It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

So it's the week before finals and I am in denial.  Denial that the semester is coming to an end, that I have tests to study for and papers to write, and that soon everyone will be packing up and moving back to Saint Louis or Omaha or goodness knows wherever.  So logically, based upon my denial, I devoted an entire evening to getting in the Christmas spirit with my roommates.

Last night we donned Christmas sweaters, baked holiday cookies, and decorated the tree.  Call us cheesy, but this sure makes up for missing out on Christmas decorating at home in Omaha.  It's important to come up with your own Christmas traditions in college, especially if you won't be home for all of Christmas break, like I won't be.

Everyone with their ornaments, around the tree.

Happy Finals!

Goodness/Gracious

Just when I'm thinking that Halloween is my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving always comes along and throws me a curve-ball.  No classes?  A chance to go home?  Turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes and gravy and creamy corn and fresh rolls and cranberries and pumpkin pie?  Yes, please!  Forget what I said before - Thanksgiving is totally my favorite holiday.  Plus, Thanksgiving is only the beginning of the Christmas season; meaning that once Thanksgiving is over, there's still so much celebrating to be done!

Waiting in line for the SAB turkey dinner.

Before Thanksgiving break even began at Rockhurst (we had a whole week off of classes!), SAB sponsored a free turkey dinner for all Rockhurst students.  You have to get there early because the line gets pretty long, so my roommate and I camped out for 45 minutes before the doors opened.  SAB offered all of the traditional Thanksgiving feast favorites and played gentle piano music in the background.  That free dinner definitely got me in the Thanksgiving spirit!

During Thanksgiving break I was fortunate enough to be able to go home for five whole days.  Once I got off work on Sunday, I dashed home, threw everything in my car, said goodbye to KC's bizarre 75 degree weather, and prepared for bundle up for the low 30s in Omaha.  Brrrrr.  It certainly is beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.  Once home, my mom and I took a little over-night trip to visit my grandparents in Norfolk, Nebraska, then we hurried back to Omaha for the main event.  Thanksgiving dinner.  Yum.

By Kent Bellows

Even though I had to go back to KC in order to work on Black Friday, I managed to cram in a little bit more family time on Friday morning.  We all woke up bright an early to take advantage of - no, not the Black Friday shopping deals - free admission to Omaha's Joselyn Art Museum.  Let's just say that the crowds at the art museum where much easier to handle than at Best Buy or Wal-Mart or SAB's free turkey dinner.

You might be thinking right now that I must be some sort of art museum junkie, since I just made a post about the scavenger hunt I had at KC's Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, but this frequent museum-going is entirely a fluke.  My dad really wanted to see an art exhibit by Kent Bellows, an Omaha artist who made pencil, graphite, and charcoal drawings that capture the "reality" of the observed world.  The exhibit was absolutely breathtaking; even up close, so many of his realist drawings looked like photographs.  

Before we left the museum, my family took the time to look at the steel sculpture of blown glass located in the Joselyn's main entry/atrium.  My little nine-year-old sister, Monica, was so interested in the twirling tendrils of colorful blown glass. It was the perfect end to a perfect Thanksgiving break.

Chihuly: Inside & Out, , glass and steel

Monica was amazed by all the colors.

By the end of all that fun, Andrea and I were pretty worn out.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Tall Tales

With finals right around the corner, it's difficult to not constantly think about school and the projects I have to do before the end of the semester.

The smallest and tallest men in the world.

In my Principles of Economics class, for example, I recently gave a presentation on the height tax.  It is statistically proven that tall people (above the national height average) make more money than short people (below the national height average), as tall people are more likely to have developed to their full cognitive potential.  Essentially, tall people were more likely to be well nourished and educated as children, which allowed them to 1.) grow tall and strong, and 2.) develop a high IQ.  The height tax suggests the government tax tall people more than their shorter peers because tall people can't help that they innately make more money.  Their income is based on an involuntary condition - being tall - so a height tax would defer our system away from heavily taxing people who work extraordinarily hard for their high income.

