What's IN at Bridgewater State College?

Class of 2014: Knock 'em dead!

2010-09-03T11:26:00.000-04:00

The Class of 2014 gathered on Boyden Quad on Wednesday, September 1st for their class photo. This was a truly amazing day to be a part of the BSU community as we brought a new group of Bridgewater Bears into this exciting academic community.

We expect great things to come! Enjoy your year!

Summer Vacation

2010-07-15T14:08:00.001-04:00

What's IN at BSC?

Summer is IN and the blog is on hiatus. If you really want to know what we're up to...hop over to the Orientation blog at off2bsc.wordpress.com and you'll see what we're putting out there for our incoming freshmen and transfers.

See you in August, blogosophere!

Your friends in OSIL

Impact of Involvement: Part 2 of a series

2010-05-07T10:57:00.001-04:00

by Kara Crosson, Bridgewater's Best Recipient
The four Bridgewater's Best recipients will offer blog posts in the days prior to Commencement. We congratulate them on being recognized with this top leadership award!

Fall of 2007 – sophomore year – I had just celebrated my one year anniversary as an Event Coordinator for Conference and Events Services and was fresh out of Resident Assistant training. I was ready to take on the world. Or rather, the world known as Bridgewater State College. Event Coordinating was fun but I was ready to be on the other side of things – the ones actually planning events instead of just making sure Sodexho had the food delivered on time.

I took the plunge and with the encouragement of my CESO boss I took part in the Leadership Institute through the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership. This program matched me up with a mentor – Gael DeIuliis, the Event Coordinator for the Office of Student Affairs. Gael and I spoke about the major experiences I wanted to get out of my time at BSC – getting involved, studying abroad and community service. I expressed my desire to take part in the Semester at Sea study abroad program but I was nervous to leave the BSC community for an entire semester. It was Gael who told me about the Bridgewater-at-Oxford program which took place over the summer. I looked into the program and realized it fit all of my dreams. This one month journey took place at Wadham College which is one of the 35 universities that makes up the prestigious Oxford University. I quickly applied and was honored to be given the opportunity to travel with a group of students to England. After finishing up my first experience as an Orientation Leader I boarded a plane only four days later for my first trip overseas! While abroad we experienced firsthand Stonehenge, day trips to London, and a play at the Globe Theatre among many other adventures. This trip allowed me to learn so much about myself, my classmates, and another country. Back in Bridgewater I was constantly telling stories about my trip or daydreaming of riding the London Eye.

BSC has an amazing Office of Study Abroad and I encourage everyone to check out the programs they offer. Whether you are looking for a year/semester exchange, a summer program or even a week long study tour this office has it all. Through all my experiences at BSC each one stands out for their own reason and I wouldn’t change any of them. Whatever you do, whether it be SGA or Circle K find what you’re passionate about and follow your heart.

There’s no looking back in college so you might as well start now!

Impact of Involvement: Part 1 of a series

2010-04-29T20:17:00.000-04:00

by Daniel Kent, Bridgewater's Best Recipient
The four Bridgewater's Best recipients will offer blog posts in the next weeks prior to Commencement. We congratulate them all on being honored with this distinction!

Words cannot explain how much achieving this honor means to both my family and me. I must say I wasn’t involved in high school in any clubs or organizations. The best thing I did for myself was transfer to Bridgewater, both through involvement and supportive faculty I found my path. My first glimpse at service at Bridgewater was through Circle K; I went to the Out of the Darkness walk in Boston. I remember meeting Jen Kelly then President and Peter Balboni, Vice President. Jen showed me the importance of civic engagement so I joined and actively attended community service opportunities. Peter introduced me to Kappa Delta Phi Fraternity; I saw both his commitment to community service and thought I could bring that passion even further. I had no idea what was in store for me until Peter introduced me to Jonathan White a Sociology professor. Jonathan White’s commitment to Social Justice introduced me to the growing problem of Homelessness. He inspired me work on Halloween for Hunger. A canned food drive held on Halloween where students instead of trick’ or treating for candy, instead picked up canned food items. It was then that I realized I could become a leader on this campus and make a difference. It was inspiring seeing the impact we had on our community and now after having done seven canned food drives over the last 3 years I realize they have been my favorite part of getting involved.

Thanks,
Daniel Kent

Who's my dean... and why should I care?

2010-04-13T16:20:00.003-04:00

by Cindy Kane, Director of Student Involvement and Leadership

Calling all BSC students! A big piece of your academic leadership on campus will be changing in the coming year and YOU have the chance to influence it.

There is a search process underway that will bring us a new Dean for Humanities and Social Sciences and a new Dean for Science and Mathematics. You may be wondering... so what does that have to do with me?

Deans make big decisions around here. They hire faculty. They make budget decisions. They develop policies for your school. This is something students should care about because BSC's academic programs depend on strong leadership from the dean.

Want to voice your opinion on who gets hired? You can! Each candidate gets a meeting with a group of students and YOU can be part of that group. Just show up. Seriously, it's that easy.

Here's the list of times, days and locations that we know of right now. (there will be more schedule information available soon) You can get all of this great information on this website: http://www.bridgew.edu/Searches/Dean/

See you there!

Wednesday, April 14th 3:45 – 4:30, Heritage Room (Maxwell Library)
Dr. William Rosa, Candidate for Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences

Thursday, April 15th 12:45 – 1:30, Heritage Room (Maxwell Library)
Dr. Jacquelyn Klipatrick, Candidate for Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences

Friday, April 16th 4:15 – 5:00, Heritage Room (Maxwell Library)
Dr. Melkamu Zeleke, Candidate for Dean of Science and Mathematics

Wednesday, April 21 4:00 – 4:45, Heritage Room (Maxwell Library)
Dr. Arthur Goldstein, Candidate for Dean of Science and Mathematics

Friday, April 23 4:15 – 5:00, Heritage Room (Maxwell Library)
Dr. Robert Hillborn, Candidate for Dean of Science and Mathematics

Calling all movie stars! Any directors out there?

2010-04-02T10:00:00.000-04:00

Calling all movie stars!!! by guest blogger Kara Crosson

Have you ever dreamed of seeing yourself on the big screen? Do you sit in class and picture your life a major motion picture?

If you answered yes to any of these questions I have good news for you – Campus MovieFest is back at Bridgewater State College! This amazing opportunity gives you all the tools and resources you need to create a five minute film. Now I’m sure you have questions but luckily you’ve come to the right place.

What exactly is Campus Movie Fest?

CMF is a student film festival where students can get together to produce films of any genre and style. All of the necessary materials are provided by CMF for free! I’m talking Apple Computer laptops and digital camcorders, the whole ordeal … (you must return them at the end of the program though, sorry folks). You have one week to film and edit then it’s show time! All the student films will be judged by a secret panel and the top 16 will be shown during SpringFest on Wednesday April 21^st at 8:00 in the RCC Ballroom. Movies are then chosen for the regional and international grand finales!

What if I don’t know how to operate the technology?

No problem! CMF will be on campus the entire week of filming to answer any questions and to work with you through the software.

Does everyone have to be a BSC student?

All you need is one BSC friend and you are ready to start! Each team must have at least two BSC students and anyone else you’d like to partake in your adventure.

How do I sign up?

Glad we got you hooked! Visit www.campusmoviefest.com for even more information. You can register right on their website CMF staff is on campus until Thursday, April 1^st (this is no April Fools joke) and you can find them in the RCC or in ECC from 10:00am – 2:00pm.

Is all of this starting to sound familiar? You may be thinking of the success CMF had last year at BSC. Alex Perry wrote and directed this film which premiered at BSC then went on to win Best Picture at CMF 2009 Northern Regional Grand Finale and Best Comedy and the CMF 2009 International Grand Finale. If you haven’t seen “Scrabble” you are definitely missing out. Become a fan on Facebook of “Scrabb1e: The Motion Picture” and check out the movie on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn56fnpzYgs This had me laughing for days and I can’t wait to see what they have planned for this year!

Are you ready for CMF? Look around on their website and find out some more information then get to the drawing board! Launch is April 7^th in the RCC lower foyer from 12:00pm – 5:00pm. Tech support will be available April 8^th, 9^th, and 12^th while you work away at your film. Stop by RCC room 209 from 12:00 – 4:00pm with any questions you may have. Collection will be April 13^th back in the lower foyer of RCC from 2:00-6:00pm. Then sit back and relax now that your hard work is over. Join fellow filmmakers and peers for the Finale April 21^st

BSC is lucky to participate in such an amazing event. This gives you the opportunity to let the creative juices flow, to unleash a talent you didn’t know you had, and to represent BSC!

Can’t wait to see you there!

Relax, it's JUST a presentation......

2010-04-01T11:15:00.007-04:00

Hey Bloggers!

So how many of you have presentations coming up before the end of semester? How many of you had presentations and maybe they didn't go so well? Well, I found this great article that may help you make your presentation run a bit more smoothly. I won't lie, I get nervous myself at the thought of presentations and I'm okay with saying that because it's a common feeling amongst a lot of people. However, after reading the article Worst Mistakes People Make in a Presentation I now think I can make any future presentations more successful.

The three mistakes that the author of the article focuses on are:
1. believing in magic
2. memorizing your speech
3. talking about yourself
After pin pointing each mistake the author offers a way to avoid them. Trust me it's definitely worth your time to read this short but helpful article!

By the way this is how I found the article. I have a twitter account, catmartins 28 you may follow me if you would like, and I got an e-mail notification that frsharticles started following me. So I checked them out and it's this website with a TON of articles about a variety of topics. If you don't have twitter yet then I highly suggest you create an account!! You never know what cool things you'll stumble upon!

www.fresharticl.es/business/management/worst-mistakes-people-make-in-a-presentation

PS. If you aren't following already or want to... inBSC is OSIL's twitter username!

Cat :)

Hello Fellow Bears

2010-03-31T16:48:00.001-04:00

Last weekend PC and the Student Weekend Activities Team (SWAT) cosponsored Bingo with a beach theme at the Crimson Café. Fun was had by all and beach accessories were among the repertoire of prizes. On Saturday SWAT held the Crimson Trivia Challenge, Congratulations to the winners our next Trivia Challenge will be on April 10th.

This weekend come see The Blind Side (2009) the story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All American football player and first round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman and her family.

This event is sponsored by Program Committee, Commuter Student Association and the Student Weekend Activity Team. This event starts at 7:00 pm in the Campus Center Council Chambers on the Second floor. There will be door prizes, from snuggies to dream blankets. Also included is free food including ice cream sundaes, and Mash Potatoes’ Bar with chicken and more.

Bear-ific Interview :)

2010-03-30T11:36:00.005-04:00

Howdy! Remember the Bear-ific interviews? Well, if you don't remember or don't know what they are about then you are in for a little treat. Every week I interview either a student or staff member and then I get to share the interview with you guys! This week I got to interview Peter Quinn, I'd tell you more about him but you can just go ahead and find out for yourself. All of his answers are in blue.. enjoy :)

Name: Peter Quinn

Nickname: Max

Year: Senior

Major: Business

Three things you didn't know about Max until now:

1. I was named Who's Who Among College Students by Bridgewater State College along with about 10 others in 2010.

2. Turned 22 March 5th !

3. I had an article written about me in February for The Comment!

There isn't anything that true love can't fix.

How are you involved on campus?

President - Interfraternity Council (IFC)

New Member Educator - Sigma Pi

Brother of Sigma Pi Fraternity International

Student Program Advisor - On-campus job through OSIL

Greek Week Committee - Treasurer

My favorite sport is Ice Hockey! USA IS #1!

How can your personality be best described?

A. Dorky

B. Fun

C. Timid

D. Loud

E. Other: ____

My favorite class so far has been Drawing 1, because the Professor, Tim Bailey, made it fun and exciting to learn how to draw. I can significantly draw much better than before! Never had more fun than in this class!

One of my favorite memories here at BSC so far is pledging my Fraternity: Alpha Rho Pledge Class.

I am _____'s #1 fan:

A. New England Patriots

B. Indianapolis Colts

C. New Orleans Saints

D. Pittsburgh Steelers

E. Other: Boston Bruins

My favorite kind of food is:

A. Italian

B. Chinese

C. American

D. Crimson Dining

E. Other: _______

So what did you guys think?! Leave all of your comments, or questions you may have for Max!

P.S. One of the prizes of this contest is that you get to be interviewed :)

Cat :)

BLOG CONTEST INFO :)

2010-03-30T11:26:00.002-04:00

HELLOOOOOOOO FELLOW BLOGGERS.. it's time to spice up this blog and have a contest this week :) Here is how you can participate:

1. Become a fan of Office of Student Involvement and Leadership on Facebook
2. Under Discussions, leave a comment with your name so I know you are participating
3. Get started and start racking up some points:

commenting on the posts on the blog - 2 point
tagging OSIL in your Facebook status - 1 point
answering questions correctly - 2 points
suggest topics to be talked about on the blog - 1 point
for every person you get to be a fan of OSIL on Facebook and/or to participate in the contest you get 1 point

Have fun and Good Luck!

