Student blog

4-27-07

               With just two weeks left in the school year, the pressure is mounting for all students on campus.  The spring semester always seems to be the busier of the two semesters, and my advisor and I have agreed on this point.  Although this semester has been much busier for me as a senior, I’ve always noticed a difference in the load during the spring.  I think a big part of it is that students are trying to make plans for the summer in the midst of all their current activities.  Towards the end of the spring semester, students are busy trying to apply for summer jobs and summer school, while balancing final projects and a busy social life. 

  But if you throw in some warmer weather, you won’t hear too many students complaining.  In fact, we’ve had some beautiful days this week and you can always see students sprawled about on campus reading on blankets or throwing around a Frisbee when it’s nice out.  With all of the construction going on, students have to search a bit for a piece of green area.  However, when the construction is done, campus should be a wonder to enjoy on beautiful spring days. 

  I imagine that this week will be similar for students.  Working on final papers and projects and hopefully enjoying the long awaited nice weather!

4-20-07

              The events that have affected so many lives at Virginia Tech this week have also affected the campus community at VU.  While daily life has not changed at Valpo, everyone is trying to find ways to cope with this ordeal that has hit college students all across the nation.  I personally do not know any students at Virginia Tech but several of my friends do, and they have said it has been a very long and hard week for those students.  It was exactly 8 years ago today, that I remember hearing the news about the Columbine shootings.  I was a freshman in high school at the time and I distinctly remember the shock and disbelief over what had happened. Now, at the end of my educational career, it has happened again.  It is really hard to believe and it is difficult to comprehend how such an individual could take so many innocent lives. 

This has all been so confusing for everyone, students as well as parents.  My mother has been worried about me all week.  I’ve heard of many parents contacting their sons and daughters as well as the university.  I get the sense that this horrible event made everyone realized how vulnerable lives are, even in places that are considered safe.  Ironically, on Monday, I heard an interview with a Virginia Tech student who said that he received a phone call from a concerned friend serving in Iraq.  While this event is not viewed as what might be referred to today as a terrorist attack, it really was just that.  The event has raised the level of fear throughout the nation and probably the world as well.

However, I do feel that the nation is in the process of healing.  I was able to watch the memorial service at Virginia Tech today and it was extremely moving.  Religious figures from most major religions gave words of comfort that come from their respective texts.  It was touching to see a Shiite and Sunni cleric take the stage and offer solace to all those in pain.  During the memorial, several students read the names of the students and faculty who lost their lives on Monday.  As each name was announced the picture of the students and faculty came on the screen—it was obvious that members of almost every race were victims.  That part of the ceremony was particularly tear jerking. 

Valpo students have been trying to cope with this tragedy in their own ways.  A candlelight vigil was held at the Chapel of the Resurrection on Tuesday night.  And today, you can see several students wearing the orange and maroon colors of Virginia Tech.  Other students have been contacting friends and strangers at Virginia Tech just trying to offer any kind of help.  Like I said before, this has affected college students all across the country and I think we all feel connected somehow.  There is obviously a bond between college students and faculty around the country.  Hopefully, we can all help Virginia Tech heal from this horrific event while remembering those innocent and brilliant minds that were senselessly lost.

4-12-07

In the midst of such a busy time in the school year, there are still so many opportunities to go out and enjoy what campus has to offer.  Besides getting a first hand view of how buildings are built, students could also head to campus to check out the 22nd Annual Jazz Fest.  I attended a concert on Thursday featuring the VU Faculty Jazz Ensemble with special guest, Steve Turre.  Every year the Jazz Fest brings in a special guest to play along with the different student bands and faculty.  This year’s guest, Mr. Turre, is a world-renowned jazz trombonist and currently plays in the Saturday Day Night Live band.  Turre and the Faculty Ensemble played an energetic set that would have interested any lover of music.  Steve Turre played some excellent trombone, but he blew the audience away with his performance of Miles Davis’, “Freddie Freeloader,” using only conch shells.  I don’t think very many people in the audience, including myself, ever saw someone play music with conch shells, let alone classic jazz.

              Turre explained that the conch shell was the very first trombone, played by our ancestors.  He would produce the sounds by blowing through the top of the hole and would vary the vibrato and pitch by moving his hand in and out of the shells opening.  It was truly fascinating and I can only describe so much in words. 