As a tall person myself - six inches above the national female average - I had fun debating the pros and cons of such a proposition.  First of all, it does seem very alarming that with the height tax, I would be taxed more than my shorter coworkers who make the same income as me.  It seems a little unfair that I would be singled out for being tall, but then again the government already taxes according to other demographics such as personal disabilities, number of children, charitable contributions, and, of course, level of income.  Through the height tax, perhaps being short will become a personal disability?

That being said, I think it is much more important to consider why it is that tall people have such an economic advantage.  That's easy: their parents were able to provide them with proper nutrition and a good education.  The way to solve the height advantage is to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to become a "tall person" by having access to healthy and intellectually stimulating conditions.  Until that happens, the height tax may always be a possibility.

Secondly, I've been working on a research proposal for my Mass Media Seminar course.  I have been investigating the effect of lying behavior portrayed on prime-time television on the behavior of children.  Children already develop with a healthy capability to lie, but watching television programs that feature characters being dishonest in order to get what they want may disrupt the honesty and lying guilt that children form as they grow into adults.

So that's little look at what's on my plate right now.  The great thing is that I had the chance to choose my own topic for each of these projects, so the research and work isn't so hard when I'm working on something I'm interested in.  I encourage you to use that opportunity to your full advantage in college.  Your work will never be dull and you'll learn so much along the way!

Clues Before Christmas

It's only November 9 and I'm already tempted to be in the holiday spirit.  But I know that if I cave, I'll get sick of Christmas before the season truly begins.  Still, it's really difficult when I see holiday commercials on TV and hear Christmas music in the office.

Before the holidays can really hit, though, I have one major roadblock.  Finals.  And all the crazy preparation, papers and presentations that precede finals.  Just this week alone it seems that all the teachers are trying to jam everything in before Thanksgiving break.  I'm going to be running around with a chicken with its head cut off by next week.


My last glimpse of sanity took place this weekend.  On Saturday I had the chance to spend the day with my sister eating junk food and watching movies.  Then on Sunday a group of girls from my sorority met up with our sister chapter at UMKC to go on a photo scavenger hunt at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art.  I love the Nelson as it is - like with the Plaza, we Rockhurst students are so fortunate to have something so amazing close by!  At the museum, we all broke off in teams of two and looked for everything on the scavenger hunt list.  The list contained items such as an orange light switch, a diner with many reflections, corn with butter, and a real armor for a horse.  The team that came up with the most pictures in the end won a $30 gift card to Chipotle.  Chipotle is a pretty big deal around campus, so the stakes were high.

Once the hunt was over, we all went outside (it was strangely and wonderfully beautiful out for November!) and took a group picture by the shuttlecocks on the front lawn.

Ghosts of Halloweens Past

Halloween.  One of my favorite holidays, during one of my favorite months of the year.  You can probably already tell from my other posts how much I love fall, but as much as I love the pumpkins and the falling leaves, I also love dressing up for Halloween! Here's a peek at my Halloweens past here at Rockhurst:

2007
Sadly, I was sick on Halloween freshman year and didn't get to dress up.  Don't worry - I made up for it the next few years!

2008
My friend Kate and I embodied the spirit of the 2008 presidential election our sophomore year by dressing up like Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton.

 

2009
We came down from our political platforms junior year in order to have a little Peace (hippy) and Quiet (mime).

Then Kate and I took out our frenemy issues by dressing up as Serena Vanderwoodsen and Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl.

2010
And finally, for our senior year Kate and I were the most popular sites on campus - Twitter and Facebook!

Jennie photo-bombing in the background as Where's Waldo.

 Happy Halloween!

Festive, Fall, Affordable

At the pumpkin patch.

I'd like to think that I can cook - or at least build up my cooking skills enough to be half-way decent - but having a busy college student schedule means that I don't have the time (or the money) to do a lot of it.  This fall, however, has got me in the mood to cook up some of my fall favorites.  Per usual, when I'm in need of a new recipe, I check out marthastewart.com (don't judge).  These are two of my favorite recipes so far. I've changed the ingredients and directions slightly to make them more college-student friendly.

