life at eiu

EIU Freshman Jake Schlich talks about his "band"

2009-12-14T08:59:00.004-06:00

It’s that time of year again. Trees are all barren; snow is in and out… it’s cold, very cold. That means one thing to me, finals! Since this is my first year here and I have to adapt to this new form of finals. It shouldn’t be too bad, because most of my classes are easy enough to handle.

Let’s talk about what has happened since the last time I posted. Since then I am part of the Jazz program here at EIU, playing the drum set in the Jazz Lab Band, under the direction of the one and only Paul Johnston, if you don’t know who he is, you have really missed out on a great instructor and person. Check him out (and the band) out next time we have a concert.

I am in the Percussion Ensemble, which takes up a lot of my so-called "free" time. We just had our first concert of the year and it went really well. Mr. Jamie Ryan has taken over the position of instructing the percussion majors and minors and thus far, I am very pleased with his ability to play, but his ability to teach is great as well. So, if you are interested in coming here for percussion, I would definitely talk to him.

Overall, I am very pleased with all of the faculty here, especially in the music department. Barry Houser is fantastic at his job as the Marching Band Director and Basketball Band Director. He brings a welcoming spirit to all involved and has the energy of a 5 year old, in my personal opinion, I don’t think he sleeps… just a thought. And Mr. Johnston and Mr. Ryan are both fantastic instructors. Dr. Borah, my professor for both music theory and aural training is wonderful, he really knows how to talk to students and makes the material understandable.
So like I said earlier, about a dozen times, the faculty here is AMAZING I can’t stress that enough, they are one of the many reasons I love this school.
That’s all for now…
-Jake

Hello, world! I am Dan Rolando!

2009-10-25T13:58:00.004-05:00

Hello there,
For those new to the blog, my name is Dan Rolando and I am now a senior physics and economics major at EIU. I’m also in the University Honors Program. A few of the things I do around Eastern’s campus are Sigma Alpha Epsilon, a social Greek fraternity, Phi Sigma Pi, a co-ed honors fraternity, Knights of Columbus, a Catholic male social and fraternal group, and I’m a Resident Assistant in Douglas Hall.
So, another school year and another set of challenges rises up before me. I am facing my toughest academic semester yet as I move into all of my senior level physics and economics classes. I am also looking to do departmental honors for physics and economics so that means I have even more extra research on top of those other classes. I can handle it though, and it only goes to show you that EIU has something to challenge even the most academically oriented students!
Aside from my schoolwork, I am trying to enjoy my senior year a little bit. My fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, just received its charter this past summer after two years of proving ourselves as a colony here on Eastern’s campus. Along with this charter came a renewed sense of pride and motivation for my fraternity brothers and me. We had a great pledge class this fall and nearly doubled our numbers! Things are looking as we get ready for Greek Week in the spring. SAE is looking to turn some heads this year for sure.
I am working on balancing being president of three organizations: SAE, Phi Sigma Pi and Society of Physics Students, along with all of my schoolwork. This has been quite rough. I’m seeing a lot less free time and a lot more pages in my books, but the key component has been enjoying all of my involvements. Even though I have a meeting literally every single night of the week, every organization is important to me and I have fun with the people involved, so it barely seems like a responsibility at all. The one piece of advice I would offer anyone-freshmen, transfer students, or even seniors who’ve been at EIU their whole college careers-is to think about your future commitment to an organization before joining. I have been lucky to become involved with many things that I find I have a passion for and a commitment to. But I have seen many people join clubs thinking that it’s right for them only to become burnt out with the responsibilities later. Some chose to quit the organization, or even worse, stayed in and just had a miserable time.
That being said, DO go out and get involved because the more you involve yourself outside of the classroom, the better college experience you will have. When President William Perry says that he wants Eastern Illinois University to be the best college in the nation at integrating the academic and social development of its students, I can say with confidence that we are well on our way. At Eastern, there is a true dedication to the student above all else, and this is why I love EIU and hope everyone else can share my same experience with this university!
Dan Rolando

Lisa Bad Luck

2009-10-08T14:03:00.003-05:00

My summer finally has ended and school has started for me again. My second year at Eastern has started somewhat ok, although I have had a rough couple of days; however it has slowly gotten better. The drive down with my mom is so long because we live right outside of Chicago and that means the drive is three hours long. When I arrived at EIU and saw my friends the stress just melted away.

