Lewis University Navigator Blogs

Hi Everyone!!

So it is getting to be that time of year when people start thinking about next year. Soon the spring schedules will be out and advising meetings will start. Also, slots will start opening for rooms next year. But if you are interested in rooming in Dorothy Day Hall….. applications start sooner.

Dorothy Day Hall is the newest hall on campus. It is set up in sections, meaning there are two doubles, and two singles. These six people then share a bathroom (with two showers, stalls, and sinks). Dorothy Day also has study rooms on each floor that are perfect if you need to get away to do homework but do not want to go across campus to the library. Dorothy Day also has a unique housing system that lets its residents register early for housing. The sections in Dorothy Day are separated into learning communities; substance free, intense study, and academic. In a substance free section, students sign a contract stating to be free of alcohol and drugs while they live there. Intense study is geared to sections that want quiet hours and a good study environment. Academic section are for groups of student that have the same major. The only ‘catch’ is that every semester your section has to do a presentation relating to you learning community theme. It is very easy and fun. Also, your section will have to write a paper at the end of the semester but again it is not very hard and kind of bonds your section more.

Dorothy Day has a separate application to get into the sections. This is what allows Dorothy Day residents to register early. It is nice to be able get rooming stuff done and out of the way earlier than everyone else on campus. I live in Dorothy Day now and plan on living there again next year. I use the study rooms almost every day. It is a very friendly and clean atmosphere. I would highly reccomend living there.

Coming up in the second weekend in April, the Student Governing Board (SGB) and The Pulse are presenting the “Best Weekend Ever”! As part of the “Best Weekend Ever,” Lewis will be hosting a spring concert, as well as spring formal the following night. Starting Frida,y April 8, 2011, Jason Derulo is in concert at the Lewis University Student Recreation and Fitness Center (SRFC). The tickets are twenty dollars each and each student may buy up to six tickets per Student I.D. The show starts at 8:30PM, but the doors open at 7:30PM. Finding out Jason Derulo was coming to Lewis was a long and anticipated event because all of us students knew there was a performer coming but did not find out until February 21 that he was the entertainer that he would be live for all of us to see on April 8.

As the second part to the “Best Weekend Ever” on Saturday April 9, 2011 the SGB and the Pulse are hosting the Bedcheck’s VIP Party, which is the spring formal and it is aboard the Navy Pier’s the Odyssey. The Odyssey is a gorgeous yacht that is stationed right in Lake Michigan. Everybody that I have talked to that has been to past spring formals has had an amazing time. The tickets are forty dollars per ticket or seventy five dollars per couple. The event starts at midnight but buses from Lewis load in the SRFC at 9:30PM.

The “Best Weekend Ever” is just one great event Lewis hosts. Lewis is always coming up with ideas to make student life fun and active. The programs and entertainers that Lewis brings in always adds something special to this already great campus. You will never get bored at Lewis, because there is always something fun and exciting to do. It is especially nice that Lewis plans these great events that will be in our college memories forever.

After finishing our freshman year, my friends and I were looking to live somewhere nicer. Our days of small rooms and community bathrooms were over and we were more than happy for a change of pace.

The newest dormitory on campus was Dorothy Day. It was finished just in time for our Sophomore year and the only question we had was “where do we sign?” We were surprised to find that they were doing something new with Dorothy Day. In order to get a guaranteed spot, you had to come in as part of a “learning community.”

There are 3 main types of learning communities; Substance Free, Intense Study, and Academic Major. In substance free learning communities, there is a zero tolerance for drugs and alcohol. The applicants cannot have had any prior judicial documentation for drugs or alcohol. Intense study learning communities have a 24 hour quiet hour policy. This is popular among study intensive majors. Academic major learning communities are made up of students with the same or similar declared major. To stay in one of these learning communities, the student must maintain a 2.5 GPA or better. In addition to these requirements, each learning community must do a presentation every semester relating to their type of community.

Living in a learning community has been a lot of fun. Not only do you get to live in the newest building on campus, you also get to live with fun, like-minded people!

Hello!

