Month: March 2013 (page 4 of 5)

Hakuna Matata

March 8, 2013 / / 3 Comments

I live in Christiana East Tower, which is all the way in the far reaches of North Campus. This means that most days, I end up taking the bus to and from my classes. Normally, these ten-minute bus rides consist of one of two things.

The first: I slouch as deeply into the seat as humanly possible, tuck my chin against my scarf-wrapped neck and legitimately consider trying to sleep for several more minutes, regardless of the time of day. The second: I cling to a metal handrail, sandwiched between the girl who needs a foot of elbow room to text and the guy who has a precariously lidless cup of coffee hovering dangerously close to my white t-shirt.

Please don’t misunderstand me: the Express line has been my saving grace this year. If not for the bus, I’m quite sure I would have missed more than a few classes at the hands of long walks through paradoxically horizontal rain. I’m just giving you an idea of how unpleasant the bus rides can be so that when I tell you what happened to me this week, you can appreciate it all the more.

This week, after slugging through four hours of non-stop, early morning class, I staggered onto the bus to find a rather unusual sound greeting me. Normally, the soundtracks of bus rides consist of typical Top-40 stations, or else the chatter of the bus drivers talking over the radio, drone on over the swoosh-whoosh of the bus engines and fans. On this particular day, however, I walked onto the bus to the nostalgically familiar “Hakuna Matata.”

Now, I know what you’re thinking. How and why on Earth is a bus radio playing “Hakuna Matata?” If I could provide you with an answer to that, rest assured that I would. What I can tell you is that the smile that lit up my face was so bright I think I may have sprained a facial muscle, and I wasn’t the only one grinning that way. The normally blank faces of the students on the bus were replaced with lips mouthing lyrics, people chattering about the movie, and connecting in ways that aren’t generally commonplace on busse

Not only did hearing that song brighten up my (and everyone else’s) day, but through the haze of my madly stressful week, it reminded me of the “no worries” part of the song. That with all the anxiety and pressure from class, and other obligations, sometimes we college students forget to breathe and love where we are, and to be happy about the things we’ve done.

Odds are you’re having a week like I am. You’ve got this or that many papers and exams to deal with, not to mention calling your parents (Hi, Mom!), cleaning your room, and struggling to fit in some free time this weekend. Just let me remind you

Hakuna Matata. What a wonderful phrase. Have a great weekend, UD.

~Claire Davanzo

Max Kramer addresses the delegates at the HenMUN I opening ceremony. Photo by Doug Baker for UDaily.

The Mastermind behind HenMUN I

March 7, 2013 / / 1 Comment

We all know that Honors students excel in most everything they do (okay, most of the time). Max Kramer, a senior Honors student majoring in political science and economics and Secretary-General of HenMUN, is no exception to this. Kramer’s vision of bringing a Model UN conference to the University of Delaware was realized just this past weekend as approximately 360 delegates from 17 schools all across the country came to participate in the first ever HenMUN

HenMUN, which received coverage from UDaily  and Best Delegate, one of the best resources for Model UN information, provided all participants with the experience of a lifetime. The basis of the conference was to simulate actual situations that one would have to deal with on certain U.S. committees, the EU or the UN. Students were assigned to specific committees ranging from standard committees to specialized and crisis committees. Each one was faced with a certain problem which they had a limited time to debate and solve creatively.

Max Kramer addresses the delegates at the HenMUN I opening ceremony. Photo by Doug Baker for UDaily.

The crisis committees were arguably the ones with the highest adrenaline. Kramer claims that the simulations were so real that some of the kids were woken up in the early hours of the morning, put into a room and given a crisis that needed to be solved in less than 30 minutes. Some of these committees included the National Security Council on September 11, 2001 or the Iranian Hostage Crisis in 1979. There were also hypothetical situations in the future such as the EU facing Russian threats in 2020.

“Many universities have these conferences,” Kramer said. “UD didn’t have a conference of its own and it provided a chance for our Model UN team to gain prestige and recognition, but it also helped the university. If even one of those 360 delegates chooses to attend the university when they weren’t sure before that’s a benefit for UD too.”

The experience wasn’t just life-changing for the high school students, but the college student volunteers as well.

“The volunteers were dedicated 24/7 to their committees and students,” Kramer said. “They did every task they were assigned to do with a smile on their faces.”

