Living away from home can be an interesting experience. Some people love it and others hate it. And if you think that living away from home is something that you will enjoy (or did enjoy it this year) then this blog is very important for you! Housing information is going out the Monday you get back from Spring Break (if you live on campus packets will be placed under your door). But lucky for you I have some of the key information that will help you get through the housing process!

Step 1: Who am I going to live with?
This is the most important part of the housing process! You need to think about who you get along with and have similar cleaning& sleeping habits. Someone you is your best friend may not be the best roommate since they might go to bed at 3am and wake up in the afternoon while you like going to bed at 11pm. Or you are generally a messy person while your friend is a neat freak. These qualities aren’t bad they just make it hard to live with the a person who has the opposite quality. You need to think hard about who you live with so that you have an awesome year!

Step 2: Where am I going to live?
This is the fun part! When thinking about where you are going to live, imagine living there and what your life would be like. Picture what your room could look like, how it would be to get to class, and consider where your friends are living. Living on East Campus is great for those who go to the gym a lot since the gym is located there but if you are a South Campus major and hate taking the morning shuttles, you may consider living in Sheehy or Concordia. Here is a quick pros and cons list of all the buildings:

1. Fox and Leitch are all Freshmen!
2. Bourgeois:
– East Campus
– Doubles, Triples, and few Quads
– Close to the Parking Garage, right across the street from the Campus Recreation Center, a quick walk from the Tsongas Center!
– Great for those with North Campus majors since it’s only a 7 minute walk!
3. Donahue:
– East Campus
– 4, 6, and 8 person suites
– Great if you want to live with more than 1 other person
– Easy access to the Riverwalk and Shuttle stop
– Close to the Parking Garage, right across the street from the Campus Recreation Center, a quick walk from the Tsongas Center!
4. Eames:
– North Campus
– Honor Housing only
– Special programs for Honor Students
– You have sink in your room!
– Southwick Cafe (yum!)
4. Sheehy:
– South Campus
– 4, 6, and 8 person suites
– Easy commute for South Campus majors
– A bathroom and shower only used by your suite!
– Plenty a room for parking a car
5. Concordia:
– South Campus
– Singles, and Doubles
– A quieter environment for those who have a lot of homework to do
– Huge first floor common room!
– Subway and Starbucks only a walk away!
6. The ICC:
– Downtown
– Doubles and Triples
– The doubles have bigger beds!
– Quick walk to downtown restaurants and events
– Carpeted floors and your own bathroom!

Step 3: Get that housing contract by March 30th!
Getting the housing contract in on time will ensure that you get housing! The deposit is $200 which can be paid in cash, check, or on your card.

Step 4: Go online and pick your room!
The new system this year will allow you to log online and choose which building and room you want! (A lot more information on this will be provided in your Housing Packets)

Step 5: Relax and look forward to next year!
Having a good living arrangement for the next year makes coming back to school fun and exciting. I always love planning what to bring and what the room is going to look like. And making the suite ‘your own’ can be fun for all your roommates to be involved in.

I hope you all have a smooth housing selection process! And if you still have questions ask your RAs and FYREs, they will have tons of information to give you!

-Meg

Here we go, it’s mid semester and it seems like there is not enough hours in the day. Am I right or am I right? With class, homework, studying, and work there is barely any time to anything for yourself. Here is a few tips to use your hours to there full potential.

1. SLEEP! Yes I realize that means less time to get your work done but it makes those hours that you are awake for much more meaning full. You won’t get anything out of studying while being tired. Take a 30 minute nap (make sure to set an alarm) and then get back to work!

2. Eat right! I know you have heard it a thousand times but eating right can leave you feeling more awake with more energy. So eat some power foods such as: peanut butter, almonds (or trail mix! yumm), yogurt, grilled chicken, blueberries, and fruits/vegetables. Avoid greasy fried foods and foods with a lot of carbs, they leave you sluggish and with low energy.

3. Study different ways. Try note cards, reading, or working with a group different types of studying will help you learn different concepts.

4. Reschedule plans for the weekend! Your friends will understand if you can’t go to the movies or do the Boston trip. Do it on Saturday when you have more time to spend with them and less homework to do.

5. Talk a walk or hit the gym! It will improve your focus and create new brain cells that will be easily filled with your studying!!

