Archive for October, 2011

Sophomore Blogger: October Antics

October 31, 2011 at 2:35 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , ,

By Rachel Chlebowski

One of the greatest things about TCNJ is the sense of community here. It’s the reason I chose this school over a year ago now, because I thought I would fit in here and because I wanted to be part of this student body, this community of intelligent, driven people with the same interests as me.  Summer 2010, I discovered that I would be dorming in a single in Cromwell, in a suite shared solely with the CA. I was borderline devastated because I didn’t even have an equally frightened freshman roommate that I would get to know before moving in and starting at this brave new world called college. But my CA was friendly, liked the same books and TV shows as I did, and by the time I moved in I saw my single as the blessing it was instead of a curse. I mean, …I had a SINGLE.

Okay. Done bragging. But despite my fears of being left out of the community I so very much wanted to be a part of, I found a group of friends by the end of Welcome Week and they remain my closest friends here today, in the second month of sophomore year.  I finally have a roommate, and we have mutually agreed to plaster our New Res walls with posters, something she excelled in last year and I did not take advantage of in my single (last mention, I promise).  While my first month last year was spent making friends, getting used to college work, and auditioning for a capella groups, this past September was spent perfecting my posters.

 

A glimpse of Rachel's posters

Now that I’m a sophomore here at TCNJ, with friends I can watch movies with, majors I can write papers for, and I-Tunes A Capella I can sing along with, I would like to spend this month (or semester, or year) getting more involved with organizations on campus and also looking into studying abroad or interning.  Last year, I wanted to join so many clubs that I freaked out and couldn’t choose one, and ended up not getting nearly as involved as I wanted to in any of them.  At least with majors, I was able to narrow it down to Communication Studies and English, but the amount of organizations—of niches, of communities—I wanted to be a part of was downright overwhelming.  This semester I have written a list of the activities whose Wednesday meetings I want to make a point of attending regularly, and there are three at 1:00pm, two at 2:00pm, two at 3:00pm, two at 4:00pm, and then I have class at 5:00pm.  This is my first semester with classes on Wednesdays, so while every other weekday is now a spring breeze, Wednesdays hit me like Hurricane Irene…too soon?

When I tell my roommate that I made a Hurricane Irene joke, she’ll laugh out loud. Something both of us have agreed to strive for is that we will procrastinate less (GAH, the p-word!) and go to sleep earlier. It’s 3:00am and we both have homework to finish before going to sleep. We, we so excited! Another thing we concur upon is that we must reference Rebecca Black’s “Friday” less. Hahah.

I can’t end it on that note.  I don’t have extraordinary guidance, since I’m in the same stressed state as you guys, just suggestions: if you’re not already involved with an activity or organization, go out there and find your niche! There are so many great aspects of this community, too many to not join at least one of them.  Join the new book club they mentioned at ACT! It’ll be my fourth activity at that time on Wednesdays (1:30pm, Social Sciences 227, check it out!), but I’d like to do a book club.  Become a DJ on WTSR!  I took the DJ exam yesterday so we’ll see how that went soon.  Just try something new and broaden your horizons…learn to play an instrument! My friend on my floor is currently teaching me to play the guitar.  My fingertips still feel like they’re in this dreamlike state between real life and numbness…But at least I’ve begun.

Rachel Chlebowski is a TCNJ sophomore from Old Bridge, NJ, who is double-majoring in Communication Studies (Radio-TV-Film track) and English because she couldn’t choose one, so she just chose both. One day she hopes to write a novel that someone will love as much as she loves Harry Potter. Rachel is involved with I-Tunes A Capella and enjoys reading books, watching movies, going to Disney World, and being nice to people. And yes...her roommate DID laugh at the Irene joke

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Helping friends

October 26, 2011 at 5:20 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , ,

By: Andrea Patrick   

Within the Health Services office is the Counseling and Psychological Services office. This is a resource for students facing difficulties in their lives. Whether the conflict is academically, physically, mentally, spiritually, interpersonal, or socially related, CAPS provide a wide range of free treatment options to improve your mental health. Counseling ranges from individual to group settings. CAPS does not provide long-term counseling; they will work with you to connect you to outside mental health provider so treatment can continue beyond the walls of the college. If a student is not interested in formal counseling, they can come to programs put on by the CAPS Peer Educators. These fun and educational programs are more informal and approachable.

