Study Night, Study Night, Stud-Stud-Study Night

Tuesday, December 16th, 2008 may well go down in history as your last crack at getting help in preparation for Fall semester FINAL EXAMINATIONS, which begin bright and early December 17th. So our strong advice to one and all is to don your comfiest apparel and come take advantage of the Student Senate sponsored campus STUDY NIGHT. Over 30 faculty and staff members will be here to answer those last questions and to explain again that vexing issue, formula, phenomenon, or process. To feed the body--if not the mind and soul--there will be sub sandwiches aplenty and healthy as well as corn syrup-laddened accompaniments. The camaraderie alone is worth the trip to campus.

Last Minute Reminder--JOHN RUSH on campus

Just like we've been saying: John Rush--voted campus entertainer of the year in the national On Campus magazine--will be performing here at UW-Manitowoc Wednesday evening, December 10th at 8:00pm. It's free for UW-Manitowoc students. $8.00 for non-students. So come. Bring a date. Bring your mom. She'll think it's very cool to be asked and she'll love the concert.

Finishing the Semester with a Flourish

It probably doesn't come as news to anyone that the end of the semester pressures are mounting. Papers are coming due. Project deadlines are looming. And Finals begin on December 17th. Of course it doesn't help that most employers are hoping that you'll work extra hours at this time of the year. Then, too, there are those annoying people who seem to appear right about now who are so well-organized and diligent that they are all caught up with everything and want you to join in on some perfectly enjoyable, but time-devouring Christmasy thing: "Let's go shopping in Appleton."

Well, the BLURB has a suggestion or two (or three or four) for you.

#1--Record on a calendar all of the tests, papers, projects, and assignments that you need to deal with before the end of the semester. Then, backing up from the due dates, block off the time you'll be devoting to each of those items. If you can't find the time on the calendar, you probably won't get it done. Be realistic about this. By this point in the semester you know how much time and effort is required. Plot it out.

#2--Don't take on extra hours at work. In fact, if you can give up some hours that you would really spend on studying, you should probably give up some hours in the next three weeks. Remember that spring semester doesn't start until the 26th of January, so you'll have lots of time to put in extra hours after finals.

#3--Have fun with a last minute Holiday Challenge. If you're feeling pressure to do holiday preparation when you really could/should be hitting the books, tell yourself that you'll do a concentrated Christmas thing this year after your semester is completed: all your shopping in three hours, baking in one big push, wrapping in a flurry, etc. And, while you're at it, stay local--save time and money and help the local economy.

#4--If you are taking a break from school work--make it a good one! There are some great events coming up on campus in the next couple of weeks. Check the campus calendar for the things that will appeal to you most.

Don't miss the music--December 10th

Wednesday, December 10th at 8:00 in the University Theatre the campus is hosting JOHN RUSH--guitarist, vocalist and all around very cool dude. Check out the promo video and then pick up your free ticket (if you're a UW-Manitowoc student) or shell out the paltry 8 bucks for a ticket if you're not a UW-Manty student.

Smoking is So Yesterday

The BLURB says: "Smoking is so yesterday." The Great American Smoke Out can help you make it so.

Did You Ever Notice . . .

Did you ever notice how clean and well-maintained this campus is? Not that a campus should be a pig sty, but UW--Manitowoc is downright spiffy. And what's more, the people who keep it spit-polished to a nifty shine are really pleasant people. Oh sure, they may get a little nervous each year when Student Senate decides to have a Pumpkin Carving Contest--that's a lot of pumpkin guts to deal with--but all in all they actually seem to like the students and staff. So not only do they do a great job, but they are willing to go the extra distance to make the place look good.

Maybe that accounts in part for the low incidence of grafitti, littering, or general slobbitude by students and staff. Good going to the custodial crew and to you and you and you and you and you and . . .

Study Tip No. 1--Bite off a little bit

Who says this BLURB thing is worthless? Here, for example, is a priceless study tip for you. And it's free for the taking.

Spend less time and energy worrying about and hoping about and complaining about something you have to do or learn, and more time actually trying to do it or learn it. Sometimes it helps to take a little time to complete just one little step in the process. Write the first sentence. Do the first math problem. Study and memorize one key term or concept. Read the first three pages. Just crossing the boundary between avoiding it and doing it, can make a big difference. Then when you come back to the task with the necessary time, you've already started.

Go ahead. Give it a try.

