Wait, what month is it?

Posted by & filed under Classes, work.

When I started Graduate School in late August of 2012 graduation seemed distant. Now, in the midst of my second semester, it seems to be coming up quicker than I thought. Though most people will explain Graduate School programs in years, 1-3, in the grand scheme of things Graduate School is only 4 semesters. When you break that down, it’s easy to lose track of time when you think of how the semesters themselves get fragmented with school work deadlines and, before you know it, it’s the end of the semester. 5 months flew by and you can barely remember what you did. This made me think about what was important to me, what I needed for professional development, and what I just needed to do to survive.

It was a hard decision to stop doing certain things that I had become accustomed to doing here at SUNY Oswego for the last few years (I received my Bachelor’s Degree from here, too.) I realized that in order to stay sane it was important that I did things that I wanted to do for me and stop thinking about the big picture 24 hours a day. Professional development is important and taking time out to do that is something everyone should do. However, sacrificing happiness now for future happiness wasn’t how I wanted to live my life. So I changed it. I left some things behind, adopted a new attitude, concentrated on a few things instead of a handful, and opened my self, and my schedule, to new experiences. One of the most important things that I’ve picked up along the way is that personal development, learning more about who you are, will help you in the long run when developing yourself professionally. With a more relaxed schedule no longer filled with the stresses of simply too much to do, my spring semester has slowed down in comparison to the fall of 2012. I take my school work one day at a time and leave enough time for me to relax, go nuts, enjoy food, favorite sporting events, and well- anything else I want.

Pride Alliance Reformed

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Let me start by stating how happy that I am to be back at SUNY Oswego. I graduated last year in May with a B.S. in Adolescence Education, and for multiple reasons, I eventually decided to return to SUNY Oswego as a graduate student and just began a month ago. I truly missed SUNY Oswego and am, again, so happy to be back. I certainly haven’t missed this crazy weather, but I have definitely missed the campus and have missed being a student, in general. I got certified to teach late in the summer and subbed in the fall until I came back to Oswego, and I am so thrilled to be back in the classroom as a student. I am definitely a student at heart, and learning is such an exciting prospect for me. I am taking Women and Screen Studies with Amy Shore (which I love), Black Women Writers with Patricia Clark (which I also love), and Theories of Teaching Composition with Robert Moore. I love my classes and am really immersed in what I am studying.

I want to, however, primarily focus this blog entry upon SUNY Oswego’s Pride Alliance. Some of you may recall the blog entry that I wrote quite some time ago; “Pride Alliance in Need of Reformation” is the title, and, in fact, if you run a search for Pride Alliance on SUNY Oswego’s website, that blog entry is currently the first page that will appear. I addressed my concerns regarding the organization because at the time, I felt that Pride Alliance was not focusing on what is truly important; it focused too much attention on sex and not nearly enough attention on more practical, more important issues. I was very harsh, but I do not apologize for anything that I stated because I definitely think that everything that I stated was very reasonable, especially since I was far from being alone in my opinions; even a professor here at SUNY Oswego agreed with me. However, I have been attending Pride Alliance this semester and have to say that I am so incredibly happy to see that the organization is much more practical and productive and is doing a lot more of what it should be doing both on campus and within the Oswego community. I am having such a great time as a member of Pride Alliance, and it is an organization of which I am vehemently proud to be a part. I am not going to say that it was my blog entry that particularly initiated these reforms, but who knows? Perhaps, it had some sort of impact.

Pride Alliance is now under new leadership, and with all due respect to the former team that led the organization, I think that that probably has a great deal to do with why the organization is a lot more productive now. Marian Holmes is the president, and I have to say that she is absolutely fabulous. Full of passion and energy, she is clearly dedicated to ensuring that Pride Alliance is not just mere entertainment but also makes a positive difference both on campus and within the community; the entire team seems great, and they are planning many awesome events for the semester. Yesterday, for example, we had the Oswego High School Acceptance Coalition join us, and it was a lot of fun. As Marian has pointed out, with Oswego High School being so geographically close to the college campus, it would be kind of ridiculous if we were to neglect the opportunity to build a bridge between our organizations, something that has never been attempted or, as far as I know, even discussed before. Next week, someone is coming to talk about living with being HIV-positive, and a comedian is possibly coming later in the semester, as well. In addition (and I am momentously excited about this), a NOH8 photoshoot is planned, which will take place during some point of the semester. Pride Alliance is definitely reformed, and I couldn’t be happier about it. If you’re interested in attending meetings (and I sincerely hope that you are because the more, the merrier), they are held on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. in room 133 (across from the auditorium) of the Campus Center. You can also check the Pride Alliance out at their website, http://pridealliance.wix.com/pridealliance.

How to Survive Oswego’s Weather

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Is anybody else confused as to how Oswego can go from 56 degrees and sunny one week to negative temperatures, massive amounts of snow, hail, sleet, and forty mile an hour winds the next? After last weeks beautiful weather I was just about ready to pack away the snow gear and bring out the shorts and tee shirts. Unfortunately, that isn’t looking like a possibility anytime soon. It seems that the weather here changes every other week, and mother nature doesn’t want to give us a break! This weather proves to be a major problem when it comes to having classes all the way across campus. It may seem near impossible to enjoy this weather, but there are definitely some great ways to stay warm, make it to class, and have a great time while the winds rage and the snow piles up.

