Spring Weekend (aka Rogerfest) undoubtedly kept me on my toes. But then again, maybe it was my 30-page paper in one class, and two papers in another class due that same week that kept me running?

Obviously I can very rarely go a blog without talking about what CEN has been up to, so why change that now?

Rogerfest began with a showing of “Across the Universe,” followed by a trip to Fenway Park where the Sox unfortunately not only played in miserable weather, but also lost 13-0. The game itself was fun, although it did make me question whether or not moving to Florida was in my near future. I’ll get back to you on that one. Next was one of my favorite events of the year, Hidden Truth, followed by our sold-out B.o.B and Super Mash Bros concert!!

Hanging with B.o.B–no big deal!

And that point, the weekend had basically just started so on Friday we had quad fest, Nick Kroll and then ended the week on Saturday with the block party and fireworks! Fun fact, you can see the fireworks from the giant rock in front of Stonewall (which made duty so much better)! The fireworks basically wrapped up CEN for the year, meaning it’s time to say goodbye to old and hello to the new. See a pattern forming here?

CEN

I wish I had more to talk about, but my academic life has been engulfed in writing paper after paper, group presentations and studying for exams. Even though I like what I am studying, there is nothing fun about finals time.

Anyway, I can sum up this entire blog in two points:

First, to the incoming students, I promise you that within a blink of an eye you will be over the hump, halfway to graduation. Don’t let a single second slip away.

Second, to the graduating class of 2013, from the wise words of Dr. Seuss from my favorite childhood book, “kid, you’ll move mountains!” Or in our case, maybe you can just move an entire bay? Good luck and we’ll all miss you!

Just like that, another academic year came and went. Orientation 2013… here I come! See ya on the flip side, Roger!

I think that college may have finally gotten the best of me, and I’m pretty sure someone is making up for all of the free time that I had last year. Never have I had four different to-do lists going at the same time, all of which combined take up half of my computer screen. And no, I am not joking… though I wish I were. So, with my “free time” I have come to four conclusions as to why I have so much work to do before spring break.

A)   It’s good to practice how much you can function with very little sleep.

B)   I have to make up for last year and not being all that busy.

C)   It’s midterms week and I actually have midterms.

D)   All of the above.

On the bright side, spring break is right around the corner meaning I’ll finally be able to go home and potentially sleep for a week straight. Productive use of time? Probably not. Worth it, anyway? Yes.

At first I thought this semester would put me over the edge because of involvement. But then I realized my involvement on campus is what keeps me sane when I need a break from studying. For example, I should be doing an assignment that’s due in twelve hours but my brain turned to mush after balancing chemical equations, so blogging is the perfect break! Anyway, I could talk about how I just spent my evening balancing chemical equations and determining how much energy a reaction will make, but instead I think it will be more fun to talk about everything I normally do. Here is the entire month of February in a nutshell.

Last weekend I gave a couple of tours of our residence halls for the Accepted Students Days. It probably doesn’t sound like it could have gone all that badly, and I don’t think it did. However, I’m not necessarily the greatest at public speaking so that was a challenge. And to top it all off, my wonderful CEN co-chair decided to scream my nickname to get my attention while surrounded by parents and prospective students. Never a dull moment with CEN, is there?

February has been a busy month gearing up for March Meltdown, and multi-tasking preparing for Spring Weekend. I’m looking forward to coming back from break and being emerged in exciting events for a week, all which spiral around a James Bond theme! Of course one of the most anticipated parts of March Meltdown is that on Friday the 22^nd, the spring concert artist(s) will be announced to the campus at our release party which is bound to be so much bigger than last year. Do you remember how excited you got when you were a little kid and the ice cream truck drove around in your neighborhood? I’m that excited.

On a different note, I finally finished decorating my room a month and a half or so after moving in. Better late than never, right? I’m not sure what happens to all of my wall decorations every time I switch rooms, but it seems as if I’m always buying new posters to hang up. Maybe when I graduate I’ll find a pile of posters and photographs that I thought were lost forever.

