EC Service

We may be a small college but the service projects we are involved in are quite large. Student Alumni Council recently celebrated Autism Awareness day where we lit up the archway of Tompkins Hall, an upperclassman dorm, blue and decorated with streamers and balloons. It caught everyone’s attention, not just because it was a foreign color to our purple bubble. Our photo won “Best Use of Decorations” through the national Autism Speaks U contest!

Yesterday, with Circle K, the collegiate chapter of Kiwanis, I lead a group of students back to Owego, New York to take part in Make A Difference Day, the largest national day of service. Our club partnered with the Charles H. Bassett Youth Foundation, a local organization that aides youth giving back, to clean up the area and recognize the work of those that have given up their time to help the community recover from the tragic floods that hit a month and a half ago. We raked leaves, picked up trash, cleaned the historic community fountain, and set the food up for the day. It was nice to recognize the community members for their dedication with certificates and ice cream : ) It was amazing and inspiring to see the number of young people who have volunteered. There were college students like us, high school students, middle school students, and even elementary school students. It just shows how easy people of any age can get involved. Especially with the hard times Owego and many other areas are facing, it was refreshing to let the community know that their good deeds have not gone unnoticed.

Sunny Days Sweepin' Across All EC

September is full of traditions, new and old, here at EC. This surprise long weekend started off with a group of us going to see the Lion King in 3D! I’m sure the other moviegoers appreciated our recitation and singing along with the entire movie. It’s interesting that we still know every word, and the voices, for this childhood favorite but do not have the vocabulary we need memorized for our classes down pat : )

The next morning we were up bright and early for Octagon Fair! There were a lot of different takes on this nautical theme and many pirates and sailors dressed up around campus. For Hillel, we brought the Dead Sea to EC with some mineral mud for people to try. At the Active Minds table, we had Swedish Fish for sale and a Name that Nautical Phobia game. Sadly, the 2013’s ran out of luck and were thrown into EC Jail. It was nice to have Alumni and future EC students on campus as Saturday was the first Open House of the Fall.

Sunday brought on the first and last night of singing as today was Mountain Day! This was the first ever Mountain Day on a Monday. It was a very unexpected surprise to wake up to those congratulatory papers slipped under the door. The day was great with many games, raft races, picnic lunch, a memorial service for alumni who have passed away, iris planting and more. It will be hard to face reality and classes again tomorrow….

Endings and Beginnings

And the start of a new year at EC has begun! It doesn’t seem like the summer is over yet. This summer, I stayed on campus to work in Admissions and with Orientation. It was nice to make friends with a lot of different people and hang out without the craziness of clubs and a lot of homework. While it was a little weird to have the whole campus to about 120 of us, EC was still busy with tours, classes, and Summer Registrations. Once August came around, it was fun to welcome the Glorious Class of 2015 with all of the freshman, transfer students, and international students. It was weird at first to have so many people back on campus but it’s nice to have our EC family back and growing.

This week was the first week of classes here on campus. While I’m busy with five classes, I like my schedule a lot. The material in my classes seems to relate with Health Psychology and Complementary Health Therapies. I’m enjoying taking classes outside of my major to mix things up.

While excitement over new classes, new rooms, and new friendships is filling campus, today a somber atmosphere prevailed in honor of 9/11. Today at noon, our campus and community came together for a ceremony hosted by our Student Association. ROTC, College Republicans, College Democrats, A1 & the Sauce, The Chiclettes, and Hillel all joined forces to lead the ceremony with readings, singing, speeches, and more. The bells on campus rang 10 times in honor of each year that has passed since this national tragedy. Especially in light of the catastrophic flooding in my hometown, it was nice to be reminded of the strong sense of community that rose out of 9/11. Everyone is pulling together to rebuild their lives just as they did then.

