Author: Hannah Tattersall

Self-Discovery in College by: Avery Beer

College is the first time in our lives where we are allowed endless freedom. For the first time in most of our lives this is the chapter of our lives where we are completely independent and have the capability to do literally anything with our lives, which is scary yet incredibly liberating. Many people will tell you that college is the best time of our lives for so many reasons, but I think many underestimate the emotional journey that many students undergo.

Along with this new independence and freedom comes a lot of soul-searching. Who do you want to be? What do you stand for? What are your special talents and quirks and more importantly, what would you like to do with them to better the world around you? At a large school like Delaware, we are constantly meeting new people and immersing ourselves in different experiences. There is a lot of pressure at this time in our lives to really discover our true selves. It is easy to get lost, it is easy to feel like your life is in shambles (when in reality, it is most definitely not), and it is easy to feel like you do not even know yourself. I have felt like this, as I am sure most people have, on numerous occasions, and to solve my unsettled feelings, I have a mental list of things I can do to help myself clarify, reflect, and realize that I can do anything I set my mind to, so I figured I would share them!

1. Solo Adventures

Some hate being alone, and some love it. Regardless, going on adventures by yourself can really give you peace of mind that you didn’t even know you needed. I call my alone time my solo adventures, even if it just means walking to the get coffee or to the pharmacy and back. I highly recommend doing things by yourself sometimes in college to let ourselves breathe from the chaotic world.

2. Writing

This one is pretty self-explanatory, yet so many people loathe putting their words on paper (or on a computer). I understand why people would hate writing for school, but writing things down for yourself is so therapeutic. You aren’t being graded and you can literally write whatever you want… do it. Sometimes I find myself reading old things I’ve written about a specific incident or feeling that I had and it’s actually nice to look back on these things, good or bad.

3. Yoga

Many people cringe at this word. DISCLAIMER: contrary to popular belief, you do not need to be flexible for yoga. I think people have this confused. Yoga is whatever you make of it and the goal of yoga is to synchronize your mind, your body, and your breath. If your body is telling you to just lay on the mat, that can be yoga too! I started this beautiful art at a time in my life where I was feeling very anxious and although I do not do yoga everyday, it has taught me a lot about myself and it’s something I know I can always do. Plus, yoga clothes are cute!

4. Talking to people

I mean have a real, genuine conversation with someone. I understand it can be a bit awkward to just delve into a serious conversation with someone, but sometimes if you just start talking about whatever you are feeling, it will just flow and the next thing you know, you are gaining insight from whoever you’re talking to. The ability to speak to others is something we take for granted.. the power of human communication is one of the greatest of all because we are so intrinsically different and complex, yet we all influence each other. Plus, if you’re talking to someone who knows you well, they will really be able to help you with your unsettled feelings.

We all have our moments, especially in college. It is okay to be moving so fast and not even know which direction you’re going in… chances are there are thousands of people at school who feel the same way. When you’re feeling extra disoriented, extra emotional, or extra unsettled, take a deep breath and remind yourself that:

  1. You’re only human after all.
  2. You’re a blue hen, you’re the best breed of human there is!

~Avery Beer

I Object: The Exciting World of Mock Trial by: Anne Grae Martin

Mock Trial is probably one of my favorite activities that I participate in on campus. I talk about this all the time to my friends, assuming they know what I mean. Finally one of them told me that they have no idea what I’m talking about. When I talk about Mock Trial, most people just assume it’s like Suits/Law and Order/Legally Blonde/My Cousin Vinny/A Few Good Men/Judge Judy/pretty much any other legal TV drama or movie. I think what I’ve learned most from Mock Trial is that it’s nothing like any of these. Well, it’s a little bit like them. Movies and television aim to show the most exciting parts of a trial. The “Gotcha” moment. Shouting “I Object!!” when a witness says something damning. These moments are fun, and they do happen, but there is so much more to Mock Trial.

Here’s the breakdown. Every August, the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) releases a case that they have created. It includes an array of witnesses with statements, affidavits, and expert reports; from these you build your case. It also includes specific case law that AMTA makes up that apply to the case of the year. Finally, it comes with different exhibits. These are usually emails that witnesses have sent or diagrams of places where the crime occurred. Mock Trial teams from universities all over the country take all of this information and prepare for competitions. Every team has to prepare two sides: a plaintiff and a defense. During the fall semester we go to invitationals and pit our case that we lovingly built against other teams’. This is where you can see where the holes are in your case, as well as pick up on interesting angles that other teams use in their case.

Plaintiff/Prosecution goes first. They call three witnesses who they direct (they get to tell their side of the story), and then the opposing team does a cross examination of these same witnesses (to poke holes in the story they just told). Defense begins their case after a brief recess. They also get to direct three witnesses and have Plaintiff/Prosecution cross these witnesses. I think one of my favorite parts of Mock is that you walk into a room of complete strangers, and then for the next 2 hours or so you argue with them about made up crimes and people. It’s an amazing process and I’m always so impressed that everyone pulls it off.

