Creativity is my job by Sarah Denike

I love my job as a student ambassador, and that is saying alot for someone who has been in a number of jobs that she hasn't liked or haven't been able to stay in. I have done housekeeping, food service, and retail and I think none of them compare to this for many reasons.

When I first was asked what focus area I wanted to work in as a student ambassador social media stuck out to me for some reason. Now that I am more involved I know this is where I want to be. Many of my talents and interests have an outlet in this area.

Among these interests are my love of writing, interaction with people and photo/video production. One of my favorite moments was when I videotaped the newly renovated game room and asked some of my friend’s questions about what they liked and how the area had changed. It was cool to see how they began to further utilize this new facility on campus.

Unlike my other jobs, being a student ambassador allows me to be creative. In this job I have the flexibility to create and ask questions. Sometimes I can decide what I want to focus on for that day. For example, today I needed to update Corning’s face book status so I decided to go to the woods and take pictures of the cabin by the small pond there. This was followed by pictures of the pond and dense forest where a creek resides. I love the woods and I love photography. Never has a job coincided so much with my interests, let alone allowed me to participate in them on a regular basis.

Did someone say DANCE? by Sarah Denike

Dancing is something that I have loved from childhood . The ability to tell a story through movement and beautiful expression; the feeling of release and power that is conveyed to the audience; it is truly one of my favorite things on earth.When i was young the movie Girls Just Wanna Have Fun helped spark this love. The movie was about a girl who loved to dance. She was very talented and got on a dance show and later on ...against all adversity ( brought upon by herself or some other source)... gets on the show and wins the contest ! This movie sparked my love of dancing .
I love many forms of dancing . One of them is Step which "is a form of percussive dance in which the participant's entire body is used as an instrument to produce complex rhythms and sounds through a mixture of footsteps, spoken word, and hand claps" It involves aspects of cheerleading drill, and military, African, Carribean, gymnastics, tap, march and some stunts that you probably shouldn't try if your like me and haven't done a cart wheel for ...well ...over ten years :) . ( Step/ Steppin at Wikipedia)

On Wednesday Nov 10th at 12 noon, Soul Steps is coming to the CCC Main Dining Room in the Commons. Dancing is something that I have loved from childhood . The ability to tell a story through movement and beautiful expression; the feeling of release and power that is conveyed to the audience; it is truly one of my favorite things on earth.When i was young the movie Girls Just Wanna Have Fun helped spark this love. The movie was about a girl who loved to dance. She was very talented and got on a dance show and later on ...against all adversity ( brought upon by herself or some other source)... gets on the show and wins the contest ! This movie sparked my love of dancing .


I love many forms of dancing . One of them is Step which "is a form of percussive dance in which the participant's entire body is used as an instrument to produce complex rhythms and sounds through a mixture of footsteps, spoken word, and hand claps" It involves aspects of cheerleading drill, and military, African, Carribean, gymnastics, tap, march and some stunts that you probably shouldn't try if your like me and haven't done a cart wheel for ...well ...over ten years :) . ( Step/ Steppin at Wikipedia)

On Wednesday Nov 10th at 12 noon, Soul Steps is coming to the CCC Main Dining Room in the Commons. Soul Steps reaches far beyond conventional boundaries and concentrates on the body as a percussive, story-telling instrument. The performance will include the personal and cultural stories of Soul Steps artists and the generations of ancestors they represent.


I am so excited about this event and cannot wait to be put in awe of the innovaton and beauty of this art form as well as witness the skill and dedication of those that bring it to us.

Friends and Music by Sarah Denike

One of the things that I love about my job as a student ambassador is that I get to take part in many of the school events by observing them and then sharing it with others. Today I went to see an instrumental/ choral concert in R004. It was both fun and pleasant. I love music and those involved did such a great job. We truly have some talented musicians and singers among us.
For the first part of the concert Melvin Williams (part time professor at CCC) directed the instrumental performing ensemble. The audience was treated to melodies that delighted the soul and made you want to dance on a ‘“mountain with its head in the clouds” .Speaking as a fellow partaker of the festivities I found it difficult to restrain myself. One could not help but move one’s own instruments along with La Tarantella as one of the students plucked a delightful instrument that looked like a small guitar. On top of getting to hear a concert I was also blessed to get a historic/cultural lesson in the background of some of the instrumental pieces. For example the latter one mentioned was an Italian song with a chilian twist to it that was played when one got bit by a spider and was shaking in convulsions.

In the middle of the performance there were songs played with select people singing or a soloist involved. One that really touched me was Your Daddy’s Son from Ragtime. In it was told a story about a boys father as his mother buries him in the ground. My heart was pulled as the lines “ I buried my heart in the ground” came into the air as the singer tells the story of this woman that has so much conflict and heart ache with burying her son.

The final half of the concert was kicked of with a glorious Kenyan song called Wana Baraka . The melody was so wonderful that one could almost hear drums in the background to this wonderful piece. Ending the concert was the song “Walk together children” which concluded with the chorus swaying and elevating the joy of its listeners.

Many people I knew took part in this wonderful event and I just want to say “thank you” . Your melodies and cascading harmonies were such a gift to me and i am privileged to call you my friends. Thanks for giving us a great concert .

My CCC Experience By Nick Bonomo

My experience as a CCC student so far has been, in a word, comfortable. For almost a year and a half I've been experiencing the quality education and fun student life that CCC has to offer. As a sophomore, I can truly say that I know a lot about CCC. I have been here long enough to enjoy a lot of student life as well as community outreach. I am eager to come in to school and to create for myself a skill set which prepares me well for my upcoming transfer to CUNY John Jay. I have been given the right amount of support, lenience, compassion and freedom to create my own environment here at CCC. I can see my future being built with every class I take and my short-term goal of getting a college degree is well within my grasp. CCC offers me a rare opportunity to experience college in a cost effective and more transitional way than many other colleges. I feel that I am equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to move on and accomplish my goals, as well as the motivation to do so. My choice to come to CCC was the right one and I am sure that it will serve me well in the future.

- Nick

A Glimpse Into the Life of Nick

My name is Nick and I am a sophomore at CCC. Here's a little background on me: I am a compassionate and empathetic person who loves to understand people and their thoughts. I am in my third semester at CCC and studying Liberal Arts: Humanities and Social Sciences and I will graduate from here with my Associate’s Degree in that program of study. I am planning to transfer to CUNY John Jay to study to become a Criminal Profiler in the FBI and perhaps to teach music theory at a high school when I retire. A hobby that I am extremely passionate about is music. I enjoy listening, writing, playing, singing and generally studying it. I currently have two jobs, one of which is Concession Manager at The Palace Theatre in Corning; the other is Student Ambassador specializing in marketing here at CCC. My biggest aspiration in my life is to someday be a good father.

Summer/Online Courses

It's the middle of summer for many, however, I feel like my summer has ended. Opposed to many, I don't think this is a bad thing. I graduated from CCC last semester. My entire 2 and half years here I have never taken summer courses. Now that I graduated I guess I decided it would be a good idea!

Summer courses are typically compact courses where you do a lot more work in a shorter amount of time. At least that's what it seems like when you get a syllabus! I decided to take Sociology: The Family. I have always been interested in Sociology since my first semester here at CCC but continuing with it had never fit into my scheduling. Now that I wasn't trying to fit things into my schedule so I could graduate, I took this course to decide if I wanted to minor in Sociology when I transfer on to my 4-year school for American Sign Language in a month!

I didn't want to be stuck in a classroom all summer; thank God it was an online course! Did I mention that I have never taken an online course before either? I was worried about how I would do or if the style would suit me. Fortunately, I loved it! After weekly quizzes, weekly discussions, and two major assignments (that were tailored to my interests) I found myself leaving that course with an A!

I had the freedom to work on the assignments when I had time (so I didn't feel I was being robbed of my summer). I also had the freedom to go to Texas for a week (where I wasn't able to get online) and the instructor made arrangements for me to be able to work ahead in the course. I can't guarantee that you'll have this much flexibility if you decide to take an online course in the future, but my advice would be, make sure you stay on task before you ask the instructor for a favor!

Now that this course is over, I am started Contemporary Craft History, also an online course. This course wasn't something I desired to take, but I needed 6 credits in order to be a full time student to receive financial aid (better than 12 credits, which is what is required during Fall and Spring semesters). I had registered for Ceramics (which is another course I have always wanted to take at CCC but had not had the time)... but unfortunately the course did not fit with my work schedule.