Mental health is often viewed as less important than physical health to the general public. This stigma slows an individual’s response time to the problem at hand. Acting sooner than later can give someone a handle on their problem before it gets out of hand. Mental health concerns usually start out slow and moderate in severity, in the absence of a direct stressor. Over time, this problem can grow until it is too much for someone to handle alone. If someone is interested in seeking out counseling services, it is best to act in a timely manner. There is a large volume of requests coming through the office. You can fill out paperwork either in the office or on the CAPS website. All paper work and counseling is confidential. Attending programs is a great way to educate yourself about mental health topics without worrying about scheduling with the CAPS office.

Often it is difficult to express concern to your friend in fear they will act defensively and ignore all future attempts to help them. If you find this difficult, approach a CAPS Peer Educator to ask for conservation advice or whether they can assist you in talking to your friend. Also, it can be difficult to gauge whether your friend is just going through a rough patch or whether there are signs of a greater problem. Programs offer a chance for people to learn about an issue without feeling forced to seek treatment. By attending programs, it can open up dialogue with someone you are concerned about.

If you are noticing any changes in someone you know, it is important to assess if these changes are drastic and/or long lasting. If you are concerned about your friend, encouraging them to look into CAPS could guide them in a positive direction. There is also a program called Friends Helping Friends where if you are concerned about a friend, you personally can go to the counseling office to fill out forms for your friend. The person of concern will be contacted and offered assistance. In the program, the friend who is concerned can even sit in on the counseling session if all parties are consenting. Forms for this program can be accessed at the CAPS office.

If you believe your friend is having serious problems like suicidal thoughts or destructive behavior, go see a trained staff member about your friend. This could be your CA on your floor or a direct member of the CAPS office. Don’t hesitate to act if you seriously believe something bad will happen to your friend if there is no action taken or change in their life. If you believe your friend is in serious, life-threatening danger and you have no available resources to turn to, call 911 or Campus Police for help.

There are many treatment options within CAPS. If you have any questions, check out the CAPS section of TCNJ’s website, stop by the office in Eickhoff 107, or seek out a CAPS Peer Educator to talk to.

Andrea Patrick is a junior criminology major and psychology minor. She is involved with ResLife and CAPS Peer Educators. Her favorite part of being a CAPS Peer Educator is getting different people to think about the impact of mental health on their life and the lives of others. Being a CAPS Peer Educator helped her be a better CA because she has an increased sensitivity to issues affecting residents.

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Welcome Sophomore Bloggers!

October 24, 2011 at 9:05 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , ,

Do you ever feel like you are experiencing everything alone? Frustration with classes? Fear of a professor? Apprehension of the major you are in? I could say that you’re not alone in your experiences…but would you take me seriously?

I didn’t think so…

The fact remains that sophomores experience a lot of similar situations…they just don’t realize it because no one wants to talk about it.

This year…that’s changing, because four brave TCNJ sophomores have volunteered to share their experiences with the rest of their class. Each blogger will post once a month on Mondays-in the post they will share what’s been happening with them…how they’ve been approaching life as a TCNJ sophomore.

Maybe you will be able to see something you have been dealing with and get an idea of how to tackle it without even realizing it!

Today’s post is to introduce the 2011-2012 bloggers and a little bit about what they plan on writing about this year.

Thomas Ciccone is a journalism major and a writer for the Signal. He has ideas to share his experiences on the staff of the Signal as well as his search to find other opportunities to pursue his career aspirations…all while being a student at TCNJ and the adventures that entails.

Rachel Chlebowski is double-majoring in Communication Studies (Radio-TV-Film track) and English, she plans on sharing her experience as a sophomore, as well as discussing books she is reading for my classes as well as outside of class, and also student organizations she is involved with or in the process of becoming more active in

Emaad Iqbal is a biology major and involved with about 1000 different organizations. On top of his academic workload he is also a Community Advisor in New Residence Hall. This year he is going to share his experience as a sophomore in a leadership position and his time management techniques.

Jeni Doughan is an English major minoring in Deaf Studies.  Currently, she hopes to pursue a doctorate in Clinical Audiology.  She procrastinates best with silly art projects, sidewalk chalk, and magazine collages. and she will be blogging about the “trials and tribulations” of her sophomore year. With all the clubs and classes she has decided to join/take she is hoping she can share advice on all the time management and stress relief tips she tries  this year!

Read and enjoy their posts…if you have questions for the blogger please leave a comment and maybe they will answer your questions in their next post!

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Getting involved with the community OFF campus!

October 19, 2011 at 7:58 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , , ,

By Gwen Rajski

Did you know that helping others makes you happy? Authors Tom Rath and Jim Harter talk about different aspects of your life that contributes to your overall happiness in their book called Wellbeing. They explain that the action of helping others (even donating money) helps you feel better about what is going on in your life.

