Focus: It's Finals!

Well, ever since returning from Thanksgiving Break, all the work for finals has begun to stack up! This semester I am taking 18 credits, (which, I do not recommend! I've never gone above 12/13, and I am barely working. Please, reconsider taking so many classes!)

Anyway ... as you can see I've grown a bit desperate! Every professor I have has been throwing quizes, tests, and papers at my feet! Luckily, this week is "supposed" to be Dead Week. Teachers are "supposed" to cancel class to allow students plenty of time to study and work on those final major papers. Right. Unfortunately, it seems like an unwritten rule that view teachers honor.

The upside? Well, at least I really enjoy my classes. I'm in my senior year, which means I am done with my GenEds, (General Education Requirements), and I am into all the fun stuff. My internship is done for the semester, and I get to write a bunch of really interesting papers. Love it! This doesn't mean that it is not stressfull, but atleast we've got all the end of the semester parties to look forward to.

Parkside is jumping! The Chancellor's Holiday Party is on Wednesday; the Women and gender Studies Holiday Party is on Thursday; next week Rainbow Alliance is having their en of the semester party; and right after that, my friends are throwing an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party -- you have to wear an ugly Christmas sweater to get in! (Neat, huh?)

I also got to see the Theatre Department's production of the Laramie Project this last weekend. That was a nice break away from studying. It was absolutely amazing! The student actors were great, and a friend of mine actually designed the set. It reminded me how awesome our Theatre Department is. (We're the Best in the Midwest!) I currently have a friend from high school that was stage manager in our plays back then, who came to Parkside and did stage managing. Now she's living it large in San Fransisco! (I'm so jealous! It's been snowing here all week!)

Speaking of the snow: it's been really crazy! Parking has been very interesting. (I don't know what some folks are thinking -- just because it's snowing they think they can park anywhere). But the campus is even more beautiful than in fall. Everything is covered in snow, so wherever I walk I feel like I am on a safari in Alaska. It's been very cool.

So, if you're coming up to enjoy Parkside's winter wonderland, drive safely! Those county roads can be dangerous!

A Sneak-Peek Inside the New Student Union

As a senator for Parkside Student Government Association, (PSGA), there are a lot of responsibilities that fill my week and make me extra busy. Our meetings are weekly, in Molinaro 137, Fridays at noon. General business includes reports from our staff of directors, and different resolutions and issues that are brought to the floor by senators.

We have a director for everything from Multicultural and Women’s Issues, to University and Legislative Affairs. These folks put together programs to raise awareness of different issues facing the student body, to lobby politicians with student concerns, and to help change university policy so that it fits and meets every student’s need.



A senator generally serves two office hours a week, works on resolutions, and sits on different faculty committees. This week I sat in on the Academic Policies Committee, and helped share a student’s perspective into the new second-language policy change. Trust me, it wasn’t the most exciting meeting, but it is a great learning experience and will definitely translate into the professional world after my graduation.

I also am a voting member of the Segregated University Fees Allocation Committee, (SUFAC), which is the committee that allocates funding to not only student clubs and organizations, but to departments like the Sports and Activities Center and Athletics, the Child Care Center, Student Activities and the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, etc! This will be my third year on the committee, and it has really helped me develop a broad understanding of all the ins-and-outs of the university.

SUFAC and PSGA are responsible for the funding of the new Union construction. If you’re at UW-P, or you’ve been to UW-P within the last year, you probably couldn’t help but notice all of the construction. When I came in, as a freshmen, PSGA had already decided to begin ramping up student seg. fees in order to fund this construction, and it is expected to be open in 2009.

In the meantime, the popular student hangout, known as the Den, and the cinema have been shut down. The arcade games and pool tables have been put in Whyllie Hall until everything opens up. SUFAC got to tour the construction this week, as you can probably tell by the pictures. (Aren’t the hard hats cute?)

It was so cool to see the huge changes that were already in place. We got to see where the ballroom, the radio station, and the grand staircase are going to be. The New Den looks like it will be so cool, even if we no longer have bowling lanes, (they were too expensive). Even though I will have graduated by the time the Union opens, I am still excited. It will be loved by generations to come, and I’m sure my generation will be coming back to visit all the time!

College: Where Tradition becomes Non-Traditional

While working in advising, I have had a lot of students call who are worried about coming to college. It is not that they are intimidated 18 year-olds, they are coming back to school after taking some time off. They are worried that they won’t be able to cut it, that it’s been years since they’ve taken a math class. I ask them what they’ve been doing since high school. Whether it’s work or family, if you can handle doing either you’ve got the time management skills to balance a class schedule!