In the first weeks, I lost my Panther card, my favorite sweater and I burned my thumb getting stir fry at Carman dining center. All that bad luck made me feel like the end of the world was coming. Luckily, I found my panther card but after I had paid $20 for a new one (still did not find my sweater!). When it comes to school, I have some really good teachers, but some challenging courses this semester. My friends have been really helpful and without them I would be lost. Registration for classes next semester start next week and so I hope my schedule will be a good as my fall classes. Crossing my fingers!
Until next time!

EIU Freshman Jake Schlich talks about his first impressions of EIU

2009-09-23T15:12:00.001-05:00

Well, this is my first time blogging for good ol' Eastern Illinois University, and I'm pretty excited excited about it.

To start out, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Jake Schlich and I am a freshman here at EIU. I am a music education major with an emphasis in percussion. I am from Belleville, Illinois, and for those of you that don't know where that is, it's about 15 minutes west of St. Louis, just across the river. I enjoy listening to pretty much any kind of music. I love playing all kinds of music, playing basketball, and soccer, and having a good time with old friends and making new ones.

Now, that you know who I am, I think it's time for you to know a bit more about my experiences here at EIU. My college experience started a little less than a week before everyone else's. Since I am in the marching band, I was able to move in early.

My first week here was just band camp, and no, there were none of the "this one time, at band camp" stories. This is college, and we are above that here. But I will say that I am enjoying college marching band far more than I enjoyed high school marching band. Everybody likes being here and it is a really good time because of that. The music is really fun to play and the crowd really gets into it.

So far, I love everything here at Eastern. The teachers are all really awesome, and everyone seems really friendly. I don't know why, but everyone seems a lot cooler than they were in high school, just something I picked up on here in Charleston. Also, the food is way better than in high school, well my high school at least. But I will have to say, my single favorite thing about coming to EIU, is the one and only, Doudna Fine Arts Center. Coming from a moderately well taken care of music program, to Eastern's was such an upgrade.

But back to the whole class thing... All of my classes are going well, the teachers are all really good at what they do. I was really nervous at first about my classes because I wasn't sure if I would be able to deal with the whole college thing. But thus far it has been fairly easy, due to my teachers' ability to engage the students.

That's all for now.

-Jake

Have a great summer!

2009-05-20T08:02:00.001-05:00

The EIU student bloggers will return in September 2009. Have a great summer! If you have any questions about Eastern Illinois University you can e-mail us at admissions@eiu.edu.

EIU Student Lisa Techman shares her summer plans

2009-05-05T13:21:00.001-05:00

Our school year is coming to an end. Looking back at all the good times I have had my freshman year, I realize I had one of the best times of my life. I met so many new people and learned so much about life and growing up. Coming to college, I was really scared and unsure about how I was going to do in my classes. My first semester I got all A's and B's, and this semester I am hoping I get the same grades. Everyone I have talked to, said college was hard and that I would have a hard time passing my classes, but I somehow passed with flying colors and I have classes picked out for next semester already. I am so ready for next semester because college is a blast for me. I'm going to keep the same roommate, room and building next year so nothing is really changing besides my schedule.

Over the summer, its going to be hard not seeing all my friends. They all live in different parts of the state and plus I'm not even going to be in the state. I will be working in Michigan. It's going to be a fun working at a camp with one of my best friends for the whole summer and being able to go to the beach any time I want. I'm also going to have to work though.

My sophomore year will be a turning point. I'm getting older and I will have to take on more responsibilities. When you're in college its time to grow up and start thinking about the future---real life. I know what I want and how long it will take to get there. With the right attitude I will be able to complete my college education in 4 years. Have a great summer. (I know I will.) I’ll tell you all about mine this fall.

EIU Student Charrell Barksdale talks about why she does not like Organic Chemistry!

2009-04-21T08:04:00.000-05:00

Hey people, it’s me again! I was sitting and thinking about how time truly passes fast. We only have a few more weeks left in the semester and then its summer. I only have one more semester until I graduate. I honestly can’t believe it. It seems like just yesterday I was a new geeky freshman at EIU, and that I didn’t know a thing. Now I’m a cool and mature “know it all” senior. I will really miss this place. EIU is my home away from home. I wish everyone can have
the same great EIU experience as I did.

Since the semester is coming to a close, I have been taking it easy. I really want a 4.0 G.P.A, however it is easier said than done, but it isn’t impossible. I am still preparing and training for the US Air Force, so the EIU student recreation center is where you usually can find me. I love it there. The facility is beautiful. The equipment is always new and up to date plus it is clean.

