Snows cones that will cause you to Shiver with goodness

             If you haven’t noticed, Texas weather is for lack of better words…cray cray. Some days it’s hot like the sun just decided to hover above us and say “oh hey! I’m just hanging here for a bit,” but other days, it becomes really cold even if we’re in the South. Summer is over, but there is a delicious icy treat that we don't let fall take from us.

                I’m talking about snow cones!!! If you’re like me, they remind me of my childhood days where I used to run to the truck where the snow cone man sold these cooling treats; though you don’t have to run anymore as there is a snow cone stand that is a drive-thru service. YOU MUST GO TO SHIVER’S SNOW CONES!

New restaurant opening next door

                In a small city like Tyler, nothing ever goes unnoticed; especially when there’s news of new restaurants being built. Why? BECAUSE WE LOVE FOOD. This is America. Even though we stopped super sizing everything, we still enjoy every single gram of salt and sugar. This includes burgers, hot dogs and milkshakes. We are a culture of living life to the fullest so we enjoy eating things that are delicious and satisfying. #YOLO.

                Right next to Ornelas Hall across University Boulevard there is a new plot being prepared for a new establishment. This will not be another bistro or fancy place, it will be an all-American burger joint where you will be happy digging into steak burgers and succulent fries. Steak ‘N Shake has come to Tyler!!

UT Tyler Honors Colloquium Event: Forensic Pathology 101

On Tuesday, September 24^th, the UT Tyler Honors Program hosted a lecture from Dr. Scott Kornman, MD, FCAP, titled “Forensic Pathology 101” in the University Center Theater.  Dr. Kornman is a Forensic Pathologist who began his career for the US Air Force, and after working at several hospitals and medical centers, he now works at the Diagnostic Clinic of Longview in Longview, Texas.  He is also the father of current UT Tyler Honors student CJ Kornman, so he was more than happy to speak with students about his profession and its intricacies.

Forensic pathology is a subset of pathology, or the study of disease, that focuses on the determination of cause of death via corpse examination.  Primarily, the function of a forensic pathologist is to determine the cause of death for a person, whether that cause by simple or complex.  Forensic pathologists often perform autopsies on the recently deceased, often times for criminal law cases or civil cases.  They also work identify the body of a deceased individual, which can often be very tasking, dependent on the cause and manner of death of the individual. 

An example of how the "CSI Effect" can affect
 jury deliberation over criminal and civil cases.

This work is highly stylized to the public through television shows such as CSI, Bones, Dexter, Law & Order, etc.  However, according to Dr. Kornman, the entertainment media dramatizes forensic science to an extreme degree, to the point where it is nowhere near accurate to the actual field of study.  Part of the issue lies in the coincidental manner in which the detectives are able to solve cases, along with the relatively short amount of time it takes to solve cases.  He defended the “CSI effect,” which is the misperception that is given to individuals about forensic pathology, leading them to be interested in the field for the wrong reasons.

Dr. Kornman discussed a few of his cases that he has tackled in the past, as well as methods utilized in his practice.   A large amount of his cases revolved around military events, such as training accidents, plane and automobile crashes, and the like.  Later in his career, the majority of his cases involved civilian death ranging from natural, accidental, homicide, and suicide. 

This lecture was ripe with information, and the UT Tyler Honors Program is very grateful that he took the time to share the intricacies of his profession.  We hope he returns in the future to tell us more about forensic pathology!

Note- Be sure to check out the UT Tyler Honors Colloquium page for information about future events and lectures on campus!   

How to Survive Midterms (Peacefully) at UT Tyler

So this is around the time of the year when all of my professors decide that they are the only class I have to study for and therefore make all of their tests and projects due on the same day. Not like in high school where they would have all of their tests and projects in the same week. This is just serves as a preview to remind me of what is about to ensue. 

I wonder what Boromir would major in...

 In a few short weeks, it will be fall semester midterms, second only to finals in level of stress. For some people it may even be more stressful than finals! Reason being, if you do well enough on your midterms, you will have less pressure to make the perfect score on your final exam to bail yourself out.

