News Update: I am going through my Cyclone Aide training binder, getting ready for Orientation, and figuring out how to memorize all the information I need to know for this summer. I came across my requirements for my Cyclone Aide backpack, and for those of you attending Orientation, you may ask any Cyclone Aide at any time for any of the following, and they will whip it out of their backpack in a jiffy for you.

I went to SuperTarget and bought these ALL in travel size. Amazing. I love Tar-jay.

• Hand sanitizer
• Sunscreen
• Tide To-Go pen
• Breath mints
• Throat lozenges/candy
• Water bottle
• Kleenex tissues
• Deodorant
• Band-aids or small First Aid Kit
• Aspiring
• Umbrella/rain Poncho/rain jacket
• Lip Balm
• Contact solution
• Tampons
• Pens
• Highlighters
• Notepad
• Important phone numbers
• Training Binder
• Extra orientation schedules
• Campus map
• Snacks
• Gold Bond powder
• Sunglasses

So there you go- my backpack in a post. I feel like I have the Batman belt equivalent of a CamelBak. As prepared as a lifetime Boy Scout.

So! Who’s going to Orientation!? Email me and let me know! I want to know to look for you and meet up! It’s always great to help new students on campus!! =] And if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. I’m ridin’ low.

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, we found out our placements as a Buchanan Staff for next fall!

Drumroll, please . . .

I am back on Doolittle [1st floor]!

I am also the new Multicultural Liaison for the building.

Buchanan Hall is primarily transfer and international students, so we have different policies and approaches concerning our students. We have a variety of student types, from freshmen in the Entrepreneurship Learning Community to the two floors that are restricted for ages 21+, to the ISU Women’s Basketball Team on 5th floor. We have a lot of different kinds of students, so we as a staff need to cater to all those different types of people. As the Multicultural Liaison, I would work to promote events that would interest students from other countries who are studying at Iowa State this fall and next spring, with anything from lecturers in native languages, to cultural food meals, movie showings in languages, and orientation the residence hall for the beginning of the year. Also, review of policies that may be different in their home countries such as cleaning rooms, check out processes, mail, and other customs that we as a staff take for granted that we feel students should already know.

I’m very excited for the position, and I really enjoy working with advocate groups to help students find their place on campus and enjoy their time here at Iowa State University. We have three Community Advisors graduating this May, 2009, and so we will have three new additions to our staff next fall! It’s always great to meet new people, and we will meet them on our hall wide programming night this coming Friday, so I’m psyched!

Until next time,
Seanna

Friday, April 17

• 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Engineering showcases and BBQ, see April 13.
• Noon-1 p.m., Opening ceremony, with ISU head football coach Paul Rhoads.
• 1-5 p.m., History expo, first floor atrium, Beardshear.
• 3-5 p.m., Competition, “Extreme Challenge,” free for spectators.
• 5 p.m.-midnight, Carnival rides, Molecular Biology parking lot.
• 5 p.m.-3 a.m., Taste of Veishea, Union Drive and Molecular Biology parking lot.
• 6 p.m., Performance, Harambee (”Unity”), Great Hall, MU.
• 6 p.m.-2 a.m., Concert, Battle of the Bands, Molecular Biology parking lot.
• 6:30, 9:30 p.m. and midnight, Timberworks Lumberjack Show, Molecular Biology parking lot.
• 7:30 p.m., SOV, Gypsy, see April 15.
• 10-11 p.m., Performance, Stevie Starr: The Regurgitator, rain location is Great Hall, MU.
• 11:30 p.m., Concert, Electric Acid Theater, with The Enigma, rain location is Great Hall, MU.
• Midnight-3 a.m., Pancake feed, $3

This was the schedule for today, the official opening ceremonies of the VEISHEA weekend! I also have another post about meeting with Texas High School Counselors, so make sure to check THAT out! Who knows, maybe YOUR high school counselor went!!