Back to academics real quick, then I need to force myself to be productive. I am taking this course called ‘disasters’ as an elective for my major and I have determined that it is by far the coolest class I have taken thus far. We spend everyday discussing disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, the Buffalo Creek Flood and a heat wave in Chicago, and then analyzing how they were sociologically un/natural due to the people that were impacted. In fact, individuals that are impacted by disasters aren’t necessarily impacted at ‘random’. Until this course, I never really considered how many factors such as race, class, age, etc. can influence who experiences a disaster personally. Its sort of weird to think about, but really interesting at the same time. It’s all so fascinating!

Anyway, that’s all for now. I apologize for being so scatter brained. I’ll be back soon to tell you all about March Meltdown and spring break! Thanks for reading!

I came back a week early for RA training and even though my vacation ended sooner than most, I was actually looking forward to being back on campus. Yeah, I am not in London like I had hoped to be, but RWU is my home away from home… so everything happens for a reason right? All it means is that I am living vicariously through photographs on Facebook.

Classes have started… so far so good. I’ve already determined that my favorite class is my “Sociology of Disasters” course. Reading about disasters is so intriguing! (Nerd status.)  Although it is not good reading to do right before bed (unless of course I want to continue dreaming about disasters) in all seriousness–I willingly read for this course, which really should be an accomplishment in itself. But on the flip side, maybe the more I read about disasters the more I can be prepared for when something crazy happens, like a zombie apocalypse. Now if I can just get through my science lab this semester without blowing anything up that will be impressive.

Finally, CEN is busy preparing to make this semester even better than the last. It has definitely been keeping me on my toes this past week but there’s no doubt in my mind that it will be well worth it. Just wait and see what we all have in store for everyone!

Like always, I write blogs when I am avoiding the inevitable (homework). So on that note, I’m actually going to try and get stuff done before the sun rises. I think I’m going to like not having any morning classes!

During the second week of November, four students, two advisors and I went to Hartford, Connecticut for a few days to attend a NACA conference.

NACA

I had never been to Connecticut before, or NACA even so I was really excited to go. We spent three busy days at showcases, CAMPS, educational sessions, and mingling with other schools/talents with the purpose of discovering new ideas to bring back to campus. Needless to say it was a long few days but a lot of fun. Admittedly I did not enjoy having to go up and talk to agents as I am probably one of the least assertive people ever, but conferences are for development, right? So maybe it was good for me to talk to random people no matter how socially awkward I may have been. Ha.

On Tuesday the 13th some of the CEN board when to Baypoint for a dining etiquette course. We sat in a corner, which was probably best considering we’re a little rambunctious. What’s that saying “you can can dress us up but you can’t take us anywhere?” At least we tried our best to behave… But really, I think I am going to need some sort of a cheat sheet if I ever have to go to a fancy dinner with multiple forks. Without a doubt it was helpful to attend, but there is so much to proper etiquette than I had thought!

In 13 days my semester will be over and off to New Hampshire I’ll go! In theory, the semester is supposed to be winding down but work wise I think it might be winding up. Next week will be a blast (not really…) but once I get through that then I only have one final exam to study for and then I am home free aside from packing up my apartment and figuring out how to fit everything in my little car. That alone will probably take more time and effort than studying for my exam and I’ll probably have to call in some back up. Priorities, right?

That’s all for now, I’ll write again before break!

First, in case you were wondering–I made my decision on London. From the day I turned in my application, until two weeks later when I had my friend press send on an email because I couldn’t bring myself to do so, I am pretty sure I spent every last waking minute analyzing every little detail, making multiple pro and con lists, asking everyone’s opinions and then telling them they are wrong (my bad…) and flipping coins. I’m pretty sure Big Ben even ended up in a few of my dreams. I did receive an acceptance letter via email at 5:00 a.m. one morning, which was half of the battle. However, it took me until a week later at our first Wicked Weekend event, The Dark Knight Rises, to make up my mind. I wrote out a nicely worded email saying that I would in fact…. be staying here at RWU. I had finally figured out that what I have accomplished here meant more to me than studying abroad for entire semester. So, London just may have to wait for an intersession, summer session or vacation, but I will get there eventually.