This is how to survive your midterm :)

1.   Drink lots of water. Your brain is made out of mostly water and fat. That sounds gross, but it is actually perfect for all of the processes necessary to keep us alive. To deprive it of water and sleep is setting it up for a not so good grade in my experience.
2. Study, but do not cram. This goes without saying. Make sure the day before the test, you just lightly go over your notes.
3. Work with your natural environment, not against it. If you’re a social learner, get in a study group. Don’t know anyone? Bashfully admit you have no clue what you’re doing and be surprised when you meet the best friend of your life. If you prefer to work alone? Do it. Come as you are and flourish.
4. Set realistic goals for yourself.  Don’t expect perfection; you’ll make mistakes. That’s part of the beauty of being human.
5.      Respect yourself and your work. This is not the time to throw away all your hard work by cheating. Everyone has heard of “that person” who got her hands on the answer key to memorize the answers. While they may get the better grade, they don’t respect themselves and they lack integrity. The grade becomes irrelevant.

Never fear, readers! After the midterm frenzy is Thanksgiving Break and then a mad dash for finals week. Keep calm and patriot on!

They think you rock (:

Debunking Debate: an explanation of what we do during the weekends

Dallas and I debating a team from Pacific University

Often times, when I tell people that I am a member of the debate team at UT Tyler, they assume that I dress up like a presidential candidate, stand behind a podium, and waive my fist passionately about a topic of importance.  However, this is not even close to what we do. Pretty soon, you are going to start seeing posts from both Dallas and myself about the tournaments that we are attending, and I figured that you would like some explanation of what we do.

Here at the University of Texas at Tyler, we compete in what is called Parliamentary Debate.  It is a form of debate in which two teams (one affirming the topic and one negating the topic) of two people engage in a discussion of a topic that is announced 20 minutes prior to the time of the debate round.  The majority of the time, the topic, or the resolution, is in the form of a policy action that a certain actor should take.  A resolution would look something like this: “The United States should take actions to significantly improve relations with Japan.”

After a resolution is announced, each team is given 20 minutes to prepare their positions.  Most of the time, our positions have already been prepared and it is just a matter of writing down all of our arguments before the 20 minutes expires.  Normally, the debate team spends several hours a day, and every weekend writing and preparing our arguments for resolutions that we think may be at a particular tournament. 

Each round lasts approximately 45 minutes, and each team gives 3 speeches, receiving an equal division of speaking time.  The first affirmative speech is allocated 7 minutes to present a “case,” which includes a statement of policy intent and a discussion of advantages to taking the policy action aforementioned. 

The next speech is given by the negative team.  The first negative is allocated 8 minutes to discuss potential disadvantages to passing the policy action from the affirmative as well as making arguments against the case that was read by the first affirmative.

Next, the second affirmative speaker has 8 minutes to answer all of the argumentation brought up by the first negative speaker.  This includes answering all of the disadvantages as well as going argument by argument, or line by line, on the arguments made against the affirmative case.

The next speech is given by the negative, and is another 8 minute speech.  The role of this speech is to condense the negative arguments into a select few in order to make it extremely easy for the judge to vote for the negative. 

This next speech is the first and only negative rebuttal.  It is only 4 minutes in length, and the role of this speech is to provide a narrative as to why the judge should vote for the negative.  Whereas the previous speech sort of does housecleaning and does more on winning the debate argument by argument, this rebuttal is to ensure that the judge receives a proper narrative as to what the disadvantages and fallacies of the affirmative case are.

The next speech is also the final speech in the round, and it is the affirmative rebuttal.  The purpose, much like that of the negative rebuttal, is to provide a narrative as to why the judge should vote for the affirmative, while also pointing out where the affirmative is winning argument by argument.  The only difference is that this speech is 5 minutes, rather than 4.

Hopefully you now have a little better idea of what it is that we do, so that when you read Dallas's upcoming blog about our first tournament, then you can understand what exactly we were doing during our tournament, and what it looked like.

If you are interested in any additional information, then I am going to provide you a couple of additional links.  First, if you are interested in looking at the tournaments that we competed in and would like to watch our progress, then click here.  To navigate that page, you simply click first on the name of the tournament, and then you click on each round you would like to see the result of.  You can also see the resolution for each round, if you are interested.  For Dallas and I, look for "UT Tyler FH." 

