Natalie

 

Name: Natalie
Year: Junior
High School: North HS
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Major: English and Social Justice

Facebook: the best of times, the worst of times
February 27, 2008

I’m not even going to lie about it: I’m addicted to Facebook.  Not like a: I check Facebook every hour on the hour thing.  That is child’s play.  This is an all out, I refresh the page every 30 seconds sort of addiction.

I’ve always been sort of nosy.  But am I really so nosy that I need to “stalk” my former high school mates?  Let’s not lie, these are people that I barely talked to in between classes.  Why would I care if they have a new boy friend or are gonna be doctors?  Every morning I log on to see if anyone has sent me a message or written on my wall.  Then when I found out they haven’t, I go look at my recently updated friends…only to realize no one has updated anything since the last time I checked.  This happens every morning!!  While I always knew I’m really boring, now that I have typed this out for the world to see, I know I am the world’s biggest loser.  Sweet.

Here is my advice:  DON’T FACEBOOK.  But since I know how hard it is to resist that (and some people already have Facebook), do this instead: BE SELECTIVE ABOUT WHO YOU ADD AS FRIENDS.  I know it’s hard to leave high school and feel like you wont have any friends in college, but you will!  It is much better to use Facebook to stay in touch with people you see day to day than to creepily check in on that boy you had a crush on in 4th grade.  That’s what MySpace is for.

 

Retreats
February 20, 2008

I have never heard of a school that has as many overnight retreats at Hamline.  Seriously, we are always going some where!  Since I have been at Hamline, I have been on the Student of Color Retreat, the Emerging Leaders’ Retreat, the SOS Retreat (four times!) and HU-CORE: Hamline University Conference on Race and Ethnicity. This weekend I will be attending the Women’s Leadership Retreat.

I guess I should step back and explain those.

The Student of Color Retreat happens at the end of September and it is open to all undergraduate students of color on Hamline’s campus.  This overnight retreat is a chance for all the SOC to get to know each other in a fun, relaxed way.  It is also a chance to talk about the issues and challenges SOC may face at a predominantly white campus and start to problem solve.  It is a great way to get to know people from all the different classes, and I would definitely recommend it to any students of color, especially first years.

The Emerging Leaders’ Retreat is for first and second year students who are interested in strengthening their leadership skills and networking with other student leader’s on campus.  This is a retreat that you must apply for, but it is so worth giving it a shot.  If students are interested in being leaders at Hamline, this is a great way for the staff to get to know you and for you to show some of what you got!  And, it’s just plain fun.

The SOS Retreats are mandatory for SOS (orientation) staff members.  We have one overnight retreat in the spring (late April) that is used as a team building experience for the staff members.  Then the fall retreat (it happens the week before orientation) is used as more team building time, but we also do a lot of planning for orientation and skill building.  After the fall retreat, we take a boat ride on Lake Minnetonka and just chill…it’s so much fun!

HU-CORE is an overnight experience that involves intensive discussion and exploration surrounding issues of race and ethnicity in America and on our campus.  While people must apply to this retreat, it is open to all students, all races, all genders, etc.  Then you get put in groups with a variety of different students that is moderated by an upperclassman and a faculty or staff member.  This is an intense retreat.  I don’t know that I would say it is “fun” but it is a MUST if you are going to be in leadership positions on this campus or have any interest in issues of race and ethnicity.  HU-CORE happens in late October.

The Women’s Leadership Retreat will be new to me this weekend.  It is a chance for female leaders at Hamline to get together and talk about issues that are important to us as women and leaders (hence the title of the retreat).  All I can say is that I cannot wait to go!  We had a pre-retreat dinner last week and the group is really fun…so I am hoping for the best!

Oh…and did I mention that all these retreats are FREE?  ‘Cause they are!

Party Times!
December 2, 2008

This weekend was filled with parties of all kinds. Friday night was karaoke with MISA (the Multicultural and International Student Affairs Office). All the student of color organizations came together with food and drink and of course rocking singing! Spice Girls, the Beatles, Destiny’s Child, Bob Marley and Johnny Cash were just a few of the artists who would have been proud to hear their stuff on stage! And to make it just a little more fun, there was a judged competition between each of the organizations to see which one has the baddest, maddest karaoke skillz. I am very proud to say I was one of the distinguished judges…and I pretty much rocked it! Not that I rocked it as much as my fellow blogger John did when he sang the Spice Girls Song that goes "If you want to be my lover…" with his friends, but I was a pretty good judge. Definitely Paula. Maybe a little Randy…but definitely Paula! After a long deliberation, we finally decided that the International Student Organization won this year’s MISA Karaoke Competition! Congratulations!!

And tonight, the Student Alumni Board had our Annual Holiday Extravaganza! All the members of the Student Alumni Board (along with some of our coolest alumni members!) gathered in the Alumni house for some food, drink and laughter! In addition to just sitting around and chilling, we decorate the tree that is put up and this year, we played Santa bingo!! What more can you ask for?? I didn’t win any games, but it was still fun. Oh, and did I mention we had an ugly sweater contest….we did! Of course I didn’t win that contest either because, you know, I am so stylish ;).

 

J-term
November 30, 2008

Well, it is the time of year when the semester starts to wind down and we (the students) get excited about our next semesters. Hamline has a unique program. We take a full semester of class between August-December, and February-May with a January Term in the middle. Instead of taking multiple classes during January, you only take one! Thus, many students use it take a fun class, or one that they may not have time for during an entire semester. That being said, some students use January term to take classes they DON’T want to take during the semester. And even more students go abroad, or home. The choice is really yours. My first year, I went home because I we had a family vacation planned, and there is no time during the other semesters to be gone a week. My second year, I took a religion course called "The Problem of Evil". A religion class was something different for me, and it sounded like it would be interesting. Well, since you are squishing one class into three or so weeks, you are meeting for three hours on four out of the five days during week. That doesn’t sound too bad in writing, but in practice, it is really, really hard! Granted, my professor expected a lot of us, but I worked REALLY HARD! So my course wasn’t really as much fun as some of my other friend’s, but at least it was a change of pace. This year, I am going to London for three weeks with a course taught by some of the professors at Hamline. The class is entitled "Theatre in London" and basically, we are going over there to see how the theatre traditions of London have been shaped and modeled by historical events that have occurred in the country. I had my orientation for this course this weekend, and I am SO EXCITED! We are going to see eleven plays and go to twelve museums and we are getting enough free time that we can see anything we want to. We even have two days mostly free so that we can travel somewhere that is not on the itinerary. I really want to go to Paris…but we will see. But, as our professor reminded us, this is a STUDY abroad, not a vacation! And since it IS a course, we have to write four papers, read four study packets and a book, present a presentation on a location in London and lead a post-play discussion. But at the same time, our professors are so aware of the fact that we are excited about seeing a different place. Once I go, and come back, I will post pictures and stories!

Monday October 29, 2007
Free stuff?! What?!

I know how much everyone loves free stuff…I do too!  So here is a list of stuff that is free once you pay that tuition check to good old HU:

 Student Activities: they are pretty much all free…and they are most defiantly super fun!

1. Food at the activities!  But you have to participate in the activities to get the food.
2. Homecoming Dance: We hang out in the Student Center and get our grove on.
3. HU sporting events: You know you want to cheer on your Pipers!
4. T-shirts: Everyone is always handing out free shirts around here.  Seriously.
5. Ice cream: During orientation, we hand it out in boatloads!
6. Resumes (you think you don't want it now…but when you apply for a job, you will need it!)
7. Vacations: If you do good research, or run orientation, or find another conference you want to go to for an organization, we’ll get you there for free!
8. Video rentals: That’s right, our library has a ton of recently released movies that you can rent for a day or two and have a party!
9. Friendships: No need to bribe here…we’ll all be your friend!

October 14
Homecoming!         

This past week has been Homecoming and it was really fun.  The theme this year is “Hamline: Across the Nation and Around the World”.  Usually, there are events to do every day during Homecoming Week.  This year, we had window painting in the Student Center on Monday, a volleyball tournament on Tuesday, a movie (Pirates 3) on Wednesday, a Fear Factor contest in Sorin Dining Hall on Thursday and Friday was the lip sinc contest.  This year, the SOS Orientation Leaders put together a spirit team, so we competed in all the events.  Since we are awesome at life, we won the most events and that means we get money to go out to dinner!  I know I am looking forward to it.