Cat :)

Leading and serving

2010-03-25T09:44:00.002-04:00

I can't believe it's already time to talk about nominations for the Impact Awards! The ceremony isn't until April 29th, but the nominations are due April 5th.

With this event coming so quickly, I've been thinking a lot about how leadership and service connect and combine and how proud I am of so many BSC students and colleagues who have mastered this combination.

When you think of service, what comes to mind?

Do you think of serving food at a soup kitchen or building houses for Habitat for Humanity over Spring Break? I certainly do. I think of the countless hours that our fraternity and sorority groups contribute to national and local agencies and the amazing amount of fundraising that our Relay for Life participants have raised for the American Cancer Society at our event this upcoming weekend.

Service can also be seen in a different light here on campus. How about the students who put together the Lunar New Year celebration? They did it to teach us about the culture and provide an enjoyable experience for us as members of the BSC community. What about the students who participate as part of the Bridgewater Involvement Grant committee to offer a student perspective on which programs should receive funding? What about members of the Panhellenic Association? All of the students mentioned are contributing to the community with a goal of making life better for others. Of course, the level of need is different and the situations can not compare, but the motivation and drive to serve has a lot of similarities.

No matter what community you choose to serve, we host the Impact Awards each year to celebrate your contributions!

When you think of leadership, what comes to mind?

Did you think of organizations like student government or a group project in class where someone "takes the lead" to get your project up and going? I definitely do! Watching everyday "acts of leadership" on this campus is easy. It's evident in every campus event we see, in every meeting you attend, and in every course you take. You can see leadership every time a group of friends is trying to figure out what to do on a weekend and every time a faculty member is trying to think of a new approach to help students understand a key concept.

More traditional "service" activities are also outstanding examples of leadership. Unfortunately, these volunteers are often the "unsung" leadership heroes and we're hoping that the Impact Awards can bring these hardworking students to get some recognition they so sincerely deserve. Think about the leadership skills needed to motivate a group to keep clearing out a park trail in bad weather. What happens when you are faced with a choice between participating in a service project with your organization OR going out with your friends. There's some values-based decision making that needs to happen in that situation, right?

Leadership and service are interconnected and we are ready to celebrate all of the great work by BSC students and colleagues. Are you willing to help someone get the recognition they deserve?

It's time to nominate. Here's your chance: Impact Awards Nomination

HOO-HA

2010-03-05T13:27:00.002-05:00

Friend of the Day, Hoo-HA

If you ever walk by OSIL and hear a commotion; high-pitched singing, dancing, clapping, and/or shouting, it’s probably Friend of the Day!

The idea of “Friend of the Day” started in the first office staff meeting of the year, as a way to encourage people to enter the office, make new-comers feel welcome, and just have fun. How it works is the front desk workers pick a random time and write it down, the first person to enter the office at or after that time is the Friend of the Day and gets a decorated bag of treats!
When we first started out it was one of the most awkward experiences, for both the “Friend of the Day” and the front desk staff. Before the lovely début of our Friend of the Day song, we would try and clap and get excited but it would just end up being uneventful.

THEN, I found this song on youtube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SznTY0UJlWY ! We time it so when the friend of the day walks through the door this song is blasted! My first trial-run I think I scared the student; she was taken aback and seemed frightened of me…I wonder why?

So when you hear “Hoo-HA…Hoo-HA, NaNaNaNaNa” you might be the “Friend of the Day.”

Get Pumped!

-- Rachel Wesley, Front Desk Worker for OSIL

Springfest announcement is here@

2010-03-04T23:26:00.002-05:00

Hope you got the chance to see the PC Press Conference video here! Looking forward to a great Springfest 2010!

Funtanstic Weekend!

2010-02-24T16:27:00.004-05:00

Last Friday, Program Committee co-sponsored with the Student Weekend Activities Team for Student Spotlight. On Saturday we hosted the Twilight series hit, New Moon, it was a big hit and to all of those who attended, thank you for coming!

This weekend has two major events. On Friday at 8:00 pm in the Crimson Café bring your friends and sing at Karaoke. On Saturday the highly anticipated Crimson Trivia Challenge is taking place in the Crimson Café too! Come at 7pm the three themes of the night are Sports Trivia, History, and Movie’s. Bring your thinking cap and friend’s because it’s surely to be a great night!

Dan

Awesome College, Awesome People

2010-02-23T11:23:00.003-05:00

Hey guys! It's been a while..I know :( But I would just like to take a moment to tell you as to how much of an awesome school we attend. Tomorrow you will read the post from S.W.A.T. to tell you what fun stuff they have planned for you this weekend, and they never fail to impress. This past weekend they showed New Moon, the second movie of the Twilight Saga, which I attended, as well as my best friend from home who came all the way from Boston. There were snacks and drinks and it was a great turn out. The movie of course was amazing, and a ton of awesome prizes were given out. So just make sure to come back tomorrow to see what exciting things they have planned for you!

What I would really like to talk to you guys about is how Refined Movement is selling raffle tickets. Yes, they have some awesome prizes for whoever wins but all of this is for a special cause. By buying a raffle ticket, which I just did for $1, you will not only be eligible to win a prize but you will also be donating to Haiti. What the people in Haiti are going through is unimaginable, I can't personally relate but I am willing to take part in anything that will benefit them. It's great to see our school supporting Haiti, and now you have a chance to take part in this as well! Tickets can be bought in the RCC until this Thursday!

Cat :)

On the Way Down!

2010-02-19T14:39:00.004-05:00

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending a conference with four of BSC’s student leaders. It was the National Convention for the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) and while we were there, we got to see a performance by Ryan Cabrera. A song of his inspired the title of this blog post. Our conference experience also ended with me falling/sliding down a set of stairs (long story, but I’m ok, thanks for asking!). So I thought I would use some of these fun thoughts to introduce an idea that isn’t all that fun. Today, I wanted to discuss how to avoid letting people down.

As people of responsibility, which we all are, some of us take on more than others and sometimes we don’t completely follow through on what we are responsible for. It happens to all of us. We have a lot to balance in life, in college, you have class work, group work, presentations, papers, books to read and classes to go to. You probably also have a job or many jobs, clubs that you are involved in, events that you go to and meetings. You also need to keep in touch with your family, hang out with your friends, check Facebook and deal with life in general. After all of that, you also need to find some time to sleep along with about 50 other items on your to-do list. At some point, something has to give, something is going to be forgotten, something is going to not get done.

With all of this responsibility, there are many relationships that are connected. Your friends, your family, your classmates, your co-workers, your fellow club members, your boss and your professors. Sometimes when you don’t follow through on your responsibilities, some of them are going to get hurt as well. How do you avoid this? How do you make sure that your don’t ruin relationships? How do you make sure your rare “let down” doesn’t hurt a lot of people?

In my experience, especially when it comes to clubs and organizations, you need to follow three steps. These are probably not things that are going to surprise you, but sometimes we need a little reminder!

Step 1: Get Organized!
Anyone who comes to my office, immediately knows that I am not always a very organized person. I know that this can occasionally affect the things I do. At least once a week, I take stock of where I am, flip through the papers on my desk and make sure that I’m not missing something. If I don’t, I know that things get lost or I will forget to follow up on something. My point here is to take a little time for you, where you can collect your thoughts, organize a to-do list and see what responsibilities you need to fulfill. Prioritize your list, make sure you get your assignments done! Then start to work through the list.

For you, getting organized is going to be something different then it is for someone else. The important thing is to just find what works for you.

Step 2: Communicate
If you know you have a big test coming this week, think about what other responsibilities are going to suffer. Does that mean you can’t go to an e-board meeting? Are you not going to make it to Bingo with your friends? Are you not going to be able to go to work on Wednesday? Then let people know. Most people are happier to help you out if you give them a heads up and let them know that you aren’t going to be around. Sometimes, that may mean bigger things. If you need to step away from all of your responsibilities for the club you are in for two weeks, then do that, but make sure you tell someone and that they know all the information they need in order for the club to not suffer. Talk with your club advisor, let him/her know what is going on and seek their advice on how to manage things. That is what they (we) are here for!

Step 3: Know when to cut back
One of the hardest things about being involved on campus is stepping down from a position. I can still remember my own personal debates when I had to resign from a position in a club in college in order to pursue other things. If you feel that a one or two week break from a club is not going to cut it, that you are feeling overwhelmed and can’t handle all of your responsibilities, then it’s time to step back and reevaluate what you are involved with. There is nothing wrong with stepping down from a position. Many of the students who I have seen step down from a position, are some of the people I respect the most as leaders. The leader who is overwhelmed and steps down, does more good for their organization then the leader who is overwhelmed and holds on to the position, leaving others to pick up the slack.

This is not a call for all leaders to resign. I know that at times you will get stressed out, and that doesn’t mean you need to immediately step away. You need to do what is best for you and you need to organize, prioritize, communicate and then refocus your energy and sometimes that means stepping down from certain clubs or focusing your attention on your class work and only one organization. Remember that the staff in OSIL is always available to talk to you about your club responsibilities, and we can help you with some of the organizing and prioritizing.

Keep up the good work you are doing and remember to always do your best!

A Bear-ific Interview (Raul)

2010-02-18T10:59:00.000-05:00

Hey guys!! So this week has been kind of hectic and I'm about to throw a bunch of posts at you!! Well, not literally..you know I would never throw anything at you guys :)

So this week Raul Vazquez was interviewed, and again we have an awesome Bear. Check out the interview....

Name: Raul Vazquez

Nickname: Macho (no joke that's what my family calls me)

Year: Junior 2011

Major: Business Management

Three things you didn't know about Raul Vazquez until now:

1. I love to beat up the beat and fist pump when I go out.

2. I can't stop smiling when I am nervous.

3. I just found out about 1 year ago that I love to travel to different countries. Since then I have traveled to three countries and am going to my fourth one maybe in the summer.

There isn't anything that Duck Tape can't fix.

How are you involved on campus?

I am the President of our Student Government Association on campus, I am a brother of Sigma Pi, I am a member in the Student Leadership Council, I work in the Moakley Center IT Helpdesk and I work in the Commuter Services office.

My favorite sport is baseball.

How can your personality be best described?

A. Dorky

B. Fun

C. Timid

D. Loud

E. Other: Overconfident and silly

My favorite class so far has been French Film with Professor Lizie, because we traveled to Paris on a study tour and I had one of the best times of my life there. I got to go on the Eiffel Tower, see the Mona Lisa, and made 19 new friends; it was a great time.

One of my favorite memories here at BSC so far is the Spring 2009 elections for the student body presidency. It was a heated race, but myself and Kara Crosson came out on top.

I am _____'s # fan: Guilty Pleasure

A. New England Patriots

B. Indianapolis Colts

C. New Orleans Saints

D. Pittsburgh Steelers

E. Other: Jersey Shore

My favorite kind of food is:

A. Italian

B. Chinese food you can ask anyone, I know what I like and this is what they will tell you. It's so good I can just keep ordering Pork Fried Rice with pepper Steak and boneless spareribs. Hmm

C. American

D. Crimson Dining

E. Other: ____

Haha..Jersey Shore has taken over Bridgewater I swear! So what did you guys think? Feel free to comment or ask Raul any questions you would like!!!

Cat :)

Are you on the INside?

2010-02-12T12:00:00.015-05:00

I’m thinking of something that can be considered the campus pulse, knows all the events on campus, has tons of “friends” but is probably slightly underused. That’s right, everyone, I’m talking about the Involvement Network. Perhaps you have absolutely NO idea what the Involvement Network is or maybe you think it’s just an added piece of technology that really doesn’t serve a purpose for you or for the clubs your involved in. Well, keep reading and I will enlighten you to what the Involvement Network is and how good it is to be on the INside.

First things first: do you have a login? If so, GREAT – you are one step closer to getting IN. If not, surf your way on over to the website. Create a log-in after using the sign up function and following the steps. Now that you are on your way to INsider status, let’s learn some fun facts about Insiders…

Fact: INsiders are never bored. They know something is always happening on campus.

So believe it or not, there is something going on at BSC just about all the time. Sure, you may not see as many flyers around campus or in the residence halls as you used to, but going green means more than just cutting down paper advertisements across campus. It means that all the events are right at your finger tips. The flyerboard is a pretty nifty tool. Go ahead, click the events tab and see what’s going on over the next few days. You can even RSVP AND add it to your calendar so you don’t miss the event. If you don’t see a flyer there, don’t get discouraged. You can search events by category too!

Fact: INsiders are networkers. They “know” key players in all different clubs and organizations.

Did you know you can see who is involved with any club on the Involvement Network? Yes, that’s right. You can see the President, Vice Pres, Primary Contact and sometimes even the adviser of a club. Sure, I’m using the term “know” rather loosely. It is highly unlikely that you will personally know all the important people in a club, but INsiders can find out who they need to get in contact with if they want more information about the club or becoming a member.

Fact: INsiders are INnovative communicators. They know how to communicate and group consensus without that pesky reply-all email that fills your inbox.

