Domestic Violence Awareness on Campus

 Last October was Domestic Violence Awareness month.
This is a serious topic because thousands of people live with abuse everyday. According to Domestic Violence Resource Center, one in every four women has experience domestic violence in her lifetime.
It is important to raise awareness in order to prevent and help those who are victims to Domestic Violence.
Love should never hurt.
There's always help out there.

On the last day of October, Alpha Chi Omega, The East Texas Crisis Center and The Office of Leadership and Service held candle light vigil in memory of the victims of domestic violence.
(They used glow sticks instead of candles because flames could be a trigger for some people)

Handing out purple ribbons

* These figures have stories of victims on them

* The picture above said: "Martha "Marie" Amie-Roy. Age 37. D/O/D October 6, 1987. Marie was shot to death by her husband, David Roy, in the parking lot of the Tyler Police Department while attempting to get to safety. David Roy's only statement to the interviewing detective was "This was not a sudden thing, it had been years in coming." "

Martha is just one of many, many fatal victims of Domestic Violence. It is important to let their stories be heard in order for people to know the importance of awareness. There are always ways to help, even if it's in the smallest things. East Texas Crisis Center is an organization here in Tyler that helps those victims.

Patriot Madness

One of the many events lined up this week for Homecoming was Patriot Madness. It was a basketball exhibition held at the HPC. It was pretty entertaining! A lot of Patriots and family of Patriots came out to watch. 
The side they opened as bleachers were packed, and everyone was so pumped up the whole time!

Between competitions and exhibits, they had contests and prizes for the audiences (who can out-dance swoop, who can shout the loudest etc.) and everyone really enjoyed themselves. I know I did!

Girls team vs Boys team, 3 Point-line Shoot Out

UT Tyler School Mascot Entertaining Everyone

UT Tyler Cheerleaders

Half court shots!

Yes, he DUNKED BLINDFOLDED!

Apple Pie with Alpha Phi!

I previously posted my involvement in the Alpha Phi Omega petitioning group last semester. 

I'm still apart of this group.

   Recently, we have made the progress from transitioning from petitioning group to an actual part of the service fraternity. 
  To be official, we just need a few more  enthusiastic persons who want to be a part of the organization. So the big question floating in your heads right now is probably "what is the organization about?"

Alpha Phi Omega is co-ed service fraternity.
 The purpose of this social fraternity is to assemble college students in fellowship to develop leadership, promote friendship, and provide service to humanity...
.
We volunteer at things such as Coats for Kids, beautification of the campus and Cell Phones for Soldiers and more but those are the things off the top of my wee little head.

You CAN be apart of a social Greek fraternity or sorority AND be a part of our group.

We hosted a mixer yesterday that was "Apple Pie with Alpha Phi"  which also included pizza 

pies! from Oliveto. Which I can say for myself that they were so very very yummy in thy tummy.
We had apple and sweet potato pie. and a assortment of different pizza types. The turn out for this event wasn't the best but it was at the same as the Job Fair.
Here are some images I took from it. I could and should have taken more but taking pictures when you are stuffing your face with pizza is quite a difficult task.

 Don't fret if you missed this! because it is very likely we will have another! and I will keep you posted as I will probably be so overjoyed at the prospect that it will be the only thing I will want to blog about.

Labor Day Weekend

I love being in new places. I feel like travelling is second nature to me since I've been doing it a lot since I was little. Travelling is one of my passions. The feeling of being in a completely unfamiliar surroundings, and so many things to explore at your finger tips. Even if it's just a new town or city close by.

Labor Day weekend my friends and I drove to the capital of Texas. Going to Austin is probably not a big deal to most people but it's my first time in that city and my first time in any place is always a big deal for me!

We stayed at my friend Mackenzie's family's home in Georgetown, which was 30 minutes away from Austin.

I had a blast exploring the city. I even went to my first American Football game and even though I didn't understand 90% of what was going on, I had fun screaming when everyone else did. And also... shopping! And finding a great new places to eat; I love me some good food!

So you never forget...