30-Minute Chili

I made this chili at the beginning of fall break for my boyfriend, sister and roommate.  Paired with some corn bread (literally $.49 at Price Copper) and honey, this chili brought me back to when I was little and my mom would make us homemade chili and cornbread during the colder months.  This chili in particular has a lot of hamburger in it per portion, making it thick and delicious and not too soupy.

Ingredients:

Marthastewart.com

Serves 8

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

3 small onions, chopped

6 garlic cloves, chopped (you can never have too much garlic)

Salt and pepper

3 Tablespoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 lb ground beef chuck

3 cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomatoes in juice

2 cans (14.5 oz each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Shredded cheddar cheese (optional, but not really)

Directions:

1. In a large (5-quart) heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Add chili powder and cinnamon. Cook, stirring, until mixture has begun to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add beef, and cook, breaking it up with a spoon until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes with their juice and beans. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a rapid simmer. Cook over medium heat until chili has thickened slightly and beans are tender, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese.

Then, of course, on to dessert.

Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Squares

I made these last year for a mini-Thanksgiving dinner I had with some friends before Thanksgiving break.  These were a major hit and I'm really excited to make them again this season!

Ingredients:

Makes 24

Marthastewart.com

2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

1 Tablespoon pumpkin-spice (or substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon each allspice and cloves - all ground)

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup canned pumpkin puree (found this for $.64 at Aldi)

1 package (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside. 
2. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin puree (mixture may appear curdled). Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips. 
3. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes. 
4. Cool completely in pan. Lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). Peel off foil, and use a serrated knife to cut into 24 squares.
   

And there you have it.  Two perfect fall foods to top off my favorite season of them all.

No Matter the Letter, We're All Greek Together.

Many of the best experiences I've had a Rockhurst have been a result of  being involved in Greek Life on campus.  I can go on and on about Greek Life for hours; about how beneficial our organizations are to the community, about sisterhood and friendship, leadership and love.  But I won't today.  Instead I'll tell you about two Greek-related activities that happened this past week.

On Saturday a group of girls from my sorority car-pooled out to Liberty, Mo. to go to the pumpkin patch!  Being from Omaha, I am very spoiled when it comes to pumpkin patches - Vala's Pumpkin Patch is probably the best pumpkin patch in the world - but Carolyn's Country Cousins is very cute and fun in its own sense.  They have fudge and cider slushees and pumpkin donuts that are to die for.  Oh yeah, and it has the same name as me.

We all had a really great time going on the hay ride and picking out pumpkins.  Then we walked around and took pictures and watched Uncle Lester's pig races.  While were were there, however, there were two separate instances where strangers approached our group and asked about people they know who are ASAs at other schools.  That just goes to show how being in Greek Life connects you with a wide variety of people you wouldn't have been connected to otherwise.

Then last night Panhellenic Council hosted a kickball tournament in which all the sororities and freshmen were invited to attend.  I learned two things from that event: 1.) I need to start working out, because I'm feeling sore this morning from playing kickball for less than an hour, and 2.) if all my friends from different sororities are on one team, we are going to lose.  That's okay, though, because we got really into it and had a great time.

Taking a Drive Along I-71

Wow - funny how you think you'll have so much time over fall break to get things done, but you never do!  I'm definitely feeling the crunch time now with two big tests this week.  I'm wishing now I'd cracked open a book during break.

The good news is that I was able to go home to Omaha for a part of fall break.  This has become more and more of a rarity for me because of my work busy schedule in Kansas City, but I was able to take the weekend off to visit my family.  I always love going home for a short visit because I get the perfect amount of time to catch up with my four siblings and my parents before I start to miss Rockhurst and my friends at school too much.

