Each year, one of Coe's fraternities, Lambda Chi, hosts a Watermelon Fest. A lot of watermelon is involved and all the proceeds they raise goes towards their local philanthropy, Waypoint. It always looked like a lot of fun, but I never got my act together to be on a team and participate.
That was NOT the case this year. Because it's my senior year, I keep trying to check things off a running bucket list in my head. Watermelon Fest was one of those items. So I recruited my friends Olivia, Peter, and Luke to form a Watermelon Fest team.
Our first task was to pick out a team name. We wanted something clever and finally after many possible team costume ideas for groups of four (cardinal directions, humps on a camel, seasons, elements) we came up with this team name:
Peter and the Plants.
Cue this song (thanks YouTube)
Pretty clever is it not? And so this team was born:
L to R: Olivia, Peter, myself, and Luke
So the big day finally came. Peter and the Plants arrived, ready to eat some watermelon. The Lambda Chis got a great turnout and we were in for a lot of fun. Our first test was to carve a watermelon. That was not the easiest task and it wasn't until about half-way through the test did we realize our carving had to be Coe related! Lucky for us, our carving could easily be turned Coe relatable (thanks to my Admission training and Peter's involvement with E-Club). See if you can figure out what we carved:
It's a flower from Coe's permaculture garden in front of Murray Hall, emphasizing Coe's sustainability efforts and our efforts to be eco-friendly. Our nifty carving earned us fourth place! Woot!
From there, we didn't have the best showing (we didn't win anything else), but we had a lot of fun. And we ate a lot of watermelon. I mean, a lot. Although we never did get the knack of eating watermelon quickly. I think this picture of Olivia shows how much fun we had:
At the end, we had some fun with the remaining watermelons. The weather was ideal and it was great way to end the fest. Also, everyone left with a prize, which were donated from the various sponsors of the fest! I went home with a stomach full of watermelon and a nice Starbuck mug for my coffee or tea in the morning.
I was so so glad I participated in the 2013 Watermelon Fest. Not only did I help support an excellent cause, but I got to have a lot of fun with my friends. We had great costumes and a great team and it's something I'll remember for years to come (because how can you forget a team name like Peter and the Plants?!?!). For you prospective students, if you come to Coe you HAVE to participate in Watermelon Fest. It's just too much fun to pass up!
So, if you haven't heard, I'm completing my second semester as Student Senate Treasurer. It's one of my favorite club positions to hold on campus because it's a great way for me to interact with clubs and see all the great things they are doing.
One of my responsibilities is to hold Budget and Finance Day, a grand old day where every club on campus that would like money for the next semester presents in front of the committee. The committee has the right to approve or deny aspects of the budget. It's a long day (we start at 8 AM) but it's worth it.
So on snowless December 1st, I woke up and drove to Bruegger's to get bagels for the committee. My committee started showing up around 7:50 AM and we started the budget presentations shortly after 8 AM. We went until lunch and then took a break for Panchero's. Then we went back to budgets.
L to R: Hailley, Alexis, Peter, and Ashley
Overall, it was a great day. It was nice because I had run the day before so I knew what to expect. I'm glad it went well but I'm also glad it's done.
Post B&F, I came back to my apartment, did a little homework, and then had a few friends over to unwind after a full day. It was nice to have people over, recapping the day, or just talking about finals, Winter Break plans, and our lives in general. Perfect example of my kohawk family.
Chocolate gold coins were being thrown at us because we're GOLDEN! :)
A couple of weeks ago I was asked to be interviewed for Coe's YouTube channel. I said yes because why wouldn't I want to talk about Coe? In a very typical movie-making fashion, the ten minute interview turned into a minute long clip talking about the Writing Center and Coe's Writing Across the Cirrculum. I've included the video below! Make sure to head to Coe's channel and watch other Coe students who are just as excited to be here as me!
As I told many prospective students, Scholarship Weekend has a soft spot in my heart. Two years ago, I visited Coe for the second time, had a fantastic experience, and even got some snow! I love Scholarship Weekend because it's my opportunity to give back and meet prospective Kohawks who might have the same sort of experience I've had.