Originally, I had plans to study aboard in the Caribbean this summer, but of course that has changed. Unfortunately, I will be attending summer school and taking my most dreaded course Organic Chemistry II. I have no idea why there is a part II, especially since part I was difficult enough. Besides that, I will be also taking the GRE for graduate school. To prepare I picked up some helpful books from EIU Booth Library, which seems to have everything. You are probably thinking that my summer is going to be a waste, but it isn’t. I am getting so much accomplished and when I am not studying I am definitely going to relax, enjoy the weather, travel, and have loads of fun.

I have a 7-10 page paper due Monday so I have to go. Academics first people! Thank you for reading it’s truly an honor that you do. Peace out until next time.

Daniel Rolando shows why he is one of the hardest working students at EIU!

2009-04-06T13:32:00.001-05:00

Hello again all!
The past few weeks have pretty much been a blur in my life. I went on an Alternative Spring Break (ASB) this year to Maryville, TN. ASB is a program offered through our student volunteer center that gives students the opportunity to forgo their visits to Florida, Mexico, or just home in order to spend their week off in the service of others. I was a site leader for my trip this year, so I spent the few weeks before spring break preparing, making purchases and organizing my trip.
Then there was the trip itself. Don’t get me wrong. It was fantastic! Our site was in partnership with the local Blount County Habitat for Humanity group, and we were primarily working on a single house for the week. The house was for a handicapped individual and was actually the first handicapped designed house the group had ever worked on. Their blueprints might be used to build similar accessible homes in the future. The group was comprised of me and six girls. Needless to say, they certainly made it an interesting experience for me. With all the preparations, work, post project cleanup and reotganization after the trip, the week was gone before I knew it. It was back to school on Monday.
Unfortunately, There was no rest after the break. I was catching up on assignments I procrastinated on during break. Besides having two upcoming tests, the first weekend back marked the beginning of Greek Week on EIU’s campus. This is a weeklong series of performances and events that the fraternities and sororities participate in every year in order to celebrate the positive aspect of being involved in the Greek community. My fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, has teams for pretty much everything, so that week back was filled with final practices and rehearsals for events like airband, Greek sing, and tugs. Now after airband on Saturday and Greek sing just yesterday, it seems like the end is at least in sight and I can begin to remember what sleep feels like! Aside from the stress, Greek week events always end up being a lot of fun, and I am proud to say that this year is the last year that my fraternity, SAE, will be competing as a colony. We are currently set to obtain our charter from nationals and become a full fledged chapter of SAE on April 25th, 2009. The final application portion involved a comprehensive colony analysis presentation that we passed with flying colors. It is just a very exciting time for SAE, and we’ll soon be able to look back and see the significance of everything we have done.
In these last five weeks or so of school, I am beginning to look back and see how fast this year, and in fact all three of my years here at EIU, has flown by. I am looking forward to the summer when I will be participating in an undergraduate research internship at the University of Maryland, College Park in Physics. I am extremely excited to work at a different institution and see how their faculty compare with EIU’s faculty and really explore my field of study in a little more depth. I am also starting to look towards two years from now at my plans after graduating from EIU. Once again, I reiterate that I am starting to look at post-graduation plans. I guess I feel that I should enjoy the here and now and not get totally caught up in planning for the future, as I have a tendency to do. After all, what is it worth if I can’t look back and at least say that I enjoyed my college experience?
Well, that’s all I’ve got for now. I will probably be doing one last blog before the summer hits, so I won’t say goodbye to everyone just yet. Hopefully everyone reading this is having a little less excitement in their life, but if you are as busy as I have been, just remember to look back at why you started and why you do it all, and you will be sure to get the strength to continue on and get through the busy times. Have a good spring, and God bless!

EIU Senior Levi Bulgar explaining how he is leaving his mark at EIU.

2009-03-06T08:18:00.000-06:00

Well it’s been a while since I have posted to the site but I’m back. This semester has been really busy. The New Year started off with an amazing IBHE-SAC conference here at EIU which is still being talked about by our friends across the state of Illinois. A lot of hard work and effort went into making this event a reality and I want to take this time out to thank them. Big thanks go to the Eastern Illinois University Administration for donating the funds to make the weekend a possibility, the EIU Student Government for their help and support throughout the planning process, Hello Dali and Lunchbox Voodoo for putting on an amazing performance for the guests, and finally Arts and Humanities/Dounda Fine Arts Center for opening their doors and letting us host this amazing conference in their facility.

