August 2004 Archives
The Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth, Catherine Baker Knoll, will speak at Seton Hill University on September 10, at 10 A.M. in Admin 308. There will be time for questions and answers following her talk. This is a project of the public policy interns in Dr. Boyle's office and is co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters. Please urge your students to attend and feel free to attend yourself.
BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE
dir. Michael Moore (2002), 120 mins.
Free Campus Screenings:
Mon. 9/6, Labor Day, 2-4:15pm in AD 308
Fri. 9/10, 3-5:15pm in AD 206
Tues. 9/14, 8:30-10:45am in AD 308
For more information, visit:
michaelmoore.com
For an alternative view of the film, visit:
bowlingfortruth.com
I'm hopeful that turnout will be good for this event, which is open to the entire campus. We're showing it primarily because an excerpt from Michael Moore's Stupid White Men book is in the textbook for the freshman STW classes, who will be discussing the topics of "education" and "globalism" this year. Journalism students should also have an interest in Moore's "documentary" -- I know Dr. Jerz and other popular bloggers have a lot to say about it, too.
Holy cow.
I blog, and nothing happens.
No comments.
No movement on my hit counter.
Nothing.
I talk about blogging, and I get blank stares or that dreaded " shaking head of disapproval" as I surface yet another topic that I could drag screeching and thrashing into the blogosphere...
Being at home, my parents just don't seem to understand. (Nor can they really grasp the concept of blogging, as a matter of fact.) Past conversations of blogging have been rewarded with laughter, horror, and pure disbelief--all welcome in my world merely because I have no contacts. It's driving me mad.
And not to sound totally narcissistic, I'm a little annoyed that my blog is presently as lonely as I feel, and will continue to be lonely until I return to school in the spring.
Wow, even though I'm not in school, I can't wait for the semester to start so there's something to do here on NMJ. Even if it is a blog entry titled "Homework question 7,8,9 pages 46-93"...
Get blogging, you SHU-sters, you.
I don't know about you, but I'd love to leave behind an obituary like this.
Teacher, World Traveler Margaret Casey Dies at 96
She was born on Shakespeare's birthday, April 23, in Pawcatuck, Conn., the second of five children of Irish immigrants Patrick Francis Casey of Upper Tennis and Bridget Mary O'Leary of Glenerah. She grew up in a three-story home in Cumberland Hill, R.I., with aunts, uncles and cousins across the street and a magnificent orchard she always loved in the back yard.
As a youngster and as a teacher, her year always began in September. "As a child I could think of nothing more rewarding than a new dress, a new taffeta hair ribbon, a new pair of shoes, a new pencil box and a new grade," she wrote in a journal she kept for many years.
Ms. Casey was a 1930 graduate of Seton Hill College in Greensburg, Pa., where she was a Greek and Latin major and an English minor. She began her career as a fourth-grade teacher at Cumberland Hill Grammar School and then accepted a position in the English department of Cumberland Hill High School.
Teaching in the midst of the Depression, she once went for a year without pay, and, when she did get paid, she used the money to help her father make sure her brother and sister could attend college as well. She also was working at the time toward her master's degree in English, which she received from Rhode Island College of Education in 1935.
I just got this e-mail:
The IT Department will be selling the WAVE 15" monitors, to include a keyboard and mouse. We will be located in Maura 328 from 1:00 to 3:00pm Friday, August 27th. The fee of $10.00, cash or check accepted. No returns or tech support provided. All of the monitors have been currently running in the labs on campus. This is a first serve basis, we have approximately 25 monitors to sell.
Since I'm on a kick about the internet, I just wanted to throw out a list of comments, complaints, and suggestions to Seton Hill University about the internet service they provide on campus. Why am I doing this? Because the internet on campus is absolutely terrible.