I just started Contemporary Craft History and am already loving it! One of my assignments is to visit Corning Museum of Glass. This course is definitely not something I would have taken toward my major, but I'm glad I am allowing myself to expand my knowledge past what I think I'd be interested in. That's the point of college, right? I'm enjoying these last courses at CCC before I leave for my 4 year school.

-K8

Clear skies get here soon! by Kate

Being a student at Corning Community College has its perks. I’ve graduated after two and a half years and regret not taking advantage of these perks in my early days as a student. Now that I’m taking summer classes, I decided to look into these perks before I ship off to a 4-year school.

Even before I considered attending Corning Community College, my mother had told me how much she enjoyed coming up with her mother as a child to the Planetarium and Observatory located here on campus. She always hinted that she’d like to go again someday. About a month ago I texted my mother and asked her if she wanted to go with me. She replied with, “YES!!!” She was ecstatic! What a great daughter I am.

I brought my mother and other family members up. Doors open at the Planetarium at 7:30 PM every first and third Friday of the month and the show starts at 8:00PM SHARP! Apparently, if you show up 20 minutes late, they won’t let you in. However, they were nice enough to take us up to the Observatory, show us the telescope and give us an interesting info session of the history of the Observatory.

As interesting as this was, the sky wasn’t clear enough for us to look through any of the telescopes! Unfortunate, but I was willing to try again. Last Friday I brought my mother up again. We arrived at 7:45 PM! There was no way I was going to miss the show again. Not only did I get half off tickets into the Planetarium with my Student ID, but my mother did as well for being with me. Talk about VIP!

We walked in and others were already seated and waiting for the show to start, some with their seats reclined. We sat in the back, middle section. I wanted to recline my seat. I struggled and struggled to get my seat reclined. I’m a bit over dramatic, I’m pretty sure everyone could tell my determination to recline my seat… The woman who checked us in came in and informed me that only the first three rows recline. I’m giving you fair warning, so you don’t look as foolish as I did!

The show was informative, funny and entertaining. I won’t ruin it, see it for yourself. The next showing is next Friday, June 18th at 8:00 PM SHARP! They have a new show each month. I will say, the star globe (I don’t know if that’s the technical term) was extremely fascinating! And I know this wasn’t planned, but it began to down pour in the middle of the show. The sound of the rain on the dome was relaxing and the seats were extra comfy (even though mine didn't recline). But, I’m a person who sleeps like a baby through thunder storms.

Obviously, with the rain, the skies weren’t clear enough for us to look through the telescopes. Maybe you’ll see me there next week! After all, the Observatory is free. After the show we strolled down to Market Street to get some Atlas Pizza (one of my mom's favorites). It was a great friday night out. Maybe take a family member, a date or a friend? I will say, it was a lot cheaper than dinner and a movie (which some may argue is the only thing to do in our area) and a lot more entertaining.

Transfer - Words of Wisdom by Julie

It's not easy getting ready to transfer to a big, 4-year school. There are times in the process when, to me, it didn't even seem logical. I was never very good at the whole "hurry up and wait" thing. I found out recently that I was not accepted into the Cornell School of Industrial Labor Relations, one of the most competitive of all of the schools at Cornell, so Social Philosophy at SUNY Cortland will be an excellent backup. As much as I love Corning Community College, it is time for me to move on and achieve all of the bigger things I have planned for myself.

Since I am about to complete the process, I want to share some words of wisdom for students who will be transferring later on.

First, talk to an advisor. Talk to any advisor. Just make sure you are comfortable sharing things about the process you are going through with them. Remember that they are here to help and guide you if you will let them, and take advantage of that. Advisors have all sorts of information and contacts that you will realize you never even thought of. They will be there if you need a shoulder to cry on or a congratulations on your acceptance to a school. Your advisor understands that transferring isn't always easy.

Don't be concerned about knowing what you want to spend the rest of your life doing when looking at schools. The Director of Admissions for one of the schools I applied to gave me some great advice in an email. He said, "If you are sure what you want to do for the rest of your life right now, you likely will have a difficult time in college. Your college experiences will change you and as a result your interests might change. No one should waste that much money if they aren't happy. And who says that you ever have to make a decision? You could paint for a while, teach for a few years, and retire from a long and successful career as the CEO of an up-and-coming company that produces the next iFad. Go to school for what pays the bills but if that doesn't make you happy, make sure you find something that does to participate in on the side." I completely agree with him too. Being open-minded leaves more room for opportunity to come a-knockin'.

You can apply to as many schools as you want, but you need to have a plan, a backup plan, and a Plan C so you know that you won't let your future fall through the cracks. Many students apply to at least one "reach school", a school they have a chance of getting in to but their grades or test scores are a bit lower than the average usually accepted. Cornell ILR was my reach school. Make sure that the backup plans you have will satisfy you too. If you don't make it into your reach school, it is so much less stressful being content with a second choice school you have gotten accepted to.

Those are the three most important things I've learned in my time as a student who is actively looking to transfer after my graduation in a few weeks. Always remember that your education is primarily for your benefit and then secondarily for the benefit of whatever industry you plan to go into. Use the resources available to you. There are plenty of them out there if you are willing to take the time to look.

And as I often say: We don't find ourselves. We create ourselves.

Good luck, all!

A Look Back by Ryan

This is a sad post for me to write, as it will be my last post of the year. School is coming to a close, and finals week is reserved for nothing but school. The last day of classes is here, which is always bittersweet. It's great to look forward to summer and not being in school, but it is hard to say goodbye to the fun and the relationships that have been built over the school year. For my final post, I thought I would take a look back at my time as a blogger for CCC. It has been an incredible ride, and I am so thankful for this opportunity.

When I first walked into admissions last semester, I wasn't looking for a blogging job. I was just looking for any kind of work I could find. I was told about a potential blogging program, where student bloggers would share stories of their life at school and special events on campus. I love to write, so I offered to be a blogger and became part of the initial team. During the first semester, we had multiple meetings to plan the implementation of the blogging program. We made an initial site, which turned into the full-fledged blog you are reading now.

Once the second semester began, we got to work actually blogging. I was in the middle of basketball at the time, which provided a lot of rich material for posts. Once the season was over, my attention shifted and I was able to write on a variety of topics, from studying methods to baseball to special campus events. I greatly enjoyed posting and reading the blogs of our other students bloggers. We had special events for the whole Student Ambassador staff such as a Jackals game that was the subject of a special post earlier.

Overall, it was a fantastic year and my sincere thanks go out to everyone who helped with the blogging site. It was a great experience and it really flew by once we got going. Thank you to everyone who read this as well. I hope to see you again soon!

-Ryan

SpringFest by Ryan

After a long, full semester, the school year is finally drawing to a close. The last few weeks of school are a strange time for me, as I balance the biggest workload of the year with getting my summer plans in order. There are minor details like preparing for finals and looking for a summer job that often get overlooked because of the important things, like softball starting. As the semester winds down, it becomes harder and harder to concentrate as you look more and more toward summer finally being here. It seems like there's an inexhaustible supply of energy that I can't wait to release. Thankfully, the Student Life office has us covered: SpringFest!

SpringFest has been a ton of fun so far. Every day there have been different events and giveaways in the Commons that have been awesome. One of my favorite events was the Minute to Win it day. In the main dining room in Commons, there was a table that had a bunch of minute-long races on it, based on the popular t.v. show. There were events such as building a pyramid out of 36 plastic cups and then taking it down, or my favorite, using only one hand and attempting to pull every tissue out of a tissue box, all within a minute. The games were fun and the prizes were cool.

Yesterday, there was a free ice cream day in the Commons. Students received a cute little puppy-shaped stress ball while standing in line, which turned out to be a big hit. The ice cream was very good, with a bunch of toppings set up on the self-serve table. The intramural department also gave away prizes based on the level of participation in intramurals during the school year.

As the year draws to a close, take advantage of these opportunities to relax a little and escape the pressing finals mindset. There are fun things happening all over, and it does the body good to get out once in a while. Have a fun day!

-Ryan

Student Disability Services by Ryan

After interviewing Mary Parks for my last blog post, I realized that I should see what support CCC offers students who are deaf. After all, if I was a deaf student looking for a college to attend, I would be much more inclined to attend a school that could meet any needs that might come up. I went to Student Disability Services in the lower level of the Commons Building looking for answers. I was able to interview Allision Zimmermann, the program coordinator, and Delia Hall, the program assistant. After the interview I was very pleased to find out that CCC offers several ways for deaf or hard of hearing students to more easily assimilate to college life here on campus.