I only took a year off after high school, but during that year I learned valuable life lessons. I developed responsibility in paying my rent and bills, and established a hardworking mentality. I worked double shifts as a CNA and quickly learned the importance of an education. When I came to UW-Parkside, I was eager to learn and grow. I had respect for my professors and a respect for my education. Even though it is fairly common for students to take a year, or so, off before heading off to college, those students are still considered “non-traditional.”

As a non-traditional student, I won’t lie, I did find math very difficult. I had not had a math class for three years, and it hadn’t been my strongest subject to begin with. I was more than rusty; I was terrible! I had also never really had to study math very hard to pass in high school, and then I was content to struggle by with C’s. College was different. Now I care about my GPA, and understand the importance of good grades. I am finally finished with my math requirement at UW-Parkside, but it was not easy. It took a lot of studying and many visits to the tutoring center. I couldn’t have done it without Isaac, (who was the tutor I would most often turn to). The best part? The UW-Parkside tutoring center is totally free! (Amazing, right?)

I have enjoyed making friends in Parkside Adult Student Alliance, which is a student organization for non-trads like myself. I have really embraced my status as non-traditional student, so much so that I added another non-trad element to my lifestyle this year and got married! I had met Nicholas while working on The Ranger News, (UW-Parkside’s student newspaper), three years ago and have been dating for the past two years. It is challenging balancing school and work, let alone a husband and two kitty-babies, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

And I Thought College was Scary Before...

I woke up Wednesday morning like any other morning ... with lots of coffee! Soon, however, I realized that it was not any average day of the week: it was Halloween! Instead of putting on the same boring old jeans, I got to open my closet and find something funky!

I didn't really have time to go to any costume parties this year, (why do schools celebrate holidays with semester exams?), so I hadn't masterminded any interesting persona. I took the easy way out, grabbed the funkiest dress I could find, and called myself a hippy.

The first thing I saw, after grabbing a Bacon Ranger from Whyllie Market, was this guy that looked like the puppet from the Saw movies, (can't wait to see #4!), and man, that was kind of creepy! He was ridding a little tricycle and everything! I made him stop and take my first Halloween picture of the day!

Throughout the day, while walking to class, I saw so many creative costumes. There were witches, (like my friend Stacy), Salor Moons, and a couple of former presidents roaming the halls. I saw V, from V for Vendetta, but I was so star-struck I forgot to get a picture.

I have no idea who the guys in the masks were, but the guy in the dinner jacket is a friend of mine from PAW (Parkside Association of Wargamers). He looks happy now, but you should see him after I beat him in Smash Brothers! (Oh ... slam!) There were people dressed up in class, but I didn't see any teachers getting in on the action.

Even so, there was an energy in the classroom that reminded me of high school. Usually, everyone is content to sit patiently and eager to learn. Even though we're too old for trick-or-treating, we still couldn't wait to get out of class and enjoy this holiday.

Let the Fall Take You by Surprise

Every year, the fall takes me by surprise, however, it’s never hit me like it does at UW-Parkside. As soon as you drive in, trees surround you! I have even seen some people who will park in PETS, which is the state park right across Outer Loop Road, and walk to campus. I’m not that athletic … but I try to enjoy the scenery every chance I get.

I’m sure you’ve heard that our Student Union is being expanded, right? Well, before that started, UW-Parkside’s shuttle bus would drive around Inner Loop Road, bringing students to their desired locations. Now that the construction has partially closed Inner Loop, the shuttle, (sometimes referred to as the Pickle Bus because it used to be ALL Ranger Green), makes its course around Outer Loop Road. I love parking in Tallent and riding in a window seat of the shuttle, just so I can really enjoy the UW-Parkside view.

Though the woods are great, they can be rather distracting to drivers. I’m from Kenosha County, (Wilmot, what’s up?), so the occasional deer is no thing. Except, the deer here are pretty brave. If you’re leaving late at night, you might get the rare opportunity to stop you car dead in the road and watch a deer feeding in the parking lot for a good ten minutes!

But you have to stop! So many people at UW-P will go to and from their classes, barely stepping a foot outdoors. Now, I can understand when it’s winter, but during the fall is the best time to do it! The leaves are all turning, the deer and the chipmunks are rushing around in a search for those last meals before it frosts. The infamous UW-Parkside geese are here, making their last preparations for the long flight to Florida.

