And the last week of classes begins...

It is hard to believe that this semester is almost over! Everyone says that college goes by fast (all of the seniors these last couple weeks haven't stopped saying it), but I am going to do the cliche thing and tell you that IT DOES! I am halfway done with undergrad already and it seems like I just got here.

Today is the last Monday of the Spring 2010 semester, and boy was it obvious walking to class this morning. Everyone looked sleepy on the way to class at 9:00 am. I could feel the the weight of each student's work load for the week as I, myself, struggled to wake up while balancing my coffee in one hand and muffin in the other! But I made it safely to class and have had a productive day ever since.

I look forward to meeting my friends in the library every night this week and mentally writing and re-writing down my list of "Things to Do Before the Semester Ends." I actually have mixed feeling about leaving OWU for the summer. While I am ready for a summer adventure, I will miss my friends and having everything I need right at my finger tips!

I must keep this simple reflection short and sweet due to the fact that I am attending a Student Athlete dinner later and need to finish an English paper before I can start getting ready!

Ride Data

I don't have a car. Sometimes this is frustrating. Mostly it is not. Mainly because of the Delaware Area Transit Agency Bus, or DATA Bus. (Pronunciation flexible. Dah-tah or daytah, whatever works for you. We don't mock funny pronunciations here, except for those silly people who say ALuMInum instead of aLUminum. Who does that?)

It is common to see this small, chubby, bright yellow bus chug through the streets of Delaware. It is the cutest thing. I've tried running after it to get a photo for you all but it always eludes me. So I give you this, which is not as cute but gets my point across:

The Data Bus is public transportation that shuttles you to different locations in Delaware County via fixed routes. These locations include a variety of grocery stores, 2 Wal-Marts, the main shopping center Polaris, the Delaware County Library, and many more.

How much for a one-way trip?

$1.

No, really, $1!

What's even better is that if you call before a certain time, you can schedule a trip to anywhere in Delaware County for only $2. If I sound like I'm getting increasingly excited, it's because I am. It means more money for groceries, which are vital for a glutton like me.

Sure, it would be better if I had a car. It would be even better if I knew how to drive, period. But for people like me, who somehow can't have a car on campus, the Data Bus is there. When you ride it, you can't help but really notice the town around you. On my last trip, I saw one of my friends walking her dog (which has grown to about ten times the size it was when I saw it last), two girls wearing Burger King crowns, and an elementary school tucked in a part of town I don't often see, where kids throw basketballs bigger than they are. It was a charming picture of town that only a slow moving vehicle (or, uh, heavy traffic) can provide.

Data Bus schedules are located near the Student Information Desk on campus and online. If you decide to attend OWU, I hope you make use of this great resource. (And the people who work there are exceedingly nice).

Recovering from an OWU Filled Weekend!

Before I tell you about my awesome weekend, let me begin by introducing myself:

Name: Mackenzie Conway

Majors: English, Psychology

Hometown: Marion, Ohio

Activities: Tennis and Delta Gamma

Last weekend was a true glimpse into what OWU means to me! I love when the sun is shining here at OWU because I swear it makes everyone so much happier. People break away from their warm beds and shut their textbooks to venture into the sunshine and partake in all sorts of activities.

Bright and early Saturday morning the Women's Tennis Team (that would be me) had a match against Wittenburg. The match started at 10:00 am and lasted until about 1:30pm. It was a great morning for tennis and nice to be playing on our home courts (even if there is a bit of construction in the view). We all fought hard but unfortunately we lost. I love being on the tennis team because it really makes me feel like I am a part of something at this school: I am a doubles partner, a member of the team, and a student athlete! As a tennis team we all get along really well and have a lot of fun when at practice as well as matches.

As the afternoon continued I was torn between heading over to catch the end of the softball game or making my way to the fraternity hill for Kappa Alpha Theta's philanthropy event: Kats and Bats. It is an annual softball tournament for different campus groups and organizations to participate in. I decided the go cheer on my Delta Gamma team with the full intention to make it back to the softball field for the 2nd game which would start at 3:00pm.

I cannot tell you have much I loved seeing everyone outside participating and having fun at Kats and Bats. Theta did a great job with the event and it was fun watching my DG sisters along with friends from other organizations both hits home runs and strike out. Weekends that pull students from different groups together are exactly what everything at OWU is about! Greek philanthropy events are a perfect example of this.