              My roommate saw several other concerts this weekend and he thought everyone was fantastic.  In my opinion, the Jazz Fest was the most exciting happening on campus this week, and I’m so glad I attended. 

4-4-07

              Even though it seems like we just came back from spring break, Easter gives students a smaller, needed break in the action.  For those of us that are seniors, this will be the last time to catch a breath or two before graduation.  In four weeks, we will be trying on our caps and gowns and hopefully closing those last minute job and apartment deals.  I know that I am excited about finally getting closer to the big day, but there are still so many unanswered questions.  And this is typical of many fellow seniors.

              I am planning on going home for a relaxing Easter weekend.  I will see most of my family, which is always interesting this time of year.  On Saturday, I am fully prepared for the onslaught of questions from family members.  I can’t wait until I do finally get a good job and can go back for a birthday gathering or Thanksgiving and can finally say with confidence what I am doing with my professional life.  But I’m very appreciative that my relatives are so interested in my life.  On my father’s side of the family, I am the oldest of all the siblings and I think many of my aunts and uncles are curious as to how my college experience has turned out, so they can take something from my experiences and apply it to their kids as they come closer to college. 

              But there is a disadvantage to being the old one at Easter…they don’t let me do the Easter egg hunt anymore.  And while I have matured, it still looks like a lot of fun.  

3-30-07

              Yesterday, I attended the first ever “Grad Finale,” in the Christopher Center Community Room.  The event was for graduating seniors and featured dozens of tables with representatives from different organizations on campus.  The organizations featured at the event were those that alumni belong to, such as the Alumni Association and the VU Guild.  I was talking with another Guild intern, Joanna Bender, about how many people there that we didn’t recognize.  Interestingly enough, Joanna and I are both senior PR majors, but we’ve never met before yesterday.  We didn’t even have a class together.  While I did see many familiar faces at the event, I was surprised by how many I did not recognize. 

              When I tell people about Valpo’s size, I get the usual response, “Wow, that’s a small school.”  But as you can see, Valpo really isn’t as small as one would think.  Our class size is just under a thousand and I would estimate that I’ve personally met and befriended about a quarter of them.  And at this point I’m wondering how I’m going to keep in touch with everyone.

              As I look back on my experience at Valpo, I see this size issue as somewhat of a paradox.  In the classroom, you do get the sense of being at a smaller school—small class size, one-on-one access to professors, etc… But when I look at Valpo in terms of the volume of students, I think it’s big.  Perhaps then, Valpo is just the right size. 

 

3-23-07

Spring Break is over and it’s finally starting to feel like spring in Valparaiso!  The question everyone has been asking each other is “So how was break?”  While some students have very exotic tales of beaches and sunny weather, I chose to relax and visit friends and family.  I spent most of the first week at home with my parents, who apparently really do miss me.  After that I took the advice of one professor and went on a small road trip to Wisconsin to visit some friends.  It is always a beautiful drive because the land is quite different as you drive further north in Wisconsin.  Apparently, there’s a reason the Badger State refers to Illinois and Indiana residents as “flatlanders.”  The rest of my spring break was spent visiting with my grandparents and some friends from high school.  So, that was my spring break—modest, but cheap.

It feels good to be back, but the rest of the semester will be an extremely busy one.  I’ve got many things on the horizon including job and apartment hunting.  I’m not complaining because this is one of the most exciting periods in my life.  That’s it for this week. Oh, and if you’re planning on visiting campus any time soon, you’re in for quite a shock.  The new Union construction is in full swing and the heart of campus is becoming unrecognizable in some parts. 

2-23-07
I am happy report that Valpo did not receive any snowfall this week and most of snow has actually melted! Now there’s too much water. I guess it can never be too perfect.

The warmer weather has gotten everyone very excited about Spring Break. Most students have been talking about what each other are planning on doing. Some of my friends’ vacations spots are North Carolina, England and New Zealand! I’m a little bit jealous because I will be staying the Midwest. However, I plan on taking advantage of the opportunity to visit friends and family as well as to polish up my resume and cover letter for the application process. From Spring Break on, the rest of my semester will be busy with job searching and apartment finding. I can already feel the time going too quickly. Hopefully, I will be able to get some good rest over the break and be able to tackle the 2nd half of the semester. At the beginning of the semester, I think I said that I didn’t think that I would be nervous, but I may be getting there. However, I am also confident and I feel that will be more important in meeting challenges in the near future.