If you are interested in national rankings of teams, then click here.  Postings of rankings will not be up yet, but we should see them fairly soon, so keep a look out! Again, our team name is "UT Tyler FH."

Finally, if you are interested in seeing what an actual round looks like and what tournaments feel like, then feel free to watch the video below.  Be warned, it does contain some use of adult language.  Although the video is about the Kansas Debate Team, our team at UT Tyler has the same passion for what we do and the same work ethic.  To watch the video, click here.

I have also been toying with the idea of making this sort of a series where I discuss numerous different aspects of debate, like the speaking style of debate and what the community is like.  If that sounds like something you would be interested in, then let me know in the comments!

Sexualization in Fantasy & Games - PART 2

 

   Recently I wrote up a blog that talked about the issue of sexualization of female characters in the medium of videogames, a trend that has a long history which is still an ongoing topic. With this blog I hope to bring up some new thoughts that were brought to my attention thanks to our wonderful readers and also to bring up the last domain of the entertainment media that sexualization of women occurs - comics and film/TV.

Life as a Music Major

Studying music is pretty much what I've always wanted to do in college. Pretty much. And now that I'm finally doing it, I can actually tell you guys what life as a music major is all about!

Fall in Love with Fashion

Even though the first official day of fall is September 22, Texas doesn't seem to know that. With humidity high and the temperatures even higher, a fashionista can start to wonder, “when will it all end?”

Graduation is happening!

On Wednesday, the chair of the department of Political Science and History stopped me in the hallway and told me he signed off on my graduation application and I'm all set.

There's some of our readers that are in high school and some are barely beginning their college careers. Maybe you aren't fully aware of what it takes to get to this point, so let's journey into the depths of what it takes to graduate at The University of Texas at Tyler.

Official Correspondence. What what!

The Work Out Chronicles: The Beginning

My goal of this semester is to change my philosophy and attitude towards working out at the gym.
Which will hopefully have the result of getting back in shape. A wonderful coincidence is that we have a free gym membership at the HPC which if you are like me and spend 3/4th of your day here on campus. Using the HPC is a great opportunity that should be looked into and taken advantage if it suits your needs. I've been to other Tyler gyms whilst with other friends. I have nothing against using other gyms.
It's all about personal preference.Usiing the HPC is the best option for myself and more likely for those living on campus. I will truly be working out for the first time in many years. The last time I was truly working out was during my short time as softball player
Previous thoughts on working out can be describe in the below gif:

My planned steps to execute this goal are as the following:

1. Schedule the time to work out in my schedule without impeding on my school and work

2. Put work out clothes in my (new! running! tan:( car)

3. Secure water bottles (plastic by the dozen or handy plastic container) for maximum hydration

4. GET MOTIVATED!

The hardest step for myself is the last one. Not that i'm not motivated to get in shape and stop huffing and puffing through out the campus. It's the whole social interaction of the gym that makes me hesitant.
 I understand the basic concepts that:
         1. Looking like a mess means you are doing it right.
         2. Safety! Safety! Safety!
         3. Everybody is there for the same reasons.
   Aside from my slight phobia of the gym, I should be on my way to a healthy workout! and an adjusted diet to assure I get the maximum benefits from the working of musclers.
    I'll keep ya updated,
 hopefully this attempt will go better than my previous starts (though I will always have these blogs to look back at and go "oh right! that's what I'm suppose to be doing!")

Song i'm gonna rock out to when I WORK IT OUT!

Fall Feels and Pumpkin Spice Kisses

(Yea. Hershey has a Pumpkin Spice Flavored Kiss Now. It's a thing.)


It’s that time of year again, guys. Fall. Glorious fall. For those who call Texas their home this is the season of wearing light jackets and sweating slightly less profusely when you walk outside in the morning. So let's shake our hairbrushes at Summer like this little kid did and welcome the Fall season together, people!

Get behind me, Summer!
Via Awesome Gifs

Pugs, Not Shrugs :D

Those two words alone are enough to make both the young and not so young feign illness to stay home from work or school.

What image comes to your mind when your hear the words “group project”?