Many of the devices they told me about I had never considered or observed in a classroom. If students are hard of hearing but not completely deaf, the school loans an FM system. The student carries it to each class, giving a small microphone to every professor. the student has an earpiece, which receives a boosted signal from the professors microphone, allowing the student to hear the lecture as it is given. For fully deaf students, SDS would provide an interpreter during all needed times such as class periods. If the students need extra notes, arrangements can be made with professors to provide Powerpoint notes or get in touch with other good notetakers in the class. In the past, SDS has even taken notes for deaf professors when people have made presentations in class.

Overall, there is quite a bit of support for students with minor to major hearing issues. Student Disabilities Services does a great job of providing students with specific needs, the neccessary accomodations to survive and prosper in the college environment. If you are interested in contacting Student Disability Services at CCC please stop by Room 149 in the Commons or call them at 962-9262.

-Ryan

Words Are Better Sung Then Written by Jenn

"When the silvery moon shines through the fluttering leaves..."

That is not a random quote. Well, actually it is but imagine the harmony of a men's choir singing this poetic line and you have(drum roll please)the Corning Community College choir ensemble joining their voices to create their last debut for the year.
Tomorrow (May 13th) at 12:30 in room R004, our choir will have-- as I mentioned above-- men solos, lady's solos, but mostly a 4 to 6 part harmony of men and women's voices. Although, we have to admit as Lou Bleiler our choir instructor said the other day, men's choirs just "flutter your heart" is how she put it! Although, maybe that's just for ladies cause I'm having a hard time picturing the dudes telling each other their solo "fluttered their heart"! We also have several students performing solo's. Some of them will be performing piano pieces and I believe we have a Debussy solo performed on the flute. In addition, I'm really looking foward to listening to our vocal solo's. If you've never gotten the chance to stop by a concert, let me encourage you to try this one because I think it's going to be one of our best! Let me put it like this, usually the practice before the concert we eat up all the time we have and more, however, today we were let out early because we are just that amazing!

Practically Messin' with Stressin' by Jenn

After my last post I thought I post some practical ways I personally like to deal with stress. I'm probably not the best person to offer ways to de-stress. In fact, I'm probably one of the worst cause all you mom's are probably like "kid, if you think you have stress now, just wait"-- I know! But let me just share the ways I personally deal with stress. As I mentioned in my last post, writing stuff down is my number one love. If I even have a little tiny itty bit of stress, I just write down what I have to do and when I can do it and suddenly-- POW! no stress! It works like magic. I find a lot of times that little things clutter and add unnecessary pressure. Like doing laundry or taking overdue books back to the library or remembering to pull the change out of the jeans I wore yesterday. Tiny things that are important but will take minutes add up to become monster piles! That is why I love priority lists.

I also found out that cleaning really does help. I don't mean like the whole spring cleaning dig that takes 5 days to finish, but just straightening up to de-clutter really helps my mind say "ok, we got this". One of my favorite ways to take a deep breath is to play the piano. I like to play mad songs and a few soft and happy or maybe meditative tunes just to help me settle emotions. I realize not everyone can do this but maybe for you this looks like popping in a Spanish classical guitar CD, or some Debussy.

I'd love to hear some other thoughts on how others deal with stress! Got any ideas?

Interview with Mary Parks by Ryan

I have been taking my first Sign Language course this semester, and I have loved it so much I've written an entire post about it. It's been a very eye-opening experience. The professor, Mary Parks, is deaf, and at first I was nervous about my ability to succeed without ever having taken Sign Language before. Mary has been an excellent teacher and I have greatly enjoyed learning the language. I was able to sit down with Mary and ask her some questions related to working as a deaf instructor at a nearly all-hearing school.

Me: how long have you been teaching Sign Language at CCC?
Mary: (smiling) 8 years

Me: What have been the challenges being a deaf professor at a mostly hearing school?
Mary: My challenge is to educate students in ASL. In the past, many students, parents, and children did not familiarize themselves with Sign Language. the need [is] to expose the Deaf Culture to hearing people.

Me: What has been a good experience?
Mary: At the college, most students in the class have no experience with eye contact and only use visualization. They learn eye contact in the class.

Me: What are a few things that hearing people should know about deaf people or deaf culture?
Mary: Number one is that eye contact is not rude for deaf people. (this was a hard thing for me to learn when I first started class.) Number 2 is to learn the differences between deaf and hearing culture to enhance people's perspective.

Me: How do you communicate with other hearing professors?
Mary: to communicate effectively, other professors have to learn ASL. If they do not know Sign Language, we alternate writing notes. I prefer professors learn Sign Language so I feel like I'm a real person.

The interview was great and made me think a lot about learning Sign Language. I think this is something that everyone should attempt to learn. It's not like Spanish or French, where English words are similar and people can communicate with a combination of words and gestures. Sign Language is a way of life, and everyone should be able to communicate at some level with deaf people.

In the next post, I will follow up with an interview with Student Disability Services on the support structure available for potential deaf or hard of hearing students. Have a great weekend!

-Ryan

Seeing Red (Blood Cells) by Ryan

Today, The Red Cross hosted a student blood drive in the main dining room of the Commons building from 8-2. Blood drives are amazing events that we take for granted far too often. The blood given truly helps to save lives and giving blood is a selfless act that everyone possible should participate in.

I wasn't even aware of the blood drive until I saw the signs that were posted near Commons. When I went in, the setup was pretty amazing. They had taken our normal dining room and completely converted it into an efficient system to draw blood. I was there early, around 9:45, but they were already going strong and had a line. I found out that there are two ways you can give blood: the normal way, and double red cells. Only people with certain types of blood can give double reds. Hospitals are in need of these double red givers, so people who are eligible are asked to give. When giving double reds, a machine separates the red blood cells from the plasma, taking a double portion of red cells but returning the plasma to the donors body. The process takes a bit longer, but it lets the red blood cells be taken and used right away.

I found out I was eligible to give double reds, so I signed up. Due to sports injuries I've had quite a few needles before so this was nothing bad. Even if you are bothered by needles or feel faint after giving blood, they take good care of you and let you rest. There were food and drinks afterward, and the workers were very friendly throughout the whole process.

Whether or not you've given blood before, please consider it in the future. You will be helping save lives, and that is just about as noble a cause as there could be!

-Ryan

It never ends... until graduation by Julie

The life of a college student can be crazy. Parents don't realize that a full-time student normally has enough work to equate it to a full-time job. Add in work-study, clubs and organizations, sports, and even outside jobs and sometimes even I am amazed at the way we get things done. I'm not advocating lack of sleep, by the way. But knowing how to best balance your sleep with your college career and still be able to function afterward will help you be successful in college and after.

That being said, this semester has been nuts. Classes, papers, midterms, meetings upon meetings upon even more meetings, conferences, and still trying to have time to have a social life have made me feel like I am behind in most everything (even when I am not). Sometimes it is easy to get frustrated when it looks like everyone around you is just goofing off, and other times you really cherish the moments you get to goof off yourself.

And then comes that moment when you can take a big sigh of relief, look at what you have accomplished, and declare it good enough. That moment came for me a couple weeks ago. I had caught up on all of my assignments, got my final pieces of my application into my potential transfer schools, and still have time to write. Now I am sitting back, looking at all that I have accomplished in the last two and a half years and realized... life really is good.

When you have that diploma in your hands, you will look at it and realize how lucky you are to have had all of the opportunity you have been given during your experience. You forget all of the struggle, late nights with papers, lab makeup sessions, and chasing your professors around. I think at that point we also realize that for as many times as we were sure it would never end, it really just did. A new door is opening, and that is what college can do for us. It opens doors into this big awesome world that so many students want to save.

Messin' with Stressin' by Jenn

I always thought I wasn't the kind that got stressed out easily. However, as finals approach, I think even those of us who never get stressed out are starting to feel the pressure.

To be honest, at this point in my life, other than school I really don't have anything to be stressed about. A lot of you are thinking "lucky!" but the one downside is that since I don't deal with stress often, I don't know how to. Haha, I know that sounds like a pathetic complaint and you're probably thinking "can I have that problem?!" but it's true! I'm a wreck when it comes to stress! I stress out over the fact that I'm stressing because that's just not like me! Yesterday, I was just like "Ahh!" I felt like I had so much school to do in so little time. So I thought, ok, let me write down all that I need to get done. Turns out all I really had to do that evening was study for a test the next day. That was it! I simply needed to prioritize. I didn't have to write my paper that is due in a week. I didn't have to practice my song for a concert when I have a block of time free the next day for it. I just need to schedule the most important things first!

