Tag Archives: Office of Student Engagement

Movies on the Hill

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Over the weekend, I had the chance to curl up and watch The Intouchables, a French film about the friendship formed between a wealthy quadriplegic man, Philippe,  and his Senegalese caretaker, Driss. I loved the film; it was fun, upbeat, and at times, poignant, and the characters were phenomenal.

Seeing this French film made me excited for a class I’m taking this fall, German Cinema. For one night a week for a whole semester, I’ll spend three hours discussing and watching German films, some in German, some in English. This course will be offered by the foreign languages department, though McDaniel offers many more film classes through the communication department. The communication department offers these film analysis classes as part of their cinema major, but students of any major are also welcome to take such classes as electives.

Of course, you don’t have to be enrolled in a film class to watch movies on the Hill; there’s plenty of other ways to get your movie fix. The Office of Student Engagement shows movies a couple of times a month, and various academic departments and student groups will also show films. For example, Astronomy Club played Star Wars episodes I through VI every Sunday night for the last six weeks of this past semester.

Most notably though, Film Club, a student organization started by first year students during my first year on the Hill, screens movies twice a week. The movies they show tend to be classics and other high-quality films, and the club president, Nick, likes to pick different themes of movies for each month. To learn more about Film Club, check out their Facebook page and this tumblr my friend Charles made for his New Media Writing class last fall.

Your movies options aren’t limited to what’s shown on McDaniel’s campus. You can also watch new releases at the Regal Cinema in Westminster or you can see some indie, foreign, and other films at the Carroll Arts Center–in walking distance from campus on Main Street. (My favorite is when they show Rocky Horror Picture Show every year in the fall.)

And last but not least, there’s nothing like gathering up some friends, popping some popcorn, and watching movies from the comfort of your own dorm. (McDaniel’s Hoover Library can help you find an awesome DVD at no cost to you.)

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Strange Days Indeed

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The last four days have not been entirely typical of my experience at McDaniel College, but they’ll certainly be memorable.

After an evening of fun that involved watching McDaniel’s improv troupe Danger Sauce put on their annual Halloween show and going to Westminster Station for coffee late Friday night to support Advocacy Team’s “Music for Micro” event, I woke up bright and early Saturday morning to attend the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire with my friends Zach and Walter. The Office of Student Engagement sponsored the trip as one of their Weekend Blitz Trips, which was awesome since it only cost $10 to attend–much less than the typical cost of admission to the Ren Faire. The guys and I had a great time eating the food and watching the shows and we were fortunate that the weather held out on us, as it was quite cloudy throughout the day.

But my Saturday wasn’t over yet! When I got back to campus in the evening, I got busy preparing for my annual trip to the Rocky Horror Picture Show held at the Carroll Arts Center in Westminster. This involved making sure my prop bag (which I ended up forgetting) was in order, putting on my costume (I decided to go dressed as Janet), and finding other people to go with. In the end, I managed to go with a pretty large sized crowd who also went in costume, and we had a really fun time! I can’t wait until next year!

I guess I had too much fun on Saturday though, for on Sunday, I woke up with a garden variety cold which I’ve been dealing with for the past three days now. (I’ll spare you the details.) Conveniently for me though, Hurricane Sandy rolled into town beginning Sunday night and class was canceled yesterday and today as a result. Thus, while other people have been spending all their time getting stuff done and having fun, I’ve been spending a lot of that time trying to sleep my sickness away.

I do want to say though that I’m extremely impressed with how the College and our Department of Campus Safety have handled the situation with the weather over the past several days. As early as Friday, the student body received emails letting everyone know that the College was monitoring the storm and preparing for the worst. As the storm made its way to Westminster and McDaniel, Campus Safety sent out countless emails, Facebook posts, and tweets letting everyone know the status of the storm and how it would be affecting us here on campus. The Office of Residence Life also sent out detailed daily emails about the storm and possible situations that could have come from it.

Even though I still have some homework to tackle (thanks, cold), I’ll be glad to get back to reality tomorrow (provided my cold goes away). Two days with canceled classes and the College being closed are quite enough, and I know that people are starting to get cabin fever. Special thanks to Campus Safety, Res Life, and those who worked in the dining hall over the past few days for helping all of us here at McDaniel weather the storm!

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Labor Day Weekend

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I guess you could say I had the best of both worlds this Labor Day weekend; I spent Friday evening and Saturday on campus while returning home for Sunday and Monday.

After class wrapped up on Friday afternoon, I went to hang out with my friends in Forlines house, where my one of my friends graciously let me paint my nails with a bottle of polish from her very extensive nail polish collection. Soon after, I went to the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship cookout on the quad between DMC and ANW, another residence hall. The cookout was open to all students and I had a great time catching up with people I know.

If you’re interested in religious life on campus, InterVarsity may be for you. IV is a campus ministry found on over 550 campuses nationwide. McDaniel InterVarsity meets once a week for worship in Little Baker Chapel and holds student-led bible studies throughout the semester. They also host campus-wide events (like the cookout) and go on retreats. I’m not a member of IV, but I really admire what a tight-knit and fun group they are.

After going to the cookout, I returned to my dorm to rest up before the outdoor screening of The Avengers, sponsored by the Office of Student Engagement. The first movie of the year is always screened outdoors (weather permitting), and it’s a lot of fun to grab some blankets and towels and sit out in Red Square with old and new. And did I mention there’s free pizza?

Saturday for me was mostly a homework day, though one of my suitemates went whitewater river tubing with the Outdoor Club. (I’m a little jealous, but I needed to get things done!) I still had some fun though, because in the evening, some of my friends and I drove to the nearby IHOP. IHOP is one of my favorite places off campus to eat and socialize, and it’s easily within walking distance, making it very accessible.

I spent the rest of the weekend at home because my poor little fan was no match for this weekend’s heat! I hadn’t planned on going home this weekend, but I was glad to get to see my puppy, Lily, who my family got last month. It’s tough to be away from pets at college, but there are dogs to be found on campus. For example, Canine Companions for Independence, more commonly known as Puppy Club is in the process of training a service dog, a black lab named Hudson, who can be seen at various campus and Puppy Club-sponsored events.

I’d have to say that my Labor Day went pretty quickly, and fortunately, so did my day. This evening, I’m off to the first Free Press meeting of the semester, and if I’m up for it, I’ll go see comedian Adam Ace in the Forum afterwards. This week is going to get busier as it progresses, so I’m glad it’s a short one!

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