I have never been much of a person to journal daily events extensively or to take hundreds of photographs while on trips.  That being said, there are times when I wish I had taken the time to be more meticulous about recording my life in some way, particularly during the last few years.  Fortunately, I have written a little bit about my life in various journals and I have taken a few pictures here and there while at UT Tyler.

It's really interesting and awesome to read the words I wrote in the past, whether a few weeks ago or a few years ago, and see the ways in which I have changed.  Ditto for photographs.  Thus, I encourage you to take the time to chronicle your own college experience in a way that works for you.

Some things you could do include:

• Journaling:  Writing in a diary/journal is not just for girls.  Some of the most valuable journals of the past were written by men, including Lewis and Clark, who recorded their journey along the Missouri River.  There are all kinds of journals too, from the basic spiral notebook to fancy designer notebooks.  (The bookstore on campus has some nice notebooks available.) Furthermore, you can make use of a website like Livejournal.
• Photographs:  Take pictures of  everything, including the campus and your dorm room.  Years later, you will be able to look back upon the places and the people that were a major part of your life.  Furthermore, you can share these memories with other people.  If you don't decide to post the pictures online, display them in a scrapbook or picture frame.
• Autographs:  Get a blank book, a picture frame, or a stuffed animal, or some other item, and get your friends to sign it.  Some roommates here once painted decoy ducks in neon colors and autographed them.
• Make a vlog:  Make a video journal of events in your life.  Record the places that you want to remember.  Here is a great example of a vlog, composed by one of my fellow Student Bloggers, Emmy.

It's Like The University Came Back To Life

After spending the whole summer living on campus, when it was all quiet, empty and extremely rare to see more than 4 people in a group around campus... the past week had been very odd; school has started again and there are suddenly people EVERYWHERE.

Gone are the days I rode my longboard freely on the empty roads, empty parking lots and unoccupied campus walkways. It has only been 3 days and there is already a campus-wide uproar about the lack of parking spaces. I now have to dodge frustrated students that can't find a parking spot. (But I guess they have it worse)

On another note, it is so great to see my friends again! As well as all the excited freshmen I met during orientation this summer. To think that I was them just a year ago!

So much catching up to do with my friends and so many new friends to make!

The last week of summer has been the most busy for me. It included transfer orientation, the final orientation session, move-in day, freshmen day of service and casino night. It was all great fun, of course, and to depict it better, here's a photoblog!

Goodbye, TCB

This is all that’s left of what was used to be known as Temporary Classroom Building (TCB).

Megan took all of us at work for a campus tour so that we were aware of what prospective students would see and what information they would be given if they take a campus tour. So there we were, walking between the two lakes and instead of the TCB appearing to our left, there was nothing but this barren sandy area and the section of wood that was supposed to be the entrance to the TCB. So naturally, I had to take a picture of it (above).

It was built some years ago as a makeshift building while the Bill Ratliff Engineering & Science Complex was being constructed. It was supposed to be rented by the school for only 2 years but for some reason, it never went away and remained there all those years… until now.

I’ve had 4 classes in this building and to those who’ve also had classes here, you’d know- no more bipolar temperatures (its either extremely hot or extremely cold in there), no more hearing the footsteps of everyone entering the building… just no more TCB.

Is it a bittersweet goodbye? I don’t know. Now I’m just curious whether or not a new permanent building will replace TCB, or whether they’ll just leave the area of land empty. I guess I’ll find out in a couple of months!

3 Pictures On Campus Per Week Project: Week 1

There’s a lot to see on campus at The University of Texas at Tyler. Since the campus is situated in the pines and oak forests of East Texas, we pride ourselves in having a very serene and nature-friendly scenery.

I mentioned 3-Pictures-On-Campus-Per-Week Project on my Summer To-Do List. It’s pretty simple and here’s how it goes.

A Primary Symbol in UT Tyler

A primary symbol in UT Tyler is the bell tower close to the entrance of the campus. The Dub and B.J. Riter Millennium Carillon Tower and Plaza is the largest carillon tower in Texas and the 15th largest in America. The tower houses 57 bells cast in Netherlands that can be heard all around campus. Here's a link for full details and specifications on the tower.