So my friend Rufio recently received an ODU deck of playing cards of which I a extremely jealous, because I have been searching for these cards for forever. Some upperclassmen had decks of the ODU playing cards back when I was a freshman here, but I guess they stopped producing them sadly. This is something I would love to see ODU bring back though. They were really cool (in my own humble opinion at least). These cards were a regular deck of playing cards,but they had a panther on them (our mascot) and each card had a different thing to do at ODU for a total of 52 things to do at ODU. Basically, they are super awesome and Rufio better appreciate the rare treasure he has just been gifted.
Many of the things listed on these cards can't be done anymore based on changes in the university, so I would like to make my very own list here for all who are interested :).
1. Visit every building on campus (even Guzman, Las Casas, and the Public Safety house)
2. Visit the sisters at Saint Mary of the Springs
3. Go on a walk near the baseball fields
4. Ride the elevator in Wehrle
5. Try on costumes in the theater
6. Take a Sister Fatula class
7. Read a book from the library for leisure
8. Buy yourself an item of clothing from the Bookstore
9. Go to Mass in Christ the King Chapel
10. Play a game of pool in the Student Center
11. Play sand volleyball
12. Take a picture with Saint Dominick
13. Jump around on the cushioned stairs in Panther Plaza
14. Go on a retreat with Campus Ministry
15. Have a dance party in the Dance and Fitness Room
16. Play the arcade video games in the Griff
17. Run up the baseball stairs as fast as you can without taking a break
18. Make sweet videos to show people how awesome ODU is :)
19. Have lunch or coffee with a staff or faculty member
20. Go to sporting events on campus
21. Lay on the oval and look at the clouds with a friend
22. Do your homework outside
23. Have breakfast in Hamilton Hall
24. Have lunch at Zest
25. Shower in one of the community showers (Sansbury or Fitzpatrick)
26. Watch a movie on a projection screen in the Student Center
27. Play basketball (outdoor court or in the gym)
28. Have a game night (there are board games in most of the residence halls and the student center)
29. Pull an all-nighter with a good friend
30. Go on a moonlit walk around campus with a friend and have a deep conversation
31. Go to a free fitness class
32. Travel with ODU (mission trip, study abroad, sports trips, etc.)
33. Join a club
34. Join a sports team
35. Dress Up on Wednesdays!
36. Start your own ODU tradition
37. Workout in the fitness center
38. Try out for a play or musical
39. Get an on-campus job
40. If you are 21 or older, buy an alcoholic beverage from the Panther Grill
41. Help out at Panther Pride Pitch-In (and clean up the campus whenever else you can as well)
42. Attend ODU Day
43. Go to Homecoming events (pep rally, football game, parade, dance, tail gating)
44. Submit something to Gesture (essays, poems, stories, pictures, etc.)
45. Enjoy the unlimited yogurt and granola in Hamilton Hall.. yum :)
46. Have a coffee date in the student center (the fireside lounge is a fantastic place for this!)
47. Bring your little siblings to Little Sibs Weekend
48. Make a sincere effort to get to know as many people as possible
49. Walk to Dairy Queen for 15% off a cold treat :)
50. Take the shuttle to Easton (go grab food, shop, go ice skating, see a movie, wander around, etc.!)
51. Start your own club
52. Attend ODU events and programs on campus (there's usually free food and ODU stuff and new people to meet)
Mkay, coming up with 52 things was a little harder than I imagined it would be. Kudos to the people who made those playing cards! I realize some of these are kind of lame, but it's hard to think up 52 things on the spot! I will add/remove things if I come up with some better ideas. Basically, ODU is really awesome though and has a lot to offer, so check out MyODU and find events and programs that interest you. Make your four years here really count. They can be really amazing if you let them be :)
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
It's Summertime at ODU
I feel so bad for being so neglectful with this blog. I just have so many blogs and journals right now that it's hard to keep on task with all of them. Darn me and my need for creative writing outlets haha.
It is summer break for ODU students now except for the few who have opted to take summer courses of course. I contemplated taking a summer course myself, but decided I'd rather focus on work and friends this summer. I am already limited in my free time as it is.
So I decided not to graduate in May. I still needed 2 classes to graduate, but I already had 5 first semester which was exhausting on top of Track and Student Senate and ResLife duties not to mention having a good relationship with family and friends and an active social life. One of the classes I needed to graduate is being offered in the Fall with one of my favorite professors, Sister Fatula, so I decided to just stay the extra semester and take it with her rather than go through the hassle of finding a subsititute class and getting it approved and all.
This has actually turned out to be a very nice blessing in a very obvious disguise since I was not at all ready to leave ODU yet. It's not just that it's my home now and I can't bear to leave it for sentimental reasons though that is true too. I am also just not ready to go out into the real world and be a grown up. This gives me a little time to postpone figuring out whether or not I want to do grad school or travel or work to pay off student loans or beginning a "big girl" career. The extra semester also gives me more time to build lasting friendships and leave the campus with a good lasting impression of myself. And of course, I will increase my knowledge and Dominican thinking skills through the additional classes I will be taking.