The Involvement Network has a number of built in communication tools that you probably didn’t realize existed. For instance, you can email anyone in your club through the Involvement Network. Then there are the discussion boards and survey features, too. Use discussion boards to post minutes for members that missed meetings! You can create surveys within organizations to take polls without pesky paper ballots AND all the data is already typed up for you. Talk about going green and making your life easier!

So fellow and future INsiders, these are just a few reasons why being IN is pretty cool. If you still aren’t sold or maybe slightly confused on the Involvement Network – FEAR NOT! February is INVOLVEMENT NETWORK Month in OSIL. Every week sessions are being offered on a variety of topics regarding the Involvement Network through the CEO Series. Sign up for sessions here!

Thursday = Fun Day :)

2010-02-11T15:31:00.011-05:00

Hello Fellow Bloggers,

How about that snowday!?! If you were me you were probably wondering the entire day why there was even a snowday (not that I'm complaining), but before I knew it there was a huge blizzard outside! I basically decided to look at some scholarships, finish up some homework, hang out with my prince charming (my betta fish), and watch the movie Couple's Retreat which was hilarious. How did you spend your snow day? I would love to hear what you guys did.

Have you voted yet on our poll How are you spending Valentine's Day? So far here are the results:

With my bf/gf: 50%
Friends..duh: 30%
Searching for my valentine: 10%
Is that the day where a cupid aims an arrow at you? Um..no thanks!: 10%

If you aren't happy with the results, then what are you waiting for? Vote away.

Okay, so here's the fun part..at least I think it's pretty fun. I would like to share with you a few funny videos (all with animals..don't worry yet)
This one is of a dog that screams elmo..

Do you have really bad allergies? Well this panda does, it can't stop sneezing!!

Hope you enjoy the rest of your thursday!! Hope to hear from you guys.
Cat :)

The Red Polos Are Coming, The Red Polos Are Coming!!!

2010-02-09T11:23:00.004-05:00

Yesterday you might have felt like the campus was being invaded by people in red polo's. Don't be alarmed we came in peace (yes...I was one of them). All we were trying to do was get all of you to apply to become a Summer Orientation Leader.. see I told you we were harmless :)

A Few Reasons to Become A Summer Orientation Leader:

The people you work with, most of which you will never have met before, will turn from co-workers to friends by the end of the first day. I've come up with two theories as to why this happens: a) there's some weird orientation magic, and b) all the orientation leaders are just naturally awesome. (I tend to go with theory two).

You get to wear awesome red polo's and name tags.

You're communication and leadership skills improve immensely. You will be able to speak more comfortably in front of people, and learn how to be more decisive.

You get an early preview at the new faces that will be attending school with you! Not only that, but you can make their transition from their high school to BSC a fun and exciting one!

Isn't Chelsea Bracchi a good enough reason? Can't you SEE how much fun the OL's are?

So what are you waiting for?? Applications can be found at www.bridgew.edu/sil and they're due FEB 17th!

Cat :)

Be the change...

2010-02-08T14:55:00.000-05:00

"Be the change you wish to see in the world", that's what I always say... ok so maybe Ghandi said it first, but I like to keep it alive.

With the new year and all... I got to thinking... do you ever look around and think how you are impacted by the kindness (or lack of) of strangers? I often think about the messages I give every day more specifically how I role model to others in my every day life. What messages do we send when we don't exchange any words? As some real life examples, I lived and worked in NYC for 5 years and would always appreciate the person who would give up their seat on the subway for a pregnant mom or an elderly man/woman, I made a judgement... I like that person. Simarlarly I made a judgement for the guy who ran into me while walking down the street and didn't even apologize, he was wearing a Yankees hat.. figures. (See I did it again..I judged!). I love working with fraternities and sororities because we talk about role modeling on a regular basis, do you live the values of your organization only when you are wearing letters? Or do you believe in them wholeheartedly and work every day to made our Founders proud. The power of role modeling isn't limited to fraternities and sororities, imagine if every person that wore their BSC hoodie held the door open for the person behind them, thanked the staff at the Bears Den for their service, or volunteered to put someones groceries in their car at Roche Brothers. Imagine all the people that would see that and think, hey.. I like BSC students, staff, & faculty. Imagine the positive impact we could make in our community by role modeling to others our value of service.

I have to give a shout out to some of the students I think do this best... its the Orientation Staff. I love watching the OL's in action because they breathe life into Ghandi's mission, they show new students the community they want here at BSC and that, in turn, creates change. So my challenge to you (and myself) is to go on, put on that BSC hoodie, and change the world! Go BEARS!

Have you seen Bears out there doing nice things for others? Was it a stranger who let you cross the street by Moakley, a maintainer in your residence hall, or maybe a BSC police officer who helped you out when you needed it most.Tell us about it!

A Bear-ific Interview with Meg Ryan

2010-02-08T13:00:00.000-05:00

MONDAY.MONDAY.MONDAY.MONDAY!!!!
You know what this means..another interview with one of our Bears. Today you get to see the interview with our very own Megan Ryan. Remember all of her responses are in blue, check it outtt...

Name: Megan Ryan

Nickname: Meg; Meg Ryan..maybe..is that a nickname?

Year: Junior; May 2011

Major: The forbidden Elementary Education with Psychology!

Three things you didn't know about Meg until now:

1. I have an obsession with the color blue and have an unhealthy amount of blue shirts. My roommate is currently staging an Intervention.

2. I taught myself how to play the guitar in the summer of 2008 because I spent far too much time on Facebook.

3. My right foot is a half size larger than my left foot...it's a pain.

There isn't anything that chocolate can't fix!

How are you involved on campus?

Hmm..I am the Marketing Director of Program Committee, I am a Student Orientation Coordinator for the Summer 2010 Orientation Program, and I work in the Print Shop!

My favorite sport is baseball. I love watching my younger brother Sean play!

How can your personality be best described?

A. Dorky

B. Fun

C. Timid

D. Loud

E. Other: Vibrant

My favorite class so far has been Intro to Elementary Education, because I got to work in the classroom of my 2nd grade teacher (who now teaches 1st grade!) and I got to learn more about my major.

One of my favorite memories here at BSC so far is hosting the Homecoming Pageant with Devan Carrington. I dressed as the rapper, Lil' Wayne, and Devan dressed as the rapper T Pain! We also dressed as the Spartan cheerleaders from SNL!

I am ______'s #1 fan:

A. New England Patriots

B. Indianapolis Colts

C. New Orleans Saints

D. Pittsburgh Steelers

E. Other: Lady Gaga

My favorite kind of food is:

A. Italian

B. Chinese

C. American

D. Crimson Dining

E. Other: CHINESE FOOD! especially at Mee King.

What another great interview and I must agree, Mee King is quite delicious!! So what did you guys think?? Feel free to ask her any questions!

Cat :)

Action Packed Weekend!

2010-02-03T21:07:00.000-05:00

Welcome to all our loyal fans and welcome to our new friends!

Thanks to everyone who came out this past weekend to Trivia Night at Crimson. Hope you guys enjoyed the event, there was a good turnout, I'd venture to say around 60+ people participated, Students were paired off for competition and played three separate games with three rounds, $25 gift cards were given to 1^st place, movie tickets for 2^nd place and $5 gift cards for 3^rd place. Winners included for 1^st place Kelly Tanguay (Junior), and Matt Menard (Senior).

Here's the low-down on this weekend's happenings on campus.

To start off our Friday night, Program Committee is having Video Game Night in Crimson Dining Hall at 8pm. Everyone should come out and show your stuff on Mario Kart!
We’re bringing it back old school to the day’s when we all played Mario Kart so bring your skills and there might be some prizes in store so play your best!

Saturday Night is MOVIE NIGHT! Come watch the hit movie Twilight at 7 pm in the Dunn Conference room with your friends to get geared up for the campus premier of New Moon on February 20th. Snacks will be provided so bring your friends and remember, what team your on…. Jacob or Edward?

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday…. Super Bowl Sunday at Dunn Conference Room 6:30 pm have free food come while watching the Indianapolis Colts vs. New Orleans Saints with your friends and learn more about what’s happening at BSC on the weekends S.W.A.T.

More interested in checking out Basketball? On Saturday at 1pm BSC Host’s Fitchburg State in the Tinsley Center, Our Women’s team plays at 1pm, and Men’s starts at 3pm to follow.

Lastly.. and probably most importantly... are YOU following US on Twitter?! If not, do it do it do it! ( www.twitter.com/bscSWAT ) MAKE SURE you turn on Receive Mobile Updates from BSCswat in order to be eligable to win an INSTANT door-prize at our events! All you have to do is show me the text message that was sent to your phone and you win!

Have a great weekend Bears! Hope to see you!

A Bear-ific Interview with...

2010-02-01T13:41:00.000-05:00

So even though I'm having a not so grand day (figures its Monday), this interview sure cheered me up a bit. I was convinced this entire time that Constantine's real name was actually Dino! I've been fooled this entire time!!! Read Dino's interview, he's a pretty interesting bear.

Name: Constantine Dourountoudakis
Nickname: Dino
Year:Junior, graduating in January 2012
Major: Physics
Minor: Computer Science and Mathematics

Three things you didn't know about Dino until now:
1. The only music I listen to is Cretan music. Seriously, take a look at my Ipod sometime.
2. I have an addiction....to the Internet in genera. And Stumble-Upon.
3. I've always wanted a pet monkey like in Ace Ventura.

There isn't anything that a sense of humor can't fix.

How are you involved on campus?
At the moment...Social Chair for Sigma Pi Fraternity, Orientation Leader, and Senior Consultant at the IT helpdesk.

My favorite sport is baseball.

How can your personality be best described?
A. Dorky
B. Fun
C. Timid
D. Loud
E. Other: _____

My favorite class so far has been General Physics, because I like torturing myself.

One of my favorite memories here at BSC so far is either working Summer Orientation or being part of Sigma Pi.

I am _______'s #1 fan:
A. New England Patriots
B. Indianapolis Colts
C. New Orleans Saints
D. Pittsburgh Steelers
E. Other: ________

My favorite kind of food is:
A. Italian
B. Chinese
C. American
D. Crimson Dining
E. Other:_______

I don't know about having a pet monkey but Ace Ventura is one of my favorite movies. What did you guys think? Comment on this interview or ask Dino anything you would like!!

Rawr Cat :)

BSC - What makes it special?

2010-01-29T13:11:00.000-05:00

I'm feeling psyched about the re-launch of this blog and hope that as the semester progresses it will grow to be an exciting place for information, dialogue, and community!

Tonight is Winter Commencement and I am so proud of so many of our graduates! It is always a time where I reflect a lot on BSC and on this department.

In case you don't know this about me, I "landed" here at BSC after a series of interviews that took me and my husband progressively up Rt. 95 on a goal of moving to the New England area. I had some interviews in CT that ~~I didn't get or didn't want~~ "didn't pan out" and once we hit the Massachusetts border I found BSC.

I'll confess... I didn't know much about BSC from my one bedroom overpriced apartment in New Jersey about 15 minutes from my parents' house at the time. But, reflecting back to that day in July of 1998 that I interviewed for this position I still like to think about what interested me about BSC and how I knew it would be a good "fit." For those of you looking for summer internships or (gasp!) post-graduation jobs... the vague idea of "fit" with place might be similar to what you were thinking when you were college searching. When looking for "fit" with a place you ask yourself "can I see myself here?" "Are there people I would connect with?" "Do I like the idea of doing this job?"

If you are wondering about your next "fit", consider this...

A place that "fits" is founded on goals and values that you can support and enjoy the idea of helping to advance.

A job that "fits" offers you a blend of easy tasks that you can do in your sleep and things that you'll have to do that scare the heck out of you. Challenges are good... but it's also good to be an expert in a few things too. Nothing wrong with looking brilliant in the first few weeks on the job.
A place that "fits" will take you one next step to the next stop along your career path

Digging in a little deeper...

A place that fits will have at least one person that you can visualize having lunch with and enjoying it.
A place that fits shows you respect, treats you like someone special when you visit, and connects you with people that seem genuinely happy there.
A place that fits connects you with at least one person that will be someone you can learn from.

I've been here at BSC for a while and these are some of the reasons it "fits" for me. How about you?

Post a comment and tell us why you think BSC is a good "fit" for you and your personal goals!

Who Needs A Good Laugh?!?!

2010-01-28T14:17:00.000-05:00

BAHAHAHAHA. Lo Siento (I'm sorry in Spanish), but I am more than exhausted and trying to debate whether or not im thrilled or upset that it's Thursday. Happy that at least it's not Monday, but sad because there's ONE more day until the WEEKEND, booo..but YAYAYAYYA!!! And what is with this blizzard outside?? I'm kind of not diggin' it my dear Bears :( Anywho, I am giving you a comical gift since this weather is depressing me and I'm assuming you guys feel the same way. With that said, enjoy this video and the evil look....
Rawr, Cat :)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5ALIL7T764

... It Happens On The Weekends

2010-01-25T15:25:00.000-05:00

Hollllerrrr to our loyal followers... and to the first timers too!

Thanks to everyone who came out this past weekend to Vegas at Bridgewater! Hope you guys enjoyed the event, there was a good turn out, I'd venture to say around 125 people, and 1 lucky winner, Jim Hickey a Junior at BSC walked away with a brand new 26" flat screen LCD TV. So congrats again Jim!