One big thing I’ve wanted to work on since last year was a Campus Safety Week. As soon as the IBHE-SAC conference was over, I started working on it. After talking with various members of the local campus community and representatives across the state, we have been able to put together the preliminary schedule of events for Campus Safety Week which will be held April 6 –10. Oddly enough this is also the week of our Student Government Elections, so it looks to be a very busy week indeed. The goal is to inform, remind and educate students about important safety issues. With everyone’s support, this promises to be an extremely innovative and beneficial week for all those involved.

As a member of the Blue Crew, I’m really excited to be heading down to Nashville, Tennessee to cheer our women’s basketball team on to victory in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. The women had an amazing season finishing second in the OVC. With 20 straight home wins, they lost a well-fought, overtime game, ending their streak and knocking them down to 2nd place.

This week I am trying to get as much sleep as I can, because I stayed up three days straight last week. And, no, I don’t recommend that to anyone. This weekend was especially tiring for me. I had the amazing opportunity to represent Eastern Illinois University at the Model Illinois Government Simulation in Springfield. I sat just a couple of seats away from Barack Obama’s old seat in the Senate and I can tell you that it definitely put some things into perspective. I met some amazing people this weekend and even though it’s my last year I will try to come back as a staffer. Oh and before I forget, “I own no monkeys.” For those who were there, you know what I mean.

This semester, while busy and filled with fun activities, brings with it a little self discovery. At the end of this semester I will be graduating from Eastern Illinois University after five amazing years as an undergraduate student. I am not really sure how I feel about it. A part of me is excited to be moving forward, while the other feels like I am leaving something behind. This school has given so much to me and I just want the opportunity to give something back. I know that one, ten or fifty years from now, I can still proudly call myself a Panther for life.

Go EIU! Go Blue! I AM EIU!!

~Levi M. Bulgar
Student Body President
Eastern Illinois University

EIU Student Charrell Barksdale talks about how she is combining school and vacation this summer.

2009-02-11T08:55:00.000-06:00

It’s been a while since the last time I've blogged. If I'm not mistaken, the last blog I submitted was during the fall, but it’s clearly now the blustering cold winter. Though I’m to sure about that because today was almost a record high of 65 degrees! If that’s not some type of global warming, then I don’t know what it is. Anyway, all that doesn't matter now because I'm back in full affect.
A lot has been going on lately. It’s a new year, a new president, and a new me. I'm one more semester away from graduating. I couldn't be happier. I just recently considered joining the Air Force after graduation and studying biomedical science. I am very optimistic about the "real world" and its challenges and assured of my potential success. My education here at EIU has really put me in great position to succeed.
I just submitted my application for a Study Abroad summer trip to the Caribbean’s. I can’t wait! It’s going to be loads of fun in the sun. Who’d have ever thought learning could be so rejuvenating?
This month is February which is also known as Black History Month. Here at Eastern it’s considered African-American Heritage Month. The university celebrates the culture as a whole and doesn't solely focus on the United States, but Black history all over the world. I must say, it’s a beautiful thing. I’ve learned something new each and everyday this month thus far, whether listening to speakers, attending forums, watching movies, or observing exhibits. I truly appreciate how EIU works hard to equally express diversity and make you feel proud of who you are.
On a lighter note, I saw president of the university the other day having lunch in the MLK Student Union. I know that doesn't sound exciting, but actually it is. It was hilarious for some odd reason. He is a really nice man. Doing something as simple as that shows how he really wants to connect with us as students on a social level.
Well, I’m off to study. I have a couple exams this week. Thanks for reading. Peace out until next time.

Winter Fun with EIU student Lisa Techman!

2009-02-03T15:16:00.000-06:00

Being home for break is nice and I enjoy spending time with my family, but you miss that independence and freedom of college. After the first week home I realized it. I love my family to death but I need my space. The anticipation of seeing my friends was killing me and I just need to see them or I was going to die. I moved back in the Saturday before class started and so did my roommate and a few other girls on our floor.

It was one of the quietest days I have ever experienced. My roommate made taco meat for us to eat that night because the dining halls were closed. On Sunday I started my new year’s resolutions by going to the gym. Let me say, I love the gym and I went everyday that week. I started taking Pilates, yoga, bosu and other classes that helped get my body back in shape for spring break.

I have been going to the gym ever since then and I feel great. Six other girls on my floor go with me so I am not alone and they also do the classes with me. Working out isn’t the only thing we do together. We do this thing were we get the newspapers that they have in the lobby of our residence hall and we cut out funny quotes and pictures and tape them in our room or in the hallway by our room. It’s something that we have been doing since we arrived here at Eastern and pretty much just stuck. Along with that, we also decorate our rooms for the different holidays that occur. I love to decorate even if there is nothing to celebrate; I cover our room from ceiling to floor with pictures from magazines. You could say that we have one of the most colorfully and decorated rooms on the floor; maybe even the whole campus. I get compliments everyday about our room and how amazing it is.