I try to walk outside every chance I get. Its almost November, can you believe it? Soon, there will be snow days and folks sledding and throwing snowballs by Ranger Hall, but not yet. There is still time to stop and take a minute to appreciate the world around us. At least before it gets too cold to enjoy anything!

Helping me Achieve my Dreams

Hey, I’m Back!

I’m glad to see that the beautiful student bloggers are finally linked up! Now I’ll be checking in weekly for sure! Have you seen Ranger Bear’s blog? It looks really neat, and there are soooo many pictures! I know there’s a lot of competition out there, but I just want to let ya’ll know that I am totally Ranger Bear’s number one fan! (I think he’s just adorable!)

Anyway, did you guys know UW-Parkside was on channel four news last night? I was lucky enough to have attended last night’s speak out by Judy Shepard, mother of Mathew Shepard who was slain tragically in a Gay Hate Crime almost 10 years ago. All of the beautiful Rainbow kids were there, including myself, and it was truly one of the most inspirational and emotional experiences.

During my time with Rainbow we have been trying to get Judy Shepard at UW-Parkside for years, and it was not easy to forget the amount of people who have been so instrumental in bringing this event to campus. This is really the year that everyone has come together in UNITY, united as one UW-Parkside family. There were so many people there!

I missed Heroes, but it was worth it to see a real life Hero who has been such a driving force in the movement for LGBTQISA equality and acceptance. But I did get home in time to see it on the 10:00 news!

(Here is a link to that news story):

http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/10731096.html

Last week we celebrated National Coming Out Day, and I thought that was a moving experience! For both events, the room was packed! So many new faces have taken that brave step into coming out, and being true to themselves. That was a big part of Judy’s message: BE YOURSELF!

It’s part of the reason I love UW-Parkside and all of the amazing organizations we have on campus. There are so many ways to express who you are, to work on issues that you are passionate about!

But hey, I didn’t see Ranger Bear on the news last night.
Funny, he LOVES the camera! (Can’t get enough of it!)

Unity in Involvement

Like many UW-P Students, I have come to love and look forward to the Involvement Fair, which is held once at the beginning of both fall and spring semester. It is a great opportunity for new students to meet other involved students, and learn about prospective organizations, clubs, sororities/fraternities, volunteer events, and other ways to become engaged students on campus.

But it is also a time for those current students to reunite with friends and colleagues of fellow UW-P organizations. Throughout the year we become busy with school and work schedules, and forget to zoom from our general focus to appreciate the diverse and fierce work being accomplished by our comrades.

The Involvement Fair is one event where not only a bunch, but nearly every student org can be found mixing and mingling in a shared space. It is one day where we all coordinate our schedules and come together to celebrate campus involvement. It’s not like the Student Leader Awards Dinner; it’s different. Our celebration on this day is not in retrospect of our accomplishments; it is a communal gathering of pride in our work.

We laboriously hand out informational packets, deliver pontifications of the purpose of our representational entities to new or unaware students, eat free cupcakes with advertisements drawn on with frosting, and take turns leaving our post to make the rounds. That’s my favorite part!

Every fair has a different theme, (this year was Pirates), so every year organizations come up with new and creative (often humorous) poster board displays for their org. People wear costumes, play music, and did I mention the free food and candy? It’s a giant party with one purpose in mind: strengthening the community of UW-Parkside through student participation and involvement.

I truly felt the P-Side unity as I watched my sorority sisters join other Greeks in the Unity Stroll. So many people of different cultures, ethnicities, races, genders, sexual orientations, religions, classes, majors, (etc!) coming together as brothers and sisters. It was a really neat day, and I think it got everyone excited for the new school year.

This year’s theme: True Unity!

Fellow Parksidians

Aloha Parksidians!

I am still working to perfect the layout design of this page, and there are a few more elements I’d like to ad in and tweak up a bit. Nevertheless, I decided I would begin with a welcome.


Two years ago, a friend approached me, and in his greeting referred to me as his “fellow Parksidian.” I have always found this term intriguing, as it seems to unify not only our campus, but the surrounding communities as well.


Instead of viewing ourselves as Americans or international, flat-landers or cheeseheads, Milwaukians, Kenoshans, or even Racillans, commuters or residents, faculty or students, enrolled or community members, now we can unite under one identity.


Whether you attend UW-Parkside, or whether you just come to watch the soccer team, we are all Parksidians.


So, stay tuned and keep in touch. There’s a lot more to come!


Aloha!