If I hadn't decided to stay the extra semester, I would not have lucked out with the awesome job opportunities I have this summer. At the very end of Spring semester, there was an opening for a position with ResLife and Student Development as a summer RA and an Orientation leader with food and housing provided for me on campus. I also got offered a position working as a studen ambassador over the summer, so I am basically getting paid to live on campus and do various tasks around the school which is awesome since my family moved recently so I would have had a hard time getting just for a month or so over the summer. It's also great to spend more time on campus before I graduate in December. There's quite a few of my friends from ODU living nearby and visiting from around Ohio, so I am able to see a lot more people this summer than I got to in the past due to my lack of car and being one of very few Panthers from the Cleveland area.
It has been a lot of work at some points, but for the most part, this summer at ODU has been surprisingly awesome! I feel I made the right decision taking these positions. It's very beneficial for me emotionally, financially, physically, and socially. I miss my family a lot, but I know I'd be bored, poor, and lonely if I had moved back home for the summer. And it would have been very hard for me to motivate myself to find a job and really get on my feet especially if I had graduated in May like I was originally supposed to.
Basically, my point here is that ODU has really given me a lot- jobs, education, amazing friends, faith, and fantastic life experiences. When I do finally graduate, I know I will be leaving here with great stories, awesome relationships, and the skills I need to survive in the real world and be the person I want to be. I am not sure that any other school could have done for me what ODU is doing. I am just so much better now than I was when I first entered Ohio Dominican in May 2008 for my Orientation. I only hope that all of ODU's students can see and appreciate this amazing place and take full advantage of all it has to offer. My biggest regret is not realizing this sooner. My last 4 years could have been even more amazing had I taken the time to really explore and get to know the campus and get involved and build even more and better relationships. So my advice to every college student is make the most of these 4 years, because you aren't going to get them back and they are over before you know it. Every day can be an amazing day if you let it, so let your college years be amazing. There's a lot your school can do for you.
It is summer break for ODU students now except for the few who have opted to take summer courses of course. I contemplated taking a summer course myself, but decided I'd rather focus on work and friends this summer. I am already limited in my free time as it is.
So I decided not to graduate in May. I still needed 2 classes to graduate, but I already had 5 first semester which was exhausting on top of Track and Student Senate and ResLife duties not to mention having a good relationship with family and friends and an active social life. One of the classes I needed to graduate is being offered in the Fall with one of my favorite professors, Sister Fatula, so I decided to just stay the extra semester and take it with her rather than go through the hassle of finding a subsititute class and getting it approved and all.
This has actually turned out to be a very nice blessing in a very obvious disguise since I was not at all ready to leave ODU yet. It's not just that it's my home now and I can't bear to leave it for sentimental reasons though that is true too. I am also just not ready to go out into the real world and be a grown up. This gives me a little time to postpone figuring out whether or not I want to do grad school or travel or work to pay off student loans or beginning a "big girl" career. The extra semester also gives me more time to build lasting friendships and leave the campus with a good lasting impression of myself. And of course, I will increase my knowledge and Dominican thinking skills through the additional classes I will be taking.
If I hadn't decided to stay the extra semester, I would not have lucked out with the awesome job opportunities I have this summer. At the very end of Spring semester, there was an opening for a position with ResLife and Student Development as a summer RA and an Orientation leader with food and housing provided for me on campus. I also got offered a position working as a studen ambassador over the summer, so I am basically getting paid to live on campus and do various tasks around the school which is awesome since my family moved recently so I would have had a hard time getting just for a month or so over the summer. It's also great to spend more time on campus before I graduate in December. There's quite a few of my friends from ODU living nearby and visiting from around Ohio, so I am able to see a lot more people this summer than I got to in the past due to my lack of car and being one of very few Panthers from the Cleveland area.
It has been a lot of work at some points, but for the most part, this summer at ODU has been surprisingly awesome! I feel I made the right decision taking these positions. It's very beneficial for me emotionally, financially, physically, and socially. I miss my family a lot, but I know I'd be bored, poor, and lonely if I had moved back home for the summer. And it would have been very hard for me to motivate myself to find a job and really get on my feet especially if I had graduated in May like I was originally supposed to.
Basically, my point here is that ODU has really given me a lot- jobs, education, amazing friends, faith, and fantastic life experiences. When I do finally graduate, I know I will be leaving here with great stories, awesome relationships, and the skills I need to survive in the real world and be the person I want to be. I am not sure that any other school could have done for me what ODU is doing. I am just so much better now than I was when I first entered Ohio Dominican in May 2008 for my Orientation. I only hope that all of ODU's students can see and appreciate this amazing place and take full advantage of all it has to offer. My biggest regret is not realizing this sooner. My last 4 years could have been even more amazing had I taken the time to really explore and get to know the campus and get involved and build even more and better relationships. So my advice to every college student is make the most of these 4 years, because you aren't going to get them back and they are over before you know it. Every day can be an amazing day if you let it, so let your college years be amazing. There's a lot your school can do for you.
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