Pizza Party!

Last thursday we all got together and talked about our experience in this english class. We all had great things to say and really enjoyed the food. we agreed that we should keep making postings on this blog...kinda to just stay in touch with eachother over the summer. i know for me leaving was a feeling that was sorta...love/hate. I was happy to finally be done with the class but sad at the same time because I have become so close with all of my peers. Danielle and Jeff has been great for us this year and we only wish we would have utilized them more throughout the semester! overall this class was a success for most of us and we learned a great deal from the papers and reading assignments!

Finals

So it is the tuesday of finals week and I officially have not gone to sleep since I woke up on sunday morning around 11a.m. I pretty sure thats not to good for my personal health but it also seems necessary in order to do well on my tests and papers. I know I could have prepared much better for this week and relieved alot of stress but instead I'm stuck pulling all-nighters till I'm finished with my freshman year which seems a little fast and a little weird. But to everyone good luck on fianls and have an awesome summer. I know I will. I'm actually spending it up here on campus taking classes. Cant get enough of this place!

A Little Late

This post is about the Stander Symposium. I went to a couple of different presentations and first of all you need to get to where ever you are going early if you want a seat. The first presentations I saw were given by sophmore ENT majors. I went to this one becuase it is what I am interested in. It was really cool to see the different ideas that groups of people can come up with for the consumer. I went to a couple of other things and in all I really enjoyed waking up and just being able to walk around campus and see what everyone is doing.

Great Snacks to Keep Students Going

Studying for finals can be very monotonous. At times it can be hard to stay focused. That is, unless you are studying in Marianist Hall. Every night this finals week, at midnight, they are serving coffee and donuts. The caffeine from the coffee and the sugar buzz from the donuts make it a lot easier to stay focused and keep on going. The donuts are phenomenal. they come in chocolate, powdered sugar, and glazed. They also have donut holes if you would rather have one of those. So this year, while you are studying for finals, think about stopping by for a donut or some coffee, because you earned it.

Cafe Boulevard

Several weeks ago, I went to Dayton's historic Oregon District and decided to dine at the trendy Cafe Boulevard. The decor is that of a jazz club, and has a very European feel. There are beautiful paintings on the wall and the layout of the restaurant is very modern. They also have a trendy lounge area. The menu offers dishes from pasta to seafood, and also offers some awesome appetizers and desserts. I ordered the filet mignon that included asparagus and three different sauces. I was pleasently suprised when the food was brought to the table. The plate was laid out in a cool design, and it looked very gourmet. But, best of all, the food was awesome. I would recommend going there because the atmosphere is interesting, the food is great, and it is affordable.

Dayton's Historic Oregon District

Last weekend I wanted to just get off campus and do something fun and new. A friend had suggested that she heard of this place called the Oregon District that was about five minutes away from campus. We decided to give it a try, and I must say it was one of the most fun nights that I had had in a while. The city of Oregon is one of the most alive parts of Dayton and it includes historical buildings, antique shops, café’s, parades, a comedy club, Ohio’s largest Halloween party, picnics in the park, street vendors, musicians, and a unique Rock Climbing Gym - Urban Krag. I thought the area looked very trendy and upbeat. We decided to go to the Oregon Emporium to get a cup of coffee. The small coffee shop was very modern looking, and even had a wine bar inside of it. Some other restaurants included Jay's Seafood, Pacchia, Cafe Boulevard, and The Oregon Express. There are also various businesses and inns around the District. So, if your looking for a place to go to get off campus, try Dayton's Oregon District!

Stander Symposium

For the Stander Symposium 2008 I decided to go to a few presentations that related to my major. I went to an Entrepreneurship presentation in which sophmore ENT majors create and launch their own companies. Each group of students are given $3000 of the school's money to create their business. I'm sure you have all had some of them knocking on your doors trying to sell their products! There were two groups of about 8 students that presented their project during the presentation. The first group created Flyer magnetic dart boards, and they seemed to be pretty successful because they ultimately made a profit from their sales. The second group created Dayton Flyer flags, which I'm sure everyone has seen on the houses around the Ghetto. Their group made the most profit, and it was interesting to see how each team member contributed. I enjoyed the presentation because it is something that I will have to do next year. The other presentation that I attended was about the student run company, Flyer Enterprises. The student executives spoke about the various companies, such as The Blend, Flyer Spirit, and Artstreet Cafe, and also asked for opinions about how they could make those businesses better. I liked how they asked opinions of people that attended because you get a feel for what the student body would like. Overall, I think Stander was interesting because I was interested in the presentations I was attending.

