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!