An evening on "Avenue Q"

My senior year and I'm just now attending my first show at the IU Auditorium outside of Greek events. Last night I was whisked away to the satirically-humorous community of "Avenue Q." The smash hit Broadway musical was showing in a packed IU Auditorium for two days, and me and my friends made it to the second show. The story takes place in a fictional New York-like borough, where humans and muppets live together. But this isn't your average Sesame Street as the lessons learned were more acute for an adult audience. With songs such as "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist" and "It'd Be Okay, If You Were Gay," the play took a hard, gut-splitting look at life and everyone's purpose. All in all it is a great, unique piece on how life is what it is, but only for now. It changes from day to day, and our purpose is to adapt.

Water Balloon Fight @ Wright Residence Hall

The spring weather has brought the kids in 18-20-year-old college students. Frolicking in the basking sun, playing volleyball, and finding innovative ways to stay cool. So a group of friends occupied Wright's Courtyard as their battlefield for a full-fledged water balloon fight.

In their best aquatic sports attire, students dragged two crates - one being a clothes hamper - full of water balloons. Two teams were formed in front of the Wright breezeway. Balloons were launched over and underhanded, bursting multi-colored rubber debris against the ground and bodies. By the end of the 30 minute ordeal, both teams were either wet from perspiration or cold water. Thus, beating the heat. Mission accomplished.

Greek Unity Cookout at Dunn Meadow

April 4-10 the Lovely Ladies of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Tau Chapter hosted their week of events. After four days of well attended event, they held the 1st Annual Greek Unity Cookout in Dunn Meadow. The ladies collaborated with the sisters of Delta Zeta Sorority. The cookout included a live DJ, barbecued hot dogs and hamburgers, and plenty of games such as cornhole and Frisbee. The weather permitted it to be a beautiful day. 

Teter Residence Hall presents....The Nellies

Wednesday, March 31st Teter Residence Hall held a very special event. The Nellies gathered the best of the best lip-syncing resident assistants and students they could find. After walking the red carpet aligned with stars like Lady Gaga and Beyonce, students filed in Teter NST Cafe for a show to remember. There were two categories: group performance and overall individual performance. Students enjoyed serenades from the Blue Man Group, the Spice Girls, the Pussycat Dolls, and even Nelly and Paul Wall.

 

 As the "stars" continued to appear, attendees enjoyed a bounty of delicious appetizers. Trays of brueschetta, cocktail shrimp, and various fruits with chocolate syrup were passed throughout for the students' liking. It was an evening of fun to cap off the month of March. Our winners included "Nelly, "Beyonce," and Paul Wall; and, some ladies who could airplay a mean guitar.

$0.25 Laundry Day!!!!

With it being the week after spring break, many of us students have yet to adjust back to the swing of things. The homework we held off while enjoying seven days of non-scholastic activities is just now being reviewed. And the laundry we said we were going to do before we left is still sitting in the corner behind the door. Fortunately, this weekend was $ 0.25 Laundry Day on campus. For a quarter each, using your campus access card only, you can wash as many loads as you want. Just in time for spring cleaning. And to prepare for a new wardrobe as the weather heats up for summer.

The Skinny On The Bathrooms

Living in the residence halls requires a bit of adjusting. For one, unless you had several siblings, sharing a room with another person, yet alone a total stranger, can be difficult. In addition to sharing a bedroom, you also must share a bathroom: toilets, showers and sinks. You may think, I did this at home, with four people sharing one restroom. No problem, right? Not exactly. Multiply those four individuals by four, and you have a more of a summer camp set up. But do not fret. The residence halls are set up to accommodate your needs. We'll tour two separate examples of bathrooms. A men's restroom in Wright, and a female bathroom in Ashton.

Most restrooms are located at the ends or center of hallways. Wright has three different type of bathroom set ups. All have a certain amount of toilets and urinals for students to use. The only difference appears in the showers. One option is what I call the community type. There is an actual bathtub option, as well as one stall with three shower heads. The stall door locks, so many students use the extra space as an individual shower. The second option is the multiple sink option, with four toilets and urinals, and three showers. The showers are divided by stall doors as well. The third option, and the one I prefer, is the multi-shower option. There are at least five shower heads with there won stall doors. However, these spaces are smaller, except for two larger stalls.

As for the females, it is set up similarly. Of course there are no urinals,  and the walls are a faded pink, but they have an equal amount of toilets and showers. These are from Ashton on a floor of single-rooms. The bathrooms vary from residence hall to residence hall, but they are all mostly efficient.

Students Work for M.O.R.E. Diveristy

If you didn't know, the population of students on-campus increases each year. A part of that is a genuine love for Indiana Univeristy. Another factor is the work of a small few. The Office of Admissions recruits students to become a part of Ambassador groups to represent IU and assist with recruitment. One of theses groups, which I have been a member since my freshman year, is Multicultural Outreach Recruitment Educators (M.O.R.E.). Targeting students of color, M.O.R.E. orchestrates several events and programs throughout the year in efforts to increase diversity on IU's campus. One of their major efforts takes place at their monthly meetings.