 

The number one rule for surviving these frigid temperatures: LAYER, LAYER, LAYER! Unless you want to freeze, bundle up as much as possible. A heavy jacket, gloves, hat, and boots are all pretty much essential. Face masks are also great to block out the wind and keep your face warm.

 

Another great strategy to survive the winter is to utilize the Centro bus system, also known as the Blue Route. I was extremely surprised when a couple friends of mine told me that they have never ridden the bus before. If you look around campus, you’ll notice blue signs by the road (they usually have a picture of a bus on them) or the enclosed bus stops such as the ones behind Penfield Library and next to Oneida Hall. Just about every 20 minutes the bus will leave the Campus Center. The bus is free to ride, and is great if you need to get to a class that’s particularly far away. Here is the link to the times the bus departs from the Campus Center as well as a map of the Blue Route: http://www.oswego.edu/Documents/auxiliary_services/ShuttleMap090111.pdf

 

If you’re snowed in on the weekends and feel that the only thing the weather will permit you to do is sleep, I’m pleased to inform you that there are great things you can do in your Residence Hall without even having to go out into the cold! Normally, I’ll just read and relax, but if you have different preferences, you could always rent a movie from the front desk free of charge! There really is a huge selection of movies and TV shows that the front desk can rent out to you. Board games are also available for anybody. All you need is your Oswego I.D.!

 

This weather may seem to be a drag, but there are many things that the school provides to it’s students to make it as tolerable and comfortable as possible. All you need to do is utilize these services. hopefully these tips will help you out!

 

Cold Enough For Ya?!

Posted by & filed under Uncategorized, weather.

Seeing as we’ve been struggling to find this season we call Spring, I thought it would be relevant to get everyone’s opinions on the weather we’ve been dealing with. I think these photos say it all. But really? I mean, coming to Oswego, I expected a few snowy days. But this is getting a little ridiculous. Can the weather pleeeease make up its mind?!

I’m from Buffalo, so I’ve dealt with snow since I was little. We’ve even had snow storms in October. But these past 3 years at Oswego have been really mild. I think I just have it ingrained in my head now that the Oswego snow was just a myth. Of course, my last year at school would be a wake up call to the reality of our school’s unapoligetic freezingness.

I think Oswego should be picked up and moved further south- kinda like in that episode of Spongebob. Maybe I just need to relocate to the south for the rest of my 6 years at grad-school.

There’s so many complaints we could dish out about the snow here, but we can account for a whole bunch of positives to take away from this situation as well. Snow ball fights, igloos, snow-men (or snow-women if you really have ambition). My roommates and I actually had such initiative one day 2 weeks ago and decided to make a snow-man outside our house in the Village. We ended up throwing my halloween costume on him and turned him into a bearded snow-man. Thinking it would be a good idea, I soon found out that it turned into an all out snow war between us. So cheer up, and make the most of this winter snow globe that we call Oswego! Be creative. Embrace it. You really have no choice but to embrace it at this point. It looks like the snow is here to stay.

Don’t be afraid to dish about the weather. It’s a big part of our school and it’s image. If you’ve been blown into a snow bank, slipped on an ice patch, tackled a friend into a snow pile, or just made a few snow angels, don’t be afraid to share!

The Harlem Shake, Oswego Style

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“Have you seen the new Harlem Shakes on YouTube?”
“No, the Harlem Shake is for idiots!” -Urban Dictionary

Whether you like it or not, there’s no denying the recent surge of Harlem Shake videos across the Internet. The dance started as a gang ritual and has been only very recently turned into a joke by bored YouTubers. It seems Oswego’s gotten in on the action, with multiple groups on campus creating their own versions of the meme. Here’s a few to pass the time and have a quick laugh:

SUNY Oswego Presents: Lupe Fiasco!

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Whatsup bloggers?

 

The time has finally come! The artist performing at this years Spring Concert has been announced! I’d imagine you’ve all been as excited as I was for this huge announcement. As stated in the title, this years concert is to be put on by famous rapper Wasalu Muhammad Jaco–Better known by his stage name: Lupe Fiasco. If you remember, we voted on who should play this concert a few months ago. Personally I’m very happy with this outcome. For those of you who have never heard of Lupe Fiasco, I suggest you take the time to look him up. Lupe’s lyrical style is quite unique; he focuses most of his music on controversial political and social issues such as war, poverty, prostitution, terrorism, and religion. Lupe is also strongly opposed to censorship, and believes that it only blinds and deafens people from the truth. He currently has released four studio albums including “Lupe Fiasco’s Food and Liquor”, “Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool“, “Lasers”, and “Food and Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1″. Now I bet you’re wondering about when and where you can get tickets, so here are the details:

 

  • The will be held in the Campus Center Arena on April 20th, 2013
  • Doors open at 7:00 p.m. ; The show starts at 8:00 p.m.
  • Ticket prices are $10 for SUNY Oswego students and $20 for the general public
  • Tickets go on sale for students on March 25th, 2013 and can be bought at the Campus Center Box Office
  • Tickets go on sale for the General Public on April 1st, 2013