When I went home this past weekend, my sister, Andrea, and I spent a whirl-wind day hitting up every major shopping mall in Omaha.  I was able to get some really great finds and take advantage of the sales.  Andrea and I met up with our dad for lunch, which was nice, and I was able to catch up with an old friend from high school.

One of the things I really had to get used to when first coming to Rockhurst was enduring the three hour drive between Omaha and Kansas City.  The first year or so the drive seemed to take forever (and I don't have it nearly as bad as some other people), but over time I've developed a love/hate relationship with I-71.  I hate having to sit around for three hours, but I love the feeling I get when I glimpse the Omaha or the KC skylines at the end of the trip.  I hate the heavy road construction, but I love being able to drive with my music turned up loud.  Most of all, I love that I-71 connects my two favorite places on earth.

Kansas City skyline

Omaha skyline

Rockhurst 101

The first class of high school boys at Rockhurst

One of the greatest things about being a student at Rockhurst while the university celebrates its centennial year is learning about all of the history that went into making Rockhurst what it is today.  When Rockhurst first started up in 1910, it was originally meant to be an all-boys high school.  Over time, however, Rockhurst High moved to a different campus further south and the old high school buildings were officially transferred over to the Jesuit college.

At the very beginning when the Rev. Michael Dowling S.J. founded Rockhurst, the Kansas City area did not have a very large Catholic population and Fr. Dowling experienced a lot of difficulty getting the school off the ground - especially when it came to finding funding.  Even once the first building (Sedgwick Hall) was complete and the school was ready to open to its 42 new students, it torrential rained so badly in Kansas City that Rockhurst has to cancel morning classes on its very first day.  That's certainly not the case today!  Rain or blizzard, don't you worry, Rockhurst will always have classes.

53rd and Troost, where Rockhurst sits today.

Fr. Dowling named his new Jesuit school "Rockhurst" because of the rocky terrain on which it was built.  In those days, Rockhurst was located on the edge of Kansas City in the thriving Rockhill district, just off the prestigious Paseo Blvd.

Colleges classes officially started in 1917 and the first college academic building - Conway Hall - was completed 20 years later in 1937.  As Rockhurst College built a name for itself, it also built up a darn good football team.  It was around that time that the Rockhurst College newspaper, the Sentinel, held a contest to give their team a "tradename."  Out of over 300 entries, "Hawks" was selected because it was "distinctive and indicative of dash and courage."  The Hawks football team came to a sudden halt in 1949 as a result of WWII, when the head coach joined the Marines.  Rockhurst football was never reinstated after that.

Another 20 years down the line, women were allowed to be full-time students at Rockhurst in 1969.  At that time, the percentage of women compared to men was very small - in fact there were only 3 female faculty members - but these days women outnumber men at Rockhurst nearly 2 to 1!

Throughout Rockhurst's history, a few familiar faces have made an appearance on campus.  One of the first visiting scholars was Robert Frost, and JFK received an honorary degree from Rockhurst in 1956.

In 1999, Rockhurst College officially changed its name to Rockhurst University and by 2000 Rockhurst completed its trademark bell tower (visible from any point on campus) and pergola.

In 2010, I witnessed Rockhurst history when the university received the largest donation ($10 million) in its history, launching a new campus renovation and construction campaign!

Learning about the history of Rockhurst does not even scratch the surface of all the incredible things Rockhurst stands for and all that it does for its students and the surrounding community.  I hope you've enjoyed this little history lesson and stop by Rockhurst to see history in the making.

Conway Hall in the late 1950's, lit up at night.

Centennial Celebration BASH

Things here at Rockhurst have been so crazy this past weekend as everyone gathered to officially celebrated Rockhurst's Centennial!  The anticipation has been growing for so long as Rockhurst staff prepared to throw the party of the century.  By the end of this past week, over 5,000 people were registered to be on campus for all of the big events.  On Friday, students, faculty, alumni and the like were invited to campus for the Centennial Bash during the men's and women's soccer games against UMSL.  The bash was held on a grassy field to the east of the soccer field where students set up fundraising tables and the university brought in inflatables, entertainment and food.  It was an absolutely beautiful day for the festivities and everyone looked like they were having a blast!

