BUFFOLOGY

Spring break is OVER!  Tomorrow it’s back to life as usual, with classes, tests, assignments…  Granted, I had a pretty quiet week this past week, but it was a welcome respite from school all the same.  Whoever invented spring break was genius, pure genius.

Sorry I haven’t written in a while — like Wes said, it’s been a crazy semester!  I came back from India safe and sound (see a few of my pictures here) and had an amazing time; I’d go back in a heartbeat if I could.  It was so incredibly strange to be a foreigner; I never got used to being stared at everywhere I went, being followed by salesmen and orphans and cows everywhere I went, or finding ruins, palaces, and historical sites everywhere I went.  The food was amazing, the air was smoky, the sights were beautiful (especially the Taj Mahal!), and the people were very curious about us… Whenever we stopped at a tourist site, we took pictures of the attraction, and the Indians took pictures of us.  Tall, light-skinned people — amazing!

 One of my favorite memories of our trip was our impromptu stop at a roadside kite shop outside of Jaipur.  Jaipur is called the kite capital of the world; every year in late January, they host a kite-flying competition, and we encountered several Indians from the U.S. that had traveled to Jaipur simply to watch it.  Looking out of my hotel window every afternoon, I could see colorful paper kites popping up and down throughout the city, like popcorn or confetti dotting the horizon; and almost every tree in the city had at least one kite stuck in its leaves somewhere.  The people at the kite shop were very gracious, friendly, and honest, a welcome change from the pushy hawkers of the metropolis.  We played with the kids before they climbed on their school bus (all bundled up in scarves and hats, because it was a frigid 55 degrees Fahrenheit — oh my), flew kites with the shop owners, laughed with the women…  I got a taste of real India, or what I felt “real” India should be like; not the Westernized, trinket-selling tourist traps of the cities, but the hard-working, poor-yet-happy, everyday Indian citizens at home.

One thing that really surprised me, on the other hand, was the Indians’ pre-conceived notions about me.  I grew up in conservative, almost-rural West Texas, where men still say “ma’am” when addressing me, and opening doors for ladies is second-nature.  In India, however, women are viewed very poorly; oftentimes, their only value is their use as a ”commodity” that can give men children, elevated social status, or free household labor.  Even worse is the Indians’ concept of Western women.  I suppose they expect all of us to be like the women they see on Hollywood big screens — loose morals, promiscuous, and manipulative — and many times we were treated accordingly.  We learned to expect this attitude and adjust our behaviors; although different and sometimes awkward, it wasn’t a big deal.  What broke my heart, though, were the cute little boys walking home from school that laughed as they made obscene gestures at us — it was sad to think that they learn such attitudes at such a young age, and that they will probably retain these preconceived concepts of us for as long as they live.  I am now thankful for every respectful word said to me, every door opened with a smile, and every expression of an expectation of my respectability back here at home; like they say, there’s nothing like going away to make you appreciate what you have at home.

That’s enough for now.  I hope you all had a great spring break, and I’ll be back again soon!

-Kelsi

So a blog probably needs to be written.  I kind of slacked off.  In all honesty though, I have been super busy.  I’m only taking ten hours this semester; however, I’m busier than ever with extracurriculars.  It’s great to be busy, makes the semester fly by faster. (seems like we just started…hard to believe that in 26 days I will be on a jet plane to Poland!)

So to catch you up on WT.  The CC has closed down.  It was such a weird feeling to walk in over there right at the start of the construction.  Walls were torn out, desk were gone.  So weird.  I went in the Old Fine Arts Building the other day to run some errands and reminisce about the days I spent over there.  It’s odd to see it back in action.  Different offices….same smell.

Some people have complained about all this business. But I find it thrilling.  The end product will be amazing!  I can’t wait to come back as an alumni and see how the campus has changed.  Value in my degree constantly increasing.

I have figured out the next two years of my life.  I’m sticking around for grad school.  Exciting to have figured this out.  I am going to be the First Year Experience Graduate Assistant.  I’ll be planning NSO, assisting with Buff Branding, Convocation and the Freshman Seminar class.  I’m stoked considering I want to do that stuff as a future career.

I’m also pretty pumped about the presidential elections.  Regardless of what side of the line you stand on, this primary season is exciting and it is exciting to discuss it with peers. The energy is brilliant!

Hmm…Ok.  Lunch time.  I’ll be more consistent. Promise!

Until then.

