By Tuesday of Finals week, the quality of snacks on the Stim Table in the library often begins to decline. You’re a hard-working student, and your body needs some substance to balance the too-many cups of coffee you’ve consumed over the last 24 hours. Thankfully, Bon Appetit and Students Services are here to help!
Looking for the perfect event to wear your adult-sized bacon suit? Well, this is it!
On Monday, May 6th, the residents of Chittick took a van up to Forest Park for a picnic. After great difficulty finding and parking in a space, we hiked into the park and found a nice patch of ground to sit back and enjoy a picnic. We ate sandwiches, some of which contained the strangest combinations – provolone and nutella being the strangest.
Some people brought binoculars to watch for birds, some hiked the trails, and others laid back and relaxed. After a few hours of relaxation in the wilderness, we headed back to campus to enjoy the rest of Reading Week!
In the interest of complete transparency, I have to tell you that this blog post doesn’t contain any closely guarded secrets to academic success. Truthfully, I’m probably recycling a lot of common advice (and none of the interesting stuff about chewing a different flavor of gum to help you retain information for a test, or what have you). But regardless, the following probably bears repeating:
Above all it is important to remember that you know your study habits best. Take these principles and adapt them to your current system, whether that includes internet restrictive apps like Self-Control and StayFocused (which I swear by), indulging in the latest flavor of Viso (a Portland energy drink company), chewing a different flavor of gum for every subject, or writing your Hum final on the front lawn.
Actual photo of me, actually studying.
Good luck and take care of yourselves!
The Portland weather has been perfect lately, just in time for the end of the year and graduation. Since we Reedies have spent many weeks layered with coats and scarves, students and other members of the Reed community might need a refreshing reminder about how to stay safe when the heat hits.
Hi interwebs,
My name is Ashley Brandt, and I’m your other Res Life blogger! Like Danielle, I’m an English major set to graduate in 2015. Currently, I live in the Spanish House, where I have also been accepted to live for the 2013-2014 academic year. As a resident in a language house, I get to practice my conversational Spanish outside of the classroom, and my dormies and I put on Spanish speaking cultural events for our house, the department, the language house communities, and the whole campus. The language houses are an invaluable resource for anyone interested in foreign languages at Reed, and I encourage any curious parties to contact me, or drop by one of our events!
Me, working on my latte art game at the Paradox.
I like to keep myself busy at Reed. In addition to keeping up with the Spanish House and my academic commitments, I work at the Residence Life office as an office assistant and at the Paradox Cafe as a barista. Like Danielle (who I aspire to be), I am also a member of the Reed College Creative Review board. Every Saturday afternoon I go off campus to volunteer at Animal Aid, a non-profit, no-kill animal shelter that specializes in cats and dogs that may have some difficulty finding their forever families.
I am responsible for all cat related media at the Res Life office. (My actual babies Bob and Walter who went to their forever family in October.)
My non-academic interests (beside cats) include the internet, television, and hip-hop culture.
On behalf of Danielle and myself, I hope you keep up with the Res Life blog this summer and into the next academic year! After all, double the bloggers means double the fun.
-Ashley
Hey y’all,
I am Danielle Juncal, an English Literature major and Class of 2015, and I will be one of the new voices on the Residence Life blog! Since I’m going to be around for a while, I want to introduce myself. I am a second-year Housing Advisor in the Residence Halls, and I will be working in Old Dorm Block – Westport I & III during the 2013-2014 year. Housing Advisors (HAs) host fun events and act as an excellent resource for questions about academics, campus life, and Portland in general. I love getting to know my residents and kicking back in the common rooms.
For fun, I love exploring around Portland, especially when it involves filling my belly with all of the culinary treats that the City of Roses has to offer. To balance my appetite, I stay active by running around the Reed College canyon and through the beautiful Eastmoreland neighborhood. My other hobbies include playing my ukulele, brewing and drinking tea, and (in the spirit of Reed) reading lots of books.
Hey! It’s me, Danielle, and I’m hanging out in the KRRC student radio station.