The first couple weeks of October were filled with midterms, papers, no sleep and more. Every morning seemed like a constant battle to get out of bed, because chances are I had only slept for a couple of hours and every cup of coffee seemed more ineffective than the last. In reality, my mind was just constantly running a mile a minute and I was starting to become convinced that I could not possibly absorb anything else into that sponge in my head. The day I realized that I had finally completed every assignment and taken all of my midterms was the greatest. Like I said, I thought I was going to become a zombie, but it clearly wasn’t quite yet the apocalypse.

One of my favorite weekends of the year occurred this past month- Homecoming!! It began with Casino Night (which I never fail to do horribly at) followed by Midnight Madness (which actually lasted until midnight!), featuring Chicago’s Sky Squad. I thought the bonfire was going to be my favorite pep rally but now I think it is an even tie with this year’s Midnight Madness. (Go Dan, Go!) Then there was the always delicious Autumn Luncheon, Autumn Fest, St. Baldrick’s, sports games, etc. and apparently the kayaks were open, as well. Can you believe I still haven’t gone kayaking on the bay? It’s on my to-do list before I graduate.

Homecoming!

And then there was the theme weekend that CEN has been planning for the entire semester. Wicked Weekend was just that… wicked. This themed weekend was unique because all of our events were homegrown instead of performers and activities being brought in from the outside. Everything began with a showing of “The Dark Knight Rises” on Tuesday, followed by “Make Your Own Zombie Shirts” during the day on Thursday, the Common’s annual themed dinner and our getaway to the Jack O’Lantern Spectacular. I may be a little bit biased by saying that the getaway was my favorite event, but it was the first event of the year that my committee and I planned so it was rewarding to see all of our hard work come together. The paths of the zoo were lined with thousands of intricately carved pumpkins, EVEN TITANIC ONES!

Titanic!

The creepy laughing tree

Wicked Weekend continued on with Roger’s Haunted Asylum which resulted in losing my voice. Isn’t it normal for someone to be held down in an operating room pretending to be murdered? Yes? No? CEN ended Wicked Weekend with WTF’s first annual Zombie Prom. 4 DJ’s, 2 stages, a photo booth, dirt cake, and more helped the week go out with a bang.

Oh, and what about that hurricane? Last year we had Hurricane Irene, and this year Hurricane Sandy. I had never experienced a hurricane before I went off to college on the coast. I’m used to snow/ice days being a common occurrence, but hurricane days? Though I was glad to finally pay catch up with sleep and work, it was definitely under unfortunate circumstances.

That’s all for now. This upcoming week CEN is going to NACA in Hartford, so I’m sure to have stories from that. Aside from NACA, I’m about to pick my schedule for next semester, which I am completely unprepared for. I refuse to admit that college is going by so quickly.

Talk to you once I play some more catch up,

Lindsey

After putting a lot of thought into what I want to do when I graduate, and what I hope to achieve within the four years I’m attending Roger Williams University, I determined that if I am to ever go abroad it would only be realistic for me to leave during the second semester of my sophomore year. Well, that’s three months from now and my application is due today.

I have always known that I either wanted to go to London, England or anywhere on the east coast of Australia, so then I had decide where I wanted to go more. After spending what seemed like forever debating the issue, it became certain to me that London was the one place where I could see myself living for four to five months. Of course, I made this decision a week before the application was due but I guess it’s better late than never, right? Yet here I am, with a completed application ready to be submitted to the study abroad office, not questioning where I want to go, but if it’s worth going. A decision that I know only I can make, and one I really should be making sooner rather than later.

London!!

Part of me thinks that I’ve dreamed of studying abroad for years, and that I shouldn’t be questioning my decision at the last minute. I also didn’t except to be a student leader on campus considering how soft spoken and shy I was coming into college. There is no question that studying abroad is a once in a lifetime experience, and that while I am there I would be able to go back to some of my favorite places in Europe and see some cities I haven’t had the chance to see before. I just can’t stop thinking about what I could lose by leaving.

Would I still be able to be an OA? Is it worth giving up CEN for a semester? Would I still have a chance at RA, and if not could I apply again… and how so if I’m not here?  I’d miss my senior friend’s last semester, and their graduation.

