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All the movies portray college as one big beer fest; frat parties, sorority parties and just plain old parties are the objects of the media most times. Aside from this being a completely inaccurate portrayal of college life, especially here at Mount Union, we as a campus work harder towards the mature management of alcohol instead of hosting the best parties in the United States (like some other schools in Ohio).

GAMMA is a major organization on campus that works toward this common goal. Their acronym stands for Greeks Advocating the Mature Management of Alcohol, which means that members are from the sororities and fraternities on campus, but their influence extends beyond the Greek community. This organization puts on a variety of events throughout the year that do just what their name implies, advocate mature management of alcohol.

One of these events, and arguably one of the largest, is a mocktail competition. This competition took place this past Wednesday and drew quite a crowd. Any organization on campus is encouraged to create a mocktail and compete. The goal is, in the end, to show that alcohol isn’t needed to have a good time and enjoy beverages that are varied and pretty tasty. This year there were a large number of mocktails created, tasted, judged and voted upon. There were trophies awarded for most members in attendance and people’s choice and prizes were awarded for first, second and third place. The group that won most members in attendance was Delta Sigma Tau. The picture to the right is just a few of sisters of DST with their mocktail.

I, along with a friend, headed up the mocktail concoction for Alpha Phi Omega, the co-ed service fraternity that I spoke about in my last blog. Our drink was based around Breast Cancer Awareness since it’s October (Breast Cancer Awareness Month). APO decided to make a drink to advocate for this cause because of the sheer amount of cases of breast cancer being diagnosed each day, each month and each year. Did you know that a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every three minutes? That means, in the time since you began this blog, a woman has been given a diagnosis that will change her life forever. Wow. That’s crazy to think about. THAT’S why there is a whole month dedicated to education about this cancer and THAT’S why APO chose this cause.

The drink we chose to make is called the “Pink Boobie Saver.” It may be a funny name, but people did come over to look and raised awareness on our campus.

Here’s the recipe in case you want to join in on the wholesome, non-alcoholic fun!
2 parts white grape juice
2 parts cranberry juice
1 part frozen pink lemonade
1 part sparkling water
Ice

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My cheat codes in life include winning the lottery and marrying someone rich who will cook wonderful healthy food for me.  Chances are those both won’t happen, so I guess I’ve got to learn to cook and choose the right food.  I took cooking classes in high school and that taught me how to read recipes and something about a pyramid.  But we are in college and there are so many options of where and when to eat.  Here are some easy tips on how to eat healthy.

1.  Ask yourself four questions.  Am I really that hungry? Will I regret eating that?  Do I need to eat that? Would a caveman eat that? Some of you might be confused by the caveman question.  Well, would a caveman eat deep fried food or would it just be cooked over a fire?  I think you know the answer to that and you can apply all of these questions to everything that you might eat.

2.  Taste the rainbow. Not Skittles, but a colorful plate means you are getting all different kinds of energy, vitamins, minerals and all that jazz.

3.  Eat balanced meals throughout the day. Breakfast should be the largest meal of the day.  After that, you can have anywhere from five small meals to two big meals at lunch and dinner.  For a faster metabolism, it is recommended you get six smaller meals throughout the day, but make sure they are balanced and it isn’t the same thing at every meal. Change it up.

4.  Limit your caffeine. Caffeine is a drug and you might be dependent on it if you drink it over and over.  Aim for a caffeinated drink once a week, not every day.  Too much caffeine dehydrates you and when you’re dehydrated, you’re tired.  Just drink some juice or water and if you get enough sleep, you won’t need caffeine.

5.  Avoid deep fried food. Fat may taste good, but it doesn’t look good … if you know what I’m saying.

6.  Eat fresh. If you are buying and cooking your own food, don’t buy microwaveable food just because it is easy.  Chances are it doesn’t taste as good as the real thing and it is full of preservatives.  We are in a time where we look to do things as fast as possible, but when it comes to cooking, slow down and take your time.  It is definitely worth it in the end.

7.  Pill popping. If you are lacking vitamins because you don’t like certain food or you are a vegetarian, then make sure you take the right vitamin pills.  A multi-vitamin can generally cover for the lack of vitamins you aren’t getting.

