Jamaica Me Crazy!

This week I have been on campus for my Maymester class, Peace Studies. We are studying peace and ways to create peace in societies, specifically in Hagley Gap, Jamaica. Tomorrow we head down to Chicago to prepare for our flight early Saturday morning to Jamaica! We will spend two weeks in Hagley Gap doing service work and helping to improve the community. One thing that really struck me was that the children only go to Primary School. If they want to go to high school they must walk two hours to the nearest school, and they must pay too, since it is private. Going to a university is even harder. But as a part of our work down there we are helping to bring education to the people of Hagley Gap through laptops and educational software. Each of the 16 students going are bringing an entire suitcase of donations for the people of Hagley Gap. It is going to be a great experience and I can't wait to get there!

Hagley Gap, Jamaica

If you want to learn more, check out the Blue Mountain Project website at http://www.bluemountainproject.org/!

~Christy

Finals Week!

It's hard to believe, but it's finals week already. Today is my last day of classes for the semester! Wednesday is reading day, and then Thursday is the first day of final exams! I have my Spanish final on Friday, Stats and Sociology on Monday, and Chemistry on Tuesday. I will head home on Wednesday for the rest of the week and then come back to campus Sunday to start my Maymester! We are in Ripon for the week, then we fly out to Jamaica for two weeks!

It's hard to believe that I'm almost done with my sophomore year of college! The time has just flown! I ran into some alums over the weekend and they said to stay in college as long as possible! :) So I'm glad that I'm making the most of the opportunities Ripon has to offer!

~Christy

Springfest!

This weekend is one of the biggest weekends on campus! It's like the "last hurrah" before finals and the end of the semester. It begins at noon with t-shirt tye-dyeing and a Rugby game...the activities start at 12:30 including inflatable boxing & jousting, bungee run, inflatable obstacle course, and mechanical bull...at 1:30 Mark Little will be playing on the Union Patio...RSee3 (a Ripon-based group) is performing at 2:45...the Dance team is performing their Guy/Girl routine at 3:30...Kyle Man Combo is playing on the Union Patio at 5pm...then the Main Stage starts up with Danger Is My Middle Name at 8pm, Treaty of Paris at 8:45pm, and the headliner, QUIETDRIVE at 9:30pm! It is going to be a great day!

Tonight is the drive-in movie. The Student Assistant Hall Directors and Residence Life are showing "Transformers" in the West Storzer parking lot tonight at 8pm! I don't have a car, so I'm just bringing down a blanket and a radio! I am so excited!! Also happening tonight is a Pool Party in Storzer. WRPN FM is going to be broadcasting live from the pool! So we might have to go for a dip after the movie! :)

Then Sunday the volleyball team is playing in a tournament at Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee! So it's going to be a busy week! I also need to find time to start studying for my finals (which begin in a week)...

~Christy

Busy Busy Busy!

Today I have SO many things to do! Tonight there's an EarthWeek BBQ, De Novo Dahl in Concert at 6:30, then they're showing Blood Diamond in the Pub at 8! I have to sell Springfest t-shirts for SMAC, so I will get to eat dinner and enjoy a concert at the same time! :) YES! Before that though, the volleyball team is practicing, since we have an off-season tournament on Sunday! I might have to miss the Student Appreciation dinner put on my the Admission and Financial Aid Offices for their student workers, but I definietly need to have some of the dessert! Toni makes the best desserts!

The end is growing near...and so are deadlines! I have so many projects and papers due! But hopefully I can get them done before this weekend, so I can enjoy Springfest!

Ciao!

Christy

Red Hawks are thinking Green!

This weekend was BEAUTIFUL! And we definitely took advantage of it! Saturday, Merriman hosted their annual Ultimate Frisbee Tournament to raise money for a local girl with leukemia. It was a great cause, good exercise, and a nice way to get a tan (or burn!) too! Then Sunday, Phi Delta Theta had their annual Firefighter's Run to raise money for the Ripon Fire Department. The guys put on the firefighter gear and run laps around the quads and they also grill brats and hamburgers. It was a lot of fun! I played sand volleyball, which was a blast!!!

This week on campus is a week-long celebration of Earth Day! Let me give you a run-down of the events!

Tuesday
- Earth Day Golden Hour: The Urgency of Incorporating Sustainability in Higher Education--An Ethical Perspective; Dr. Peter Blaze Corcoran with an introduction by ELP Green Certification Students
- Earth Day Presentation: Earth Charter Ethics--Supporting Young People on the Journey to Sustainable Societies; Dr. Peter Blaze Corcoran
- EGOR & SMAC Present the Earth Day film, the 11th Hour

Wednesday
- Sodexho & EGOR “Zero Waste” Earth Week BBQ
- Environmental Group of Ripon, SMAC, College Dems, & College Republicans present De Novo Dahl in Concert

Thursday
- Dedication of trees to Ripon community
- Nature Photo Art Show and Contest co-sponsored with Photogenesis
- Organic T-shirt Tie-Dying co-sponsored by SMAC & Bonner Program

Christy

Thinking Pink...

Last night my Living Group, Think Pink, did our activity for the semester. We made pink ribbon pins and sold them around campus. We made over $150 for Relay for Life! Relay for Life is tomorrow night at Ripon High School, so we're going to head down there to volunteer and donate our pin money!

The weather yesterday was beautiful! There were intramural softball games, sand volleyball matches, kites being flown, and frisbees being tossed around campus. The campus really comes alive with the warm weather! :)

Today i'm headed to the JV baseball game to see some of my friends play! Then it's time to hit the books! Tomorrow I'm making up a Chemistry test I missed on Monday when I was sick, so I need to review some more for that!

~Christy

What a Week!

This week has been crazy. And crazy seems to be the forecast for the rest of the semester.

I have two exams next week, then projects and papers due the following weeks. This month is going to be busy and stressful! But at least there are awesome activities going on around campus to offer a break and some fun during this stressful time! Last night Ripon Afterdark sponsored a comedian, Multicultural Club sponsored an Open-mic night, and SMAC had a speaker talking about sex. Tonight SMAC is showing Hairspray and it's also Spring Fling, a Sadie's Hawkins Dance with the theme "Rollin' through the Decades." The one-act student-directed plays are also this weekend (I'm going tomorrow night!).



It should be a fun weekend!




~Christy