Sexualization in Fantasy & Games - PART 1

     Reading a blog discussing the notion of sexualization in an entertainment medium is nothing new, novel, or ( to be blunt ) very unique in this modern time.  I have lost count of the different blogs, articles, web-outlets, and press avenues I have scoured to find ‘research’ for this subject.

Officially a new member

                If you've been tracking my Greek life recruitment process, you've known that I got an invitation to become a new member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE). After last Thursday September 12^th, I am now officially on track to be initiated into SΑΕ. I, along with 17 other guys attended our New Member Ceremony.

What does this entail you may ask? This was a commemoration to officially name us, 18 men, as new members. We can officially embark on our journey to know and fully understand the values and creed of the True Gentleman that represents Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

“The True Gentleman is the man whose conduct proceeds from good will and an acute sense of propriety and whose self-control is equal to all emergencies; who does not make the poor man conscious of his poverty, the obscure man of his obscurity, or any man of his inferiority or deformity; who is himself humbled if necessity compels him to humble another; who does not flatter wealth, cringe before power, or boast of his own possessions or achievements; who speaks with frankness but always with sincerity and sympathy; whose deed follows his word; who thinks of the rights and feelings of others rather than his own; and who appears well in any company; a man with whom honor is sacred and virtue safe.”

- John Walter Wayland. Virginia, 1899

It was a publicly held ceremony at the library room 401 where friends and family were welcomed to see this ritual.

This was a ceremonious validation that we were true and loyal to SAE and that we made the right intention in wanting to become fully initiated members in the future.

New Member Class Nu

Throughout the event, I could feel a sense of belonging as I was ecstatic to be a part of something meaningful. This chapter was founded in 1856 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. An organization this old, upheld by the same traditions and values over a century, creates a sense of pride in being affiliated. 

Greek life was never my intent, but after meeting a few members, I could feel that there was a sense of friendship that is elevated as you belong to a brotherhood; all coming together under one organization where you share similar experiences. I haven’t started learning the core values of this brotherhood yet but I am very excited to start this new chapter in my life!

If Greek life sounds like something you would like to join, there is spring recruitment next semester so be sure to keep a look out for that!

If you guys would like to know more about Greek life click here!

Click here to contact Greek life!

I Like Libraries

I mentioned a few posts back that I also work at the public library and I talked about what we offered along with the summer programming. Fall programming is in full swing and there's some cool stuff that you should know about.

For out high school readers, the library is introducing a Teen Advisory Council and those who participate can earn volunteer hours. Those of you that are in groups like National Honor Society or the International Baccalaureate Program that require community service hours, you can fulfill those here.

After every meeting, there will be a movie matinee at 2:00 PM.  The council meets the first Saturday of every month. The next meeting is on October 5th at 1:00 PM. So you get your volunteer hours and a movie.

Our greatest goal of the library is to get more children reading. For our readers that have families with younger children, we have four different story times. We try to accommodate all kinds of time constraints when it comes to our story times. 

The amount of time a child spends reading books is related to the child's reading level in the fifth grade and growth in reading proficiency from the second to the fifth grade. The case can be made that reading books is a cause, not merely a reflection, of reading proficiency (x).

We also have programming for older children:

Of the three learning activities—reading, studying, and television—only reading was linked to achievement. We found that children who spent time reading for pleasure did better on tests of cognitive achievement (x). 

Since Halloween is a little over a month away, we're doing a costume exchange as well. 

For all our other readers that want to volunteer at the library (who wouldn't?), you can sign up through The City of Tyler. You can help promote literacy, work with cool people and make children happy.

Winter is coming: Carver's guide to saving money during the cold months

It’s about that time of year, again, when the days start to get a little cooler, and the nights may even become chilly.  September, October, and November are my favorite time of year.  The leaves begin to change color, the air gets cooler, and the humidity begins to break.  We don’t really have the most brutal winters here at UT Tyler, but it does get pretty cold by Texas standards, and with this cold comes a couple of costly issues, like heating, and having to use more artificial lighting.  Thus, I have decided to compile a list of helpful tips to help you survive the brutal Texas winter.