2-14-07
Happy Valentine’s Day! I am sorry to say that our wintry weather has not stopped; in fact, it has gotten a lot worse. As you may know, the Midwest has been struggling through a severe winter storm and Valpo has been blanketed with just under a foot of snow in the last two days. And for the first time in my experience at VU, classes have been cancelled for an entire day today. For some students, Valentine’s Day just got a little happier.
It was nearly impossible to travel through campus Tuesday afternoon. The snow was coming down so quickly that roads were not getting salted or plowed fast enough. Several commuter students were getting stuck in the parking lots near Kretzmann and Schnabel Halls. Walking through campus was no easy task either, with unplowed sidewalks and wind gusts up to 40 mph. As the storm worsened, classes were cancelled after 3 pm and it looks like the normal schedule will not resume until Thursday morning. Valparaiso University is living up to one of its nicknames, “the campus of the frozen tundra.”
For all those that have been waiting for snow, I think they’ve finally gotten their wish. However, I think everyone is hoping that this is the last of the heavy snow. Have a good week!

2-7-07
Even though we are quickly approaching Valentine’s Day, Valpo looks more like a Winter Wonderland. Since the beginning of the month, Valparaiso has received half a foot of snow along with bitterly cold temperatures. Combine the construction woes I talked about last week with slushy sidewalks and snow covered roads, commuting through campus, by foot or by car, is quite the challenge. Weather like this isn’t getting students down, however. It’s just another reason for
counting down the days until spring break. Which is 23 days to be
exact! For Bears fans, the weather is the least of disappointments this week. The days leading up to the Super Bowl showcased a campus polarized by Bears and Colts fans. Never before has there been a Super Bowl with as much stake for VU students. In each of my classes last week, students were sporting their Bears and Colts wear and I can’t think of person that did not tune in for the game. Unfortunately, “Colts Blue” is the color students are wearing this week.

2-1-07
For the shortest month in the year, February sure is a busy one. Along with being Black History Month, February hosts a number of other celebrations: Groundhog Day, Lincoln and Washington’s birthdays, Valentine’s Day, the Chinese New Year, Mardi Gras, and the party ending with Ash Wednesday. Valpo is celebrating the month with various events including a Chinese New Year dinner February 8 and the VISA sponsored World Banquet the 9th and 10th. I have been personally working with VISA to help publicize the event on campus and we are expecting to get the biggest student turnout in its 27-year history. Along with this event, I have also been working on an event taking place February 22 called, “Downtown Connection.” Valpo’s SPARK PR agency is responsible for organizing and promoting this event, which brings VU students together for a night in downtown Valpo, where businesses offer students great deals on food and merchandise. The event also features musical acts from the university. Not to leave out Mardi Gras or the Presidents, the event will incorporate themes for both celebrations. Such a festive month calls for some extra work for students involved in public relations. I’m very excited! This should be a fun month for me and other students. Keep reading for updates on what’s happening on campus!

1-24-07
With progress comes sacrifice. This has been a lesson throughout history and it is becoming a lesson to Valpo students as well. Whether it is in a class discussion, or talking with friends at dinner, or over hearing conversations on campus, everyone is talking about how construction on the new student Union is making life difficult. For students the main complaints are that it has become harder to travel to class and that construction is unpleasant to look at. Regardless of how each student feels about the situation, travel through campus from the Chapel to the eastern part of campus is indeed hampered by makeshift crossings and muddy sidewalks. These inconveniences have created some student disdain for the construction.

While I do agree that travel through the heart of campus has been somewhat inconvenient at times, I feel the change for tomorrow will far outweigh the minor problems of today. As some of you probably know from the On-Line Meetings with Union Director Larry Mosher that this facility will house state-of-the-art technology that few schools in the region can offer. Along with this benefit, the Union will open up communication within the campus community, which will hopefully foster more student participation in organizations as well as offering networking opportunities on campus. Therefore, when students are enjoying these great benefits in 2008, I believe they will be more than happy to have dealt with the inconveniences of construction. If anyone should be complaining it’s us, the seniors, who will not have the opportunity to utilize the facility as an undergraduate. However, I am more than optimistic that such improvements to campus will keep me coming back and contributing as an alumnus.

