Meeting Places

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Kaitlyn Vadenais

McDaniel is full of places to meet and gather with a friend or two.

Whether you are meeting with a friend between classes, or peer to discuss a class assignment, there is going to be a spot for you. Here are some of my favorite meeting spots on campus.

1. Coffee shop

Of course, this seems like an obvious spot, and it is. The space was made for meetings, with little tables and chairs and even some couches set up throughout. In addition to being able to grab a little pick-me-up snack or drink, it is a nice environment to get some work done or have a more serious meeting. Of course it also works as a place to meet up with a friend between classes.

2. Red Square

There is amphitheater style seating all around and since this is a central point on campus, it is convenient to meet up with anyone. Add some nice weather and a little people watching and it becomes a great place to hang out with a friend.

3. Communication Department Office

We have lots of comfy couches and since I spend a lot of time near there for my classes, it is an obvious choice when I have some time to kill or just want to meet up with a classmate or a professor.

4. Klitzberg Pavilion

Located in our Gill Center (the gym area), this is a nice place to sit or meet up before a workout. There is a large television and lots of different tables to do some work with a friend or just get distracted with a good conversation with someone you know who is bound to walk by.

Spring Fling

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Kaitlyn Vadenais

I just celebrated my last spring fling on campus, one of my favorite campus traditions.

Students generally go to bed early the night before to prepare themselves for the long day ahead. And end up passing out early after the exciting events.

Not only is the student body celebrating surviving another year, but we are also celebrating spring and warmer weather. Everyone gathers in the quads around campus to enjoy the day and the school provides a variety of inflatables, a band, cookout food, and other entertainment.

Unlike Homecoming, Spring Fling is generally the warmer holiday on campus. This year was a liiiittle cold but we made the most of it, of course. My friends and I woke up and enjoyed a pancake breakfast together before going to the baseball senior day to cheer on our friends. After, we came back to the quad to play cornhole and socialize until the sun went down.

Spring Fling is highly anticipated each year and for a great reason!

Field Trip to DC

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Kaitlyn Vadenais

This week, my Native American art class headed to DC with several other art classes to visit some museums and see some of the art we have been discussing this semester. My class of course went to the National Museum of the American Indian.

The museum is unique on the mall and was just completed in 2004. There are four floors of art divided into sections for the different exhibitions. It was really interesting to see some of the art we learned about in class but even cooler to see some things we didn’t learn about. We all had to pick a piece of art to write a paper on after the trip. I found a ceramic stool from the Chiriqui and I can’t wait to look up the history behind it. The modern art section was also really neat and I saw pair of beaded converses that were super unique.

After exploring the museum, my friend and I went to find the colossal Olmec head outside of the Natural History museum. Our professor had told us it was located there after we learned about it in class. We also took a quick peek in the National Gallery of Art as we met up with a friend in a different class for lunch. Although we only had four hours in the city, we enjoyed the time.

It is always great when I get to go into DC and it is convenient that the city is so close – only about an hour and a half bus ride. I will certainly miss the location of McDaniel College when I graduate.

Language Lab

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Kaitlyn Vadenais

One of the hidden treasures at McDaniel is the language lab. Located in the basement of Baker Memorial Chapel, this is a space where students can work on projects using innovative technology.

The lab is not just for the foreign language department, although it does have state-of-the-art software that is also used by the US government to teach their employees a language.

Recently renovated, the lab is all Mac laptops located at large group tables. The laptops can be connected to large television screen for group project collaboration.

I went there this week to work on an exhibition project for my Native American art class. My group prepared a powerpoint presentation while simultaneously looking up research and comparing our findings on the televisions.

McDaniel works hard to supply students with the newest and best technology and give them great opportunities as a result.

McDaniel’s Choice

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Kaitlyn Vadenais

The Free Press embarked on a new endeavor this spring.

The editors came up with the idea to have a survey for students to fill out that would compile a list of favorite places on campus and in town.

It features questions from favorite pub meal, to most college friendly grocery store, to best Greek organization. The goal is to figure out what McDaniel students like.

We are hoping to get a large number of the student population to participate and then we will publish the results online and in our senior edition of the paper.

We plan to also award some of the local businesses who win with a window cling or small award for being chosen as one of McDaniel’s best! This will also show McDaniel’s appreciation to the town.

I can’t wait to find out the results of the survey!

Peer Editing

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Kaitlyn Vadenais

Peer editing is an important part of the process, particularly in college where professors do not have time to individually read and edit each student’s paper before they need to be turned in for a grade.

Many of my classes have built in time for peer editing before a larger assignment is done. You will bring copies of your paper to class and spend time helping each other. I will also organize times with some of my peers in that class for outside editing if it is not offered.

