QU301 Overseas

It's been a little over a week since I've returned to the states from a 12-day trip to Eastern Europe with my QU301 trip, and I'm still blown away by how the entire experience completely exceeded my expectations.

I knew I wanted to go abroad at some point during my Quinnipiac experience, but I changed majors enough freshman and sophomore year to use up all my electives.  Also, I love QU too much to leave for a full semester - so the QU301 classes with the travel component seemed like my best option.  I ended up picking the course taught by Professor Callahan: Meanings of Freedom.  I didn't know much, or really anything for that matter, about Poland or Prague (the travel part of the class).  But I picked the course anyway for the material.  I figured it'd be a great fit - me, a Chronicle staffer interested in how freedom of the press operates in different countries, learning about how freedoms are applied/withheld around the world.  I was did not expect learning nearly as much as I did.  

First, we spent a week in Krakow, Poland.  I quickly fell in love with the beautiful city - partly because it was so authentic.  It wasn't dedicated to tourists.  People spoke English, but almost nothing (street sign wise, etc.) was translated into English.  We often needed our professor's help with the menus (although we almost always chose pierogies anyway - BEST Polish food ever.)   There, we were completely immersed in a European culture.  I came away from everything fascinated with the consonant-heavy language - even though I can only remember "Good morning" - Dzien dobry!

On our first night, we sat with a class of history students at the University of Krakow (my professor's alma mater) and discussed communism and how they viewed America and its freedoms.  I remember someone from our class asked why they hadn't seen a Polish flag flying anywhere in the city yet.  A Polish student responded, "I knew someone would ask that! Americans are crazy about their flag!"  Moments like these, getting these perspectives of each others' countries and cultures, were just... truly invaluable.   Plus, the students were generous enough to spend time that night and for the rest of the week showing us different parts of the city.  

Besides that, we toured... seriously toured.  We saw the Old Jewish Quarter of Krakow, several churches and synagogues, Nowa Huta - the old Communist part of Krakow, the Wieliczka Salt Mine, a castle (which we took horse-drawn carriages to no less), many, many museums and most unforgettably - the Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps.  Everything tied into our course - determining the meaning of freedoms and what happened when they were taken away from so many of these people in history.  I don't mean to sound cliche, but it meant so much more than skimming over the details with a highlighter or annotating for class discussion.  We stood in Block 11, which the prisoners called "the death block" for many disturbing reasons, and we stood by the roll call stand where Nazi officials once made prisoners stand for 19 hours straight.  It was depressing, mind-blowing, life-changing.

From Poland, we took a night train to Prague.  I woke up Wednesday, May 25, and watched as we pulled into the city from my bunk - pretty sweet.  At this point, I thought I was more prepared for Prague than Poland.  Whenever I said I was going to Prague, everyone would say: "OH - it's just gorgeous.  You'll love all the old architecture."  But what I didn't expect was for this old city to have such a vibrant feel - if I closed my eyes and blocked out the cobblestone streets and old architecture, Prague felt like Manhattan.  We toured the heck out of this city too - on bikes, by boat and with our feet (which ached at the end of every day by the way), we saw Prague's Old Jewish Quarter, John Lennon's wall, the Charles Bridge, the beautiful Prague castle, an underground museum and much more.        

I understood as I was experiencing these things how emotionally blown away I was.  It wasn't until we had our "final" -- a brainstorming session at a cafe on the river in Prague (hands down, the best setting for a final I've ever experienced) - with small groups connecting our travel experiences with what we had learned in a classroom at QU that I realized how much I was blown away educationally also.  It was so easy, connecting the stories from the tours and places we have visited to the course materials and the best part - almost everyone connected/remembered something different.  

So I came home last week - with more than a few souvenirs, a few pounds heavier (thanks to all the pierogies and Nutella), way too many pictures of buildings I thought were "pretty" at the time but now have no memory what they are, a determination to someday learn Polish and a class full of friends to share my unforgettable memories of two cultures we barely knew before.  Beaming, I came off the airplane and told my parents that it was one of the best decisions of my life to go on this trip... And I honestly don't think I've stopped talking about it since.                              

The entire class on our last night abroad.  Old Town Square, Prague.

Day One of the Future

Today is day one of the future. The Class of 2011 is now in grad school, working or unemployed, but no longer at Quinnipiac. The Class of 2012 is now the senior class, 2013 is now the junior class, so on and so on.

As the former Class of 2012 President, I do have one piece of advice to give all of you. Live, laugh and love. This is our last of everything as we prepare for the future. Our last summer vacation, our last first day of school, our last Midnight Madness and everything else that will go on.

