These are a few of my favorite things...

What is my favorite thing about Wittenberg??? Well I have a few things.

This is going to sound weird but I love the drive from my house to Wittenberg (I know it's not really Witt per say, but bear with me here.) The drive from Marysville, OH to Springfield, OH is a piece of cake. Route 4 literally takes you directly to and from Springfield so it's super easy and convenient to give my friends directions! And when I do have to drive home, it's bearable because it's easy.  Believe it or not, the drive to and from home DID play a (small) role in my college decision.

I love that Wittenberg has such a small campus. I didn't think about it when I first arrived because the weather was really nice. But after experiencing a couple of winters where you have to walk to class regardless of the downpours or ice-coated walkways, I'm extremely grateful that this campus is so small.

I really like the Communication Department as well. I know I'm biased because it's my major, but all the professors are really friendly. It just makes life easier to take classes with friendly people! I can't imagine taking classes from professors I don't get along with, it just seems terrible to endure that for semesters on end. Furthermore, my fellow Comm majors are really friendly as well. I realize it's cheesy but it's nice to come to class and get along with the people you're learning with.

There are other quirky things that I like about Wittenberg, but they're mostly just memories. I think I will have a much longer list of things I like about Witt after I graduate, but as a student this is how I'm feeling about my college of choice.

I guess the thing I like most about Witt is the IDEA of Witt. I can't lie, Wittenberg isn't what I was told or expected it would be.

Anyone else like the idea of Witt?

Muffin Madness

Guys, I just ate one of those sinfully delicious Otis Spunkmeyer muffins from Post. Have you ever read the nutritional information on those things??? This seemingly innocent breakfast staple is gonna cost you 500 calories. And now I feel really guilty.

I'm in a constant process of justifying eating pizza and muffins all the time by saying I'm so stressed out or that I should enjoy it while I'm still young and have metabolism, etc. I'm sure I'm not the only one. I think it has something to do with our culture telling us how to look all the time.

I just had this discussion with my roommate last night when we were both munching on chocolate at about 11 p.m. We knew we shouldn't but we couldn't help ourselves! Then we went on for about 5 minutes complaining about whatever parts of our bodies we didn't like until I realized what we were discussing was really stupid.

Bottom line is that nobody is perfect. I don't want this to turn into some cliche blog about body image and coming to terms with who you really are, but I really think body image is something that women in college deal with on a daily basis.

As for me, I'm going to enjoy eating my muffins until my metabolism slows down too much that I can't stand it anymore, and you know what? I'm ok with it :)

(Maybe this would be an interesting story idea, especially since women and men alike are trying to get fit for swimsuit season and summer in general. Any thoughts??)

My Semester Story

My BIG story for the semester is going to be about faculty evaluations on campus. I would really like to cover all angles of this story because I think it all relates.

I'd like to explore whether or not they're really effective (in the opinion of students and professors). How much do they cost and why aren't they completely paperless already? Is the cost worth it? Do professors who are not tenured teach differently than the professors who already have tenure? How much do evaluations weigh in the decision to give a professor tenure? And I'd really like to talk to the professors who spend a whole class period discussing evaluations.

Does anyone have any other suggestions on how to make this story better? I wonder if I should narrow the focus of this story because it seems like a lot to tackle, but I think it should be good for a 1000-word story.

Let me know what you guys think and if you have any ideas on who I should interview? Anyone know who is in charge of faculty evaluations each semester??

My Parents vs. My Spring Break Plans

This year I am going on my first Spring Break trip EVER to Tampa, Florida (pictured above). Needless to say, I'm incredibly excited.

But when the idea was first proposed to me I wasn't at all excited. I thought "How on earth am I going to convince my parents to let me go?" Because unlike a lot of my friends, it seems like my parents are not so easy to convince and are often extremely vocal and disapproving of things ( things that I think are fun and harmless, like going to Florida).

Over the past year and a half of my college experience I've had to hide a lot from my parents. They aren't very understanding and are afraid that college is going to corrupt me. It's hard to explain this relationship to my friends because deep down I know my parents only want the best for me, but they come across as very strict.

Maybe it's because I'm the only daughter and I'm the youngest of only 2 children, but I wish my parents would just let me enjoy my college experience sometimes without feeling the need to give their opinion about everything. I already know that they're going to disapprove! They told me they disapprove of this Florida trip but I'm going against their wishes and going anyway. I feel bad about it, but I'm technically an adult and there's nothing they can do!

