Chicago Is Yours for $40

Really.

You can't beat this:
Motorcoach round trip from the campus to Chicago and back, with an overnight at Chicago's landmark Palmer House Hilton Hotel on December 5-6, 2009. The cost for UW-Manitowoc students is a mere $40. Non-student price is $70. Sign up in the Adminstrative Office by November 6th.

Student Senate has been sponsoring this annual excursion to the Windy City for 34 years straight. Be part of this great tradition:

Take a taxi.
Ride the "L."
Shop Michigan Avenue.
Go to the top of the Sears tower.
Take in a dolphin show at the Shedd Aquarium.
Gawk at the great art in the Art Institute.
Visit the Field Museum and seek out the mummies.
Sample some of the world's best caramel corn.
Order breakfast in bed.
Ride the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier.
Promenade down the avenue amid millions of little white lights.

It's the first weekend of December. It's Chicago. It's your turn.

It's Never Too Early to Cram

The Fall semester is well underway. The way some people look at things, it's over 20% gone. For the glass-half-full types, there's nearly 80% left to go. But no matter which way you look at it, the meter is running. And the BLURB has a bit of advice for students:
It's never too early to cram.
Seriously, do yourself and your test scores a favor and set aside a chunk of time in the next week or two and study as if your finals were the next day. It's a great way to solidify what you know, while identifying weak spots.

Give it a try and let the BLURB know if it works for you.

Telephone Rant: Or, Ma Bell, Where Art Thou?

This isn't exclusively a college issue. But college students seem to be on the cutting edge of the matter. So here's the rant:
Students don't really want professors or parents or counselors on Facebook, right? That's cool. Or on MySpace, either. That's fine, too. And it seems that email messages from school-related sources get largely ignored, if they even get opened. (Not so cool, but okay.)
But what's worse is that if you call college students on the phone number they provided at the time of enrollment, you'll get one of three annoying results:
1) The number has been disconnected or is no longer in use.
2) There is an answering machine (good, so far), but the message is so quirky or cutesy that it is impossible to tell if any message left on this machine will ever reach the student in question. (Many a message has been left for Connie Co-ed or Frankie Freshman on an answering machine located in a place that neither Connie nor Frankie have ever set foot!)
Or 3) a sibling or cognitively-impaired visitor from another planet--someone, in brief, who has never heard of the student or of the university and who can't find a writing utensil to save the life of a child--answers the phone and, despite great efforts on the caller's part to comm-un-i-cate s l o w l y and clearly, really has no intention of or capacity for delivering any part of the important message to the aforementioned student. (Really, putting a message in a bottle and tossing it upstream in the Manitowoc River is about as likely to get there.)
As a result of any of these three things, Connie doesn't find out that she didn't sign a necessary paper for financial aid or Frankie doesn't respond to the offer for a newly vacated spot in the class he's dying to get into.

Mail? You say, mail? Don't get me started!

So the BLURB's advice for anyone, but especially college students, who want to get their messages: Give the school the number of a phone you are likely to answer. College officials will not crowd your digital space by texting or twitting or tweeting or gurging you anytime soon, if you will just answer your phone once in a while and, Mon Dieu, maybe even read their good old-fashioned email messages, too.

The BLURB is back!

The BLURB is back after a terrific three month hiatus. We finished out the semester, did some traveling, some sleeping in, and some cooking out. And we're looking forward to another month of the same before the Fall Term begins.

Speaking of things beginning, the Fall Semester starts on September 2nd, which is about the same date as previous years, but this year the 2nd falls on a WEDNESDAY! Labor Day comes late this year (weird, isn't it?), on Monday, the 7th of September. So we'll start with a three-day week, and follow up with a four-day week. before we take on a full week. Odd as it is, it will give all of us a chance to ease back into the swing of things.

Between then and now, there is still time to hustle on in to the Office of Student Services to apply for admission and/or register for classes. And if you get on the stick, you can still apply for Financial Aid. The BLURB suggests that you contact Student Services for help with any part of this process--(920) 683-4707. TODAY!

There are some downright friendly people in that office and they'll go the extra step to help you out (or in). (LOL. Well, maybe STY.)

So little time . . . So much to do

It's getting to be that point in the semester when everyone is feeling overwhelmed. Right? What students may not realize is that faculty and staff have just about had it, too. Well, the BLURB has some advice for you on how to cut corners, save time and energy, and survive the end of the term in one piece.

• Identify at least one thing per day that you can say "no" to, and then say (however politely you want to be about it) "no."
• Instead of spending time and energy to go off-campus to get food, take advantage of the Blue Devil Grill. There are inexpensive items on the menu and it's "hot and now."
• Supplement lunch by tossing an apple or orange or banana in your backpack for a quick and convenient snack.
• Figure out which assignment or deadline you are dreading the most, and, if at all possible, take it on first. You'll feel free and energized by getting it off your back.
• (This may sound strange.) Plan what you're going to wear for the week, so that you don't waste time everyday fussing about it.
• Except for basic hygiene, forget about how you look until finals are over--unless you're in hot pursuit of romance at the same time as you're trying to finish the semester, in which case, you're doomed.
• Lay off of Facebook and Twitter for two weeks. (You'll make everyone wonder if they did something to upset you or if you're sick or if you've run off to Tahiti. You can catch up after finals are over.)
• Stop reading The BLURB this very minute and do one part of one assignment instead.

Mayoral Election--Vote Local

So, okay. There was a great turn-out of young voters in November's presidential election. And that bodes well for an engaged and concerned electorate. But we'll have to see if this translates to a good voter turn-out for the April 7th election, which for Manitowoc voters will feature a mayoral election. Regardless of the outcome, Manitowoc will have its first new mayor in over 20 years. The two candidates are Dave Soeldner and Justin Nickels. Both candidates have made themselves available to the public, and, in particular, to students here at UW-Manitowoc. They each want your vote. The BLURB just wants you to vote. It's the smart thing to do.

Cures for the Mid-Winter Blahs

Well, first of all, unless you have the means to head someplace warm and sunny, you're sort of stuck. But here are three things that might actually help.

# 1. Take megadoses of Vitamin D. Really, it helps. You should be taking 1000 to 2000 units a day in this climate.

# 2. Splurge on some fresh flowers. It doesn't have to be long-stemmed roses. This time of year a bunch of tulips or daffodils can bring on a real "spring is in the air" feeling.

# 3. Do something different. For example, you might want to give Campus Life Nights a try. This week it's an Annex tournament. Next week it's Texas Hold'em and a Taco bar. March 11th is Karaoke night. And the 18th is a Bowling outing at Meadow Lanes North. This stuff is sponsored by Student Senate. It's free. And it's no pressure fun. Or you could try to learn how to juggle watermelons.