The Rock Blog

As I look back over the past 4 years, I have many fond memories to ponder.  But I can honestly say that my best academic, social, and emotional decision coming into SRU was my decision to liveon a LLC of the Honors Program.  Otherwise known as the HON.

A living learning community (LLC) is unique to SRU and a great way to jump into college! Overall a LLC is the group of students who live on your floor who have a majority of major/minor level course work together.  Ok so why was this so helpful? Because my roommates and floor mates were taking similar classes to me! So therefore we would study together, walk to classes together, eat lunch together, and honor each other the night before tests by not being loud or rude to others who are studying.  A LLC is a great way to make friends who will be in your classes for the remainder of you college career.

Currently, some of my favorite times during the month are my Honors Program meetings where I get to see a lot of my friends from my LLC floor from my freshman and sophomore year.  These friends helped me through a lot those first years so catching up with them is always a blessing!

If you are interested in learning more about Honors LLCs or Resident Life at Slippery Rock, check out this link: http://www.sru.edu/studentlife/reslife/llc/pages/hon_llc.aspx

I know I have blogged many a time about the Honors Program but if you have questions or comments about the benefits of being in the Honors Program AND living on the Honors LLC, please don’t hesitate to ask!

All for now, friends!

Until next time… 🙂

Kaitlin

When coming to my first campus tour of Slippery Rock University, my parents were excited to see the campus.  But nothing could have prepared me for their over-excitement over touring Bailey Library.

Actually, compared to other schools that my friends attend, Bailey Library rocks.  This three-floor building contains three very different environments.  The first floor contains over 60 computers and 10 study rooms for the best group project preparations any student could ask for!  The second floor contains the hub for the education department with more children’s books than most bookstores! The second floor also contains the technology center where students can rent out all kinds of equipment and use the most advanced PC and Apple technology.  You can also rent the most recent movies on DVDs! The third floor of Bailey is probs the most precious to many last minute studiers.  This floor is the quiet floor where talking is really not allowed.  So therefore quiet, concentrative studying is at its finest!  The library even smells like well used books and coffee and I appreciate the added fragrance!

Bailey really helped me transition into college because I could leave the hustle and excitement of my freshman floor to study efficiently and quickly on the third floor of the library.  Bailey has helped my GPA and emotional stress levels in countless ways and I encourage you readers to check out the library and USE its resources and librarians for the best college experience!

All for now!

Until next time… Kaitlin

I did not know but I wish I would have known the perks of the Slippery Rock dining hall before I came to school my freshman year. So want me to clue ya’ll in… ok well here it is:
Boozel Dining Hall is SRU’s all-you-can-eat food stop! It is ranked 14th in the nation for nicest, newest dining hall! Pretty cool, right? Boozel has four large sitting areas composed of tables, booths, and bar stool seats. I personally like the variety of sitting in the dining hall so that I can accommodate more friends if a few extra show up for dinner! Hey, the more the merrier!
Food wise, Boozel has an incredible salad bar, sandwich station, fried food cuisine, and home-cooked selection of food. I usually always start off in the salad/soup line and more to the pizza, grilled cheeses, or pasta selections. Lastly, I hit up the ice cream and fresh pastries corner of the dining hall! Sometimes I just need sugar!
Many times, I forget to appreciate the specialty options that Boozel has to offer such a gluten free dinner options, fat free everything for a healthier experience, and theme nights like Harry Potter and Super Bowl Night where the chiefs transform the look and food selections to match the themes! For example, on Harry Potter night, the chiefs created home-made Butterbeer! Yumm!\
Alright time for dinner… just meeting some friends at Boozel! Hope they have shrimp scampi pasta again! 🙂
Until next time…
Kaitlin

Red and green. Lights and mistletoe. Garland and ornaments.  Its that time of year again.  It’s the holiday season!!

The 25 days of Christmas on ABC Family began on Saturday, December 1^st and ends on Tuesday, December 25^th.  A variety of movies, new and old Christmas traditions will air during these days.  This holiday tradition of showing classic holiday specials has been going on since 1996.

Recently, there has been a change in the videos shown during this time.  More general-interest movies for families have been added in.  Movies like Harry Potter and the Blind Side will be shown during this month-long series.  Therefore, decreasing the number of seasonal films shown during this time.  However, traditional seasonal movies like Jack Frost, Elf, and The Grinch will still be broadcasted.

Also, ABC Family is introducing the first original Christmas musical, The Mistle –Tones.  This movie will come out on Sunday, December 9^th.

Another new addition to the 25 Days of Christmas is the new Home Alone movie, Home Alone: The Holiday Heist.

 So even though this tradition only comes around once a year, it can put a smile on someone’s face for a whole year.  The holiday season is a time for laughter, joy, and good times.  It’s a time for giving: a time for holiday spirit.  So, what other better way is there to get into the holiday season than tuning into this television event?  It is a must-see movie marathon.  Make sure you tune into ABC Family each day to see this one-of-a-kind, annual television broadcast.

