YAY! MY FINALS SCHEDULE!

You will never, ever hear a college student say that unless it was like my last semester and I was finished on Monday, and then just intravenously injected Dr Pepper for the rest of the week while fulfilling my House, M.D. void, laying on my futon, laughing as others were studying all night and my biggest decision was whether or not to hit the snooze the next morning.

Long sentence. Lots of sentiment. Whew.

Anyways! My finals schedule looks a tad like this:

Monday: Science Methods Lesson Modification Part #3 Due
Math Final 2:15-4:15pm
Hall Desk 4:00-6:00pm
HDFS 343 Review
Start Celebration of Learning #2
Finish Family Learning Project

Tuesday: Send Mother’s Day Card [yes, I remembered!]
Turn in Family Learning Project
2pm: Band Staff Meeting with Mr. Smith
Hall Desk 4-6pm

Wednesday: SpEd 455 Final 9:45-11:45am
CI 439 [Science Methods] Final: 2:15-4:15pm
Honoring Our Graduates Ceremony [Ushering]: 4:15-7:00pm
Band Staff Dinner at Old Chicago: 8:00pm
Finish Celebration of Learning #2

Thursday: Hall Desk 10:00am-2:00pm
Work on HDFS 343 Review
Email Celebration of Learning #2
HDFS 343 Final: 2:15-4:15pm
Hall Desk 5:00-8:00pm

Friday: Work in the Lab School from 9:00-11:30am
Pack and Clean

WAIT

Work the Hall Desk all. day. long.

Saturday: I am chained to the hall desk checking residents out.

So as you can see, my Finals Week is actually pretty busy. It’s intense.

Part Two of my Dead Week/Finals Week Finals from Hell Extravaganza!
PSYCHOLOGY: Based on your degree of knowledge of their works, evaluate the motional stability, degree o f adjustment, and repressed frustrations of each of the following: Alexander of Aphrodisas, Rameses II, Gregory of Nicea, Hammurabi. Support your evaluations with quotations from each man’s work, making appropriate references. It is not necessary to translate.

SOCIOLOGY: Estimate the sociological problems which might acompany the end of the world. Construct an experiment to test your theory.

MANAGEMENT SCIENCE: Define management. Define science. How do they relate? why? Create a generalized algorithm to optimize all managerial decisions. Assuming an 1130 CPU supporting 50 terminals, each terminal to activate your algorithm; design the communications interface and all necessary control programs.

ENGINEERING: The disassembled parts of a high-powered rifle have been placed in a box on your desk. You will also find an instruction manual, printed in Swahili. In ten minutes a hungry Bengal tiger will be admitted to the room. Take whatever action you feel is appropriate. Be prepared to justify your decision.

ECONOMICS: Develop a realistic plan for refinancing the national debt. Trace the possible effects of your plan in the following areas: Cubism, the Donatist controversy, the wave theory of light. Outline a method for preventing these effects. Criticize this method from all possible points of view. Point out the deficiencies in your point of view, as demonstrated in your answer to the last question.

Enjoy! As soon as I survive Dead Week and finals Week, I will too!

Until next time,
Seanna

It’s Wednesday. Of Dead Week. And I feel like I’ve been up for a while. . . 

So, Dead Week is pretty much like Dead Week in high school, except your professors may or may not teach new material the week of Dead Week and test you over it during Finals. Shhhh . . . it’s a secret. . . . So beware and be ready.

Whenever I am bummed about my own finals, or studying, or lack thereof, I always visit a website telling certain finals submitted by other students [they are not true, but I would like to make myself feel better by thinking they are doing such a task and not me], titled appropriately “College Finals From Hell.” This always makes me feel better. Kind of like textsfromlastnight.com make us all feel better about our walks of shame or embarrassing moments in public.

Note: First Five of my Dead Week/Finals Week Remedy Humor. Be prepared for more to follow.

HISTORY: Describe the history of the papacy from its origins to the present day, concentrating especially, but not exclusively, on its social, political, economic, religious, and philosophical impact on Europe, Asia, America, and Africa. Be brief, concise and specific.

MEDICINE: You have been provided with a razor blade, a piece of gauze, and a bottle of Rubbing Alcohol. Remove your appendix. Do not suture until your work has been inspected. You have 15 minutes.

PUBLIC SPEAKING: Twenty-five hundred riot-crazed aborigines are storming the classroom. Calm them. You may use any ancient language except Latin or Greek.