·         Adjust your lighting

This won’t be your biggest problem, but it does get darker earlier during the winter, so you will begin to have to use your lights a little more, and your electricity bill will likely get a little higher.  To counteract this, try replacing your light bulbs with fluorescent bulbs to minimize electricity use.  This will save you some money.

·         Start getting ready to layer your clothing

Obviously, it will begin to get a little colder.  If you aren’t prepared to start layering your clothing, then maybe start buying jackets, long sleeve shirts, and jeans.  If you start purchasing one item at a time now, then you will be perfectly prepared by December.

·         Set your thermostat lower than what you want

During the summer, you have to be careful about setting your thermostat too low because it is so hot outside.  However, the winter creates the exact opposite situation.  No one likes a freezing house, but if you set your temperature a few degrees lower than what you really want, then you will save more than you might think!

·         Prepare vehicles and such 

Automobiles are extremely susceptible to issues during cold weather.  For one, purchase an ice scraper to get frost off of your windshield in the morning.  Additionally, you should check your car’s tires, coolant, and brakes to make sure everything can withstand the drop in temperature.

·         If you plan to travel, pack accordingly 

If you travel during the winter, then read weather forecasts for the places you will be traveling and make sure you are prepared for the area.  Don’t dress for a Texas winter if you’re going to be in New York for Christmas.

·         Seal any leaks in your doors or windows

Make sure that your doors and windows properly seal the cold weather outside, otherwise your electricity bills will go through the roof, and it will be way too cold to be inside. 

·         Prepare plants, pets, and what have you for cold weather.

If you have pets or plants that stay outside during the day, you may want to consider moving them inside, or providing some form of shelter from the cold like a dog house, or maybe even a sweater for your animals.  For plants, your best bet is just to find a spot for them in your house.

This isn't an all-inclusive list, however hopefully with this you can begin to get an idea of everything required to save some cash during the cold winter months!

Off Campus Living

I spent two glorious years of carefree zombie walking to class every morning before I took the axe and moved off campus. No longer can I zombie walk 15 minutes before class starts.
Living off campus has its benefits but it does fall short on something the living on campus has and shines brightly. That something is the sense of community that fosters from on campus living.

Resident Advisor's get a budget and plan events for their residents. This in result creates a great feeling of community when all the hungry college students join in to feast on the free food.
I could be a little bias when it comes to this because I had two great RA’s and was buddies with a few others.  It also doesn’t help that I met my ball and chain of a boyfriend three years ago at an RA sponsored field trip to see THE LION KING 3D.

Resident Advisors’s sponsor events but they are not the only campus events going on.
One of my basic principles in life if you haven’t noticed is that if there is free food, you should go if you can.
Looking at the student life and leadership calendar, I found a CAB sponsored Waffle thing-a-may-jig on the 10th from 9am to 11am. Sadly, that opportunity has already past but have no fear because another event will arise.

I leave you with a goodbye of "feels" of from "our childhood"

Patriot Performances at the Cowan Center

With the new semester well under way, new faces everywhere, and new friends being made, there are new opportunities to find exciting things to go and do. One of the places that has captured my attention is the Cowan Center.

In high school, I was in drill team, and I felt my best when dancing and cheering at pep rallies and dancing on stage. There’s just something about the costumes and the chance to perform that just kick-starts my heart! I guess my personal style icon Marilyn Monroe said it best: “some girls are just born with glitter in their veins.” 

Norma Jeane Mortenson <3

The Cowan Center is by far one of my favorite places on campus. Lots of practice rooms, couches, pianos, nice places to study- I could go on all day. Not to mention there have been so many famous people inside of it. The world famous Blue Man Group came to Tyler recently. (You can see the vlog Emmy did about them, here) There’s just something about being around so much professional and student talent. It’s inspirational, I just know it!

Carl Wieman Lectures at the Cowan Center

On Thursday, September 5^th in the Cowan Center, Dr. Carl Wieman visited the UT Tyler campus at the Cowan Center, the first of four in the Cowan Center Distinguished Lecture Series for the school year.  As I discussed previously on this blog, Dr.Carl Wieman won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1995 for his work with the Bose-Einstein condensate, and has since been heavily involved with improving science education in the high school and collegiate levels.