1-17-07
Since this is my first opportunity to say it, Happy New Year! It has already been a very busy week for myself and many other Valpo students. There has been quite a bit of activity on campus during this first week of classes. Beginning on Friday, Valpo began its weeklong celebration for Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. Students had no classes on Monday for the observation; however, many VU students took advantage of the opportunity to attend the MLK Convocation with a speech by Dr. Julia Hare as well as several Focus Sessions presented by VU students and professors. The MLK celebration continues with events throughout the rest of the week. This year’s theme for the 2007 MLK celebration was “Partners in Change: Women, Community, and the Movement.”

I am personally very excited for this semester, as it is my last here at Valpo. While I will be sad to leave campus I am confident that my experience has prepared me for a successful career and a well-rounded life. It will be quite an interesting semester and I hope you will continue to keep reading this blog. If you have any comments/questions or requests for other kinds of information in this blog, please email me at erik.wielgos@valpo.edu

12-4-06
As we enter into the last couple of weeks of the first semester, there are two things that are on every student’s mind—the large amount of work and studying to be done, and this dreadful cold weather. Even though there is enough to keep any student busy this time of year, the campus is still buzzing with activity and entertainment. Just last week, the men’s basketball team hosted two of its most publicized, and exciting(!), games against Marquette and Butler. One of the biggest concerts of the year took place this last weekend—the annual Christmas Concert, featuring performances by the University Chorale, Chamber Concert Band, and Symphony Orchestra. Also, this time of year is also popular for Greek organizations to have their winter formals. The busy campus activity will continue this week with Wordfest events and ending with the Advent Christmas Vespers service at Chapel. For most students, this will result in a weekend of studying followed by a strenuous week of test-taking. And students wonder where the time goes…!

11-8-2006
The theme of the week seems to be choice! By now almost every VU student is in the process of picking classes for next semester. Most of my general education requirements and major and minor credits have all been met. So for the first time in almost three years I have somewhat of a difficult, but still, a choice in selecting classes I want to take.

On a more general level, the theme of choice has been prevalent this week as a result of the midterm elections. This important election seems to have caught the attention of a majority of Valpo students. Especially on Tuesday, the election was the buzz topic for many students. Obviously not all students see voting as a priority, but I think that this trend is changing. To give you an example, my girlfriend lost her keys and her wallet the night before the election. She was angry – not so much for losing these things – but because she lost her driver’s license and could not go out and vote. (She eventually found her ID and was able to vote.)

Even at Valpo, there has been a recent push to get students more involved in the political process. Recently, the College Democrats and the College Republicans formed a coalition with other organizations to promote voter registration. From a student standpoint, in hearing discussion around campus, I think the general mood towards politics is one of increasing interest. And election time really does bring out this sense of participation in the democratic process.

11-1-06
This week has been consumed by finishing up work with the Festival of Voices. So, what’s Festival of Voices? Outside of interning at the VU Guild, I am also involved with several public relations projects on campus. One of my biggest projects all semester has been working with Professor Bonita Neff’s public relations classes on the Festival of Voices benefit concert. Every year Dr. Neff’s students who are enrolled in the Principles of Public Relations classes are required to organize and put on a benefit event for the Hilltop Neighborhood House. Students incorporate the skills they learn in class into the planning, organizing, and functioning of this event. For example, all students are required to write news releases and public service announcements, contact businesses for fundraising, and create a program for the event, just to name of few of the skills. The students are then divided into different groups to actually contact local media and promote the event using the work they’ve done in class. I took this class about one year ago and it was my first introduction to anything PR. Now I am co-chairing the event with another PR student, Karla Olson. As “co-chairs,” Karla and I help the students coordinate the planning of the event. Even though the Festival of Voices has been a semester long project, I’m choosing it as the basis for my blog entry because it has consumed almost all of my week.

Festival of Voices is at 2:15 pm this Sunday, November 5th in the Union Great Hall. This week we have been concentrating on finishing up our program booklet and assigning the students different responsibilities for the day of the event. Even though everything has been well-organized and going to plan, there are so many last minute issues that come up when planning an event of such magnitude. This has been an incredibly enlightening experience for me and I cannot wait to see the event unfold. I have planned homecoming events in the past for my fraternity, but I have never coordinated an event this big, and with so many people working on the event. Even though I may not go into event planning in the future, I feel very confident with the degree of leadership and organization it takes to coordinate an event.

