Corrado Hall housekeeper, Shari Butler, is a mother-figure for her residents
Shari, pictured here in her small office on the third floor of Corrado, shows off her wall of cards and pictures from former and current residents. (Stephanie Matusiefsky | THE BEACON)
By Megan Walsh, Staff Writer walsh15@up.edu
With midterms on their way and project due dates ominously near, to whom do you go when your levels of stress become unbearable? Who will give you advice, truly care about your well-being and offer emotional support? For the students of Corrado Hall, the answer is clear: Shari Butler.
Butler has been cleaning Corrado Hall for the past three years, but her role has grown into much more than that of a housekeeper - she is a friend, a confidante, and to some, a maternal figure.
Butler loves being a member of Corrado Hall and is happy that this community is growing this year.
"Even though I live off-campus now, whenever I go back to Corrado, Shari still says hi to me and gives me a hug," junior Kelsey Ayres said. "She is just so sweet."
A few days ago, Butler sent out a mass email to the residents of Corrado Hall to let the students know that if they needed someone to talk to, she was always there for them.
"I am watching a lot of freshmen freak out," Butler said. "They need someone to tell them to just relax and enjoy the positives and sending that email was that positive voice that they can't get at home right now because they are here."
With three kids, ages 23, 20 and 18, Butler has experience communicating with young adults. Only 18 years older than her eldest daughter and still young herself, she finds it easy to relate to and interact with students.
"She's just like a mother figure, when you see her she will give you a big hug and ask you about your day - she is always talking, always happy, always in a good mood," sophomore Bea Loper said. "She wants to get to know you better so that she can talk about your life, and she is just like my mom away from home and I know she's like that for a lot of students too."
Butler watched her first child undergo homesickness even though she was only 30 minutes away from home. Butler received tear-filled phone calls and felt her daughter's pain.
She knows what the kids are going through and understands that they are searching for an adult to go to who they can trust not to judge them, she said. She enjoys being that person and offering what she can to help.
"Mostly I hug them, I tell them I love them, which I do because I love every single one of them, and I tell them it's going to be okay," Butler said. "I will hold them until they are done crying."
There is no shortage of students from Corrado Hall who appreciate and enjoy Butler's company. The wall of her 'office' in Corrado, the third floor supply closet equipped with a comfortable chair, is covered with pictures and "thank you" notes from various students.
"She comes up and gives me a hug whenever she sees me," junior Turner Gill said. "I play baseball and whenever I do well she puts the newspaper clippings on my wall and texts me to tell me I did a good job. It just makes a world of difference."
Butler views her job as more than just a means to pay her bills.
"I love Corrado," Butler said. "I love the staff here and I love the kids - they're the funnest thing here. It's my other family. I could be here and be happy."