Another part of Homecoming is the crowning of Homecoming Royalty.  We crown the King and Queen on the Sunday before Homecoming week starts, so they can be at all the events.  Any junior or senior can be nominated for Homecoming royalty, and once nominations are in, the entire student body votes on the winner.  This year’s Homecoming queen is ….drum roll please…ME!  I know, it’s sort of funny/embarrassing/fun, but it is true.  And the King this year was Scott White. Here is a picture of us with the Piper!

 

Saturday, October 6
BINGO!

Tonight WTF?! held its first ever Bingo tournament in the HUB (Hamline University Basement).  It was a BLAST!  It went from 9-11pm and we had about 85 people there.  In addition to the big prizes (a Nintendo Wii and Ipod Nano) we gave out a variety of smaller stuff like candy, fleece blankets, picture frames and Play-doh.

Sunday, September 23
A Great Weekend to be in Minneapolis

 As always, I find myself at Sunday night filled with a sense of disbelief over how quickly the weekend went!  But unlike many weekends, I got to really take in the cities over the past two days, which was awesome.  And by ‘the cities,’ I really only mean Minneapolis.  Not that I don’t love St. Paul, they’re good people too, but this weekend was all about the city to the west.

On Friday night, WTF?! went to the Twins/White Sox game.  What is this “WTF?!” you ask?  I will tell you!  WTF?! stands for “Where is the Fun?!” and we are a group of students that plan late-night, weekend events on and off campus for all Hamline students to enjoy for five dollars or less.  I know, it’s amazing.  So we bought fifty tickets to the game, rented a bus and for only three dollars each, a ton of Hamline students had a blast watching the Twins lose to the Chicago White Sox.  The outcome of the game was definitely the best part of the evening for me.  Don’t get me wrong, all my Hamline buddies are a great time.  But being from Chicago, it was awesome to watch us kick it on the field!

Then today, I attended a show at the Guthrie Theatre entitled “The Pillowman.” We read the play in my Literary Theory class, and since it was in town, we road tripped over there for an afternoon of culture.  I think I am a better person after watching it.  Maybe not, but my parents were impressed when I told them that.

Oh, and by the way, the weather was PERFECT this weekend!  Students have been out all over campus, reading under a tree, studying at the tables outside the library, having picnics by the law school, or even playing Frisbee in front of Old Main. 

 All I have to say is big snaps for a picture perfect fall weekend.

Tuesday, September 18
The Beginning of School

Welcome back to fall!  My year began at a break-neck pace, since I was involved with orientation again this year.  We spent the three days right before school started hanging out with first year students and showing them how Hamline works.  Now, don't get me wrong.  Orientation at Hamline does NOT equal boring!  We do include the essential information you need as a student, so we must spend some time on academic stuff, but we also spend time talking about issues that are important to our campus (such as inclusion and the prevention of sexual violence).  At night, we have lawn games, karaoke and a variety show that brings together students, faculty and staff to perform for the school.  All in all, we had a BLAST this year and our first year class is awesome! 

 

Then…classes started.  Haha, not to make it sound anti-climatic, but orientation is super fun, where as classes are only fun.  What am I taking this semester you ask?  Well, I am taking Creative Writing, Literary Theory, Sociology of Racial and Ethnic Relations and Excavating Hamline’s History.  Yes, that is right, we are digging up the Old Hamline Church that burned down in 1923.  And we get a natural science credit for it!  Woohooo!  As the semester goes on, I will keep you updated on how my classes are going, but it looks like they will be a lot of fun!!

  

Thursday January 18, 2007
Race; Are We So Different?

Hamline University prides itself on its mission to provide students a diverse learning environment.  Although that can take the form of many different things, when most people think about diversity, they think racial diversity.  Monday was Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday.  I am sure you had the day off just as we did.  But instead of sitting around our dorms, Hamline offered a free trip to the Science Museum of Minnesota to view their new AWESOME exhibit entitled “Race, Are We So Different?”  There are many different aspects to this exhibit; everything from the way race has been constructed to history of white privilege in this country to the way the US census asks about race was included in this very comprehensive overview of the true nature of race.  IT IS AWESOME!  YOU SHOULD GO SEE IT!  NOW!  We also saw the Omni Max feature that is playing right now on Hurricane Katrina.  Also very much worth the time and money.

On Tuesday, Hamline had its annual commemoration for Dr. King entitled “In Pursuit of The Beloved Community: MLK—The Man, The Movement, The Message.”  This was my first year attending this event, and let me tell you, it will not be the last.  We had our gospel choir, speakers from every part of the university, audio and visual presentations of the life and work of Dr. King and a guest appearance by T. Mychael Rambo, an actor at the Penumbra Theatre.  It was AMAZING, to say the least.  Once again, Hamline does a great job of keeping its students on track and reminding us of the duties we have toward people other than ourselves.

Oh but wait, the race education for the week does not end there.  Tomorrow I am attending a mini-conference on the intersection between race and class.  Here is the description they put out:

This mini-conference will be an interactive exploration of issues of race and class and the connections between these. We will examine these issues—what they are, what they look like, how each affect people’s lives, assumptions and perceptions—and how these are interlocked in U.S society.
Participants will have opportunities, in both large group and small group activities, to think about their own assumptions, identities and experiences, to explore the costs and manifestations of racism and classism, and to create a vision for the future.

CONFERENCE GOALS
• Increase participants’ understanding of our own racial and class identities.
• Increase awareness of class and race as a major social justice issue based in systemic, organizational and individual practices, policies and beliefs.
• Increase understanding of connections and intersection between race and class.
• Create opportunities for dialogue, participation, interaction, and reflection about self, others, and community on issues of class and race.
• Give participants information, practice and the tools to be able to discuss, distinguish and discuss classism and racism and the links between the two.
• Provide an opportunity for members of the university to interact, get to know each other across divisions and engage in community building.

It sounds great…I cannot wait!  I will let you know how it goes!!


Tuesday January 16, 2007
Go Bears, Go Bears!

Wooohooo it feels good to be from Chicago right now!  The White Sox won the World Series last year, and right now, there is only one game standing between the Chicago Bears and the SUPERBOWL!  You know, it is kind of funny.  I NEVER watched sports before I went to college.  I never even cared how they did.  But now that I am in a different state, surrounded by people who like creatures such as Vikings and Timberwolves (I don't even know what a timberwolf is!) I am very much into Chicago sports.  And you know what makes it even more fun?  The fact that I am dating a very cute boy who was born in Seattle, and thus is a Seahawks fan.  You know, the team that won the Superbowl last year, but just lost to the Bears … yeah, it’s a really really good time around here!


Friday January 12, 2007
Family Game Night!

As you may recall, most Jterm classes only meet four days a week, with Friday being the day off.  Since that is the case with most all of my friend’s classes, we decided that Thursday nights are now going to Family Game Night!  When my relatives asked what I wanted for Christmas, I didn’t really have anything specific in mind.  After thinking about it for a while, I realized how much fun it would be to play good, old fashioned board games with the “family.”  So, for Christmas, I got Trivial Pursuit Pop Culture 2 DVD Edition, Taboo, Would You Rather?, Scrabble, Balderdash, The Desperate Housewives Game and Scene-it.  So far, we have played Taboo, Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble and it is so much fun!!  I know, it sounds kinda lame and child-like, but really, we have a blast.  That is, if I don't get too competitive…


Tuesday January 9, 2007
Minneapolis Institute of Art

One of the nice things about a Jterm class is the fact that it is only four days a week.  Most classes meet Monday through Thursday, with Friday off!  So last Friday, the Presidential Scholars Colloquium went to the Minneapolis Institute of Art to see their new exhibit.  It is a sort of overview of the paintings of the Baroque and Rococo periods.  I was not sure that I was going to like it (I am much more of a theatre person than art person) but I really loved it!  It was so interesting to see the deep colors and life-like figures.  I have no idea how people are so talented that they are able to create something out of their mind that looks like they took a photograph of it!

When we were do at the MIA (which, by the way, all you Minnesotans should check out because it is an AMAZING museum and it is FREE everyday!), we went back the Hamline and had a discussion about the exhibit with one of the art history professors (she came along with us to the museum).  I never really knew anything about art or art history, but as she was talking, I was absolutely fascinated!  The amount of history that goes into thinking about a painting and looking a painting is incredible.  I was very glad that we have professors who are willing to give up some of their time to enhance our learning.  Before the trip, I thought I would never take an art history class … now I am sorry they are all full for the spring semester!