Friday was a busy day. I arrived at Admissions at 8 AM and helped walk students to classes and whatever odd jobs Admissions had. I left the Nassif House for an hour and a half to take my Mythology test and finish a scholarship application. Then it was back to talking to prospective students and their parents. I had a wonderful time. I ate lunch with a boy and his mom and two parents from Colorado. We discussed a lot of great topics and I was called, "a great communicator." That made me feel fantastic! I spent the rest of day giving three tours (all sort of different, which was fun) and talking to people.
I had the pleasure of helping out with the English Department Open House on Friday afternoon and then hosting two prospective students. Annika stayed just for Friday night before being picked up by her parents and Anna stayed overnight with Heidi and I in Murray. Both are amazing girls and I hope they chose Coe (they would make FANTASTIC KOHAWKS). We saw a bunch of great things, such as the acapella group Ball in the House, the Vagina Monologues, and Blindspot. Friday night was definitely packed; it kept us on our toes.
I woke up Saturday morning, took Anna to breakfast, and then teamed up with one of my favorite professors on campus, Gordon Mennenga, to interview students for English department scholarships. We met some great students once again and discussed books, writing, New York term, and a variety of other things. My day finished off with helping Admissions and talking to students. I think by that time, they were pretty tired of us asking them if they had any more questions, but I think everyone who came this past weekend had an enjoyable time.
If any prospective students who were on campus last weekend are reading this, thank you for coming. On behalf of the entire Coe community, I hope you had a good visit. And I hope if Coe is the right fit for you, you will join us on campus in the fall. We would love love love to have you. And of course, if you have any questions, comment here and let me know. I would love to answer them. :)
Again I've been super busy. Had class this morning and we discussed Astrophil and Stella. Basically it's a sonnet sequence written in 16th century England about a man (Astrophil) pining over a "perfect" woman (Stella). The discussion got lively and that made the class go by so fast and made it so interesting. During that hour and a half, the benefit of small class sizes was a huge advantage and our class has built a better rapport with our professor.
Then it was Admissions. Today was a Nassif Food Day which basically means the full time staff members bring an assortment of food and everyone in the building gets to try new food all day! I had lunch there and then worked my usual two hour shift. Right now we are in an intense data entry mood; the counselors are coming back from college fairs and high school visits and the student workers are entering names into our database so we can send potential Kohawks information and keep in contact with them.
Once my shift was over, I went to study at the library but of course, got sidetracked and ended up talking to some people for longer than I expected. I guess I would have to thank my dad for that trait! But again, this long conversation reinforces the idea of the Coe community. A community which I adore!
I also had a Writing Center conference today with a friend. She was working on a paper and needed some help revising. It ended up being an hour long conference and it was fantastic! Basically this is the sort of conference every consultant dreams of having. The writer is engaging and really wants to make their paper better. Dr. Bob would have been proud of the conversation we had and I truly do think I helped make a better writer as well as a better paper. Goal of Writing Center consultant ACHIEVED.
Now, I'm studying for my first Psychology test tomorrow. It's on three chapters of material covering the areas of psychology, the brain, neurotransmitters, sensation and perception. Wish me luck!
Why hello there! I'm glad you're checking out this blog (I hope you're finding good information on it!!). I just wanted to let you know about a GREAT opportunity to see Coe before school kicks off again. From Monday, August 1st to Friday, August 5th, it's Iowa's Private College Week (IPCW). This is a chance for prospective students to view any of the 29 private colleges in Iowa. During the five days, students are encouraged to take tours at any of these colleges (such as Coe). Tours happen at each college twice a day (9:00 AM and 1:30 PM) for that week. It's easy to sign up on the website, you pick your itinerary, as flexible as you need it to be. It's also a great website to check out colleges you might not have thought of on your college search process.