Well, tonight I’m on duty for my residence hall as a Community Advisor. Michelle and I are having a movie night in the lounge. The main reason for a Community Advisor, or an “RA,” if you’re more familiar with that term, is safety. We want to make sure that people are safe during this celebration, and it’s important to remember that whatever we can do to help students is what we do. Whether that’s escorting them to their rooms, taking care of inappropriate behaviors, or watching for certain signs of behaviors, it’s just important all around to know that there’s someone in your residence hall who is looking out for you and your room and your belongings. So that should be fun, no worries with Buchanan. It’s usually pretty calm, so I’ve heard and experience in these last three semesters working there.

I had practicum in Lab 3 with the 3,4, and 5 year olds today and another practicum student had her large group activity. It went really well, and the kids really enjoyed it. Cy was walking around campus, so he stopped by, and the kids LOVED it! They were jumping up and down, happy and giggling, and they were excited to investigate this large, tall bird. They pulled on his tail, gave him high-fives, and just were overall ecstatic that they were able to hang out with him. They all gave him a massive hug, and he fell to the ground, so they jumped on him and were laughing and clapping. It was so cute [not to mention hilarious for the individual inside the suit, since Cy doesn't talk]!!

I then went off the the counselor’s lunch, which I will talk about in another post, because that doesn’t have a lot to do with VEISHEA, and I wanted to make sure all these posts were exclusively about VEISHEA in case anyone was interested in finding out more. After the lunch, I went on campus to see the opening events, including inductions into honor societies, speeches from the co-chairs of VEISHEA [the students who organize everything from the speakers, to the bands, to entertainment, to food, to ANYTHING], and also speeches from President Geoffrey, and the Mayor of Ames! The population of Iowa State almost doubles when it comes to VEISHEA, because the community and even students from other universities come down to visit and stay for the weekend. It gets so busy that people walk instead of driving from about ten to twelve blocks away.

Tonight’s entertainment should be fun- I’ll write more about it tomorrow, but I thought I’d get a post in about the day’sactivities while I wasn’t on duty, in case anything happened and I wasn’t able to finish. Iowa State voted on their Cyclone Idol, so this year’s Cyclone idol winner was Sarah Roddy, who sang “I Believe” by Beyonce! Second and Third place went to Neil Hewitt and Julie Helman! Click here to find out more!

So that’s all for now- tomorrow night when I’m not on duty, I plan on going to see fireworks, the carnival, the infamous VEISHEA parade, and a CHAINSAW JUGGLER! My boyfriend said he would only go see it if they were plugged in, so who knows, hah!

Until next time,
HAPPY V-E-I-S-H-E-A!
Seanna

Only the most AWESOME student-run celebration in the country, and it’s starting tomorrow! I thought I would write a blog entry about what VEISHEA is, so you’d understand what I’d be writing about in the next six days!

So let’s hear from the experts. I interviewed one of the VEISHEA co-chairs, who preferred to remain anonymous on this blog. Let’s see what she has to say about VEISHEA’s history and why it’s so important to ISU.

What is VEISHEA?

VEISHEA is an annual celebration held at Iowa State each spring, and one of its oldest traditions. It serves as a showcase and display of the Iowa State community with a wide variety of educational and entertainment events.

What does “VEISHEA” stand for?

VEISHEA was named in 1922 by Professor Frank D. Paine, Department of General Engineering. He combined the first letters of the colleges at that time, and the name has stuck ever since. The word VEISHEA (pronounced “VEE-sha”) stands for: Veterinary Medicine, Engineering, Industrial Science, Home Economics, Agriculture!

What is the history of VEISHEA?

The story begins in 1922, back in the days when ISU wasn’t really ISU, but was called the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. The word, VEISHEA means “Iowa State on Display.”