Friday January 5, 2007
Class and Homework and Meetings, Oh My!

Well, I made it through the first week of classes.  Just barely.  The thing I kind of forgot about when I signed up for a Jterm was the fact that, because we are packing an entire semester into four weeks, every three hour class during Jterm is equivalent to a week’s worth of classes during the regular semester.  Thus, I thought this was going to be a relatively easy work load, but boy was I wrong!  During these first two days of classes alone, we have read an entire novel and done extensive study questions to go along with it.  Don't get me wrong, I like the class.  But I was not ready for how much work it was going to be!  Our professor said this is going to be the worst part, so I hope he is right.

On Wednesday, the LEAD team had its first big planning meeting of the year.  LEAD stands for…well, I don't think it stands for anything, but it is a team of staff members and students who plan orientation!  After being an orientation leader this year, I loved it so much that I wanted to plan the three day extravaganza for fall of 2007.  We have a lot of really exciting things in the works: a theatrical performance, trips out into the community and of course, good food!!  I know that you will love the chance to get to know Hamline just a little better.

Tuesday January 2, 2007
New Year=New Class

Happy New Year PIPERS!!  I cannot believe that it is 2007 already!  You know what else I cannot believe?  The fact that my break is over!  Yeah, we have a shortish break … December 21 to January 2.  That is, if you are taking a Jterm.  What is Jterm you ask?  January term (aka Jterm) is a four week “semester” where you take just one class.  Or you study abroad.  Or you take it off and sit at home.  That is what I did last year … we took a vacation during the middle of January, so I could not have taken a class, so I chilled at home!  It was a good time.  But I also heard that Jterm is fun on campus, so I wanted to try it this year.  I will be taking a religion class called “The Problem of Evil.”  We are going to be looking at the Book of Job in the Bible, along with some fiction and nonfiction that talk about the nature of evil.  Being that I am a social justice major, I thought this would fit in nicely with my plans for the future!  Today is our first day of class, so wish me luck!  I will let you know how it goes…


Friday December 29th
Final Semester Wrap-Up

Finals are done.  Christmas and Chanukah are over and Kwanzaa is well on its way.  You would think that we don’t have worry about school anymore for a while, right?  Well, not quite ... there are still two things that we need to take care of before we can officially count the semester as "over." The first is course/instructor evaluations.  While students are not required by the University, some professors require them or give extra credit for completing them (which makes me want to do them!).  Here’s how it works: we log into Piperline (which is our online database that helps us take care of a lot of house-keeping things such as registering for classes, paying our tuition bills, emailing professors, etc).  Then there is an automatic form set up for each of the classes that you take.  Some of the questions include: “The instructor effectively communicates his/her knowledge of the subject,” “The instructor creates an environment conducive to learning for all students,” “The instructor's teaching method encourages me to learn actively,” and “The instructor willingly provides assistance to students.”  Then, you pick one of the pre-set answers (strongly disagree, moderately disagree, disagree, etc.) and there is room for you to add additional comments of your own choosing.  It is really nice that we are provided with this opportunity, because even professors who have taught for years have something they can improve on.

The second thing that we need to close the semester is our grades, of course!  We are able to look online (Piperline again!) to see those.  Getting the grades online is actually really nice.  For one thing, you can be on vacation and get them because most places have a computer.  If the grades were mailed to you, you would not be able to see them if you were on vacation!  Plus, an online grade saves a tree.  Perhaps the best part of online grades is the fact that they are pretty much real-time.  So that means that as soon as a professor is done with their grading, they go up right away.  For example, my African American Lit Professor was a ROCK STAR about grading and finished days before all my other Profs. That meant that I got to see that grade before my other ones, which was really nice.

Well, I just got my grades (straight As!) and I am finished with my online evaluations, so this semester is officially over!  Time for me to get some sleep!

Thursday, December 21, 2006
ALL DONE!

I write this blog as I am waiting for my flight home because, that’s right, I am done for the semester!  Most people really dread finals, and I guess I do to.  But honestly, they are not as bad as everyone makes them out to be.  THE KEY IS TO DO WELL ALL SEMESTER!  That way, you are not relying on finals to bring your grades up.  For example: I worked really hard on all of my Intro to Conflict Studies work all semester (including studying really really hard for the midterm), so all I need is a 63% on the final to maintain my A for the course.  See how that makes my life easier?  (Don’t tell my professor, but I don’t think I am going to even study for the test!).

Another reason why finals aren’t all that bad is that you most likely will not have to do the same thing for all your classes.  Like I said, I took a test in Intro to Conflict Studies.  Although, it was not like your normal test--it was a group test.  We were tested on how well we applied the information we learned throughout the semester to a case study, as well as our ability to work together as a group.  However, for my African American Literature Class, and my Literary Criticism class, I wrote papers.  And for my Theatrical Texts of Social Change, we got to pick if we wanted to either a project or write a paper.  After doing two other papers, I decided it would be fun to do a project!

And ANOTHER reason why finals really aren’t that bad, is that most of the time, you can choose what you want to write your papers/do your projects on!  For African American Literature, I used literature of the Black Art’s Movement to argue that the embrace of Africa by Black Americans as a way to separate ourselves from White America is actually our way of claiming a piece of White America.  For Literary Criticism, I used “Everything that Rises Must Converge” by Flannery O’Connor and “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison to talk about the role of minstrel stereotypes in American Literature.  And in my Theatrical Texts of Social Change class, I cut spell #7 by Ntozake Shange to create a monologues that puts forth common perspectives held by mixed individuals.  Being able to pick the topics I wanted to talk about made these projects so much fun!

So see?  Finals really aren’t that bad.  I know that you will learn very quickly how to pass them with flying colors!

Monday, December 18, 2006
Late Night Breakfast

Itttsssss that time of the semester again ... FINALS TIME!  Yeah, ok, it’s really not that fun.  Today is the first day of those dreaded tests/papers, and it really shows.  For the past week or so, most of the campus hasn’t been bothering to change out of their pjs when they get out of bed--they just go to class in sweats!  Hey, changing takes time, and that is time that we could use for studying!  Actually, now that I look out my window, I see how funny we look!  But one of the nice things about college is that we are all going through it together (and all the professors have already gone through it), so no one gives you a hard time. :)

One the best parts of finals week is the Late Night Breakfast.  This breakfast is put on by the Dean of Students' office twice a year (during the spring and fall finals week).  It starts at 10pm, and faculty and staff members cook and serve students who are craving a late-night snack.  Seeing your professors there, having fun other students is a riot!  (And it makes you less angry at them for the work they are making you do.)  They also put out paper and crayons on the table, so you can color with your friends!  When I first heard about it last year, I knew that I would like it a lot, but I am always astonished by the number of students there.  If you don’t get there right at 10, it’s almost impossible to find a place to sit!  Even students who live off campus come back to eat with the rest of us!   Let me tell you, I am not really excited about finishing my finals, but at least I am a little more full after tonight’s meal!  Good luck to everyone else who is going through finals now!

December 15, 2006
Who ever said professors weren’t helpful??

Ok, so I don't know about you, but when I was in high school all my teachers would tell us all the time that college professors were not nice or flexible at all.  Looking back, I think they just wanted to make themselves look like better people, because that is not true at all!  And here’s just a few examples of why that isn’t true: 

1. It’s finals time.  Everyone is busy and stressed.  But my Intro to Conflict Studies professor is having two review sessions for her final.  One of them is on Sunday!  Only nice profs go into work on the weekends for their students.
2. As I am looking for (and finding!) great internships that I really want to apply for, I am realizing that not only do they require recommendations from professors, but the deadlines are rapidly approaching.  So on Wednesday, I asked two professors if there was any way I could get a letter of recommendation from them before we leave for break (aka, a week's time).  And while they could have said no way, or been not happy with me, they both agreed to do it, and happily!  Today is Friday, and I already have one of them!  How nice is that?  Very.
3. Every time you turn in an assignment, you get a little nervous, right?  That is only natural, especially with big projects.  But I have never, I mean NEVER gotten an assignment back from any of my teachers here that hasn’t had at least one positive comment.  Those really help make the constructive ones hurt less.  Yay!!

December 3, 2006
DODGEBALL!!!