Sometimes that fact is forgotten when in college. With classes, school work, on campus extracurricular activities…how can one get involved with the community off campus? Actually, there are opportunities on campus that you can take advantage of to help the community off campus.

  1. The Bonner Center http://bonner.pages.tcnj.edu/about/get-involved/: The Bonner center is an avenue that you can explore to get involved in the community. The center coordinates projects in the Trenton community they are often looking for more volunteers to work with the students who are part of their Bonner Community Scholar program.
    • If you are dedicated to volunteering in the Greater Trenton Community the Bonner Scholar program is also an opportunity. The Bonner Community Scholars are a diverse group of students who share a common desire and commitment—to work as part of a team (of students, staff and community members) that strives to improve the quality of life in the Trenton area. For more information about the Bonner Scholar program: http://bonner.pages.tcnj.edu/bonner-community-scholars/recruitment/

  2. If committing to be a part of a team of people is not an option for you this semester you can always start smaller. Talk to a professor about volunteer opportunities in your major. Education major? Look at volunteering at a local school for tutoring. Accounting? Is there a program where you can teach people basic budgeting?
    • If you are reading this and thinking “My major requires lots of training to work in.” Then try something new…change up your resume. The saying is… “Variety is the spice of life” and that goes to resumes too. An employer looking at resumes is more likely to remember an accounting major who volunteered to teach adults how to read than an accounting major who immersed themselves in their major and stayed on campus for 4 years.
  3. There are other groups on campus that do outreach to various communities, groups like: Devoted to Reaching Expectations and Mentoring Students (DREAMS), Circle K, and Engineers Without Borders just to name a few.
    Talk with your CA…maybe there is a nursing home that you want to make cards for as we near the holidays. Or maybe you have a friend serving our country oversees and would like to start a pen pal program…bring it to your CA to help your idea succeed!
  4. The final suggestion…look at what you really like to do. If violence prevention is something that you are interested and passionate in…organizations like Womanspace and the NJ Coalition Against Sexual Assault. If helping the homeless is something that you want to do, find a local soup kitchen to volunteer at.

It’s tough to reach out and offer to help…there is always that possibility that they will refuse the help but if that happens… the fact is…you tried. And that is a lot more than what most people can say.

The first ever Ewing Community Fair is taking place Saturday October 29, from 10-2…stop by to see if there is an organization that you can get involved with!

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SYE Logo Competition!

October 14, 2011 at 4:49 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , ,

For those of you who are looking for something to do over Fall Break: The Sophomore Year Experience is looking for a new logo.

The winner will receive a $100.00 gift card to Barnes and Noble. (UPDATE: The winning logo designer will also be asked to paint a mural in an SYE building of the logo!)

The rules are as follows:

Rules/Regulations :
1) Cannot be offensive
2) Needs to include “SYE”
3) Anyone can apply

The deadline for Submission is November 1st to albano4@tcnj.edu.

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Study Abroad…the adventure of a lifetime!

October 12, 2011 at 2:51 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , ,

Ciao!

This past summer, I spent three weeks in Italy studying abroad with an organization called International Studies Abroad (ISA). My trip began in Rome, Italy where I met the other fifty students’ part of this summer program and had my orientation. ISA organized walking and bus tours for us and brought us to a group dinner. During my four-day stay in Rome I had the opportunity to see the Roman Ruins, the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, the Sistine Chapel, and the Vatican museum.

After orientation, ISA brought us all on a bus to Florence, Italy. They brought us all to our respective apartments and gave us our keys. I lived in an apartment across from Pitti Palace with eight other girls. There were three bedrooms with three girls per room each with a bathroom. The nine of us all shared the kitchen, the washer, and the TV. Yes, I only said washer. As I lived independently in a new country, I had to learn new customs. In Italy, dryers do not exist and everything gets hung dry off the balcony or on a line. Italy also does not serve drinks in restaurants with ice. There was plenty to get used to, but nothing to hold me back from having fun and exploring a new country.

During my three weeks in Italy I took a Physics class at the Florence University of the Arts. The credits I earned there were transferable to my major here at TCNJ. I walked to my class five days a week and was in class for about two hours. There were twelve people in my class; therefore my professor was able to supplement some of our class meetings with museum trips and labs. My days in Florence were all structured similarly. I was lucky to have my class in the morning so after class I would walk to the open market with my new found friends to buy food for lunch and dinner. Since the refrigerator was small and since food is so fresh in the markets, we bought our food on a daily basis. I had so much fun cooking in the apartment with the other girls and experimenting with new types of pastas and vegetables.