Being cooped up inside room during the winter gets to you a little. This past Tuesday I went outside with another girl on the floor and played in the snow. We made snow angels and I spelled out EIU with my foot prints. It was one of the funniest nights I have had. There was one part of the night were I was running away from my friend I beefed it in the snow.It was a night to remember here at Eastern Illinois University.

Daniel Rolando looks forward to the challenges of 2009.

2009-01-22T08:17:00.000-06:00

Well here it is the first week of second semester and I’m missing break already. Actually, that’s not really true. I’m back with my friends and there’s at least something going on all the time. One of the first things I found out in college was that home gets old fast, especially when all your friends get back at different times. I didn’t really do much in the way of working or being productive, so I guess it’s my fault there though. One of my biggest regrets is that I haven’t done a study abroad or left the country yet in my college career, so I’m hoping to fix that in the 3 semesters I have left.

In other news, I started off my first semester as acting president of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity here on EIU’s campus. I can already tell that it’s going to be a tough year what with getting chartered this spring and looking to double our size in a year’s time, but I’m looking forward to the challenge. Heck, if I wanted it easy, I would’ve just joined a fraternity already around on campus for ten or fifteen years, or even not joined one at all. As it stands, I’m very happy with my decision to participate in Greek Life here on Eastern’s campus.

Academically, it’s looking like a tough semester but a fun one. I have two distinct research projects I am working on along with a year-long independent study in physics. I’m really getting into the bulk of my physics and math coursework, and it’s proving to be very interesting stuff. I’ve recently realized how quickly time flies after high school. I only have one year left after this semester, then it’s off to the real world, or more likely in my case, more school for my Master’s and possibly PhD. We’ll see though, what the future holds for Mr. Dan Rolando. Until then, I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing what I’ve been up to, and I encourage you to get out and get involved here on campus because you’ll be gone before you know it.

See ya!

2008-12-30T11:09:00.000-06:00

The EIU student blog will return the week of January 19, 2009.

Freshmen student Gina Smith talks about the feeling of change.

2008-12-09T15:50:00.001-06:00

It feels like forever since I’ve entertained the readers of the official EIU blog! Hello again, world! J Again, I’m Gina, and this is my first year at Eastern. I’m enjoying college life, and the hype has died down.
I left off at Homecoming. Well to make a long story short, Homecoming was exciting. I was new to a school with this much school spirit. I didn’t get the time to go to O’Brien Stadium to watch the game, but I saw the packed stands and hundreds of blue shirts coming out and walking around campus. During the weekend, one of my organizations threw a party that I helped out with. There party were performances from upcoming St. Louis artists and everyone there seemed to enjoy the music and all the fun.
Since that was weeks ago, I’ll enlighten you about some of the most current events. On November 4, I voted for the first time of my life! It was the most anticipated election, and it actually felt good to vote. I went over to the Bridge lounge and saw a crowd of people who were obviously there to vote as well. After I voted, it felt good to sit and watch the electoral votes get counted. I was excited and proud to play a part in making history. It felt good to actually know that I voted, and made history. In the South quad hundreds of young voters celebrated the win, and ultimately celebrated change.
Lately, I’ve been into my studies and enjoying the time I have left here. The semester is starting to really fly by, so I’m enjoying the moment. Since it’s towards the end of the semester, the work is really coming in. There are final projects and portfolios, and exams. I find myself in the library trying to catch up on my work, and sometimes just to have a quiet place to be. Booth Library is beautiful, and technology equipped with everything you need to study with.
Another thing that I’ve been really adjusting to, and trying to enjoy is, the dorm life. Like I said before I’m on Carman Hall Council and we’ve been hosting a lot of programs this semester. We’ve had a Halloween Party, and recently we’ve had an Art Show. On our floor we’ve had programs and contests. My roommate and I have won one of the open door contest. We want to be like a family on our floor, so our RA (Resident Assistant) wanted us to try and keep our door open, in order to help us communicate and meet everyone. So I should be getting a prize for that soon!
My life may seem and it kind of boring to some readers, but in the end education is the key and will pay off in the end. I’ll definitely let you know how my grades are when I get my final grades, since I am also a stellar and very hardworking student! J So until next time world—enjoy the blogs of my fellow bloggers—and do NOT forget to leave comments! Feel free to browse my Facebook page, and (I no longer have a MySpace). If you have any questions or anything, feel free to let me know!
I want to leave off with some words of wisdom, something I think I’m going to start, some food for thought.
And in honor of the election I’ll leave you with this, “change is the only constant.”—Heraclitus
I’m Gina, and I’m signing off!