-Wes

I am Jasinia Flores, I was raised in Canyon, TX. I am the traditional and the non-traditional transfer student. I am a commuter, I have never lived on campus and I have only eaten in the Caf about a dozen times. I am a hispanic WT student, along with 1000 others. I am in a sorority, along with 4% of WT Women. I am a Peer Leader for Freshman along with about 30 others. I have 3 jobs, I pay for my own education without the help of my parents. I am a President, a Vice President, and a Treasurer of different organizations. I have been a reporter, an Editor-in-Chief, a Student Senator, and the girl who wasn’t involved at all.

I wasn’t chosen to blog because someone thought I would paint a pretty picture of West Texas A&M, I was chosen because I represent a lot of different people that attend this University. I don’t write to make WT look good, it looks good on it’s own. I haven’t written much, but what I have written has been truth.

I don’t think about writing about the possibility of the increase on tuition because I already know that it is among the lowest in the state and even in the United States. I don’t have a problem with the cost of tuition because I have already been to a Big 12 school where 1 semester cost me more than my entire education at WT will cost. When I left that school not a single professor knew my name or where I came from, whereas here I can call my professors by their first name and I have the same technology and a better understanding of what I am studying.

I don’t talk about construction and the pains of it because there isn’t any. Sure the schedule is a little difficult with the reconstruction of the Classroom Center but at the same time class is still in session and the future students of WT will benefit from it.

You left out our discussion about the infamous parking problem, I like to refer to it as the lazy problem. The biggest complaint is that no one can ever find a spot, but what they really mean is that they can’t find a spot near the door. There really are enough spots but no one wants to walk a little. Oh and the price. Forgot about that, it increased and so did the cost of violations. Sorry if I think that $40 is reasonable for a possible 5 minute walk, versus the $500 I paid and still had to walk 25-30 minutes to get to class at the other school I went to.

So, to bobdoledude. I guess you have answers. It turns out I wasn’t bought about by the administration, I don’t paint pretty pictures, and I don’t believe that WT has many problems. But one problem I do see is there are far too many who fail to see that WT really is a great place.

So I have been trying out a new system this semester, taking online classes. The whole idea behind this is my curiosity of how I would feel about getting my Masters online. Anyway, I am taking 10 hours worth of online classes and this is what I have learned so far.

Online vs. In Class (The 2 biggest factors)

You read the chapters vs. The professor tells you what the chapter says

You go to class on your own time vs. There is a scheduled class time

I have learned that these are the two most important things to consider before you take an online class. I recommend online classes to a person that is going to read the book anyway, and knows how to read and comprehend material on their own.

I am not really an auditory learner, so this style does help me quite a bit. But at the same time I have to read a lot of material to know all of the information, when on the other hand the professor would have just told me the key points that I would need to do fine on the Test.

For those who take online classes, these are a few tips.

1. Read the book for the class

2. Check WT Class everyday

3. Get a planner and write down all the due date (p.s. All college students should have a planner)

4. Make up your own due date BEFORE the actual due date (just in case of technical difficulties)

5. Save all of your assignments to your own computer and maybe even on a jump drive

Feel free to ask any questions you might have about online classes.

-Jasinia

Taday was the first day of classes! I am not sure how many students are excited about that, but I know that I am excited beyond words.

As a student from Canyon I didn’t leave for the holidays so when Saturday came around I knew students were already back as the streets were now filled with more cars than they had been over the last month, the fast food lanes were now crowded and honestly the entire city of Canyon had quite a bit more life to it.

Honestly, the classes part of coming back was not as appealing as the social light of it all. I was excited to see friends that I had made last semester as well as those I have had for the last several years. The point it that it is good to see everyone back, well with the exception of those who graduated in December and are now off to the limitless realms of possibility.

 The way I see it, this semester looks promising. I am sure I will make some new friends, ace a few classes, take a few chances, but most importantly make a few more memories that I will take with me the rest of my life.

It’s a great time to be a Buff, I can’t wait to see what’s in store.

Adios, it’s time for me to get back in the swing of things!

 - Jasinia

So… tomorrow is the big day.  FINALLY.  Fourteen other WT students, faculty members, and I are flying to New Delhi, India!  I’ve never taken a sixteen-hour plane ride — I plan on sleeping a lot. :)  After spending the past semester reading about India, it will be amazing to actually experience everything first-hand.  We’ll travel around northern India for two weeks, riding elephants, boating down the Ganges, visiting major temples, mosques, and historical sites, interacting with the people, and side-stepping cows. (ha.) 