Is anyone else in the same boat as me or are my parents an anomaly?

WUSO-Witt's most underutilized media outlet.

Do you or your friends listen to WUSO?? The chances are that none of you do.

But why not????

WUSO is Wittenberg's campus radio station and there are currently over 50 hours of live music on WUSO per week. There are a lot of students volunteering their time and efforts into having live programming on WUSO for you, our fellow student listeners.

Because although WUSO broadcasts to the world (really anyone with an internet connection) our purpose is to bring music and news to Wittenberg students. 

From talking to people who have known WUSO since its inception, I've found out it used to be a really big deal on this campus. WUSO used to sponsor concerts and do live broadcasts from all over campus at various events. I don't know what exactly happened but I think it has something to do with radio becoming a dying medium.

But I really don't think radio is dying at all, just adapting to the times. We can all think of our favorite hometown radio station that we listen to in the car. That's proof that radio still has a large effect on everyone, specifically our generation.

Radio is still a HUGE outlet for news and the latest music. The Billboard Hot 100 wouldn't exist without radio stations playing the latest music. And virtually the only way for anyone in the music industry to get famous is from radio stations playing their songs. Our generation identifies with music and it's something that brings us together. Guess where you can get the latest music while hearing your friends DJing? WUSO 89.1 fm The Berg. yup.

I hear a lot of complaints from campus that WUSO doesn't do enough to reach people, or that all we ever play is pre-recorded material. The truth is that we can't make anyone turn on their radio but I guarantee that once they tune into 89.1 they'll be pleasantly surprised by how music live music we really do have.

WUSO, like the Torch, takes a lot of heat from the campus without anyone willing to step in to make things better. But WUSO and the Torch have both taken huge strides in the past few years to improve their image, campus relevance, and outreach. I'm proud to tell people to listen to The Berg. It's come a long way in a few years and has started to transform into a cool extracurricular for students to be a part of.

So I guess I'm curious, why don't you listen to WUSO? Or if you do, who do you listen to and when?

Time to Find a Roommate!!

It's time to think about housing for next semester already! I'm wondering, is it possible to find someone to live with without any kind of drama?

Finding living arrangements is a drama magnet. Everyone is afraid to step on friend's toes or offend somebody in the process which leads me to my next point: people suck at confrontation.

I'm not pointing fingers because I am certainly bad at confrontation as well! But the bottom line is that some things just need to be said and it's best to say them and get it over with, like ripping off the band-aid. And I guess when it comes to it, I'm not afraid to talk straight with people. 

Fortunately, I just got my own living arrangements sorted out last night, but only after my future roommates stayed up until 7 a.m. confronting a friend whom they did not want to live with. Needless to say, the friend didn't handle the news well because she was strung out until the day the house renewal was due. I don't think the friendship is going to last much longer. 

I just wish there was a way people could be honest and open with their friends about situations like these. After all, your true friends will understand and be there for you (even if you decide to live with someone else.) 

Winter Blues Got Ya Down?

It's so cliche to talk about the weather, but I really do think weather affects our moods (or at least I've noticed a change in mine!).

I've just felt increasingly 'meh', for lack of a better description. I feel as though I'm constantly going through the motions and not paying much attention to the things going on around me. My memories from the past month are completely strung together and hazy (much like each and every January day in Ohio).

And I blame the weather! I haven't been getting my recommended 10 minutes of sun exposure per day and that lack of vitamin D makes a difference to me. Constantly being exposed to cold and wind has wreaked havoc on my skin as well (and let's face it, dry skin doesn't make anyone happy).

I've turned to a few things to keep me optimistic and happy in this unpleasant weather. I definitely listen to music to brighten my mood. I've been listening to the Avett Bros. a lot lately, they always put a smile on my face. I've also been trying to see the bigger picture in stressful situations. And when you do that, the small things seem to matter less and less. I'm also looking forward to my spring break trip to Florida this year! It's my first spring break excursion so I'm very excited.

But perhaps the best mood-brightener is knowing that the days are slowly but surely getting longer! The sun being out a little longer each day motivates me to do my best to shake off my winter blues.  :)