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Being a part of a sorority is something that you can never understand until you are a part of it. I am so proud to be a sister of Alpha Chi Omega here at Mount Union. Tonight, all the Greeks in the Mount Union community came together to celebrate the 18th Annual Greek Awards in the Mount Union Theatre, which was put on by the Order of Omega. The sister’s of Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Xi Delta and Delta Sigma Tau were all in attendance along with the brothers of Alpha Tau Omega, Phi Kappa Tau, Sigma Nu and Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

The Greek Awards were developed in honor of all accomplishments the fraternity men and women have made here on Mount Union’s campus in the past year, whether it be for their own philanthropy, the community or the campus in general.

Chapter awards included:

• -Highest New Member Class GPA
• -Highest Chapter GPA
• -Most Improved GPA
• -Excellence in Scholarship Programming
• -Excellence in Campus and Community Service
• -Excellence in Campus Involvement and Leadership
• -Excellence in Chapter Programs
• -Excellence in Recruitment
• -Improvement in Risk Management
• -Excellence in Alumni/ae and Parent Relations
• -Most Improved Chapter
• -Chapter of Excellence Awards

There were also several other awards that were presented to Greeks involved in different organizations such as Infraternity Council, Panhellenic Council, recruitment counselors, GAMMA, Up ’til Dawn, New Member Academy and Order of Omega.

One particular award that was very meaningful to a lot of the brothers and sisters was the brotherhood and sisterhood awards that were given to one person in each chapter. This award is given to a brother and sister who has shown years of dedication, participation, involvement and commitment to their respective chapters, while taking on many different leadership roles and positions and constantly showing what it means to be a sister and a brother.

The awards did not stop there though. Other individual awards included Outstanding Faculty Award, Advisor of the Year, Outstanding Governing Board Officer, Outstanding Chapter President, Fraternal Values Award, Outstanding Senior Sorority Woman and Outstanding Senior Fraternity Man. All of these awards were given to the best of the best in the Greek community here on campus. These amazing young men and women are great examples of the leaders that every student should aspire to be. I have been in Alpha Chi Omega for almost two semesters now, and I have already learned so much about myself and the kind of person that I want to be. Being a part of Alpha Chi has guided me through many obstacles and struggles, while teaching me what it means to be a sister and a leader. The Greek community here at Mount Union is truly amazing and an honor to be a part of!

“From the outside looking in, you can never understand it. From the inside looking out, you can never explain it.”

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Have you ever seen Groundhog Day? It stars Billy Murray, and is about a man who is stuck living the same day over and over again for an undistinguishable amount of time. Simon Gallagher is an active contributor to a blog called “obsessed with film,” And, in it he dissects the film and through careful observation, he determines Murray relives the same day for just under 34 years.

Could you imagine living yesterday over and over again for 34 years? For some that probably doesn’t sound so bad and for others I bet it is like hell … but that’s not the point I’m trying to make. What needs to be observed here is that during these 34 years in Limbo, Bill doesn’t do the same thing every day.  He continually takes advantage of this situation and dedicates his time into acquiring new traits, new skills, learning intimate details about people, going out and doing great things, saving lives and by the end of the process he has become such a more amazing human being than when he started out as.

Sometimes after you get to college the days start to blend and really when you grow up you realize that every day is essentially the same, and the weekends don’t hold as much gravity as when you were a child because you have work and projects. You lose track of the days and weeks can seem like a blur. When that happens you need to take account and do something about it; whether it’s going to work out, going out with friends, driving 20 minutes up the road and learning how to glass blow, driving six hours up the road and getting a hamburger at Niagara falls or just take the time to call some people from back home.

When you go to college you lose a lot of that structured life from high school, and it’s up to you to format your life. Don’t just let it roll by day after day after day. Do something distinguishable. Grow. Grow. Grow.

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One word to sum up this last week –  Busy. However, it was busy in a good way.

Wednesday consisted of my Advanced Public Relations class taking a trip up to Cleveland to visit a PR Firm. I’ve told you in previous posts that the opportunities I have received through Mount Union have been awesome, right? Well, add this one to the list.

The firm was amazing. We met some PR professionals who expressed their passion for PR which only made me love it even more, and we learned so much about a real life PR career.

The next day was even crazier because it was Mount Union’s Schooler Lecture. Sure, sure, the word ‘lecture’ sounds boring, but, on the contrary, it was far from boring. Astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson came to campus to present this year’s lecture.  Look him up if you aren’t familiar. He was awesome.

I put on my reporter shoes and started the long evening off at the press conference on behalf of WRMU. It was a great experience because all sorts of media representatives were there from the Alliance Review, Canton Repository, etc. We all had the chance to talk with Tyson and ask him anything we wanted. We even got a picture with him!

After the press conference, we attended a fancy dinner in the Peterson Field House.  Trust me when I say fancy – our butter was shaped like flowers. Dr. Tyson answered some more questions and then we ventured to the gym where he was giving the lecture.