Professor Frank D. Paine, Department of General Engineering, named VEISHEA in 1922. Then, in 1922, the five colleges at Iowa State combined forces to present the university to the public as a whole. The name VEISHEA is composed of the first letters of the five colleges; V standing for Veterinary Medicine, E for Engineering, IS for Industrial Science, HE for Home Economics, and A for Agriculture. The representation of all schools in the name symbolizes the unity and combined effort shown during the many months of planning and preparation.

The events of that first VEISHEA included a parade, a Home Economics open house, a horse show, vaudeville and the VEISHEA queens.Slapstick mocking of the divisions and a play called “Honeybunch” led the list of events. The Charleston and the Big Apple sparked the chorus line.

What are some Traditions of VEISHEA?

Moving Up Ceremonies

First started in 1924, the moving-up ceremonies usually followed Opening Ceremonies. Each class was unofficially declared “moving-up” to the next class, the biggest step being the discarding of freshmen beanies, which provided part of the fuel for a large bonfire. One objective of the entire ceremony was the development of unity and class tradition. School songs and cheers were a big part of the program. The moving-up ceremonies ended in the mid-30’s, when an increasing number of events and changing emphasis drew interest away.

Opening Ceremonies

Opening Ceremonies mark the official beginning of VEISHEA and proves that despite the changes that occur within VEISHEA, it is still exciting each year. VEISHEA always begins with rather elaborate opening ceremonies, including a welcome by the President of Iowa State. Also, the Governor of Iowa often attends the ceremony. The VEISHEA 1998 opening ceremonies featured former ISU coach Johnny Majors and the popular ISU group, the Shaggy Boys. Today’s Opening Ceremonies kick off just south of the Campanile around noon each year. They usually begin with a few words from VEISHEA’s two General co-chairs and a short welcome speech from the ISU president. There is also a speech made by a keynote speaker and the VEISHEA scholar recipients are recognized as well.

The Parade

Each year the VEISHEA parade has attracted an average crowd of more than 75,000 people. From floats and marching bands to balloons and clowns, the parade can be quite the viewing experience for a person of any age. When it first started in 1922, only departmental clubs entered floats. As the years progressed and the parade became more popular, various other organizations began to get involved. An average of 3,000 hours go into the planning and construction of each float. A float can either be traditional, which means it is self-propelled by people under the float, or non-traditional, where it is usually pulled behind a vehicle. At first only the departmental clubs entered floats. Single entries are judged within their group with a trophy presented to each winner. The VEISHEA parade continues to be one highlight of the VEISHEA celebration.

VEISHEA Queen

The selection of a VEISHEA Queen was a tradition that started in 1922. The co-eds of Iowa State selected the first queen. The method of selection has varied greatly since. In 1938, the title of “May Queen” was changed to “Queen of VEISHEA” and then in 1939 it was changed again to “VEISHEA Queen of Queens.” Movie celebrities have often had a part in the selection of the Queen. Cary Grant, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Harry James, Alan Ladd, and President Harry S. Truman have all been judges. The event ended in 1970.

Cherry Pies

The student-run bake sale by the ISU Department of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management has been selling the delicious cherry pie since two years before VEISHEA came into existence. The event originated in the 1920s during February, and the cherry filling was first selected to commemorate George Washington’s birthday. Today the sale has become one of VEISHEA’s most marked traditions. Over 75 students from the HRIM department donate their time to keep the ritual active in VEISHEA. In late March, students begin preparing for the sale by pressing dough and freezing pie crusts. Approximately 8,000 pies are made and expected to be sold until they are gone. The money that is raised from selling the pies is used for student scholarships.

VEISHEA Village

Today’s open houses are a good way for the community to learn what the different groups at ISU do. The open houses aren’t, however, limited to just these Iowa State groups. Many organizations from the Ames community participate as well. Exhibits are judged within their respective colleges by ISU faculty and staff members. Trophies are presented to the winners and a sweepstakes trophy is presented to the best overall display. Open Houses have become a part of VEISHEA Village, which includes the Cultural Festival, the International Food Fair, Cy’s Big Top and over 80 open houses!