This year, I consider myself to be an active member of the Reed community. I work on the Reed College Creative Review, the college’s student-run literary and arts magazine, and I spend my free time in the KRRC station during my radio show. Currently, I am running for student body Senate because it’s a great way to stay involved in and voice opinions about student body affairs. As you can see, Reed provides lots of opportunities for students to build commitments outside of the classroom, and the list of student organizations goes on and on.
I’m really looking forward to posting on the blog this year. Let me know if you have any questions or comments, and I hope you’ll stop by the blog sometime in the future!
Cheers,
Danielle
Swanked-out residents of Naito and Sullivan recently gathered in Naito Lounge for a Mini-foods and Mocktails extravaganza! HAs and their residents collaborated to make the cutest mini-kebabs (on toothpicks!) and cupcakes you’ve ever seen. A mocktail bar, courtesy of the Sub-Free folk, was tended with flair by HA Mark. We even had live music thanks to the talented residents on Naito II, who played Irish folks songs and pulled the whole evening together. A few residents even tested out their Irish step dancing skills!
The culmination of the event was the announcement of the winners of the First Annual Northside Photo Contest. MANY thanks to our celebrity judges, Noelle Faricy, Jess Dimiceli, and Paul DeYoung, who had the impossible task of picking the winners. Congrats to our winners, who each got $25 gift cards and eternal Northside fame.
Music was provided by residents of Naito II.
Naito-Sullivan residents dressed to the nines.
A full menu of the mocktails served by HA Mark, of the Sub Free Floor.
Catering provided by residents of Naito-Sullivan.
Thank you to the Naito-Sullivan HAs for organizing such a great event!
The long-awaited event happened last weekend: Pizza-snackin’ with Scooby-Doo and the Gang.
Around twenty of ODBees joined and made this happen. Snacks galore!
Also, sing-a-longs. That was a thing. Season 1, What’s up, Scooby-Doo?
It was a great time for some de-stressing. Nostalgia for err’body. What a way to cope.
With the stress of the end of the semester upon us, taking a break to bedazzle some condom cases and weave some friendship bracelets was the perfect study break. Between all the glue and scissors we talked about sex positivity and consent around Reed and the meaning behind the purple and turquoise thread colors (they are the ribbon colors for domestic violence and sexual assault). It was a great chance to spread the word that carrying condoms in a wallet or pocket is not a good idea! Without protection for you protection, condoms can get worn and torn. Thanks Sexual Assault Prevention and Response!
Look at all those happy crafters!
Naito III-ers came up with so many great creative designs!
We might have eaten some jellybeans too.
During the 2011-2012 school year, Reed spent $1,389,150 on energy alone, that’s $1,029 per student! Not only does this take money away from many of the wonderful programs we love at Reed, it is also harmful to our planet. Let’s do something about it.
In this competition, created to encourage sustainable living among students, the area group that decreases its energy and water usage the most during a three-week period will be deemed “The Most Honorable Energy Warriors”, and receive an edible award during reading week. Area groups will earn additional points for hosting events such as discussions, sustainable potlucks, and movie nights, so HAs and residents work to together and talk about what you would like to see happen on your floor. Although the competition is limited to the residence halls, students living off campus are encouraged to collaborate with on-campus friends in planning events. The competition will start Monday, April 15th and end Friday, May 3rd.
Here is a website with tons of resources on why these types of competitions are important and with event ideas (links to films you can screen, discussion questions, things like that): http://www.competetoreduce.org/.
PSU did something similar and did awesome. Let’s beat them!
“As a result of the competition, UP Res Halls reduced energy use by nearly 24,000 kWh hours (what 4 U.S. households consume in a year), averted 10,900 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, and saved $1,673 in energy costs. The winning dorm reduced their use by 24%!”
A few tips on ways live more sustainably:
If you have any questions contact April Kaplowitz at akaplowi@reed.edu, or Haley Jacobson at hajacob@reed.edu.
Love Reed, Love Mama Earth.