Rolando '08! EIU student Daniel Rolando wins two leadership positions on campus. Find out the two leadership positions that he obtained!

2008-11-16T15:17:00.000-06:00

Well hello again! Let me say that it is nice to be able to share with you all my story and I hope that you’re getting an idea for what Eastern means to its students. That being said, let’s take a look at Dan Rolando’s life in the past month.

If you recall in my last blog, I was up for election for EIU’s Homecoming King. Well the very next day after writing that I was crowned the EIU Homecoming King for 2008, and by was I surprised/excited! Basically, it meant that I had to rearrange my entire weekly schedule to be able to attend all of the week’s homecoming events. There was the coronation on Monday, the faculty-student basketball game on Tuesday, family fun night on Wednesday in the Grand Ballroom, Yell Like Hell on Thursday, the school-wide pep rally on Friday, and the week culminated in the Homecoming parade and football game on Saturday. That was all on top of my schoolwork which really started piling up that week.

I made it through that week a little bit shaken, but not stirred up (haha, get it…). I had the opportunity to have a luncheon with President William Perry and Dr. Joya Mukergee, a worker for a company called Partners in Health that does a great deal of outreach medicine in poverty-stricken nations, especially focusing on Tuberculosis and AIDS. She shared her fascinating story of growing up in New York, but being so affected by her trip to an impoverished India as a child that she knew her calling to be helping the poor and downtrodden. It inspired me to try to begin finding what my passion is, something that I can pursue the rest of my life.

In the most recent news of my life, my fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, just recently had its elections, and I was elected the next President of the fraternity. It is a huge honor, but will also be a big responsibility with chartering coming up in the spring and everything to get set up with that. I will at least have a month or so to prepare for the transition, but that is going to be a big part of my responsibilities from now until my term ends next fall.

The last cool thing I have to talk about is the fact that my brother is getting married in less than two weeks, and I am the best man. That means that I will be very busy in the next couple of weeks finalizing bachelor party plans, getting tux pick-ups coordinated, and thinking about how I want to embarrass my brother in my toast. All in all, it has been an extremely busy month for me, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! Part of the reason I chose EIU was so that I could really get the full college experience of being involved around campus. I think it’s almost as important to grow as a person and find where you want to go in life as it is to get by in classes and earn your degree, and Eastern Illinois University has a perfect atmosphere to allow you to do just that.

EIU Senior Levi Bulgar reflects on life at EIU and his future

2008-11-03T20:36:00.000-06:00

Hello again, everyone! It's been a while since I last made a post so let me fill you all in to what I have been up to. These last few weeks have been really intense. We just got done with our Homecoming and it was great! For me there is no better feeling than seeing a whole bunch of alumni come back to show their school spirit with the undergrads.
Our football team pulled together one heck of a win and seeing the stands packed to the brim with students, faculty, family and friends put it over the top. With everything that was going on these last few weeks, I almost forgot that I’m graduating in the Spring.

It didn't sink in until about the third day of Homecoming that it would be the last time I would be doing it with my fraternity brothers. They say that you don't know what you have until its gone, so right now I am trying to enjoy every last minute of this year. This semester's end
will be a bittersweet occasion. After this semester, I will be the most tenured member of my fraternity and the last member of the Omega class from 2004. It reminds me of high school where all the people I looked up to and loved being around left for college. It is a cool feeling
being the one that people look to for guidance and advice, but then it makes the prospect of graduation and starting my life after college all the more real.

My speech at graduation this year will more than likely be accompanied by some tears, and hopefully a host of laughs.

This past week was probably one of the most important occasions on campus in quite a while. We had the re-dedication of the Dounda Fine Arts Building. Ten years and millions of dollars later, EIU finally has a fine arts center that we can truly be proud of. I was honored
with the duty of speaking on behalf of the students of EIU at the re-dedication ceremony this past Friday afternoon, and while I was preparing for the ceremony I noticed the list of other speakers. At that very moment, I felt so honored and humbled by the opportunity. It isn't every day that you get to be in the company of such important and amazing people.