Here's the low-down on this weekend's hip-happenings on campus.

To start off our Friday night, Program Committee is having Video Game Night in Crimson Dining Hall at 8pm. Everyone should come out and show your stuff on Beatles Rock Band! it should really be a good night, so you won't want to miss out on this one... who knows.. there might even be some prizes in store! So play your best.

Saturday we're staying in Crimson Dining but moving up to 7PM, so while you're eating your dinner you and your friends can take on the cafe in a trivia-game-show fiasco, You Think You Know...?! Prizes are still TBD... so leave me a comment and I'll consider your prize idea!

More interested in checking out the basketball games in Tinsley? The Woman's Team will play Westfield State at 1PM followed by the Men's team at 3PM.

Lastly.. and probably most importantly... are YOU following US on Twitter?! If not, do it do it do it! ( www.twitter.com/bscSWAT ) MAKE SURE you turn on Receive Mobile Updates from BSCswat in order to be eligable to win an INSTANT door-prize at our events! All you have to do is show me the text message that was sent to your phone and you win!

That's it for this weekend Bears! Hope to see you!

A Bear-ific Interview

2010-01-25T12:07:00.000-05:00

Howdy Bears! I know it's Monday but hang in there. Think of it as this way, once today is done we'll all be one day closer to the weekend..yay!! So, to help you out with your Monday blues I've decided to pick one of our own Bear-ific students to answer a few questions so we can get to know them a little bit better!!

This is the first time we've done this and we're very excited. Today we are getting to know Rachel Rose Freedenberg, an awesome Bear from Maine..check her out. Do it.....you won't.

Oh and P.S. all of her answers are bolded in blue!!

Name: Rachel Rose Freedenberg
Nickname: No thanks.
Year: Some people would say Junior, some would say Senior, I'm not really sure, but May 2011 here I come.
Major: Psychology
Minor: Biology

Three things you didn't know about Rachel until now:
1. I have an issue with drinking obsessive amounts of water a day
2. Fish are probably the greatest animals ever
3. I am the worst texter-backer in the history of cellphones, seriously, ask any of my friends.

There isn't anything that a large ice coffee can't fix.

How are you involved on campus?
Where do I start... President of Program Committee, Member of the Student Leadership Council, Sister of Gamma Phi Beta, Student Weekend Activities Coordinator/Advisor, Weekend Task Force Member, Previous Summer & Winter Orientation Leader.. is that it?

My favorite sport is Hockey, Go Bruins!

How can your personality be best described?
A. Dorky <----? I have no idea
B. Fun
C. Timid
D. Loud
E. Other: _____

My favorite class so far has been Anatomy I, because I'm a nerd.

One of my favorite memories here at BSC so far is meeting miss Catarina Martins over our love of toast.

I am _______'s #1 fan:
A. New England Patriots
B. Indianapolis Colts
C. New Orleans Saints
D. Pittsburgh Steelers
E. Other: I think these are all football teams? So I'm going to go with the Chicago Bears, because I have a really comfy old Superbowl XX t-shirt that I love to wear.

My favorite kind of food is:
A. Italian
B. Chinese
C. American
D. Crimson Dining (glad it made the cut)
E. Other: Deli fresh anything

So what do you guys think? Do you have anything in common with our very own Rachel Rose Freedenberg? Do you have any questions for her? Comment away my dear bears..rawr!

Tuesday- Haiti

2010-01-20T16:02:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to all of you and hope that every single one of you have come up with some great new year’s resolutions!! Mine tend to be the same from year to year:

1) Try my hardest to earn some decent grades I can be proud of
2) Maybe finally trying that whole eating healthier thing (although I can never seem to resist those Reese’s peanut butter cups..and kit kats..and just chocolate in general)
3) To try to make some great memories with friends and family.
This year however I am adding one more to the list and it would be great if everyone could join me, and that is to help out Haiti. It's a New Year right? Why should people have it start out on such a tragic note?

So many, a great deal many, have suffered so much and keep suffering. I mean everyone has in their life time at least once thought "Hey I wish I could really help. I really should do something, try to help out the situation but how am I going to do that?" If you've always wanted to help out, I really couldn't think of a better time than now. And I'm not just writing this and not believing in it, I've actually already donated $10 myself. It's easy, just text "HAITI" to 9-0-9-9-9 and you will automatically have donated $10 that will show up on your phone bill; just watch this youtube video of the commercial that Michelle Obama is in that I'm sure most of you have already watched on tv (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLd_5LFKPUQ).

Also, I was watching comedy central today (The Colbert Show) and even Stephen is trying to help out! Apparently he got a new set for his show and is auctioning off pieces of his old set now! A Colbert Nation Liquidation he calls it, it’s already started this week and the bidding will continue until January 25th; it's for the table where he interviewed a ton of celebrities. And get this, AT&T will even match the winning bid, I don't know I just thought it was pretty cool (http://www.colbertnation.com/colbert-report-charity-auction).

Actually, I don't know how much tv any of you guys watch, but I feel like so many people are coming together to really try to help out. I mean this unfortunate tragedy didn't even occur in our own country and yet so many people are lending a hand or a few bucks to really try to make a difference in another part of this world, our world. I guess when it comes to things like this we all just come together and it's really nice to see that. Even my grandmother who lives in Portugal donated too! What a sweet lady I miss her ha. And I feel like I'm a part of all of this because again I donated some money, $10 that I gave instead of going and spending it on a medium hot caramel latte with skim milk and no sugar...just extra caramel haha. See I'm already fulfilling my new year’s resolutions; I'm being healthier by not choosing the latte and donating to a great cause. That small action, believe it or not, will make such a difference. Imagine if we all didn't spend money on things that we buy every week that we don't even need and donated it instead to those that are in great need?

So stealing some of Stephen Colbert's words I say to you, BSC Nation...let's make a difference. It's a new year; let's give ourselves and Haiti a new start :) - Cat Martins

2010-01-11T13:23:00.000-05:00

Greetings from OSIL 2010.

It's hard to believe that today we are preparing for the arrival of about 450 brand new Bears! Tomorrow begins the January Orientation events and we are gearing up for a busy few days!
Starting your academic career in the middle of an academic year is a little different than our typical welcome activities that happen in August and September. However, we're geared up to help make the arrival of our new students a great one as we ready the team of Orientation leaders and make sure that all of our speakers, rooms, materials and pearls of wisdom are in place and ready to serve.
If you are able, please comment with some important advice for new students that are arriving now. What do you think they should know to be successful? See you soon!!!

Firing up the blog!

2010-01-05T15:25:00.000-05:00

Happy 2010, Bridgewater State College!

Your friendly neighborhood OSIL staff is back and rested up for a brand new semester. While we're dusting off the holiday cobwebs, we're spending this week getting organized for Orientation next week and the rest of the campus to return.

See how hard we are working?

(I know some of you have taken naps on that couch, but now Erin's daughter has followed suit.)

But seriously, we're back and excited for a new year. To prove it to you, let's ask the OSIL staff that is in today about what they are looking forward to the most about Spring semester...

Christina: Getting to break the mold and being really innovative with my work
Sally: Taking a vacation in March
Sabrina: My financial aid refund check
Laurie: Springfest...it's a fun and exciting week around here
Bristaco the Bear: (unavailable for comment due to hibernation for winter)
Me: Getting this blog site to reach as many students as possible. Equally important is the fact that this semester I'm turning 40. Only a few more months of shopping left, people!

Tell a friend...this blog site is going to be THE place to follow this semester! With the help of our fantastic marketing staff, we are excited to do some fun posts!

Enjoy the last few days of break... we will too!

HOMECOMING WEEKEND!

2009-10-28T12:19:00.001-04:00

Hey All!

So its the weekend we've all been waiting for, so lets get excited! This weekend will be jam packed with alumi, football, and the homecoming court. So get out into the BSC community and see what we have to offer you!

On Friday from 11 AM - 2 PM Program committee and Student Government Association will be sponsoring a Spooky Caricature done by an amazing artist! Also PC and SGA will be sponsoring a Pumpkin Carving Extravaganza at 5PM. So make sure you get out there and show them your best pumpkin face. Remember that pumkins are limited so please come early. Last but certainly not least PC and SGA will be sponsoring a drive in movie in the East Field at 7PM. The movie feature will be, drum roll please...."The Goonies" So bring your blanket, bundle up and enjoy the show!

Saturday is another day full of fun and exciting things to do! Bright and early (more like 11:30 AM )there will be a homecoming parade featuring the organizations on campus. This is a contest so you will be entertained! The parade will stop in front the RCC steps. Soon after the parade the Bridgewater State College Bears will be playing in their annual Homecoming football game. Come support your team and make sure you go to halftime to see who gets crowned homecoming king and queen! We will be ending the day from 3:30-4:30 with a lecture from Barry Drake in the Horace Mann Auditorium. He is known for his fun and exciting talks about 60's music. Make sure you get there early as seats are limited.

As you can see this weekend will definately be a busy but exciting one. Make sure you get out there and enjoy all that we have to offer. And remember: It Happens on the Weekends

Hey Bears!

2009-10-22T11:55:00.000-04:00

Hey guys!

This weekend is really shaping up to be a good one!

Friday night we have BINGO! In Crimson Dining Hall, sponosored by Program Committee. The theme is Shop 'Til You Drop, and I know you all looove doing that, so get pumped up. The prizes are great giftcards to all your favorite stores, and who couldn't use a little extra cash. So don't forget to stop by Crimson Dining Hall this Friday at 7pm to have some fun and win some great prizes!

Saturday don't miss out as the Lady Bears take on Framingham State at this 12 o'clock Soccer match. The Lady Bears are currently 6-6-2 while Framingham State is on a current 3-loss streak... let's see if our Bears have what it takes to make it a 4-loss streak!

If Soccer's not really your thing, than get in the fall spirit with Pumpkin Carving at the Clocktower (if it rains we'll be inside the ECC). We'll be carving Pumpkins from 1-4 and, of course, there will be PRIZES! That's right! The scariest and best free-hand carved pumpkin will be entered to win a $25 American Express giftcard!

Hope to see you guys at this weekends fun events!

Tweet....tweet... anyone out there?

2009-09-16T12:41:00.000-04:00

Hey @BSC!

This past summer we started our adventures into the new land called Twitter. During Orientation we experimented with new uses for Twitter in our office including an Off2BSC Twitter account for freshmen and their families as well as an OL staff account to offer better communication among our staff. Besides our venture, our colleagues in Athletics started@BSCBears and our friends in the Campus Center are tweeting as well.

We had some fun stuff happen:
- we got the chance to instantly communicate with our OL's and used it as a "group text messaging" function as they linked Twitter to their cell phones.
- we recruited some freshmen into campus programs through our Off2BSC links that we publicized.
- we answered questions about Orientation that incoming parents had and gave them quick, concise responses to their questions.

So the question remains, where do we go from here with this? We need to hear from you ON THIS BLOG about whether you are using Twitter and what uses you think it could have for OSIL in the future.

We're tweeting up a storm... but is anyone listening?

Follow us: @BSC_Involved

If we can get our followers going... we'll offer you a Tweducation about the wonderful world of Twitter!

Bridgewater Beginnings...and endings?

2009-09-02T15:43:00.000-04:00

It's the first day of classes! Hooray!!! The campus is buzzing with questions, ideas, interests, and motivation for a great new year. We've been working all summer to prepare for this and now the day is finally here. However, something is unspoken...

I was contemplating the excitement of a new year when spending time with the incoming students at our Bridgewater Beginnings events yesterday. They attended IN DROVES to learn all about this new chapter of their career and the excitement was palpable while we listened to administrators, faculty, and students who offered advice for success. You look around the room and you can tell something new is beginning, but there are also some endings.

We focus a great deal on the excitement of coming to college for freshmen, but we sometimes lose sight of the fact that freshmen are also leaving a lot behind. A chapter in their lives is just starting, but another has ended and I'm sure that for many, managing the closure is tough.

What do you do about high school friends that want you to come
home every weekend when you just want to stay on campus?

What do you do when the person you dated in high school just
doesn't seem to be as fun to hang out with anymore?

How do you navigate things at home when your parents just
don't seem to be catching on to how to help you manage your lifestyle in
college?

To all of my first year student friends out there, I know that these endings might just be as important to manage as the beginnings have been this week.

To all of my experienced students out there, how about some advice for our new Bears? Got any tips on how to manage the high school life that you've left behind?

Have a great first week... and post some comments please!

Summertime and student organizations

2009-06-18T09:04:00.000-04:00

I love when my friends ask me, "so, what do you do all summer when the students are gone?"

Summer is a wierd time in OSIL for sure. We are just finishing up the past five weeks of the Orientation "process" because once those seniors walked across that stage, orientation has been our entire world here. All of the administrative staff and all of the support staff in OSIL play some kind of role in pulling off one of the biggest "events" that happen on our campus. This also includes our 31 OL's who we have spent a great deal of "quality time" with for sure!

