When someone makes a late night run to Steak N’ Shake, go. The food might not be the best in the world, or remotely good for you, but those late night conversations will stay with you longer than the calories on the plate. When the World Series occurs, and people start converging in the common areas to root and watch, hang around. You may not like baseball, or either team playing, but in the end you will be richer for a communal moment that is harder to come by in a technology based world. For the record, in 1996 the Yankees played the Braves.  I am a diehard Yankees fan, and I took more grief than I care to remember for yelling for the pinstripes. Memories of watching those games, amongst my roommates, football players, random people from class, and those I still call friends still bring excitement and joy to me.

Use these same acquaintances along the way to battle the hard classes and laugh at the great ones. Embrace study groups, but don’t pester professors for review days. More often than not, those don’t happen. Instead, rely on yourself and your cadre of friends to amass the understanding needed for the task at hand. I firmly believe ninety percent of the college experience teaches you to make decisions on your own, stand your own ground and learn how to maneuver this thing we call life.

Notice, I did not say ace the exam. Why? Much like life, academic scores come from understanding. If you understand the material, you will show that in your answers. If you try to dryly memorize the data your answers will show a lack of understanding with jumbled and convoluted phrases sloppily laid on your page. This sense of understanding should carry you through your days. Do not worry if you don’t have a major in your first year. Do not worry if you still don’t have one in your second year. If you reach your junior year and still have no direction, then you should certainly seek some guidance. Why shouldn’t you worry? Those pesky classes called the deck requirements aren’t put there to drum you into submission. They give you a sampling of skills, subjects, and tasks. They should help you find what your true passion is. I have to say, if your true passion is history, don’t worry about how much money you won’t make. Instead, relish in the fact of how you will do something you love and love what you do.  

I see that this year the freshman class logo is “Your future is so bright you gotta wear shades.” What was mine? I transferred to KWC in 1996, and I think we were “Foundations.” Honestly, I cannot remember. What I do recall is that within a matter of weeks – like many college coeds – my wardrobe became a poster board for KWC. My friends were a hop and skip away.  Watching the football team lose wasn’t so bad because we knew them and knew they had heart. The basketball team brought up bragging rights for that blue and white school on the other side of the state. And . . . dubbing my favorite professor Captain History, later to be named “The Grinch who Stole My GPA,” and when he turned thirty, we painted Minerva in his honor.

<>

Annessa Ann Babic ’98 majored in English and History at KWC. She earned a Ph.D. in U.S. History from Stony Brook University in 2008 and currently teaches at New York Institute of Technology and SUNY College at Old Westbury. She is the co-editor of The Globetrotting Shopaholic (Cambridge Scholars Press, 2008), has written scores of academic pieces and uses a pen name to write fiction. She lives in Astoria (Queens), NY.

—————————————————————————————————

It’s that time of year again, when young and old all across the land head back to school.  Back in the day, I stood in line as a new kid to get my polyester gym shorts and white tee. You could smell the fear in the room. Ugh, gym class and middle school. Neither were good combinations, particularly those polyester shorts. Ugh, gym shorts.

The power of literary technique allows me to jump forward seven or so years to my days at Kentucky Wesleyan. Those first days for new freshmen are always filled with wonder and awe, and in many cases a lot of angst arises. Unfortunately, this angst does not necessarily dissipate with the swing of the new semester. More often than not, though, this angst can pass rather seamlessly like the turns of the seasons. These are the things I often try to convey to my own timid freshman, or drifting and worried upperclassmen.

I graduated college in 1998, and yes we had the internet. My college days were shortly before the birth of Google, long before the advent of internet blackmail known as YouTube, at the beginning of cell phones becoming commonplace, right before the installation of key cards versus keys, when the computer lab was the only place to do your work, and at the end of the era when cable was not in dorm rooms. We gathered in common rooms to watch South Park and yell at ESPN games. In the midst of this, course work fell and campus legends loomed.

First, professors do not sharpen their pencils with their teeth or grade your papers with their blood. Trust me. We do not idle away at our desks and computers looking for ways to make your life miserable, and when we say come speak to us you should. Course syllabi are like maps for the semester, and like any good road trip, things may change. So when a professor adds a reading, or changes a due date, he or she is doing it because the nature of the group calls for it. Believe it or not, we have lives. We like ball games, we like dinner with friends, and we like to do things non-academic. Hence, when something is due turn it in. When you have trouble, don’t wait until the last minute to get help. Emailing a professor at 1:00 a.m. the night before the final will not help your grade.

On that same note, but slightly different, college is about more than the books. My fondest memories of KWC involve strolling through the quad and sharing a soda with those I met along the way. There used to be an infant tree outside what is now the Old Grill. In 2000 a tornado came and took it down, and to this day I am still saddened. Why? I read Jack Kerouac under that tree, studied for my favorite class, and Melanie Basham, Sonya Martin and I planned how we would change the world.

