First, I will start that I hate packing. It feels that all I have been doing is packing, making checklists, re-checking my lists, making calls and tying up loose ends. But.. when I look outside and see all this snow and that the weather at home is 10 degrees, I am reminded that all of the packing of my shorts, t-shirts, tank-tops and bathing suits will be well worth it in less than a week! I can’t believe how fast this process has gone! It seems like yesterday I was getting all of the information about it and talking with my parents about this wonderful opportunity. I am so excited, but really nervous about leaving the comfortable for the unknown. On Saturday, my family, friends and loved ones will be coming over for a little “going-away party”. It will be really tough saying good-bye, but as a good friend of mine once told me, good-bye’s are for good, so consider this a “see you later”. I have been in contact with a few kids that are going over there soon and Australians who are already there. They have been really friendly and make me even more anxious to go. I know they probably won’t see this, but the ladies at B-W’s Explorations have been sooo helpful to me and have made this process as painless and easy as possible! Have a good day!

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go to Indianapolis, Indiana for the “APPLE Conference”. The APPLE Conference was for student-athletes, peer educators, and involved administrators and staff. The focus of the conference was for each “team” to think of an area in their school where either policy, expectations, drug testing, and various other elements were weak or in need of updating.

Our “team” decided we needed to revamp the policies of drugs and alcohol for all sports teams. Already we have in place specific guidelines and sanctions per team, but we decided it would be beneficial to create an umbrella policy so that all teams are clear on expectations and sanctions.

The best part of this conference, in comparison to other conferences, was the fact that they gave you time to work on your action plans to develop or identify what you wanted to change/bring back to your campus. Many conferences encourage students to take back ideas or work to implement change after a conference, but this was the first one where they had you work on your plans, identify a timeline and procedural steps to accomplish your idea, and they even made you turn in a copy of your plan so they could call you in about a month to track your progress.

Overall, it was a great tour with great people and I got to visit Indianapolis. While there, we also spent one evening touring the NCAA Hall of Champions, which was very cool! Also, the entire conference was FREE for me to attend! A combination of NCAA funding and B-W sponsorship, allowed all of us to attend the conference for free - which, as a college student, is ALWAYS a bonus!

I am super excited for this Friday for more than one reason. First off, I’ve been in the organization N.O.T.T for the past year and this is the first time I’ve seen this much sales, yay N.O.T.T! As of Fridays lunch, we sold around 50 odd tickets and by next week should be well over 75. Secondly, this will be my first CAVS game, actually my NBA basketball game. I can’t wait! We are leaving here at 6 p.m and the game starts at 7.
Being less than 3 weeks away from our big conference meet, we are advised to not ‘party’ too much or do anything that might come in the way of our swimming. So we have been just staying indoors for these last couple of weeks and I’m getting real bored. So this Friday should be fun:)! I also am looking forward to the weekend after next as one of my friend turns 21. We have a surprise dinner and everything planned out for her and I can’t wait to see the expression on her face when she finds out:)! So keeping the fun things in mind should help me get through the busy week. Hope everyone has a wonderful week ahead!

When I’m asked where I’m from, I always say Arizona, but I’m never really sure where my “hometown” is. I lived in Buffalo, NY until I was 14 and that seems like home too. And now so does Ohio. Being from so far away is kind of rare at BW. I’d say probably close to half on the Con kids are from out of state, but most come from nearby states like New York, Pennsylvania, etc, so Arizona always sounds kind of radical. Going to college far away never seemed that crazy to me though because I think when I moved to Arizona, I dealt with a lot of the things that college freshman face when they leave home for the first time. Starting college was almost a seamless transition for me, and it’s really only been this year that I’ve felt far away. School is so busy and once you’re in the routine it’s so easy to just cruise along, have a great time with friends here, and with phone, e-mail, and airplanes, feel like family isn’t all that far away. These past few months with illnesses and deaths in our family though, I’ve felt the 2,000+ miles. This weekend though I had the opportunity to go to Buffalo and visit my Grandpa who has Alzheimer’s and is not doing so well. I really needed to do something and be a part of it. I got to tell him I’m going to be a music teacher, hold his hand and let him know I was there, and I’m so glad I had the chance to do that. I think it’s probably those interactions with the people that always knew me, who make me step away from my too busy music world, that are what I miss most when I’m on my own in Ohio.