Some of the delicious baked goods we sold at our cake walk fundraiser.

The old (left) and new (right) Rockhurst Hawk.

Marianne and Rachel enjoying the free snow cones, cotton candy, and popcorn!

Marianne attempting to play cornhole - a game I had never heard about until coming to college and having a roommate from Indiana.

On Sunday night, some of my friends and I discovered the centennial cake just hanging out in the Fishbowl in Massman Hall, so of course we had to take a picture with it!  Happy Birthday Rockhurst!

There Is No Place Like the Plaza.

Photo from Plaza Photo Tour.

When I first visited Rockhurst as a junior in high school, I was having a really hard time figuring out what I wanted from a college and what sort of major I would be pursuing.  When I visited Rockhurst with my dad, not only was it the first time I had ever been in Kansas City, it was also the first time I had ever seen the Country Club Plaza.  Amazed by the Plaza’s chic stores, beautiful architecture, and plentiful fountains (Kansas City is known as the city of fountains), I realized that going to Rockhurst would give me easy access to such a great and convenient place.  

Photo from Plaza Photo To

Living only five minutes away from the Plaza has enriched my experience in Kansas City.  A fun fact about the Plaza is that it was actually the first suburban shopping mall in the nation.  The Plaza is practically “an outdoor museum of romantic Spanish architecture and European art,” according to the Plaza website, and is designed to mimic Seville, Spain.  It’s also infamous for its impressive lights display during the holidays, an effect that adds the perfect twinkle to the holiday atmosphere.  I have met people who have come from all over the country just to shop there and see the lights.  

Photo from Plaza Photo Tour.

The Plaza has turned out to hold plenty of great opportunities for a college student like me.  I’ve held two part-time jobs on the Plaza, been to numerous SAB sponsored $3 movie nights at the Plaza’s Cinemark theater, spent way too much money at my favorite stores (Urban Outfitters, J-Crew, Gap, Forever 21, Paper Source, and Barnes and Noble – just to name a few), and I can always rely on something tasty at my favorite restaurants (Ingredient, Coldstone, The Cheesecake Factory, California Pizza Kitchen, Chipotle, the Mixx, and Noodles & Company). It’s perfect for date night, going on a shopping spree with the girls, or getting dressed up for a night on the town.  Also, there’s nothing like walking around the Plaza on a beautiful fall or spring day to raise your spirits after a long week of classes.  All in all, us Rockhurst students are really fortunate to have such a thriving community within walking distance to our own tight-knit campus community. 

Hopkins, Skip and Run - 5K Memorial Run

I'm one of those people that considers myself to be a partial morning person. While the physical act of dragging myself out of bed in the morning to go to work or class might be pretty difficult, once I'm up and at'em, I'm in a really good mood. This morning was one of those instances.

I got up at 8:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning to go participate in the Hopkins, Skip and Run 5K on campus. The run was put on by two Rockhurst Greek organizations who are raising money for the Hopkins Scholarship, in memory of Nelson E. Hopkins, Jr., a high school student who was found murdered on the perimeter of campus in December of last year. Nelson died with a college application for Truman State in his back pocket. His murderer has still not been found to this day. The scholarship fund was established to help send Nelson's younger siblings through school and to start a regular college scholarship for students at his high school.

The runners at the start of the race.  The first three finishers received $50 gift cards to a local spa.

I'm really proud of the Rockhurst students who put so much effort into putting this whole event together! They've been working on it ever since February, and I bet it was rewarding for them to have such a great turnout. I opted to walk the whole course, as I've never been much of a runner, but it was extremely pleasant to walk through Brookside, the Trolley Walk path, and the UMKC campus on such a pleasant day. The sky was perfectly blue, there was a gentle breeze, and the 72 degree weather was a welcome relief after the humidity of the day before.