LAST DAY OF CLASSES!

Its official today is the LAST DAY OF CLASSES for the University of Dayton! This long awaited day has finally come and it is somewhat bittersweet. Ya, we are done with classes for our freshman year in college, but now we have finals. Some people got lucky and only have to take 1 final and write a paper, others, not so much, 4 finals is a lot. Some people have to take more, that is unfortunate. All of our hard work has finally come to an end and next stop, home!

KINGS ISLAND

I made my first trip to Kings Island this past weekend. I have season passes, so I go like every weekend, but that first trip there is always the best. Even though it was kind of rainy, it was still a blast. I was interested to see what changes had been made to the park since cedar point bought out the park and it is no longer paramount. Some of the names of the rides have been changed, and anything that had paramount on it was changed. The Top Gun was changed to Flight Deck, the Drop Zone was changed to Drop Tower, Italian Job was changed to Backlot Stunt Track, and Face Off was changed to Invertigo. So, it was really fun to see all the changes and also what was kept the same. I am going again this Saturday with some friends from back home and I am already ready!!

WARM!!

I love this warm weather!! It is so nice to be able to wear whatever you want and not have to worry about being cold!! I love being able to go outside on the hill and do my homework. I can take a blanket, my music, my laptop and do all of my homework outside while enjoying the warm sun!! I enjoy walking around campus and seeing everyone outside laying on blankets enjoying the weather! I enjoy driving around the neighbor and seeing everyone outside on their porches, playing corn hole and laying in their yards! It makes me even more excited for summer! Speaking of, I am going to go outside and do the rest of the homework! :)

PROM NIGHT!!!

So I posted a blog after I saw the movie Shutter, and I said that it was by far the best new movie out. Well, I went and saw Prom Night this past weekend and this movie beats Shutter as well as any other movie. This is by far my favorite movie right now. This movie is amazing. It shows the fun and thrills of prom night and just when you least except it, it takes a turn for the worst. Once again I wont give it away but I will give a short summary of the movie. Donnas senior prom is suppose to amazing, she is surrounded her all of her friends and she should be safe from horrors of her past. But when the night turns from magic to murder there can only be one person resonposible, the man that Donna thought was gone forever. Donna and her friends must find a way to escape this crazy stalker and get away with their lives!! This movie is a must see!!! It is full of scenes that will remind you of your high school prom as well as full of surprises and shockers!!!

Sororities a definition of 'sisterhood'

Sororities are the definition of 'sisterhood'. Being in a sorority adds a special bond to you along with the girls in your sorority. Although summer is approaching too quickly, your 'sisters' will always be there. Even though they might be in different states, we all have something in common, our sorority. It doesn’t matter where you are or what you are doing, you can always pick up the phone and call one of your sisters; especially if you are in trouble or just want to talk. This is what makes a sorority so special. I am proud and excited that I was chosen to be in the sorority I am, Zeta Tau Alpha.

Standers 2008

So I know this post is a tad overdure but just hang in there with me people. I think the Standers was not as impressive as everyone built it up to be. Jason and I went to visit the poster area in one of the upper floors of KU. Some of them to say the least were not very impressive. I felt that our class did alot more research and complex writing than some of these presenters. I saw posters that featured Lance Armstrong, Michael Jordan, 1985 Chicago Bears, and the 1972 Miami Dolphins. While those are super interesting to me, I struggled to find the academics in it. I even took the extra time to listen to all of these students present the topics and I was not stunned by any grueling research. My take on Standers was two thumbs down...way down.