Goodbye Term III! Hello Summer : )

The relaxed atmosphere of Term III has been replaced with a bittersweet one. Classes are wrapping up, people moving out for the summer, and the activities for Senior Week have begun. My roommate and I have been putting off packing but now finally need to start seeing as we are leaving tomorrow. Our room looks so bare without all of our calendars, pictures, and notes from friends on our walls. To make the packing and goodbyes a bit more fun, we decided to start watching movies while we pack. Seeing as it’s 85 degrees here, we might have to take a break soon and cool off in the fountain one last time : )

While summer will be busy staying on campus to work and volunteer for Reunion and the Orientation Programs, I am really looking forward to all of that to start! I am excited to meet the Alumni that are returning and hear their tales of EC and even more excited to welcome the incoming class of 2015! Orientation is going to be a lot of fun, not only to be reunited with friends but also to help our newest EC family members adjust to their new home.

It’s hard to think that I am half way through my time here at EC. It feels like yesterday that I was packing up to move here instead of getting ready to move out again. My time here has flown by entirely to quickly! I am so grateful for all of the opportunities and friendships I have made here so far. I am excited to see what the next two years have in store, although I wish time would slow down!

Wonderful Wednesdays!

Term III here on campus is starting to wind down. Today is the last Wednesday of freedom as next week at this time, classes will be ending and moving out for the summer will commence. It has been great having Wednesdays off. I’m going to miss the nice break in the middle of the week. Aside from the sun bathing, fountain swimming, kan jam, and softball games, campus still remains busy with activities. Last week Wednesday was the Poster Research Session where people from the social and behavioral sciences joined forces with the science department to showcase the research completed by students. My group from Experimental Psychology presented our findings from our class last term. We did an experiment on whether colors like blue and pink affect how people perceive faces as either aggressive or sensitive. While we didn’t find that color had an affect on perception, overall people rated male photos as more aggressive and female photos as more sensitive. It was a lot of fun to see the other research findings as a lot of students participate in these experiments.

Today was a beautiful day on campus with the sun shining and temperatures nearing 80 degrees. For those that were not outside or wanted to take a quick break, Tompkins Dorm Council hosted an all day movie marathon. Currently we are watching the Ugly Truth while Valentine’s Day and Letters to Juliet aired earlier. All of the movie junk food was served, including octagon shaped cookies :)

While I will miss the Wednesday fun of Term III, it will be nice to have summer arrive!

The Weekend Zeus Got Loose!

This past weekend was a nice break from classes and work as it was my first May Days celebration! This year’s theme was the Weekend Zeus Got Loose. For the dance on Friday night, togas prevailed which was interesting to try to make a toga and to see what toga creations others came up with, especially the guys. Some girls really went all out and bought fabric to cut and make their togas. Others just used their bed sheets (no worries, I didn't see any dirty, unwashed sheets used). My roommate and I ran out to Hobby Lobby and made some stylish head pieces from fake leaves and flowers. I must say they turned out pretty nice. Zeus would be proud : ) After the dance we ran around campus and took tons of silly pictures. What better time is there to get those memorable photos with Mark Twain!

The next day was the carnival! There were a lot of activities and events like inflatable’s, carnival games like ball toss, prizes, Iron Chef showdown, airbrush tattoos, photo booth, water balloon fight, a D.J., yummy carnival foods like burgers, cotton candy, snow cones, fried dough, and more. I enjoyed being outside and meet up with friends, even though it was a cloudy day. It was a great day, especially since I won a purple crown : )

Thanks to Natasha Wagner'14 & Christian Bruce'14 for their awesome photography skills!

New Season, New Term

Today was a very exciting day as it was the start of the much-anticipated Term III. I have been looking forward to this, as it will be my first one on campus.

The relaxed atmosphere is a nice change of pace as just two weeks of go, the stresses of finals week was everywhere. It was a little hard to get back in the swing of things today, as last week was break. Having the week off was nice to relax and spend the holidays with my friends and family. When my alarm went off this morning though, I was a bit confused but quickly realized that it was time to get ready for class.

My term started out on a fun and challenging note this morning with Creative Advertising. We viewed a variety of different ads and started to break down what is occurring within them. I am excited to learn more about what is behind and advertisement, how to develop an ad campaign, and develop my creative skills further.

