My Least Favorite Thing About Wittenberg

Remember when getting a degree qualified you for a job? Yep, doesn't seem to be the case any longer. I would think a BA Studio Art degree with a concentration in graphic design and photography would teach me the skills I would need to get a job in Advertising, especially when I have been paying 100 of thousands of dollars for an education. However, the required courses for this major have not prepared me for a career in my area of expertise. Sadly, enough.

The jobs I am seeking are graphic design positions. I am highly knowledgeable in the Adobe Creative Suites programs, which would make me fit for any print job. Then there is the whole realm of web design, which hasn't even been covered during my career at Wittenberg. I now am unprepared for the real world, because Wittenberg is short-staffed in the Art department. There are simply not enough teachers who have the knowledge to teach the information, let alone have the time to teach it to a class. There is one professor for all photography and graphic design courses. I would have to say this has been my least favorite thing about Wittenberg. I just wish someone would have warned me. Isn't that what advisors are for?

Word on the Street

The forecast for this Saturday is projected to be partly cloudy with a high of 67 degress and 10% chance of rain. Sounds like an almost perfect Ohio day for Wittfest right? A quick break from the torrential downpour that has bombarded Springfield for the past month. However, word on the street is that the Girl Talk concert may still be inside due to the previous weather conditions. It has been said that the Hollow is too wet or damp to support the stage, all the equipment, and transportation of the vehicles in and out. It would prove damaging. Another solution that has been talked about would be holding the concert in the HPER parking lot. I wasn't aware that the HPER had a parking lot. Unless of course they are considering the eight spot lot which would not nearly be big enough for any form of entertainment.
On a brighter note, an indoor concert for Girl Talk may not be a bad thing after all. I have heard good reviews about his light shows, which would be more intense in an enclosed space. I am interested to see how it all works out and have my fingers crossed for the best.

Having survived the threatening ten minute tornado warning, I would like to consider the safety precautions taken by Wittenberg University and Clark county. The emergency email sent out to the campus of Wittenberg included coverage from News Center 7 and it says, "There are no tornado sirens in that area, so residents are being instructed to take cover immediately."
Hmm..So if I'm not checking my email during class I won't be informed of these severe weather conditions? The only reason we sought shelter was because someone had checked their cell phone during class and had received the emergency text from Chief Loney. Not everyone is signed up for this service and we are not supposed to have cell phones in class. Obviously, we aren't tuned in to the weather channel either. We took precaution and moved to Ness auditorium, since it is an enclosed space with no windows, yet the class in Ness was unaware of any situation happening at all.

This comes directly from Chief Jamey Barnett of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau of the United States FCC regarding "Multiple Technologies to Bring Alerts and Warnings to the Public":

It is absolutely critical that members of the public have access to timely and accurate emergency alerts and warnings about impending disasters and other emergencies.
One of our top priorities at the FCC has been and continues to be ensuring that all Americans have the capability to receive timely and accurate alerts, warnings, and critical information regarding emergencies, irrespective of the communication technologies that they use or have in hand.

The conditions are clearly not being met in the Miami Valley, Ohio area. However, Clark County Emergency Management Agency has implemented the W.A.R.N. (Wide Area Rapid Notification) system, to notify citizens who have signed up for the emergency notifications. This was only found after thorough research and am still trying to locate the situation with the sirens, the most basic informative alert system. What positive measures can we take to better handles these kinds of serious situations?

What if there really had been a tornado? I think it is something we need to take a bit more seriously and do some investigating for the safety of ourselves and those around us.

Better Late Than Never

For those who do not know me, I have played soccer since I was 4 years old, and I can still remember my first practice behind some random church with my dad as my coach. Soccer has always taken up most of my time, having daily practices, weekend tournaments, and 6:00 am fitness sessions, ultimately making up a 4 season sport. It came to me as no surprise that by the time college visits came around soccer was not on my agenda after competing for 15 years.

It wasn't until I came to Wittenberg (my dad has to DRAG me to a tour, what was Wittenberg anyways?) that soccer came back into the picture. It was my dads dream that I continue to play throughout college, but not so much the case for me. I had been recruited and contacted by the coach and unwillingly signed myself up for something I wasn't looking too forward to. I even ignored several calls and emails from my future coach (that made for an awkward first meeting) because I was so hesitant on continuing my soccer career.

But, THANK GOD I got that little extra nudge from my dad, a little pressure makes the best recipe for success. Though I had been hesitant and pessimistic, the Wittenberg Women's Soccer team has been my favorite thing about Wittenberg and my entire college experience. It has built bonds between friends and teammates that I didn't know could exist, and has provided me with a backbone for other endeavors I have undertaken. They have been included in all of my favorite times and memories. And though it wasn't always a smooth, easy road. It was worth every minute and I am so thankful to have been given the experience and shared it with life long friends.

Bucket List

The other day in class Drew made the comment, "I have 36 days to get my whole life together." 36 days is roughly a single month of my 960 month life. Therefore, not very much time to gather my maturity and face the intimidating real world lying in front of me. As a nearing-the-end senior, I pray my "Wittenberg bubble" won't ever pop.
While classmates are figuring out future plans, most are still trying to cram in the last bit of fun of their college experience. That is where the bucket list comes in. A bucket list is normally a list of things you would like to accomplish before you die, or "kick the bucket." However, for college students the bucket list consists of activities they would like to do before they graduate. At Wittenberg we have so many traditions that what ends up on the list seems very alien to an outsider. Here is the break down of a few:

1. Streak the Hollow - The act of getting naked, alone or with company, and running the length of the land from Myers to Recitation Hall. You must touch the doors of Recitation to actually complete the task.
2. Completing the Circuit - This is for the buff's of streaking (no pun intended). Once you have completed the elementary task of streaking the hollow, you continue your path from the hollow, through Hollenbeck Hall, and straight to the turf (many students, including athletes, take a break outside the natatorium). The trick is not to get caught!
   
3. The Gauntlet - This is for the brave few. You must drink one of every beer on tap at Station one totaling 36 pints of beer. I only know of two fellows to complete this task and they said, "it is a marathon, not a race."

So before you graduate, think about letting loose for awhile. If you haven't done the first two they are a MUST.