One Year Down

I can't believe the first year of college has already gone by so fast!

The last couple weeks seemed to rush by in a blur. There was Springfest, with the Reliant K concert and the carnival (you have to love rock walls!). There was the usual rush to finish final papers or study for a final exam along with students starting to pack after putting it off for ages, scrounging around for cardboard boxes and tape. And all of the "lasts;" the last party, the last weekend, the last Monday, the last paper, the last test, the last class, the last few friends to hunt down and say goodbye to before leaving.

I'm glad to have summer break after a year of hard work, and I'm going to catch up on reading all the books I haven't had time to read. But I'll miss having friends as close as the floor lounge; the walk the Quad is nothing compared to hours of driving when it comes to visiting a friend. Hiram has become my home over the past few months and I will miss it over the summer. At least I'll be back early, with the rest of the RA's. Until then, I will patiently wait, check up with friends on Facebook, work at a summer job, read as much as I can, go hiking and enjoy the hot Ohio weather.

I'll see you next year. =)

--Derek Green

The 3-Week

My 3-Week class this semester is Creative Writing. My Professor is Jeff Swenson, who is in charge of the writing center, a place on campus where students can get help with their writing for classes from other students who are trained to work there.

Class has been pretty enjoyable. We have plenty of reading and writing assignments, of course, and we have plenty of in-class discussions. On a couple of warm days we went outside to sit in the class for our in-class reading. Once we took a field trip to the field station, a forest and wildlife reserve a few minutes off campus that is a common haunt by Biology students, and walked around the woods for part of our writing exercise for the day.

Jeff is a wonderful professor to have. He makes a 3 hour class enjoyable to be in, and everyone in the class seems to be learning plenty about writing.

Term Break

I decided to stay at Hiram during the term break. I was taking care of Quince, a neighbor's leopard gecko.

A lot of my friends and neighbors also stayed over break, and we entertained ourselves with movie nights and macaroni parties -- one giant bowl with a few boxes of Kraft. We also put one friend's rice cooker to use quite a bit.

On Tuesday there was the annual Theatre Retreat. It was at Rick Hyde's house (the department director) since he lives just off campus. We had some wonderful chili, rice, salad, and dessert before discussing the past year. It was great to see some of the professors in an off-campus setting, having dinner with them.

Break!

These past two weeks have been insanely busy for me!

I had two presentations due -- one in FSem, the other for Biology Lab. Our group's presentation for Bio Lab went very well, it was fifteen minutes about nervous systems in all sorts of organisms. I focused on the nervous action of plants, while Phil and Colleen researched humans and animals.

I had a short paper to write for Biology Lecture about careers in biology due last Monday. This Saturday was the African Ensemble concert, which went very well. Our leader, Olu, actually led us in a completely ad-libbed rhythm at the end, catching us all by surprise!

Then all this last week I had a final paper due in British Literature (about identity issues in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest), my final research paper to write for FSem, and an essay for my Education class. I also had an exit interview with the professor of the Education class, which went pretty well. Then on Thursday I had a short exam for FSem, followed by two exams for Brit. Lit. and Biology today. Both Brit. Lit. and Biology went better than I was expecting, I think.

After I finished with Biology, my last exam, I can't even begin to describe to you the relief I felt after finishing these last two weeks of the 12-week! I'm going to catch up on sleep over term break.

Variations on a Dream

"Shall we their fond pageant see? Lord, what fools these mortals be!"

The Hiram Theatre Department had one more production for the year on March 27, 28, and 29: "Variations on A Midsummer Night's Dream."

The play is one of Shakespeare's most famous comedies and even our modern audiences loved it. The play focuses on several subplots that relate: Theseus, the Duke of Athens, is getting married to the Amazon Hippolyta. Meanwhile, the King and Queen of the woodland fairies, Oberon and Titania, are quarreling over a changeling child. Oberon sends his henchman Puck to bewitch Titania into falling in love with a country bumpkin named Bottom (after transforming him into a man with an ass's head). Four young lovers (Lysander and Hermia, Demetrius and Helena) also get bewitched into loving the wrong people, causing all sorts of wonderful drama and hilarious scenes.