The day went along just as I hoped and then that evening we were greeted with the Mavis Staples concert in the new venue. It was amazing! My date and me were dancing in our seats, along with the band and just about everyone else in the concert hall. It was a treat to see a Gospel Great perform for us. It’s something that I will not soon forget. I have to admit that some of the songs were so emotional and powerfully moving that I, along with many others, could not help but shed a tear.

These next few weeks look to be filled with meetings, classes, tests and quizzes as we get closer to Thanksgiving and the end of the semester. It all seems to go by so fast. Before I know it, I will be speaking at the December graduation and then attending my own in May. For all those of you who are just entering college life, heed my advice: "Cherish every moment of your college career, for these moments are fleeting, but the memories last forever."

Thanks again for keeping up with my blog. Hope to be speaking to you again sometime soon.

EIU Student Charell Barksdale tells you about her homecoming weekend!

2008-10-22T15:23:00.000-05:00

I am fairly new to this whole blogging thing so don’t fall asleep until after you have read my blog in its entirety not during. I am more of a Facebook junky but this just may become my new addiction besides loving EIU of course!

HELLO WORLD! My name is Charrell Barksdale and I am a senior here at EIU majoring in Biological Science with a concentration in Pre-Medicine and a minor in Chemistry. I know that’s a mouth full, but it’s easier said than actually doing. I am very much involved on campus with multiple student organizations on campus such as EIUnity Diversity Group, Peer Leader Program, TRIO, NAACP, and I am the former 2007-2008 president of the Black Student Union (BSU). Please hold your applause!

I must say there could not have been a better week for me to write a blog, especially since its HOMECOMING WEEK 2008! During homecoming week there is a really cool and exciting event every single day. Monday night was Coronation this event is when the Homecoming Court is announced in the same way that it’s done in high school but without the party (bummer right?). Tuesday night was the Faculty/Staff vs. Student Game, I am not going to say who won because the students LOST! Who would’ve thought that these old people had so much endurance? Moving on, Wednesday was my birthday; the wonderful day that a star was born. Please hold your applause. On Thursday the event that night was “Yell Like Hell” which is when the Greeks, organizations, and residence halls show there school spirit using creative cheer routines, chants, and dances. My organization BSU did fun cheers along with our crowd-pumping rendition of the famous Michael Jackson Thriller dance. I had so much fun it was absolutely hilarious, I think I laughed during the whole performance. MJ would be proud of us especially since we won first place in our division.

On to the weekend, Friday night was the pep rally that I unfortunately had to skip because of other priorities, but I heard it was really great. Saturday morning I had to be up bright and early with the chirping birds at 7:30am for the parade that started at 8am. Ugh! Talk about sleepy! It was worth it, I got a chance to meet and take a picture with Jesse White the Secretary of State which was a plus. Later, that day I did a little tailgating at the football game that we would later win over SEMO. GO PANTHERS!!!

You are probably thinking where are parties? Please believe me there where ample parties and get-togethers, I went to quite a few of them myself! Weeks like this one, makes me love being at EIU even more. Well enough of me and my oh-so entertaining and oh-so electrifying endeavors. This blog entry gave you a little insight on myself and my future alma mater EIU.
Peace out until next time!

EIU student Daniel Rolando wants to help you with your cell phone!

2008-10-17T12:58:00.000-05:00

Hey there! I hope that your reading this lets you know more about EIU and life as an Eastern student, but I’m also hoping that you’re at least a little entertained by it. With this in mind, I’ll try to keep my blogs more lighthearted for you guys.

That being said, I’ll now introduce myself. My name is Daniel Rolando, and I do a little bit of everything here at EIU. I am a member of Mortar Board (a senior service/academic group) and Omicron Delta Epsilon economics honor society. I am also Chancellor of the Knights of Columbus council here on EIU’s campus, Vice President of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, Correspondent for Phi Sigma Pi national honors fraternity, and Recorder for the Society of Physics Students. I worked as an orientation leader this past summer, and I now am currently employed as an RA in Douglas Hall and as a grader for the Physics Department. And to top it off, there are the 21 semester hours with departmental honors in both physics and economics and the undergraduate research that I’m involved with this semester. This is just what I’ve done in two years…

Now I didn’t list all of that just to get up on a soapbox and brag about my accomplishments. I just wanted to show the diversity of involvements offered here at EIU. If just one guy can do all this, imagine what’s available for the entire campus community! And now, on to what else I’ve been up to lately.