BIOLOGY: Create life. Estimate the differences in subsequent human culture if this form of life had developed 500 million years earlier, with special attention to its probable effect on the english parliamentary system. prove your thesis.

MUSIC: Write a piano concerto. Orchestrate and perform it with flute and drum. You will find a piano under your seat.

I hope this has made YOUR day, because it has sure made Hump Day easier for me! The middle of the week, Hump Day, and I’m that much closer to SUMMER BREAK! =]

Until next time,
Seanna

Gah! So I will share with you an intimate struggle between a girl, a boy, and college. Oh, and life. Oh, and money, Oh and internships. Oh, and relationships.

Complicated enough for you?

So, my boyfriend just a two semester internship in Dallas Ft. Worth. Awesome, right?

You’d be right, about 3/4 right. About 1/4 of that is life changing decisions, here!

We were both scheduled to graduate next spring, May of 2010, and then we were planning on being together and moving somewhere where he could find a job and I could find grad school. Yay! Yippy skippy. Things were falling together in an awesome way. And then what I call a “life fart.” You know, where everything is going your way, you’re confident, smooth, assured, and then a life fart happens and things are shifted. At first you don’t realize what a big impact it will have, but as time goes on, it’s more apparent that that shift just won’t dissipate, and you’ll have to face reality sooner than later.

Yes, I know that was a random association but it works. You’re thinking now, aren’t you?

So, now Eric is looking at taking a two semester internship in Dallas Fort Worth, which is great for me because he gets to know my parents better, he has a great opportunity to work with a HUGE company [Parker Hannifin] and it might even lead to a job offer! It also kinda stinks because in order to go for two semester to this co-op, or two semester internship, he pushes back graduation to December of 2010, so that means the two of us will be in Ames for at least another year.

But then as I’m looking into Occupational Therapy grad school, it’s more and more apparent I need more prerequisites under my belt before I can apply, so I calm myself by reassuring myself that I can go to school next fall, substitute teach, work at Starbucks for health benefits [because Lord knows I need those, hah!] and everything will be fine.

So I feel like I just used this writing to think through all of this. It actually worked out pretty well.
Decisions, decisions. I’m growing up way too fast. Decisions a year from now are starting to creep up on me now. How is this happening!?

Life hits you out of the blue. Like that random hockey puck at the Dallas Stars game in 7th grade.

Yeah don’t ask. Just know it was really random. And didn’t feel too awesome at first. =]

Until next time,
Stop to smell the roses before you turn around and you’re in the real world,
So basically enjoy college while you’re in it,
I am, as always,
Seanna

Wow. Long signature. Intense.

I just attended a very powerful rally on campus against suicide and anti-gay comments that led five children under the age of 11 this year alone to commit suicide.

It was powerful. I’m not sure what to think of the fact that there have been 5 CHILDREN under the age of 11 that have committed suicide this year due to anti-gay comments directed towards them, two of which never specifically identifying themselves as homosexual.

[Right: Yellow ribbons are used to represent anti-suicide awareness and support for the cause of eliminating discrimination that leads to suicide attempts]

It was intense. There was an article read from the Des Moines Register. Sickening.

If another person is happy and living their life, who gives anyone the authority to judge someone else? This could sound like a rant from some college student on liberalism and socially progressive ideals, but danggit, it’s human dignity that’s at stake.

It’s children’s lives.

Such as Jaheem Herrera. Read here.
Warning, it is emotional, so please click if you are able. 

Think about this. College is about finding out how you are, how you fit into the world.
If 11 year olds are having trouble with this,  it’s bound to get harder.

Make sure when you are in college, you find your niche. Be yourself and go where you fit in. Don’t let anyone judge you for who you are- you  deserve to be happy, and that’s what you should be.

Until next time,
Seanna

Meet Dora. Yes, Dora the Explorer.

For the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity Project [NCORE] and the Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity [ISCORE], I presented twice. One was on the effect of Middle Eastern Portrayal in American Media, which I can write another post about, but today is about my less than favorite, Dora the Explorer. Along with a girl named Kaylene from the ISCORE project, we tackled a sensitive subject: learning multiculturalism through television. Our topic for another presentation at ISCORE was Dora the Explorer: Stereotypical or Multicultural?