Stars Over VEISHEA

Stars Over VEISHEA is a musical staged each spring through the cooperative efforts of VEISHEA and ISU Theatre. Students are involved with all aspects of the show, from performances to costume and set design. In the beginning, it was originally called “The Nite Show” because the musical performances took place outdoors. VEISHEA and ISU Theatre now collaborate to produce and put on the show. Recent productions have included Bye, Bye Birdie, The Music Man, Anything Goes and Into the Woods.

So, I hope that helps you understand a little better about VEISHEA, so my posts will make a little more sense! Have fun, and enjoy!

Until next time,
Seanna

For Cyclone Aide Training, twice a week all 32 of us Aides get together, as well as the New Student Programs staff, to train for summer orientation and cram our little brains full of information about Iowa State University, and everything YOU as new students would want to know about coming to college, and attending Iowa State!

This morning, our training was held at the Knoll, the President of the University’s house. We were greeted by President Geoffrey, and ate breakfast in the dining room.

President Geoffrey sat at my table [!] and ate breakfast with us, and then spoke a little bit about the history of the Knoll, where the Presidents of the University have lived before the FarmHouse, another building on campus- the first building on campus, actually! After President Geffrey talked for a while, Dr. Hill, our Vice President of Student Affairs spoke more about the different departments under Student Affairs, such as the Registrar, Enrollment Services, Admissions, Student Health, Dining, Recreation and the Dean of Students. It was really nice to learn about the different resources on campus, and it’s going to be really helpful to know all about them when it comes to helping new students with orientation this summer.

A huge question the President is dealing with right now is budget cuts due to the economy, and the ambiguous help from the government with the educational stimulus bill. He spoke a little bit about what the budget cuts would be coming from. It was comforting to know that

 educational programs and academic progress at Iowa State won’t be cut- rather, hours for operations are the first thing focused on, such as the library being open until 8pm rather than 10pm on Saturday nights, or other small hour changes that won’t make a huge difference in the scheme ofthings. I know there will be a lot of questions concerning budget cuts, what with the state of the economy, and the worry about the affect of budget cuts. 

If you have ANY questions whatsoever about Cyclone Aides, Orientation during the month of June, or any other random questions, feel free to email me and let me know!

Until next time,
Seanna

Yesterday was ISCORE, or the long term, the Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity. This conference had been [for me] a year in the making. It all began last May when I attended the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Orlando, FL at Disneyworld. I applied to be an NCORE Scholar last March, was accepted, and had a paid trip to Disneyworld and the National Conference to attend seminars on race, ethnicity, and discrimination issues in the United States; the following fall semester [for me, the Fall of 2008] I had a three credit class once a week where me and three other group members researched and presented a powerpoint concerning a topic related to the ethnic background we were assigned, which was different than all of our own ethnicities [ours was Asian Americans].

We originally began with a presentation called “Asian American Portrayal in American Media,” discussing the negative connotations and stereotypes embedded in America’s cinematic culture. After presenting, we needed to narrow down our topic for the Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity, or ISCORE. We decided to focus on Arab/Middle Eastern portrayal in American media, following the documentary “Reel Bad Arabs,” by Dr. Shaheen, a professor Emeritus of Communication at Southern Illinois University, and his research focuses on over 300+ films that depict negative connotations of Arab/Middle Eastern populations in popular American films. Click here if you are interested in seeing Part I of V of his documentary on YouTube.

The Arab/Middle Eastern Portrayal presentation was my primary presentation at ISCORE. In December, all NCORE participants were required to apply to present another seminar- some were accepted, some were not. My secondary presentation with another group member titled, “Dora the Explorer: Multicultural or Stereotypical?” was accepted, so Kaylene [my co-presenter] and I researched and composed a seminar concerning that topic as well. It was busy, but enjoyable. I feel like the people that attended both of my sessions really learned a great deal. ISCORE is a great experience because it brings diverse issues and serious discrimination awareness to our campus in Iowa, where it is much needed. We have diverse populations on campus, but with unconscious privilege comes obliviousness to that privilege at times.