His lecture on Thursday, titled, “How advances in research on learning can dramatically improve science and engineering education", discussed how using “peer instruction” can innovate the instruction of science, math, technology, and engineering (STEM) for high schools and universities.  “Peer instruction” is a pedagogical system originally created by Eric Mazur, in which teachers repeatedly ask multiple-choice questions to a class, and students rely on group discussions to find a collective response.  Wieman discusses that this practice in classrooms allows students to better analyze given questions and scenarios, rather than rely on teacher walkthroughs to understand solutions.  This is a popular standpoint amongst educators, as they wish to move away from the banking method of education, and move toward a collective thought process for better understanding of a given topic.

While the lecture primarily targets STEM classrooms, I was curious as to how this teaching method applies to classrooms with liberal arts topics, such as Political Science, Communication, Journalism, etc.  While the peer instruction method works successfully in technical classrooms, students in liberal arts classes often utilize the banking method to acquire a set amount of information, while avoiding the injection of ideologies in the discussion that may hinder progress in the classroom.  This is a common criticism of class discussions during lectures; it is challenging to teach subjects that are prone to a negative response from someone who holds a conflicting ideology toward the topic.  This is a criticism that Dr. Wieman is working toward solving for these classrooms, so his method of peer instruction can be more applicable to liberal arts classes.

Remember, Dr. Wieman was the first of four lectures that will happen during the school year.  Soon to follow are Katie Couric, Charles Krauthammer, and Robert Edsel.  Check out the Cowan Center website for ticket and date information. Do not miss a great educational opportunity at UT Tyler! 

Rush Week!

                The rush of adrenaline is indescribable. The excitement of something building up causes the heart to race as notions of uneasiness are building up. Ever since I signed up for recruitment in August, I waited for this moment.

Representation Matters

Well, when I was nine years old Star Trek came on," Goldberg says. "I looked at it and I went screaming through the house, 'Come here, mum, everybody, come quick, come quick, there's a black lady on television and she ain't no maid!' I knew right then and there I could be anything I wanted to be (x).

As Whoopi Goldberg said, seeing someone in the media that you identify with is important because it impacts your opinion of how well you do in life. As a woman, it’s important for me to find accurate and diverse portrayals of other women in the media that we consume. 

Hybrid Classes at the UT Tyler

When I heard one of my classes was a hybrid class:

So, here is the down low on something that has been coming rapidly popular on our beloved campus in all its glory.

Valkerie’s Debut

Welcome to my page 

Hey readers, it’s me- Valkerie Burkart! I’m new to telecounseling. This is my second year here at The University of Texas at Tyler and I am a nursing major. I went into nursing because I want to become a pediatric nurse after college. This has been my dream since I was a little girl because of my love for people and helping others.

 I have a lot of other interests that have helped shaped me to be the young woman I am today. I love kittens, puppies…pretty much baby anything! I will make things easier on your eyes and list my favorite things a la Julie Andrews style: 

True story, the hills are alive!

These are a few of my favorite things:

Hello, we are so happy to see you <3

• ·         Traveling (I’m going to Japan in 2016 and Brazil/Argentina for GATE in 2014!)
• ·         German Shepherds (I have one named Dakota. She’s my baby <3)
• ·         Pink and Sparkles
• ·         Fashion/Interior Design (Old French Couture)
• ·         Smiling is my favorite
• ·         Sunsets and Sweet Tea
• ·         Dance/ Drill Team
• ·         Costume Conventions!

I fell in love with UT Tyler because the scenery here is so tranquil and peaceful. The university is kept so clean and neat and the people are so unique here. Everyone that I have met here in Tyler have been so kind and helpful, and I have met my closest friends here My experiences here at UT Tyler have been amazing so far and I want to guide others to a place where they can find a place where they feel as at home as I do.

The fun has been doubled. Again.

I am so excited to meet my readers and be a guide to all of you. I believe in inspiring and exhilarating those around me! I hope you will follow up on the blog and please don’t be shy in the comments. Let me know what you’d like to see from me in future posts!

My goodness, I just love kittens!