Our purpose was to inform and present information, so others could make an educated decision. We researched four prominent areas associated with the background of this show and the effect on young children [my eh-speciality, persay!]: Latino/a Demographics in the United States, The Latino/a Identity Crisis, Dora Background Information, TV Effects on Children, which all four culminated in the topic at hand- stereotypical and multicultural aspects of Dora the Explorer. Our presentation was standing room-only, was PACKED and was FULL of discussion. It was pretty much the most awesome thing ever. BAMF, if I do say so myself. Kaylene and I were proud.

Even more so, faculty and MLO [Multicultural Liaison Officers] from the University attended, and so Kaylene and I were asked to present before the Early Childhood Education faculty staff meeting today. Kaylene had a conflict, so I was able to. It was awesome! I presented to about ten faculty members, my amateur research, and was actually offered a chance to continue the research and apply for money and grants to continue!

That’s the great thing about being a college student- in high school, sure, you get recognized for your efforts by striving for that V word, valedictorian. Here in college, you have the chance to build professional relationships with faculty, who conduct research as a living, and can serve as mentors and REFERENCES for you when and if you continue on to grad school [which I would always highly recommend!!]. So two of my current teachers were in the meeting [which was nerve-racking but awesome at the same time] and two of my previous professors saw it, too!

But you know, just my luck, one of the faculty members used to be a consultant for a child’s TV show back in the day, and she just HAPPENED to have a friend who served as a consultant for Dora the Explorer.

Just my luck, eh?

Anyway, one of my professors called me into her office and was impressed by our presentation! It was awesome to have that kind of response to a presentation that started out as a curiosity to me and another student, a business major at that, too.

All in all, I feel great. I’ll keep you posted about that good ol’ grant money. $$$
Gotta make it rain, ya know.

Oh, and by the way, this photo is from when we presented at ISCORE! I just got it tagged from a friend! Don’t we look professional? Hah!

Until next time,
Seanna

So tonight was our Buchanan Bucks Auction here in good ol’ Buch- this event was in conjunction with our “Last Call for Buchanan Hall,” or our last week before Dead Week and studying for finals where residents could let loose and enjoy themselves before they started cracking down for finals.

Our Buchanan Hall Association entrusted me with their P-Card, which is a credit card associated with a student organization’s banking funds, and I went to the university Bookstore and bought over $400.00 worth in merchandise, and went to Wal-Mart where I cleaned up another $250.00 in food, drinks, an iHome, and DVD movie packs.

Gotta love the $5 movie tower in Wal-Mart, eh?

Anyway, so I got back to the Hall Desk and organized it all, made signs and posters telling the prices, and prepared for the anarchy to ensure. 

Buchanan Bucks are slips of paper money with Brock, our Hall Director’s face on it. When Community Advisors see residents building community by keeping their doors open and visiting with others, or showing good grades, a student can receive these Bucks as positive reinforcement for that behavior. It works really well, and they go like gangbusters. Yes, I just said gangbusters. It’s a valid term- in my vocabulary, at least.

Basically, residents can “pay” for these items in three ways: a Buchanan Bucks Store, an Auction where students bid on certain items and the items is thus “auctioned” off, and the third way is a raffle, in which two Buchanan Bucks equals one raffle ticket.

It went really well! We had the store open right after the Dollar Dinner, where we served Jeff’s Pizza, and residents payed $1 for two slices of pizza and a can of soda [or pop, your preference, hah]! Everything sold: tailgating folding chairs, ISU lanyards, hats, tshirts, car window decals, nalgenes, ISU glasses, face tattoos, blankets, and food like mini six packs of soda, chips and salsa, candy bars, chocolate twizzlers [yeah, I was just as surprised as you are right now], and a lot of other things, too. The auction items were two DVD movies related to each other, with two bags of popcorn and two packages of hot cocoa [there were five packs of those] and the ISU tailgating chairs, which are always popular. The raffle items were an iPod shuffle [of course], an iHome iPod dock, and an ISU fleece blanket, which is a HUGE seller. It was great because the raffle was at the end of the night and so anyone who hadn’t bought something in the store or the auction could use their tickets for the auction.

Most important item: energy drinks. By far the biggest seller. As you can see, this is pretty much what a typical college student looks like after an all-nighter and a billion arnold palmers mixed with a fleck of espresso. Mmmm good to the last drop.

Residents really appreciate when we take the time and support events such as these that bring the building together. It’s always fun to see people out of their rooms, enjoying themselves before the stresses of Dead Week and Finals Week. Then it’s 23/7 Quiet Hours, so it gets pretty lonely in the halls sometimes during the last two weeks of classes.

