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Surrounded by Talent

When I was in high school, a friend and I would always write these silly little songs when we were supposed to be in class and we were absolutely proud of them. But in all honesty, they weren’t really that good. As I entered college my musical abilities were maturing (thank goodness) along with every other aspect of my life. As I got to know everyone, I came to realize that all of my peers were extremely talented musicians. It was rather annoying really. As hard as I still try, it’s significantly hard to compete.

Since Butler is nowhere near a large body of students you get to know the others pretty well. There have been many to stand out but just to name a few: Donnie Chauncey, Kelsey Colby, Cameron Bedell, and James Williams. These kids have so many possibilities for greatness in their future along with most of the others in the fine arts department.

So the biggest vocal concert of the year is coming up on the first weekend of May. The show will feature many solos with some good ol’ classics to some fun new tunes. The whole program will be fast paced with lots of running for costume changes and panicking backstage, I’m sure. Though with the professionalism they teach here, no one will let any of it show.

While the competition is stiff, I’m glad it’s this way. If everyone was subpar around me that wouldn’t make me strive to be better. I would be confident and comfortable with where I was at. Instead, I will appreciate their talents and grasp the opportunity to see them before they get to be famous when I’ll have to pay to go to their shows. As for now I’ll attempt to keep evolving and growing as a musician by comparing and competing with all their skills.

-rachel hoeffner

Wanna have a Fling with Elvis?

Hi Everyone!!!

It's that time of the year yet AGAIN!!! Hooray!! SGA as well as other Butler organizations are gearing up for the up coming SPRING FLING! We have a lot headed our way in terms of events and cool prizes! And Elvis will be there to kick off the show..what could be better?!!

In Andover, the date for to keep in your calender is April 21st from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the New Student Union, everyone head out there and get some FREE GRUB while you're checking out the various booths!

In El Dorado, the show kicks off from 3:00 PM to 7:00PM on April 23rd mainly in front of the Bear Neccessities.. A Slam Dunk contest will be held at the basketball court from 3:30pm with Amaizing prizes to be won, at 5:00 Elvis opens the show for those of us who are aspiring singers in the Karaoke Contest! PLUS, FREE GRUB for Everyone!! You have to be really SLOW not to be there!!!!

~ Joyce Kinyange

Hitting the road after Butler

Everyone has such high hopes for their breaks, whether it is their winter break, spring, or summer. This is no different for me for my summer plans I hope to set up a short road trip. I was inspired by my cousin Nick who is currently taking a two month sabbatical traveling around the state of Texas, up to Kansas, and making his way to California. His trip is a little more extensive and way more expensive than I’m willing to go. I plan on maybe hitting up a few towns in Ks, and then headed south to Georgia or Texas; it’s obviously still in the beginning stages of planning.

Nick started his trip on the 21st of this month. I’ve heard nothing but bragging for how much fun he’s having. Nick and his traveling companion, Eric, have figured it out to how they have somewhere to stay and someone to feed them everywhere they visit. Since my trip would be considerably shorter, it wouldn’t be that hard to figure that out for myself. Though I have to admit, I’m way jealous of his life at the moment.

I will probably spend the majority of my time in Amarillo due to the fact that I have so many close family members. That’s actually where I spent my spring break. I drove down by myself and stayed with Nick, we didn’t do that much besides just hang out and watch some movies, but I did have a ton of fun. One of the days we spent on Palo Duro Canyon; hiking and whatnot. It was beautiful up on top. We split up into three groups and competed to see who could get down first. My group jogged almost the entire way down, we won by almost five minutes. Other than that we just got as many free meals from Nick’s parents as possible and roamed around town.

I can say that I had more fun that I truly expected to have considering we had nothing really planned at all. I came to my final decision to go about three days before spring break came about anyways. Obviously there was no real thought put into this trip besides whether or not I had money for fuel, but I’m glad I went and I hope that my summer trip will be just as fun if not better.

~ Rachel Hoeffner

Poverty simulation, not a game

Last month, Butler's Service Learning program sponsored a Poverty Simulation to give students a glimpse at how difficult life can be for the financially struggling. Every 15 minutes represented a month as teams hopped to various stations that represented schools, workforce centers, pawnshops and hospitals.

Butler President Dr. Jackie Vietti played the constable for the day, investigating crimes and placing juveniles in the detention center.

Students filled out job applications at the General Employment table to make money to pay rent and other bills.

Some students became parents throughout the course of the simulation and visited with counseling services to help cope with the economic struggles.

Students were teamed together in households and neighborhoods, trying to bring enough income to the family to stay afloat.

