Tag: Blue Hen

“Values” by Jenny Gloyd

Last week, I had an experience in one of my classes that really challenged me to think. Not about science or math, but introspectively. My professor asked me to write a 5-page essay about what I value and why. At first, I didn’t think I would ever be able to fill 5 pages–this is my usual fret when it comes to longer essays. Then, after a few minutes of deliberation, I was suddenly worried that I would not be able to fit my thoughts into the given constraint. 

To start, there are a lot of different categories of things that can be valued. For one, I value a lot of what has been given to me in my life. I value, maybe not most importantly, small material items, like a well-made latte, or a new, brightly-colored sweater. Little items like these add a bit of joy to everyday life. I value things in my life supplied by nature, like forests to hike through or the sounds of birds chirping in the morning. I also, at my core, value people. I think highly of the time I spend with my friends and family. Continue reading

“College: A Work in Progress and a Work of Art” by Grace Kearns

My earliest memory of campus takes me back to my little, four-year old pigtails, tied up with blue and golden bows. As I sat on my dad’s shoulders, he pointed out the very sports field that he used to play football on each week. For weeks after, I ran through the house, humming the “Fight Song”. With two proud Blue Hen alumni as parents, I felt as if I had heard all there was to know about the University of Delaware. During my first official tour, I couldn’t help but make connections. Old College was not just the postcard campus building, it was where my parents first met. Russell was not just a dining hall, it was where my parents would sneak in a quick lunch together between classes. And Main Street was not just a little stretch of shops and restaurants, it was where my parents went on their very first dates. That being said, I adjusted to life at UD pretty fast. It felt familiar. Honestly, this worried me. I worried that I could outgrow it too fast. Continue reading

“Becoming a Blue Hen: Honors and E-52” by Abigail McGraw

Entering college is never easy. A million obstacles are standing in your way, ready to knock you down and make you stumble. The anxiety of fitting in and excelling in your classes is omnipresent. The challenge of online school for my first semester in college only heightens the daunting nature of freshman year. So, welcome to “Becoming a Blue Hen”, where I’ll keep you updated with the highs and lows of this semester and every funny story in between. 

Spending the day setting up my desk in my childhood bedroom on August 31st was never the way I imagined the beginning of my freshman year in college. I felt a resounding sense of sadness as I thought about the isolation I was sure to feel this semester. With the Blue Hen family spread out across the globe, it has certainly been difficult to feel like a part of the UD community this semester. As an out-of-state freshman, I feel particularly out of place. While many of my friends from high school have established relationships at their in-state colleges, I entered this semester knowing exactly no one at UD. Because of this, I would be remiss if I didn’t try to find ways to be involved this semester. Through my Munson Fellow, Sean Wirt, and the UD 1743 Welcome Days events in August, I’ve been able to connect with a wide range of RSOs and start forming relationships with my peers in the Honors College before heading to campus (hopefully) in the spring! Continue reading

Cold, Cold, and Still Cold by Liv Conlon

So why the heck is it STILL so cold out? We are just a week after spring break, and in the closing moments of March and beginning of April where, by all means, we should be shipping home the winter gear and opting for lighter jackets and short sleeves. Yet, a good portion of this week has been plagued with yet another snow storm.  Questions about our troubling weather patterns are being asked all around, and the New York Times attempts to give some insight as to what exactly is happening here in an article published earlier this winter, “Why So Cold? Climate Change May Be Part of the Answer”.

Not surprisingly, global warming has a lot to do with this global phenomenon.  The polar vortex, a frigid weather pattern normally isolated at the North Pole, has broken free and leaked out across the US, causing record breaking periods of cold temperature.  

While meteorologists can’t pinpoint the exact reasoning and process behind what makes this vortex move, climate change is a key factor in its displacement. The jet stream which keeps this vortex moving in a circle around the north point of the globe is weakening as global warming heats the rest of the world up. The weaker pull is probably the cause of movement, among other factors that influence day to day weather.

Hopefully the cold makes its way out in the next few weeks because, and I don’t know about you guys but, I am so over this campus doubling as an ice rink.  Fingers crossed for a few nicer days this week!

 

Source

 

Fountain, Henry. “Why So Cold? Climate Change May Be Part of the Answer.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 3 Jan. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/01/03/climate/cold-climate-change.html.

 

For the Love of the Music by Emily Fudge

According to urban legend (mostly my mom), I have been humming, singing, dancing, and toe-tapping my way through life since I was but a small human. Not a single car ride would go by without me requesting my favorite cassette tape be popped into the car player; I wouldn’t be able to sleep unless the “lullaby tape” was played at night. My parents, both lovers and players of musical instruments, raised me and my siblings in a house full of song. We all play different instruments and no family dinner is complete without turning on our favorite radio station or picking out a CD to play. You probably won’t catch me on campus without some earbuds in ready to take on the day. Not to mention that walking to the beat of a good jam throughout campus can make me feel extremely important and like the star in my own music video. Anyone else? If not, please try it and let me know how I changed your life for the better.

I have been taking a music education class about incorporating the arts into a classroom. As a future educator, I am looking forward to being able to weave various forms of the arts into my lessons. The power of the arts is vast and wonderful. It is far reaching, and affects every single person in a different way. Music is so beautiful because, as some people say, it is the universal language. What words cannot express, song fulfills. The other day I witnessed yet again how music can enrich our lives. On Wednesday nights, UD’s chapter of Yes U Can hosts swim nights, where adults with limited mobility or disabilities work on rehabilitation in the pool. I volunteered to help out, and was paired with a woman that wasn’t really sure what she wanted to do. She seemed like she just wanted to get out of the pool – I don’t blame her, it’s pretty cold in there! After trying a couple of different exercises, we were having trouble getting into a good rhythm. Then, like the sound of angels from above, Fergie’s “Fergalicious” began playing over the loudspeakers. As a Zumba aficionado who had recently taken an “Aqua Zumba” class, I asked the woman I was working with if she wanted to dance. As soon as we started to exercise to the beat of the music, our moods both brightened. We were smiling, laughing, singing along, and ended up forgetting all about the cold pool water. She ended up leading an arm workout to the next song that played and I was sore for two days. I am constantly amazed at how something as simple and wonderful as a song can change a moment.

UD has an abundance of ways to feel the beat. The music department has an event almost every night, whether that be from a senior recital to a faculty jazz concert. Next time you’re looking for something to do, maybe check out your talented peers playing in the symphonic orchestra, band, and wind ensemble. I recently saw HTAC’s performance of Dogfight, where a cruel event in which Marines try to take the ugliest girl they can find to a bar turns into an unintended romance. Completely student run and produced, the RSO’s take on the show was both moving and hilarious, leaving many in tears after the first and second acts. They are putting on Pippin May 3, 4th, and 5th and I think you should definitely come. If not for the wonderfully talented cast and crew, check out the pit (of which yours truly is a part of). Not into showtunes? Tune into WVUD, UD’s student run radio station! All I ask of you is to take a moment to fill your life with music. It brings us together in adversity and celebration, and I think we can all better live and understand each other with the help of a song.

 

Image credit: http://debrahurd.blogspot.com/2015/08/bach-invention-art-painting-abstract.html?m=1

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