I have to say that I can not wait until the school year starts. I miss my friends and classmates so much. I don't think I have ever been this excited to go back to school in my entire life! I wonder however how many of you out there in the blogging world feel the same way. I know that I have talked to several people who are looking forward to seeing the campus and the new dorm completed (I am one of those seeing as I will be living there), but one thing I have not heard from people is how they are looking forward to meeting new people. This is one reason I decided to be an OA this year. I love meeting new people and that has always been one of my favorite things to do even though sometimes it gets me into trouble. So my request of those of you returning to Seton Hill this fall is to seek out a freshmen or even if not especially a transfer student or commuter and introduce yourself. You never know if a friendship may be waiting on the other end of a welcoming smile!
Have a great year everyone!
After the last orientation, I have a definite impression of polar sympathies from SHU students on blogging. Those that love it--love it forever, those that hate it--always will, and those that are in the middle, well, they'll blog, but will villify it in public and will downplay their own role in the blogosphere.
The 2008 blog has had minimal freshman-to-freshman success, and I don't know if it is because of those promoting it (the term "bloginator" does denote a psychotic tendency) or if we haven't given it enough press within the orientation sessions. I think the latter.
This year, we tried to tell our groups what blogging is in a five minute span during the introductions/icebreaker period, but not every group had a leader familiar with blogging. The handout did help, but the newbies die under the paperwork they give on the first day; why would they want to figure out something else?
As I commented, we need a session devoted to blogging next year. With a hands-on introduction in a computer lab, the students may become more comfortable coming back to the site and posting. I do understand their insecurities; blogging is a big step--you reveal much about yourself, sometimes with the smallest phrase, but we need to let them know that blogging is not evil. We would not even have to make it an hour long like some of the other sessions--five minutes of a well-organized speech and ten minutes of log-on would be sufficient for the freshmen to get a better grasp on what blogging is.
As for past orientations and blogging press, it really hasn't been pretty. I don't want people to lie and say that they love it, but I would ask that they cast blogging in a positive light, despite their own inhibitions about the software/community/style that blogging entails. As OAs we are required to display this type of behavior, and as such, we should do it for everything that Seton Hill offers--including the blogging community.
The Class of 2008 blog can offer a positive environment for those who are really trying to meet people; I hope we don't let our personal biases interfere with great opportunities for others.
The temporary user account "2008 Student," which I created in order to let incoming freshmen post entries here, keeps getting hijacked by curious people who are (innocently) trying to create their own logins. Little do they know that by personalizing "2008 Student" to their own name, they are locking out everyone else who tries to use "2008 Student".
MoveableType, the software that runs this blog, wasn't designed for the way we use it here. In fact, there isn't any off-the-shelf software that's designed for the way we use it here. So there are going to be glitches. Well, that's all a part of the fun when you're trying something new.
At any rate, for the time being, "2008 Student" should work now.
Yeah, you've all seen the shitty commercials and signs. I'll watch out for motorcyclists when they stop doing 110 mph down the highway while swerving between vehicles. "Look behind you, there could be a motorcycle!" Next time I look behind me and see a motorcycle I'm going to swing my door open so that when he tries to pass me he gets his ass knocked off his shitty bike. Seriously, why should the public watch out for them when they're too stupid to watch out for themselves? The other day I saw a motorcyclist driving about 95 mph between vehicles when he apparently decided that it would be "fun, exciting and daring" to do a wheelie in between two semi-trucks. How stupid can you get?
Another thing, just because you drive a motorcycle doesn't mean you should wear an orange county choppers T-shirt/hat/helmet/thong/whatever other crappy merchandise they've come up with from that show. No one should wear anything that says "Orange County Choppers." Ever. In fact, the next cyclist that pulls up behind me wearing OCC merchandise is going to get my bumper in his face when I suddenly stop to avoid hitting that damned pesky squirrel in the road.
Motorcyclists are like little kids, apparently they need babysitters to wipe their asses and make sure they don't do stupid shit like run into parked cars. "Watch out, it's car/truck/SUV season!" It's about damn time cyclists began watching my back for a change.