Today was the NEOHO (North East Ohio Housing Officers) Conference. It’s basically a conference for RA’s to attend every spring semester. This was my second year attending and this year was much better than last. We arrive in the morning for a short speaker and continental breakfast. Then we have breakout sessions where we can choose which presentations we want to attend. The presentations are all done by the RA’s from the schools at NEOHO. This year I had the opportunity to present twice which was very exciting. I and two of my fellow RA’s did a session on creative programming on a tight budget. It went over really well and was well attended. During the other session I presented with a group that I am in called Mere Images. We basically dramatize anything and everything that college students deal with such as drugs, alcohol, sex, missing home, roommate conflicts, etc. It’s a funny performance but really deals with great issues and helps students learn in an entertaining way. The sessions I attended were great too. One especially stood out because we participated in a team building activity which I had never done before but I would love to try at B-W. Overall it was a great day and I nice chance to hang out with RA’s that I don’t get to see that often.

Only 11 more days until I leave for Australia! I have been starting to pack, get organized, and tie up some loose ends. I can’t believe how fast the time has gone. It feels like yesterday I was filling out the application and paperwork and purchasing a ticket. It really hasn’t hit me yet that I will be gone for four and a half months. A part of me is really anxious and excited and the other part of me is terrified, but I guess it’s just a part of growing up and experiencing new things. I am sure it will be a wonderful experience and well worth it. I was able to come up to B-W last Tuesday for the day which was a ton of fun. It was great to see all my friends and boyfriend and just have it be like old times (minus the classes of course!) I am looking forward to taking new classes in Australia and seeing what their education system is like. I have an amazing schedule with class only 3 days a week which will allow me to travel on a four day weekend! A lot of friends that have previously studied abroad in Australia say that they didn’t want to come back, but I’m sure I’ll be ready.. I just have to focus on leaving first!

Ok Robin, I agree that this week is probably more of a girl’s event BUT Mid-Night Madness provides a big variety of events throughout the semester, some more masculine, some feminine…like Dodgeball for example. Either way, tonight is going to be great. It’s not going to be exactly like the show that inspired the event. Our contestants are only allowed to use tape, staplers and basically garbage that we give them to use. There outfits will probably not be pretty, by any means. It is only meant to be fun. Plus, we are providing free sundaes!!!
I don’t think that’s just a girl thing!!! Anyway, I hope that you will reconsider and join us Robin! If not, next week is Tobogganing!!!

I just wanted to let everyone know i found an excellent meal item in the Union. It’s in the deli and it is the chicken parm sandwich with garlic butter. This is a lot for me to say because it is a largely known fact that i don’t like the Union food very much. My other friends don’t mind it like me. So this is big news for me to approve of the Union. Just remember that, future students. And moving on to another subject, MNM tonight is totally driven toward the girl section of BW. It’s Project Runway. So, i mean with the occasional guy thrown into the competition, this is girl’s week. I think they should have like sitting around eating chips week or like play Madden all night week for the guys some time. Well, that’s all i have to say. til next time.
-Robin-

One definite benefit to living on campus is not having to drive to class. This may seem obvious or silly to think about, but when the weather is erratic throughout the year, being able to get from place to place is important.

Yes, it is a little annoying if it’s raining and you’re walking everywhere - same with the blistering cold. However, no matter the weather, you never have to bother with traffic or road conditions if you’re walking. You don’t have to wait for your car to warm up, scrape off the ice, or even worry about gas prices! With everything in close proximity - food, classes, residence hall room - you don’t have to worry about driving somewhere, finding parking, etc. Likewise, walking everyday is a great aerobic work out. Though it may not seem like it, after walking around all day, you’ll get a little exercise and feel great for doing so. You’ll also happen to walk by friends along the way and be able to chit-chat in between classes.

Bottom line, I love the fact that I live on campus. I enjoy being able to walk everywhere I need to go and not have to worry about my car, gas, or anything like that. As for commuters, I applaud you for your efforts, and wish you the best of luck when it’s rush hour or the weather gets rough. Be safe and be smart

So tomorrow is our first overnight event of this semester. We have four in the spring and hopefully we’ll start off on a good note. This is a small group coming in so finding hosts was not that bad, especially after having to find almost a hundred for the last overnight. I am excited to welcome all the amazing prospective students coming tomorrow for the overnight. I’m sure they are going to have a good time. M.N.M has Project Runway as their event I think tomorrow night, and that should be a fun event to go to. Also, we have an Open House event on Friday and the guests can get most of their questions answered regarding financial aid, housing or whatever else they need to know about B-W. They also get to experience going to classes at B-W. I am excited for tomorrow hope the guests and hosts are too:)