If you're a kid just out of high school who's like me and just doesn't know how do deal with stress-- you're not alone! My mom is great with stress, probably because we three kids gave her tons of practice! I know she wasn't always good with stress cause over my carefree years as a kid, we always thought it was just a funny but annoying thing mom's did simply because they were moms. I guess in some ways that's true! But this gives me hope because one good thing about stress is that the more stress you have, the better you hopefully get at combating it. Practice makes perfect!

Playing Favorites, pt.2 by Ryan

When I was writing my last post, I realized that American Sign Language is one of my favorite classes. I also realized that it wasn't my only favorite class. I found out that this particular semester I have two favorite classes. My other favorite class is History of Islam and the Middle East.

I found it weird that both of my favorite classes are the ones in which I have no previous experience with the subject. My other classes, biology, math, and American history, I had all studied in high school, but these two classes were new to me. Maybe that's what makes them so exciting. Islam is a strange class for me to be in. I love history, but I have never studied much other than American history in the past. Everything I learn feels completely new, and I love that feeling. It does make it a little difficult because I usually speak up during class if I have a question or I can answer one. In classes that are new subjects, I don't speak much due to my limited knowledge in the area. I am learning to enjoy sitting back and soaking in all the information.

Islam and the Middle East is a very unique class. It is co-taught by two professors, Sky Moss and Robert Cooper. It works well, though, because they work so well together. It's almost like listening to commentators of a sports event; Cooper provides the main play-by-play, and Sky comes in often with color commentary-like bits of information. Cooper is full of knowledge on the early Islamic period, while Sky knows a large amount about the modern day Middle East. Their lessons flow seamlessly, and it is a great experience in the classroom.

This class is another favorite, and I know that I will learn something new every time I enter the classroom. This is another class that comes highly recommended, and anyone that takes it will learn a lot about Islam, from Muhammad to the Cold War.

-Ryan

Sneezing and Wheezing by Jenn

Stop what you're doing.
Right now.
Freeze!
Follow these steps immediately. This is not a drill.

Step 1) Run to the nearest sink.
Step 2) Wash those hands!

It's cold season! And yes, maybe I'm being a little dramatic. But then again, maybe I'm not... After all, the sore throats will show you no mercy. The sneezes will stop at nothing. And the coughs and headaches will fight to the death.
All joking aside, I'm learning the hard way how important it is to keep those hands clean. Yup, the enemy got me. Today I had an audition for a Talent Show that's going to be held here at Corning and it's no fun singing with a sore throat. But thankfully, I'm doing a duet so I simply sang alto and kept to those lower notes. However, I'm really hoping I'll be victorious over this cold enemy by next Friday, because the Talent Show is then.

The Musical Talent Show is Friday, May 7th at 7:00pm in room R004. I'm really excited about the Talent Show because, with an admission of $1, all the proceeds are going to benefit the Haiti Relief Program. Our own Psych Club is taking the initiative in leading this thing, and anyone and everyone is welcome to come!! So invite your friends and family because this will probably be one of the most enjoyable ways you've ever donated before! I haven't heard all the songs that are going to be performed for the concert, but from what I heard today, we definitely have some pretty talented people up here. Some people even wrote their own song! That's impressive.

Playing Favorites, pt.1 by Ryan

I have to be honest and say that I'm not as impartial as I try to sound sometimes. I have favorites in just about anything like most people do. I have favorite sports teams, favorite musical groups, and favorite ice-cream flavors just like anyone else. In the interest of impartial writing, most of my favorite things are left out of my posts. However, I have to tell you about one of my favorite classes: American Sign Language!

As a homeschooled student throughout high school, I never took a foreign language. When I went to college, I tried Spanish, but I had a ton of trouble with it. I don't know why, but nothing seemed to stick. My sister told me that CCC offered a sign language class and said I should take it with her. i signed up, hoping I would have better luck with it than I had with spanish.

it turns out, I love it! It's a ton of fun learning and interacting with the teacher. Out professor is deaf, and it's actually become easier as we go along because we are learning how to communicate with her while we learn. It's an amazing subject to learn. The Professor showed us statistics that said sign language is one of the hardest languages to learn in the world. At the same times, it's a ton of fun! We've been learning all about deaf culture and the way that deaf and hearing people interact. I love this class, and I wish I could take ASL II in the fall, but my schedule unfortunately didn't work out.

if you are having trouble with other languages, or if you just want a break from the same language, I would encourage you to check out the ASL courses taught here. They are amazing, the teachers care about you, and I promise it will be memorable!

-Ryan

Peanuts and Cracker Jacks by Ryan

I'm a sucker for spring. I love being able to run around with no shoes and feel the grass. I love the soft breeze of the wind as much as I love the gentle drizzle of rain on the roof. But there's nothing I love more during spring than the sound of a baseball whipping into a catchers glove with a loud smack and a small cloud of dust. I love the sound of a bat meeting a ball squarely and watching the ball rise and fly out of the ball field. I never feel like it's really the new year until the open of baseball season.

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to drive down the hill to Tuller Field and watch the Red Barons baseball team take on the Ithaca College Bombers. Because of all my schoolwork, this was unfortunately the first time I had the opportunity to take in a game. I wish I could have attended a few more because I had a lot of fun and really enjoyed watching our guys play. the day was very clear and like most days, the men were excited to play a doubleheader.

Both teams got off to a fast start. Greg Cary got the Barons off to a fast start with an RBI in the bottom of the first. in the second inning, Corning got an RBI double from Shawn Kerr and an infield single from Doug Lewis plated a third run. The top of the third featured a scary moment when pitcher Matt Holling was hit in the chest with a hit ball, but he was thankfully able to remain in the game and pitch a scoreless third and fourth inning. In the bottom of the fourth Zachary Hugg triples on a deep fly ball and was given home when an errant throw to the base went into the CCC dugout. In the sixth inning Kevin Dates also triples and was brought home on a double. Corning put up a valiant offensive effort, but succumbed to the Bombers own offensive onslaught and eventually would drop the decision.

Regardless of the score, the game was an absolute blast! Congratulations to the Corning men's team on a great season!

-Ryan

Singing in the Rain by Jenn

Everyone mark your calendars!! The 6th and 13th of May are concert days! The concerts are usually from 12:20 to 1:30 in room R004 (the auditorium-like room in the basement of the classroom building). If you like classical/romantic style music, come to the 13th. If you're in more of a mood for pop come to the 6th! I'm really looking forward to both cause their going to be pretty different. The 6th is mostly pop but it's going to have random pieces thrown in there for fun. So it's going to be the "whatever-music-we-thought-was-pretty-and-felt-like-playing" concert. Whereas the 13th is very structured-- I believe all songs are all coming from the Romantic period.

My voice class is preparing songs for the May 13th concert. So we are practicing a beautiful, romantic song called "May Night", then we have a German song on Gypsies (and yes, we will be singing it in German--which is hilarious to watch cause most of us are having our crash course learning this very song...I think I'm catching on but I don't know about the others!). We'll also be singing an excerpt from the musical "Elijah". But today I went to my voice class and was surprised to learn that there were auditions for the concert today. I love listening to auditions! There were many beautiful auditions and I got to be on the panel to pick which ones are going to be in the concert. Everyone did a great job! I really enjoyed listening. Two people were picked for the classical May 13th concert-- a flutist playing Debussy and a soloist singing "Ava Maria". Then for the May 6th concert, one solo singer was chosen who sang "What a Wonderful World".
We're coming to the busy season of getting songs nailed down and polished for concerts.

Speaking of music, I'm currently working on a song with a friend to audition for the Talent Show. I think it's going to be pretty snazzy cause he plays guitar and I play piano and both of us sing, so, come on out! I'll post the dates for the Talent Show is as soon as I find out. I'll go do my research, but from what I hear it's raising funds for Haiti.
Enough talk about music! Come out and listen!!

I Love Me Some Basketball by Ryan

Every once in a while I get really, really tired of doing something that I normally love. Maybe it's just human nature; I don't know. I love to read, but sometimes I'll go for weeks and not want to pick up a book. I love being with friends, but sometimes I just want to be at home. Well, I recently went through a stretch like that with basketball. After the season ended, I didn't even want to touch a ball for a while. I didn't watch it on t.v, read about it, or especially play it. For the last couple of weeks, the desire to play has been building up and I couldn't wait to get out and run again.

I finally was able to play on Tuesday for intramurals and it felt AWESOME! Everything felt like i was doing it for the first time in years. The feeling of running, cutting, passing, and sliding on defense just felt incredible. My shot was off understandably, but even that felt good. There weren't quite enough for full 5 on 5, but it was still good competition. A faculty member even joined in the games and was better than most of the students. Overall, it was a ton of fun as we played, switching teams in between games and having fun.