Ok, I know you all have seen the movie, and you all think it is super sweet.  But do you know what is even sweeter than the movie??  Being in a real, live dodgeball tourney!  The Office of Service Learning and Volunteerism is sending over eighty Hamline students over spring break for service learning trips.  Obviously, this isn’t cheap.  So they have been raising money, and one of the ways they are doing that is by hosting a dodgeball competition.  Here is how it worked:  colleges from all over the Twin Cities were invited to send teams of 5-10 people (we ended up having teams from the U of M, Augsburg and Macalester…in addition to Hamline, of course!).  The only thing you needed to be entered was a registration fee was $50 … which, if you think about it, is really not expensive at all (especially since it is going to a great cause!).  The competition happened over a period of two days, in bracket system (kind of like March Madness…but this was DODGEBALL MADNESS!!).  The event was even on two of our local news stations, and in the newspaper ... how cool is that??  Below is me (far left) with my team, the group from WTF?! (Where’s the Fun?! our weekend late-night programming board).  Yeah, that’s right, we got t-shirts for this and we were sooooo into it.  Ok, so we lost right away, but man, we had a great time!

 

 

 

Thanksgiving for Scholarships
Friday November 16, 2006

I don't know about you guys, but I am counting down the days until Thanksgiving!!  All that food sounds AMAZING right now.  I was fortunate enough to get a taste of the Thanksgiving feast today at a program called “Thanksgiving for Scholarships.”  This was an opportunity for large donors to the College of Liberal Arts to come and be thanked for their donations by the students and staff on Hamline.  Thirteen students served as table hosts for seven donors, talking to them about the college and showing the donors how their money is used.  As a part of the program, four students served as speakers, talking more specifically about where they are from, why they came to Hamline, how they are using their financial assistance, and what they are going to do after school.  I was asked to be a speaker (which was so much fun) and it was really interesting to hear everyone else’s stories. 

There seemed to be a common thread that ran through all of the students' remarks: not only would most of us not be at Hamline without the financial assistance, but also, we would not be able to contribute to the Hamline community without the assistance either.  You see, because we are given scholarship money, most of us do not have to work as much as we would if we didn’t have a scholarship, so we can devote that extra time to being in a club or volunteering.

It was so much fun to hear the stories of the alums as well.  My grandpa and grandma went to Hamline, and today I met one of my grandma’s first really serious boyfriends.  How crazy is that?!  I also had a good time sitting with our Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Fernando Delgado.  Both he and I were asked why we came to Hamline.  He said it was the student body that excited him the most, because we are smart, involved and engaged both in and out of the classroom.  I said that I came to Hamline because of the community feel we have here … everyone really cares about everyone else.

I know it sounds corny, but it is true!  As I was talking to the Dean, I was calling him “Dean Delgado.”  After a few times, he interrupted me and said “you know, you can call me Fernando.”  I can’t ask for much more community than that.

November 13, 2006
One-on-Ones with the First Years

As you may or may no know, Hamline has a very unique orientation program.  You see, the group that you are with during those three days before classes start, actually make up the membership  of a class that you will have together.  They are called FYSems, or First Year Seminars.  When you register for your fall classes for your freshman year, you will be able to pick from a list of 30 different classes that are meant to address your interests that fall outside of your concentrated area of study.  There are classes offered that address everything from women in the world of comedy, to homelessness and the way society constructs identity.  For a full list of this year’s FYSem offerings, check out www.hamline.edu/orientation.

Another thing that makes Hamline’s orientation program unique is the fact that the professor, student and staff member that help you through the three days of orientation make a conscious effort to stay connected with you throughout the semester.  The faculty member that your FYSem group meets with during orientation is your instructor for the semester.  The staff member that helps lead your group during orientation will attend some of your classes in the fall, and help you get connected with groups and services on campus.  And finally, the student leader of your orientation group (also known as your SOS leader) also stays in contact with you for that entire first semester (and often beyond).  Some of the SOS leaders actually attend the FYSem class!  I am an SOS leader this year, and I stay in touch with my kids through planning fun group events, shooting them an email every once in a while, and meeting with them one on one.  I decided to meet with them after midterms and right before registration, which has worked out nicely because we are able to talk about a whole lot of important things.  I have had so much fun seeing each of them on their own!  Everyone has different opinions, experiences and I am just learning a whole lot!  GO FYSEM 22!!!

Monday November 6, 2006
Parent and Family Weekend

This past weekend was Parent and Family Weekend here at Hamline University.  To make the weekend as special as possible, the Student Activities staff works hard to plan events that are varied and unique.  Starting on Friday morning, parents were able to sit in on their student’s class.  During the afternoon, the Office of Admission offered campus tours for those interested.  Friday night was opening night for our fall theatre production Dracula, so if they wanted to, families were encouraged to attend ... and I heard that it was fantastic!

Saturday was another fun filled day starting with a Welcome Brunch hosted by President Hanson.  Our Undergraduate Student Congress President, Kristin Falde, also served as a host for this event--that is always nice.  Next up was a choice of the last home football game against St. Thomas and/or the “Saint Paul Gangster Tour.”  We went on the tour and it was so much fun!  It was a two hour tour of the city with tour guides dressed up as mobsters, sharing an exhaustive history of not only the underground activities of St. Paul, but also the general history of both cities as well.  Did you know that the Prohibition Bill that made alcohol illegal was written right across the square from the Ordway Center?  Who knew?!  After the tour, Sorin has a nice, fancy Harvest Banquet for the Parents and all HU students.  Finally, all the musical ensembles (Women’s Chorale, A Capella Choir, Jazz Ensemble, Winds and the Orchestra) had a performance for the parents.  It was so much fun to see all my friends up there and they all did a great job!

All in all, Hamline’s Parent and Family Weekend was a huge success!!

Friday November 2
Academic Advising Weeks

The end of midterms only means one thing: it’s almost time to register for classes for next semester!  Here’s how registration works: based on your class status (the number of credits you have taken-the more the credits, the higher your seniority) you are assigned a day to register.  So when it is your day, you will go to Piperline (our online database, where we take care of a lot of administrative-type stuff) and just plug in the six digit codes attached to the classes you want to take.  (If a class is already full, you are able to see that before you register so you can pick another class to take.)  After you are done with that step that takes like 30 seconds, you get an email saying you are registered, and that’s that!!  Soooo easy! 

Oh, there is one more thing.  Since we here at Hamline like to make sure all our students are a part of our community, students are required to see their advisors before they sign up.  When you are a first year student, your First Year Seminar Professor is assigned to you as your advisor until you declare your major, then you pick an advisor in that field.  So anyway, you meet with your advisor and talk about classes you want to take and how life is going in general.  Then your advisor will give you a PIN number that is unique to you, one that you must type in before you can register.  I had my advising appointment this week, and I think I am all ready to go!  That is, if I don't lose my PIN number…

Monday, October 30
Happy Halloween!

Ok, so I know tomorrow is Halloween, but I thought I would talk about it today, because this holiday is a great example of how active our campus is.  Over the course of the past two weeks, we have had tons of campus programs with Halloween as a theme!  Here is just a sampling:

1.Last week, HIRC (Hamline Inter-Residence Hall Council) hosted a party in Sorin (our dining hall).  There were pumpkin cookies, a costume contest and best of all … a pumpkin carving contest!  About twenty groups worked on a pumpkin and created a design that was unique to their group.  For example, we had a bunch of exchange students from Germany on Hamline’s campus, so they carved “Happy Halloween” in German.  Another group of math fans decided to carve 3.1415 into the pumpkin…get it?  Pumpkin pi??  Ha ha, yeah we’re witty here at Hamline!  Anyway, all the pumpkins were put on display in Sorin, and over the course of a few days, all members of the HU community voted on their favorites.  Top three teams got prizes!  Pretty fun!

2.  PRIDE, our Black Student Alliance, had a scary movie night.

3.  The Anthropology Club had a pumpkin carving contest using pre-historic tools.  Prizes went to the pumpkin with the most creativity.

4.  Manor Hall Council is having a party tomorrow night with scary movies and bobbing for apples.

5.  And finally, the Office of Service Learning and Volunteerism is going Trick-or-Canning, where instead of going trick or treating for candy, they are going to ask for non-perishable food items and school supplies for local shelters.

See?  There is always something to do at Hamline!

Friday October 27, 2006 

Guess what guys??