Happy Holidays!!

-Stephanie-

THE LAST WEEK is upon us again. I literally cannot believe how fast this semester has gone! I mean I guess I did travel a little: to eastern PA, Phoenix, and Boston for conferences! Not to mention weekend trips to Pittsburgh and Erie with friends.  Overall, this semester was different than I thought.  I learned a lot about myself, and a little more about my professional field.  I have come to realize the importance of knowing who you are (self-awareness is the snazzy word we learned for this in Developmental Psych class).  Even though I am a senior in college right now, this quest for self-awareness will keep going throughout my life. But, I can say that I have grown a lot in my personal walk this semester.  I have discovered some true friends who will be there for me in thick or thin.  I have cried and laughed through many occasions and I have loved moments of each and every day.  The greatest treasure is the moment right now- That is why it is called the present!

I truly do love Slippery Rock because it is a school that cares for people. And students. But more importantly, the people that make up the student body.  We are school of people who care about each other.  I am excited for our MONTH long Christmas break and look forward to coming back in the Spring for my last semester!

Until next time… keep shining!

Kaitlin 🙂

Finally, the Communication students were able to put everything out there on the line.  It all came down to this.  Everything that we learned while we were here at the Rock, was out on the table.  We had to display everything that we have ever came into contact with and explored thus far.  Telling our life story has never meant so much in our education as what it did tonight.

We have come so far and still have so much farther to travel.  From here who knows where we all may end up, if we will ever see each other again, or even if we will stay in contact with one another.

One thing we do know, however, is that one of the biggest, most talked about nights of our lives is complete.  We made it!!  We succeeded with flying colors and can only go up from here.

Our friendships pulled us together and got us through.  Tonight was one of those nights to look back on and reminisce in the good times.  A night like this will never be forgotten.  We truly became a family here at Slippery Rock University.

There’s no turning back now!!

-Stephanie Clark-

Greetings from Boston- home of the best clam chowder in the nation! I am here on behalf of the Slippery Rock Honors Program.  The conference that I am attending is through the National Collegiate Honors Council.  People are here from all 50 states and it is very exciting to see people excited about learning.  I have also met many passionate honors directors who strive to make their students experiences in college the best they can be!

Today we presented our adapted physical activity research in a large poster presentation session.  This was the third time for my research partner and I to present so we felt like pros! The judges asked good questions but we were ready with the answers!

Conferences in any field are a really important part of the college experience.  When you are looking into colleges, be sure to remember to widen your horizons are travel some while in school! The experiences will last a lifetime and most of it is usually paid for!

All for now!

Keep shining!

Kaitlin

I have been taking a poll. A poll of the students on campus who feel like it is the Christmas season already.  So far only 2 of 50 students have admitted to feeling the Christmas cheer.

Why is this you ask? After pondering over this while waiting in line to eat lunch at the Empty Bowls Luncheon today, I have come the conclusion that this is because IT IS STILL NOVEMEBER!

Although my Thanksgiving break was enjoyable and lovely, the break did come earlier this year.  This creates an unwanted friction between the fall season and the Christmas season. Which one is it? Even the student center has not decorated festively for the holiday season yet.  My college house does have a small tree in the corner and I am excited to start blasting Christmas music around the house once the season feels right!

All for now! 🙂

Have a great day!

Keep shining!

Kaitlin

So it has officially reached that point in the semester where I have way too much to do and definitely not enough time to do it.  There are so many projects, papers, and exams and the professors all think that their class should come first.  We are all wearing down and are all getting sick now.  The stress is unbelievable.

I guess it is time to buckle down and get things done.  At the same time though, we need some sort of stress reliever.

I think it is time to make a little time for ourselves.  Get out and enjoy the time we have here and enjoy the friends that we surround ourselves with.  Yes, we have to get our work done because after all that is why we are here.  However, we do need a little time to enjoy ourselves and appreciate how far we have come so far.

Enjoy the nice weather while it lasts and make the most of everyday.

-Stephanie-

We all know that it is Slippery Rock University; a.k.a. Snow Rain University, but recently the weather has been slightly scary.  We have not seen the worst of it and our hearts go out to those who have.  This time we are grateful to be where we were when we were.  We must all pull together for those who were less fortunate though.

Even though we were all hoping for cancellations and closings, maybe it is better that we did not have to deal with those along with flooding and power outages.  I mean missing classes and what not would have been nice, but at the same time it would have meant a lot more hard times to come.  We need to be grateful that through this storm, we were able to maintain our typical lives and schedules and were not affected in such a way to disturb and destroy everything.

For all of those out there that have lost everything, hang in there and we are all here for your support to help you get through this hard time.

This just goes to show that you have to be careful what you wish for and always remember that you never know what you have until it’s gone.

-Stephanie-