Every first Wednesday of the month, M.O.R.E. meets in the Admissions Office to discuss upcoming events and previous programs. Students' help is completely voluntary, which makes it better because they want to improve the campus. After a brief meeting, the real work begins. Each meeting is capped off with a call-a-thon. Students make calls to prospective Hooisers in order to answer an questions they may have about the admissions process, or campus life itself. Some conversations can be short, while others last for 15 minutes at a time. 

MOCLI & Willkie Host Networking Night

Yesterday, the Men of Color Leadership Institute held a networking event for students seeking career and internship options. The three hour event was held in Willkie Auditorium. Students met with representatives from several Fortune 500 companies including Target, Liberty Mutual and Travellers. The night was also geared toward improving students professional skills, from how to construct the perfect resume to the rules of scoring a successful interview.

A Night on Kirkwood

When you live on campus, you will soon discover that there is only so much you can do in the residence halls. After renting every season of Seinfeld twice from the Music, Movies and More, and stalking the Hooiser cafe , you tend to yearn for an adventure outside of campus. A short bus trip, or walk, will lead you to the rustle and bustle of the local shoppes and eateries on Kirkwood.

Just past the Sample Gates are eccentric boutiques and quaint restaurants - all which are a part of the Kirkwood experience. If you're looking to find trendy apparel for cheap, you can hit up Urban Outfitters or Pitaya. Wanting to find a particular album or record, visit Tracks record store that has a vast collection of music the old fashion way. They have even added an extended array of IU apparel that is a lot cheaper than the merchandise found at the Varsity Shop and the Indiana Memorial Union.

If its food you need, look no further than the several local and franchise restaurants at your disposable. Jimmy John's specializes in quick service with their sub sandwiches; and Noodles & Company is a great late-night snack before you return to campus. In addition to these two is the local favorite Village Deli, which offers breakfast, lunch and dinner anytime of the day. Have a haughty omelet, or enjoy a hearty hamburger and fries.

At Kirkwood, it's your choice, your adventure. Plan ahead or make it up as you go along. The night is young.

A College Tradition: Birthdays

A definite highlight of the college experience is birthdays. Whether one is turning 18 or 23, it is a milestone at this time in your life. And nothing is better than a birthday in Bloomington. With so many options of restaurants and activities to choose from, the possibilities are endless. Even if you live on campus, a birthday can be memorialized by who your with and what you do. If you want to stay on campus, there is the Indiana Memorial Union's Bowling Alley, or Foster Residence Hall's late night Hooiser Den. And if you're wanting to get away from campus, Kirkwood is lined with wonderful eateries and restaurants to fulfill a night's celebration. I attended a party for a freshman friend of mine at Friday's. She was turning 18, and wanted to have all her friends in attendance. We laughed until we cried, and laughed some more. College is all about the moments. Make them ones to remember.

IU Helping Haiti

College is known as a liberating experience. A journey to adulthood where one forms his or her own views on local, national and global issues. With so many people from different cities, states, countries and continents, you learn something new everyday. This is also an opportunity to get involved in helping those in need. We all know of the tragic earthquake in Haiti, and as student here we feel we can't contribute. Luckily IU is donating goods and collecting other supplies to be packaged and shipped in efforts to aid those people in need. They are doing this in two ways.

First, all the residence halls are competing in the "Cram the Container for Haiti" contest. Each residence hall will have a box in front of its center desk where students may donated some of the listed supplies needed. They include canned goods, antibacterial lotions and more. The hall which raises the most goods will receive a prize for its entire community.

Second, specifically Wright Quad, held a special Open Mic night to raise donations and awareness about the help needed in Haiti. Several student showcased their talents for a good cause and free food. It was held in Wright's Formal Lounge.

Party @ Briscoe

This weekend I did not have anything to do. No major homework assignments or pending projects. And seeing how cold it was, I was not planning on to venture off campus. So I decided to partake in the other part of college life, the social scene, and attend a campus party.

The brothers of Omega Psi Phi hosted a party for their week of events in Briscoe Residence Hall. Although many of the attendees were freshmen, I had a lot of friends there and we had a lot of fun.

As you can see, we cut it up with the Haughville - a new dance the Class of 2013 has integrated in IU culture. I had a great time nonetheless.

Hello, My Name Is....

Lorin Williams

Hello everyone out there. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lorin Williams and I am in my final semester here at IU. Since you will be reading these posts on a regular basis, I might as well tell you a little about myself. I hail from Richmond, IN where I graduated in 2006 from Richmond High School. I have since called Wright Quad my home for the past four years. I am a journalism major with interests in magazine writing. I hope to one day become a music journalist.

My path to IU was a pretty simple one. IU had been a family tradition. My parents and relatives all attended IU, it had always been a presence in my life. I always wanted to have experience living on a big campus. Having to meet different people and find my own niche within IU has prepared me in being independent. In addition to being on a large campus, IU's journalism program had always been celebrated as being one of the best. It also helped financially to stay in-state, but it was worth it. These past seven semesters have been some of the best in my life, and I will cherish them forever.

Apart from being a student, I am a member of many organizations. I lend my voice to IU"s gospel choir and dedicate time to the Black Student Union. I also have had the unique experience to help increase diversity on IU's campus by working with a group in the admissions office. I served two years on the yearbook staff and am anticipating a class trip to the South by Southwest Festival this year.

With all introductions out the way, I plan to record what life is like here at IU. Talk to you soon.