It’s midterm break!!  That’s right, every October, Hamline students get a day off after midterms to give ourselves a chance to breath and relax for a day.  One of the activites that is going on this weekend is HU-CORE, the Hamline University Conference on Race and Ethnicity.  For two days, a group of 50 students and about 10 staff go on a retreat and discuss, in a very open, honest way, race and racism in this country.  There is an overview of the history of racism, discussions of the state of racism in our society today, and an overview of what people can do to alleviate racism when they get back to campus.  There is also a chance for white students to talk and debrief by themselves, as well as a caucus for students of color.  I went last year, and it was truly an amazing experience.  Many, many people who have gone have said that HU-CORE changed their life!  I hope you have a chance to attend while you are a Hamline student!

Monday October 23, 2006 

One of the things most high school seniors are worried about when they come to college is the professors.  Are they mean?  Are they hard?  Well, the nice thing about Hamline is that we are paying for accessibility to nice professors.  As we were working on a paper for my Literary Criticism class a few weeks ago, our professor, David Hudson, encouraged us to come see him during his office hours or another time that was mutually workable.  I went in to talk to him twice, and both times we spent at least twenty minutes talking about my ideas and outline.  It was really helpful to hear what he wanted from me and how he thought I could improve my paper.  That is not the only feedback we got as students.  We all had to turn in our rough drafts, and he wrote extensive comments on them.  Finally, he spent about 30 minutes on each of our final drafts, writing comments every step along the way, and giving a final synopsis of our performance.  Can you imagine that?  30 minutes on each of 19 papers??  That’s like nine hours spent evaluating one assignment!!  And THEN, he is letting us rewrite our papers if we want to, and wants us to come in and talk to him before we rewrite!  Thankfully, I got an A-, so I am not going to rewrite.  But getting all the feedback before I turned the paper in really helped me, so I will do that again!

 

October 20, 2006
College Day

Today is College Day at Hamline, our largest program of the year.  It is a great day full of hourly campus tours, information sessions and professors open their classes and office hours to prospective students, so you can really get a good idea of what it feels like to not only be a college student, but also, to be a Hamline student.  In the spirit of college shopping, I want to offer two tips that you many not always hear for the college search process: 

1. MAKE SURE YOU STAY OVERNIGHT at least at your final two choices.  It really makes a huge difference!  I was about to apply early decision to a school, and then I stayed overnight just to make sure I liked it, and I ended up hating it!  On the other hand, I wasn’t sure about Hamline after just an information session, but I stayed overnight and did a class visit, and I knew I wanted to stay here for the next four years!
2. MAKE SURE YOU ASK QUESTIONS, NOT JUST YOUR PARENTS.  During information sessions, when you have an opportunity to ask questions, the counselors notice who is asking questions.  While we all know that our parents are concerned about our college, and we love them for that, it’s probably not a bad idea to show an admissions staff that you care about your college too.  

October 17, 2006
Hi guys!! 
Today is Tuesday, and on Hamline’s campus, that only means one thing … THE ORACLE IS PUBLISHED!!!!  The Oracle is Hamline campus newspaper that is released just about every week.  It is completely written, edited, and published by Hamline students, and has received much attention and praise across the country.  Each edition has Hamline news, Neighborhood news (so news of the Midway community where Hamline is located), an opinion section, entertainment, sports, a section of relationship advice and our very own “Found in the Crowd Section” where they grab some random person off the street from Hamline and interview them!  This week there were articles on group walks through, and art projects being done in, the Midway neighborhood, HUSC (Hamline Undergraduate Student Congress) and their role as a liaison for students throughout campus, an letter to the editor about a candidate to support, and a review of local concerts.  For more information, and back issues, check out the oracle at www.hamline.edu/oracle.  

 

October 13, 2006
Midterms
With midterms coming up, I have been spending a lot of time in Bush Library lately.  Bush is library for the College of Liberal Arts.  While all students can use both Bush and the Law Library, most undergrads spend their time in Bush, and for good reason.  Bush is totally student friendly!  In the basement, there is the ITS Helpdesk that will troubleshoot any type of technological problem you may be having.  They fix your computer for free!  The Center for Academic Services is also housed in the basement.  They offer free tutoring in any course, writing workshops and any type of additional assistance a student may need for their class.  There are free computers available for students in the basement and on the first floor.  On the first floor, there is a library of DVDs for students to check out and take back to their rooms, purchased by HUSC (Hamline Undergraduate Student Congress).  First and second floors are group study floors, with floor three being the silent study floor.  The librarians are very student friendly, the catalogue is online (so you can look for materials from the comfort of anywhere) and if we don't have it, one of five schools in the area probably will.  You can fill out a request form online and it will be there in a few days.  You know the best part of the library?  You can order pizza into the building!!   

 

October 9, 2006
Homecoming and Reunion Weekend 
This past weekend was Homecoming and Reunion Weekend and man am I exhausted!  On Friday, the class of 1956 had a luncheon to celebrate their 50 year reunion.  After the luncheon, a bunch of the tour guides from the Admissions office gave campus tours to these people who graduated before most of the buildings we use everyday were even built!  It was so much fun to hear their stories!  Some of them were telling me that they all had to eat dinner at the same time, and there was a “lunch lady” there to oversee them!  Some of the women were telling me that they ALWAYS wore skirts to class, unless it was a Saturday morning class!  Can you imagine that??  SATURDAY morning class??  I would cry. 

Speaking of Saturday, on the Saturday morning of Homecoming weekend, we always have fun events leading up to the game.  In Sorin (our dining hall), there is a picnic where they serve hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, watermelon and other fun “tail-gating” type food.  Then there is the fall fair on the Klas Mall which is filled with many fun activities.  There are caricature artists, photo booths, HU temporary tattoos, spin art, balloon artists, coloring, face painting and of course snacks to go with it!  The Piper was even there, so we could take our picture with him! 

Then there is the game.  There is a pep bad, cheerleaders, dance team, and tons of fans to make this game memorable!   

Saturday night, as a member of Student Alumni Board, I went to the All-College Reunion dinner that was held in Walker Field House.  They hung a bunch of pretty drapes all over the walls, and set up tables with fancy table clothes and set nice china out and it was a really pretty event.  The dinner was a chance for all the alums that were celebrating a decade or half decade graduation anniversary (50 year reunion, 45 year reunion, 40 year reunion, etc) to come together with current and former faculty and staff for one last hurrah before the weekend ends.  Awards for outstanding alumni who make the world a better place, help Hamline out the most or are the best in their field were given out, as well as an outstanding faculty and staff award.  We even had a performance by Hamline’s very own boy-band Skyline Citizen (fellow Piperblogger Tyler is a member!) and we ALL loved that!   

Congratulations to my fellow Piperblogger Ann, who was crowned Homecoming Queen on Friday!!  We love ya!!

 

October 6, 2006
Student Alumni Board 
One of the many events I am involved in on campus is Student Alumni Board.  I know, it sounds really official and stuff and most likely evokes images of argyle and double stranded pearls on your mind, but I promise you we have a really good time!  Our motto is “Connecting Pipers past, present and future”.  So our work is two fold.  We first work with the Alumni office to help with events they work on (Homecoming or Graduation, for example).  But we also work with students to connect them to alumni and all the resources the alums offer them.   

This year we are thinking about doing a few fun events.  The first is "The Etiquette Dinner".  Do you ever wonder which fork to use for the salad?  Can you use the spoon that is on top of the plate for mixing in the three packets of Sweet-n-Low in your iced tea?  Or is that for dessert?  I know, I get confused too.  So we are going to sit you down at a fancy table (if you so choose) and throw 5 forks, three plates, and four glasses in front of you…and tell you how to handle them!  How sweet is that?! 

The second event is Dinner with Twelve Strangers.  We are going to find twelve Hamline students that have similar interests (perhaps academically, perhaps vocationally or perhaps extra curricularly) and match them up with one alum who shares that interest.  The alum has the students over to their house for dinner and the networking begins!  It’s a lot of fun! 

When you all come to Hamline next year, you should apply for StAB!  Its always a good time!!

 

September 29, 2006
Leadership Development 
Happy Monday future Pipers!  How was your weekend?  Mine was busy, but good!!  Yesterday we had the second annual Leadership Summit here at Hamline.  Every year we gather for an afternoon of discussion, education and reflection surrounding leadership and what makes a good leader.  We always start with speaker (actually, we only have had one so far, because he’s so great ... we keep asking him back!), then we have two break-out sessions, where we can choose from a variety of different sessions to attend.  There are sessions on publicity, how to make your organization more diverse, event planning, budgeting, co-sponsoring an event with another org, recognizing your leadership style, assessing the needs of your group and how to work with our student congress.  At the end of the day, we come together to talk about what we have learned and how we are going to apply it.  It is a WONDERFUL opportunity for all Hamline students ... and it really is for everyone, you don’t even have to be in a club to go! 