On a personal note, I participated in Iowa's Private College Week two years ago. My mom, sister, and I visited a couple of other colleges and Coe College. This was my first trip to Coe's campus and I had a great time. I'll be posting more IPCW memories later so make sure to check back to read them (they're pretty good if you ask me).
Over Spring Break I had a chance to go to the UW-Madison campus to visit a high school friend. She had class when I was there and I was fortunate enough to attend a Zoology lecture with 400 students (which is larger than my incoming class at Coe!). It was interesting experience and allowed me to reflect on the advantages Coe has being a smaller school.
Small class sizes: This semester my largest class has 17 (I think) kids and my smallest has seven. I love that because there is a lot of good time with the professor and I also get to know the other students in my class.
Walking distance: My friend said the longest she has to walk to a class is fifteen minutes and she always has to pack her backpack in the morning because there is very little time to go back. At Coe, that's not the case. I can walk anywhere on campus in five minutes and only have to take class material for several classes when they are in the same building in back to back hours. But if I needed, I could run back to Murray and pick up what I forgot.
No set meal plan: At Coe it's simple, 20, 16, or 11 meals. At Madison you have your WiscCard which is basically a student ID with money on it. That card is your life (just like our ID card is our life at Coe, we can't get into an residence halls without it or get food in the PUB or caf) and you use it to buy food at the various cafeteria locations. At Coe the caf is all you can eat but at the cafeteria's on Madison's campus everything has a price so unlimited food is kind of out of the picture.
TAs and two professors: In a bigger school such as Madison, TAs are commonplace. I don't have anything against TAs but I would prefer to talk to and have my paper and exams graded by the professor who has spent many years learning and discovering more about their area of expertise. In my friend's Zoology lecture, she told me the professor standing in front of us today wasn't going to be her professor in two weeks and instead a male professor would lead the class until the end of the semester. I thought this was intriguing because I can't imagine having only Gina (British Literature), Joyce (French), Terry (Fantasy), or Gordon (Honors) for only half a semester. In a lecture class that big you don't become close to your professor so I guess I can see that having a new one wouldn't totally throw my friend for a loop. But for me, I like developing a student-teacher interactions with my professors. I ask them for help when I need it and look to them for advice.
I had a great day on Madison's campus but it made me appreciate Coe so much more than I already do. It affirmed my belief that I needed a small college. Coe is the perfect size for me so I encourage all prospective students to look at both big and small schools to know which one is going to be better for you!
Had a bit of a revelation today, it was quite fun. I was sitting in my Introduction to French Literature class and realized how much I really enjoy history. More than I can explain. I love seeing how the events played out and the key figures who created the history we're studying. And I think I would be silly if I didn't follow through on history; I'd be letting history down. So I think I want to minor in History. The best part, is that I CAN. Because Coe is fantastic like that, I don't have to declare anything until the end of my sophomore year and even though I'm not taking a history class right now, I won't be "behind." I can catch up.
I also checked out another Common Hour this afternoon. Coe will be in the process very shortly of hiring a new Library Director. They haven't had a new director for around 20 years (and think about all that has changed in just 20 years). Coe wants to have a vision for our library in the 21st century so faculty and students like myself talked yesterday about what that vision should be. Again, it was a great discussion because everyone participated and added in their own input. And the faculty really want to know what the students are thinking and so when we show up, they want to ask us a million questions. To me, that shows that they genuinely care about us and want to make sure we are getting the most out of our education. I was more than happy to go and share my input about one of my favorite places on campus.
The first Blindspot of the second semester happened tonight as well. The stage was all set up for the play "Copenhagen" which will be performed next week (http://www.coe.edu/news/179/716/Tony-Award-winning-play-Copenhagen-to-be-performed-at-Coe). There was a great platform to perform on and many lighted lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling (that was my favorite part). I think everyone had a good time and got a few laughs out of some of the acts.
My night ended with heading to the PUB for Karaoke Night (sponsored by SAC). Although I myself didn't sing, it was still fun to watch my friends and other Coe students belt it out. SAC had soda and pizza as snackage and it was a fun time. :)