Make the most of everything. Spend time with your friends. Go on that random road trip that you're not sure if you want to or not. Do something each day that scares you. Thank your family for helping you get to where you have gotten today.

Take care of yourself. One day, your family will pass away, you may or may not be married, and when it comes down to it, you are the one here for yourself. You can't go much further than your body will let you.

On May 20, 2012, I hope all of you can look back on this and remember to live, laugh and love. Quinnipiac, we have one year left on campus and I am looking to make the most of it...I hope you are too!

Congratulations Quinnpiac Class of 2011!

In a ceremony that lasted about 2 1/2 hours from the beginning of the walk-in to the end of the walk-out, Quinnipiac University graduated 1,333 students. It was 60 and cloudy during the ceremony, but it was perfect because it wasn't hot or too chilly and I didn't have to worry about getting sunburned.

Mitch Albom was the commencement speaker, and he was absolutely great. I wish that the Class of 2012 could have gotten him. I think everyone enjoyed his 18 minutes on the podium.

To the Class of 2011, we have some big shoes to fill if we want to be able to live up to the standard you set. Thank you for everything you have done, and I wish you godspeed and good luck!

P.S. You can view the commencement exercises from yesterday here: http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x2677.xml

P.S.S Albom speaks from 24:30 to 42:30 in the video in the link above.

Coming attraction

If you don't know me or missed out on my introduction, you're really missing out. I'm one of the, if not the, biggest Bobcats sports fans. I'm at all of the basketball and hockey games in my jersey and wig [seen below].

In the next month or two, the winter sports schedules will be coming out. I'm looking to write my preview and prediction for M & W basketball and hockey. In addition to that, I look to be highlighting the major games, and in-season, possibly write my reaction to all of the games. Let me know what you think about this.

Can't wait until the schedules are released. Let's go Bobcats!

Home Sweet(?) Home

I've made my triumphant return to Northeast Pennsylvania, or "The Valley" as we like to call little corner of the world sometimes. I return to Hamden to start work on my fellowship on June 1. I'm really stoked to go back.

There are things about home that I like, that every college kid likes I imagine. It's good to see your family and your friends. It's good to have a fully stocked food pantry. Its good to have the solitude of your own room. Of your own bathroom. and not have to pay $3 per load of laundry that you lug however many flights of stairs. We all share that.

This summer what is different for me is that I'll really only be home these two weeks. I love my life at Quinnipiac, but I always enjoyed being home too. I now have these two weeks to cram everything in. Spending time with my girlfriend who home but will living in Pittsburgh for the summer (which is over 5 hours from the Valley), spending time with my friends, and getting to play some golf with my Dad. And there's the around the house chores, but those are often kind of light. Oh yeah and my biggest project, car shopping. I have a 1997 Jeep Wrangler that I'm selling ($6300, if you're interested). It's a really fun car, but terrible on the highway and not a practical traveling vehicle.

My point being, my summers aren't ultra relaxing anymore. Last summer I worked near 60 hours/week, the summer before I did 40hours/week of laying tile. I love being in college, I love doing new and exciting things, but I really miss the days of being 14 and not having a care in the world for months. When all I was responsible for was soccer practice, paintball, sleeping in, and going for bike rides.

What's the point of a final exam?

I'm sure that this is something asked by many students, but what is the point of a final exam?

I understand that it is the capstone idea; you have learned the subject for the past 15 or so weeks, so we are now going to see what you know. However, it is one of the worst ideas out there. A final exam shows how much you can remember of a specific subject matter at a certain point in time, being affected by whatever else is going on in your life. It's a way for your professor to judge you, to give you a letter that is supposed to show how well, in their mind, you understand the subject matter. The funny thing about this is when you ask someone who took a big exam earlier in the day to explain the subject matter, they have usually forgotten many of the details already.

A final exam isn't just an exam. It's also a big portion of your final grade. One of the classes I took this semester gave 45% of it's final grade to the final exam. 45 percent! I don't get how you can put so much weight of this grade on this one examination. It really doesn't make sense to me.

As opposed to exams, projects and papers show the professor what you know and what you know about the topic. In fact, most the time, I feel that I learn more about the course when doing a paper or project than when taking the exam. I think all professors should consider going down the paper/project route rather than the exam route because then they can evaluate their teaching style based on what the students understand rather than if they incorrectly bubbled in "A" instead of "C' on the Scantron sheet.

In a perfect world, I would like to get rid of examinations all together. However, that isn't something that is feasible...at least in my one year remaining in college. What I would like to do is bring a motion to the Student Government Association in the fall on this matter. I would like to have SGA pass this motion, which would be a recommendation to the Faculty Senate that no one examination can count as more than 25% of the final grade. By making it no more than 25% of the final grade, you're still giving the students a fighting chance of doing OK in the course AND you're giving the professor more of a chance to understand what you have learned so that they can judge you properly when giving you your grade. A paper or project would not be affected by this recommendation.