These are generalizations that I try to follow for cooking and eating (when I am not in season). When I’m in wrestling season, I have to be able to diet in a healthy manner to lose weight and still have energy to perform.

You must know your body and how it reacts to different types of food.  Everybody is different and eats different types of food and different amounts.  I didn’t even mention carbohydrates or protein or any of that, so obviously if you do a little research, you can find what is best for you.

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College may seem a bit scary as it forces you to adjust to a new place (which is basically your home for the next four years), make new relationships with new people and once again find where you fit in.  You are no longer a big senior, at the top of the pyramid.  Once again, you are a freshman at the bottom of the food chain, which is a place many people do not like to be.

College is very different, however, in that aspect.  Other than the amount of credits you have and where you live, the status of your grade level does not mean all that much.  Unlike high school, seniors do not pick on the “little freshmen” or put them in lockers.  In college, everyone (for the most part) gets along.  Everyone has friends from each grade level, and the campus, especially Mount Union’s, is basically one big family.  Take me for example… I am a sophomore, yet I have many friends in each grade level whom I frequently spend time with.

But coming to a new campus and making friends all over again may seem nerve-racking and scary…I know it did for me.

The answer to this situation is simply the most important thing to do when going to college (especially as a freshmen) – get involved!  Getting involved is the best thing to do when starting out at a new school as it proves to be very beneficial to you.  Getting involved allows you to quickly meet many different types of people and make friends.  It presents you with the opportunity to better learn the campus and community and also allows you to better connect with faculty and staff members.  Getting involved keeps you busy and helps to erase boredom.  Additionally, joining different organizations and clubs can open many doors for you in the future.

Mount Union has many different organizations and clubs that you can get involved in on campus.  This ranges from joining a sorority or fraternity to participating in intramurals to joining academic clubs or service organizations.  I can guarantee you that there is at least one organization or club that exists on campus, but most likely more, that will draw your interest and you will find you fit into.  (Trust me, I have found many that I enjoy and fit into!) If there isn’t, believe it or not, you can start your own club!  Check out the list of the different organizations and clubs that currently exist at Mount Union.  See what you like and what you may be interested in joining.  Leave me a comment with any questions regarding the different organizations or clubs that spark your interest.

Just remember, it doesn’t matter what you do as long as you GET INVOLVED!

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Fall break was intense. I did a lot of things and accomplished quite a bit of schoolwork as well. However, the most significant thing I got to attend this past weekend was a wedding.

On Saturday, I got to attend the wedding of Mr. Christopher Durr and Ms. Sarah Mariani. Sarah, an alumna of Mount Union, is the sister of my girlfriend, who was the maid of honor, and I, happily, got to attend the festivities. I hadn’t been to a wedding in quite a while, so I was very excited.

The whole thing was incredibly well decorated. Sarah, with an eye for design, and Chris, with an eye for Sarah, put together a beautiful ceremony at their church and then followed up with a reception at Gervasi Vineyard in Canton. Although a little chilly, I don’t think anyone noticed once we were all inside and the reception began.

We listened as the best Man, maid of Honor and father of the bride gave their speeches. After the toasts had been made and the food had been eaten, it was time to dance. And dance we did. Dancing continued on into the night and ended with the bride and groom leaving for their hotel before their honeymoon began the next morning.

It was a really interesting and fun experience being able to see the behind-the-scenes of a wedding, and also attend it as a guest. It turned out even better than I could have imagined and I’m sure that everyone had an absolute blast attending.

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My Facebook news feed has begun to show me what time of year it is for those who I’m friends with who are seniors in high school… it’s the beginnings of senioritis. A lot of seniors are already receiving their acceptance letters from their desired future schools, and those who haven’t are probably done with taking the ACT or SAT. They know where they want to go, have probably sent some applications out and the rest are over caring about school. Now they just want to send out their college applications, so they too can join the crowd of their peers who JUST.DON’T.CARE. … it’s a bad decision to take this route. I repeat… this is a bade decision! Senioritis is the enemy of every senior, everywhere, every year. Remember: colleges CAN and DO occasionally revoke acceptance to students who’s GPAs plummet their senior year of high school.