But Hamline’s leadership programs don’t stop there!  We have a Circle of Excellence leadership certification program, the Emerging Leader’s Retreat, the Women’s Retreat and the Brooks-Osnes Leadership Honors Society.  I would encourage you to check out the website for more information on how you can get involved with leadership once you get here: www.hamline.edu/leadership. 
 

September 25, 2006
Night Classes 
Iiiittttssss Friday!  Time for a few days of fun, sleep and oh yeah ... homework!  Ha ha, that is OK, my profs were nice and didn’t assign too much this weekend (except for that English paper I haven’t started ... oh well, that’s my own fault!) 

Every Wednesday night, I take Introduction to Conflict Studies from 6-9 pm.  Now, I know that sounds like it may be difficult, or boring, but I really like it!  My prof is really good about splitting things up; we have mini lectures mixed in with group activities and a nice 10 minute break right in the middle.  You know what else helps?  We each take turns bringing snacks and our prof brings hot water so we can have hot tea, or my favorite, hot chocolate!  We have met four times so far, and I have never had a problem staying awake or staying focused.  If I had to opportunity to take a night class, I would definitely do it again!  You only go once a week (so you have more time to do homework) AND they are over by 9 so I can run back to my dorm and watch Project Runway!!!

 

September 22, 2006
Fall Classes 
Its hard to believe that we have been in the school year for more than 2 weeks now…it seems to much longer than that!  In high school (as you all know) a good portion of the first few weeks is spent reviewing things that were forgotten over the summer and easing into the school year.  But at college it is MUCH different!  There is no “ease-in” time…you are forced to just hit the ground running, which at time can be difficult, but it can also be good.  I know it got me started off on the right foot with my classes! 

This semester I am taking African-American Literature, Literary Criticism (both for my English major), Introduction to Conflict Studies (for Social Justice) and Religion in Literature: Theatrical Texts of Social Change (kind of a mix of Social Justice and English).  They are all very different, and very challenging in their own ways…and that is why I am enjoying them so much! 

One of the great things (that you will hear me talk A LOT about) is the location of Hamline…but it’s even better when our prof’s incorporate the Twin Cities into our classes.  In Literary Criticism, we started the year by reading Tom Stoppard’s play “The Real Thing” and then saw it as a class at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis!  Comparing the text and performance was a great point of discussion…and quite frankly, I think most of needed to see the performance to understand the text!  In Religion in Literature, we are required to see two plays outside of class, and our prof provided us a packet of probably twenty pages, listing all the plays in the Twin Cities this semester that fit the requirements for the class…that is a lot of plays!  I cannot wait to get out there and take advantage of this great city even more than I already have been able to!

 

August 12, 2006
Lame Excuse for a Post 
Hi all! 
Ok, so here’s the deal:  I just got back from Germany yesterday (with all the airport craziness) and I am leaving tomorrow for a family vacation at Glacier National Park, so I have like no time.  So instead of writing a really lame post about my trip, how about you give me a few weeks and I will write and awesome, detailed one with pictures included??  How does that sound?  Awesome?  I think so! 

I hope all you first year students have emailed your SOS leaders!  I can’t wait to meet you all in three weeks!!  (That is….if I don't get eaten by a bear…) 

Natalie

 

July 31, 2006
Hello blog readers!!
Well, its official.  Less than a month until I move back to school.  You know what, I am ready to start again.  I really like school actually (I swear I am cool!) so I am excited to get back in the swing of things.  I am also an orientation leader this year, and we are starting to find out who our first year students are, so I am soooo excited about that!!  Orientation is going to ROCK, as is the first semester that I get to spend with the first years…so I can’t wait!  If you are in my FYSEM (Constructed Identities: Fashioning the Self in the 21st Century) feel free to check out the orientation page (www.hamline.edu/orientation) find out more about me, and drop me a line introducing yourself!

You know what else I am really excited about?  Going to Germany and Amsterdam tomorrow with the Presidential Scholars!  We are going to be there for 11 days, learning about vocation in an international world, and I am really excited!  When I get back, I will let you know how it went!  In the mean time, you awesome first year students, write to your SOS leaders…they are dying to hear from you!!

 

July 17, 2006
NACA Conference
Hi all!  I hope this post finds you happy and healthy during your summer vacation.  These past two weeks have been very busy for me!  Last weekend I represented WTF?! (Where’s the Fun?!-our late-night programming board) at the National Association for Campus Activities Late Night Programming conference in Gainesville, FL.  For three days we talked about ways to improve every aspect of our programs, from ideas for programs to advertising and beyond.  I came back with an unbelievable amount of ideas for future years!  I think it is so great how Hamline sends their students free of charge to these events…it’s a great way to learn about programming and a good experience to add to your resume.  Two other students will be attending the Student Government workshop later this week at University of Texas-San Antonio, so I can’t wait to hear how they enjoy it!

I don’t know about you guys, but it is majorly hot here!  It was so hot today that they had to close the pool at the summer camp I am working at.  Stay cool everyone, and continue having a great summer!!

 

June 30, 2006
Summer Update
Greetings faithful blog readers!  I am writing this on a break during my summer job, so it’s going to be quick. But I just wanted to say ‘hey’ and update you on my summer. Today is the last day of the first session at the Avery Coonley Summer program in Downers Grove, IL, where I am working as a counselor for the second graders. So far it’s been fun, but I am constantly challenged by their energy!! I was thinking about how I am going to explain this experience to potential future employees because it doesn’t really fit in well with my plans for being a college professor. But I’m not worried because I know when I get back to school the Career Development Center can help me out as they have done many times in the past! It’s a great resource. How are your summers going? This weekend I am going to see the Chicago Cubs play the Chicago White Sox with my friend who is a die-hard Cubs fan (booo on her, White Sox all the way!!) so I am really excited!! And then it’s the 4th!!! Happy holiday everyone!!

June 14, 2006
Final Grades
Hi all! I hope your summers are going well! Mine is pretty boring, but hey that is not always bad.

At the end of the year, all the students are very anxious about getting their final grades and Hamline has a pretty slick system of getting them out. We have an online system called Piperline that is the place you go (online) to register for classes, email your professors, and other important ‘housekeeping’ tasks. Well, once the professors have finished grading all the finals and such, they can post them on Piperline and automatically, they pop up for students to see! It’s a pretty easy and flawless system. Best part? You have a unique ID and password to get on, so only you can see your grade!

Another great part about Hamline is the willingness on the part of professors to return your finals. For example, I turned in a religion paper on the Monday of finals, and Prof. Thompson knew I was going to be at school until Saturday, so she popped my final paper in my mail box. And I provided a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Prof. Singleton and he mailed my English final test and paper home, so yay! And for those of you who don’t want it coming home, most Profs will keep them in their office through the summer, so you can pick it up in the fall. Yay for learning!

So I start my job as a camp counselor on Friday. I’m not gonna lie, I’m kinda nervous about the idea of babysitting 30 first graders out in nature for six weeks (as I’m not really all about large quanitites of little children OR nature, much less the two together) but I’ll figure it out, right?!

 

May 23, 2006
It's Over Already?
So I have been putting off writing this blog, because it is going to be the last one for a while! *tear* Summer vacation has officially started at Hamline University and that means I am back home in Downers Grove, IL finding myself sleeping much more than I should and missing all my HU peeps much more than I should!

Before I left for home, I had the opportunity to work graduation as an usher, which was so much fun. I am not going to lie, the highlight of my day was being able to have a walkie-talkie with an ear piece attached…it made me feel so special! Haha, no seriously, it was so wonderful to see all the seniors I have gotten to know this year acknowledged for their hard work, and to see how supportive and happy all the professors were to be there. Hamline does a pretty cool thing with the processional. All the professors are in front of the students, but then they line the aisles, so as the students process in, they walk by their professors. How cool is that?

I cannot believe how quickly the year went! Seriously, it flew bye! A year ago, I wasn’t 100 percent sure that Hamline was going to be the place for me (is anyone ever 100 percent sure?) but I did NOT want to leave. Between all my courses and activities and the admissions office (woot woot) I have been so lucky to find my place here and rock it all year long! If you come here, I KNOW the same will happen to you!