On Monday night we will bid farewell to the orientation season and then move on to the rest of our summer. We'll be taking a lot of vacation days for sure, but that's mainly because the academic year doesn't provide a lot of time for vacation days to be used.

Other than vacation, summer provides some great time for us to evaluate the previous year and work on annual reports. I know, that sounds about as much fun as watching golf on tv... but it's a great way for us to organize our thinking about the year's past events and accomplishments. We know that some great things have happened this year and I personally look forward to the chance to sing the praises of the hardworking students and staff affiliated with our department.

We're also working on some cool new things for the fall. We already have an upgraded version of the Involvement Network and all of us will be learning about its new features and what that will offer us. (check it out.. it looks COOL). We're working on supporting a new program on campus called the Portfolio of Excellence where 100 freshmen will be selected to be matched with a mentor who will help the student plan their goals for their BSC life. We're also spending some time on a great new wiki site for student organizations that will bring you all of our policy info in an easy to use and easy to update format.

Beyond that, there's time to clean out files, actually take lunch breaks, and get re-energized after gaining some distance from the craziness of the academic year. We'll be around for sure this summer, so please contact us if you want to work on your fall events or if you just want to say hello. We also just bought a new webcam... so we can "meet" with you even if you can't come to campus! We're so techie..aren't we?

We'll be blogging it out all summer... so check back frequently!

Cindy

My Laptop Liberation

2009-06-11T16:37:00.000-04:00

Hi, I'm Kayley Robsham and I am going to be a sophomore at Bridgewater State College this Fall.

This past year as a new student to Bridgewater State has been both fun and stressful. The stressful part of being a freshman was meeting new people, making friends, and getting involved. If I could re-do my freshman year I would have told myself to get out of my room and off of my laptop. For the first two months, I spent most of my time in my room with my roommates. I wish that I would have talked to my Resident Assistant more, or even talked to people in my hallway. I was interested in applying to be an Resident Assistant and an Orientation Leader for the next academic year, but I did not know anyone. Instead of sitting on my laptop, I could have been networking and meeting people to help me gain more knowledge about both of the positions. Although I made up for meeting new people and making connections my second semester, I wish I got a head start my first semester. I regret not getting involved and meeting new people. I hope my experience as a freshman encourages the incoming students to get out there and network to get involved on campus! This college experience only comes once in a lifetime. New students get involved as much as you can -remember to balance academics! Good luck new students!

Springfest!

2009-05-01T13:17:00.001-04:00

Hi,I'm Katelyn, and I'm a freshman at Bridgewater State. I am part of Program Committee and Gamma Phi Beta. Every year, Program Committee sets up a whole week of Springfest events and a Carnival at the end of the week. This year's Springfest was a huge hit! Throughout the whole week there were novelty items that students could make and keep. Some of the novelty items were: sandart, photo puzzles and airbrush backpacks which were a huge hit. On the Thursday Seth Meyers, from Saturday Night Live came and performed and was hilarious. Everyone loved him. Gamma Phi Beta also participated in the Springfest extravaganza by hosting a Rock-a-Thon, where all the sisters continually rock on rocking chairs to help raise money for the Children's Physical Developmental Clinic that is run on campus. The Springfest Carnival sponsored by Program Commitee and the Student Government Association was a tremendous success. There were rides, a rock wall. For all of the students there was free popcorn, fried dough, and snowcones. In keeping with the Springfest theme there were plastic refillable waterbottles handed out that could be filled with lemonade and water and multiple refilling stations. Also, The Green River Ordinance came to perform, they were fantastic and everyone loved them. The warm weather made for a perfect day that went very smoothly, and from what I've heard this Springfest was the best Bridgewater has seen in a few years!

Peace and Love,
Katelyn =)

Congratulations to all new organizations!

2009-04-29T16:29:00.000-04:00

Hi, I'm Kathy and I was a graduate assistant in the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership this past year. In my position I assisted many students create or reactivate new organizations. I would like to congratulate the following new organizations that established full recognition this year:

Earth Science Club (ESC)
The Libertarian Youth of Bridgewater State (LYB)
BSC Business Journal (Business Journal
Commuter Student Association
Middle Eastern Cultural Connection Association (MECCA)
Student Ant-Genocide Coalition (STAND)
Physics Club
Alternative Energy Information Sharing Club
Philosophy Club
Bridgewater State Democrats
Bridgewater State Republicans
Open Arms
Physical Education Majors Club (PE Club)
Bridgewater Billiards Club (BPC)
Army ROTC
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Club (Biochem Club)
Universal Cuisine
Club Canada Club (CCC)
Bohemian Street Chanters (the B.S.C.)

These clubs have made a significant impact on the campus community already and will do great things in the coming years!

If you are interested in starting a new organization at Bridgewater State, get started as soon as you come back in the Fall 2009 semester. If you have an idea and at least 2 members, register your new organization on the Involvement Network following the link for New Club Registration. Here you will fill out the application for recognition and statement of purpose. You will then be contacted to come into OSIL and learn the rest of the process. If you have any questions, stop by OSIL. Have a happy and safe summer!

What a Weekend!

2009-04-15T14:40:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone!!

I hope you all had an amazing weekend!

Ryan Leslie came to campus this past Saturday! For those of you who don't know. Ryan Leslie is a graduate of Harvard, and after starting his career as a songwriter and producer he has now also become a recording artist. You may recognize some of his songs... Diamond Girl, Addiction and How it was Supposed to Be. Well, he was amazing! Thank you to the Class of 2011, MIB, Afro-Am, Cape-Verdean Association, La Sociadad Latina, United Caribean Culture Club and to SGA for funding it! Around 300 people were in attendence and Ryan Leslie had many of them singing and standing up to dance!

BSC's very own senior, Jerard "JRod" Rhoden opened for Ryan Leslie and he was also fantastic! People were standing in the aisles dancing to his beats. This young man has a lot of talent, and thank you to him for sharing it with the BSC community.

Tickets were free to BSC students, and $20 to any outside guests. If you missed this, I hope you take advantage of the upcoming events on campus! Remember, many of these events you have already paid for through your student activity fees. (That's where SGA gets the money to fund events.) So keep an eye out and pay attention to your student announcements!

Hang in there, BSC. It's almost summer!!

Northeast Greek Leadership Association

2009-02-27T16:21:00.000-05:00

Friday February 20th, 2009

Values Institute Speaker

The first informative event for the conference was a speaker addressing the concept of leadership. She stressed the importance of the whole and leading by example. There was one thing she said that hit a chord with me, she said “A leader is not necessarily a person who holds some formal position of leadership or who is able to affect positive change for the betterment of others, the community, and society. All people, in other words, are potential leaders.” This statement pretty much summed up what the whole day was about; being a true leader by initiating change and setting a positive example.

Values Institute Small Group Work
The small group work that followed the speaker was kind of dry and we often broke into partners and small groups which was more of an ice breaking situation than talking about leadership. One concept they addressed was the idea of ‘servant leadership’ and there is a long, drawn out definition about what it is in the booklet I got the day before but to sum it up briefly: Servant leaders may or may not have official positions of power and choose to lead through their actions and influencing others to be leaders within the community by being a leader. The rest of the day consisted of identifying the traits of a true leaders and how to inspire others to be leaders with your own organization.

Saturday February 21st, 2009
Hazing on Trial – Opening Speaker

The speaker for this day was a highly influential individual who commanded respect with just his presence. He was a ‘no nonsense’ man who connected with all the people in the audience, especially the fraternity members. I pulled a few quotes from his presentation which I found most though provoking. The first quote flashed up on the running slideshow behind him, it said “Take the courage within you and confront the forces that will otherwise destroy your chapter.” As I was thinking about that quote I found myself being increasingly drawn into his speech. I started actually feeling the need to change things, to stand up and say something when I got back to campus, to take that first step. The next quote that stuck in my mind was “Example is not the best form of leadership, it is the only way.” Not only did it reinforce the purpose of yesterday’s speaker and small group discussion but it just made sense. The only way to lead effectively is to portray yourself in the way you want others to act. Leading by example plays a vital role in a true leader. The last quote that summed up the end of his discussion was “you don’t earn your badge once, you earn it every day.” Thinking like that would help a lot of members within organizations find the right path. Every single day you represent your organization from the first day you receive your bid till the day you die, unless you are disaffiliated of course. Membership in Greek organizations is for a lifetime and everyday someone will look at you and associate you with Greek organizations if not, more specifically, your individual chapter. Act as if your letters were tattooed to your forehead because they might as well be in some sense.

Workshops
The first workshop I went to was entitled ‘Hypnotic Charismatic Communication for Recruitment and Leadership’. This presentation was my first one of the day after the speaker and it was a lot of fun. We moved around a lot and we were practicing the good components of communication such as eye contact, body language, and how to approach a conversation. It was a great time and I even got the chance to but on a sari and a lei and dance where the moves were reinforcing what we should keep in mind. I absolutely loved it!

The second workshop was entitled “Growing a Viable Panhellenic Community through NPC Extension”. This was a highly informative section all about the step to take to pursue adding other organizations on campus and also provided tips and tricks for success. Julie Johnson, the Chairman of the Extension Committee ran the discussion and to sum it up went through step by step describing as much as possible, with the time allotted, and answering any and all questions. I went up to her and asked her about extension with a limited amount of statistics, and she basically said that if the population was growing rapidly, then we should not let the statistics hold us back.

The third workshop was called “Setting Up Success: Best Practices for College Panhellenic Councils”. This session was mostly about informing us about the NPC website and letting us know what resources were available for us on it. We also briefly described how to set up a short term goals to help the success of the organization and to get as much out of your position as possible. MB came with me to this session and we came up with two goals: Effective officer transition materials, and compiling statistics for extension.
After the third workshop Maribeth and I attended the NPC Area Update which is pretty self explanatory. They discussed the changes and updates within our region and they also talked a lot about the new website. One thing they suggested for the betterment of recruitment was to have ‘exit interviews’ where we ask women who decide not to go through with a new member process and collects information as to why they decided not to. Very interesting and I’ll be looking into having that in place for the next recruitment chair for the college NPC.
The fourth workshop, entitled “Where Can We Find Prospective Members”, was focused around a book that was given to the Advisors upon arrival called ‘I Heart Recruitment’. They suggested many creative ways to recruit as well as the most effective ways to recruit. One thing that stuck in my mind was this point: “’We’re about quality not quantity’ – this is said by sororities who are not performing well during recruitment; larger number of women = larger number of joiners”. Effective recruitment involves all members being on the same page and advertising what they want to be known for whether it is GPA/ academic excellence or community service.

The last session I went to was called “Everyone in My Chapter Hates Everyone Else”. This was a pretty straight forward presentation where a former chapter president shared his personal story of trial and tribulation. He identified what can go wrong with a chapter and then discussed the ways one can address those issues. The information was pretty basic and I wish he went more in depth and addressed the chapters who do not have a lot of money in the budget for a full out weekend retreat in the back woods of Maine.

Overall, I am very happy that I had the opportunity to go and am very grateful that I was chosen by my peers to represent BSC along with 2 other phenomenal people. Not only did I receive a lot of useful information, I also met other leaders that I could connect with that I wouldn’t have met otherwise. Thank you to all those that made this amazing experience possible for me!

~Melani Gerenia
Phi Sigma Sigma

3 Students, 1 Great Conference!

2009-02-23T16:47:00.000-05:00

Northeast Greek Leadership Association
Hartford, CT - 2009

Being chosen to go to NGLA, was both exciting and nerve racking--this was the first time that our school was attending in quite a few years. But as soon as we arrived, I knew it was going to be a great experience. During the first night at Playfair, I realized that there are so many more organizations out there than just the ones that we have on campus but we are all connected by our passion and love for Greek life.

On the second day, the first speaker, Lori Hart Ebert, really set the tone for the whole day. She got me to realize that a leader doesn’t have to hold a position. A leader is just someone who is able to “affect positive change for the betterment of others, the community and society. All people, in other words, are potential leaders.” If all the members of our organizations believed in this, each chapter would be able to strive and continue to grow to be the best it can be. Lori also stressed the importance of our core values. We all joined an organization, not just because we liked the people, but because we believe in the values that those organizations upheld. She wants us to go back to our chapters and pick out those few members that are just on the roster and tell them they stink and hope that it puts a fire under their butt to either get more involved, or get out.

The rest of the day we spent time talking about the core values of all organizations—scholarship, service, and leadership. I was able to listen to what other organizations around the northeast do with their organizations, which gave me ideas to bring back to Bridgewater in hopes of making our chapters better and stronger. During this time we got to know the people in our break out groups and discuss the successes of our organizations. I turned the girl next to me and sure enough, not only was she in Gamma Phi Beta at Colgate, but she was Ashley Kirby’s cousin. That was something that meant so much to me. It made me aware of the fact that we are all more connected to each other than we think.

The last day was the one that impacted me the most. The speaker that morning, Dave Westol, told a chilling and eye opening story about the hazing that he had to endure when he pledged. He now goes around to different schools and puts “Hazing on Trial.” Whether you had to endure hazing or not when you new membered your organization, his speech really hit home for everyone in that room. We were all silent and his words made us angry. We never wanted anyone ever to go through an experience like that ever again.