Let me just tell you about my senior year of high school. I was always a pretty good student. I worked hard in classes and slacked off occasionally (like almost all high school students do), but the moment I received my acceptance letter from not only Mount Union, but 3 other schools I applied to, I hit a wall. I had been taking AP classes and was in AP English when the acceptance letters arrived. I dropped that class faster than I could even open all the envelopes of acceptance. Bad choice. I ended up picking up another class that gave some college credit, but if I would’ve kept with AP, I could’ve had 18 college credit hours going into college. How cool would that have been?! Instead I came in with only six and ended up having to take an English class here.

Here’s my suggestion: fight it! Fight that senioritis as hard as you can because your last year of high school DOES matter. Even if you can’t wait to get out of your small town, take on the big world, live on your own… the things that happen before you make it really do matter a lot. Never forget that while college will become the best years of your life, high school is a precursor to that.

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As a tech consumer, there are only ever three things that you absolutely loathe when it comes to your favorite gadgets:

1. When the device is too expensive.

2. When the device is out of stock.

3. When the device is outdated within a short period of time.

I only want to focus on number three for right now. That’s because it is indicative of Android and Google’s current problem.

Note: As I sit here writing this post from my Macbook while texting my mother with my iPhone, it should be clear that I live in an Apple world. However, I arrived late to the Apple world. My first smartphone was a Palm Treo 700p (stylus all the way), which was eventually followed up by the original Motorola Droid. I’ve been reading tech news, particularly mobile tech news, since my family first got the Internet. Although some may label me an Apple fanboy, I simply like to use the most superior product in any given category. This being said…

Google recently revealed its latest update to the Android OS, and keeping in line with the company’s “treat” naming scheme, the operating system has been called Ice Cream Sandwich. It will debut on the new Samsung Galaxy Nexus and will be available soon. It will be a flagship device for both Google and Samsung.

From a technology standpoint, this is great. Who wouldn’t want a new, super powered, 4G, HD, *insert acronym here* device?

Unfortunately, it ends up that the consumers don’t.

Sure, those in the smartphone market will start looking at these new Android devices and sizing up spec sheets to try and pull the trigger on something “just right” for them. But in order to see the real problem, you have to take a look back in time and examine just how little time has passed since the last “great” Android device was released.

Just a month ago, Verizon launched the Droid Bionic. This was hailed as the king of all smartphones and got a huge push from Verizon. The thing is, not only is the Bionic now old news only a month later, but the ill-timed launch of the Motorola Droid Razr was completely overshadowed by the Galaxy Nexus press event.

In the span of a month, and I only mentioned two of many manufacturers, three new devices were pushed to market, all set up to be the next “great” Android device. Consumers are getting overwhelmed by this saturation of spec-chocked Google phones and often times it really hurts the people who went and recently bought an Android device in the first place.

No one wants to own the latest and greatest phone for barely a month.

“But people enjoy the phones they get, why do they care what gets released?” you ask. Well, because it’s not just the new phones and features they will be missing out on for the next two years of their contract. Remember the new, feature loaded OS update Ice Cream Sandwich to Android? Unfortunately, because each phone manufacturer has to get its hands on the source code and make its own modifications for each of its devices, odds are that unless you go buy the Galaxy Nexus right now, you won’t be seeing any of those new features for a while.

This is a real problem. I know more than a few people who are really upset that their “high end” device they paid more than $150 for is now outdated. I doubt it will change at all because people are still buying these phones, but I see it as a huge downfall to jumping into the Android / Google world.

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This past summer from August 5 – 14, I was fortunate to participate in the Mount Union’s wilderness trip in the Adirondack High Peaks in New York. For some course credit, myself and about 20 other students went to the woods to discuss environmental ethics and to lead a rather simple life for a week.

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” – Thoreau

My smaller group of eight was given the name of “Team Donut” when we decided to make a rest stop at Dunkin’ Donuts rather than McDonald’s. We quickly embraced this name, and we referenced the hilarious video of former Cleveland Cavalier Delonte West. With our team motto being “I don’t care if you gotta fly…planes, trains, and automobiles you better have my donuts,” we adopted some crafty nicknames like R-Nut, K-Sprinkle and D-Hole.