I'm hoping to play for the rest of the school year, as it's a good time and takes my mind of school for a little while. I would definitely encourage people to come out and play. It's not high stakes or anything, just good basketball. It's a great way to escape the press of finals and finishing up classes. Even if you don't play basketball, find some way to get active during this last month of school. Go outside and enjoy some fresh air whenever you can!

-Ryan

A Look Back--part 2! by Jenn

If you read my "A Look Back" post, you'll know that as we finish up for the summer, I've been comparing this year to what I expected college would be like. In my last post I looked at how, academically, I really didn't know what to expect however, college ended up being more doable than I thought it would be.

I was just trying to remember today what I thought college was going to be like socially before my first year. I love meeting people! It's the highlight of my day to meet someone from a different background or culture-- I just find it so interesting! People really are very diverse. I know I didn't appreciate differences in people as much before my college experience as I do now. This is simply because I've been able to meet all different types of people here! And I don't mean just a different nationality, but people who are shy or people who have a different religion.

When it comes to different character types or backgrounds, I find it easy to accept people because there's no right or wrong so it's simply interesting. With beliefs or religious matters, I as much as anyone hold onto my convictions with a tight fist however, I love nothing better than a friendly discussion or "debate". And I've had several up here with a bunch of different people and I've left all of them feeling great because I don't believe I have to argue and twist their arm in an attempt to convince them that what I think is right. We can simply talk about our differences and respect the other person all the more for having their different opinions.

All that to say, I have enjoyed this year's college experience all the more because of the dynamic atmosphere of being able to meet people who-- not only share similarities with myself-- but also those who are very different.

The Final Countdown by Ryan

I find my first day of classes following break to be amusing. Some professors gush over what they and everyone else did, while for other teachers break week is like a plague and they never discuss it. It's interesting that some professors have a huge amount of work to grade during break week, but some take the whole week off for a family vacation. Either way, it's good to be back in the familiar routine.

Now that all of our semester breaks are over, students really seem to be coming to grips with the work ahead as they finish the school year. It seems like most people are borderline terrified of finals. While they are hard, it should only really be a chore if you haven't kept up on our work throughout the semester. As the saying goes, "luck favors the prepared".

Now that the semester is getting nearer and nearer to the end, good studying becomes crucial to success. If you are prepared, you will find that finals offer very few problems and little stress. I hope you take this advice and do what you can to make life easier on yourself during the last month of school. It's good to be back!

-Ryan

A Look Back by Jenn

Ready for the final stretch?!? Let's do it! Hope every one had a wonderful break week. Talking with different students up here, every one had a different break week story ranging from house projects like moving and painting to personal problems like back spasms and sick kids. For some, break weeks are for accomplishing tasks and for others, catching up on sleep seems more important. I had a mix of catching up on school and rest, but probably the main thing I take away from break week is just getting reconnected with the family. I know none of us ever want to put family on hold while we're at school, but it inevitably happens. I've noticed that the only way to have time with family is to make time. Sometimes that means cutting out TV time in the evening or getting up early...relationships require hard work! But hopefully they know school only lasts for a few more weeks. Hang in there as we near finals!

As I'm looking back on this semester, there's a part of me that just can't believe I'm finishing up a year of college. I'm trying to remember what I thought college would be like when I first visited Corning. Let's travel back in time to last July/August when I first realized I was going to Corning. Everything was rushed and last minute because I didn't know I could graduate high school till early July. Sure enough, (surprise!) I had the credits! So off to college. I remember being nervous waiting for the placement test. I knew that I didn't need to be, but as a high school student I didn't know what this college thing was all about. I know we all want to act cool, calm and collected on our first college visit so people think that we know what we're doing. Ya, I don't know how I did with that! I had so many different ideas that I had grown up thinking college was like. Academically I didn't know what to expect and I didn't want to wonder if it would be too hard! I think I always as a kid thought that college was that really hard thing only smart people did and even though I always knew I could do it, it was always "sure I can do it, when I'm finally on my ace game". And ya, this year has been a lot of hard work but I've not always been alert (who is?!) and done my best but it's still doable. I think that's one of the great things about college is that it challenges what you personally can do, but if you're rightly placed, it won't discourage you so much you throw your hands up in surrender. There's always that promise that if you work hard, you can succeed.

YIPPEE!!!! break. by Jenn

whew! I'm sitting here soaked with sweat with that good, tired feeling you get after just playing an hour of basketball. I definitely inherited my dad's sweat glands which stinks cause I don't think I've ever seen my mom sweat. Today volleyball ended...:( and for a last hurrah we played basketball...? haha that might sound funny but we had a quiz today so we convinced the coach to lower the hoops for us after the quiz. I guess we were all volleyball-ed out.

Yesterday I came to school in shorts and a sweatshirt and was dying with the heat. So, being the genius that I am, I decided not to make the same mistake twice so I woke up today and decided to wear shorts and a tee. Normally I carry a wardrobe in my car because I hate being caught unprepared but I thought today I would be fine....nope! So if you've been laughing at a girl who's been freezing herself outside in this winter breeze...well, that girl was me...
We're in that awkward season where one day may be heavenly and the next horrible so, from experience of learning it the hard way, it's important to check the weather before heading out. I keep a sweatshirt in the car, but I think I'm going to throw some sweats in there as well.

I wish I could share with you that I'm going to some awesome place like Hawaii or Florida over break to soak in the rays...ya, I can't but I know a lot of people are so if that's you, I hate you but have fun!! And get a tan for me!!!!

I Love To Laugh: HaHaHaHa by Jenn

Okay, I could try to write some deep inspiring post about impersonal stuff, but today I've decided to be your comic relief. Maybe your sitting at your computer and have had one of those days or you have a lot of stuff to get to. But for the moment, lighten up and prepare to laugh at me and yourself.

Right, so, we all have funny moments. Most of us have them everyday but I've noticed that it takes true talent to point them out and laugh at them. Why does it take talent? Because usually they're tiny things that might happen regularly and we get used to them happening. Like when you're in a rush because you're late to class but you feel like you have to grab a quick breakfast at Wegmans or you'll die. So you rush to leave but accidentally throw your change all over the floor making sounds like mini bombs because it's so quiet cause the only people there are a handful of elderly people. Sound familiar??! However, for some of us that's how we/I start my day. And we're only getting started! I'll share one more to lighten you up and hopefully help you along in your ability to spot these things that happen to take our mind off the paper that's due in the morning or the test that we need to study for.

Well, after Wegmans yesterday, I go to fill my car with gas at one of the gas stations on Denison. After I put the nozzle in and start filling my tank I get it in my mind that I need to jump over the cord/tube that's filling my car with gas so that it's on the other side of my body. Don't ask me why, because it was fine on my left but I just got a sudden compulsion that made me want it on my right. So, I try jumping over it even though it's lowest part was only a little below my hip. Do I have to go on?!

Thankfully I couldn't get over it so I didn't trip, but everyone just saw a girl randomly jump/throw herself to the left and they didn't know that I was trying to be super athletic and jump two feet up in the air (while holding the nozzle in place...oh boy!!)

There you have it. I'm sure this post won't alter the course of your life, but I can encourage you to keep in mind how important it is to laugh at ourselves when these tiny things happen. In the midst of a season that can be very stressful as we near finals, don't let small but funny moments slip by without noticing them!

So how do you write a paper? by Ryan

In the past two years, I have had multiple conversations with people about the best ways to write essay papers. I found that there are more theories than I thought about what method produces the best paper. From my conversations in the past I hope I can present a few methods to help anyone who is writing papers. Now that we are coming toward the end of the semester, many paper due dates are approaching and I hope this will be helpful.

It seems that the most tried-and-true method that I've heard is the "old school" aproach of using index cards. I see these cards all over in the library and learning centers and it seems to be the most generally used method. When writing papers that require Turabian formatting, index cards are very useful because all the referencing material can be written at the top. Nearly all of the professors I have talked to use this method.

I know some people that use what I call the "Immersion" method: they read as much as they possibly can, reading some things over and over and only making notes for the specific things they need to reference. They commit all of their information to memory. This method can be risky and can backfire for those who don't research diligently, but I have read some incredible pieces of work from people who have done this. They are able to produce an amazing, completely original work.

My personal favorite is what I call the "Piece" method. As I read, I type my notes one at a time into a Word document, referencing as I go. When I am done, I print out the paper and cut every note into a single strip of paper. It takes some space, but I then spread out the notes on the ground, sorting them into the sections I want to write. I take each section and use those notes to simply piece together my paper. Once this is done, my paper is basically assembled and all I need to do is flesh it out from the skeleton. I was shown this by a classmate last year, and for whatever reason I have really loved it.