We then proceeded to go to different seminars for the rest of the day. Each seminar was one that I felt our Greek life, and more importantly my chapter, would be able to gain knowledge from. I first learned how to bring a sense of class back to all our sorority women. I then learned all about transitions and how important it is to do them correctly and efficiently. After that was one about people who sometimes hated their chapter, because let’s be honest, we all have had that time when we felt that way.

After the third seminar, I went to another speaker—Dave Stollman. He was by far the best part of the day. He spoke of his experience in Greek life and taught about how you are wearing your letters at all times, whether they are worn on your clothing or not. When you stood there and got initiated, you were promising to uphold the values of your organization at all times. And if those values are not where your heart lies, then get out! We do not want people in our organizations if your heart is not really there. So hopefully, Dave will be coming to Bridgewater to impact all the organizations.

I then attended a heartfelt and eye opening seminar about drinking and driving. I know that by me retelling the story it will not have the same effect, but I hope I can at least change the lives of a few people. His presentation about how he killed his 3 best friends is one I will carry with me forever and made me never want to drink again.

Overall NGLA was one of the best experiences of my life. I got the chance to not only meet many Gamma Phi Betas, but I was also able to make lifelong friendships with students from all over the northeast from different organizations. Every seminar that I went to enabled me to acquire different tactics and ideas to bring back to my chapter in hopes of changing for the better. My only hope is that our organizations accept the ideas that all three of us are bringing back. I know that whoever goes to this conference in the future will have an amazing time.

~Janelle Howard
Gamma Phi Beta

Monday Morning!

2009-02-23T11:15:00.000-05:00

This past Friday was M.I.B.s (Men Integrated in Brotherhood) Valentine’s Rewind Party! The event was a dance party, and all cans collected went to My Brother’s Keeper. Attendance was off the charts! There was a steady flow of people coming in, but no one was leaving. Amazingly, the doors didn’t have to close before midnight but the dance floor was full. If you were there, like I was, then you know it was an fantastic event… if you weren’t there you need to make sure you keep up with M.I.B. and go to their next event!These men are a great group of guys dedicated to promoting brotherhood and education. They are always looking for new members, if you’re interested stop by OSIL.

I’d like to warn everybody who is thinking about becoming an Orientation Leader for summer 2009 to fill out your application! Time is Running Out! Applications are due March 5th, but it’s better to get them done early so you don’t forget! Also, if you have any questions stop by The Open House. It is tomorrow, February 24th, 2-4 in the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership; Campus Center, room 103. There will be music, free food and OLs to answer any questions you have. This is also a great opportunity to get to know some of the past OLs and this summers Student Orientation Coordinators.

One last thing I’d like to mention for today, WOW. What’s on Wednesdays. Every Wednesday afternoon from 3:30 – 4:30 in OSIL, something is going on! This Wednesday it’s free chips and salsa! Last week it was milk and cookies! Can’t really get any better than that. So, stop by OSIL this Wednesday for some free food! And maybe meet a few new people.

Student Announcements are your friend! Keep an eye out and stay involved!

Looongg Weekend!

2009-02-17T14:50:00.000-05:00

Welcome back from the long weekend!! I hope everyone enjoyed their extra day, and I also hope that everyone was not able to catch up on sleep... But also homework!! This is the time of the semester when things really start to pick up and if you're not careful, these things can really sneak up on you!

The first thing I want to point out is that circulating is a National Leadership Survey! If you are one of the lucky students to get this email in your inbox, Fill It Out! It is extremely important for the college, not just as a study, but as a way for the administration to get to know the students better in an attempt to better serve us in the future. And, this isn’t just at Bridgewater; this study is being done across the country! So, if you think about it, it’s pretty cool that we get to be a part of this! The email looks like it’s coming from Cindy Kane, Director of the Office of Student Leadership, so don’t be afraid of it!

Next, for all you Seniors! There are a couple of really cool events coming up! This Saturday night the Seniors are going on a trip to Dave and Busters in Providence! If you haven’t been there, let me tell you a little about it. Not only is it a great restaurant, but it’s an arcade too! And not just those silly, old school, pacman type games (although those are certainly fun) there is a whole room full of games!! The cost is $20, but this includes transportation, a game card, appetizers and free soda! On March 28th there will be a Foxwoods trip (for those of you who missed it last semester) and on April 20th there will be a New York trip, both these trips each cost $15. If you aren’t a senior, don’t worry, you can sign up for the New York trip through Program Committee. Just stop by OSIL and get your tickets! If you purchase two tickets, you save $10, and if you purchase three tickets you save $15! So sign up today, because these deals are for a limited time only!

Lastly, congratulations to all the Greek Organizations for an amazing and successful recruitment!

Stay Involved Bridgewater!!

Campus Activites Connecting International Students and American Students

2009-02-10T15:03:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago the International Culture Club sponsored an Indian Dinner Event on campus through the support of SGA. It was truly a wonderful event that brought together many international student and some american students centered around the idea of sharing an international meal together. As I walked around the room it was so wonderful to see different students connecting with each other; asking questions, discussing the food, or just relaxing next to one another. There were a few students that I gently encouraged to walk around and meet new people and they did, that doesn't usually happen, this was so wonderful for me :) For years I have been at events or even hosted events for international students with american students involved and it is always a challenge to get people to try to make connections....Why do you think this is so difficult?

Preference Night

2009-02-07T09:39:00.000-05:00

A potential new member blogs about her experiences at BSC sorority recruitment...

Tonight was a nerve racking wait to see what sorority invited me back to view their ritual. I was one of the lucky few people to be invited to both rituals and both were completely different, but both very meaningful. Many of the girls expressed what it was like to be apart of their particular organization. A few of the sisters even got emotional because of the impact sorority life has had upon their college career. After seeing how much each sorority wanted us to be a part of them, it made me appreciate my decision to rush this spring. I hope I get to be apart of it to experience the same feelings many of the sisters shared with me tonight.

Philanthropy Night

2009-02-05T23:45:00.000-05:00

A potential new member blogs about her experience during BSC sorority recruitment...

After attending all of the other events this week, I was sooo excited to be attending Philanthropy night. I love volunteering and doing community service, so I know we would have fun. Both organizations had us create valentine cards for the veterans and for Hasbro children's hospital. I especially loved this because it was my favorite hobby, arts and crafts. I feel like tonight was alot easier to connect to the girls in both sororities and the gamma rho chi's after all our ice breakers yesterday. I found out alot of information about many of the girls, and connected with them on so many levels. I can definately see my self fitting in as a member of Greek life. I especially loved how all of the sorority members were extremely open about their personal lives and why they chose Greek life and even their soroity. Besides connecting with the members I also made many new friends within my rush group. After tonight I feel like I have a good idea of what sorority I would choose based on my connection I had in their rooms on both nights. Hopefully I will get invited back to their ritual ceremony on preference night tomorrow!!!

Recruitment- Night 2- Time to meet the chapters!

2009-02-05T13:42:00.000-05:00

A potential new member at BSC blogs about her experience at formal recruitment...

Meeting the chapters!

After a day cancellation because of the snow storm, I couldn't wait to return to Rush Week activities. Tonight was the biggest one of all.....meeting the chapters. I was so nervous and excited about meeting them. I really hoped all the girls were nice, and that I wouldn't feel awkward asking questions. When all the potential new members arrived, we all waited anxioiusly while we were put into teams to meet each sorority. We did a few ice breakers within the team and everyone seemed so laid back and relaxed, and got really pumped to go to meet our future sisters. Each sorority greeted us with chants and cheers and girls came right up to you and introduced themselves. I felt so comfortable asking all my questions while they even shared extra info that I didn't know about each chapter. We went to stations and learned about all aspects of each chapter. Both chapters had alot of admirable qualities and everyone seemed very happy with both of them. After a tiring night of games and getting to know people we all returned back to one room to discuss the night. All the new potential members had similar feelings about already feeling accepted into each chapter and feeling comfortable to ask or talk about anything with the girls. Can't wait to finish out the week, now the real fun begins and the connections are made!

Through the eyes of a potential new member! Sorority Recruitment- Spring 2009

2009-02-05T13:35:00.001-05:00

The Panhellenic Association facilitates recruitment week each spring for the 2 International Sororities at BSC. This year the Panhellenic Association asked a potential new member to blog about her experience through the week so we can see what recruitment is like through the eyes of a BSC potential new member. We hope you enjoy reading about her experience!

Monday, February 2, 2009

Information Night

Hey everyone!

I was really excited to go to sorority rush week this week, and had no idea what to expect. I just wanted to get involved on campus, while also giving back and meeting alot of new friends.When i first walked into the info room, i was a little intimidated by having to go through what seemed like background checks and registration, but later found out its just to make sure we keep school first. All of the gamma rho chis introduced themselves as our group leaders that will help us make a decison of whether we want to join Gamma Phi Beta, or Phi Sigma Sigma. After introductions they made everyone well aware of what to expect for the week, and what fun events we would be attending. When they mentioned such things like the preference night being invite only, alot of girls seemed a little uneasy, but we were then reassured that usually almost everyone will get at least one invite back. After feeling relieved I couldn't wait to come back for the rest of rush week, and finally see what it's like to be Greek!

The best hard work you'll ever do!

2009-01-15T12:54:00.000-05:00

Buenas dias!

Last night I returned from the trip of a lifetime. Ten members of the BSC community left January 7th for a one week volunteer trip to Guaimaca, Honduras and returned changed people. Our primary focus was to make a substantial start to the addition of a medical clinic. With our local handyman Danilo as our leader we worked daily to dig the foundation of the new facility, mix the cement, move the cement blocks, and assemble the wire rebar. I spent the week working the most satisfying hard work I have ever done. Througout my time in Honduras I was challenged seeing a world so drastically different from the comforts of home. I was inspired and humbled by the people I met. I felt honored to be walking along side the people of Guaimaca. I could feel a change. I felt a change in myself that happens in that remote part of yourself that you can only get to through experiential learning. It's a place where compassion and humility meet with drive and determination.

Not to be Ministered Unto, But to Minister. It's not just a tagline or a motto, it's a lifestyle. It's a choice to give back to the community both locally and globally. It's what makes being a BSC Bear so special. So if you haven't volunteered, make it your 2009 resolution you'll be surprised what you learn about yourself and our world.

2009 has big things ahead for OSIL

2009-01-15T11:42:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone!

Greetings from OSIL 2009. We have been back since January 5 and working hard to plan for a great semester. Today we are recuperating from the past two days of new student and transfer orientation programs and we greeted just about 450 new members of the BSC community.

I don't know if you realized how many people start their careers on campus in the middle of the year, but with the economy going south and a variety of other reasons students transfer in general we probably shouldn't be surprised. We're excited that the future is so bright for BSC!

I'd like our faithful readers (are you out there?) to comment with some important advice for new students that may be arriving now. What do you think they should do to be successful?

Best Week Ever!

2008-12-08T11:21:00.000-05:00

Brrrrrr!!! It is so cold outside!! Its a good day to stay in with some hot coco!
However, I hope you didn't stay in all weekend because you would have missed a bunch of awesome events!

Friday, Casey Winner played guitar and sang in crimson dining hall for the student spotlight. What a great start to the weekend!
Saturday, there was karaoke sponsored by the Program Committee. Alot of people came out to sing, relieve some of that finals stress and have a great time.
Saturday night there was a ginger bread house building competition. Over 50 people came out to show there skills and their holiday spirit. First place received a $25 american express gift card. Second place recieved a $15 blockbuster gift Certificate. Third Place received a $15 gift certificate to itunes.

So make sure you read your student announcements so you don't miss out on any more fun events!!!

Good luck with finals!!

Best Week Ever!

2008-11-24T12:11:00.000-05:00

Last Tuesday was the annual Midnight Madness! The night started at 7 p.m. with the Men’s basketball team, and the madness ensued after with games of tug-of-war, limbo, pie-eating contest, free stuff and lots of loud music! The event seems to have been a hit since the gym was full of excited people! Although, I don’t think the midnight hour was reached.

Last week was also the annual Caribbean awareness week. Events such as, cooking, pot-luck and game nights were featured in hopes to help people better understand the Caribbean culture. To me, this means lots of GOOD food! The week ended off with the “Wave your Flag” party on Friday. At this event, all are welcome to come celebrate their own nationalities together. This week is always a big hit! And if you missed out this year, stay tuned for next year.

These Caribbean Awareness Week events were all sponsored by SGA, and I highly recommend that if you are a member of any SGA recognized club on campus that you make use of all the money SGA has to give out! And that is A LOT of money, so get those requests in!

As always, read your student announcements! There is always something going on around campus.

Have a Happy TURKEY DAY!!

The Weekend's Almost Here... Don't Miss Out!

2008-11-13T14:32:00.001-05:00

Hey Guys!
Just stoppin' by to give you your weekly dose of the weekend events.

Friday night sit back and enjoy the Student Spotlight in Crimson Dining Hall at 9pm. Same Place, Same Time, Still tons of fun!