The sentiment seemed to be the same from all persons involved as I scanned the Model UN Facebook page. Statements such as “Not sure if I speak for just myself, but I might be the happiest I’ve ever been in my whole life,” and the group sentiment of “gavel separation anxiety” proved that the first ever HenMUN conference was beneficial to all. Overall HenMUN was an earth-shattering success and is sure to be back next year with a new Secretariat that is just as solid at this one.

Kramer, who has been a candidate for the Truman, Rhodes and Marshall scholarships, has traveled to Dubai twice with the Honors section of Global Agenda with Professor Ralph Begleiter. “The Honors Program has done more for me than I could count,” Kramer said.  In addition to these opportunities, the Honors Program was one of many departments that helped make Kramer’s dream a reality this past weekend.

~Chelsey Rodowicz

What can be so bad about a dorm with a giant TV and a Wii tournament?

I didn’t choose the dorm life—oh wait, yes I did

March 6, 2013 / / Comments Off on I didn’t choose the dorm life—oh wait, yes I did

Hello world (or at least Newark). This is my first post for 186 South College, and like one of my fellow bloggers, I have decided to include a brief introduction to me, your humble author. I am a junior at the University majoring in English due to my love of the language. Ok, that is a bit strong. But the reality is I do enjoy reading and writing, and I desire to become a wordsmith—someone capable of expertly using words to express precise meanings. But enough about me.

About 8,800 of the University’s 16,000 undergrads live off-campus. That’s a majority. Given that fact, and that I am a junior, you might suspect I live off-campus now or at least plan to move into a house or apartment next year. That’s not the case.

What can be so bad about a dorm with a giant TV and a Wii tournament?

I have lived in Honors housing my three years here so far and intend to do the same next year. Why would I want to live in a stuffy old dorm and rely on dining halls when I could have my own place, you ask?

Well, in my experience, dorms are not that bad. Sure, the rooms might feel a bit cramped at times and you might want to cook more often (most dorms have a kitchen somewhere in the building, though it may be in use by other students when you want to use). But overall, a dorm is not a bad place to live.

For starters, it’s simply easier to live in dorms. They are on-campus and thus close to the university’s many buildings. This makes getting to classes easy. From my dorm, it’s literally a three minute to my farthest class right now. You also get the chance to make friends with people living in the building. Because you are right next to these people, sharing a bathroom with them and often seeing them around campus, it’s easy to become acquainted with them. I met my best friends here because they lived on the same floor as me.

Now to another common concern: the food. I really don’t have a problem with the dining halls. Sure, sometimes the closest one might not have food I like for lunch or dinner (I am a picky eater, granted), so I will just take a two-minute walk to Trabant. And of course, there’s always Main Street, home to a wide variety of restaurants.

For most of my tenure at UD, I have not minded living in a dorm. Sure, there are times where I wish I had my own place, but then I’d have to worry about making breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. Plus, I’d be paying monthly rent and utilities and having to walk much farther to campus.

As I mentioned earlier, I have living in Honors housing my three years. I recommend this, as in my experience, the students are a bit quieter and more focused on schoolwork than those living in regular housing might be.

Overall, dorm life is not bad at all.

~Matt Bittle

They should have listened to Chelsey.

How-to-Tuesday: Avoid long lines at the ‘hot spots’ on campus

March 5, 2013 / / Comments Off on How-to-Tuesday: Avoid long lines at the ‘hot spots’ on campus

Unfortunately, I’ve been that girl. You know, the one whose name is being called because her drink is ready, but she is nowhere to be found? Yup, that girl. Just when I thought I got to the Starbucks in Smith at the perfect time because there was barely a line, I get stuck waiting for my drink. Had I not left before it was finished, I would have been late to class. $4.05 out the window with nothing to say for itself, except that drink waited for someone to claim it at 12:20 on a Wednesday afternoon.

They should have listened to Chelsey.

What’s the secret to getting your coffee quickly or not spending 30 minutes in Trabant just to get a burger? Well the answer seems obvious: Walk out of class ten minutes early so you beat everyone to the punch. However, being the dedicated Honors students we are, we would never consider such a thing. So, here are some tips on how to avoid those long lines and make it to class on time.