My sorority sisters at the end of the race with Nelson E. Hopkins, Sr., the father of the young man who was murdered with a college application in his back pocket.

Looking forward to coming back to Rockhurst and participating in the run again next year!

The Joy of Pepsi

If there's one thing I love about being a senior, it's that the classes I'm taking are more concentrated to my major.  Well, for the most part.  This being said by a senior who's taking an intro computer application course and Precalculus, but that's just because I put it off for too long.  Don't do that!

One class in particular that I have really enjoyed so far this semester is my Advertising Copywriting class.  Right now I'm doing research for a project focusing on a famous ad campaign: the Pepsi Generation.  Now, I'll admit I've never been much of a Pepsi fan - in fact I was a little disappointed when Rockhurst switched out Coke for Pepsi on campus, but I wanted to study this campaign because I found it interesting how successful it was and continues to be.  Pepsi was just a small, little-known company before the Pepsi Generation campaign came along.  

I love how in this campaign Pepsi solicited to the common American desire to be youthful and free.  My research came up with a quote which stated that Pepsi informed Americans that "there are Coke people and there are Pepsi people, and if you’re a Pepsi person you are young and the future’s on your side."  

After watching this ad here, I think I'm well on my way toward picking the Pepsi side of the cola wars!

Gotta Get Involved!

Yesterday was the Student Activities Fair, or the "Free Stuff Fair" as us students call it because of all the free stuff you get from the people promoting their organizations.  This year there were tons of great stuff - sunglasses, snowcones and milkshakes, candy, tennis ball key chains, tote bags and lots and lots of cups!  Students Senate also had their free BBQ at the fair.  I was totally lovin' the coleslaw and Caesar salad.  Everyone looked like they were having a great time, mingling around the tables.  I hung out at my sorority's table and talked to girls about going through recruitment.  I also spent some time trying to get the full set of Sigma Alpha Epsilon purple/white/black cups for my little sister, Andrea.  Mission accomplished.

My sorority's table at the Free Stuff Fair.

After the fair, Student Senate and Student Development sponsored a self-defense speaker, Steve Kardian, who gave a talk called "Reduce the Odds."  Kardian, who appears regularly on CNN and Inside Edition, was really interesting and informative on how to prevent yourself from being a victim of violence.  He had a lot of background experience and first-hand stories to share with us.

Last night I finished off my evening by sitting outside on my front porch, doing my economics homework and unwinding after a long, busy, but fun day.

Learning, Leadership and Service in the Jesuit Tradition

Little did I know - coming from a little all-girls high school in Omaha, Nebraska - how much my life at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri would change my life.  To a freshman, college might seem big and scary - it definitely did for me - but looking back now I realize that I had nothing to worry about!  Rockhurst has given me the tools to succeed and shape me into the student I am today.  Even though I'm beginning my fourth and final year of college, I know I still have a lot more to learn and experience at Rockhurst!

Rockhurst bases it's mission upon three main pillars: learning, leadership and service.  At my time at Rockhurst, I've been able to grow and develop in all three of these areas.

I've learned how to become a better student and foster a genuine love for learning.  Through Rockhurst's liberal education I have been able to take classes in a vast variety of subjects.  I've gotten to know my professors and benefited from their expertise.

Aside from the things I have learned in the classroom, I've also learned a lot of valuable skills through the leadership opportunities that Rockhurst has provided for me.  I have helped with leading and coordinating the Freshman retreat through campus ministry, and I have gained invaluable real-world skills through my involvement in my sorority. My number one advice to incoming Freshman is to get involved!

Finally, learning and leadership culminate into the ultimate service experience!  Several of my classes have included a service-learning aspect to the course curriculum and much of my reason for going to Rockhurst was based on the fact that I received a scholarship for the service I had done in high school.

I'm looking forward to reflecting on my Rockhurst experience through this blog and having the opportunity to share it with the world outside of Rockhurst so that they can see just how amazing it is!