Until people are done, of course. And then the halls are flooded.

It’s that time of the year- time for the ISU Dub H Show [Hip Hop Club]! I went today 2:00pm to the show, but we had to get there around 1:00pm to get tickets! It was amazing! There’s no video released from it yet, but make sure to check out these past performances of the 2008-2009 year! The clip from below is a preview of one of the dances that was performed. They are SPECTACULAR! So make sure to check out my pics on Flickr for more views of the dancers!

I am never disappointed by the shows. This year, Travis Horn used Super Mario as a theme for his dance, there was a “Transylvanian” Thriller Dance, and a bunch of other awesome dances, too. Check out the pictures, and these clips. There’s one show every semester, so WHEN you come to Iowa State, stop by! Say hey! Enjoy some dancing!

Until next time,
Seanna

Tonight was our hall-wide event sponsored by the Hall Council and run by the Community Advisors of Buchanan. It was called Mocktail Night, and it was an educational program on college student drinking, with facts, quizzes, mock cocktails, or “mocktails” such as virgin strawberry daiquiris and pina coladas. I was the drink master of the night, whipping out cups and using blenders like a pro.

Here we have Michelle and Nate, other Community Advisors in Buchanan, wearing our event tshirts. They said Buchanan Staff on the front, with BOUNCER on the back.

The great part about the program was not only the “drinking” games, such as ROOT beer pong, flippy cup withHAWAIIAN PUNCH, and quarters with SODA, but also the educational information that went into the event. We were educating not only about drinking but also safety at parties, and other things. Community Advisors all had a bag of skittles, and if anyone left their “red party cup” unattended at the event, we dropped a “roofie,” i.e. a colored skittle into their drink. When they discovered the skittle, they were required to give us one of their Buchanan Bucks, which are “currency” that we pass out when you promote community, shows good grades to Community Advisors, or attend hall or floor events. We are having a Buchanan Auction on Sunday, so my post will talk about that then.

I “roofied” about ten people who left their cups unattended, and I gathered about fifteen Buchanan Bucks. We had board games, a ROOT beer pong tournament bracket, and a flippy cup tournament as well. We also provided dinner- we had Jeff’s Pizza [the BEST pizza in Ames] for $1 per 2 slices, and free drinks, fruit, cookies, chips, etc. It was really fun, and it was a great way to end the semester before Dead Week [the week before finals where no extracurricular activities are allowed to meet, to help for studying].

I think we should make it an annual event, so I’ll make sure to post [if I am able to continue the blog next year, keep your fingers crossed!] about updates to the program!

In a couple of days, I’m organizing the hall-wide Buchanan Bucks Auction, but more about that on my post on Sunday! Have a great night, and as always,

Until next time,
Seanna

So this is my schedule for Fall 2008, 17 credits, and band staff.

I was just going to take 14 credits, including band, BUT since I’ve changed my future career goals to be an Occupational Therapist, and I’m looking into graduate school at Washington University in St. Louis, I need to take some more prerequisites, such as Statistics and Medical Terminology [the VPath 401] class.

So yeah, that’s it! I’m excited! It’ll be a lot of work, but I’m still psyched for my last semester of classes. It seems like just yesterday I was arriving on campus for Destination Iowa State . . . meeting with my academic advisor . . . and registering for my FIRST semester of classes. When I look back on my transcript, I feel like I JUST took those classes, but it’s been six semesters ago! Whew! Time flies in college, man.

So until next time,
Seanna

So, when you get to college, at Iowa State University [of course] there is a special time each semester where you feel vindicated. A time where it pays to be a stuent and final get rid of those fourteen pound books that become another permanent appendage, at least until you pass the class and can peace out: time to sell your books back to the bookstore and make some MONEY!

I had a friend who recently decided to try to cheat the system and rebel against formalized education.

Yes, that’s right. She sold her books to Bob Buys Books.

She also learned a valuable lesson.
Bob Rips off Buyers.

Don’t ever, ever sell your books to Bob.
He’s not an innocent as his common name makes him appear. She received less than 25% of her buying price, whereas the UBS [University Book Store] was buying her book back for 86% of her buying cost [well, technically, her parents' buying cost, so she was actually making profit, but shhhh, don't tell]. 

So, lesson learned. Don’t go to Bob for your buying needs.

Until next time,
You’ll find me in line at the UBS,
Seanna