When students failed to pay their bills, eviction noticed were placed on the "houses,"effectively leaving families homeless. They then petitioned to reside at the shelters available to the community.

Good Music, Not Too Far

Though I’d love to be living in a much larger city, I don’t have too many complaints most days. But I’ve decided that in order to fulfill my desires to see live bands, Wichita needs to become more attractive to these touring groups. I randomly will look up some of my favorite bands to see where they’re traveling and, like most college students, I don’t have money just sitting around that I can blow all the time.
I hope that someday Kansas becomes a little more, not necessarily trendy, but at least more acceptable to travel through. I know if bands thought they’d have a crowd, I’m sure they’d come. I despise the fact that the only time any really awesome bands come through it’s only because they happen to be on Warped Tour or something like that, but this year they’re not even coming to Kansas. They’re passing through to head to Kansas City, Mo.

Considering everyone’s music taste differs in some way or another and knowing you may not agree with what I say is good, I’m going to list off a few concerts I’m aware of that are coming up within the next few months.

• Meg and Dia, April 4 at the Kings of Club in Claremore, Ok


• William Fitzsimmons, April 8 at the Bottleneck in Lawrence, Ks


• Fireflight, April 11 at the WL White Auditorium in Emporia, Ks


• The Morning Light, April 15 at the Waiting room in Omaha, Na


• Backseat Goodbye, April 17 at the Main St Cafe in Kansas City, Mo


• Bayside, May 7 at the Granada Theatre in Lawrence, Ks

Obviously, these are just a few of the concerts that are going to be anywhere near us. I’m pretty stoked about the Meg and Dia show, but I am hoping to go to Warped Tour, which is pretty stacked this year with some pretty awesome bands. Anyways, there are my picks to what I think are going to be some pretty bomb shows.

- by Rachel Hoeffner

Recently I have noticed the considerably large increase in lame excuses.

Also recently, excuses in general have become one of my biggest pet peeves. And that’s probably because of the way I was raised.

When I was little, I was taught to 1.) wash my hands before & after dinner, 2.) to always say ‘please’ & ‘thank you,’ and 3.) to always be on time. More and more, I have seen people come into class 10-20 minutes late, if even at all. Is it weird that I still try to abide by all of these small life lessons?

I mean, I’ve heard the phrase ‘better late than never,’ but showing up 20 minutes late to a 1 hour class seems pointless to me.

Maybe I’m just old fashioned (even though I’m only 19), but I absolutely cannot stand listening to someone rattle off another overused excuse as they walk into class with their hair shifted backwards and fuzzy bunny slippers covering their feet. If you aren’t going to show up willing to work, don’t show up at all.

So, if you are one of those people that are chalk full of lame excuses, please try to use them at a bare minimum.

Thanks.

~ by Olivia Newfarmer

Show Week is So Worth the Work

So I’m supposed to let possible future students know about life here at butler. I’m a sophomore this year, I’m in the Chamber Singers, and right now it’s show week. You may not understand what that means but it’s basically a week you have multiple rehearsals everyday and then numerous performances Thursday through Saturday. Having our first concert done and over with last night, I’m happy to relay that everyone did a phenomenal job.

Chambers started the show off and I received many compliments on our expressive faces and our great sound. Our short but sweet set consists of a couple ballads, a couple gospel, and a renaissance madrigal. Following chambers is the Butler Ladies with their upbeat melodies and graceful movements. This show featured a few of their many strong voices with some great solos. The vocal department also consists of our two humbling barbershop quartets, the Notables (our girl group) and the Smorgaschords (our guy group). Headliners, another show choir, as always put on a great show full of lots of energy and smooth transitions between great classic songs back to back. Of course we also have a main choir which consolidates all of our ensembles together.

The show week always takes a lot out of you as a performer with all the preparation that’s required to make it a worthwhile show, but as much as I’m always behind on sleep during this week it’s always worth it. Last night one older gentleman stood out to me. He was the father to one of the girls in our group and you could just tell by the smile on his face and the tapping of his foot he was really enjoying himself and it was all because of our hard work. I know that may sound really corny, but I do love those moments.

- by Rachel Hoeffner

International Student Survey

Take the International Student Scholarship Survey, which I have been working on with advisors and the research office. It has now been posted on ISA's group page and on pipeline announcements for students to partake in. It is the basic first step in helping the various departments in question establish a scholarship fund tailored to International Students because we realize that they really do achieve very high grades - and a little "cushion" pertaining to financial aid will go a long way! If you are an international student, get on pipeline, every one of you counts!