But, I would be able to experience another culture firsthand, and not just through textbooks. I’m sure I would meet so many new people, travel so many different places, gain life experience and have memories to last a lifetime. If only someone could magically give me or yes or no answer.

As Neale Donald Walsch once said, “Life beings at the end of your comfort zone.” And maybe I just have to do just that… step out of my comfort zone.

So everything is still up in the air right now. But who knows, in a few short months I could be boarding a plane and off on a new adventure.

Until next time,

Linds

One step at time works a lot better for me with a planner, or two, or 50. I learned this the hard way when I lost my planner, then my cell phone and my backup to-do list. How? I don’t know. This fiasco went on for a few days and meanwhile, I had to rely on memory of when I had meetings (which didn’t work so well) and basically hope that I didn’t have any assignments due. I couldn’t commit to anything in the future, since I was unaware of all of my upcoming obligations and I ended up being so dysfunctional that all I wanted to do was scream and hope my days would go back to some sense of order. And they did once I found my phone & planner.

After a stressful week where nothing seemed to be going right, one by one things started to look up. Then I found this quote online that says “Some days you’re the bug, and some days you’re the windshield.” Honestly, I couldn’t have said it better myself. With that being said, this week I am determined to be the windshield. (And now my planner is also on my computer… so I’m good to go!!!)

Even though I can’t be superwoman, I apparently enjoy flying through my days by filling up every possible minute of “free time”. What does my Sophomore year look like? Here, let me break it down..

Classes- Oh yeah, that’s why we’re all here… 11 textbooks make my bag quite heavy.

CEN- Events on events on events, meetings galore, and remembering to breathe. Good thing I like what I have the opportunity to do, huh?

SOAR- Soon, on Mondays I will get to fly to the second tier of a leadership program! (Ha… get it?!)

Orientation- It’s not quite over yet (and I won $5 at an event the other night! But really… coffee money!)

Blogging- It’s my escape from the real world, even though I am writing about the real world. And sometimes I like to go back and read how crazy I sound.

Job Hunt- I WILL find one… eventually.

Did I mention I signed up for a few more clubs at the Involvement Fair??? Too bad some of the meeting times clash.

Well, that’s all for now. It’s 8:30 p.m. and I am more than ready to go to bed. Did I mention that I’ve been sick? I must be the windshield, I must be the windshield, I MUST be the windshield…

Two weeks ago I filled every last inch of my car with stuff that I insisted I needed for my first apartment. My car is not that big, so luckily my parents were kind enough to drive down with everything else a week later. I, of course, still had to make a few Target runs because there was no way my roommate and I were about to let our apartment look bland. Though there are still bags that need to be unpacked I love coming home to something other than just a normal dorm room. Even though I am a couple of miles of campus, I absolutely love living in Almeida and we even have a walk in closet!

Next mission, though… find a job that could somehow fit in my crazy schedule.

The reason I came back to campus two weeks ago is because of Late and International Orientation. There was quite a large number of incoming students at this orientation, in fact way more than I had ever anticipated. Everything more or less went off without a hitch, but now I am pretty sure the true test of my abilities will come in to play. Can I remember all of my orientees names? No probably not. Can I at least remember their faces? I can sure try. The challenge starts now. (Actually, a week ago as I was moving one of my student’s futons up to the 5th floor of the residence hall…)

The Fun Kids

Classes began last Wednesday, which basically means that reality set in. Sometimes it feels like I am on campus so much doing other things not related to academics that I forget what I am here for. I was reminded over the summer though when I had to purchase ten textbooks… Anyway, I started off my first sociology class well by arriving 20 minutes late after thinking I could get from my apartment, down Metacom Ave., find a parking spot in J-Lot, and walk to CAS within 20 minutes. For future reference, it’s not possible.  After finally making it to CAS I then walked into the wrong classroom (late…) which was extremely awkward. Eventually, I found my class in a completely different building and made the walk of shame into the CORRECT classroom. Good first impression, huh? Other than that, I am hoping that I will enjoy all of my classes this semester especially considering I took on a sixth course. It’s always go go go in my world!