At 4:00pm, after both my presentations at 2:10 and 3:10pm, I was fortunate enough to introduce Michele Norris, a former ABC correspondent who has had many honors, including a Peabody Award for her coverage of 9/11 with Peter Jennings in 2001. She was the afternoon keynote, and I was able to introduce her to almost 400 anxious audience members. My introduction was typed out, and I had talked so much previously that day, that I just read and introduced her, no big deal.

After her keynote speech, the NCORE participants [me and nineteen other students] were able to eat a catered dinner by ISU Dining [our on campus food service caterer] with Dr. Thomas Hill [Vice President of Student Affairs], Michele Norris herself [I was able to sit at her table because I introduced her!] as well as the LAS Dean, Michael Whitford, and many, many other Iowa State administrative members, along with the Carrie Chapman Catt Lecture Series board [a group of women bringing lecturers concerning women's issues to campus]. It was an amazing night!

After that, all the NCORE participants got together and hung out that night. All in all, it was a great day. Long, but enjoyable and educational! If you come to Iowa State, you should DEFINITELY apply to go to NCORE [the location changes each year, so it's also a great way to get some traveling in during college . . . for free!] and then present at ISCORE to educate your fellow peers concerning discrimination and racism in society.

Til next time,
Seanna

 Sore losers always blame it on the referees, the time of day, or even the clouds in the sky, but this game, really? I believe it was not fair.

Sure, I may be a tad biased, but that’s besides the point.

The day started out wonderfully. Casey Jo drove down from New Virginia, IA to go to the ISU vs Texas Women’s Basketball game here at Hilton Coliseum. I was super psyched to see the “Twister Sisters,” as they are called, wipe the floor with the longhorns. Though it didn’t work out as well as I had hoped, it was still an amazing game. The Women’s Basketball team is WONDERFUL this year- #5 in the Big 12 and #16 ranked overall, with Texas only at #13.

This game was called the Pink Zone, and was dedicated to Kay Yow, the former basketball coach at University of North Carolina [with 73 NCAA wins], who succumbed to breast cancer in January of this year after. She was an advocate for breast cancer awareness, and became partners with the Susan B. Komen Foundation for Breast Cancer Research. Basketball teams across the country host a “Pink Zone Game” in which proceeds of auctions and other donations are given to Breast Cancer research. This year, the Cyclone Women’s Basketball team wore all pink shoes, pink uniforms and donned pink Cyclone Alley t-shirts, even dying streaks of their hair pink to emphasize and bring publicity to the game.

The game was awesome, and a neck and neck race until the end when Texas fouled the heck out of us, and so we answered back and they won, 55-22. I was sitting in Cyclone Alley, which is the “student section” of the basketball game, and as part of this game, all students with their ID were let in for free and received free Cyclone Alley t-shirts that were pink in honor of the game! It was awesome!

I took some videos, but it’s still under construction to compile them all- I’ll let you know as soon as I have some up, though! Feel free to click on My Flickr and check out some of the pictures, too!

Well, I better go check my facebook. I’m sure the fans of UT have written on my wall congratulating themselves.

Have questions about ISU sporting events? Cyclone Alley? Women’s Basketball? Email me or leave a comment! I love questions!

Until next time,
Seanna

Yay for ISUCF’V'MB . . . also known as Iowa State University Cyclone Football Varsity Marching Band, with one of the most original pregame presentations in the country!

On Monday, February 23rd, I get to see Andy McKee LIVE in the Maintenance Shop!! Isn’t he AMAZING!? This is one of my favorite songs revised by him. I’M SO EXCITED! Man, if I could only play the guitar the way he does, who would need a monthly budget to pay off student loans?

February is FULL of music, isn’t it? Toby Keith, Andy McKee, I could die happy!

[Really, I promise. all this rhyming isn't intentional.]