The Road to Finals...

Hey Everybody! Sorry I've taken so long to give you an update. Things have been hectic this past week. Everybody came back from Thanksgiving Break to run the last two week stretch to finals. The Profs are packing in those last few lectures and term papers and students are starting to prepare for exams. The Christmas Spirit is also popping up. Halls started decorating activities, and many students added Christmas lights to their room decor to add a little twinkle to the Holiday season. APB kicked December off with an ice skating trip to the Fountain Square in Cincinnati. The rink was outside, the trees were lit up, and the buildings around were beautiful with their lights changing colors. It was a great end for a Saturday night :) 

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”

Hey everybody! This weekend was the weekend of Wilmington College’s fall production, a musical called “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” It was excellent! The actors and actresses did an amazing job, hitting the lines with the right attitudes and the notes with all the right pitches. There was one freshman, Susan, in the small cast. A very cool part of this show was the audience participation. For every show, 4 audience members were called up to join the actors onstage and participate in the Spelling Bee. The volunteers were different every night, requiring lots of improv on the parts of the characters. They also incorporated many current trends into the play. In the sample sentences given to the Spellers, hilarious shots were taken at both Twilight and Miley Cyrus; they were greatly appreciated by the crowd :) Each character was unique and earned many laughs. After the show, students and participants could be seen all around Wilmington celebrating a great show. I can’t wait until the next production in the spring!

A DC Weekend

Wilmington College offers students many ways to get involved, not only on campus, but also out there in the real world, dealing with real issues. An example of this happened over the weekend. Two freshmen took advantage of the opportunity to go to Washington DC and attend the National STAND Conference. STAND is the student led division of GI-Net, an anti-genocide coalition/network. They stayed in a hotel only a few blocks away from the Capitol Building, and attended break-out sessions and workshops teaching everything from the truth and facts about the genocides happening now to how to market awareness events and how to help refugees. They heard a wide range of speakers including John Pendergast, co-founder of the Enough Project, Carl Wilkens, the only American to remain in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide, refugees from Sudan and Burma and the Congo, and even Olympic athletes who advocate the cause. On the final day of the conference, they also participated in an anti-genocide march on the Capitol. As well as attending the conference, they were also able to explore DC, seeing the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Capitol Building, the White House, and the Holocaust Memorial Museum to name a few. They also had the opportunity to connect with fellow students across the country who were fighting for the same issues. Would you believe it gets better? It does; it was completely free of charge for them! SGA & the campus STAND organization paid for transportation, hotel charges and even meals! And they had a blast! Wilmington College wants their students to exceed; take advantage of all the opportunities they offer!

Crazy Squirrels!

So I’m sure all of you have seen squirrels. Whether they’re the kind that live in your backyard, or the kind you see at the park, you know about squirrels. However, never have you seen a squirrel like our Wilmington squirrels...they’re crazy! Any normal squirrel would run away from all the people on campus, but Wilmington squirrels will run towards you. If you’re on your way to class they’ll come running up the sidewalk until they’re about two feet away, then they’ll charge off in another direction. And there are so many of them! I kid you not, on the way to dinner I once saw 6 squirrels just in one part of lawn beside AP. I also, for the first time in my life, saw a squirrel stuck in a trash can. I was walking to the Underground with a friend when the trash can beside the door started bouncing back and forth all by itself. Needless to say we were stunned. After a moment we saw the squirrel run up and around the edge of the trash can. Apparently we freaked him out too because he stopped to look at us, then jumped down and hid behind the trash can. We laughed almost until we cried. So if you’re ever in need of entertainment-come check our WC squirrels-you won’t be disappointed :)