6. Take small breaks. Your body needs the time to recuperate from the constant studying.

Enjoy and I hope you all survive the week!
-Meg

Wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Before you immediately skim by this link because you refuse to read another rant written by a Vegetarian or Vegan- I am a content omnivore who is just feeling reflective today. Truth be told, I have begun to question much of what I thought I knew about food from a class that I started taking at UML called the Politics of Food. Funny enough, that is exactly what the class is supposed to do.

Last night I received an email from the professor for the class. She was sharing this link:

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/13/omg-mcdonalds-does-the-right-thing/?src=recg

For those who did not immediately click the link, I’ll just tell you about it. The link connects you to a NY Times opinion story about how the McDonald’s Corporation is forcing its pork suppliers to phase out the use of gestation crates. Already I can start to tell that you could possibly be thinking, ” Who cares? How does this affect me?”

Answer: “Well I suppose some people care, while others may not. Unless you work a farm that raises pigs, this probably won’t affect you firsthand in the slightest.”

Being that I have begun to become a “label reader” at my friendly neighborhood market basket, I have started to become a person who does care. I saw what a gestation crate looks like and I am pretty disappointed in what I know about food. Take a second to google image “Gestation crate for pigs.”

So good job McDonald’s, right?

Today? Yes. They did a delightful job today. My larger concern has become what they will do tomorrow. It never really hit me until I read this article just how much power the McDonald’s corporation has in the global food market, but their decisions count for something. They are the third largest employer int he WORLD. Food suppliers, producers, competitors, really everyone pays attention when they make any sort of change in how they produce their successful products. Those who seek success watch to see what the successful organizations are doing and and industry is changed.

What I believe this major change has proved is what the average person can really do when he/she stands with a  lot of other average people. Consider the average population in the ever popular pyramid example. The base of the pyramid reflects the average people. Depending on the strength and size of the base, the pyramid stands a certain height tall. The average people control how high the tip of that pyramid (Executives at corporations like McDonald’s) extends.

Perhaps we, as average consumers, have much more power than we think.

Perhaps your brain is a bit tired from reading about this food for thought. If you had made it this far in the blog, reward yourself and watch this video:

~Alanna

So my friend today was showing extreme signs of anger. Actually she is currently sitting next to me right now, so I hope she doesn’t read this…. that would just be bad news bears you know? So I found a couple articles that talk about anger and what it does to your body.


The feeling of anger may differ from person to person; women, for example, are more likely to describe anger slowly building through the body rate, while men describe it as a fire or a flood raging within them. Of course, it varies by what’s acceptable in the culture as well: Some Asian cultures may experience anger in a milder way and for a shorter time than Caucasian Americas. Either way, it’s much like the fight-or-flight response; your body is gearing up for a fight to survive a wrong that’s been perpetrated against you. Chemicals like adrenaline and noradrenaline surge through the body.


In the brain, the amygdala, the part of the brain that deals with emotion, is going crazy. It wants to do something, and the time between a trigger event and a response from the amygdala can be a quarter of a second. But at the same time, blood flow is increasing to the frontal lobe, specifically the part of the brain that’s over the left eye. This area controls reasoning and is likely what’s keeping you from hurling a vase across the room. These areas generally balance each other out quickly; according to some research, the neurological response to anger lasts less than two seconds. This is why you get a lot of advice about counting to 10 when angry.


Anger can be caused by both external and internal events. You could be angry with a specific person (such as a colleague or supervisor) or event (a traffic jam, a cancelled flight). Worrying or brooding about your personal problems could cause anger. Memories of traumatic or enraging events can also trigger angry feelings. The instinctive, natural way to express anger is to respond aggressively. Anger is a natural, adaptive response to threats; it inspires powerful, often aggressive, feelings and behaviours, which allow us to fight and to defend ourselves when we are attacked. A certain amount of anger, therefore, is necessary for our survival. On the other hand, we can’t physically lash out at every person or object that irritates or annoys us; laws, social norms and common sense place limits on how far our anger can take us. 


Strategies to keep anger at bay: 


Relaxation: Simple relaxation tools, such as deep breathing and relaxing imagery, can help calm down angry feelings. There are books and courses that can teach you relaxation techniques, and once you learn the techniques, you can call upon them in any situation. If you are involved in a relationship where both partners are hot-tempered, it might be a good idea for both of you to learn these techniques.