~by Joyce Kinyange

Upcoming: Movie Night and Music & Ethnic Food Night

Homecoming's over and we have a couple of events coming up before
Spring break!

To start off with, SGA's having a movie night this Friday (March 6) at
the Warren Theatre on 13th St. at 6:30 p.m. It's strictly first
come-first serve basis with the first 50 students with valid college
IDs. It's bound to be a great night with really great movies showing.
For El Dorado students, a van is reserved for those needing
transportation to and from the theatre. All you need to do is sign
up at the student life office in the union.

Another exciting event is the International Student Association's
annual “Music and Ethnic Food Night” coming up on March 12 from
6-10 p.m. in the Grizzly Den at BOA's union. There will be FREE food
prepared by students from all cultures represented at Butler. There's
no entrance fee to that, just come EAT, DRINK (pop!) and DANCE to
cultural beats! I will be attending this event and have pledged to
make a Tanzanian rice dish, which is very spicy and includes beef
(we'll see how that goes!). I attended last fall's event which was
very successful with about 50 students partaking in the event, this
year we are hoping to double that number! Come one, Come ALL!

~by Joyce Kinyange

Get on Course - Butler's GPS

If you're zipping from class to class on the El Dorado campus, you've probably noticed these yard signs over the last month or so. Inside the buildings, there are posters up that talk about winning a Garmin GPS. That's pretty sweet. These signs were kind of a cool way to get people wondering what GPS is all about.

And now with the official lingo:

Make sure you’re on the right road for your graduation with Butler’s Graduation Process System, “GPS”. Go online to butlercc.edu to get your GPS started and qualify for a chance to win a new Garmin GPS system which will be awarded on March 11th.

~by Chris Neal

What’s Your Learning Style?

Tips on Study Skills and Time Management

Recognizing the importance of good study habits and managing time will help you get your college days off to a good start. One of the best things you can do is to understand how you learn. For example, is it easier for you to remember something you read, or something you hear? Perhaps you retain a concept better if you create something in order to help you learn it.

If you’re not sure what your learning style is, or if you’re just curious about it, there is a great website that can help you. Go to www.berghuis.co.nz/abiator/lsi/lsitest1.html and respond to the 30 statements; then click on “Tell Me My Learning Style.” A screen will pop up that defines whether you are a Visual learner (seeing), an Auditory learner (hearing) or a Tactile-Kinesthetic learner (active) and then you can read about learning strategies for your type. Knowing how you learn will help you succeed in the classroom.

College students today are balancing so many commitments, including class attendance plus study time, family, work, and friends. Managing your time becomes very important. Some ways to do that are simple and obvious: don’t procrastinate, don’t let yourself get behind on your class work. But another way to manage your time in college is to study smart.

One proven method is known as SQ3R:
S = Survey the chapter. Don’t read the chapter first - instead just read headlines, look at cartoons, pictures, etc. Get an idea of what is covered in the material.

Q = Create a Question that the paragraph answers …

R = … after Reading the paragraph.

R = Recite the questions you have created.

R = Review by answering the questions.

Reviewing the material will help you remember it, putting it in your long-term memory rather than in your short-term memory. That will help your preparation and enable you to take better tests and to actively participate in the classroom.

Getting off to a good start in college is important – and understanding how you learn and how to manage your time will help you be successful.

Homecoming calling. Wanna see a movie?

Hi Guys,

Well, since it's Homecoming Week, we have a lot going on in SGA! We had bowling on Monday night here in El Dorado with a good turnout. We expected more, but I guess people had other things going on.

Tuesday was a disappointment because we did not have that many students turn up at the Ice-Skating in Wichita.

On Wednesday, however, the turnout was excellent for the continental breakfast we had in the lobby of the 1500 Building.

Tonight (Thursday) is Movie Night at B&B's Central Cinema 6 here in town, starting at 6:30 p.m. Tickets will cost $1 each on a first-come, first-serve basis. The money's going to the Cancer Walk being held at the Gym on Feb. 28 from 2 to 4 p.m.

Friday is Casino Night here on campus. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. in the Kansas Room. Students are required to dress classy and the 3 top players receive cool prizes! The cost is $3 per student to participate, $2 raffle tickets all night and of course food and drink will be provided!

Next Tuesday is Soul Food Lunch in the Caf featuring southern recipes in observation of Black History Month from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. SGA will cover for both students and faculty without meal plans!

If you haven't already, find SGA on Facebook and be our friends!