Exhausted from the tennis match, I knew I had to relax for a least an hour before getting ready for my sorority formal that night. I popped in a movie (red box is a college student's ticket to relaxation!) and took a short nap .

Dinner at a local Delaware restaurant (1808)was really fun and then it was off to the dance which lasted until about 12:45 am....it was bedtime for me! Between tennis, a sunburn, laughing with/at poor softball abilities, and a great dinner/dancing date, I was ready to call it a night.

Sunday arrived before I was ready and I headed to a classic Delaware staple: The Hamburger Inn for breakfast. With the upcoming week I planned to study and work on a paper that was due the next morning....but of course the sun was shining! It is so hard to do school work when the weather is nice and I want to be outside having fun with Friends. I ended up not getting to the library until after some evening meetings around 9:30pm. It was time to finish my paper! Late Sunday nights in the Ohio Wesleyan Library! Oh the joys of school.....

Hey OWU bloggers!!

Hey guys, 

This is my first time writing, so I am a little excited. My name is Jae, and I am a junior here at Ohio Wesleyan. To sum up why I love OWU would probably take a long time, so I will just say the people. For example, this past week we had a event called "Love Day on the Jay" where we celebrated the diversity of people on campus. These type of events, put together by the same loving people, will make you love OWU the same as I do. When I first walked on campus, I saw myself fitting in, and hopefully, when you come  to visit, you will feel that way too!

This is #1

Hey everybody...so yeah...I've never really done this before and I have a paper to finish, so I'm just going to give you a short and sweet intro yo! I'm Christina, but everyone calls me Fesz (it's my last name). Everyone always get really excited, with comments like "like the hat" or "I love that 70s show." I'm a sophomore at OWU, and although sophomoric technically means, according the dictionary.com "intellectually pretentious, overconfident, conceited, yet immature" I like to think that my college experience thus far has allowed me to transcend this generalization. I love OWU and will grace these boards with sundry topics pertaining the the school: sports, clubs, food, living options, cool events, the works. So stay tuned for next weeks post, when I actually start to really get into it! Until next time, adios blog followers!

Good Fortune (?)

A week or so ago, the Ham-Will cafeteria set out a big basket of fortune cookies during dinner. I'm one of the few people I know who actually enjoys eating the cookie more than reading the fortunes, so I grabbed a couple.

Text: TeamOWU donors allow our athletes to compete at the national level.

Heyyy, customized fortune cookies. Very sneaky, OWU. But wait -- that's not a fortune. It's a great piece of information, but what about what the future holds for me?!

 Text: Last year, $42M was awarded in financial aid and scholarships.

You can't even end those with "in bed."

Sorry for the grease on that second fortune. I'd decided to risk my arteries that night and have dinner from the Station of Death (aka grilled cheese sandwich, fries, and a few chicken strips). Oh but it was good. And so were the cookies.

95% of students receive some form of aid from OWU. Visit the Financial Aid website for more info.

Slice

Hey, hey readers,

It is a beautiful spring day at Ohio Wesleyan and this beautiful spring day comes before another beautiful spring day which is the day of Slice. Yes, Slice. If you are an accepted senior and if you have not made you college decision yet, we invite you. Come learn about OWU in two days worth of tours, information sessions, classes, and just good old campus fun. This Sunday might be too late for you but no worries, we've got two more: The 18 and Friday the 23. Register on our website.

Have a great one.

All you need is love, love is all you need

Runner up sappy song lyric titles:
everybody's gonna love today, gonna love today, gonna love today
where is the loo-oo-oove?
imagine all the people, living life in peace 


Last week, a couple of OWU students discovered that the Westboro Baptist Church was scheduled to protest OWU's screening of the documentary "Anatomy of Hate." The WBC are known for their demonstrations of hate and intolerance against homosexuals (and "the Antichrist" Obama), often picketing the funerals of gay soldiers. I would link you to their website but I believe they get money from page views and we wouldn't want that, would we?

Anyway, these students were amazing at spreading the word through email and Facebook. They quickly set up a protest to the protest, which they called "Love Day on the Jay."

It would be a peaceful demonstration of the love, tolerance, unity, and diversity that can be found on campus. It would drown out the cries and obnoxious signs of the Westboro Baptist meanies. But most importantly, it would be a big ole dance party!