“10 Things You Should Know About The Universe” was an amazing speech. He narrowed all of the facts he knew down to the top 10 and relayed some of his knowledge to us. Sounds like it would be hard to understand, but it wasn’t. Dr. Tyson is hilarious and he made everything entertaining and simple(ish).

We put together some stories for WRMU and they went on-air all day Friday (you can check them out on our website!), and then I wrote a story for the front page of The Dynamo.

Overall, Thursday and Friday were great opportunities for me, and it just makes me love being a communication major even more :]

-samantha

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As some of you may have heard, or been a part of, the Raider Relief team put on their event – March Makeover – this past Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Empowerment Center, located on S. Arch Street in Alliance. Now, I am planning a much longer post in the future, outlining how we were able to get over 300 volunteers in about a week, but for now I just wanted put up some pictures and let you all know about our Facebook page at RaiderRelief.org. Feel free to check us out there and be sure to keep an eye out for the before / after photos!

Again, I would like to personally thank everyone who came and helped out. I was at the service today and everyone there was so happy and thankful for everything we did. Know that your work will be appreciated and enjoyed, and have a great end to your weekend!

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Through the years, low-tech flashcards have remained one of the best ways to help you memorize facts, vocabulary or pretty much any sort of information you need. However, many times the process of creating flashcards can be tedious – writing a hundred front and back cards is exhausting for anyone. If you’ve made flash cards before, you realize that keeping track of many sets is a pain as well. Once a hardcore flashcard user, I’ve tried almost every online flashcard creation site out there. They all have different strengths, but none really gave me the simple, yet robust, flashcard experience I was looking for on both the desktop and my mobile device. And, then I met Cramberry.Cramberry is one of many online flash card creators out there, but it packs some killer features that make studying away from the computer a breeze. As our exams slowly approach, it can be hard to find time to sit down and study with a large pack of paper cards or at our computer. Along with its website, Cramberry also has excellent apps for the iPhone and iPad, with an Android app expected soon.The beauty of Cramberry’s apps lies in its simplicity. When you launch the app, after you sign in, you are immediately presented with your sets. From there, you can jump right in and begin studying in less than two taps. There are two methods you can use to study – Study or Match. Study takes you to a typical flashcard interface, but the emphasis on simple execution is still there. You are shown a single card, tap “Tap to show answer” and then tap whether your answer was correct or incorrect. If you get a card incorrect, the app will shuffle that particular card back into the pile and show it several more times before you can finish. The other studying style, Match, is both unique and effective. In this mode, you are presented with eight small, movable cards (the fronts and backs of four cards) that you have to drag on top of their counterparts. When you find a match, the cards disappear as a confirmation that it was correct. I find this method of studying particularly enjoyable and found it helps me learn from both sides of the card instead of one.Cramberry’s website is no slouch either. This is where you will be doing most of the creation and organizing of your sets, although you also have the option to study right from your browser. You only get the Study option while in the browser, but Cramberry gives you easy keyboard shortcuts to move through the cards so your hands never have to leave the keyboard. You also have the option to type your answers. If you type in the exact text on the other side of the card, Cramberry will mark it as correct and advance you to the next one. However, if you miss a letter or two, it will show you the answer and ask “Were you right?” and let you mark your answer.I’ve been using Cramberry for three years now and love it. Being able to create cards in the browser and then have them available to study at any time has been amazing. Studying flashcards with a mobile device also has the benefit of being able to operate in the dark. This means I can lie in bed at night and study without having to worry about the desk lamp waking my roommate.The app cost USD 2.99 on the App Store, but they also have a free version which is ad-supported. If you’re not sure yet, I encourage you to try the free version and see how you like it. Everybody has different tastes when it comes to memorization, but Cramberry can definitely give you an experience you won’t forget.Happy studying!

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My apologies for being away this week. Monday morning I was informed of some very heart breaking news about a dear friend of mine. Nickalie “Spidey” Williams passed away far too soon.

As a former student of Mount, Nick touched many souls. His free and unique spirit placed him into a category of his own. There were never any sad moments when one was in his presence.

I’m sure many people have countless stories that can be shared about Nick. My own would include our random dancing together. No matter the location or situation, he kept every moment bright.

He will truly be missed…

Until we meet again … Rest in peace to our brother, Nickalie Williams.

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Last night was a tough loss for all of Buckeye nation. It still seems surreal for me that the Buckeyes were unable to pull off the victory, and for some reason, I still believe they have a chance to win it all. I felt for sure this was the time Ohio sport fans were finally going to be able to celebrate and rejoice in a championship.  The only time in my life that a team I am a passionate about has won a championship was the Buckeyes’ football national championship in 2002. After 2002, it has been all heartbreaking losses from the OSU football team’s back-to-back losses the National Championship to the OSU basketball team’s loss to Joakim Noah and the Florida Gators. On a professional level, 2007 was also a tough year for Cleveland sport fans, between the Cavaliers losing to the Spurs and the Indians unable to clinch the American League pennant after being up 3-1 in the series. I attended both the first home game of the ALDS and the ALCS that year and had plans in place for tickets to the World Series. Despite all my disappointments, I’m still a diehard sports fan, especially of Mount Union.