~by Joyce Kinyange

The Chris Pics:Student publications back to work

Logan Jones, Wichita freshman, types up an entry form for the upcoming KACP (Kansas Association of Collegiate Press) Awards. Last year, the Grizzly magazine won 18 awards which included the Journalist of the Year award and a Bronze medal in the overall category.




Becca Burton, Wichita freshman, looks through a Lantern newspaper in search of items to enter in the Newspaper division in the KACP Awards. The Lantern hopes their new look will be highly awarded to improve from their results last year.

~by Chris Neal

Revealing my Ethos

After enjoying the beautiful weather that Kansas had for the first time in months, I decided to go inside and check out my Facebook page. Realizing that I had been tagged in a ‘25 Random Facts About Me’ note by one of my Facebook friends, I took the liberty of creating a '25 Random Facts About Me’ note as well.

The sad thing is I had never been so stumped. How could 25 things about me be so hard to come up with? I was pathetically trying to think of SOMETHING that would be interesting. And suddenly, my thoughts jumped back to what I had learned earlier in the day: a lesson about ethos, pathos and logos.

In class, we were instructed to write a persuasive paper about two different presidential inauguration speeches, convincing our readers that one speech was better than the other. Now, I know that writing 25 random facts about myself doesn’t exactly compare, but the ‘ethos’ part is what helped me come up with my zany facts. Ethos is basically how well you know your info; being convincing and honest, of course.

And it was almost out of nowhere that all of these peculiar things started coming together. Not only that, but I found them to be quite humorous! Some of them ranged from my family life all the way down to my useless ability to count how many letters are in a word extremely fast. (Seriously, that is probably the most worthless skill I could ever retain).

So. I found my random power.

What’s yours?

~by Olivia Newfarmer

Looking back at Obama's visit to Butler

A year ago today, I shook the President’s hand.

Sure, he wasn’t the president at the time. He hadn’t even secured the Democratic nomination at that point. In fact – non-politico that I am – until that day, I’d only heard his name in passing.

On January 29, 2008, Barack Obama took the stage in Butler Community College’s gymnasium and coaxed a couple thousand locals out of their toasty homes and into an eye-blistering blizzard to hear him speak. I was among those area residents who later chipped flakes of ice from under my fingernails while I waited to hear the man speak.

My attention had been anywhere but the Presidential race before he came to El Dorado and I was only vaguely rooting for Hillary based on my inexplicable affection for her husband’s tenure in office. I attended the speech and admittedly grew a man-crush on Mr. Obama. I’m a sucker for his brand of chatter. I dig on hope; whether he’ll deliver remains to be seen, but he secured my vote that day.

It wasn’t at the actual event in which I interacted with him. Despite my immediate attraction to his ideals, I was willing to let slip what I figured would be my only opportunity to meet the man. I’m not a big fan of crowds and I wasn’t about to battle with them for a fleeting touch at the hem of his robe. I left the event buoyed by his thoughts but disappointed that I couldn’t get even closer to him.

At the time, I was scrawling stories in newsprint for the local newspaper, The El Dorado Times. I was lounging in the newsroom after the event, still a bit high from the hope-filled Kool-Aid and trying to wrap my head around what words I’d use to describe the event. A call came to tell us that Obama was preparing to get his grub on at Susie’s Chili Parlor downtown. Initially, my instincts told me to leave the man alone. Who wants to be hounded while they chow? When my face is stuffed, it’s best to recognize that I probably don’t want to interact with anything but my chilidog.

I can’t imagine being a public figure, let alone the icon that Barack Obama has become. His image has been captured from every conceivable angle during even the most mundane of human activities. The man yawns and 5,000 flashbulbs erupt; he picks his nose and the footage is undoubtedly on YouTube within the hour. His every word and movement is scrutinized. Old Abe Lincoln never had it so rough.

Nevertheless, I felt drawn to him. I left the camera behind, but made the trek to his location. I still felt the niggling urge to leave him alone, but I finally seized my chance and approached him. In the moment that I shared with him, the rest of the world melted away. His gentle hand shook mine and I told him that I appreciated his thoughts and ideas and was glad I’d been able to hear them for the first time. I wished him luck and he was nothing short of gracious. Then he sat to eat his onion rings.

This was truly an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me and though it was fleeting, it was also meaningful. Some say Obama only came to El Dorado to exploit tenuous-at-best family ties, but every candidate made grassroots stops in small towns and attempted to preach their brand of gospel to whoever might listen. Whatever his reasons for passing through, I think it was a remarkable moment for Butler Community College and this region. We were one of many stops for Obama on his road to presidency and it may be hazy to him, but it will last with me forever.

~ by Jon Pic.