Back to the fun stuff. CEN!

1,2,3 Weekend finished up yesterday with an amazing performance by Stephanie Coplan and We The Kings. The weather couldn’t have been better and there was a great turn out- I wish I knew the final count! The only downside is now I have the line “Check Yes Juliet” stuck in my head and am driving everyone crazy because I can’t stop humming the tune. But hey, I don’t have a problem with it. CEN’s Arts & Culture chair played The Avengers on Saturday night, and even though it unfortunately had to be moved into the field house due to weather approximately 220 students showed up to watch the action film. I really don’t like movies, and yet I only got up once and didn’t fall asleep! That is basically a new record for me. Oh! And of course we had Arden Myrin on campus on Friday night! Did you know that she is from Rhode Island?!

We The Kings

That is all I have for now. Have a good week everyone and happy fall!

PS- HI CAROL!!!

On June 24th, six OAs and two professional staff members ventured with Swoop to Fenway Park! It was Rhode Island appreciation day and Swoop, along with the Salve Regina mascot were invited to go to the Red Sox game and also go onto the field with Wally the Green Monster. Even though I have lived in New England my entire life, I had never been to a Red Sox get let alone gone on the actual field! Without a doubt, that was the best first Red Sox game at Fenway that I could have possibly experienced. Go Sox!

Me & Swoop at Fenway Park

RWU at Fenway

Thursday of that week was our last themed dinner. The last dinner we all have together is formal, and this year we were lucky enough to have it at Leo’s. The evening was full of harmless mischief (if you ever meet Sean Thompson, ask what we did to him when he gave a speech… here’s a hint “#swag”), laughter, tears and an OA version of “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion.

Later that week, after all of our orientations were over, we took the trolley (yes…. I do mean the trolley) and a shuttle up to the Wrentham outlets and then continued on to our vice presidents house for a pool party. I am happy to say that 45 of us got in and out of there without breaking anything (or stealing the adorable dog…)! To top off an eventful day, everyone piled back in the trolley and shuttle and started the drive back to RWU, with a much needed pit stop at Eskimo King.

We spent our last weekend on campus working on our Fourth of July float. In 2011 it won Best in Parade and considering Bristol has the oldest Fourth of July celebrations in the country, there was no pressure to win it again. Ha. Though sometimes working on the float seemed tedious, and there was always a desire to do everything perfectly, the end result was phenomenal.

The float outside of Cedar Hall

What do I mean by phenomenal? I mean that we were all outside the float and ready to go by 5:45 in the morning that way we could get to Colt State Park in time to be considered for judging. Even though that didn’t start for another couple of hours, we were anxiously awaiting the arrival of the judges and most importantly the results. And then the time came…

The judges finished analyzing every float and came to decisions on awards. At this point we were all standing around our float watching to see what everyone else was winning since the judges just “skipped” over us making it seem like we didn’t win anything. Rumor has it they just happened to “skip” over the float last year as well. We didn’t want to get our hopes up, but after hours of working on the float all we wanted to do was bring back Best in Parade to the university for a second year. And guess what….? WE DID IT!!!! I am pretty convinced that our excitement was so loud that we woke up anyone in the area who wasn’t awake yet, and made every one around us think we were crazy… but that’s okay, right?!

BEST IN PARADE!

After that we walked in the parade with 125,000 people lining the streets, which is one of the coolest things that I have ever done. 3.1 miles later and it was over, which meant that orientation was also over and once we took apart the float we were “free to move about the cabin…” All that there was left to do was pack…