Every other weekday, the girls in my room and I took day trips around Italy. We chose cities that we about an hour to an hour and a half out of Florence and could be reached by train and/or bus. The train station was definitely intimidating at first and very confusing, but after our first trip we felt confident and continued travelling. The day trips that I went to include San Gimignano, Signa, Pisa, and Lucca. On the weekends we took farther trips. The first weekend I followed the excursion ISA provided and went to Lake Garda and Verona. They once again brought us on tours, however this time it was a beautiful boat tour and a walking tour respectively. On the second weekend my friends and I went to Venice by EuroRail, one of the fastest European trains. Finally, on the last weekend, my roommates and I stayed in Cinque Terre to hike the five villages and stayed overnight to enjoy the beach the following day.

Although, I was nervous and scared at first, in the end I did not want to leave and now I wish I could go back. I can confidently say that if I were to go back to Florence, Italy I would be very comfortable and know where to go and who to go to in the event of an emergency. The ISA staff based in Florence was one of the most amazing groups of people I have ever met. They became like family to me during my stay, helping me out when I needed it, showing me where to go for the best foods and entertainment, even walking me to the post office to send a letter back home. I appreciated their help so much and not once did I feel that they were tired of helping and caring for all of us.

What I have shared with you is just a recap of my experiences in Italy this past summer. This does not even begin to describe all the amazing sites I saw, all the interesting people I met, all the friendships I have made, and all the great food I ate. I was privileged to have the opportunity to study abroad and even have my parents visit me there, but with appropriate planning, anyone can go. I definitely encourage anyone who has even thought of studying abroad to go and explore. My experience is one that I will never forget. St. Augustine once said, “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” After this amazing experience I can say that I have definitely turned some pages in my book and I cannot wait to continue doing so in the future.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me or visit http://www.studiesabroad.com/for more information about the program I went on and the many more ISA offers.
 
-Jessica Phan
ISA Global Ambassador
phan3@tcnj.edu

Jessica Phan, Junior Technology/Pre-Engineering Education Major Communication Studies Minor. When asked about her favorite memory from Italy she said: "(Definitely hard to just choose one, but...) Shopping at the open-air market daily to buy fresh fruits and vegetables because it allowed me to truly experience Italian culture."

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It’s never too late to get help!

October 5, 2011 at 6:42 pm · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

By Gwen Rajski

Classes are going, you’re getting back into the swing of the school year, and you think that you have your classwork down pact.

And then mid-terms hit. Suddenly you’re not too sure what’s going on and things aren’t going as well as you thought. It seems like it is too late but…it’s not. That good grade is not out of your reach if you start NOW rather than 2 weeks before finals.

Getting Help

 First thing to do? Go to office hours-the BEST way to get one on one help from your professor. It always seems intimidating to go to their office but they set those hours as a guarantee that they will be in their office at the specified time. If no one comes for help they just use that time as administrative work but 99% of the time professors would prefer that students come in for help.

Utilize the resources on campus! Did you know the tutoring center on campus not only offers help in any math, science, humanities, and social sciences course but also help with writing for any of the offered courses? There is a place on campus that hires people who excel in a subject that you need help in. They are there to assist students to succeed in their classes. The tutoring center’s website with hours of operation is: http://www.tcnj.edu/~tutoring/.

Next step: start a study group. Studies have shown that reviewing class materials in small groups can actually help you learn. Exchanging information helps cement things that you already are comfortable in and learning from your classmates can not only help you learn about a topic you aren’t comfortable in but it can help your classmate cement information for themselves.

Studying

Something to keep in mind when you look at your study habits is that reviewing little bits at a time works better for you rather than cramming the night before an exam. Your brain is not wired to take in massive amounts of information in a short period of time. Spreading the work out starting now will make your finals prep all that much easier.

When you are studying make notes of your questions and the things that you don’t understand. This way when you go to class you have a list of things you can ask questions on. It may seem silly but if you’re struggling with something in a class, odds are someone else is too and you can use class time to get questions answered not only for you but for others in class. Don’t get bogged down in trying to understand one thing. If you get to a point where you aren’t understanding something, step away for a little bit. Move to other homework and then come back. You can always come back to your work and some time away from it (focusing on other homework) might actually help you understand what you were struggling with earlier.

The bottom line though: if you’re struggling with a class…start working on it now rather than at Thanksgiving…you’ll thank yourself once finals come around

Gwen Rajski, RD for ABE, Centennial, and Cromwell. Gwen's biggest help going through school was to seek out professors during their office hours. Office hours is also how she formed bonds with professors that allowed her other opportunities outside of the classroom.

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