Wheels on the Bus....

    Within the last month and a half, the volleyball team has traveled to five different universities across the Midwest on a charter bus.  By the fifth and most recent trip, the charter bus began to feel like a second home to many of us, especially the freshmen who are just getting used to the imprint the uncomfortable seats leave on your backside.  For the seniors, the buses have been the means of transportation to away matches for the past four years and some of the treks have lasted as long as eight hours.  However, regardless of the length of the trip, the volleyball team always finds ways to make the bus ride entertaining.  Our coach does make us do study tables for a couple hours on the longer trips but that is actually beneficial because we are oftentimes missing classes while we are away.  But apart from academics, we watch movies, play games, and have many conversations; sometimes involving severely slap happy girls because we have been couped up on a bus for six hours! The most recent road trip back from the University of Indianapolis was spent doing MadLibs and playing other word games to pass the time.  No matter where we go, the volleyball team always makes the best out of the long bus rides we have to endure because they are truly the times when we get to know each other even more and make some lasting memories.  

What About Blogging?

      Having to create a blog and write on it twice a week has not been as miserable for me as I think it has been for other individuals in the class.  I actually enjoy writing on my blog as well as reading others.  It is an avenue for me to write about what I want (within the bounds of a prompt if Mac gives us one) and express my opinions in a much more creative way than in a typical hard news article.  Also, with technology advancing as it is, blogging opens up a world of opportunity for the post.  Bloggers can post links, pictures, videos, comics, and any other additive to their article to make it even more appealing and interactive for a reader.  And there is the other part of blogging I like; reading! I am a food junkie so within the last year I have looked at so many food blogs it is unreal! But I also find that I am interested in other types of blogs as well; informational, sports, health, and even personal blogs written by perfect strangers!  Blogs are a way to enter another individual's mind and view the world or whatever they are writing about from their perspective. I am thankful that we are including blogging and the technological aspect of journalism into our class and I hope my peers appreciate the assignment as much as I do.

Here is a link of an example of one of the many food blogs I look at!!
Be warned...you may become addicted like me!

 http://www.mariasmenu.com/desserts/nutella-and-chocolate-cupcake

Wittenberg: Conservative or Liberal?

 

     With the upcoming election and all the buzz about politics around campus, it's no surprise that the question of Wittenberg's political views comes into question.  Being a citizen that is not as informed as she probably should be about the presidential campaign, I do not really take notice to the overall political "feel" of our university.  However, through discussions in our news writing class, I am beginning to notice things around campus that scream either democrat or republican.  For instance, there is a house on the edge of Fountain Ave. that has a home-made sign in front that supports Obama and has a big pair of lips on it, possibly giving Obama a kiss?  Also, I am noticing bumper stickers on cars across campus; many of which are supporting liberal candidates or liberal issues.  Regardless of whether or not students feel that they are up to date with the current election, they are being exposed to it daily just by being on campus.  And the overwhelming support of liberal ideals makes me believe that this exposure may be painting a biased picture for those of us who are not as politically aware and savvy.

Baby, It's Getting Cold Outside

       I wouldn't say that temperatures are to the point where singing the famous song, Baby It's Cold Outside, is appropriate but the recent chilly mornings make me believe that time is not too far off.  This morning I woke up at 7:45AM and I was absolutely frozen in my bed! I like to sleep with my window open during the fall because it gets me some fresh air and keeps my room cool with the temperate climate of Ohio's autumn.  However, I may need to rethink my sleeping circumstances if night temperatures continue to reach the lows that they have been.  Don't get me wrong, I love fall weather because daytime temperatures are a happy medium between hot and cold.  However, I am now going to have to prepare better for nighttime and possibly close my window to avoid seeing my breath when I wake up.  Bundle up Wittenberg!



PS. I am attaching a link to a local weather forecast for those of you, who like me, want to prepare for colder temperatures ahead!

http://www.weather.com/weather/today/Springfield+OH+USOH0908

Noisy Neighbors

      On a college campus, it is typically the college students who are throwing the massive parties with loud music. However, what I do not think people realize is that sometimes it is Springfield civilians who occupy those loud houses of our neighborhood.  I live on the edge of campus, an area where many non-Wittenberg affiliated people reside.  Recently, my roommates and I were suddenly woken up because of music echoing from a nearby house.  Being located directly behind the FIJI house on campus, we immediately assumed that it was coming from them.   To our surprise however, the noise was coming from a house next door, in which a Springfield family lives.  I swear, it sounded like we were at an Amy Winehouse concert as her song Rehab seemingly played over and over again.  It did not makes sense to me that a house with a family living in it would be playing music so loudly at 8:30AM.  But sure enough, it was them because this is not the only time it has happened.  My roommate threatened that next time she was woken up by their music, she would call the Witt Security on them.  Although, I am not sure what Wittenberg Security can do since the family has no ties with the university to my knowledge.
       I know that in class we have discussed how Wittenberg students are living among Springfield residents in the off-campus housing areas but who would have imagined that the Witt students would be complaining about the Springfield locals about noise. Kinda seems a little backwards to me.  Possibility for a news story? I think so.