Halloween on Campus

Halloween! For dorm life in AP, this is a big deal. There were many hall activities and peer advisor group activities centered around this theme. On 4th floor Austin, there was a door decorating contest. The winner, who received a $25 gift card to BDubb’s, was Sarah who cut individual pieces of cardboard, wrapped them in foil, and built of transformer on her door. A popular group activity was pumpkin decorating. My roommate and I even decorated our room; we had a ghost, pumpkin lights and a talking doorbell that had glowing red eyes. APB also pulled out the stops for Halloween, getting students tickets to Halloween Haunt at King’s Island for only $3! They also sponsored Fright Night, coming up on Nov. 6th. A night full of scary movies, a free T-shirt is promised to those who stay through them all. To kick off the weekend, the Lamda Chi Fraternity sponsored a Pumpkin Fest, which included seed-spitting and pumpkin carving contests, a greased pumpkin toss tournament and a tug-of-war. However, the best part of Halloween for those of us in the dorms was Goodies for Goblins night. On Tuesday, all the little kids in Wilmington had the chance to come through the dorms and go trick-or-treating. We got to pass out (and eat) lots of candy and the kids were so cute in all their costumes! I can’t wait til next year!  

Peace Symposium!

Hey everybody! I’m sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you. Last week was pretty busy; Wednesday was the Westheimer Peace Symposium! Personally, I think this event is one of the coolest things Wilmington College does. This year’s Symposium was entitled “From Resistance to Redemption: Rhythms of Hope”. The focus was about how we can work for peace through music. The first speaker was Holly Near at 10 am. She began the day by walking onstage, picking up the microphone and beginning a song. She performed acapella throughout her presentation; it was very impressive. Her message encouraged us as students to be social activists and work for peace. She said that our backgrounds should not divide us, but strengthen us. Her song “Planet Called Home” portrays the belief that if everybody does even a little part, then we can make a difference in the world. The second speaker was Amy Horowitz; her presentation was “Zehava Ben: Singing Across Irresolvable Geographies and Counter Constituencies”. She put forth the question “How can music be used to create peace in conflict zones?” Her example was Zehava Ben, an Israeli singer whose music includes Arabic tones. Her fans are from across the middle east, including Muslims as well as Jews. The WC Chorale also performed. One of their pieces was “Bridges”, a song about connecting people to work together rather than fight. 

The final speaker of the night was Emmanuel Jal. For us freshmen, this session was particularly significant. For our summer reading, we read his autobiography “War Child: A Child Soldier’s Story” and during orientation, we watched the documentary as well. Wednesday night, we actually got to hear him speak and tell his story; from seeing his Mom beaten when he was a child, having to run from village to village to escape the war in Sudan, his trek to Ethiopia to “school” and his training as a soldier to his rescue by Emma McCune and the hope and voice he found creating music. He was a very eloquent speaker, and was more humorous than I expected. We also got to hear him perform, and during his last song, he called volunteers on stage and taught us all how to do the “demon-stomping dance”. Though he was out of CDs, he did sign books and talk to students after his performance. He also started an organization called Gua, which means both peace and power in his native languages. The purpose of the organization is to build schools and bring education to the people of Africa; the freshmen Honors Global classes held a fundraiser and flip-flop drive during the symposium to help him raise money and awareness, while the flip-flops donated would go to the kids. The whole day was awesome!

Homecoming Week!

Hey guys! Well campus is really busy this week because we’re gearing up for Homecoming! The game is Saturday at 1:30 and our Quakers will be battling Otterbein. The Student Government Association and the Activities Programming Board will be selling t-shirts all week; I can’t wait to get mine! There is a banner contest going on. The winning group receives a couple hundred dollars in prize money :) Any group can participate, whether it’s a team, an organization or just a group of friends. The Judging will be Friday at 12:00. On Thursday, there will be a mud volleyball tournament and then there is going to be a bonfire. I’m so excited! APB is also taking students to see Dane Cook live on Thursday night, then bringing a different comedian to campus Friday night; it promises to be a fun-ny weekend ;) Saturday kicks off early with Greek bed races at 10:30 am and a street fair at 11:30. The KIng and Queen will be crowned during the football game, followed by a girl’s soccer game at 7 and a dance at 9. It’s going to be busy, but well worth it :)