"What hempen home-spuns have we swaggering here?"

In the background of it all, Bottom and his group of "rude mechanicals" are putting on an overacted performance of Pyramus and Thisbe. Everything about the show was beautiful: the set, the lighting, the costuming, the puppets. Thankfully, Sammy Adams captured plenty of amazing photographs of one of the performances. You can see them all here.

"My mistress with a monster is in love."

Puck -- Sarah Polly
Bottom -- Daren Niemi
Oberon/Theseus -- Bassel Hage
Titania/Hippolyta -- Aimee Thompson
Lysander -- Jessie Ogden
Demetrius -- Derek Green
Hermia -- Kelly Hanahan
Helena -- Karen Cover
Egeus/Flute -- Rachel Kahn
Stage Assistants -- Leah Rectanus, Claudia Alvarado, Lindsey Kuhn
Sirius (Moonshine's Dog) -- Satchel

FSem Presentations!

For the past few weeks I've been working on a presentation for my First Year Seminar, "Capturing Creativity." Each FSem is designed to focus on critical discussion and writing (specifically, writing research papers). My FSem, Capturing Creativity, focuses on the creative process. We've read about different creative geniuses through history and how their processes differ and relate.

Part of the class is that we must choose a person and research that person's creative process. We must write a research paper around this person and prepare a presentation for the class. I chose Robert Lang, one of the most famous origami artists alive today. For the project, I was actually able to interview Dr. Lang via email, which was very exciting.

For the presentation I recreated several of Lang's origami models, including his most famous piece, the Black Forest Cuckoo Clock. I folded the Clock from one sheet of paper 3 feet wide by 30 feet long. There are no cuts made to the paper and no glue is used to keep it together. I've worked on the clock off and on for a month and a half in the lounge of Whitcomb Hall.

I took some pictures during the whole process, and here they are:

Leadership Positions -- Looking for a Job?

Every year there is an application for leadership positions at Hiram. These positions include Resident Assistant (RA), Teaching Assistant (TA), Orientation Leader, International Orientation Leader, and Community Council.

RA's are in charge of making sure that everything in the dorms is going well -- making sure quiet hours are quiet, dry floors are alcohol-free, and making sure that roommates don't kill each other. RA's also get to coordinate fun floor programs, keep students informed of the goings-on of campus so they can be involved, and basically take charge in any emergency situation, such as fire alarms or the blackout.

Teaching Assistants help freshman colloquium professors in many different ways -- in fact, there really isn't a clear definition of a TA. TA's generally help first-year students adjust to Hiram, grade rough drafts of papers, run errands, lead discussions, give grammar lessons, and any combination thereof.

Orientation Leaders are in charge of, well, leading First Year Orientation, where next year's students will tour around campus, receive information about the New Student Institute, and register for classes. The Orientation Leaders are there to make sure that your orientation runs smoothly and is an enjoyable experience. Also, they are usually students who are very involved on campus, so they should be able to answer any questions you have for them, or at least be able to point you to someone who can. The International Orientation Leaders do the same, but for the international students' orientation.

Community Council Members are involved in enforcing college policies.

If you are interested in participating in any of these positions during your sophomore year, you have to go through a relatively rigorous application process. Around February there will be a few informational meetings on applying, and you can pick up an application. You simply have to fill out the form, write a resume and a cover letter, and get two recommendations filled out. After you've turned them in, you will participate in interviews and group activities. Then, sometime around spring break you will learn if you got any positions!

Next year I will be both a Teaching Assistant and Resident Assistant. I will be a TA for David Stoughton's colloquium called "Let There Be Light." David is new to the Theatre Department this year, and is the department's Technical Director. That means that he is in charge of a lot of the fun stuff involved with the shows, such as lighting design and set construction. His Colloquium will focus on an interdisciplinary perspective on light -- its uses, its effects, where it comes from (in both scientific and mythological contexts). It should be an enjoyable colloquium, and Dave is a fun professor to have, so consider signing up for "Let There Be Light" when you're at your orientation!

Also, I -- along with James Ross and Kim Miller -- will be an RA in Henry Hall. I hope to see you next fall!