I will be updating my blog twice a month this summer, just to let you know how things are going. I hope you all have a great summer! Happy college searching!!

Natalie

PS Don’t forget about Minnesota Private College Week in June! It’s a great way to see a bunch of schools in the great state of Minnesota!!

 

May 13, 2006
Everything that Hamline is About
The most frequent question I get as a first year is why I am came to Hamline. That is a tough question to answer, because you just get that feeling, you know? But yesterday, I had two experiences that made me think "this is why I came to Hamline!" The first was a retirement party for Garvin Davenport who has worked at Hamline for forty years!! Over those years, he has taught my mom and has become good friends with my grandpa, who is also a Hamline alumn. And, while i was at his party Friday afternoon listening to professors I have now, and people I know at Hamline, talk about his amazing contributions to the campus, combined with all he has done for my family over the years, I realized that is why I am at Hamline. For the relationships. There was an alum who spoke that had Dean Davenport years and years ago, but has kept in touch with him and brought her children to this party. How great is that?! Hamline is not just a community of learners, but a family! Awesome, awesome, awesome. That is why I am here!

After the party, WTF?! (Where’s the Fun?! The late-night weekend programming board) took a trip to the Metrodome to see the Twins play the White Sox and we had a blast! Being from Chicago, I was super bummed that they lost 10-1, but there was a great group of kids and it was so much fun to take advantage of the city!

So for all you who were wondering, I love Hamline’s family atmosphere and awesome location! That is why I am here!

 

May 8, 2006
End of the Year Party
Hi all!!  If you are new to the blogs, WELCOME!! I hope you can find a ton of great info that you are looking for between the four of us.  But if not, please don’t be afraid to email us!  We love hearing from you guys!! 

This past Friday the Hamline Entertainment and Activities Team (HEAT) put on the annual End of the Year Party!  It was so much fun!  We use Patterson field and from 3-7pm, there is music, photo booths, dunk tanks, air brush tattoos, blow-up jumpy things that are fun, fortune tellers, animal balloon-makers, and much more!  And lest we forget the food: Chipotle, Jamba Juice, Jimmy John’s, pop corn, pop, home-made cotton candy.  There were also give aways: t-shirts, tote bags and water bottles.  And the best part was that all of this was FREE!!!  It was a great day, and a great way to blow some steam before we have to hard-core study for finals!!  Have a good week everyone!

 

May 5, 2006
Leadership Gala
Man the year is coming to a close quickly!  We only have one more week of classes then its finals…CRAZY!!  As the year is drawing to a close, there are many celebrations that are occurring to reflect on the past year and recognize the achievements of students.  One such event was the Leadership Gala that happened on Wednesday.  The Student Activities Office holds this event that recognizes the top campus-wide events, student organizations and student leaders from all over the campus.  It was so much fun!  They always try to model this ceremony after the Oscars, so we opened the show with a re-written version of “Seasons of Love” complete with us lining up as they do in the movie (snaps to Wendy Burns for doing the lyrics!).  Here are some of the lyrics: 

Three hundred, eighty eight thousand, eight hundred minutes

Three hundred, eighty eight thousand moments so dear

Three hundred, eighty eight thousand, eight hundred minutes

How do you measure an academic year?

In programs and retreats

In work-study, meals at Sorin

In classes like Fysem

Dances and grades

In three hundred, eighty eight thousand, eight hundred minutes

How do you measure an academic year? 

How about Lead-er-ship

How about Lead-er-ship

How about Lead-er-ship

Reason to Lead 

Reasons to Lead

Reasons to Lead 

It was so great!  Then Kelly Krebs came out in cowboy gear and did a play on Brokeback Mountain. He was worried that we wouldn’t think it was funny, but it was HILLARIOUS!!  Then were the awards.  There were many programs of the year, but the memorial to Rosa Parks as well as African Heritage Night were two of the top ones.  Student Organization of the year went to Spectrum, our GLBTQ group on campus for all the hard work they have put into their programs.  With the addition of the GLBT floor in the residence halls, the lobbying work they have done and the numerous fun and educational activities they have sponsored this year, I think it was well deserved!!  But the best part of the night was when they handed out the award for Unsung Hero.  Guess who won?? NICK THE PIPERBLOGGER!!!  He so deserves it, and we were all sooo happy for him!!  With the awesome job he does on the blogs, his work as the SUPERFAN, diving-ness, awesome actor, and all around nice guy, I don’t know who else should have gotten it!  Congrats Nick!!

After Nick got his awesome award, they gave out the student leader of the year awards.  Now, I saw my name listed on the program as a nominee, but there were so many other awesome names listed that I thought there was not way.  But when Patti Klein went up and started talking, all of a sudden I heard my name!  I was so confused!!  So I went up on stage, and all I remember is people cheering and bright lights and a really fun statue.  But anyway, I am so honored and floored to be a part of the four students honored in that category!!  The other students recognized were my SOS leader, Alex Pennell (who I recommended by the way), Hamline’s Undergraduate Student Congress’s President Shanell Evans, and our Hamline Entertainment and Activities Committee’s chair, Kristin Falde (who is HUSC’s vice-president elect).  I hold no formal leadership titles in any org yet, so I didn’t understand why I getting this award!  But I now have learned the importance of just being there and present and always trying my best to do great work…because that is important.  Anyway, I am honored and humbled and the statue sits next to my computer as a great motivational tool for the end of the year.

 

Monday May 1, 2006
Happy May Day!!
I hope all of you prospective students have made your decisions about your future homes and you are feelin’ good about it!  Of course, I am going to encourage you to come to Hamline, but it is more important that you find the place that fits you best.  I’m sure you made the right decision!

On Friday, the Multicultural and International Student Affairs Office (MISA), had its annual awards banquet to recognize and celebrate the achievements of students in the area of scholarship, service and leadership.  It is also an opportunity to look back at all the great work that our many student organizations have done this year, and see each other all together one last time before the school year ends.  As Carlos Sneed, our Assistant Dean of Students for Diversity and Community, was reviewing the history of the MISA office, I looked around and realized how awesome it is that we have a resource like this on campus.  For 35 years, the MISA office has offered programming to support students of color and international students in their academic lives, as well as their development as world leaders.  With everything from student mentoring to midday bowling, to HU-CORE (Hamline University Conference on Race and Ethnicity) to annual retreats, MISA goes out of its way to make sure international students and students of color fell welcome and at home at Hamline.  (For you incoming first year students, there is an annual Student of Color orientation that you will receive information about...you must attend! I did and it’s GREAT!!) I am so glad I have gotten involved with MISA events!! They are the best!

 

April 28, 2006
Jesus Christ Superstar
Happy Friday!!  I hope all your college decisions are going well, as there are only 4 more days until that May 1st deadline!  Today we had a speaker on campus (yes, I went to another one) who is from the University of Michigan who has done extensive research on how to create a diverse and inclusive environment in the classroom and university alike.  It was VERY interesting.  So, it got me thinking about an independent study for next year.  

I am pretty sure that I want to be an English professor "when I grow up."  So, I would LOVE to work with one of the awesome English profs here to put together a class, (you know, course syllabus and mentality behind it) that not only teaches a wide variety of literature that deals with topics of diversity, but also is explicitly designed to promote an open and diverse learning space.  This means that on top of the vast amount of reading I would do to find the material that I would teach, it would probably mean that I would be reading theory on how to promote justice in the classroom.  How much fun is that??  Ok, not all of you may be interested that, but I think it’s great that there are profs here who want to work with students like me on projects like this!

Ok, I went to Jesus Christ Superstar last night and my fellow Hamline University Piper Blogger (we decided this weekend that we would refer to ourselves as the HUPB team) Nick did AWESOME!!  He was sooo funny and I loved it.  Nick, do I get a free smoothie with you??

 

April 23, 2006
SOS LEADERS!!
Hi all!! This weekend, Addie, Nick and I went on our first retreat as SOS LEADERS!!! For those of you who are new to the blogs, SOS leaders are the orientation leaders that first year students work with in the fall. And since the orientation groups are also your First Year Seminar class, we will hang out throughout the first semester (and beyond)! So we are really excited to work with the awesome first year class! We found out what FYSEMS we are working with so for all of you who registered for the FYSEM entitled Constructed Identities: Fashioning the Self in the 21 st Century congrats!! I am going to be your SOS leader!! I am very excited about working with this FYSEM!