Well, I hope that one of these methods appeals to you and you are able to put it to good use. Have fun writing those papers over break! I'm not looking forward to the process, but I am always so happy when the paper is done and ready to turn in.

For further assistance with this topic, please remember to stop by the Writing Center located in C107 on the Spencer Hill campus  or U110 in Elmira at the Academic Workforce Development Center.

Have a great break!
-Ryan

The Injury Bug by Ryan

Today I'm going to write on something I unfortunately know quite a bit about: getting injured. I have sustained a lot of injuries in my life. Over my four years of high school basketball, I missed at least 1/3 of a season total because of injuries; the real number's probably closer to 2/3. It's probably not a good thing that one time a nurse recognized me in the E.R. from previous visits. This post has been on my mind for a few days ever since I was exercising and my calf went numb. If you've seen a tallish guy limping around campus for a few days, it's me. I don't know what happened but I can't straighten out my left leg.

Spring is here, and it's awesome to have good weather and see people playing Frisbee or throwing the football on campus. However, with great weather comes great potential for injury. I have known or seen a lot of people rush outside at the first hint of good weather. They immediately start running and playing without ever thinking of the stress on their winter-weakened muscles. If you are going to go out and play football, Frisbee, or whatever, take 2-3 minutes and stretch. If I'd have stretched for five minutes, I wouldn't be enduring my fifth straight day of walking on one leg. Be kind to your body.

Springtime is a ton of fun, and with the weather lately, it is a great time to get out and be active. But before you do anything, be safe! I don't remember where I heard it, but someone I know compared stretching to the old rhyme about apples. They told me "stretching every day keeps the doctor away." It may sound childish, but there is definitely truth in that saying. by all means, go forth and have fun, but a word to the wise from someone who is house-ridden for the moment: be smart.

-Ryan

Sunglasses and Flip Flops by Jenn

Well, I was reading Ryan's posts about the softball and baseball teams when I realized that we're coming to the home stretch for school! I can't believe we have another break in three (two and a half to be specific!) weeks!! I feel like we just had break...but hey! I'm not complaining! This will be my first year of college completed and that just sounds really weird! Some people have told me that the first semester is the hardest but I have to say that my first semester flew by! I'm in my second right now and it certainly is not going quite as fast! Although, I've learned the trick: schedule a fun class on the long days. As fall registration is already up and running, may I highly suggest doing a sport class. I'm doing volleyball now and it is just a blast....I love it!

It's good to have fun interspersed between classes and homework! Yesterday, a group of kids played Ultimate Frisbee on the side of the Commons...fun-ness!! I would love to have a Ultimate Frisbee "club" up here!!! Anyone in??

To add a fun splash to school today, my friends and I declared today a skirt day. (um they were all girls:)) There's nothing like dressing up in spring-ish clothes to give you a positive outlook on the day! So if you saw some girls walking around (haha, my friend Megan and I swapped one flip flop so we each had a hot orange and a black flip on!) yup! That was us!

So break out the shorts and sunglasses! Get out and enjoy this Easter weekend!!!!!

Baseball Preview by Ryan

In my last post I intended to take a look at both the softball and baseball teams, but I ended up having way too much to write about in one post. That's never a bad thing, though, so here is the baseball preview for the 2010 Red Barons mens baseball team.

In 2003, the men's baseball team returned to competitive play after a several year hiatus. They quickly returned to form, earning a spot in the regional tournament only one year later. Since that time, CCC's mens team has seen 18 All-MSAC honors, including one D-1 signee.

Coach Brian Hill has done a good job of assembling a balanced team this season, with ten sophomores and eight freshmen. The team took a hit with the departure of two-year star and All-American Dan Telehany, but several players have stepped up to hopefully fill his role. The team also features a great selection of athletes, with multiple high school standouts and former CCC basketball team players Eric Garvey, Tyler Mizerak, and Greg Cary.

The team has started out slowly at 3-5 overall but should change that soon with some good wins. The team has the potential to sneak up on a lot of people and should be a lot of fun to watch. I hope you will join me in following these athletes as they push for greatness in this 2010 season.

-Ryan

Softball Preview by Ryan

It finally appears as if spring is arriving! The weather is somewhat nicer, grass is becoming brighter green, and my car is starting again (that's the real way I can tell). Best of all, the sound of metal bats hitting baseballs and softballs can be heard in the afternoon. The American Pastime has returned for another go-round at CCC and I couldn't be more excited.

I've always been jealous of people who were good at baseball or softball. Basketball and football came naturally to me, but I have terrible eyesight and could never track the incoming pitch well enough to hit for a decent average. Some of the players on CCC's teams this year are awesome and both squads are set for great years.

This years softball team looks very good. Coach Stacey Johnson has reloaded the team with a lot of talent, as ten of the fifteen players are freshmen. The returning sophomores, however, will be leading the way. The Lady Barons are coming off a ridiculous season last year, when the team set a school record with 36 wins and a .878 winning percentage. The team will be led by returners Liz Gorges and Gina Brenzo, who blew apart Corning's record book last year. Gorges set school records in home runs (12), runs batted in (69), total bases reached (120), and slugging percentage (896). Brenzo set school records in total at-bats with 137, and singles with 48.

The team has had a strong start already this year, with a 7-1 record, all on the road. Only two wins have come by less than four runs. Tomorrow afternoon marks the first home game for both the softball team, so come on out and have a great time watching the Lady Barons play Erie. I hope to see you there!

-Ryan

Preparing for More College by Ryan

In general, there are really only two possibilities for someone who is attending community college: either you want to begin work but also need or want an associate's degree, or you are using community college in some form or another as a launching pad into a four-year school and beyond. Unfortunately, I have no insight into the options or the mindset of the first group, as my intention has always been to continue on to a four-year school. However, from my previous four-year experience, I have a few tips I can offer to help prepare students for life in such a competitive environment.

For students who actually enjoy being in school and learning as much as possible, university life should be extremely fulfilling. One of the coolest things about bigger schools is the specialization of classes. For example, as a history major, there are certain areas of history which appeal to me more than others. Let's say that I was very interested in American hstory. At most community colleges, I would be able to take two courses covering the two halves of American history that are split by the Civil War, and possibly one or two more general courses, such as CCC's American West course. At the four-year level, the course offerings become much more specialized and specific. One SUNY school I looked up is offering those basic American history courses. but also classes such as Religion in U.S. History and America in the 1960's. Because of the greater number of faculty, schools can offer classes that help students become even more prepared for their future.

It is fun to look ahead and prepare for graduation and moving on to bigger and better things. But while you're here at CCC, always be conscious of laying the groundwork for moving on. If you don't take the basics here, you can't step up to the next level after graduation. This is a great school and a fantastic place to prepare for launch into the bigger world.

-Ryan

Jackals vs. Dachshunds by Kate

The admissions office student workers took a field trip to Vincenzo’s Pizzeria and the Jackals’ Game last Friday night. The night was full of laughs and entertainment on all sorts of levels. The purpose was to bring together the admission’s student workers team for the first time this semester. I didn’t get to meet the whole team but I did get to meet some new faces.

The food was scrumptious; we managed to devour two large pizzas. If you’ve ever been to Vincenzo’s you’ve noticed it’s not necessarily a place to fit a party of 11 comfortably. It was interesting to watch people attempting to scoot by our table (which was located in the center of chaos). Some with a genuine, “Excuse me.” Others saying, “Excuse me,” but by their tone and facial expression really meaning, “Get out of my way!”

After food, we walked over to the First Arena, got to our seats and the game began! I’m not a sports fanatic. I rarely watch anything having to do with sports. I do enjoy going to a random game every now and then for the social experience and the fact I can yell as loud as I want without becoming a deviant.

The music was enjoyable to sing to, but they managed to cut off from songs right when you’re about to get into them. I think they do that because they can tell the crowd is getting into it and would prefer not to turn it into a karaoke arena. Let’s focus on the game, people!

The highlight of my night, aside from the singing, the ONE fight in the game and goofing around with my fellow ambassadors, was the first time ever Wiener Race! This consisted of bringing out a bundle of Dachshunds, each assigned to a section, letting them loose on the ice to run towards their owners on the other side of the rink. Nice concept, but unfortunately an epic fail!

When released the Dachshunds just ran circles and played with the other dogs. If the point was to merely entertain the crowd, it served its purpose. Who doesn’t enjoy watching puppies excited and confused?