Remembering September 11th

       Each year, September 11th is a day stained with sorrow and grievance for people throughout the United States and yet Wittenberg held no memorial service or vigil to remember those lost in the tragedy. Why?  This is a question I immediately asked myself as I reflected on the day and its' meaning to me.  Last year, Wittenberg had a ten year anniversary memorial service; however I think that this year was no less tragic or less worthy of remembrance than any year in the past.  It bothered me that our university failed to recognize those lives lost in the terrorist attacks of 9/11 when it was an event that affected every citizen, and undoubtedly every Witt student, at that time.  The most frequent type of remembrance that I encountered yesterday was either through peoples' twitter accounts or on television.  I just hope that Wittenberg is not dismissing this event because it is now more than ten years in the past.  It is still a memory that is fresh in the minds of every American and will continue to be as long as people chose to remember and respect September 11th.  Even though I will not be at Wittenberg next year during September, I hope that the University will do a better job of remembering the day and the people who lost their lives in the attacks.

Can Men Be From Venus and Women From Mars??

         Throughout society's history, men and women have always had some form of cultural boundary regarding the role each gender is meant to fill.  However, what if those roles were reversing? This question is both intriguing and relevant because men and women are in fact currently experiencing a gender role reversal in America.  Women are seen stepping into more powerful positions in the professional world and men are seen taking on a more nurturing and child-rearing role.   

       It may seem like a very broad and extensive topic for a semester long story and I realized this once I began planning my approach to get the information I will need.  However, I am currently taking a communication class at Wittenberg that has introduced me to the notion of gender roles.  After discussing in class the current state of those roles on a societal level, I immediately thought about it also being evident at Wittenberg.  Especially with the recent inauguration of the first female president in Wittenberg's history, I thought this topic would be extremely prevalent and interesting to students.
        My plan is to interview Dr. Joyner, the new president, to get her perspective as the first female president and her general opinions about women gaining more power in society.  I also want to interview the communication department professors because their gender dynamics are interesting.  Having only one male professor among four women professors will provide me with helpful insight to how gender plays into their professional lives.   I am hoping to first provide readers with a broad societal view of gender role reversal, providing examples and information from credible literature.  After that I will tailor the story to Wittenberg and how students and faculty alike are being influenced by the gender role reversal.  Hopefully this story will be as interesting to my readers as it is to me.

Tiger Up Witt!!

         Tonight, the first annual Tiger Sports Rally was held in the student center on Wittenberg's campus to kick off this year's athletic season.  Not only was this event used as a means to gather tiger athletes but it was also a way to introduce our new president, Dr. Joyner, to the athletes here at Wittenberg.  The rally was consumed by the music, energy, and excitement provided by the athletes and coaches alike that were present.  It was really great to experience a gathering of all the athletes at Wittenberg and to really see just how many of us there are.  The athletic director and several coaches led the athletes in cheers and then Dr. Joyner gave a short speech.  She said how impressed she was with Wittenberg so far because not only are we academically strong but also athletically successful.  However, as the rally went on, students began to lose interest; especially during a trivia game that seemed to last a lifetime.  But, have no fear, the athletes attention levels and energy picked up again once the DJ yelled "who wants free t-shirts?!" Quickly athletes were on their feet hoping to catch a free Wittenberg t-shirt.  Overall, I think the rally was a success and I hope they continue it for years to come.  

A New Species Of Human??

       I am currently enrolled in a course at Wittenberg called Relational Communication and as I enter the third week of class, I am already being intellectually challenged by this class.  A recent assignment was to read an article from the magazine, Scientific American, titled "What Will Become of Homo Sapiens?"  This title, you may be thinking to yourself, is rather precarious in nature.  It is something not many people think about; the evolution of the human race.  As it says in the article, some people believe that the human race is done evolving due to modern technology and medicine that allows us to live longer and reproduce more successfully.  However, others believe that modern technology like genetic modification will ultimately create a new species of human.  What? A new species of human? Yes, that is what I said.  The author of the article,  Peter Ward, is an expert in paleontology and mass extinctions.  He stated that if humans begin to genetically modify their unborn children so that they live longer and are seemingly healthier, that generation of children will evolve into a new species of human; a more intelligent and longer-living species who will only want to reproduce with others like them.  Today, genetic modification is surrounded by questions of ethics and is possibly still considered taboo when dealing with altering human genes.
       At first, it was difficult for me to understand this article because of its' complicated and abstract nature.  But as I thought about it more, I realized that Ward's theory may be a tad extreme but it may have some truth to it.  Are we allowing technology to interfere with natural human processes that could potentially effect the future of our species? Human genetic modification walks a very fine line between pursuing technological/medicinal breakthroughs and allowing the creation of the "perfect" child, an already an ethically charged topic in today's society.  So I guess the question to ask is, what will become of humans if we continue down this technologically driven path  where ultimately even our genetic make-up is determined by fellow humans? According to Ward, we will have a new species of human amongst us.