And as a "subtle" eff-yoo to the WBC, the playlist featured songs such as:

• Mika - Love Today
• Diana Ross - I'm Coming Out
• Lady Gaga - Telephone ("sorry I cannot hear you I'm kinda busy, k-kinda busy...")
• Lady Gaga - Boys Boys Boys
• Okay, lots of Lady Gaga
• Super hyper 80s techno music, which we all know is directly correlated to the SIN OF HOMOSEXUALITY

I was surprised at how members of the OWU community were there to celebrate love. 

(Err pardon my thumb.)

Random act of music #64

There was singing (and rapping), dancing, and eating. Burgers (beef and veggie) and hotdogs were sold at $2 and $1 respectively, with proceeds going to GLBT organizations at OWU. Some non-OWU groups showed up to support the cause too.

As for the WBC, well...I didn't see them. Did anyone? We began speculating as to what could have happened. Maybe they were lost. Maybe they were in Delaware, looking for the town of Ohio. Maybe they had been successfully cowed by our show of strength and togetherness (yeahhh). Maybe Fred Phelps had overdosed on too much haterade.

In any case, Love Day on the Jay wasn't about them at all. It was about trying to eradicate hate bit by bit. It was about making yesterday less about the WBC, and more about what it was meant to be about all along: The Anatomy of Hate.

Whether they had shown their angry little faces or not made no difference to what last night's "protest" stood for. It's not every day that the whole campus gets together in such a show of solidarity. Before I end this with a sweeping, heartwrenchingly cheesy summation of What We Learned from this day, I should probably go. And leave you with a conga line.

Schubert Honors Competition II

For part I of the Schubert Honors Competition, we were lucky with the weather. (Read more about the first competition here). The February round took place on a sunny, crispily-cold day just after a big snowstorm. The campus buildings and trees were in their best winter dress and ready for photos.

 

See what we mean? Freshly fallen snow makes even your dear blogger's lack of skill with a camera seem adequate. (The bottom photo, though, comes from Communications, to show what photos ought to look like when done by a professional)

You can also find galleries of both Schubert Competitions online. Peruse at your pleasure. Now on with the photos!

 Students and parents filing out of Gray Chapel after an introduction by President Rock Jones

  

The lunch spread in the west wing of the Ham-Will Food Court.

  

A little music to go with your couscous?

  

The Benes room diners get a bright blast of sunlight.

  

Your dear photographer tried not to interrupt a good conversation to take this photo, but she may have failed.

 

Senior Claire Everhart waits for her group of Schubert participants outside Beeghley Library. Hey, it may be cold, but at least it's not raining!

The Honors student panel, reading to help Dr. Amy McClure talk about the OWU Honors Program

And now, some photos from the reception from the Conrades-Wetherell Science Center, Hamilton-Williams Student Center, and Chappelear Theatre.

The second Schubert Competition occured on the same day as the Super Bowl (yeah, sorry) but we made sure everyone who participated in the event would not get to miss the big game. This fall, some flat-screen TVs were installed in the Ham-Will lounge, and we set up tables with pizza, chips and dip, and drinks. After a long day of work, people could finally kick back on the couch and cheer on the Saints their preferred team. It might not have been home, but it was close.  

A great end to a great day.

Aside from the galleries, find more photos from the Schubert Competition on Facebook. Also, sign up to be a fan! We love fans.

Schubert Honors Competition I

 

Tour guides with a group of prospective students moments before they 

write the MOST IMPORTANT ESSAY OF THEIR LIVESish!!

On January 24th, an unusually warm yet rainy day, we kicked off the first Schubert Honors Competition. Every year we used to host an Honors Celebration Dinner, to welcome accepted students who had received a merit scholarship of a Dean's Award and above. This year, along with the restructuring of our scholarship awards, we decided to do things a little differently.

Each student who receives a Schubert Scholarship is automatically enrolled in the Honors Program; however, those who attended the Honors Competition were invited to vie for an additional award ranging from $1000 up to full tuition, room, and board. The competition consisted of students writing an impromptu essay on a given topic and then discussing their essays in small groups led by a faculty member.

The total time of the competition segment was two hours: one for the essay, and one for the round table discussion. However, 400 students and parents do not show up at Ohio Wesleyan merely to sweat over an essay. Not without some good food, good information, and good entertainment (opinions being purely objective, of course).

 

The day begins bright and early (11:45 am) in Gray Chapel with a brief welcome speech by Dr. Jed Burtt, Zoology professor and Co-Director of the Leland F. and Helen Schubert Honors Program. He describes the Honors Program and the many benefits it offers the students. Although Schubert Scholars are automatically enrolled, any student who meets the criteria can apply for the program once at OWU.