Exams are the easy way out for the professors, but don't truly reflect one's understanding of the subject matter. Let's work together and limit their effect on our academic experience.

May Weekend, Treated As Any Other Weekend?

May Weekend is upon us here at QU, and even though it was officially disbanded in 2007, the student body continues on the spirit. For those who do not know, May Weekend started at Quinnipiac as a celebration of the year's end and the beginning of the warm weather. The campus was filled with carnival rides, inflatables, games, cookouts, and alcohol. However it was tragically ended in 2007 when an intoxicated QU student crossed Whitney Avenue and was killed.

To this day many student organizations here at QU try to continue the fun tradition of May Weekend. SPB brings back the carnival feel with Bobcat Bounce, a day filled with fun inflatables and games. Along with that they have also created a "Drive-In" Movie on the Quad, featuring an outdoor screen and a recent blockbuster movie (TRON 2 is being shown this year). Many other student organizations try and contibute and create many other fun events.

With the carnival feeling of May Weekend being brought to life year after year, another tradition is brought to life by the students: drinking. Yes, we here at Quinnipiac do drink and so do most other college students. Our campus is not a dry campus and typically the school is not too harsh on alcohol policies. Except on May Weekend. In spite of May Weekend's official cancelation, security bumps up their efforts, and it is understandable that they are merely looking out for the safety of the student body.

However I do have an issue with this year's May Weekend. In a recent article in QuadNews (quadnews.net), Chief of Security and Safety David Barger stated, "This is going to be a weekend like any other weekend here, the same rules are in place, from visitors to possession of alcohol or any other substances."

As a student, I interpret that as saying that it will be just like any other weekend here at QU. But this is false.

Driving my car up to the 20 minute parking in Crescent, I noticed that the booth at the bottom of the hill, usually empty, was manned by two security guards. I was told to stop and show my ID. I obliged as a flashlight was shined into my eyes and then shined into my back seat as if I was stealing some sort of contraband across a country's border.

Later in the day, I drove down to Amity Wine and Spirit to pick up my 30 of beer (I am 21 years old, so it is legal). I placed it in my trunk and then drove up to the York Hill parking garage. I drove my car in, parked it and proceeded to walk up the stairs without any problems. However when I reached the Fifth floor, I noticed that there was a security guard sitting in one of the club carts. This was out of the ordinary.

I proceeded to exit the building, and as I was making my way up the stairs to pass through the windmills, he stops me. I particularly do not appreciate being spied on.

"Hey guy!"
"Yes?" I respond.
"I need to see your ID, to make sure you're 21."

This was the first time in my entire year here at QU that I have been carrying beer across York Hill and been told to show my ID.

"Can I ask you a question," I replied as I handed him my ID "What's with the heightened security?"
"Oh you know, its the weekend" He said with a heightened inflection on the word "weekend," signifying that he meant "May Weekend."
"Really? Because I was told that this weekend was going to be treated like any other weekend."
"Yeah, I'm sure they told you that" He said with a hinted note of sarcasm.
"I mean I know you're just doing your job, but I wish they would just tell us that they're heightening security because it's May Weekend instead of just saying otherwise. We're not dumb."
After closely looking over my ID, he handed it back replying "Have a good one."

This is where I am troubled. Why release a statement saying that this weekend will be treated like any other one, when clearly it is not? Students want to be told things clearly and truthfully by administration and faculty members. As a Public Relations major, I have always been taught that its not good PR to say something when it clearly is not the truth.

Another point that I want to bring up, is the "Of Age Rule Concerning Alcohol." Students on campus who are 21 years or older are allowed to posess no more than a 30 rack of beer. A lot of alcohol for one person? Yes. But more than likely that 30 is shared between multiple people. So sometimes people purchase more than one 30 rack. However if caught with more than one 30, it gets taken away by security. As someone who is 21 years old, it is my legal right to consume alcohol. I understand that Quinnipiac is private property and as such we forego our own rights to those in the Student Handbook, but there still can be room for more equal and fair rights. For example instead of taking a student's second 30 rack away, why not make them pay a fine for it?

In closing I guess I'll say this: Why make such a big deal about alcohol consumption on May Weekend? I guess its the fact that we as students try to keep alive the spirits and traditions of the May Weekend that once was. It was a sad and unfortunate thing that a student lost his life back in 2007, but I suppose in one way or another we also keep alive May Weekend to remember him.

Be safe and have fun. May Weekend 2011.

- John