Love the Local Flavors

This week Wednesday night is the Kick-off of the "Locavore Challenge." Check out the "Blue Devils Go Green" Blog on the campus homepage for all the particulars.

Of course, some of us think we have a great chance at winning the challenge simply based on the fact that we eat a lot more than other people, and therefore will also likely eat more local food than skinny little picky eaters.
Hmmm . . . there may be something wrong with this logic.

But, contest or not, eating locally grown or made food has its own rewards. Compare the taste of your granny's homemade pickles to any kind you can get at the store, or the taste of fresh apple juice or cider from the farmer's market to commercially made stuff, or the taste of a plump juicy tomato you pick off the vine to the kind that arrives hard as an eight ball in a carton from God-knows-where. They're not even the same species! So whatever other good things come from eating locally, one thing you can bank on is that the local, homemade, fresh stuff will reward you with tasting great.

Get Ready. Get Set. Vote!

Every four years college students are on the receiving end of a big push--to get out and vote. Duh!

And in Wisconsin, they make it pretty easy. This week there's even someone on campus from the League of Women Voters who will register you on the spot so that you're good to go and vote on November 4th.

But the BLURB goes it one better: be an informed voter. If you've been checking out the national news/opinion forums--CNN, FOX, MSNBC, PBS, CBS, ABC, NBC, etc.--and any of the bazillion shows covering the Presidential Election, you know that the slant, and even the story itself, that you get depends so much on the channel you happen to be watching. So what's a body to do? Easy. Watch a couple of different channels and watch the upcoming debates. Then, equipped with at least that much information, cast your vote. 'Cause, you name the issue, a lot is riding on this election.

Is anyone out there?

Most BLOGS have a response feature built in, but for some reason this BLURB doesn't. But if you want to respond--compliment, complain, suggest, or just comment--to any of the posts on The Blurb you can do so to theblurb@uwc.edu. The Blurber is waiting to hear from you!

campus life nights

For the last ten years, UW-Manitowoc's Student Senate has been pulling off this cool series of events or programs that they call Campus Life Nights (or maybe it's Campus Night Life's). Usually they start at 9:00 on Wednesday nights because by that time most students are done with class and work for the day, and it sort of marks making it over the hump of the week. It's a time to kick back with some sort of friendly gathering or maybe a cut-throat competition like Battle of the Sexes or a dessert-making contest. (That one can get especially messy.) There's almost always something to eat or drink, and there is often a cheesy prize or two involved.

This week they're sponsoring one of dubious pleasure for some of us and of great adventure and excitement for others--Capture the Flag in the Park in the Dark. To date they've only had one sprained ankle and one lost person, and the ankle healed and the lost one was found. The losing team has to serve pizza and soda to the winners. Serious competitors come in ninja or night gear, but the only real advice on what to wear is something you don't mind getting dirty and serious footwear--NO Flip-flops! Save them for "jammies and a chick-flick" night.

Join in on Co-curriclars: It Pays Off

It used to be that "joining" anything had a bit of a dorky edge to it, but there has been a definite shift in attitudes toward joining. Now it has more of the air of "stepping up" or "contributing" to the greater good, or, at the very least, acting on our social instincts by being part of the group, the clan . . . the human race.

At UW-Manitowoc "joining" is, in most cases, pretty effortless. If you put your name and contact information on the sign-up sheet (located in the curved corridor on the way to the Commons) for, say, Future Teachers, or Extreme Outdoors, or Goin' Green, or Sheepshead Anonymous, or any of the dozen or so active campus organizations, someone from the group will contact you to let you know when and where the organizational meeting will be taking place. You show up. You check it out. You decide if there is something in it for you, and you take it from there. If you didn't sign up for anything in advance, you are still welcome to attend meetings and join at a later date. Just check out the TV message monitors for meeting times and places.

Privileges come with joining:

#1) It's a very competitive world out there. Being involved in clubs and organizations can give you an edge. At the very least, active participation in a club or organization tells the person looking at your resume down the road that you're the type of person that does more than what's required. And that's always a good thing.

#2) Participation in co-curriculars--athletics, clubs, service programs, creative and performing arts, student government, pre-professional organizations--provides you with opportunities to build your interpersonal communication and leadership skills, and establishes important networks of information and support.

#3) You meet people with common interests and don't have to go through eHarmony.

#4) Joiners (engaged students) get better grades. It's true. They do.