Saturday don't miss out on Refined Movement's Take It To The Floor, dance off competition. Schools from all over will be competing to see who is the BEST. The winner gets lots of great prizes for their team, and you've gotta be there to help decide! So don't forget to check that out... 7pm in Horace Mann Auditorium! and you can bring guests to this event, just make sure they bring $3, with a donation of a canned good, or $5 without a donation.

That's it for this weekend, make sure you stick around!

-Rachel

Best Week Ever

2008-11-03T10:33:00.000-05:00

BOO!

I hope everyone had a safe and FUN Halloween! This weekend kind of kicked off with Fresh Society’s Halloween “Scary Sexy Silly” Fashion Show last Thursday night. MC for the night was Devan Carrington and the event was co-sponsored with Afro-Am and funded by SGA. Many of Bridgewater’s wonderful students got up on stage to strut their stuff dressed in many different kinds of costumes. Segments included superheroes, sexy nurses, and the things that go BUMP in the night! The audience certainly seemed to enjoy the show; I have to admit I did scream a little when one of the participants jumped out at me. During the short downtimes between sets, dancing was encouraged and some members of the audience took full advantage of that.

Overall, the atmosphere of this event was fun and exciting. If you weren’t there, I’ve heard tell of a Valentine’s Day show so I strongly suggest you check that out!

Friday night also hosted the ASU and MIB Blasian Halloween party. This event was held on campus in the Large Ballroom and was open to all BSC students as well as their friends. From what I hear this was a great event! And there was even a prize awarded to the best costume.

Halloween can be a very fun time! But it’s also important to always stay safe.

Best Week Ever!

2008-10-27T12:26:00.000-04:00

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend!! And more importantly, I hope you all found a new way to get involved on campus this past week!! If not, I have some news for you!
President Dana Mohler-Faria was the guest at the Student Government Association meeting this past Tuesday to speak about the states budget cuts and what it will mean for the school. Even though the school is being forced to make cuts, the administration is trying its hardest to make sure it doesn’t affect the students. They do not want to cut any of the teaching staff because they are essential to the learning process here at BSC. There will not be a freeze on hiring faculty, but there will be a freeze on hiring for any other staff positions that are not completely necessary for the college. There is also going to be a freeze on out of state travel that is not absolutly necessary.
So, with all these cuts, will we, the students, have to pay more to go to school? Hopefully we won’t have to. DMF stated at this past SGA meeting that raising student fees is the last option. And most of you have probably heard that the Science building has been destined for a 98 million dollar renovation. This is still going to happen because this money is bonded, not state appropriated.
I strongly suggest all of you to attend at least on SGA meeting during your stay here at BSC. I was on SGA last year and it is an amazing way to keep up to date on what’s going on here on campus. SGA meetings are every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in Council Chambers (top floor of the Campus Center).

Last Wednesday the event, ‘Karaoke for a Cure”, was held. This event was co-hosted by PC and Sigma Chi to held raise money to benefit the family of a Sigma Chi brother, whose mother passed away recently. First, there was Karaoke, where many people got up on stage to sing, a few people were even brave enough to get up there alone and sing! I watched from the sidelines, the world isn’t quite ready yet for what I have to offer.
After an hour of Karaoke, a comedian got up on stage. I’m not going to say he wasn’t funny, he was at times, but he also didn’t quite know when to stop talking. Right in the beginning he offended a poor girl who had sung her heart out to “Survivor” and after that moment, the audience wasn’t too thrilled with him. He recovered slightly from that downfall and gave us a few more good laughs before falling back into a dark abyss of the unfunny.
All together, though, the event was a hit! People had fun and I hope Sigma Chi was able to raise a lot of money to help their brother in his time of need.
Lastly, this past weekend I hope some of you got out of your rooms and went on the Haunted Tour! I wasn't there, unfortunatly, but I heard it was quite a fright! The tour was of all the haunted spots on campus, and of course Saturday night was a dark and stormy night. So, when you hear bumps coming from your next door neightbor's dorm room, or you think you hear footsteps in the bathroom you thought was empty... you're gunna be wishing you were at that tour so you knew what places are haunted, and what places to stay away from.

Remeber, no matter what your interests are, you can always find something to do on campus! So, stop by OSIL to find out when and where clubs meet. And read your campus announcements to find out what events are happening!

peace out!

Best Week Ever- Homecoming Edition

2008-10-20T10:03:00.000-04:00

It's Monday and you know what that means.... everyone is still half asleep? NO! Its means best week ever!!!

Last week was an amazing week, it was BSC's Homecoming!
There were so many PC sponsored events and fun things to do. I was given the idea that because I was a part of the homecoming court, this week I could write about my experience with homecoming.
Myself and the rest of the homecoming court have been practicing for weeks and it came and went in a flash! Thursday night was the big event- the homecoming pageant and I hope everyone got a chance to attend because it was absolutely hilarious. The talents were everythng from Sarah Palin impressions, to crazy dances, to rapping, to TV show spoofs. I personally have never had more fun in my entire life. It was such a rush to be on stage in front of peers and faculty and just have such a good time.
Then on friday night was float building behond Kelly gym. It was freezing but we were all out there from 8pm to midnight. It was alot of fun to watch what all the organizations were doing with thier floats.
Saturday morning was the homecoming parade. All the organizations that built floats Friday night got a chance to show them off in the parade. The homecoming court rode on a patriotic float and the Coast Guard Academy band played in the parade. There was a great turnout for the parade - even President Dana Mohler-Faria came to watch!
Later on in the afternoon was the homecoming football game vs Coast Guard Academy and BSC won 38 to 7! Nice jobs boys! Also at the game they announced the Homecoming King & Queen... Congrats to Chris OCampo and Kerry Fitzgerald!!!

Overall Homecoming was a blast and I hope everyone got a chance to go to some of the amazing events that went on last week.

WOW is it the weekend yet!?

2008-10-15T16:25:00.000-04:00

Hey guys it's that time of the week again!

So this week is looking like a good one, with all these Homecoming activities lined up, you should be staying busy. I won't give you a run down on everything that's going on, just the weekend things to keep you pumped for the next two days.

Friday is gonna be crazy!

The day is getting started with a Safety Expo, which will be going on from 11:00am-3:00pm in the Campus Center Lower Foyer. Not only do you get to learn about campus safety, the judical process, and sign up for RAD classes AND enter to WIN PRIZES!!
We've got float building going on from 8-Midnight, so if you're a part of any club or organization make sure you check that out to see if you guys are working on a float, and to lend a hand if you are. If you are working on the floats make sure you wander around at midnight and grab some free snacks!
Student Spotlight will be in Crimson Dining Hall from 9-10, featuring the Comedic Stylings of Sean Connelly, he's super funny and sure to draw a crowd so make sure you get there early to get a good seat! You won't want to miss out on this one!

Saturday we're gettin' wild!

Start you morning off by watching the floats cruise by in our annual Homecoming Parade!
Cheer on your friends and follow the crew down to the Football field after to watch a Battle of the Bears, as Bridgewater puts the Coast Guard Academy into hibernation!
Don't forget to stick around for Half-Time when the Homecoming Court is crowned!

Or if you're not into football, come support our other teams;

Women's Soccer will be taking on Salem State, at 11:00am
Field Hockey will be hosting Western Connecticut State, at 1:00pm
Women's Tennis will be playing in the Little East Conference Tournament, Semifinals against Rhode Island College at 1:00

Don't miss out on the Homecoming Dance, it's going on Saturday night in the Ballroom from 8:00pm - 11:45! It's a semi-formal, so dress in your best and put on your dancing shoes!

I better see you around this weekend!

<3rachel

Just because it is a long weekend doesn't mean you should go home!

2008-10-08T11:05:00.000-04:00

Hey guys, its Wednesday again and that means I get to drop some knowledge on you about this weekends events.

First we have the very fun and entertaining Student Spotlight on Friday night in Crimson Cafe (9pm). Come grab a smoothy, plop a seat and take in the good vibrations of the performer. It is sure to be someone who will rock your socks off!

Then come back to the Crimson Cafe on Saturday night for the Program Committee Karaoke Night. This gives all you guys who think you should be on American Idol a chance to shine on the big stage... The stage in Crimson that is! If Karaoke isn't enough of a treat, then you should totally come out for the FREE caramel apples that they will be giving out. Well, actually its a caramel apple station.... They will have a basket of apples set up and a bucket of hot caramel for everyone to dip their apple in. This is something that everyone should come to.

Please remember that the caramel apples are on a first come first serve basis, so get there early and stay late!

Have a safe and healthy long weekend!

(Yay for no classes on Monday!)

-Brian

Best Week Ever

2008-10-06T11:41:00.000-04:00

Ever wonder what happens to that line item on your Bridgewater State College bill labeled ‘Student Government Fee’? If you are a resident like I am, that item is a whole fifty dollars! That’s a lot of money. Well, I have some great news for you! Whenever you see a flier advertising an event hosted by one of the many SGA recognized clubs, well, there’s your money at work. That fifty dollars I pay every year goes towards helping clubs hold many events throughout the year. All that ‘free’ food, we all paid for that! When a club hosts a speaker on campus, we all paid for that too! So, if you are looking for something to do on a Wednesday night, I suggest you make sure your money is being put towards good use, get out of your room and attend some of these events!!

Oh, and one other thing. There’s a water bubbler, full of fresh, crisp water located in the SGA office on the main floor of the Campus Center… You paid for that too! Go fill up your water bottle in the SGA office, instead of using an extra $1.50 to purchase a water bottle in the cafeteria. It’s a great way to not just check out what the SGA office has to offer, but to also help save the environment!

That $1.50 could go to better use, like chocolate! Or you could save it, small amounts of money add up very quickly. I know this all too well, my budgeting abilities are not too sharp. But this past Friday, Freshman Focus had a session dedicated to budgeting in college. I surely could have used that information! I get a check every other Friday from the school, as soon as it’s in my bank account back home; somehow it ends up right back in circulation. I’m sure I really didn’t need to order that pizza from Chessman’s, especially when I could have walked over to the Crimson cafeteria and used my points to get a pizza, you know, those points I already paid for!!

Sometimes that money just has to go, like when I have to buy books in the beginning of the semester. But the rest of the school year, what do I really need to buy? An occasional order of the coveted breadsticks from Chessman’s isn’t a bad thing, but ordering out every week can become a drain on a money supply. And that really cute pair of sixty dollar bright red shoes might be JUST perfect for your favorite pair of jeans, but maybe the pink ones you already have, that are actually almost red, might work just as well? Budgeting requires a certain amount of sacrifice, but it certainly pays off in the end. Maybe there’d be a Spring Break trip in your future?

Of course, I just want to add in a few things about this weekend. I hope many of you stayed on campus this weekend, I did. Gary Peterson was the featured performer of this past Friday’s Student Spotlight series, and Refined Movement was the main attraction Saturday night as they tried to teach BSC students how to dance. If you’ve ever seen these girls dance, you’d know that one Saturday night of learning could not possibly bring anyone to their level!! But, it would definitely be fun to try!! I would totally recommend keeping up with those girls so you can see them perform sometime!!
Peace out!

SWAT are you doing this weekend?!

2008-10-01T16:15:00.000-04:00

Hey All!

Well it's Wednesday and I bet you all know what that means! Yup time for your weekend info.

So this weekend will start off just like every other Friday here at BSC: Student Spotlight! Spotlight will be in the Crimson Cafeteria at 9 PM. This week PC will be featuring a very talented young comedian named Gary Peterson. Gary is a senior here at Bridgewater and from what I hear, a funny guy. If I were you, I'd wait for dinner 'til 9 and grab some laughs while you grab some grub.

Saturday will be quite exciting! Refined Movement is going to join the SWAT team in the large ballroom at 7 and give us dancing lessons. All are welcome to show/learn your moves. No worries about embarassing yourself though, everyone is there for a good time. Refined Movement is cooking up a great choregraphed dance for all of us some come and join!

Well thats the incoming weekend! Be sure to stop by at least one of our events because its all free!!

If you have any questions feel free to call our extension at 2872

Thanks!

Laura

Best Week Ever

2008-09-29T12:23:00.000-04:00

Good Morning BSC!!
It’s Monday morning and you know what that means… Best Week Ever!!!

Have you ever wanted to learn about The Cape Verdean Culture? Well last week would have been the perfect time!! The Cape Verdean Student Association and Program Committee held an event last Monday to honor Amilcar Cabral who helped Cape Verde gain independence. There was food from Sobabe and authentic Cape Verde dance lessons!

What’s on Wednesday held their first wellness walk and full body workout class in OSIL! This was a great way to relieve some of that mid-week stress!

What better way to spend a rainy Saturday then to come and play the board game Scene It, but on the X Box 360? On Saturday the SWAT team put together this event. The original event was suppose to be the Red Sox/Yankees game, but due to a rescheduling issue the game was moved from 7:05pm to 3:55 pm, and in the end the game was rescheduled for Sunday due to the rain. The Scene It game night didn’t turn out the way we wanted it, and I think it was due to the weather. Not too many people came out in the torrential down pours, but the ones that did had a great time. The Scene It is a very fun game to play with a bunch of people; it really tests ones knowledge of movies!