The past week was a busy one for me with regards to my undergraduate research. I am working with Dr. Jie Zou in the physics department on phonon dispersion in crystal lattice structures. Basically the gist of the research is to improve heat conduction in small scale devices so that the circuits don’t fry when they heat up during use. Improvements in this field will impact cell phone, computer, and medical technologies as they all attempt to make their devices smaller and more efficient. On top of this, I have been working on a research grant proposal with Dr. Linda Ghent in the Economics Department that we will be submitting this week. We are attempting to look at the impact of internet job search sites and resumes as well as social networking sites like Facebook and My Space on employers’ hiring of employees. This research will have a more direct and beneficial impact on students looking for jobs after college.

Now that you know all the “boring” stuff I’ve been doing, I can tell you about the stuff outside of academia. Homecoming is coming up this weekend, so that means there are all kinds of activities this week. Yell Like Hell is essentially a cheer competition for students on EIU’s campus, and that’s always a ton of fun. Then, the day after Homecoming, my ultimate Frisbee club team is traveling to IN for a huge 30 team tournament which is going to be a blast!

That’s just a little summary of my life for now. I hope you all have enjoyed reading it, and if not, then let me know by commenting! Look again next month for another update into my goings-on, but until then, take care.

On the move with Gina!

2008-10-12T17:22:00.000-05:00

Hello, my name is Gina Smith, and I'm a freshman here at Eastern. I'm a Journalism major. Writing is one of my passions. That's why I'm so excited to be doing this blog for everyone out there, future and current students. My first month here at EIU has been amazing. Every day
walking on campus there's a different student organization trying to get people involved. I feel like there's something for everyone here.

Lately, I've been involved in a few clubs. I'm a floor representative (Carman Pride) with RHA (Residence Hall Association) and a member of BSU, (Black Student Union). That’s one of my favorite organizations here because the people are incredible and actually seem to care about the school. There are a lot of other clubs I'm interested in. I just haven't been able to make it to the meetings yet.

Recently I attended a program held by BSU called Black's Can't Vote. It was a great night, listening to other people's opinions and trying to understand other's viewpoints. Everyone had such good comments and questions. The best part of the night was the panel discussion. The
students up there had so much knowledge; it was so exciting. Every night this week I feel as if I had something to do. On Monday I went to my BSU meeting and learned about the upcoming events for Homecoming week.

I've never been to a college homecoming, so this will be an experience. After the BSU meeting, I headed to the 7th Street Underground for a Freshman Forum held by the Delta Sigma Thetas, a sorority here on campus. Tuesday I joined my hall for a ROC fest event, and enjoyed every moment of it. We played "bags" and ate barbeque. It was very entertaining, to say the least. Wednesday I went to Black's Can't Vote, and gained knowledge on both presidential candidates, but really one in particular.

Every day there's something happening; there's always something to do. I'm really starting to adjust to the life here at EIU. I was a little uneasy at first, but once I kind of got accustomed and met new people I found out almost every freshman is a little nervous. Everyone was telling me before I left home, "it's what you make it." And I have to agree. I'll keep you posted on some of the events and happenings around campus, from a freshman's point of view.

Until next time!

Being Levi!

2008-09-30T20:27:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone, I would like to first start out by introducing myself. My name is Levi Bulgar and I am the Student Body President at Eastern Illinois University. I am a Senior Psychology major at EIU and I am currently working on getting my undergraduate degree, applying for grad school, and working on my presidential duties at EIU. I am excited to be doing this blog to let you know who I am and what I do on this campus. It is my goal that by reading these weekly blogs from us, you can get an understanding as to what Eastern Illinois University is all about. Now that you know a little bit about me, I think you should get to know a little bit of what I’ve been up to lately.

These past few weeks I’ve been working with our Student Government to get the ball rolling on the new semester and so far we’ve been pretty busy. My job as president is to manage our executive board, make appointments to various boards and committees on campus, and work on some individual projects that I have set up for this semester. I’ve been spending my time in the office by setting up our School Spirit Committee, our Campus Safety Taskforce, and the Student Supreme court. Each of these groups has the potential to make a difference on this campus for students here today, and those that will come in years from now.

As much as I love working, I do like to sit back and enjoy some free time. In addition to all the groups I am involved with on campus I am also a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. I joined my freshman year and I can honestly say that it was one of the best choices I have ever made. There is really nothing better than sitting back and watching the Bears game on Sunday with the guys after a long week of school and working in the office.

These next few weeks are going to be really busy with events almost every day of the week. In addition, Homecoming is right around the corner and there is nothing quite like Eastern during Homecoming week. I’ll be back in a few weeks to let you all know how it’s going. Until then, take care!