#5) It's frequently fun. Sometimes exciting. Occasionally demanding. Often rewarding. And, frequently FUN.

At a small campus like this, it is very easy to get involved. And, really, it's a win-win-win sort of thing.

Professor ranked #2 in the nation!!

This is very cool. Really. UW-Manitowoc's Physics professor, Mike Sherman (not the former Packer coach), is ranked #2 nationally in Men's Sport Mountain Biking. I suppose I have to add "in his age group," which is 60 and over. But he can put most people half his age to shame. And the word on the street is that he is a terrific teacher, too.

Orientation. Orientation. Orientation

New students probably got a postcard in the mail about the New Student Orientation and Kick-off event that's happening on Thursday, August 28th starting at 6:00pm. New students who didn't get a postcard, or who didn't see or read the postcard, are still welcome. There is always a pretty decent (and not too long) presentation from a rep from Monster.com, and you get to meet the faculty, and this year they're having brats and burgers and all that stuff, and there are some really good "give-aways" and sign-up tables. All in all, it's a fairly painless way to break the ice before classes start.

But really somebody should come up with another word for it. We already get an "orientation" when we show up to register for classes during the summer. And "kick-off" seems like it should be followed immediately by a game. "Start - up" seems better suited with the Indy 500. And the academic expression "convocation" may be accurate, but, frankly, it sounds sort of off-putting for an event that is supposed set everybody at ease. At least they haven't started to call it:"boot up." (I would break into tears.) Any suggestions? "Welcome"?

Going Green--A Little Rant

I know we’re supposed to be going “green” and all on campus this year (along with everybody else--Yeah, right, Walmart, which doesn't sell anything that's not from China,--is "going green"). But I tried cutting the lawn with a push mower the other day, thinking that it would be good exercise and save on the carbon emission and all that rah-rah stuff. Well, I thought I was going to die! Now maybe I’m just a wuss looking for an excuse, but I think I’d be better off using up the one-fifth of a gallon of gasoline it takes for me to mow with internal combustion power than having to spend a half hour in the shower and an hour in front of a fan in order to recover from heat stroke. Or maybe we should just let our lawns revert to prairie. But then the City will fine us for not maintaining our property.

Last Minute Admission--Can Do!

It’s amazing how different people are about things like deadlines or being the early bird or putting things off to the last minute. Now, on most things, I am a last minuter. But then again my idea of last minute is still before the final deadline, while some people really do arrive after the train has left the station, and they are surprised, even p.o.’d, that the train is gone. I’ve also noticed that the early bird types get sort of uppity about people who just make the deadline, treating us as if we are late. I want to tell them to just get a life—on time is on time, even if it’s not early.

Around here, the Business Office is very firm about due dates, etc. But, hey, that’s what they have to be, audits and such. In Student Services they’re pretty easy going about some things, but other things they don’t have a choice about. One thing they can do on a small campus like this is continue to process admissions to the University right up through the beginning of classes. That’s a good thing for people who change their minds or are late deciders. The only drawback is that things can get pretty frazzled. The best thing to do if you’re a late applicant (like I was) is to be prepared for the possibility of having an unusual schedule the first semester and to really listen up to the instructions you’ll get (at 683-4707) about the stuff you have to do to make it all happen. Oh, and then you have to do that stuff. Pronto.

Free DVD's!

DVD’s available for free! Remember, if you’re a student here at UW Manty, you can check out videos, Cd’s, and DVD’s from the library. And the selection is really very decent.

Question # 1

Question: What do people between the ages of 16 and 21 do during the summer when they’re not working? Is it all video games and shopping malls and internet and summer softball/baseball? TV?

Books

Advice about buying books. First of all, they are stinking expensive. But at least tuition here is very low compared to any other university, so buck up.

If you can, you want to buy used books. Who cares if someone else paid for it before. There’s a good chance it was never even read. And if it was, then you may be lucky enough to have the important parts highlighted. (Although that can be rather annoying.)

If you decide to try to buy course books on-line through Amazon, etc., be sure to use the right ISBN numbers so that you’re getting the right edition. If you check out the Bookstore link under Student Life on the Website, you’ll find the complete listing of the books you’ll need for each class, with the ISBN numbers.

And if you’re buying books on campus, get here very early—like before 7:00—on the first day they go on sale, or don’t bother coming until 11:00 or so.

In some cases it might work to “share” a book with another person in class. But make sure this is someone you wouldn’t mind being in a life raft with.