Compass Center Multifaith Communities at Butler
The Compass Center houses the many different student-led faith and secular communities; we provide support, resources, space, and leadership development for all our groups. Butler strives to create a welcoming and inclusive campus for all religious identities.
Check out our Compass Center Communities on Canvas
Student contact:
Noah Giddings, ngiddings@butler.edu
Faculty/Staff advisor:
Chad Bauman, cbauman@butler.edu
- The AASC empowers secular students to proudly express their identity, build welcoming communities, promote secular values, and set a course for lifelong activism.
- We envision a future in which secular students lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, thrive as valued members of society, and provide visionary leadership committed to humanistic ideals and critical inquiry.
- The AASC holds events regularly to allow members to interact, establish bonds, and learn about all the world has to offer. The organization hosts field trips to movies and museums to then foster discussion about the events and explore the possible religious implications in a secular context. Students meet weekly to plan events and spend time together.
Student contacts:
Luke Kessinger lkessing@butler.edu,
Julia Putzi, jputzi@butler.edu
Faculty/staff advisor:
Brian Landis, bplandis@butler.edu
Community advisor:
Matt Williams, mmwilli4@butler.edu
Our purpose is to help college athletes and coaches explore and grow in authentic faith in Christ.
- Spiritual mentoring (discipleship) for Christian athletes
- Team Bible studies and chapels
- Large group meetings during the week
- Retreats, conferences, and mission trips
Facebook page “AIA Butler Bulldogs”.
Student Contacts:
Reaghan Jefferson, rjefferson@butler.edu
Faculty/Staff Advisor:
Anthony Murdoch, amurdock@butler.edu
Student contact:
David Rogiers, drogiers@butler.edu
Faculty/Staff advisor:
Dr. Eileen Taylor, etaylor1@butler.edu
Community advisors:
Fr. James Brockmeier, jbrockmeier@butler.edu
Cheyenne Johnson, director Butler Catholic Community, cajohns3@butler.edu
- The BCC is a Catholic Community that seeks to serve the world through acts of charity, mercy, and love and, in doing so, to serve Christ and bring only goodness into the world.
- They work together with other faith traditions to bring peace by volunteering at local churches, food pantries, and summer travel opportunities for service.
- The Catholic Church at Butler University works with students to grow faith in the busy college world and offer a place of open, nonjudgmental discussion for the questions that may weigh heavy on your shoulders.
- There are a variety of options for involvement offered including Sunday Mass, midweek Mass, retreats, Small Groups, Liturgy, One-on-One meetings with the Director of Campus Ministry and more.
Student contacts:
Sarah Miller, smmiller2@butler.edu
Orly Trachtman, otrachtman@butler.edu
Faculty/staff advisor:
Hilene Flanzbaum, hflanzba@butler.edu
Community advisors:
Lisa Frank, lbfrank@butler.edu
Nonie Vonnegut-Gabovich, nvonnegu@butler.edu
- Open to all faculty and students, Hillel at Butler serves as an on campus Jewish environment. It caters to the Jewish population within the university and provides education from a Jewish perspective to Jewish and non-Jewish students alike.
- Among events offered are monthly Shabbat services and dinners, a weekly meeting with a volunteer advisor, holiday observances and group activities, and community participation.
- Join to gather with Jews in celebration, observance, social action, and discussion. In joining, you can learn how to become involved in any of the five Synagogues close to Butler’s campus.
Student contact:
TBD
Faculty/Staff Advisor:
Marguerite Stanciu, mstanciu@butler.edu
Community Advisor:
Student contact:
Zayd Almaya, zalmaya@butler.edu
Faculty/Staff Advisor:
Muslim Life Advisor:
Anisse Adni, aadni@butler.edu
“Our mission is to provide support and programming for both Muslims and Non-Muslims that increases the awareness and appreciation of our religion on Butler’s campus.”
- The MSA provides opportunities for Muslim students to get involved in campus life with discussion and event planning participation with a focus on interacting with other Compass Center communities on a personal level.