One of the many perks of being a Mount Union student is that tough losses are difficult to come by, especially in football. One reason Mount Union football is so successful is because they look at every day as a day to get better.  There is nothing like football here at Mount Union. Just attending the school makes you feel invested in the program, and all of the students take pride in the Mount Union football team. We especially enjoy bragging to all our friends who went to other OAC schools about our football team.

It is always a cool experience to see Mount Union mentioned on SportsCenter, espn.com, ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption or during an Indianapolis Colts game during the NFL season.  When Colts wide receiver and Mount alumnus Pierre Garcon burst onto the scene during the Colts Super Bowl run, Mount Union gained national attention. And, where did Garcon go just three days after the Super Bowl?  That’s right, Mount Union. Garcon finished up his degree from his alma mater and could be seen around campus anywhere from an intramural sports game to in the WRMU radio station broadcasting live.  He even came back from visiting Haiti to walk at graduation.

This year my dorm room window oversaw the football team’s practice field and I got to witness first hand why Mount Union football is so successful.  This year was especially exciting getting to watch Cecil Shorts, Mel Kiper’s fifth ranked wide receiver in this year’s draft perform in practice and during the games.  All future Purple Raiders: be sure follow Cecil Shorts on Twitter (@CShorts10) for first hand insight on the draft and to tune into ESPN for the NFL draft beginning April 28 to watch another Purple Raider get drafted. Check out the YouTube video of Shorts being interviewed at the NFL Combine.

-Zach McMurray

“Good is the Enemy of Great”

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Not really for me, but maybe for others. The spring semester is coming to an end and many students are preparing to change, whether it is transferring to another school, graduating from Mount Union or just moving on to new classes. As for me, I am preparing to go into my second year as a music education major, and I am excited and very nervous.

Going back to the topic of this year … As the semester comes to a close and finals start to roll around and everyone starts to make sure that all of their grades are great (as all Mount Union students have), the stress starts to kick in. For me, it is a very big deal that my grades are great and that all of my finals go very well. Being in music, it is important that we pass our finals. If any student struggles in finals it doesn’t look very good when it is time for sophomore evaluations (which decide whether or not the students can continue in the major).So, all I am trying to say is enjoy the rest of the year. If you are a senior getting ready to graduate, good luck in the world. And, if you are thinking about coming to Mount Union, don’t let the thought of finals and stress scare you. Good luck to everyone else continuing at Mount Union and at other schools as well.

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Spring is here. The weather has taken a turn for the best, and students have started to leave there dorms in their best summer clothes. Also, with spring comes sports. As I sit here, a few friends of mine are playing ultimate frisbee outside of HP (Hoiles-Peterson Residence Hall), a game that combines frisbee and football. This game is also offered as a fall intramural sport, but they enjoy it the most with just a small group.

The spring weather has also brought other students out to play soccer, volleyball, baseball and my favorite … a toss and catch volleyball game that my friends and I have come to call Nuk’em.

I hope that if there is anyone out there that has not participated in a spring sport yet, that he or she get out there and enjoy the beautiful weather before the terrible Ohio winter returns!

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Second semester is almost over — can you believe it? I know I mentioned in one of my previous blogs how shocked I was that it was already spring break… pfft, spring break already feels like forever ago. Since then, I celebrated my 21st birthday, St. Patrick’s Day and a bunch of other fun stuff in between.

As if this beautiful spring weather isn’t getting me excited already for summer, imagine going down to Progressive Field and enjoying it up close and personal.I’ve mentioned to you before how I am a huge Indians fan and how I even interned with the organization last summer. Well, what I didn’t tell you is how long  I’ve been involved with the Tribe.A few years ago I started working at Southpark Mall at the Cleveland Indians Team Shop where I sold merchandise as well as single game tickets. Now, working in retail really wasn’t my thing, but I met some great people which really opened doors for me. So, as you know, I scored myself an awesome internship last summer and I didn’t want my experience to end there. My supervisor last summer told me to try to get in as many doors as possible down at Progressive — I had already worked in merchandise and creative services, what was next?I signed up to take a class here at Mount (the one I told you in my last blog about the sponsorship proposal) and one of our side projects is to be a part of the ticket sales team! We were able to skip a day of classes and head to downtown Cleveland to visit the ballpark and get some inside training on how to be a “Grade A” ticket salesperson. Now, during this whole semester, we’re working with the Tribe’s sales team and trying to sell tickets for this season!So, now I have stepped into three doors with the Indians… but guess what… it doesn’t stop there.Last fall I applied to be in the Fun Bunch — those awesome people who run around at games promoting the team. As my luck had it, I scored a position with the team and got to work at Snow Days (haven’t heard of it? google it!) over Christmas break and had a blast. We also had the opportunity to work several outside events including the mall tour the team went on. I loved it!Once the season starts (April 1), I will be able to start working games. Let’s just say this summer is going to be awesome. I actually went down today for day one of my training (that’s what I was talking about earlier — up close and personal!) The smell of spring just reminds me of baseball season and I cannot wait to spend my summer nights at the ballpark!-samantha