My point: remember in the hustle and bustle to stop and talk to those around you. Those first few days you won’t know many or even anyone. Within a week you will certainly know at least twenty-five, and the beauty and joy of KWC is that it is a small campus. There is always a friend around a corner. Though too, the pain of KWC is that it is small. If you do something outlandishly stupid you will be reminded four years later after you walk across the stage. More so, remember to have fun.

Stay tuned for Part 2, coming soon …

<>

–Disclaimer: I wrote this post back in March when the event actually happened. Then I kind of forgot to actually post it. Found it the other day and decided to post it anyway. Hey, it’s Friday, right?–

Miss KWC is a pageant held annually at Kentucky Wesleyan where female students compete for the opportunity to represent our college on campus, the community and globally.

This year five young woman competed for the title — Bailey Goebel, Phoenix Jenkins, Cassandra Best, Courtney Grant and Courtney Chinn. The ladies competed in three categories, business casual with an introduction, formal with a talent and business professional attire with a question and answer session.

All woman performed beautifully; scoring was very difficult for the judges. When all the votes were tallied, Courtney Grant was the runner up and Courtney Chinn took home the tiara, sash and lovely bouquet.

Miss KWC 2010 Courtney Chinn (right) and runner-up Courtney Grant

As part of her reign as Miss KWC, Courtney will be working with Court Appointed Special Advocates. Judges appoint CASA volunteers to watch over and advocate for abused and neglected children so they do not get lost in the overburdened legal and social service system or languish in an inappropriate group or foster home.

CASA volunteers stay with each case until it is closed and the child is placed in a safe, permanent home. We are proud of our new Miss KWC and look forward to our collaboration with CASA.

Congratulations to all the Miss KWC 2010 contestants!

Miss KWC 2010 Contestants

Below is a video featuring Bailey Goebel’s talent portion of the competition — she set some of her photography to music:

<>

2010 Student Life Awards were handed out at the end of the Spring Semester — check out what KWC students accomplished in scholarship,leadership, service and involvement.

Student Life Award Winners:

Ambassador of the Year – Wyatt Foust
Larry Hager Award – Kathryn Riggs

Mt Laurel Festival Queen Candidate – Callie Hayden

SGA Awards:
Outstanding SGA Committee Chair –Ryne Williams
Outstanding SGA Senator – Phoenix Jenkins

W.L. Gorrell Student Leadership Award – Carissa Wethington

Greek Life Awards:
Fraternity Community Service Award – Sigma Alpha Mu
Sorority Community Service Award – Kappa Delta
Fraternity Scholarship Award – Sigma Phi Epsilon
Sorority Scholarship Award – Kappa Delta
Outstanding New Greek Members: Cory Coble of Sigma Nu, and Courtney Chinn of Kappa Delta
Greek Week Outstanding Sportsmanship Award – Sigma Kappa
Greek Week Overall Champion – Sigma Nu
Greek Man of the Year – Wyatt Foust
Greek Woman of the Year – Auburn Mynhier

Community Service Awards:
Outstanding Organization Community Service – Circle K
Outstanding Individual(s) Community Service – Siera Crowe and Tiera Crowe
Outstanding Dedication to SAPB – Rain Sumner, Jessica Torsak, and Kara Cooper

Intramural Awards:
Basketball – Ballaholics and Vballers +1
Volleyball – T.G.I.F.
Flag Football – Erroneous Enchinoderms
Bowling – Nik Dunkelberger, Tasha Capps, Treton Fleener, Miles Mallette

Residence Life Awards:
Outstanding 1st Year RA – Franklin Moore
Outstanding Veteran RA – Michael Kincaid
RA of the Year – Colin Gold

Outstanding Campus Organization : Psychology Club

Congratulations to all!

<>

The six brave souls who participated in the contest include, from left, Scott Kramer, Miles Mallette, Randy Chapman, Jill Switzer, David Knight and Matt Ruark.

Congratulations to Miles Mallette (women’s softball coach), who won the competition and a $25 gift card to Great Harvest.

Check out the video below — a good time was had by all!

(Watch for Matt Ruark’s head to get shoved into the pie at the very beginning …)

<>

Fifty Estes Elementary fourth-graders toured KWC yesterday with student ambassadors.

They participated in an interactive presentation and Q & A on “What Can I Be Doing RIGHT NOW to Prepare for College?” Many students wanted to fill out KWC applications! 

A great time was had by all — thanks to our admissions counselors and student ambassadors for hosting this event.