After I got out of work, the clouds parted and sun began to shine down on campus. People were out playing frisbee and softball on Carnegie Lawn already while others started on their reading outside. To celebrate the start of a new term, our RA got us some Fun Dip candy and Rita’s Italian Ice.

It is shaping up to be a good term : )

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give

Winston Churchill once said, "We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give." This weekend best exhibits what he means by this as many gave their support to a worthy cause and later were honored for their hard work.

Saturday marked the start of Relay for Life here on campus. This event is one that many hold close to their hearts, as it is hard to find someone that has not been affected by cancer. 40 teams with over 350 people worked to raise money for the American Cancer Society. It is always amazing to see events like this that bring the college community close together. The night was packed with great performances by the EC Naturals, Tap Ensemble, and people cutting off their hair and shaving their heads to show their support for this amazing cause. While it was an exhausting time, it was worth it as over $15,000 was raised.

Sunday brought another rewarding day, as it was the Psi Chi inductions. There were 17 new members that were inducted into the International Psychology Honor Society. We gathered in Hamilton Hall for a nice ceremony and brunch with our families. It was a nice morning getting to chat with professors out of class and meet the family of my friends. Now time to get ready for another exhausting week! I am definitely ready for Term III to get here so the weather does not keep bouncing back and forth between sunny and warm to snowy and cold. At least it is officially spring : )

It's a Bug's Life

Tonight, my roommate and I had an extremely traumatic experience. We had a close encounter with a bug in our room. The episode felt something like this Mentos commercial.

Copyright MentosUS

My roommate and I were talking and all of a sudden she started to freak out and look above my head. I ran over to her side of the room and did not see anything at first, however, the bug made an appearance on the ceiling causing us to scream. This was no ordinary bug; this was a monster that was probably a good 2 inches in size with a few too many legs.

We ran down to the hall to our friends to see if they could kill it but they were not home. Then we ran back to call our friend from upstairs to come down and kill it. Unfortunately for us, she hates bugs too and starting freaking out. She then ran down the hall to a friend who is a bug killer extraordinaire. Once we moved our furniture (so there would be no chance of the bug in the bed) and as the bug came out of hiding our brave friend managed to kill it in EC style with our purple flyswatter.

I am not saying that there are a lot of bugs here so please do not be afraid! It was a very unexpected visitor, only our 2^nd bug all year. For all of the future college students, please be aware of this possible incident wherever you go. Make sure to pack a fly swatter as a precautionary tool. Also, be aware of the fact that if you live in an all girls dorm, there are a lot less people to help you kill a bug and panic will shortly ensue.

A Sibling-less Siblings Weekend

What an exciting week back from break! I am ready to tackle the rest of the Term and get ready to enjoy my first Term III on campus. It was a bit weird to come back to a Cowles Hall without an octagon! I thought I had come back to the wrong college. While I know it is for the construction and will be worlds better in the end, it still gives me a funny feeling to look at.

The first week back was busy with a Marketing project but ended on a good note with the start of Sibling’s Weekend. While I do not personally have a sibling, I still had a good time meeting the brothers, sisters, and cousins of my friends. It was nice to see families again that I have not seen since Parents Weekend. Mackenzie’s was busy on Friday Night with stations to create your own wax hands and grow your own bamboo plants. My friends and I went to go see Tangled, which was absolutely adorable.

Saturday, I make a quick trip home to get ahead on my Encore Performances. I went to see Ann Hampton Callaway with the Binghamton Philharmonic. The performance was absolutely amazing. They performed hits from the Great American Songbook. Now I have two more Encore Performances left and then I am done forever!

For now, it is time to get ready for another week!

Fiesta de Elmira!

