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Despite his t-shirt's declaration of "Not Timid," Dennis Butler '09 is actually quite timid, according to his friends and acquaintances.
"Yeah, Dennis wears that shirt a lot," said Hugh Shepherd '09, Butler's Grad Center suitemate and occasional confidante. "I'd say at least two to three times a week. But it's all bullshit. I've personally seen the guy agonize for half an hour over how to respond to a Facebook poke."
"Dennis is really sweet," noted sophomore Alison Pierce, Butler's girlfriend of eight months. "He's a great guy who knows how to make me feel special. But it does bother me that our games of 'Doctor' are always so much like real doctor visits."
Other sources confirmed that Butler also didn't say anything when he was cut in line while waiting for an Ivy Room falafel, abandoned a trip to the bathroom when he saw that there were no barriers between the urinals, and often does half-waves that turn into head scratches when he sees acquaintances at a distance. He has also been known to make the half hand raise in classes before quickly withdrawing his arm and turning to look out the window.
"The worst I ever saw him was that one time in the library," said friend Samuel Lewis '10.
Lewis explained that once, when caught staring at a girl in the Rock's periodicals reading room, Butler pretended to be reading the clock behind her, craning his neck and performing a series of squinty "reading" faces before finally collecting his things and leaving the
room.
"I like the shirt because it's soft," stated Butler when asked about his continual usage of the shirt. "It's a wonderful blend of cotton and lycra. Doesn't irritate my skin at all, and that is something that has always been important to me."
The "Not Timid" t-shirt was originally given to Butler at a banquet as part of President Ruth Simmons's "Boldly Brown" fundraising campaign. Although Butler requested a size medium, he was given a size large, a discrepancy he noticed at the time but did not attempt to
resolve.