Aside from having too much fun, laughing most of the day and engaging in unforgettable conversations, we had a pretty eventful trip. Our group was fortunate to hike through Cold Brook Pass, which is a stretch of trail that few hikers pass through because of its tough terrain. We also made it to the summit of Mt. Haystack and Mt. Marcy, the highest point in the state of New York. We hiked a total of about 40 miles on the whole trip, 10.1 being our longest day when making both summits. It is crazy to think that people hiking the Appalachian Trail average about 20 to 25 miles a day hiking! We also had some great nights while staying in lean-tos at Bushnell Falls and Lake Colden. Awesome views!

“Take nothing but memories, kill nothing but time, leave nothing but footprints.”

What made our trip even more exciting was that we got to rock climb, repel, swim, visit Lake Placid and Inlet and some of us paid to go on a half hour charter plane ride. While flying out of Long Lake, we were able to see the mountains we climbed and Vermont ranges in the distance, which made for incredible views. I hope you enjoy some of my favorite pictures because words can simply not describe this wonderful experience.

Right when I got back to school, I read an article about A Semester in the Woods from St. Lawrence University. The program is about “Students who swap cell phones and indoor plumbing for handwritten letters and a composting toilets.” This doesn’t sound like too much fun to many, but you should definitely read the article.

Through this wilderness trip, I was able to meet and create everlasting relationships at Mount with people I thought I never would have. This is just another way to get involved on campus and a great way to meet new people.

Someone take me back to the mountains!

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This past Sunday, on October 9, I was fortunate to attend the AASHE Conference in Pittsburgh, PA. AASHE, which stands for the Association for Advancement in Sustainability in Higher Education, has a mission to empower higher education to lead the sustainability transformation. The organization does this by providing resources, professional development and a network of support to enable institutions of higher education to model and advance sustainability in everything it does, from governance and operations to education and research. Since I am a member of Mount Union’s Sustainability Management Advisory Committee (SMAC), they were able to cover the costs for me and three other students to go.

The conference on Sunday featured the Student Summit, where there were breakout sessions from many colleges over the nation presenting material and giving advice to other students. One presentation was from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire on how it allocated a green fund. A green fund is part of student’s tuition it and goes into a certain account, which is used for sustainable projects. They had some great ideas, and hopefully they are some Mount can implement! One of the guys presenting from this school actually knew people from my hometown of Cedarburg too … what a small world.

Other events that were going on were keynote speakers and an expo at the convention center. The keynote speakers were Bill McKibben, author and founder of 350.org, and Majora Carter, founder of The Sustainable South Bronx and MCG consulting. They keynotes focused on climate change, under-served communities and universities. I really enjoyed listening to Bill McKibben speak because I have been following his non-profit for some time. 350.org is building a global grassroots movement to solve the climate crisis and push for policies that will put the world on track to get to 350 ppm. 350 parts per million is what many scientists, climate experts and progressive national governments are now saying is the safe upper limit for CO₂ in our atmosphere. The picture to the right of this blog is of Mount Union students with Bill McKibben. Some good books he has written are Eaarth and Deep Economy. I was able to get him sign a copy for me!

“Very few people can ever say that they are in the single most important place they can possibly be, doing the single most important thing they could possibly be doing. That’s YOU, here now.” – Bill McKibben in relation to students and climate change.

There also was an expo where there were many businesses and organizations that featured cutting-edge innovations. Some of these ideas were shared to the many sustainability managers from all over the nation that were present. I was able to talk to some cool companies, and hopefully I can land another internship!

This conference was truly an awesome experience for me since I am so interested in the topics of sustainability, global perspectives and environmental education. We were also able to explore Pittsburgh a little bit and walk around PNC Park and Heinz Field while the game was going on. It was awesome being by the river seeing people tailgating on their boats, and one group was even cooking hot dogs in a canoe! This just goes to show that by getting involved with organizations on campus, many cool opportunities that will present themselves. I sure hope Mount Union can go to the conference next year in Los Angeles.