Hola mis amigos y amigas! Tonight was the much-anticipated Dining Services Theme Dinner! This term’s theme was a Mexican Fiesta. I have never seen the dining hall so colorful with minimal amounts of purple before. Everyone was in the fiesta spirit with ponchos, sombreros, maracas, and a few fake mustaches. There were cacti everywhere, even with ice sculptures. The food was great featuring enchiladas, guacamole, bean dip, corn salsa, mango salsa chicken, corn bread, jalapeño poppers, and more. The extravagant cake this term was a giant sombrero! To top it all off, there was a mariachi band, which was a fun treat. It was nice to see so many students, faculty, administrators, and their families enjoying their evening together.

This celebration came just in time before the craziness of midterms sets in. Next week is going to be rough with three midterms, one quiz, a ten-page research proposal, encore, and group work due. It will all be over soon enough with break around the corner! I cannot believe it is halfway through the term already. Not that I don’t enjoy how beautiful campus is in the snow and the purple rock salt, but it would be nice for some warmer weather and Term III to arrive. Off to the library to start working ahead!

A Very Gold Weekend!

What an exciting weekend on campus. Between Athletics Alumni Weekend and the Super Bowl, there has been gold everywhere! To start my sports filled weekend, my roommate and our friends headed up to the Domes to cheer on our Men’s Hockey team as they took on SUNY Cortland. The Domes were especially festive as it was decorated for all of the alumni back for a visit, even with the usual purple and gold zamboni. The game was pretty intense as the score was tied for most of the game. In the end our guys came through as we won 6-4!

Tonight as I’m sure all of you know is the Super Bowl. I’m currently enjoying the game at my dorm’s party. Our lounge is so festive, divided into a black and yellow side and green and yellow side. We are a bunch of dedicated fans, blowing air horns for each score. We even have sponges and mini footballs to throw at the screen when bad calls occur, although we have thrown more at each other : ) The ads have been a lot of fun to watch too, especially since I am taking marketing this term. I can’t wait to see who wins, and for the new glee afterwards!

One Circus of a Weekend

Happy end of January everyone! This term has been charging forward, filled with a lot of work and events. This weekend was the perfect way to end the month with the EC Tap Ensemble show. The theme of our show was “Tap is a Circus.” Our show featured dances from all experience levels that we have been working on since September. It is amazing to see how talented the advanced dancers are and how far others have grown, especially those who have never put tap shoes on before.

I never realized all of the possibilities that could be done with tap. Kudos to our officers for being so creative with the dances! There were more “traditional” dances to songs like “Somewhere Beyond the Sea,” a kick-line style to a Cascada hit, a jump rope number to “Jump Around,” popular numbers like “Take It Off,” and so much more. Here is a video and some photos that I took from back stage of “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga.

While I will miss tapping, it will be nice to have some more free time. Time to get back to work!

One Historical Night

Tonight was a very eventful night on campus. I got to experience the best of two worlds, athletics and music. My friends and I helped to make EC history as we attended the first ever home game for men’s volleyball. It was so much fun! The stands were packed with purple and gold. The team took on Nazareth College whose colors also happen to be purple and gold (we had more spirit though!). Both teams brought intensity to the game. There were some points where we thought we were going to get hit by the ball; luckily no fans were harmed : )

A bit before 8 we headed out to catch the first Encore performance of the term. We quickly switched gears from making history to learning about some music history. Tonight was musical excerpts from La Traviata presented by Tri Cities Opera. It was one amazing performance. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect at first as the performance started out with only two pianists. After the first number, the audience was shocked as two performers came out in costume and started to bring their powerful voices into the mix. They performed with a lot of emotion which brought the Italian and back story to life.

I cannot wait to see what other great performances and sporting events the rest of the term will bring!

New Year, New Term, New Students!

Happy 2011 all! I hope everyone had a joyous holiday and break! It feels good to be all settled in again and ready for Term II. It was nice to have some time off, especially without any work to do, but it was pretty lonely without my roommate at home and without seeing my EC friends all of the time.

This term started a little earlier for some, as it was January Orientation. About fifteen others and myself arrived on Saturday to make folders and handle other preparations. It was weird to have campus extremely quiet for the day but all of that changed on Sunday as we welcomed over 30 transfer students and later on the returning student body. Showing students around campus, helping people meet their advisors, moving some students in, and getting to know these new faces were all a lot of fun.

