan Cultice
Media contact:
Marc Allan
mallan@butler.edu
317-940-9822
Butler Honors Top 100 Students
This is the 57th year to recognize the Top 100 students' dedication and service to Butler.
This is the 57th year to recognize the Top 100 students' dedication and service to Butler.
PUBLISHED ON Apr 25 2018
An examination of an Indianapolis food cooperative's work to stem food insecurity, measurements of job satisfaction among those employed by intercollegiate sport organizations, and the underrepresentation of women in U.S. elected political offices are some of the topics covered in the fourth annual Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research (BJUR).
A full list of topics is below.
Volume 4 of the journal contains 12 student papers, including four from Butler students. Sixteen Butler faculty members in addition to the co-editors served as reviewers in selecting the best papers from among the various submissions for this issue.
Kenneth Colburn, Butler Sociology Professor and Co-Editor of the journal, said there have been more than 13,000 downloads of BJUR articles from many different institutions around the world.
"The academic exposure for Butler is very nice," he said. "Everyone knows about our basketball team, but we think it's important that a large audience also understands that Butler is a place for student scholarship."
BJUR was created to build on the success of Butler's Undergraduate Research Conference, which just completed its 30th year, and to complete the cycle—from doing the research to presenting the findings to publishing.
"We enjoy giving students this outlet," said Psychology Professor Tara Lineweaver, a Co-Editor of BJUR. "I have mentored four students who have submitted their honors theses to the journal, and I can say that each and every time they're thrilled to have their paper published in BJUR. It's a very good resume/CV builder for them. And it feels like the project is complete when you get to the stage of seeing it in publication."
Thus far, 19 of the 42 papers published have been written by Butler students. The journal also has published 23 papers authored by students from the University of Pittsburgh, Bellarmine University, Huntington University, Wabash College, Keene State, Columbia University, Hanover College (2), Midway College, Brandeis University, IU-Bloomington, University of Warwick (England), Cal Poly Pomona, DePauw University, University of Tennessee-Martin, University of Indianapolis, and Stanford University.
These are the papers and their authors from the fourth edition of BJUR:
A Community's Collective Courage: A Local Food Cooperative's Impact on Food Insecurity, Community and Economic Development, and Local Food Systems
Tabitha C. Barbour
Allopathic Medicine’s Influence on Indigenous Peoples in the Kumaon Region of India
Eliana M. Blum
Determinants of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction among practitioners employed in intercollegiate sport organizations
Ian Cooper, Chantel Heinsen, and Michael Diacin
Individualized Music Improves Social Interaction of Women, But Not Men, With Dementia
Emily Farrer and Diana Hilycord
Inferences on Criminality Based on Appearance
Hannah Johnson, Morgan Anderson, Hayley R. Westra, and Hayden Suter
A Blend of Absurdism and Humanism: Defending Kurt Vonnegut’s Place in the Secondary Setting
Krisandra R. Johnson
Do Black and White Americans Hold Different Views on Marijuana Legalization? Analyzing the Impact of “The War on Drugs” on Racialized Perceptions of Legalizing Marijuana
Benjamin S. Kaminoff
Miguel de Unamuno: The Relationship among Women, his Life, Spanish Society and El marqués de Lumbría
Tina Maric
Using Random Forests to Describe Equity in Higher Education: A Critical Quantitative Analysis of Utah’s Postsecondary Pipelines
Tyler McDaniel
Public Financing and the Underrepresentation of Women in United States Elected Political Offices
Libby P. Moyer
Holding on to Culture: The Effects of the 1837 Smallpox Epidemic on Mandan and Hidatsa
Jayne Reinhiller
The first three volumes of BJUR (2015-2017) were funded through a Butler Innovation grant; this year’s journal was funded by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Going forward, funding will be provided in part by the following annual sponsors who have committed financial support: English; Biological Sciences; College of Communication; College of Education; College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Creative Media and Journalism; Critical Communication and Media Studies; Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies; History and Anthropology; International Studies; Jordan College of Arts; Neuroscience; Philosophy, Religion & Classics; Physics and Astronomy; Political Science/Peace and Conflict Studies; Psychology; Science, Technology and Environmental Sciences; Sociology and Criminology; Strategic Communication; Founding Partner-Irwin Library.
Media contact:
Marc Allan MFA '18
mallan@butler.edu
317-940-9822
Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research Is Ready to Be Read
The fourth volume of the increasingly popular annual publication is now online.
The fourth volume of the increasingly popular annual publication is now online.