Issues & Artists: Jim Keady

Thursday night was the 2nd event of Wilmington College’s Issues and Artists Series. In this series, the College gets speakers to come and discuss various political, scientific and international issues. Thursday night the speaker was Jim Keady and the issue was Nike sweatshops. Keady was a soccer coach at St. John’s University, his dream job. He was only making $4,000 a year, but he was also getting free tuition, studying to get his masters degree in theology. However, things changed when he was assigned his first paper. While researching Nike labor practices, he found that they violated all the basic Catholic teachings of the University. At this time, the University was negotiating a $3 million contract deal with Nike, so Keady’s speaking out against it was not appreciated or tolerated, and he was forced to resign. That set him on a new path. After several failed attempts to contact Nike and get the executives to listen, Keady and Leslie Kretzu took a radical step and went to Indonesia to live a month on the $1.25 a day wage Nike paid their workers. When they retuned, they started Education for Justice and began speaking to all who would listen about what was really happening in Nike’s factories. They can explain first-hand how humiliating it is to live in a  9x9 box with sewage in the surrounding streets, and how hard it is to choose between meals and medicine, or how much dignity is forfeited to survive. They give stories of individual workers who were beaten or threatened for trying to organize labor unions. However, they also explain how we can join the fight and help make a difference, who we can contact, what products we can buy that are “sweat free”. Keady was an impressive speaker; in fact, in response to his visit, we are actually starting a Students Against Sweatshops group on campus. Wish us luck!

Cardboard Village!

This weekend was so much fun!!! It was the weekend of Cardboard Village; students across campus get groups together and spend the night in cardboard houses to raise money for the Clinton County Homeless Shelter. There are different competitions like Best Use of Duct Tape, Homiest Box and Most Creative. Boxes this year included GSA’s Haunted Mansion, the Sig’s Pirate Ship and a box for 3 girls with heart shaped doors. Students donate $10 to the Shelter when they register. Another way money was raised Friday night was through suitcase-auctioning. There were 5 different suitcases decorated with various themes such as sports or entertainment and filled with secret goodies. The largest box went to 3 GSA members for $100! By the end of the night, WC students raised almost $1400 to give to the Homeless Shelter. There was also a showing of The Soloist, the true story of a homeless man in LA who is befriended by a columnist who discovers the man is a Juilliard dropout who plays beautiful music but suffers from schizophrenia. Prior to the movie, DJ Ken (Ken Lydy, Dean of Students) kept the music going. At one point here was even a dance floor in the middle of the cardboard village as students took on the Cha Cha Slide, The Cuban Shuffle and even Soulja Boy. Faith in Action provided Vegetable and Chicken Noodle soup to keep participants warm and oatmeal was provided for breakfast. Those who stayed all night even got T-shirts! Luckily it stopped raining early Friday so the skies were clear and though it was cold, I think it would be safe to say that everyone involved had a blast anyway. It was definitely an awesome experience I plan to repeat in the future :)

Autumn’s Beginnings

I was walking across campus today and I suddenly realized that the seasons are changing! I was watching some leaves fall from a tree across campus. It was so pretty-the leaves looked like glitter falling as the wind swirled them up and the sunlight hit them. It’s that perfect chilly weather that makes you think of hot apple cider and campfires. The Campus is also really pretty in the evenings. Last week I was walking to yoga and the sun was just beginning to set so the sky was orange and all the lamps on the sidewalks started to light up-it was so peaceful. I just wanted to sit down under the tree and watch the stars come out... Oh well, maybe next time!

Family Weekend!

Hey everybody! This past weekend was Family Weekend. It was so great to spend some time with my parents; I’ve been so busy adjusting to college that I didn’t realize how much I missed them! Of course Ken kept all of us busy this weekend as well. For the families who enjoy sports, there were opportunities to attend soccer, volleyball and football games. Saturday also included a silent auction, a trip to the Farmer’s Market and a tour of the college gardens’ “Grow Food Grow Hope” Program. Families even had an opportunity to build their own Bird Feeders! They also played The Family Game, a take off The Newlywed Game, an entertaining way to see how much family members really know about each other ;) The winners received some very cool WC merchandise. Another big hit for the weekend was the Corn Hole Tournament. Though the rainy weather may have kept some people down, the WC campus was as active as ever. Plus, everyone knows the parents can’t visit without at least one trip to Wal-Mart! These trips for food and supplies were very beneficial to the Buy Local First campaign. With about 85 families and 250 people participating, Family Weekend was a huge success!