Eventually they managed to get first, second and third place winners by incorporating tennis balls. Cheating? I’m sure they’ll tweak the game rules if they decide to continue with this event. Apparently the first place puppy was assigned to a section and that section won a prize. They never announced the prize and I’m still extremely curious.

By the way, Jackals lost.

-Kate-

Registering by Ryan

Usually when I sit down to blog, the first thing I try to do is think of a good name for the post. Whether it's funny or not, I enjoy the challenge of coming up with a title that grabs people's attention right from the start. I say all that because I am completely stumped with this post. When I am writing about things like basketball or intramurals, I have no problem, but for some reason important things give me trouble.

Either way, registration time is here, and it is vitally important to be responsible and get it done. I delayed registering for only a few days, and I still saw many classes that were full or near-full. I got lucky because not many students like history, so most of the classes I wanted had plenty of seats available. But any students in the popular fields like nursing, business, or education really need to get moving, as those classes fill up very quickly. In my experience, advisors are very helpful and work well with each other to help students get into the classes they need.

If you haven't been in touch with your advisor to set up your schedule for the fall, it would be wise to move quickly. I passed through the 3rd floor of the nursing building this morning and nearly every advising sheet on the office doors had quite a few people on them. If there is a class that you need or just want to take badly, it is crucial to register quickly before the class fills up completely. It's definitely worth the peace of mind knowing that your classes are taken care of.

- Ryan

Music is a Word-less Story by Jenn

Yesterday I got to catch half an hour of some of the most beautiful live music I've ever heard before! I don't remember their names, but one of them played the Cello and the other played, I believe some kind of spanish guitar. I'm not good with stringed instraments! However, I do know that it was definately some if not the most beautiful music I've ever heard... they really complimented each other. And one of the most important things I've learned as a musician is that if you don't feel the music, your audience won't. You know what I mean by "feel" like really get into it-- like when you treat music like a word-less story. Wow, that's a pretty deep way to describe music... I'm impressed with myself...a word-less story...I'm going to use that as my title! Usually I have corny titles so a deep one should be a nice change... um, but, their music was definately expressing emotion. It was all mexican/spanish style. Oh, the Spanish really knew how to play the guitar! And a lot of it was soft and sorrowful. Like the kind of music you would like to cry to. I love music writen in minor keys-- ok, music 101: music writen in major keys sound happy (well, usually they do. I'm generalizing so don't get angry at me music people who know more than I do!) and minor keys sound like the kind of backround music you get in a movie when the girl walks in the pooring rain to cry at the place she met the boy who broke her heart.
Sticking with the musical theme, we are learning a song writen in GERMAN in voice class...hahaha....I've never taken a language and most kids there can't speak German so if you need a comic relief, come down to the basement of the R building from 12 to 1 and listen to us butcher this language.
Before I leave you for the weekend (which I hope everyone has a great one!) I must ask what is up with this snow and cold weather?! we are officially in Spring time and the weather men had better start doing their job right!

The Tournament Marches On by Ryan

This years NCAA Tournament has been unbelievable! After only two rounds it has been one of the most memorable tournaments I can remember. It's always great to be on a college campus during March Madness. Inevitably, after the first one or two rounds of play, many college students seem to suddenly realize that they are the same age as the athletes competing. It's fun to then see the new respect they have for the athletes and the renewed enjoyment they get for the games.

As I've walked around campus, I've heard many students discussing the games. With Syracuse being a #1 seed this year, I've seen many lines drawn between Syracuse supporters and those who can't stand SU. One of my friends filled out a bracket and had Syracuse losing in the first round, just because he "couldn't stand hearing any more Syracuse fans." It might not have been the most popular strategy, but with all the upsets this year his bracket is probably doing decently well.

When it comes to the upsets, they have been plentiful and fantastic. In the first round, quite a few minor upsets happened, and a couple of major upsets were threatened that polarized the country. Teams like #10 Georgia Tech, #11 Washington, and #10 St. Mary's beat favored teams, but it was teams like #12 Cornell, #13 Ohio, and #13 Murray St. that at times brought me to my feet at home cheering. The two most exciting games were near-upsets filled with great basketball: #1 Kansas vs #16 Lehigh and #2 Villanova vs #15 Robert Morris. Both potential upsets, if they had happened, would have made for the undisputed most exciting first round in tournament history. In the second round, the great play continued, as #4 Wisconsin fell to #12 Cornell, #3 New Mexico lost to #11 Washington, and #10 St. Mary's became a media darling by knocking off #2 Villanova. The greatest upset of all ,though, shook up the brackets of millions of people. #1 Kansas, the top ranked team in the entire tournament, fell to lowly #9 Northern Iowa. Everyone I know was stunned at the news. Syracuse fans like myself were thrilled, because Syracuse would have potentially had to play Kansas in the Final Four, and the road to the championship became much easier.

Tonight begins the first games of the sweet sixteen. Everyone is waiting for more upsets, as so many double-digit seeds are still in the running. Look for great action some great games to discuss next week!

-Ryan

Representin' by Kate

Good evening fellow and prospective students! I'm Kate Schiller, a new ambassador at Corning Community College. I will be stopping in occassionaly to share my experiences about working as a student ambassador at CCC.

Well,..... background information about myself seems to fit in right here. This is my last semester at CCC. I began my education as an Early Childhood Major. I have been involved with American Sign Language before I attended here so something that always appealed to me is the ASL courses offered at CCC.

As I continued with my basic studies, (Early Childhood courses and ASL courses) I figured out that I love ASL more than working in an educational environment. I have switched my major to General Studies, and plan to transfer out to a four year school to major in ASL Interpretting.

While I am sad this is my last semester here on campus, I am excited to become a student ambassador to further my work experience and be more involved on campus. This position, (as I explained in my interview process,) is something I've been doing before being hired. I am representing this school.

Think about it, as students we get asked all the time by friends, family and even aquiantances (who you'd rather not be telling your life goals to)  what has been going on with our education process. "Are you doing well with school?", "What classes are you taking this semester?", "What do you plan to do after graduating?"

Initially, we're all representing this school anytime we get asked these types of questions. To obtain this position has merely been an opportunity to better hone my communications skills and represent the school on a more professional level.

So far I have worked with the other Student Ambassadors in organizing stock rooms, making phone calls, inputting applications into the processing system, as well as shadowing on two tours. I hope to do more tours as well as phone calls. I'm more of a people person than a stock room or filing person!  From what I'm told, this semester is slower than the fall. I would anticipate it getting busier as the end of the semester gets closer. Highschool students should be getting ready to come in the fall. One can hope.

I've been able to participate in Student Leadership Seminar on Networking (Yum, free lunch!). This is where I met a lot of other student leaders on campus. It's amazing how you can spend two years on campus and never really get involved or realize how much is going on outside of your personal classes. I thought I knew what happened on campus. It was a  real eye-opener that I haven't even scratched the surface. I encourage you, GET INVOLVED!

Representing this school and working with this team has been the most fun job I have had so far, a lot better than my previous experiences of working in retail or fast food (no offense to all of you who are holding a position in those areas). I look forward to the rest of my last semester as a team member of CCC Student Ambassadors!

- Kate -

Playing Favorites by Ryan

I think that if every college student were honest, they would agree that regardless of the professor or other students, there are some classes that they just like more than others. There always seems to be a class in which the material is more interesting, the homework not as bad, and the tests easy. Good professors and student participation help a great deal, but there are always subjects that people personally find more interesting than others. Whatever classes they may be, often they pose a big problem when it comes to studying.


The best example I can give happened at my previous college last year. One of my best friends in school lived in the dorm room two doors down from me. He was incredibly smart, and I've had headaches while listening to him discuss differential equations as if it were 2+2=4. His grades were very good, even though the school is notoriously tough academically (my doctor attended the school and said it was harder than med school). He got a 3.7 in his first semester and was near the top of our freshman class at the end of the year. However, for the entire first semester, I noticed that one of his books was always lying on the top of his bookshelf, untouched. It was his only non-math/science book, and toward the end of the semester I picked it up to ask him why I never saw it moved. After the semester, he got an "A" in every other class, but received a low grade in the one class he didn't prepare for. He could have had a 4.0, but a personal subject preference kept him from the highest possible G.P.A.

I encourage everyone who reads this to study hard for ALL of their classes. I love history, and it is hard to study for my other subjects like I should. For me, it's so much easier to read a book in a subject I love than to read anything in a subject I don’t like as much. If you are having problems in a class, talk to your professor about the best way to study and prep for tests. There are plenty of academic support services for student success as well. Such as the Academic Study Center (Library), Math Learning Center (Science Building), Science Learning Center (Science Building), Writing Learning Center (Classroom Building) and the Advising and Counseling Center (Commons Building) just to name a few.