Not able to go home before the big election?? You can still rock the vote! Throughout all of last week and continuing through this week The Student Government Association Office has absentee ballots that you can fill out to receive your official ballot. All the postage is free!

Stop by OSIL and find out about events and you wont miss out this week!!

SWAT are you doing this weekend?!

2008-09-24T18:13:00.000-04:00

Hey guys! Hope you had a good weekend and enjoyed all of the events, I know I did!

So this weekend is looking pretty exciting as well, I know it's only Wednesday but you should start getting pumped now!

Friday night, September 26th, we're going to kick-off the weekend with the Student Spotlight Series, sponsered by Program Committee, in Crimson Cafè at 9pm, like always. This week we have Matthew Sowersby, who will be playing guitar and singing. He's a first-year student here at Bridgewater, and he has a great musical background with tons of awards, if you don't believe me you can google him! So you should stop by, grab a late dinner or snack... I personally enjoy the Caeser Salad on flatbread with a Dirty Banana Split Smoothie... but that's just me, you can get what you want, and of course, enjoy Matt's musical talents. And if that wasn't enough to entice you into coming to the event, you may get lucky and be seranaded by him ;)

Saturday night, September 27th, spend the day watching the Red Soxs take on the Yankees and then relax with an exciting game of Scene It! in the Dunn Conference room, at 7pm. We also have other X-Box 360 games, like Madden and Rockband, so stop by with a few friends and challenge them to a battle of the best, to decide who really is the greatest x-boxer. ANDDD who doesn't like free food? We've got nachos and all the best toppings to munch on in between rounds.

Sunday, September 28th, Campus Rec will be sponsering a Home Run Derby, on the softball field at 4pm. Come compete with Bridgewater's finest, or just cheer on your friends!

Even more excited about the weekend? I know I am

- - Rachel
"Our weekend is better than yours."

Best Week Ever

2008-09-22T12:56:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Monday morning post of BSC’s Best Week Ever!

Hey BSC! Hopefully most of you took advantage of what this past week had to offer, but for those of you who missed out here’s a recap! Maybe this upcoming week you will find more ways to make your week exciting!

Last week was Recruitment for the Greek organizations here on campus. The Fraternities: Alpha Eta Rho (Coed), Phi Pi Delta (Coed), Sigma Chi, Sigma Pi, Kappa Delta Phi and the Sororities: Gamma Phi Beta and Phi Sigma Sigma each held different events throughout the week. At these events, anyone interested could come to meet the members and get to know a little more about Greek life. The week was a success for the organizations and they look forward to gaining new brothers and sisters!

Senior Convocation was last week too! DMF and senior Micky Howard spoke to the class about making their senior year memorable. After the event, there was free food in the commuter cafe for all the seniors. The turn out was great because who doesn’t love free food and canceled classes!

The BSC dance team held auditions last Wednesday! And the annual Ebony Fashion Fair trip sponsored by the Center for Multicultural Affairs was last Thursday.

Are you interested in community service? The applications for the Alternate Winter and Spring Break trips are due next Monday, September 29th in the Community Service Office. Go to the office or check online for more information. And if you are interested in joining an Intramural sports team, make sure you check the BSC Bears website to check for roster due dates!

For those of you who stayed around this weekend you may have noticed all that was going on! Anyone who went home this past weekend, hopefully you will think twice about leaving campus this weekend.

On Saturday there was the annual Fall Fest. The evening kicked off at 10pm with RHA giving away free breakfast in the ECC that included the famous BSC brunch home fries, omelets, waffles, and much more. After students ate their nice midnight snack (at 10pm) they ventured over to the Dunn Conference Room for a night full of Bingo. BSC’s Tina Botti (VP of Weekend Warriors) was lucky enough to be a winner twice in Bingo on Saturday night. Not only did Tina win twice in one night, she was a winner in Bingo the previous Wednesday, giving her a total of 3 wins in 4 days. While Bingo was going on, in the other half of Dunn there was an Xbox 360 tournament. Students gathered to rock out on "Rock Band", and challenge their trivia knowledge with "Scene It". Friends gathered for a good time all night long. The event was a total success. The night was capped at around 1:15am

Anything here look like it might have been fun? Well, pay attention; look around campus, there is always something going on! Don’t miss out this week!

-Colleen, Megan, & Brian

What are you doing this weekend?

2008-09-17T11:08:00.000-04:00

Good day all! Sticking around this weekend? Well, you should be!!! We have a bunch of great things to do on campus. We will start off on Friday the 19th. Kicking off the weekend we have the student spotlight series. This series is a weekly event that gives a student(s) a chance to perform their talents in Crimson Café. Come on out to the Crimson Café at 9pm, hang out, grab some food, sit back and relax.

Saturday is something that everyone NEEDS to be part of. During the day we have the rescheduled scavenger hunt taking place all over the campus. This is for those first year students, so come out and check in at the clock tower at 11am. If you don’t know where the clock tower is, then you need to do this scavenger hunt! This event will be in motion till 2pm. After the scavenger hunt, I suggest that you take a nap for a fun filled night.

Starting at 11pm we have the the Midnight Breakfast. This is something that the entire campus comes out for, so don't miss out on it! What college student doesn’t like free food, especially late at night? Not only are we giving out free food(ECC), but there are going to be a ton of fun activities going down on the East Campus as well. I will just name a few… X-Box 360 Rockband, board games, BINGO, and dodge ball. Come hang out with the rest of campus on Saturday. Remember, it begins at 11pm!

I look forward to seeing all you this weekend at our events!

-brian

The Involvement Network

2008-07-07T10:54:00.000-04:00

Hopefully the summer is giving you a chance to relax, but hopefully you are also taking this time to think about the coming semester and what plans you and your fellow organziation members have for your events and activities for the coming year.

The first thing that all clubs have to do, as they do every year, is to register your club with the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership. This year, you may actually start the process on-line via the brand new Involvement Network.

The Involvement Network is a website where you will be able to register your organization, maintain membership lists, e-mail lists, a club calendar, do club surveys, and much more.

In order to be fully recognized, all clubs must register on the system for the coming year. This is going to make a big difference in helping you maintain all your organization business and it will also improve communication with the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership. Please note that only the president of an organization may fill out the initial club registration form.

Every student is welcome to create an account on the system so that they can learn more about events and sign up to be part of a club. Eventually you will be able to receive a transcript outlining all of your involvement activity while here at BSC.

Sign up now and get a jumpstart on being IN! http://www.bridgew.edu/in

Graduation...coming soon!

2008-04-12T13:53:00.001-04:00

Wow - so many of you are graduating soon that I can't believe our time is coming to a close.

I know this is such a time of crazy schedules and planning events, but stop and think....are we working so hard this month that we're going to miss the "magic" of our work?

I was speaking with a student leader last night at a campus event and we were celebrating the successes of the fantastic program we attended and how hard she worked to put it on for the campus community. She is overjoyed that all of the stress is behind her and we exchanged hugs and congratulations on a job well done.

The "I Can't Wait Till it's Over" philosophy was truly what got her through the last few difficult days with planning this event, but I can't help but think about what we may have missed along the way?

We were so relieved to be done... that we might have missed the "wow" that each of our guests exclaimed as they entered the beautifully decorated room. We were so frustrated with having to do so much at the last minute...that we might have missed the student who came through at the last minute to perform for us and was OVERJOYED at the chance to share her talents with the BSC community. We were so annoyed that one of our performers cancelled at the last minute...that we might have missed the beautiful sight of the younger students from the L.E.A.D. program getting to come to a college event and the gracious "thank you for having us" that each young person shared as she left the event.

I know it's a busy time, but let's not forget to stop and enjoy the beautiful outcomes of all of our hard work. Student Leaders...."stop and smell the roses" as you walk along the path to graduation.

Club Events in April

2008-03-26T11:46:00.000-04:00

As I'm writing this, there are only 5 full days left in the month of March, that means a week from now it will be April. Of course we hope that means warm weather (although you never know) and classes drawing to an end, it also means that we are heading into one of the busiest times of year for club and organization events!

April is full of special weeks, like Greek Week, Springfest and Honors Week. It's also a popular time for clubs to hold end of the year events and banquets. As we approach April, there are a few things to keep in mind!

Event Deadlines!
As you get busy with classes, don't forget the deadlines involved with planning your events.

Reservations must be in at least one month prior to your intended date. At this point, this means that unless you are planning something for the few days available in May, your reservations should be in already!
Confirming your event, by meeting with your Student Program Advisor NEEDS to happen 4 weeks prior to your event. This deadline is really important at this time of year. With so many events going on, events that are not confirmed on time WILL be cancelled.
Contracts and Purchase Order forms must be completed when you meet with your SPA to confirm your event. These forms are time sensitive and there are a lot of them moving around OSIL this time of year, so make sure you get them in early and check to make sure your performers and service providers receive them in a timely manner.

Remember, your Student Program Advisor and all the staff of Student Involvement and Leadership are here to help you make your events a great sucess, but we are not here to plan your events or chase after you to get things done!

Fall 2008!

The next month is also the time to start thinking about your organization's events for Fall 2008. If you haven't already done so, make sure you plan to send one or two representatives to the Event Planning Workshop on April 10th. More information will be in your club mailbox and sent out over the student leader list serv. This workshop will be your opportunity to put in reservations and start the funding process for your events!

SGA...and late night at the RCC

2008-02-19T22:44:00.001-05:00

Hey folks,

Just writing tonight following an SGA meeting. It was great to see so many clubs turn out for club reports and I am always eternally grateful for the chance to listen to the great things people are doing.

I was thinking during the whole time there about how quickly the spring semester is going to just fly by! I'm hoping that none of you seniors out there get too sad... but it's amazing to think of how little time we have left before we say goodbye to a class of very dedicated seniors and welcome a new group of wide-eyed freshmen.

Tonight's set of meetings was a real whirlwind, but I wanted to post a little about some things i learned tonight:

- "rebirth" of an organization happens a lot.
There are just as many clubs enjoying long strings of success as there are groups that are working to rebuild. It's this new Yin/Yang theory I'm working on... but go with me here...
- taking on leadership in the middle of the year isn't easy.
For those of you starting new roles as presidents or e-board members, please remember we are here for you. It's not easy starting mid-year so remember your resources!
- leadership is fun!
Hearing all of you speak about your times as RA's, OL's or members of different groups and seeing the passion in your eyes while you try to promote the opportunity to others is really gratifying.
- leadership is tough work, too.
This shout out is to a few of you that had some tough conversations with me today... it's not all fun all the time. However, you know you are learning lessons that will last a lifetime and I hope that all of us OSIL types can be there to help you get through the rocky parts too.

This is a hectic semester for all of us, but we hope that this blog can grow over the next few weeks to be a place where you can hear from us about current happenings with student organizations. Let us know if there are people you'd like to hear from!

Cindy Kane

Getting started...but where are you headed?

2008-01-29T20:56:00.000-05:00

Wow – another year, another semester, another opening of classes! Can’t say I’m usually too big on New Year’s resolutions each year…maybe because it’s the fear of committing to things I may have been avoiding or putting off? Yes, procrastination does happen to the best of us, but I’ve been recently struck by how powerful it can be to put your effort behind putting your goals in writing and actually being able to mark your progress along the way.

Many of you have heard our goal setting “mantra” from time to time, but all of you should know that setting out written goals for anything you do in your personal or professional life can be a really powerful experience. All of you have dreams and hopes for what you can accomplish through your involvement on campus. Why not give some thought to setting goals for yourself or your organization in 2008? (we don’t have to call them “resolutions,” do we?)

Before you get started on goal setting, remember the SMART goals approach. Using this approach, you need to be sure that every written goal you set up can meet the “SMART” checklist. You knew there was an acronym coming… so here’s what you need to think about to keep your goals SMART:

Specific
Is your goal written in a specific way?

Measurable
Are you able to measure your outcome?

Agreed upon
Do you have the “buy in” from your members? Your advisor? Your fellow officers?

Realistic
Is this something that is in the realistic purview of your group to address?

Time-scheduled
Is your goal set up to be accomplished along a time-scheduled approach? Does it have a deadline for when you can evaluate your progress? Does it have a timeline for when it should be accomplished?

If all of your written goals pass the SMART checklist to evaluate what you develop, you then should commit to regular review of your progress along these goals to be sure they are a “living document” rather than an exercise in paperwork!

If you are in need of some help with this process, be sure to call us here in OSIL. One of our staff members could guide you through how to do a goal setting meeting with your members or we can even facilitate if the timing works!

Good luck for a very productive semester and please know that we appreciate all you do!

Involved@BSC

2008-01-28T21:49:00.000-05:00

Hello BSC!

Your pals in OSIL have decided to get blogging...and we hope that this will help you to expand your resources for being involved on BSC's campus. We are planning to discuss topics that will be relevant to your organization's success and will post resources able to help you with getting BSC students more successfully involved in the work of your student organizations.

If there are topics that you'd like to see addressed in this blog, we hope you will post some comments! We hope you will visit us often!