A Lazy, Rainy Sunday

Today was the first day it really rained on campus. Luckily there aren’t any classes on Sunday ;) It gave everyone a chance to relax and wind down from a busy weekend. The dorm was unusually quiet; most people were taking advantage of the opportunity to study without missing any of the action. Others were grouped in rooms watching movies or chillin' to music. It will get busier in a few hours when people start coming back to campus, but all in all, it is a pretty good way to prepare for the crazy week ahead-I have tests on Monday, Wednesday and Friday! Wish me luck!

Tickets to a Reds Game

Hi guys! I had another fun weekend with cool people from school. Wilmington College has a group called APB (Activities Programming Board). They set up different events around campus, or offer students discounted tickets to various events. Friday, my roommate and I participated; we got tickets to a Reds game for $5! We also got to go out to eat :) We went to TGI Fridays-it was delicious. The baseball game was also fun. The Reds were up 2-0 until the ninth inning when they let the Mariners score 4 runs. In the bottom of the ninth, the Reds began strong with a home run, but it didn’t last. However the fireworks after the home run hit were very loud and sparkly and between innings our WC group was actually shown on the screen in the stadium! It was lots of fun, and it gave me a chance to make even more new friends. I love college!

A "Spectacular" Weekend

Hey everybody! I’m so excited to tell you about my weekend! I’m in the college Honors program, which means we have to attend 4 special events each year and reflect upon them. There are 8 events total and we get to choose between them. The first opportunity was Saturday night. We went to Cincinnati Music Hall to watch the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra’s “A John Williams Spectacular”. John Williams is a well known composer who wrote works including the Olympic Fanfare, music for Indiana Jones and most of the soundtrack for Star Wars. During the second half of the performance, Anthony Daniels, the actor who played C3PO, came on stage to narrate! He did an incredible job and kept the crowd laughing throughout the story. At the end of the show, he was joined by the real R2D2, as well as Darth Vader, the Emperor, a storm trooper and an imperial pilot among others. It was a very cool experience, and it was no cost to the students; we even got to try food at an Indian restaurant before the show! For any students already at WC or considering WC, I’d definitely recommend checking out the Honors Program :) 

Organizational Fair

At WC, we have a Student Government Association. Every year they hold an organizational fair at the beginning of the school year to help all the freshman get involved. This year’s fair was held yesterday. The theme was Mardi Gras, so everybody who came was given a bead necklace; a few people even got masks made of purple, green & yellow feathers! It was very interesting to see all the groups that are active on campus. There is truly something for everyone. To name just a few, WC organizations include STAND, the Equestrian Club, a water polo club, Future Vets of America, GSA, a campus newspaper “The Witness” or literary magazine “Woodhouse”, Amnesty International, Mock Trial, Educational Theatre Company & Chi Alpha. As well as other religious groups, sports clubs, service organizations & career oriented clubs, WC also has multiple fraternities & sororities. Dinner was also held on the lawn last night, drawing even more people in to see all the different options. Though the rain ended the event earlier than planned, it was still a lot of fun. It just goes to show, there is always a way to get involved on campus!

The Fog Effect

Hi guys! It’s been a crazy week so far! Everyone is getting back into the groove after a long Labor Day weekend. The weather has been particularly interesting the past couple days. I’m not in a science class this semester, so i can’t explain it, but we’ve had a low fog across campus every morning. It makes it a little chilly, but it is really cool to walk through on the way to class. It gives the college a mysterious look as the sun comes up--very cool :) That’s all for now, but campus is busy this week so I’ll keep you posted!