Spring Fever

I don't know about anybody else but these last few days have been rough. Everytime I sit down to study all I can do is look out the window and think " I want to be outside, and on summer vacation". It's like I'm going through the senior slide all over again. On top of it I have a Friday exam which means 11 more days. Do you ever ask yourself when looking out the window and seeing all the kids outside "Where is there homework to do?". I know I do. Well to everyone feeling the same frustrations hang in there, because were getting paid back for the next couple months

FInals TIme

So I’m sure as most of you know finals are just around the corner meaning places like the library are going to be packed full of people most of the day and night. Other places around campus have opened up their doors to help students as well. Marianist is a great place to study. The second floor is full of nooks where you can bring your stuff and camp out all day long. Another great place to study is in KU. On the first floor there is a room with a fire place, (better known as the torch lounge) where you can sit in a comfortable seat and enjoy the peace and serenity that it has to offer. One thing that I have learned this past semester is that each dorm facility is equipped with study rooms. These rooms are designed for students to maximize their potential while not having to walk very far to obtain peace and quiet. The library has extended hours during the week of finals. They do this to accommodate everyone to their own study habits. The rec plex bring in masseuses to help ease the stress that finals can bring to everyone.
.......Just in case anyone wanted to know.....

moving out...

I know I am not looking forward to this whole moving out process. I have accumulated so much this past year. It seems that I might have more stuff/junk now than I did when I first got here. Let’s face it, packing all of your belongings is not going to be fun! Plus now you don't have your parents here to help. I should probably start packing now, because I know it is going to take me a long time. 5 hours back to Chicago stuffed in a car with all of my belongings doesn't sound to appealing to me right now.

finding a job

finding a job is probably never easy, but I've found it to be harder than I thought. I wanted to find something that would help me in the future, and had some connection to my major, graphic design. Internships seem to be for older students in the field and are hard to come by without help or some connection. I dont think I could ever work at some fast food restaraunt or even bus tables, I think I would hate it. The only thing I could find this summer was working for grounds on a golf course. This sounded good to me because I would get to be outside and moving around all day. Then I found out I needed to be there at 6 every morning. My quest for a job continues...

Summer Days- (Means running out of flex)

So how about this weather! It has been great the past couple of days and it is only projected to get better as the weekend progressed! I'm sure many of the students at Dayton have realized that they are running out of money either on Flex or Meal Plan. You will be on track if you have around 150 to 160 dollars. If you are like me however and only have around 26 dollars…some alternate food options are advised! I have found that one of the better and cheaper meals is pizza and chip and a glass of water. This totals less than 3 dollars! It might not be the best/healthiest meal but it will keep you fed for at least another week! Then it’s just time to call the parents and ask them to put some more money on flyer! We only have 6 days of school left and then finals! It is also time to crunch on homework and class work/schoolwork wise!

Practice with the Bearcats

This past Wednesday I had the opportunity to watch the University of Cincinnatti Bearcats football team practice. I went down there with the University of Dayton offensive staff. We attended practice, had lunch with the quarterbacks coach, and then sat and watched films with the offensive staff for three hours. It was very interesting at first... but when you have no idea about the specifics of thier plays it gets very boring... it was still cool just being around the coaches who I have seen and heard about several times on ESPN... and I couldn't help but dream about what it will be like when i'm one of the guys running those meetings.

Spike For Charity

So I wanted to give all of you a little more information about what exactly spike for charity is all about. This was started last year and it is founded from the professional fraternity delta sigma pi. It was started by mike Reuther and brad Evans. Both of these guys wanted to put more of an emphasis on really helping out the community and giving money to those who need it.
What is it?
Spike for charity is an all day volleyball tournament on Saturday April 19th. The entry fee is 15 dollars per person. This includes a t-shirt and headband. The money is given to a charity organization that is dedicated to helping those with cerebral palsy.
History?
This is the second annual tournament. Last year there were only 15 teams that participated and this year it is over 20! This opportunity is open to all those in a professional fraternity and all the proceeds are given to a great cause.
Times and Places?
The first games kick off at 9 a.m. this Saturday morning! You can find these games going on all across campus! Anywhere there is a sand volleyball court there will be teams playing on it!

I recommend all of you come out and support this event, even if it means that you just watch others play. Hopefully the weather will be nice enough to play and maybe even get a little tan!

7 days!

Can you believe there is only 7 DAYS of actual class left!?! I know I can't! I am really excited to be done with school but not so excited to have to take finals and pack up my room to bring it all home. 7 days seems a little unbelievable to me! It seems like UD gets out a lot earlier than many other schools but once we are done with school, Daytona comes! 7 DAYS, GET EXCITED!