10-26-06
For as dreary as the weather has been on campus it has been quite a lively week. It is now scheduling time again, and many students, including myself, are busy trying to figure out which classes would be best to take in the spring. I think I’m just beginning to realize just how little time I still have left at Valpo. Even though this will be the last time I need to register for classes, graduation still seems distant. But time tells me it’s right around the corner, and that means I need to start exploring job opportunities. I always thought this would be a nerve-racking period, but I am taking it all in stride. I think for the first time in my college career I feel comfortable about a direction to pursue, and that helps my confidence level. VU has really given me the experience I needed so much coming into college, and I’ve truly been blessed in coming to this institution.

On a completely different topic, I would like to let you all know what I will be going for this Halloween. Amanda and I will be attending a dinner and a dance dressed up as a spider and a fly. I am the fly. We came up with the idea after seeing the Quest Theatre’s reproduction of Pinocchio several months ago. Amanda was impressed with Mother Spider’s elegance, and I was particularly taken by a silly character dressed as a fly. We decided then and there that we would go as a dual costume. Hopefully, when I return with some pictures I can post them in an upcoming blog!

10-18-06
Right back into the swing of things! Fall break was a nice break in my busy college life. The trip to Wisconsin was peaceful and interesting to say the least. I spent the first two days in the small town of De Pere, WI. Needless to say this is not the type of town for a Bears fan to sport his or her Brian Urlacher jersey, but a very charming small town atmosphere. On Saturday I drove my girlfriend to Sheboygan where she was a hired to photograph a wedding for a family friend. This was no ordinary wedding and it was the most memorable wedding I’ve ever been a part of. On Friday morning, the day before the wedding, the groom was hospitalized with pancreatitis and his condition would have to keep him in the hospital for at least two days. The soon to be married couple, Dave and Sarah, tried to change the plans, however, the rehearsal hall would not allow a date change, not to mention friends family were already coming into town. So Dave and Sarah talked it over with the hospital staff and arranged for the wedding to take place in the hospital, using the prayer chapel as the setting for the ceremony. At first I was very saddened for the couple. We all know how much planning and sacrifice goes into planning a wedding, and we all know how special of a day it is. This was basically the worst thing that could have happened. However, when I got to the hospital, everyone was in light-hearted moods, even the bride and groom. They both realized that this was their wedding day and they were going to make the best out of it. Even the hospital staff was trying to lighten the mood—they had twin nurses wheel the groom down to the chapel in a ribbon-decorated wheelchair. All I could think off was how this would be brilliant material for the hit show, “Grey’s Anatomy.” Well, the wedding went off as smoothly as it could have; the vows were said, the rings exchanged, the certificate signed. What was really special was that this couple was able still able to find happiness in this very special day. What began as a complete disaster turned out to be a most memorable and remarkable event.

10-6-06
What a difference a week makes! Compared to last week’s busy school and Homecoming schedule, this week has been much more subdued for me. I have been catching up on some sleep and am feeling much more energetic after a busy weekend with alumni and the Pirates of Penzance. The campus has even changed in the last week, or the colors have at least. The week started off with a couple of days in the lower 80’s and had everybody thinking summer was back again, and it did feel that way for a bit. But now the temperature has fallen back to normal for this time of year and the trees have begun to turn in full. Almost every tree on campus has some hint of yellow, orange, or red. Fall is most certainly here. This week also marks the halfway point of the semester! Surprising, isn’t it? Professors have already been giving mid term examinations, and for most students, fall break next week will come as a much needed break. I am planning to spend most of my fall break visiting my girlfriend, Amanda, in De Pere, Wisconsin. Amanda graduated from Valpo last spring with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. She is currently working at a bakery designing birthday cakes and store windows. It will be a long drive for me coming from Valparaiso, but if the scenery looks as good driving up as it does on campus, I think that it should be a beautiful trip.
Until then, I will be quite busy getting work done before the break. My high school algebra teacher, Mr. Draeger, would always tell us to work extra hard before a break, because that’s how hard we would work when we got back from break. There have been times when I haven’t taken Mr. Drager’s advice and realized he was definitely on to something.