-Ryan

On Fog and Foggy Ideas by Jenn

Recently I've been noticing how I'm almost always feeling run down. College can be stressful, and on top of that I have a part time job in the evening. Most people I know at CCC are working part time as well (there are few students I know who work full time!). The spring weather helped rejuvenate me, but recently I've been looking at my diet to see if I can change it to more, um, "awake" food :) This week I'm trying a mainly fruit diet. Reason being I love fruit and it makes me think of spring and summer which makes me think wide-awake energy! I'll let you know if it helps me pay attention in class...

Though Saturday was the first day of Spring I'm just not really convinced of the warm weather's commitment to stay...ya, this rain I guess is spring-y but...
I work here at the college for the spring "Phone-a-thon" and it was crazy last night! Not so much the calling part--(although that's always interesting)- but the weather was creepy! At, like, 6 o'clock it started fogging up a bit and then each hour it just got thicker and thicker until we could barely see the Classroom building from the top floor of the Nursing building! In fact we couldn't even see parts of the Commons that's how crazy this was! Driving home was a blast but once I got to 1st street the fog was pretty much cleared. Three of us girls walked together arm in arm to our cars that's how creepy this was! And on top of that someone during the evening was telling us about this horror movie that takes place in some foggy area...! Well, it looks like we still have a little bit of the fog for today, but it's not half as thick as it was last night ...besides things are just a lot scarier in the dark!

Do Re Me Fa So La Te Do! by Jenn

Yesterday was a blast! Got to school around 9am and from then on it was music music music music till 1:30ish. I've performed quite a few times before so I'm learning to shake off the nerves and just have fun, but I have to admit I was pretty nervous for a lot of the morning...like

I had Music Theory class before we began preparing for the concert and let me tell you its hard to pay attention when you are randomly remembering "Oh! I have a concert today!" and "Oh! I need to figure out the ending of the song I'm soloing!" haha, but it's all good, once I tied up the loose ends I just enjoyed practicing. The concert kicked off with a Irish ballad sung by the guys called "Salley Gardens" then we girls came in and sung a funny ballad called "I'd Wed If I Were Not Too Young" which is about a girl who goes to a fair and meets her sweetheart but keeps telling him that she can't marry him cause she's too young but at the end she declares "I'd wed for I was not too young!" The first half of the program was Irish stuff in honor of St. Patty's day. We had a couple beautiful guitar and violin Irish solos and duets as well as some Irish tap/step dancing. Then came the popular/modern music. As a choir we sang a couple songs from musicals.

Then my heart started beating a million beats per minute cause I had my solo-- haha, just kidding! I was a little nervous though! I sang and played piano to the Colbie Calliat song "You Got Me". I think it went just fine...not as good as I wanted but that doesn't really matter! Then I hopped over to the piano for our band to play a few songs and ended on a jamming "25 or 6 to 4" by...I want to say Chicago? But yes, it was a wonderful concert. I really enjoy the first half of the semester for choir cause it's our modern music, now we're going to move to more classical operatic stuff-- which is not as fun but good cause I need to learn it!!

We had a beautiful day for our concert yesterday!! My goodness, tomorrow really is the first day of spring. I did my homework outside and actually had to wonder if I was getting a sunburn!!! No sign of it today but, hey, at least it was a possibility! Have a wonderful weekend!

Mad Marchness by Ryan

Ahh, it's one of my favorite times of the year! The NCAA Tournament is under-way, and it looks like there might be a huge upset brewing! At the time of this post, 15th seeded Robert Morris is beating 2nd seeded Villanova. If Robert Morris is able to keep their lead and pull off the upset, it will be only the 5th time a 15 seed has beaten a 2. It would mess up my bracket along with a million other brackets, but I feel like an upset this big would be better than any benefit in a bracket.

The NCAA viewing event was a lot of fun! It's always enjoyable to see a sports event with a bunch of friends your age. There was pizza, chips, fruit, and soda for everyone who attended. When people arrived, they were given 5 tickets to put into raffles for various sports items that were raffled off throughout the event. There were team hats, mini-basketballs, and CCC basketball shoulder bags. It was a lot of fun and I think everyone really enjoyed it.

Speaking of basketball, intramural competition starts this Tuesday. I've heard a lot of people say they want to play this semester. Deb Prutsman, the intramural director, tries hard to even up the teams and does a great job. It should be great, and I hope many people take advantage of it. See you there!

-Ryan

Bracket Insanity by Ryan

The NCAA tournament always seems to bring out the outgoing side of everyone. I have known people that say two sentences all day, but when it's tournament time they suddenly have flawless logic about which 12 seed will upset a 5 this year. I've really never seen anything like it. I would say that not even the Superbowl brings this level of awareness to an event. Many people don't care about the Superbowl, yet during March Madness it's common to see a huge variety of people all watching the same games.

So what is the secret to the tournament's success? I think that the biggest reason is probably the availability of games. Whenever you have time, you can turn on the t.v. and there is a good chance that a game is being played. There is a huge number of games, and that always lends itself to having more people watch. I think it also has to do with the sport.

Another big reason for the NCAA popularity is the players. These student athletes truly deserve our respect for doing work both in the classroom and on the court. They play because they love the game. It is easy to root for these players. With the number of games, nearly every year there are several buzzer beaters and close games, and they captivate the country and pull more and more people into the group of interested viewers. I can't wait to see how this years tournament shapes up. Hopefully, my Syracuse Orange will finally win their first championship since the Carmelo Anthony year. I hope to see you in the triangle lounge this afternoon for the viewing party!

-Ryan

A blow to the head and to the pride by Ryan

Yesterday, the March Madness 3-on-3 intramural tournament continued, and it was awesome! I really didn't think I could have more fun on Tuesday than I had on the first day but I was proven very wrong. A few teams had already lost twice on the first day, and a few more lost their first game today and dropped out. Most of these people stayed to watch and offered cheers and goodnatured insults to the players still in. It made for a very polished playground feel to the games, which I enjoyed very much.

My team went into the day with one loss, meaning every game was "win or go home." In our first game we played a team that on average was probably 3-4" taller than each one of us, but our team has played together since high school, and our teamwork carried us to a win by 3. It was exciting as we weren't sure how much of a chance we had. I nearly came away from that game with a bad injury though. On a drive to the basket, I was going up to shoot when I received an accidental elbow to the side of my head. I was instantly dizzy and fuzzy for a few seconds, and I was initially worried that I had a concussion. I had one two years ago, and my head felt like it did on that hit. The dizzyness went away quickly and I was able to hide it and keep playing, but I had a bad headache for the rest of the day.

In our second game we played a team that was the complete opposite of our first opponent. They were mostly small, quick, and deadly shooters. We also ran into a huge cold streak shooting, and it proved to be our undoing. We fell behind 14-10 and had to score five straight points or be out of the tournament. We made two quick layups and I hit a 3-pointer to tie it at 14. But our starting point guard from this year pulled up on a jumper from the foul line that I've never seen him miss, and I knew it was over. We lost, but the tournament was a ton of fun to play in. There are three teams left and they will play for the championship next week.

In upcoming news, the real March Madness starts tomorrow! Everyone should come to the triangle lounge after noon. The first round games will be shown on the big screen, and I have heard food rumors from several people. It should be a great day, and I know I will have all my brackets with me all day. I hope to see everyone there!


-Ryan

Crunch Time by Jenn

The big concert is this Thursday! And we're starting to really feel it in both the Voice and Instrumental Ensemble. We're polishing up songs, memorizing the program, and hoping there's no train wrecks! I'm pretty excited cause although it's nice to just enjoy playing a song, it's a totally different thing to perform. I know some people don't like performing in front of an audience, but I personally do better with an audience cause you have that surge of adrenalin that usually helps you perform the song (hopefully) better than you have before. Haha, honestly, I love concerts cause it's show-off time!
So if you're interested in coming out the details are: room R004 (the lower level of the administration building), Thursday March 19th from 12:30-1:30ish. And if you can't come for the whole time, don't worry about interrupting anything because many people have to come late or leave early with classes and such. However, if you have to cut one end short, I'd say come late and stay for the ending because I believe they serve refreshments afterward :)

On the same musical note (hehehe-- pun intended!) .... I had Music Theory class today and it made me laugh!! Our teacher brought in a box of homemade drums...we had a saw that you could bend and hit with a stick, some pots and pans, I got a cookie container and a drum stick...and we formed our own "Stomp" band! It was pretty cool! It actually didn't sound that bad...