The Hidden Treasure of the Emporium

Everyone knows the Emporium has a great deli. The sandwiches are great, but sometimes I am not in the mood for a sandwich. I have eaten so many of them, that they have just gotten a little old. I tried a bunch of other things, but I just couldn't find anything that tasted as a good as the sandwiches. That was until I tried the soups. They were phenomenal. I was angry with myself for not trying them sooner. there were so many different kinds, too. Some of my favorites are home style sweet pepper and beef, golden broccoli cheddar, rustic beef and mushroom, and rosemary chicken and dumpling. These soups are great if you are not in the mood for a sandwich, and they only cost $1.40. You can by something else like chips, a salad, or even get a soup with a sandwich if you are hungry enough. I suggest you take my advice, pick a spoon and get ready for a great meal.

So Ready!!

As this school year is winding down, it is hard to believe that I am almost done with my first year of college, but I am so excited for summer and to be able to go home. I miss my friends back home so much, and I must say I even miss doing nothing but relaxing at home. I am also very excited for my summer job that I already have for sure! I am going to be able to work at a summer day camp for all special needs children. I worked there last summer and fell in love with it, so that is something I am really looking foward to! I am also excited to be able to go back to my high school for the football two a days, practices, and games, and help out. I was the football trainer for three years in high school and I miss it so much. So I am really excited to go back and see all my old friends and spend the day out on the football field doing what I love. The countdown has begun, Summer is almost here! Then its hard to believe that I will be coming back a sophmore already!! WOW!!

Stander 08

So on Wednesday April 9th, I attended the Sander presentations in KU ballroom. This was def. something I was not interested in going to (as i am sure others felt the same way too) but once I got there and started walking around and looking at all of the different topics, it turned into a great experience actually. The first presentation that caught my attention was one titled, "Determination and Down Syndrome; The Story of Karen Gaffney." Having worked with special needs children my whole life and also possibly becoming an intervention specialist, this presentation caught my attention as soon as I walked by. The presentation along with the facts was very interesting. I have never heard the story of Karen Gaffney, but I must say that it was a very heartwarming story. In summary Karen is a 29 year old woman with down syndrome with one leg complety crippled and also hearing and sight problems. However she has overcame these obstacles and has become one of the greatest swimmers of all time, accomplishing the Columbia River Swim, and a relay across the English Channel. I loved this presentation, it was something that touched my heart and has stuck with me since.

I was also impressed with the presentation done by Kelly McNichols and Patricia M. Hart, titled, "Standardized Tests: Helping or Hurting?" This presentation caught my attention due to the fact that we have been talking about standardized testing in my education class. The purpose if this study was to present recent research on standarized testing in the school system. These girls presented their audience with many facts such as the postive benefits and disadvantges of standardized testing, and a short talk on the No Child Left Behind. I found this presentation to be very intresting and packed full of helpful facts.

Stander 08' was very intresting, it was packed full of so many topics and you could see by just walking around and observing that each person there had done such a great amount of research on their topic and were ready to help and answer any questions.

Stander Day...

Wednesday, I attended two events offered. The first event regarded the Peace Corps with a prominent speaker, Dr. Jody Olsen, Deputy Director of the Peace Corps. Waking up to go listen to a speech at 9 o'clock in the morning wasn't my idea of an ideal day. My views changed once Dr. Olsen began speaking, she did a fabulous job and I got a real feel for what the Peace Corps was all about. She talked for about 45 minutes and did an excellent job of explaining what was all involved in the Peace Corps. She answered questions anyone had and was thorough. I then attended the poster event in the KU Ballroom. It was interesting to see all the different projects and how I could relate to some of them. It must have taken a lot of time, effort and preparation for those projects; I think they did an excellent job.

Stander Event Day

So oh what a day on Wednesday!!!!!!!!!! It was busier than on a day when I have normal class. I went to the symposiums that dealt with Africa and Flyer Enterprise. Both of these were quite interesting. I found that I was more engaged and involved in Africa’s presentation than I was the one about flyer enterprise. During Africa I learned a lot about the growing problems and already existing issues. My awareness increased on genocide, child marriage, slavery, and many violations on human rights. The message that was trying to be gotten across was just primarily awareness. I feel that the more people that know about these pressing issues the better. Flyer enterprises was just an entirely different experience. I really didn’t learn anything. I felt like they were just pressing all of us in the room to stop by Art Street and spend more money! HAHA it made me feel as if I was just part of a sales and marketing technique. But overall it was a good experience and I enjoyed the day.