Mailroom Goodies

Hey everybody! My lab was canceled today so I decided to grab an early lunch. One good thing about eating in the top is that our mailboxes are right there in Pyle. Some of my classmates have been getting really good mail! Yesterday my roommate got a care package from an aunt that was full of chips and salsa and cookies...it was delicious! Last week a girl in my COM class received a “Happy Wednesday” letter from her Mom; it was great to see the way it boosted her spirits. The campus organizations send lots of info through the mail as well. The Greek houses sent the freshman notes to say “good luck with classes” and Chi Alpha sent popcorn to everyone who “popped in” to the kickoff cookout. Don’t you just love it when you check your mailbox and see something waiting for you? I know I do. So far I haven’t received any care packages (wink wink Mom), but I’ll keep checking! :)

Weekend Fun

Wow! I just finished my first weekend as an official college student. I had lots of reading & homework, but lots of fun too. The concert @ Joe’s Java Friday night was awesome! The bands were good & the coffee was delicious. Even better, all the money made from coffee & drinks goes directly to the Sugartree Ministries charity. I also met some more new people. That’s one of the best things about Wilmington College; the people are so kind and there are so many opportunities to make new friends! Whether it’s stopping to say hi to a group playing volleyball on the quad or just hanging out in the lobby, I always see somebody different. I can’t wait to see who I meet tomorrow!

Friday Night Fun in Wilmington

Hey everyone! I just heard that there is this really cool hangout in Wilmington. It's within walking distance of the college. It's called Joe's Java House. I guess there are a couple of bands playing there tomorrow night and they have some great coffee drinks. I guess they have a really great band playing at Joe's Java on Friday, August 28th. The name of the band is Seabird. Sounds like a lot of fun. I just got a notice from Facebook saying that it's free to all students with a college id. This event is sponsored by WC's APB.

Sounds like a lot of fun. Check out their website for more details - http://www.joesjava.org/

Maybe I will see you there! ;)

New Student Orientation

What a weekend! I was busy with Wilmington College's New Student Orientation all weekend long. I was exhausted, but it was exciting and I got to meet a lot of my new classmates and some really cool alumni.

Thursday, we moved in and got to meet some of the organizations on campus and in the community. Friday, we had midnight bowling with APB. Saturday, we went to different sites and did volunteer (service projects). Then, we went to houses of different alumni. This was my favorite part of the weekend. The photos above were taken at the home of Jennifer Hollon class of 1967. We got to meet some really neat people and it was really cool that they invited us to their homes. I was so tired by the end of the weekend that I definitely welcomed my afternoon and evening naps!

What a great place to be. Wilmington College has some of the friendliest staff and alumni imaginable. I am so glad I chose to become a WC Quaker.

Move-in Day

What a day! Today, I moved in to Wilmington College. Man, it was a hot one today. I thought my parents and I were going to really be exhausted once we moved in. We had no idea that we would be greeted by tons of students prepared to help us with all of my stuff! We barely carried a thing! It was great.

Here's a photo of me and some of the move-in crew.

I got to meet so many new people and I especially loved meeting my new roommates. That's them in the first photo. I also got to meet parents and students (second photo). Then I ran into my favorite Admissions Counselor Chip Murdock (third photo).

Where is that restroom again?

Having a laugh with Dessi - one of the VISTA volunteers.

Made a new friend. Matt works in the Housing Office. Great guy!

Stopped by the bookstore to pick up a few of my text books.

Got checked out by Nurse Missy.

Stopped by the Student One Stop Center to fill out financial aid paperwork. Forgot to sign a form or two. Whoops.

At Wilmington College, you will meet other's just like you. I have made so many great new friends today. I am so excited about starting this new part of my life. I am a little nervous still and I am going to miss my Mom, but I think I am going to be just fine.

Meeting President Dan

I visited Wilmington College in Wilmington, Ohio recently. I got to meet President Dan DiBiasio. That's us in the photo in front of Watson Library. He is really nice and has a great welcoming smile. He made me feel right at home.

Everyone on Wilmington's campus is friendly and eager to help you in any way. I cannot wait to move in and start classes.

Welcome to Bernie's Blog!

Hi! I'm Bernie. Welcome to my blog! I will be a first time freshman at Wilmington College in Wilmington, Ohio this year. I am really excited about going away to school and becoming a Wilmington College Quaker. It will be my first time away from home and although I am super excited, I am also really nervous. That's why I am writing this blog. It makes me feel a little better to share my thoughts and experiences. I am hoping to find other WC students to share my journey with me.

Please feel free to share your comments along the way. I look forward to making some new friends over the next four years. Go Quakers!