Raising Cane's Coming to Tyler

If you have ever dined at a Raising Cane’s restaurant, you will immediately understand why this announcement deserves a blog post.

A famous chicken finger restaurant is heading to Tyler in the near future.  Raising Cane’s is to open at the corner of Broadway and Loop 323, just in front of the First Christian Church of Tyler.  They have already begun the landscaping work to prepare for the grand opening (cutting down trees, landscaping, etc.).  The city has not released a grand opening date for the restaurant, but the anticipation is still causing a large amount of excitement for the community.

If you have not been lucky enough to partake in some of the delicious chicken products from Raising Cane’s, you are seriously missing out.  Famous for their chicken fingers and their dipping sauce, the restaurant holds its origins in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1996, and has since expanded to many states in the South and Midwest United States. 

This is the first of several restaurants rumored to open in the coming months, including Steak and Shake on University Boulevard, across from the UT Tyler campus, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, and Razzoo’s Cajun Restaurant.   All of these are very good restaurants, but the one that has me the most excited is Raising Cane’s.

Fun fact about Raising Cane’s: While NBA superstar Dwight Howard was in discussion with the Dallas Mavericks in regards to joining the team, Dallas-Ft. Worth area Raising Cane’s ran a campaign to convince Howard to sign on with the team.  If he were to do so, the chain would give him free chicken fingers for life, an offer that would cost nearly $530,000 for the restaurant.  I am not sure how he was able to pass that offer up.

For more information about the restaurant, as well as new locations in the future, check out their website.  Get excited people, because their chicken is seriously delicious. 

Re-introduction of the amazing Emmy

This will be my second re-introduction blog and my third introduction blog overall. Let’s see if I can do this.

Name:  Emmy Conn

Junior Computer Information System major

I spend my free time drawing and watching Netflix.

I started working here in January 2011.

As of right now, I am the only one working at the Call Center when I started working.

I worked at Jimmy John’s over the summer.

Strangely I will no longer eat sandwiches from anywhere but from Jimmy John’s. So posh I know. But I mean if it’s free, I’ll eat.My roommate is Canadian, and she says baagel bites instead of bagel bites.

I aspire to be some kind of programmer or management when I get outta here.

I can be wise at times but mostly I’m working on staying with my head above the water.

I am a part of the “Cave” group and do Humans vs. Zombies.

I am in the service fraternity of Alpha Phi Omega petitioning group.

Overall my first week was alright aside from missing Friday classes because my loving snotty boyfriend was ill and he so graciously passed it on to me. I woke up and was like “wahhhhh what is air?”

I turned 21 on the past Saturday and spend my birthday watching aforementioned boyfriend put together my Ikea desk and then he bought me a new betta fish named Franklin (Coincidently, buying his girlfriend a fish sparked him into buying himself one, so like Monday we bought three glow fishes with a nice glow in the dark tank, he definitely has cooler fish and tank but I’m awesome because my fish is named Franklin)

 I AM SO HAPPY TO BE IN JAVA PROGRAMMING LECTURE AND LAB. I AM COMPLETELY SERIOUSLY

How to work while attending college at UT Tyler

College is expensive, and the price isn’t going down.  It is not uncommon for college students now to have to work to pay rent and buy groceries while attending college. In fact, just over 74% of America's college students were reported to be holding down a part time job while attending college in 2012. If you are or you will be one of those 74%, then hopefully this post will provide you some basic tips for how to work while attending school.  

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  Keep a good schedule of classes and work – It’s crucial that you keep an accurate schedule of your work and your classes so that you know where you are supposed to be and when.  It is also useful so that if you are trying to make plans with friends, you have an easily accessible reference for what your plans are. 

·         Stay on top of your homework – Homework piles up quick when you are constantly pushing it back.  You may not have a lot of time for homework, and when you do have time you will likely not feel like working on it at all, but you have to. Otherwise, you are undermining the ultimate reason you are working in the first place.  Staying on top of your school work means that you will not have to pull an all nighter just to finish a paper.

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 Know your priorities – There will inevitably be times that you would rather go out with your friends instead of going to work or working on a project.  Sometimes it just seems really easy to “call in sick” and get a night off to spend with the friends, but this ultimately will hurt you, as you will fall behind in your classes and in your work.