Poster Session 2

Poster Session 2 at the Stander Symposium was great. It was located in the Kennedy Union ballroom. There were so many interesting projects being presented. My favorites were the presentations that had to do with sports. Being from Chicago I especially liked the liked one called "Michael Jordan: The Man, the myth, Legend". This presentation was about how Michael Jordan has impacted the game of basketball and set the bar for all other athletes. All the presenters did a great job and you could tell that they had worked hard on their projects.

Stander Symposium

The first presentation I went to was called "Literacy Influences at the University of Dayton." The presentation consisted of four individual presentations. The one I liked best was that of Rohan Modi, a first-year Pre-Medicine major. His topic was about analyzing the environment of college students at UD and what the different distractions are. He wanted to know if there was advantages or disadvantages in studying in the different residence halls. He did a case study with six students. Two of the students were from Stuart, two were from Founders, and two were from Marianist. Out of the two, one student received "A's" in English, while the other received "B" grades. He also interviewed fifteen individuals from each of the three different dorms. Rohan watched the students as they wrote a paper for a class. He found that each person faced similar distractions, such as instant messenger, Facebook, and friends. The "A" writers were more disciplined and things such as Facebook in moderation while writing a paper, while the "B" writers were more easily distracted. He also found that were you live has a lot to do with the kind of writer you are. Stuart and Founders are both very loud, and the rooms are too small. The most difficult dorm to concentrate in is Stuart. I live in Stuart and totally agree. People are always in the halls, so it's very distracting. I have to go to the library or the Marianist lounge to do my work. I think Stuart needs to have quiet study lounges where people can do their work, so the school should take this into consideration when they renovate the complex.

The second presentation I attended was called "Student Research on Literacy and Its Influences." Again, there were four presenters. I liked Christine Jasek's presentation about Grammar and Literacy. Christine is a marketing major. She wanted to know if college students used good grammar and whether or not that leads to good written communication. She had fourteen first-year students take a grammar quiz, and she asked what their last grade on a paper was. I actually took the quiz, and parts of it were pretty difficult. The average quiz score was a 73%, but the average grade on the paper was an A-. The section with the lowest scores was that of parallel structure, and the section in which students did best on was fragments. So, good grammar does not equal good written communication. She found different reasons for poor grammar. We write how we speak, which hurts written communication. People do not correct others when they speak wrong. I thought this presentation was very interesting, especially for my future profession as a teacher. I need to make sure that my students really understand grammar, and grammar should be taught in context. I will implement it in all subjects, not just when we study grammar.

Stander Sympo

I attended two stander symposium presentations, both by freshman in a major involving sports in some way. Nick Bosch, an exercise science major, and Jose Santana, a sports management major, both gave good presentations about something in the sports world. Nick Bosch's topic, In Their Prime: NFL running backs that disappeared in their golden years, was a study of running backs who either got hurt and had to leave the sport early, or running backs who in their prime decided to retire. The big question was how the players who were injured and forced to quit felt about the players who decided to leave the NFL early on their own will? By using the library, and internet resources, he found the injured players thought new doors opened for them after their football careers and were happy being out of the game, and therefore understood how and why someone could retire early. Jose Santana researched, Pride of a Nation: the overlooked history of Puerto Rican boxing. The research question Jose had was why is Puerto Rican boxing, which is huge in Puerto Rico, not a big deal in America? After researching in the library and online, he concluded that Americans would much rather follow American boxers than to try and go out of their way to see Puerto Rican boxers.

Where are the Movies?

Like many other students here, I spend a lot of my down time in my room watching TV. After a while I get bored watching the same old shows, so I like to flip to channel 51 and watch a good movie. The only problem is that most of the time there is no movie on. Channel 51 is the "Flyer Movie Channel". Almost every time I go to this channel, there is just a menu screen and music playing, no movie. It would be a lot more enjoyable to flip to this channel and run into a good flick. Another problem I have with the "Flyer Movie Channel" is that when they actually do have a movie playing, it often just stops during the middle of it and goes back to the menu screen. It is very frustrating to watch a movie then see it just get cut off during the middle of the showing.