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This photograph was taken in Hawaii.

Stress is something that hits every student. Knowing how to deal with it or just how to avoid it all together is a big thing. Finding something that gets your mind off of your school work and grades is important when trying to live a balanced life. Nobody likes to just live in stress, so knowing that you are able to turn to something to turn off that stress is important. Find something you enjoy doing.

I turn to wrestling because it’s a great way to exert all of my physical energy and all of my emotions that might have been running through me throughout the day. It’s just seven minutes my opponent and I trying to figure out who truly is smarter, stronger and faster.

When I started writing poetry my junior year of high school, I didn’t think I was good. I still don’t think I am good at it but that’s not the point. Writing down a poem about how I may have felt that day was something I had never done before. It was a way for me to literally see what was going through my mind. It’s as if I collected all the junk from throughout the day and sneezed it on a piece of paper. I finally saw what was going on. Everyone feels better after they sneeze, and I felt better after writing a poem.

Sometimes talking to friends or listening to music just wasn’t enough for me. If what you might turn to usually isn’t there, try to have alternatives. For some people, simply screaming at the top of their lungs makes them feel better. Breaking things is always fun too, just make sure it’s not something you might have to pay back. Sleeping and dreaming is another great way to get away from reality, but that never lasts long enough.

Hopefully you have found something that helps you relieve stress. If you are stressed out about it, just talk about it with someone. Chances are he or she is freaking out about something and needs to let it all out too. Even if it is a five-minute conversation, at least you got it out.

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Last weekend was one of excitement and craziness here on Mount Union’s campus. It is a weekend that all Purple Raiders and even community members look forward to each year. It is a weekend that can be found marked on the calendars of Mount Union alumni, written in many students, faculty and staff members planners and even scribbled down on a note on the refrigerators of many community members. So you may be wondering what this so called special weekend is… am I right? Well, the weekend I am referring to is Alumni Weekend and Homecoming. This weekend is special all around at Mount Union as there are many fun and exciting events that take place all throughout the weekend for everyone.

The theme this year for the weekend was “Forever Mount.” The weekend kicked off Friday night with the Mr. UMU pageant. This is an annual event attended mostly by students, and in simple terms, is basically a male beauty pageant. Different organizations on campus select one male to represent them in the pageant. At the pageant, the men participate in events similar to that of the Miss America pageant such as a talent portion, a question/answer session, formal wear and Raider gear. The judges were faculty and staff members. The pageant has a humorous tone and is not serious in any way. This year’s winner was senior Josh Jones, who was representing Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed service fraternity. Additional events that took place on Friday were the Mount Union Board of Trustees meeting and the Department of Theatre’s presentation of the comedy Bus Stop.

Saturday is the day that holds the most events and the most excitement of the weekend. This past Saturday there was an Alumni Brunch in which different alumni were honored, multiple class reunions, the annual Run-A-MUC race, the Homecoming parade and a Raider pep rally as well as tailgating before the annual Homecoming football game. This year at the Homecoming game, the Raider football team beat Marietta with a 62-0 win. During halftime of the game, this year’s Homecoming King Marcus Williams and Queen Kaitlin Petrilli were revealed and crowned. On Saturday, different organizations also held events such as the Alpha Delta Pi sorority silent auction, the Delta Sigma Tau sorority alumni tea and the Sigma Nu fraternity reception honoring Jim Williams.

Compared to Saturday of Alumni Weekend and Homecoming, Sunday is more of a laid back day that in a way wraps up the weekend. Sunday was not too crazy of a day or full of commotion. This year, the Class of 1976 held a breakfast on Sunday and there was an alumni baseball game and cookout.

This weekend is so very special to all Purple Raiders and many look forward to it each year as the campus is crowded with alumni, students, faculty, staff and community members. And when I say crowded, I mean packed! – prayers are said to find a parking spot. Not only do people in the area attend all of these events, but also people come from all over the country just for this weekend. The high population of people that come to campus for this weekend and the distances they travel says a lot about Mount Union. It shows that people are proud to be a Raider and truly enjoyed the time they spent at the University of Mount Union.