I must admit, I’m a little nervous… okay, I’m scared to death.  Even after reading all about India, I still don’t know what to expect — how will people interact with me?  will I be safe?  what is the food like?  and are the monkeys really that dangerous?  Nevertheless, I simply can’t wait to get on that plane tomorrow.  I love new experiences, and I know this trip will blow me away — besides, the suspense is killing me!  If you’d like to keep up with our escapades, see our online journal here.  It will be updated daily by all of us students, relating the day’s events and our reactions to our foreign (perhaps bizarre?) surroundings. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year; in a couple of weeks, I’ll post again with an overview of the trip (and pictures!).  Namaste!

4 Reasons why today was a great day

1. It was the first day of my winter break.  No more finals — yeah!

2. I got to work at a job I love.  Physical therapy rocks my socks.

3. I didn’t have a wreck driving on the ice this morning.  Phew…

4. I got accepted to physical therapy school!!!

When I got the message that one of my top choices of doctoral physical therapy programs was offering me a position, I jumped out of my chair and did a little happy dance, right there in our office at work.  I’m so excited!  All the studying, working, volunteering, applications, essays, etc. really did pay off.  I was pretty much worthless the rest of the day at work — I think I was in a happy daze.  I have LOVED being here at WT, and while part of me will be sad to leave, the other part of me knows my years here have left me well-prepared for moving on to something different.

That’s why today was a great day. 

 oh — and only 21 days until I go to India!

So I am down here in the computer lab printing off a study guide for a final tomorrow.  No, I’m not procrastinating…it’s one I made to remember the information easier.

 Anywho, so I’m down here in the HELC and I know NO ONE!  This is such a rarity.  I mean, I used to dread coming down here, not because I hate the facilities; far from it, cause the HELC has some pretty kick ass stuff.  No…I used to hate coming down here because I would never get anything done.  I’d see tons of people and would stay for hours just chatting it up.  It was like the after party for the JBK.  Everyone would end up coming over here at night to study and what not, so you’d see everyone.

 Tonight it is just as busy as it used to be; however, my circle of friends has grown smaller now that I am a senior.  Everyone I used to hang out with has since graduated, and the ones I do hang out with now were never down here to begin with.   It’s kind of bittersweet I guess.  There are tons of fresh faces here at WT who will soon be in the same boat as me, so that’s a good thing.  It’s just a bummer because it is the realization that I am about to have to leave to enter the real world.   SCARY!!!!! 

 Well, I guess I have rambled enough for tonight.  Back to the task at hand, print off my stuff and go study. 

 Good Night and Good Luck {on finals.}

-Wes

winter is HERE!  I woke up this morning to a world slathered in ice.  church was canceled, and I’m all comfy by my computer, finishing up some studying for my last final tomorrow.  yay neuroscience…  maybe it will be too icy to go to school and the professor will give us ALL automatic A’s.  haha.

last weekend was amazing…  we had the Renaissance Festival on campus, and all of us chamber singers put on our furry, lacy, poufy medieval costumes and performed at the feast.  the guys’ costumes were the funniest — they had to wear tights (after they figured out how to put them on!) and knee-pants.  anyway, we sang songs about boar’s heads, wassail, geese, and all sorts of other foods that we never eat any more, and we got to eat that food, too.  my favorite was the figgy pudding and the wassail.  That weekend we also had the annual Carol of the Lights — WT students, faculty, and people from the Canyon community gathered around the new buffalo statue to sing Christmas carols and see Dr. O’Brien turn on all the Christmas lights — and our huge Christmas concert, where there was standing room only.  man, it was a great weekend; I’m telling you, if I wasn’t studying biology, I’d be a music major.

gotta go finish studying, and then do some work for my India class.  I leave for New Delhi in 24 days!

| View Show | Create Your Own

Wow…only three more class days.  This is a bittersweet time of the semester.  Yeah…we’re done with classes.  {thank goodness} However, it is crunch time to finish all the papers, assignments, and to study for the finals that are quickly approaching.      My advice,  don’t stress too much.  Sure, it’s hard not to when it seems you are quickly getting buried in schoolwork.  Just keep in mind that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and that these last few assignments and test will not make or break your grade; there have been other assignments and test all year that will be calculated into your final grade.  So really, though it may be a stressful time, it’s not as bad as it seems.   ….OK, now that I have psyched myself for this week, I hope you have a great one and try to listen to my advice.  Don’t get too caught up in it all.  It’s almost over! -wes p.s. - Notice the maroon wall?  I have recently moved into new digs.  Student Affairs and the Student Government offices have moved into a pretty rockin’ new suite.  I lost a window, but I gained a maroon wall.