Sometimes I can convince one of my roommates or classmates to read a paper or a section of a paper for me and I will reciprocate by reading one of theirs when they need an extra set of eyes.

If you still have trouble finding someone to read over your paper, that’s where the Writing Center comes in. They are a completely free student service who’s job is to help you with your paper, at any stage in the writing process. You will be matched with a student tutor in the discipline that the paper is due. They help you by not only marking up your paper but working with you through the changes.

McDaniel has many ways to help you as a writer.

Nighttime Happenings

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Kaitlyn Vadenais

As you probably guessed, students do much more than just their homework at night.

While homework takes a priority over other things (right, guys…?), students need a break too and there are lots of things to do in the evenings on campus.

Generally, campus groups and organizations will hold their meetings in the evening hours after dinner, since that is when the majority of students are free. If you are involved on campus, expect to have a few meeting a week in the evenings. Be on the look out for clubs and organizations holding nighttime events to entice new members, as well. S’more nights up in Ensor are always popular, as are game tournaments in the rec lounge.

Off campus, clubs and organizations will often team up with local restaurants to raise money for a good cause. Buffalo Wild Wings and Salsaritas are often the location of fundraising nights. This is a yummy way to switch up your dinner routine and make a difference.

Many students also participate in intramural or pick up games at night. This can be a good way to burn some energy. One of our popular clubs is ultimate frisbee, and you can see them out on the turf with a glow in the dark frisbee.

One of my favorite weeknight activities is Monday night trivia at Johannson’s on Main Street. My friends and I don’t always go for the beer, but mostly just to hang out and compete for money. Our team is pretty good, not to brag, and we actually won the spring trivia round. So far we have saved around $150 dollars in giftcards, which we are going to put towards an end of year brunch at the upstairs restaurant.

I can pretty much bet that you won’t be bored here on campus!

Senior Seminar

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Kaitlyn Vadenais

I have discussed this in earlier blog posts, but it’s time for me to really explain about senior seminar. It doesn’t help that it is all I can think about right now as I work on it every spare minute.

For each major on campus, you have a culminating capstone that demonstrates everything you have learned during your four years. Senior seminar is the capstone course for Communication majors. In this course, you complete an original research project. Everything from the topic to the presentation is determined by you with help from your professor.

It is important to pick a topic that both shows your wide base of communication knowledge but is also one that is doable for one semester. It also helps if you chose a topic that you can use in the future because it shows your abilities to a potential employer or graduate school.

Right now I have outlined by project, collected research, and have everything ready to begin data collection. Data collection for my study is interviews. Once I start to have data, everything will fall into place and it will be a matter of analyzing and using it to answer my research question.

The research paper is due at the end of April so it is almost crunch time. I have a paper to write and a presentation to plan that will be in front of the McDaniel community. I am really excited to be done and look back on all of my hard work.

Prepping for the Real World

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Kaitlyn Vadenais

Although real world preparation is not something that I have just started, it is something that I am getting more serious about as the end of the school year, and my undergraduate career, approaches.

Thankfully, McDaniel does a great job of preparing their students for life after college. The first step is gaining experience while in school. This can be achieved through the multiple opportunities for community service and leadership on campus. It can also happen by landing an internship and gaining experience related to your major.

The Center for Opportunity and Experience (CEO) can not only get you connected with local businesses for jobs and internships, but they also hold job and internship fairs each semester and bring recruiters to campus. There will also be a variety of networking events to meet alumni and students.

The CEO can also help with everything in between. They will help you out with interview preparation, giving helpful pointers and practicing with you. They will also read over and review your resume and work with you individually to put your best foot forward.

The best part? If you are unemployed anywhere down the line after graduation, you can always go back and McDaniel will help you out. This definitely gives me a positive feeling for my future.

Spring Break

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Kaitlyn Vadenais

Spring Break is HERE!

Officially it started for me yesterday, since I have no classes on Fridays. But that’s a minor detail…

This first weekend is for getting some work done and getting organized for the trip. Monday my roommate Shannon and I leave for Florida! We will be in Daytona Monday through Friday and I cannot WAIT. After this long winter all I need is some days on the beach, soaking up the sun and the warm weather.

As our last Spring Break before the real world, Shan and I decided it was worth the slight splurge, even on our college budgets. While we are down there, in addition to catching a million rays and getting four shades darker at least, we are going to catch a couple Green Terror baseball games and meet up with our friends on the baseball team and roommates on the softball team for their off day on Tuesday.

It should definitely be a fun and relaxing week before coming back and rejoining real life. After seeing friends at different schools post Spring Break statuses and pictures for the past two weeks, I am more than ready for my turn!

Because of Spring Break, March always flies by and after we get back, we only have one more week before April. WHOA.

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