May 1st is just one short week away…so if anyone has any questions about Hamline that will help you decide that Hamline is the place for you, EMAIL ME!!!

 

April 21, 2006
Another Speaker
Welcome! Can you all believe it is almost May?? Where did the year go?? I don’t know, but that May 1 date is fast approaching and for all of you seniors…you know what that means! Time to make some decisions!! SOOOO if you have any last minute questions about Hamline, feel free to e-mail me, and I will answer them ASAP so you can make the most informed decision possible!

Ok, I know I have been blogging A LOT about speakers lately, but on Tuesday we had another one that was fabulous…. Her name is Charmaine L. Wijeyesinghe and she has done years and years of research on racial identity development models for multiracial individuals. While she was on campus, she did a lecture that compared the three different models out there right now. Two of them are linear (meaning they go in stages) and the third one (hers) is just more of an illustration of the different factors that go into a racial identity for multiracial folks. Considering her’s is the model we use at Hamline, I was just out of my mind excited to hear her talk about it. And then…I had dinner with her! There were eight students and Carlos Sneed (head of the Multicultural and International Student Affiars and Associate Dean of Student Affairs) and Charmaine and it was AMAZING!! We talked about the frustrating experiences of multiracial folks, the idea of racial identity as a choice, the best solutions for navigating potentially uncomfortable situations involving race and many others. She even signed her book, "New Perspectives on Racial Identity Development" for me!! After dinner, she led a session where members of Hamline’s community came together in facilitated discussions to talk about what needs to be done here to help foster a community that is more comfortable for all its members. Not that Hamline has a big problem, but we are always trying to improve ourselves! Anyway, this was another incredible experience that is so hard to get anywhere else!! I am so glad I was around for this!!

  

April 17, 2006
Amazing Dinner
I hope you had a nice long weekend.  I know I did, but it was waaaayyyy to short!  On Friday, I slept in (ya!) and got a chance to do the laundry that has been sitting in my room for three plus weeks now.  I also sent out the course description of the classes I want to take this summer to the department heads, to make sure that the credits will transfer.  I have heard back from a few of the professors, and they all have been very positive and helpful, so that makes me happy!  One thing that is going smoothly here!  Friday night I had to sell concessions at the Excel Center to raise money for the Presidential Scholars.  The concert that night was All American Rejects and Fallout Boys, so I knew a few of the songs which made it better.

Saturday morning I slept in and then we went to the mall to get some food/shop a little.  I then spent eight hours doing homework that really needed to get done, and Sunday I went to church with Vince Thomas and his family (remember, I told you about his lecture to my religions class?) and his family at Westminster Presbyterian in Minneapolis.  His children are so cute/fun!  Anyway, after that, my roommate and I were picked up by my grandparents and we went my aunt and uncle’s house for an AMAZING dinner.  We have leftover chocolate cake in our fridge…and I think that it what I am going to eat for lunch.  After that, it was more homework, followed by falling into bed.  The end of the year is coming so quickly and I have so much to do, it is crazy!!  Have a good week everyone!

 

April 14, 2006
No School
Hi!!!  Good Friday = no school!  Wonderful, I need the sleep.  For you faithful readers out there, I am feeling better, thank you.  It was super touch and go there on Monday night, but it was just a 24 hour thing, so all better!

I don’t know if anyone has talked about the Hamline Plan, but I am going to!  Because we are a liberal arts school, we believe very strongly in the importance of taking classes from ALL disciplines.  As a result, Hamline has a requirement that states you must take a certain number of courses in a wide variety of areas such as math, science, humanities, technology and fine arts courses.  Now I know what you are thinking.  You are thinking “Oh my goodness…it’s just like high school!!”  But trust me, it is SO not like high school.  Unlike high school, you have many, many choices for the classes that fulfill each requirement.  For example, take the formal reasoning requirement.  Most of the time this ONE class requirement (meaning you only have to take one class to fulfill it) can be fulfilled by taking a math class.  But it can also be fulfilled by taking Logic or a statistics course from the psychology department.  The science departments offer courses for non-majors such as the Biology of Women, Physics of Sound and Music and Physics for Poets.  So the point is, everyone can do it.

One of the requirements associated with the Hamline Plan is to take a writing intense course every year, and as a part of that, at least one must be in your major.  My Contemporary African American Religious Thought class is a writing intensive class so we started by writing a very simple paper at the beginning of the semester and we continue to add to it as we read and discuss more.  We also meet with other members of our class and read each other’s papers to give hints and suggestions.  Overall, it’s nice because we had to have the second paper written for yesterday, but then our professor told us that we could work on it over the weekend and hand it in on Tuesday.  Soooo nice, so then we have another chance to look it over and make it better!  Yay for helping students succeed!!

I hope everyone has a good weekend celebrating Easter, Passover, Spring or whatever else deserves to be celebrated!

  

April 10, 2006
Everett Dirksen
“I am a man of principle, and one of my basic principles is flexibility.”  Everett Dirksen

Ok, as much as I respect Everett Dirksen for his patience, I wish he would conduct a course on how to not be uptight.  Here’s why:  this morning, I get up like always, right?  I go to class, go to work (it’s Student Worker Appreciation Week this week in admissions so I got a really fun goodie bag!), eat lunch.  I get back to my dorm and *WHAM* a massive stomach ache.  Like it came out of no where.  So I took a little nap thinking that would help.  It didn’t.  Then I was supposed to have a mock interview (the Career Development Center brings in alums that are working in different fields to do a mock job/internship interview for a position you are interested in and then they give you feedback…so it sounds like a great program!) but I was so nauseous that I could barley drag myself out of bed.  So instead of a mock interview, I got a trip to our Counseling and Health Services Office!  I really didn’t want to go (as always), but I am glad (as always) that I did.  The nurse has walk-in hours where you can just show up and see the nurse.  After the usual series of questions, she will tell you what she thinks the problem is, and not only give you information on it that you can take home (so you know what is going on), but she also gives you lots and lots of free samples of drugs that can help.  The few times I have been (thank goodness and knock on wood), the drugs and suggestions she has given me have helped immensely.  Lets hope it works this time too!

 

April 7, 2006
Super Fun Speakers
This week was Hamline’s annual Social Justice Symposium Week.  We had speakers and activities on campus all week that have related to Social Justice issues.  For example, in the dining hall they served food from the White Earth Indian Reservation.  There was also a panel presention by Euro-Americans on what their whiteness has meant to them in the context of an increasingly multiracial community.  On Tuesday, we had one of the founding members of SNCC (Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee) come to speak, Charles McDew.  That was sooo awesome!  He told us his story about how he got involved, and then talked about what we need to do to work on the racial problems of today, specifically in regards to equal education for all.

The other speaker was a Dr. Harry J. Elam, Jr., a drama professor from Stanford.  His academic focus is on African American and American drama who has studied August Wilson intensely, and has in fact, written a book on his work.  (This was of particular interest to me because of the collection of Wilson scenes that we did earlier in the year with actors from the Penumbra Theater).  He walked us through the collection of August Wilson’s plays, and talked to us about common threads that drove the creation and the brilliance of his ten play series.  He was AMAZING.  He presented so much information in such a small amount of time, and everything was super interesting!

As I was sitting there, it struck me how lucky we are at Hamline to have faculty and staff that are committed to providing the students with a diverse, well-rounded educational experience.  It makes me so happy to be here!!

 

April 3, 2006
Happy Monday!
Happy Monday!   I cannot believe the weekend is over!   On Friday night, we attended a performance of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra which was fun.  They, along with an amazing vocal group, set music to the story of Moses in Exodus.   Very great!   On Saturday, Ann (from the admissions office) had two of  her good counselor-type friends out from DC, so I gave them a tour.   They were so excited and asked great questions and we just had a blast!   Then, it was my roommate’s birthday last Thursday, so we went out Saturday night for some Mongolian BBQ to celebrate.  It was sooo yummy!!  

Yet another reason why Hamline is awesome-we are situated in a neighborhood that is filled with many, many different ethnic food, so there is always some choice!   After the dinner, we saw Ice Age II, which was really enjoyable!   I highly recommend it.  Then yesterday, we had our first SOS training.  SOS is the orientation program and I am going to be a leader next year!  YAY!!  So is Addie and Nick, two of my fellow piperbloggers!  They told us just a little about some of the things they have planned for those three awesome days, and even the first month or so of school, and they sound great, so I am pretty excited.  I cannot wait to see some of you in my group in August!