However, we needed to get one last adventure in before going our separate ways. I don’t actually know exactly where the nine of us went, so I suppose it’s a good thing that I trusted who we were following. All I do know is that it involved wandering through the woods at night and cliffs. Yes, I know none of what I just said sounded like a good idea, but it turned into one of the best nights of my summer. These cliffs had at least a 180 degree view of the bay, but probably even more than that. It was pretty warm out on the fourth, so as we sat on the cliffs we saw so many beautiful sights. On one side of the bay was heat lightning that was so intense you could see more than just flashes, but streaks of lightning that reflected onto the bay. Across from the heat lightning on the other side of the bay was an orange rising moon that was moving at such a fast pace that it almost seemed like you could actually see it in motion. Between Tiverton, RI and the power plant in Fall River, MA (so all around the bay) were multiple fireworks shows. At one point we could pinpoint at least seven different shows going on at once in different towns, along with random fireworks here and there. Heat lightning, fireworks and an orange moon all reflecting on the bay at once… there is no other way I could have imagined ending the Fourth of July and my five weeks in Rhode Island. It’s times like these that I wish I had a camera that took pictures of exactly what I saw, that way I could show just how unbelievable it really was.

Overall, yes I was at school because it was my job. And yes my job was to make incoming freshmen and their families feel welcome and comfortable coming to our university. That itself was rewarding, but I didn’t originally expect my summer to be so much more than that. Everyday was a new adventure, and there were always surprises hidden around every corner. I finally understood what every past Orientation Advisor had told me about what it was like being an OA. It meant that I was going to have the best summer of my life, and that I was going to leave the experience with 45 best friends and more connections to the university than ever before. And you know what, being an OA was just that… the time of my life.

Have an amazing summer and I’ll be back soon!

I am excited to write this blog as we have been keeping busy and having a lot of fun since training commenced. I recently went home for the weekend for a graduation, and it’s still really weird to think that this time last year that I was in those shoes. So many things have happened in my life since then whether expected or not, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

On the weekends when we are not working on the float, we are free to do whatever we please… like sleep… on the beach. Last Sunday a group of us went down to Newport and relaxed on the beach, in the ocean and walked the cliff walk. Though there was a red tide, that didn’t stop us from diving into the water to cool off, and surprisingly enough it wasn’t that cold. There is really nothing better than spending the day on a sandy beach with some of your closest friends, especially in Newport.

Newport

The Saturday before that we decided to go up to WaterFire Providence. There was also a Portuguese festival going on the same night with a concert and dancing. WaterFire was really neat, and attracted a huge crowd. We discovered that you can rent a gondola and roast marshmallows by the fire as long as you bring your own equipment, but we’re college students and didn’t have $160 to do so… Instead we took crazy pictures, sat on the edge of the water and listened to people yell at us to not fall in, and danced at the Portuguese festival even though none of us were Portuguese. That night still sticks out in my mind as one of my favorite nights of orientation.

Concert

Two weeks ago our Traditions committee decorated the commons for our jungle themed dinner. There were many of us who dressed up in cheetah print, and those who went all out by actually wearing a costume that looked as if they were riding on top of a stuffed tiger. Even though we probably looked ridiculous, motivational dinners are one of the most fun activities that we do.

Jungle Dinner!

Tuesday began our orientations, starting with transfer. I will admit I was really nervous to work with students for the first time, especially knowing that most of them were probably the same age as me if not older than I was. And on top of that, they have all already had some sort of college experience. Luckily it went well and I felt prepared to work with a larger group of incoming students the next day. However, I was assigned to family staff the next day and my nerves resurfaced. I was so worried about working my first orientation ever and having to interact with parents, and I was nervous that I may have an answer that a family member didn’t want to hear. Every returner told me that it wasn’t as bad as I was making it out to be, and in the end it was actually a of fun. If anything, the parents seemed to be just as nervous about college as I was when I was an incoming freshman, and all they wanted to hear about were my experiences and how my family and I got through. In the end I just had to trust in my training and understand that I was in fact capable of representing the university. After session 1, I would gladly work with families any day. They all seemed truly understanding and grateful to have students to help put their minds at ease.

Session 1 was tiring and I was so happy to be able to get some rest before going home for a graduation. Last week was a busy one as we had 4 days full of orientation. I had the opportunity to work with students both sessions, all of whom were enthusiastic about being here at RWU. It’s kind of a cool feeling to think that the first glimpse of life at school is at orientations, and we as OAs are responsible for making the incoming freshmen feel welcome.

Tomorrow I am going to a Red Sox game to represent RWU with some fellow OAs, and Monday/Tuesday is our last orientation. Where did the time go?!

Hanging around