  1. Go at an off-peak time. You know everyone is going to be getting lunch between 11:00 and 1:00. If you have a break between classes where you would normally get lunch, pack a snack. That will tide you over until 1:30 or 2:00 when most people have eaten lunch and you can grab something and eat it in the time you would have been standing in line at noon. On the alternative side, most people grab coffee in-between classes. There isn’t a peak time for coffee, everyone is obsessed all of the time. Be strategic about it and leave ten minutes earlier to grab that coffee before heading to your first class.
  2. Alternate days with your friend. Friends are there for a reason, right? Trade off days waiting in those lines. Someone takes the time to hunt down a table while the other stands in line and gets the food. It’s a win-win situation. Now you’re not stuck with food and nowhere to sit, or vice versa, with a table and no one to watch your stuff. Coffee-wise, I can’t help you. It’s every man for himself.
  3.   Opt for the easy order. Granted, there are those days where you’re just craving a burger from Perkins or a sub from Quiznos, but those lines are always the longest. Try switching it out for a salad. The lines may look long but they move very quickly because there is nothing to cook. You could also choose some of the express meals. Doing this, even just once a week, will have you spending less time in the lines.
  4. Make friends with the cooks/baristas. If all else fails, make friends. If your best friend is the barista or fry cook, they probably know your order the second they see you. That being said, be consistent. If you want your order up first you can’t be picky. Pick a standard meal and make best friends with whoever’s making it. You won’t ever wait in that line again.

Warning: If you choose option #4, proceed with caution. Once that relationship is established, messing it up could cause your order to “get lost” in the process.

Take it easy.

~Chelsey Rodowicz

Hannah's Russell floor hanging out in the halls during the Fall Semester

“There’s No Place Like [Russell]!”

March 4, 2013 / / Comments Off on “There’s No Place Like [Russell]!”

Congratulations to Dhara and Heather T for coming up with the movie my last post title was from (Casablanca)! Any guesses for the origin of this week’s title?

While my time in the Honors Program has been rather short, I have already been able to see the perks of being a part of this community.  There are so many advantages of being in the Honors Program, one of which is the fact we get to live in the Russell Complex with all of the Honors students during our freshman year.  While the first two weeks were unbearably hot because of the lack of air conditioning, I absolutely love living in Russell.  As I begin to look into housing for next year, I can’t help but revisit the reasons why I am so happy I was able to be in the Honors Program and the many perks of living in Russell for my first year at UD. Here are what I consider the most important perks:

Hannah’s Russell floor hanging out in the halls during the Fall Semester

1. East Campus is the best – I may be biased since I have only lived on East Campus, but I find that this part of campus is the most convenient.  Not only is East Campus where many freshmen live, but it also has Perkins Student Center, is only a short walk away from Trabant, is in close proximity to the Green, and the facilities are the best on campus.  It has the best dining hall, beach volleyball courts, a huge turf, and a gym with the Harry Mart right next door for those not-so-healthy snacks you crave after working out.

2. Dr. Munson’s Study Breaks – Anyone in the Honors Program can vouch for me with this reason.  Every Wednesday Dr. Munson, a chemistry professor, comes into a Russell lounge to feed us all snacks (mainly Gummy Bears) as we break from our homework. It is so welcoming and frankly, absolutely adorable, if I do say so myself.  Once the clock strikes 9:00 P.M on Wednesday, I almost always find myself on my way to Dr. Munson’s Study Break because a) I don’t feel guilty not studying because a professor is there encouraging us to take a break and b) I’ve developed a love for Gummy Bears.

3. The Small Community Feel – One of the reasons I chose the University of Delaware was for the closeness the Honors Program has. It makes the University of Delaware, which has over 16,000 undergraduates, seem immensely smaller than it actually is.  The Class of 2016 has roughly 3,800 students.  Out of this, about 445 students are in the Honors Program and living in Russell with me.  While this number is still over four times bigger than my high school graduating class, I still feel like I know and recognize a large amount of students because we live so close to each other. I see many of the same people a lot of the time, through the lounges, dining hall, Perkins, etc.  I’m not positive about the other residence halls, but I know in Russell there are always people around in the hallways before quiet hours are enacted (and sometimes after).  My favorite memories so far have been when essentially my entire floor just hangs out in the hallway talking for hours.  It really helps form strong relationships with the people you live with.

What did you like best about living in Russell? What are some of your favorite Russell memories?

~Hannah Tattersall

 

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