- The organization is active and hosts 10-12 events each semester. Some possibilities for these events are trips to local mosques for Jummah (Friday) prayer, halaqa (guided discussion) participating in Relay for Life, dinners with other communities of faiths, and “Ask a Muslim Day” where any student can ask any question about Islam while enjoying provided treats!
Student contact:
Dawson Bichey, dbichey@butler.edu
Halla Vanest, hvanest@butler.edu
Faculty/staff advisor:
Mike Trombley, mtromble@butler.edu
Community advisor:
Kailene Lewis, kelewis1@butler.edu
Ryan Speicher, rspeicher@butler.edu
“Our desire is to be a movement of people who are seeking to know Jesus and make Him known on our campuses, in our city, and to the world.”
- Cru is a Student Ministry for university students with 1,740 active communities on college campuses. In 2011, they had 25,000 missionaries in 191 different countries.
- Cru hosts weekly meetings on Butler’s campus at the Cru House, 519 W. Hampton Drive which is right next to BUPD. They offer prayer, discussion about how the Bible applies to student life, and about God and how he moves through the campus, city, and the world.
- Community groups are the primary way of getting involved.
Student contact:
Kayla Zaleski, kzaleski@butler.edu
Faculty/staff advisor:
Brent Hege, bhege@butler.edu
Community advisor:
The Rev. Samuel Vaught, stvaught@butler.edu
- Supported by Episcopalians, Lutherans, and all people of faith and good-will, Grace-Unlimited is a campus organization with leaders who claim convictions, but no final answers.
- Grace-Unlimited cites six main values that they hold; progressive, traditional, inclusive, biblical, contemplative, and activist.
- Drawn to make a difference, involvement in movements for the common good is a part of their activism.
- Some regular activities are held by Connect, a small group that meets weekly; there is also a Sunday community worship service each week during the school year.
- Everyone is welcome to join this adventurous community of faith including those of all ethnicities, gender identity, orientation, or societal class.
Student contact:
Ana Severson, aseverson@butler.edu
Faculty/Staff Advisor:
Christopher Wilson, cjwilson@butler.edu
Community Advisor:
Pastor Seth Mierow, prmierow@gmail.com
“College is tough. You need Jesus. We’ll help.”
- A confessional Lutheran student group on the campus of Butler University together with St Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, an LCMS-U chapter.
- LCMS U is the place to continue and grow your faith in the complex world of college where biblical worldview, doctrine, ethics, and practices are challenged.
- This is a place that gives students substantive opportunities to grow their faith in a college environment that can be filled with doubt. They seek to do this through Christ and spreading the word of God on campuses nation-wide.
Student contact:
Gianna Bucaro, gbucaro@butler.edu
Faculty/Staff Advisor:
Natalie Andreev, nandreev@butler.edu
Community advisor:
Father David Wey, weytobe@aol.com, dwey@butler.edu
- Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) is the official collegiate campus ministry program under the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America. OCF is charged with connecting Orthodox college students—and those interested in the Orthodox Christian faith—to Christ and His Church.
- Among the events offered is training of lay and clergy volunteers and students for leadership roles in the organization and outside of it as well. This happens at the annual Summer Leadership Institute.
- Here at Butler, Father David Wey leads prayer weekly or bi-weekly at The Compass Center.
Student contacts:
Will Hones, whones@butler.edu
Nathan Richardson, nrichardson@butler.edu
Faculty/staff advisor:
Nick Abel, nabel@butler.edu
Community advisor:
Jaime McCord , jnmccord@butler.edu
- Young Life is about building mentorships with adolescents. At Butler University, the students serve as mentors to high school age students in the surrounding Indianapolis community. The focus is on the mentee and nurturing them and supporting them through a genuine interest and care.
- Butler Young Life students meet regularly on campus in the The Compass Center for Bible studies and faith formation conversations.
- Mentors are charged with praying for the young people, going to where the kids are, building personal relationships with their mentees, providing fun and life-changing experiences, and guiding these younger people to develop skills within the context of religion, hand-in-hand with Jesus Christ and His teachings.