So I know that most everyone finds sitting down and reading a textbook a complete bore, and even though it doesn’t feel like spring, the thought of spring and it being beautiful outside makes reading a textbook sound even more tortorous. Unfortunately, for nursing, reading essential. I honestly have learned more from reading the books then the lectures in some of my classes. The professors do expect you to read before classes so that you are prepared for the lecture and know what they are talking about. And most of the test questions are based upon criteria that you read in the books. Yes, I know that this sounds terrible, but there is an up side. First of all, what you are reading really is not that boring. It is all health related and has some pretty interesting facts with in it. Also, what you read, you then talk about in lecture and then practice in labs. So really you are like bringing your reading to life. A lot of times teachers will have personal stories that will go along with the topic you are reading about also. That always makes the topic more fun and memorable.

There is a lot of reading that comes with the nursing curriclum, but if you stay on top of it (meaning read when you need to read and not putting it off for a later time) it will be much more enjoyable. It will definitely help you in the long run.

As the school year of 2010-2011 goes on for all of you seniors I know that some of you may be worrying about how you are going to pay for college next fall. Do not let the money issues worry you to much but do take advantage of all the opportunities that are given to all of us students.  Make it a goal to apply for scholarships and grants that fit your criteria and needs. Filling out a piece of paper and maybe writing an essay can go along way. Those papers can help so that when you graduate you have as little debt as possible. Do some research online and talk to your guidance counselors about scholarships in which you can apply for. Many scholarship do require certain things like a high GPA or that your decided major be something certain. If there is a community foundation in your area make sure you look at their website and the scholarships they can offer to you. Many of the deadlines have come and gone but do not stop looking for grants and scholarships that you can apply for. Take the risks and fill out scholarships that you may not think you will get because in the end you might just be rewarded. Most scholarship applications take at most an hour and require a transcript to be sent in but that little of time can give the money you need to be debt free. I know as a college student that I will have some loans but I know that the scholarships I received are helping me pay my tuition.

There are many websites which can direct you to the right site to get scholarships. Like I said before check out your local community foundation and do some research on scholarships that go towards your decided major. For example I am a Broadcast Journalism major so I used a search engine to look up “Broadcast Journalism Scholarships”. There are also scholarship websites that direct you to more scholarships such as Fastweb.com and Scholarships.com. Take the time to fill out all of the information for a scholarship because the money can always help with tuition payments and take a little weight off of your shoulders so that you do not have a lot of stress about money. Do some research and apply for everything you can!

This being a week that I feel a bit under the weather, I thought it’d be appropriate to cover Lewis University’s Center for Health and Counseling Services.

“Oh no! I’m feeling ill! What should I do, Monico?”

Fear not, dear reader. Lewis offers FREE health services out of Mother Theresa Hall from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM Monday through Friday. A physician also comes in from 1 PM to 3PM Monday and Thursday. They are well stocked with both basic over-the-counter and prescription medication and offer a variety of vaccines as well. They are well equipped to treat minor injuries/ illnesses and can refer you off campus for more serious cases.

“Who will be treating me?”

The staff is made up of professional physicians, nurses and a few student workers. They are all bound by law to maintain strict confidentiality.

“I’m going through a rough time, is there anyone I can talk to?”

Why yes! The counseling center is available by appointment from 9 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday (unless it’s an emergency). They are also bound by strict confidentiality laws. In addition to one-on-one counseling, they also offer group counseling, outreach programming, and referrals to off campus resources.

“What if I’m not sick enough to need any of that?”

Fear not! The on campus convenience store stocks basic over-the-counter medications. If they don’t have what you need, there is a Walgreen’s 5 minutes away from campus.

Well there you have it, dear reader. So next time you come down with a case of the sniffles, sneezes, or heebie jeebies, rest assured that Lewis has you covered.

It has been an interesting week at Lewis, so say the very least. Classes were cancelled Wednesday and Thursday due to the blizzard. It was exciting to have off because I feel snow days rarely ever happen in college so two in a row was definitely a treat. Many students, including myself, ventured to play outside, and you can see many forts and snowmen scattered around the campus.

Tonight will also be an exciting time at Lewis. Our men’s volleyball team hosts Stanford tonight. Stanford is ranked #2 in the nation this year and are the defending national champs, so it will be an exciting game. We are having a white out theme tonight too support them.  They pre-sold tickets for the game and are expecting a full crowd, so it will be pretty loud in the Neil Carey. If you are interested in watching the game it will be televised on Lakeshore TV! Hope you had a good week and snow days if you had off!

Go Flyers!!!!