Today was even more exciting as it was the first day of classes. My schedule is great so far! Experimental Psychology, Language Development, and Principles of Marketing are all shaping up to be challenging and interesting courses. I was a little nervous having a completely new set of professors but they were all extremely nice. It should be a good term getting to them better and working with my classmates.

I cannot wait to see what Individualism & Community in American Life brings me tomorrow!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year?!

Term I is winding down here on campus. I cannot believe how quickly time flies! My roommate and I are all ready for the holiday season with our lovely purple and gold tree : )

This past weekend was full of traditions with Holiday Banquet and Holiday Ball. The banquet was a lot of fun this year. My friends and I sat with Nina Skinner, the executive secretary to the treasurer. When it came time to carve the turkey, our table had a good laugh watching other professors and administrators attempting to carve. Nina was the smart one and brought an electric knife : ) It was nice to have a second Thanksgiving meal with my friends. Singing holiday songs were a nice change from the normal EC ones as well. The Arabian Nights themed Ball transformed the upstairs dining hall. It was nice to get dressed up, dance with friends, and take tons of silly pictures.

The fun of the weekend has worn off as it is now the last week of classes. Some of my finals are on Friday and the rest are next week. Luckily, they are spread out pretty well so it shouldn’t be too crazy (let’s hope!). It feels as if I was just starting my classes. I like them all so it will be sad to say goodbye but nice to have a break with no homework or projects. Time to get back to work!

Dreidel I Shall Play!

This week marks the start of the Jewish Holiday Hanukkah! To celebrate, Hillel hosted a Dreidel Social. It was a lot of fun! Our club and friends got together for the first night to light the menorah, eat some traditional foods like latkes and sufganiyot (potato pancakes and jelly doughnuts), and play Dreidel! It was a nice break before the craziness of the last week of classes and finals. Here are some pictures!

The excitement of the week will continue this weekend with the much anticipated Holiday Banquet and Holiday Ball! More to come soon : )

Happy Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I have so much to be thankful for, especially great family and friends.

This morning I woke up to my Thanksgiving Day tradition; turkey toast. Every year for Thanksgiving my mom would take a turkey cookie cutter, toast the newly shaped bread, spread it with peanut butter, put my favorite cereal for the feathers, and a piece of something sweet for the eye and gobbler. I highly recommend it : )

After watching a bit of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, it was time to start getting the house and food ready. Our house smelled wonderful with the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, broccoli casserole, carrot and sweet potato crumble, corn casserole, rolls, and baked pineapple. Our neighbors stopped by for some munchies and before we knew it our guests arrived. My boyfriend and his family, my grandmother, and a family friend all came to enjoy our feast. We were so stuffed but all managed to make room for dessert which included red velvet cupcakes, apple crisp, pumpkin pie, cookies, apple pie, and ice cream.

It was a nice way to start the end of a relaxing break. Despite having the usual doctor appointments, it has been a good break filled with shopping and a little work. At the start of break I went back into my high school for EC Ambassadors. My friend Anna, a member of the phenomenal class of 2014, and I met with a student who was just accepted. We answered many of his questions and hopefully convinced him that purple is his new color : ) It has been great being home and seeing my friends from high school but I do miss my roommate and EC friends. I can’t wait to have a second Thanksgiving meal with my EC family for Holiday Banquet!

Spice Up Your Life!

This week was a very exciting week on campus! Last night and tonight was the Orchesis shows! This was my first time experiencing a dance show at EC. I am so happy to have been a part of it. The dance I was in was “Spice Up Your Life” by one of my favorite groups ever, The Spice Girls. I can recall many fond memories from my childhood of singing and dancing around my house to any and all Spice Girls songs. It was so much fun to do it all again, especially in a more organize manner. Here are some pictures from tonight!

I met so many great people and saw some amazing talent. I can’t wait to do it again for the Tap Show in January! What a great way to lead up to break : )