OWU students ready to mingle with prospective families during lunch.  

  

The Benes Rooms in Hamilton-Williams filled with prospective families, current OWU students, and faculty representatives.

 

 Families enjoying lunch.

One should never take photos on an empty stomach, because instead of taking photos of students, one gets a little...distracted.

 

Another group of prospective students and tour guides ready to take them to the Conrades-Wetherell Science Center, where they will write their essays.

  

 Since it was raining, the groups gathered outside Beeghley Library. Sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do to get attention.

  

Off to write their essays! We asked some of these students if they were nervous at all. Some said "a little", while others said they were just nervous about the fact that the essay topic would not be given until the start of the essay. Then again, complexity of thought and sentence structure are often prioritized at the expense of other qualities that make a great essay. Honesty, clarity, and focus get you a long way.

  

Dr. Jed Burtt gives a more detailed presentation about the Honors Program in Beeghley Library. This was open to both students and parents.

  

Darrell Albon, director of International and Off-Campus Programs, lays out study abroad and off-campus options.

Also during this time, students can attend a music recital, music receptions, take a campus tour, and (if they have preregistered) audition for the Music, Theatre, and/or Economics departments.

  

A welcome speech from Dr. Rock Jones before the reception with faculty and current students.

  

  

Mingling and eating, eating and mingling.

  

 

 

Those interested in the Social Sciences went to Hamilton-Williams Center.

More mingling in the Ross Art Museum, where those interested in English, Arts, and Humanities could learn more about those programs from students and faculty.

You can check out more of the Jan. 24 Schubert Honors Competition photos on Facebook. Whille you're at it, sign up to be a fan, yes?
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Click here for more OWU admissions information.

OWU Celebrates New FAFSA by Giving You Money**

**terms and conditions apply. Sort of.

Nutshell:
The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is better. File your FAFSA by Feb. 15, and OWU will automatically add $1,000 to your financial aid package. Go watch the Super Bowl.

Expanded:
The FAFSA form was once like being lost in a perpetually uphill maze. It was like pulling out your hair one strand at a time. It was like teaching a squirrel to recite Shakespeare. It was like--eh, you get the picture.

Now things have apparently changed for the better.

Many of you who have already filed a FAFSA may have noticed that the form has undergone a makeover. The Dept. of Education changed the form amid complaints that the old form was confusing, repetitive, and ultimately ineffective. The new FAFSA:

• Can be filed electronically
• Will have 30 instead of 120 questions, and students can skip non-applicable ones
• "Real time notification of aid amount and eligibility" to give families more time to plan
• Reduces burden on colleges to verify financial information

(Image taken from educationgrant.com)

USA says that what was once a 2-hour ordeal is now streamlined and easier to use. More pretty features: color coding for student and parent sections, more instantaneous information like Pell Grant and loan eligibility estimatations, and less duplication.

Applying for aid becomes easier for everyone, but especially for the 1.5 million low-income students who are eligible for aid but don't apply because, perhaps, of the "daunting" process.

Why are we telling you this? Well, firstly because a simplified FAFSA is like the last beautiful ten seconds of an anti-migraine commercial. Life is wonderful, and life loves you.

But more importantly, if you file before February 15, OWU will automatically add a $1,000 early bird bonus to your aid package. That's an extra grand simply for filing 2 weeks before our March 1 priority deadline.

I know.

So how can you file your FAFSA for Ohio Welseyan University?

1. First, gather all documents needed to file.
2. File electronically at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/. OWU's Title IV code is 003109.
3. Apply for a PIN. A PIN is important. Find out why.
4. Brush off shoulders and do a happy dance, ESPECIALLY if you applied before Feb. 15.
   

Frank Palmasani over at Managing College Cost has some very useful tips to remember when filing your FAFSA. Check his blog for more vital information on getting the best financial aid package you can.

Finally, go to http://finaid.owu.edu/ for more options and types of aid provided by OWU and outside sources. You may be surprised at what you're eligible for.

Experiences with the new/old FAFSA you want to share? Comment below.

Now go watch the Super Bowl. Now, we're not really supposed to take sides, but let's just say that we hope people stop horsing around and play a "saintly" game. Wink. Nudge. Though we really shouldn't antagonize our next door neighbors...