·         Sleep – It will sometimes seem like you need to stay up until 3 or 4 AM to finish a paper, but sleep is something that you can’t replace.  Most scientists will agree that sleep is necessary to be productive and for good health.  You cannot work if you are too tired to move, or if your health begins to deteriorate because you haven’t allowed your body to rest enough.

      Eat regularly – Like sleep, food is something that you cannot neglect.  Your body requires food to produce energy, so when you skip a meal, like breakfast, because you are “running late,” your body has no basis to begin its day.  Eating regularly is key if you want to make sure that you’re at your best all day.

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 Accept that life won’t be perfect – Something I notice about people who work while in school is that they become frustrated when they don’t have enough money to purchase something that they want, or they become angry at the end of the month when they are out of money to buy groceries.  My advice to those of you who are or will be working in school is to accept that there will be times when you don’t have everything that you want.  The key is to just take a deep breath, and keep moving.  Things will get better, it’s just a matter of how you look at your current situation.

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 Budget, budget, budget – This is crucial if you want to minimize feelings mentioned in the point above.  You will likely not be paid too much, but if you are budgeting your money and sticking to your budget, then you will be much happier.  Yes, this means that there will likely be 1 or 2 fewer midnight trips to McDonald’s just because you want a McFlurry, but you will thank yourself when you still have money to buy milk at the end of the month.  There are also multiple budgeting websites like this to help you.

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 Take some time for yourself – Far too often people burn themselves out while working and going to school.  To ensure that this doesn't happen to you, remember to take some time for yourself.  Even if this just means watching an episode or two of your favorite TV show, or reading a couple of chapters from a book, it is important to take some “Me time.” It also helps you to retain some mental stability.

      If you want to work while in college, it will be hard.  There will be nights where you get home and all you want to do is crash for several days.  However, when you have your diploma and a degree that allows you to receive a high paying job, you will be happy you did it.  If you have additional questions, feel free to stop by the university website, where we now have a department specific to student money management!

Have you thought about going Greek?

                There are over 70 organizations on campus. There’s something for everybody to get involved in. There’s a tennis club for those active players, and even a hot tub club to unwind from school stress.

                I never really got involved on campus due to my focus in classes. This will change this semester. I only have two years left here at UT Tyler, so I want to make the most of it. This is why I decided to join something big. Greek Life.

  

                I never thought it was for me, but I finally came to the conclusion that if you don’t try new things, how will you venture into anything worthwhile in your life?

                There are three fraternities and three sororities on campus:

 The Interfraternity Council:

•          Sigma Alpha Epsilon
•          Pi Kappa Phi
•         Kappa Sigma

College Panhellenic  Council:

•          Alpha Chi Omega
•          Delta Gamma

National Pan-Hellenic Council:

•          Delta Sigma Theta

                Each fraternity and sorority has their own unique core values representing themselves in different ways. They also have their own philanthropy leading different service projects. You can learn more about it from their own website.

                To join a fraternity or sorority you first have to register for recruitment.

          In order to join, there are a few requirements: you need to have a 2.5 cumulative GPA in high school or college, be a full time student enrolled in at least 12 hours, have not ever been initiated into membership of an NIC fraternity and finally you must register by the deadline.

                The deadline for fall registration was the 3^rd of September.

                Once you register, you attend the formal recruitment which is September 3-7.

                You may be thinking…how do I approach these guys and girls and get to know more about them?

Sigma Alpha Epsilon displaying their letters

                Each chapter usually has information tables around campus, usually at the University Center, near rush week. This fall they had these tables around welcome week as well as hosting an event called Greek Life Fall Fest on August 28^th.

Local band performing

    I attended this event where the Greek chapters got to meet and socialize with students interested in joining Greek life. This way, students were able to unwind from school that day.There was a local band playing, setting a relaxing energy as everyone mingled. Food was not present but the ice cream was a great compensation, especially for this Texas heat!

                I’m excited to embark on this journey to hopefully become a member of a great fraternity.

                So go ahead and check out my rush week process as I experience recruitment this week!

                If you would like more information about Greek life, feel free to contact them!