Stuart and Founder Feilds

Are you guys tired of not having anything to do during nice sunny days? Do you wish that you could get a group of people together to just hang out and soak up the sun rays? Well if you have answered yes to any of the two questions above then you need to check out Stuart and Founders fields. During sunny days these fields are packed with people. You can do a variety of activities. The two most popular ones are playing frisbee and for the girls its laying out in the sun! This is a great way for the dayton campus to all come together unofficially at given locations. Another hot sport is soccer. There are always a couple pick up games on each of the fields. When we all walked into college i'm sure that most of us pictured what it would be like to just hang out, out in the sun, enjoying the day. Well i'm here to report that now is your opportunity! This week April 7th through 12th is supposed to be bright and sunny all week! A little side note on this topic.....the docter says that it is recommened to get on average atleast 15 minutes of sunlight a day. With just this little amount you recieve all the vitamen D for that day! So bottom line.....Next time its a gorgeous day out and your wondering what in the world to do, grab a couple friends and head out to one of these fields and enjoy your time being outside!! :)

Summer

As summer quickly approaches I wonder what it is going to be like back home. Being reunited with all my friends again and sharing crazy college stories we have each had. It seems like it is going to be a blast. But after meeting up with some of my friends over spring break I could tell that they had changed after going to college. I am able to see a change in my friends that stayed in state at UK. As well as a change in my 2 best friends who went south to Auburn, where you are only as cool as your Sperry's and Polo shirt that you wear to class. It is not necessarily a bad change but it is now different around them. Change is not always a bad thing but this summer i believe will not be "just like old times". Instead it will be a show and tell about how people have changed and adapted to college.

Thai 9

This past weekend, I went to Thai 9, which is a Thai and sushi restaurant. It is located in Dayton's Historic Oregon District, which is only about a five minute car ride from the university. I had heard that it was a good restaurant, so I decided to check it out with my mom since she was in town. The first thing I noticed was the atmosphere. The high ceilings and wood floors made the restaurant look and feel very modern. The menu was enormous, and it included things such as Thai appetizers and main dishes. There was also a large sushi selection. I had never really had sushi before, so I ordered a California Roll as an appetizer. To my surprise, it was really good! It had crab, avocado, and cucumber wrapped in rice. For my main dish, I ordered Pad Thai, which was stir-fry noodles and vegetables. It was also delicious! When you order, the waiter will ask how spicy you want your meal on a level from 1-9. I asked for a level 2 because basically I am a wimp, but I thought it was even a little spicy. The portions sizes were large, so I had a lot of left over food. Main dishes range anywhere from about $10-$20. I definitely recommend Thai 9, and I cannot wait to go back. So if anyone is in the mood for some good Asian cuisine, feel free to take along to Thai 9 with you!

Welcoming Weather

I never realized the importance the weather has on peoples attitudes. This past weekend was beautiful outside. I even got a sun burn. Not only was the weather nice but the atmosphere of the whole campus was awesome. Everyone was outside playing catch, cornhole, grilling out, and just having a good time. After my football practice I decided to drive around the Ghetto to see what UD was really like in the spring and it was incredible becuase I almost didnt see a single house that didnt have people on the front porch. Its too bad that spring could not have come a little quicker. But i am just glad that it is finally here for about a month or so till summer starts.

The Best!!

The new movie Shutter out in theaters in my opinion is by far one of the best productions made in a long time. It is not only really scary, it stars one of the "hottest" actors of all time, Joshua Jackson. I promise I won't spoil anything for you, I will just provide a short plot summary and then leave the rest for when you go see the movie. A newlywed couple move to Japan for a job opportunity. During their trip they have a tragic car accident which leads to the death of a young girl, and when the couple finally comes to, they realize that the girl is nowhere to be found. HMMMM.....:) Meanwhile the couple starts noticing strange white blurs in all of their photos. Could this be the spirit of the dead girl seeking revenge?? I guess you will just have to see the movie to find out!! :)