<>

Prospective students will check in at 6:00 p.m. and we will entertain them most of the evening.  The highlight of their visit is Hypnotist Frederick Winters, scheduled for 8:00 p.m. in Rogers Hall. (This event is open to all current KWC students as well.)

Students will be attending class tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m., followed by a Student Life overview and a tour of the Healthpark. Please help make our guests feel welcome!

A special thanks to our current students who are hosting overnight guests. Also, thanks to our faculty for allowing them to attend their classes tomorrow morning.

Check back after the event for a few photos of the fun times …

<>

Just one of many emergency vehicles at KWC during the drill

By James Mayse
Published: Friday, March 19, 2010
Messenger-Inquirer

Owensboro police and firefighters tested their emergency response plans on the campus of Kentucky Wesleyan College Thursday, during a mock disaster drill that included a simulated chemical spill, a bomb threat and a hostage situation in one of the college’s buildings.

The drill included ambulances services from four counties, helicopters, Owensboro Medical Health System and the fire department’s hazardous materials team, as well as the Owensboro Police Department’s emergency response team. The scenario also tested Kentucky Wesleyan’s emergency plan.

“This gives us a much better way to evaluate” the college’s plan, said Kathy Rutherman, public relations director for the college. “Going through a drill makes your evaluation much more effective.”

The scenario, which was kept secret from the agencies participating in the drill, involved a man with a gun who causes a chemical spill in the science building. The armed man then goes to a different building looking for his wife, beats a student and leaves behind a backpack he claims contains a bomb. In the administration building, the man opens fire, shooting students and a police officer before barricading himself in a classroom full of students.

The SWAT team clears a classroom of hostages

Steve Leonard, battalion chief and fire marshal for the Owensboro Fire Department, said the drill makes firefighters aware that a seemingly routine situation — such as a fire alarm call — could spiral into something larger.

“It makes us aware a routine situation can change at any point,” Leonard said. “It keeps us from being so complacent.

“The best thing for us is it gives all our personnel the opportunity … to train in as near a realistic situation as we can create,” Leonard said.

The drill was held during the week of Kentucky Wesleyan’s spring break.

“I really tried to do this when (school) was in session, but it was going to be too much chaos,” said David Knight, Kentucky Wesleyan’s director of facilities. “We’ve been working on this for six months,” he said.

Emergency medical personnel aid a "pregnant" student who was injured

About 45 college students and staff members acted the roles of victims during the drill. Cindra Stiff, the college’s director of finance said the drill helped college administrators review the emergency plan and response system, which includes sending e-mails, text messages and voicemail calls to every student and faculty member when an crisis happens.

“We’ve been sending ‘one-call’ (messages) every 10 minutes,” Stiff said. The messages inform campus members and families that the school is locked down and to stay where they are safe.

“We’re not disclosing enough details that would cause curiosity,” Stiff said.

David Thompson, deputy chief for OPD, said the exercise allows the department to evaluate how officers responded and what needs to be changed.

“We’ll take some of the problems that may have arose from this exercise and try to correct them, so when we get to a real situation, some of those problems will have been worked out,” Thompson said.

During a debriefing Wednesday afternoon, representatives from the agencies discussed issues such as communication difficulties and the need to maintain security for responders. Paul Nave, who will be director of the city and county’s combined 911 dispatch center when it opens later this summer, said the drill was valuable “because we learn from them and no one gets hurt.”

“It was a great training experience for us,” Nave said. “We saw some defects we need to improve and some positives we have in place.”

Gordon Wilkerson, a spokesman for OMHS, said the hospital set up a decontamination tent outside the emergency room to clean chemicals from people playing the role of victims of toxic gas.

“We hadn’t tested that previously,” Wilkerson said. “ … I think things went really well. We involved the emergency department … the administration and the entire organization.”

—-
Here’s a quick video of one of the helicopters taking off as it transports a wounded student to the hospital:

For more photos of the mock disaster, visit KWC’s Flickr gallery.

Following on the heels of last week’s successful Soul Food dinner, your taste buds will be tickled as you try these traditional Irish dishes:

Barley Onion Soup

Traditional Irish Stew served in a homemade bread bowl
Corned Beef & Cabbage
Boiled Potatoes
Carrots
Green Beans
Turnips

Irish Soda Bread

Vegetarian Dish (“Champ”) — one of the most widely made potato dishes in Ireland

Dessert
Apple Cake
Bread Pudding

Come join us this Tuesday, March 9, in Hocker Hall for some Irish Fun!

<>

K-Dub Idol is in full swing again this year. We just completed Round Two last night (Chairman of the Board Mitch Settle even made a guest appearance as a celebrity judge!), with Candace Garrett, Deidra Frazier and Noah Strader moving on to next week’s final round.

A few photos below, with video (hopefully) to follow:

__________________________________________________________________________