At this point in the season we are preparing for the National Championship in Greenville, South Carolina. Nationals is a tournament where the top 48 teams in the country get to compete against each other with a whole new case. The competition is tough. We’re practicing 2+ hours a day. We spend hours going through each direct examination finding every possible place another team could object. We memorize obscure, made-up case law so that we can call out other teams on improper evidence. We meticulously style our witnesses so that we look like intelligent scientists, crazy bellhops, and definitely-innocent child-murderers. But it’s a labor of love.

UPDATE 4/19: There are roughly 650 Mock Trial programs that compete across the US. A select few make it to the Opening Round Championship Series (ORCS). Only 48 get out of ORCS and make it to Nationals. After much anticipation I am happy to announce that UD’s Mock Trial team finished 8th at the Furman University Bell Tower National Championship! This is a record for the club. In addition to our amazing finish, one of our attorneys, senior Ellie Wallace, won an All-American Award for Outstanding Attorney and had the 3rd highest score out of all the other attorneys competing.

It was a long weekend of scrimmages and competition, but in the end we surpassed our wildest expectations. It’s satisfying to know that all the work we put in this past month paid off. Now that the season is over, I know I will become very nostalgic for this club that is so dear to my heart. I’m so fortunate to have had such wonderful teammates with whom I could share the experience. Thank you for everything.

~Anne Grae Martin

If you give a college student a meal plan… by: Avery Beer

There is one place that is always there for me, greeting me with warm gourmet cuisine with each visit, and a “Hi, how are you?”: yes, the dining hall.  I think we can all agree that every once in awhile we miss home-cooked meals in college: it is one of the only downsides of it. But, for people like myself who

 

  • have no cooking ability
  • pride themselves in being extremely lazy
  • live in a dorm
  • are foodies for life,

 

the dining hall becomes our home. I am always greeted there, they know my face, and I know theirs. The employees, especially at Russell (the smaller dining hall on campus) care about my well-being. I don’t know about you, but I tend to be really appreciative and nice to the people that want to feed me. And to be completely fair, the dining hall does not receive nearly as much appreciation as it deserves.

Of course, there are days when many unappetizing questions come into my head: what is that? Why is this crusty?  Is this chicken fully cooked? But we have to remember how many hungry college students the people at the dining hall have to feed and how lucky we are to be able to have so many options at our fingertips. At a time where there is so much going on around us, it is nice to know that the dining hall is constant: it is always there to be a meeting spot for your daily freshman gossip or to fill your empty belly. Also, what other time in your life will there be chewy, delicious cookies readily available to you at any time? Although we rarely admit it, we are totally pampered.

The first time I stepped foot in the dining hall, my eyes widened and my smile grew as large as my appetite. I did not realize heaven existed here at the University of Delaware; yet here I was, an eager freshman roaming through Rodney dining hall. I remember getting lost, a lot, and never knew what “Home” or “The Corner Grill” meant. All I wanted to know was where I could find some chicken nuggets. I never really thought it would get boring. Some days I find myself complaining about it, but really I shouldn’t. None of us should. It is the one constant thing in our hectic lives, the one meeting spot we all have where we can always count on some good grubbin’. So on the days when the dining hall seems boring or downright disgusting, just remember all the good that comes out of your daily dining hall trips: the classic freshman chats while the dishes pile up, the make-your-own-omelettes, the woman that dances as she makes quesadillas, the excessive use of Frank’s Red Hot, the greetings from the friendliest dining hall employees but most importantly, the soft cookies, and maybe even getting yelled at to put the chairs back that you moved.

~Avery Beer

The Quizzo Quest by: Anne Grae Martin

Ever since coming to UD, I have wanted to participate in Quizzo. For those of you who don’t know, Quizzo is like group Jeopardy: you get a team and collectively answer trivia questions. The team who gets the most right wins a prize. It’s really not that hard to do, but for some reason I have never done it. Seeing as I have three semesters left here, I have made it my goal to do Quizzo before I graduate. But I do not just want to show up and answer questions and have fun with my friends. I want to win.

I told my roommates my goal for this semester and they all said they were on board. Thus begins our journey. We are all competitive people, so we have decided to begin our training now so that when we finally get to Quizzo, we will crush the competition. Our training includes watching Jeopardy every night while we’re eating dinner, doing timed basic knowledge trivia (for example: list all the states in under 6 minutes), and brushing up on other obscure facts. When we sell the movie rights for our Quizzo Quest, this scene will be a montage and it will be set to “Eye of the Tiger.” We are not messing around.

As of yet, we have not made it to a round of Quizzo. One thing leads to another and we just end up missing another week. For example, last week about half the team had UDAB meetings or Mock Trial meetings or Students for the Environment meetings. Even though we wanted to go do trivia, we had a loyalty to our clubs that overshadowed our Quest momentarily. Then another week we all went to SCPAB’s Betty Who concert in Mitchell Hall. It was so cool to see one of all of our favorite singers in such an intimate setting (another perk was seeing our fellow UDHP classmate, Marielle Kraft, performing as the opener to Betty Who). I hope that when we eventually make it to Quizzo we encounter a Slumdog Millionaire type of deal where all the questions are about Betty Who and the environment. This won’t actually happen, but in the movie version it will.

In our Quest to be Quizzo champs, we will not let life get in the way. In fact, by going out and getting involved on campus we are gaining more knowledge for our eventual Quizzo domination. And even if we aren’t the best team, at least we will have had fun getting there.

~Anne Grae

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