Cognitive Restructuring: Simply put, this means changing the way you think. Angry people tend to curse, swear, or speak in highly colorful terms that reflect their inner thoughts. When you’re angry, your thinking can get very exaggerated and overly dramatic. Try replacing these thoughts with more rational ones. For instance, instead of telling yourself, “oh, it’s awful, it’s terrible, everything’s ruined‚ tell yourself, “it’s frustrating, and it’s understandable that I’m upset about it, but it’s not the end of the world and getting angry is not going to fix it anyhow.


 Problem Solving: Sometimes our anger and frustration are caused by very real and inescapable problems in our lives. Not all anger is misplaced, and often it’s a healthy, natural response to these difficulties. There is also a cultural belief that every problem has a solution, and it adds to our frustration to find out that this isn’t always the case. The best attitude to bring to such a situation, then, is not to focus on finding the solution, but rather on how you handle and face the problem. 


Better Communication: Angry people tend to jump to – and act on – conclusions, and some of those conclusions can be very inaccurate. The first thing to do if you’re in a heated discussion is slow down and think through your responses. Don’t say the first thing that comes into your head, but slow down and think carefully about what you want to say. At the same time, listen carefully to what the other person is saying and take your time before answering. 


Remember, you can’t eliminate anger – and it wouldn’t be a good idea if you could. In spite of all your efforts, things will happen that will anger you; and sometimes it will be justifiable anger. Life will be filled with frustration, pain, loss, and the unpredictable actions of others. You can’t change that; but you can change the way you let such events affect you. 


Controlling your angry responses can keep them from making you even unhappy in the long run. 
People who fly into a rage always make a bad landing.




Cheers,


~James (Not angry.. but his friend sure is)

It’s finally here: 2012. People have been dreading this year since the beginning of time basically. The Mayans have predicted that the world will come to an end in 2012 on December 21st. So it is true? What’s the facts? Honestly, no one what is actually gonna happen but it’s fun to look into what people are saying and what might happen.

Here’s what people are saying:
A New Age interpretation of this transition is that this date marks the start of time in which Earth and its inhabitants may undergo a positive physical or spiritual transformation, and that 2012 may mark the beginning of a new era.Others suggest that the 2012 date marks the end of the world or a similar catastrophe. Scenarios suggested for the end of the world include the arrival of the next solar maximum, or Earth’s collision with a black hole or passing asteroid or a planet called “Nibriu”.

Criticism:
Astronomers argue that the galactic equator is an entirely arbitrary line and can never be exactly drawn, because it is impossible to determine the Milky Way’s boundaries. There is also no evidence that the classic Mayans attached any importance to the Milky Way. There is no symbol in their writing system to represent it and no astronomical or chronological table tied to it.

Who believes in it?
A lot of people do believe that some big catastrophe will occur in December 2012, but not the end of the world. Even if it is the end of this type world as we know it, it means a new world is beginning that we can experience. I personally agree with this because in order for the whole world to be completely destroyed over night something outrageous can happen such as the Sun burning out which is going to happen for another 5,00 years.

What do you think?! Let me know!

Have an fantastic weekend!
-Meg

Being the huge basketball and hockey fan that I am, this is the ideal time of year for me. Not only is it my favorite season (who doesn’t love Hot Vanilla Lattes and jumping in piles of leaves?!!) but it’s also the time of the year when all of my sports are going on at the same time! Unfortunately the NBA is in a stupid lockout and it looks like they aren’t going to have much of season (I am the saddest). But I’m trying to not let it get me down because I still have my beloved Bruins to follow. They are on a mini-winning steak having one the last 3 games in a row. And they are on tonight at 7pm vs The Devils.

In more exciting Bruins news, THE STANLEY CUP IS COMING TO UMASS LOWELL!!!!! Yep that’s right, all of us lucky UMLers will be able to come face to face with the legendary Stanley Cup on December 2nd at the Tsongas Arena. So mark it in your calender, iPhone, agenda, or whatever else you might use. You definitely do not want to miss this amazing opportunity.

Although our UMass Lowell Riverhawks are not in the NHL, they are still a great team to watch. And the games are so much fun to go to. This week we play the other UMass.. UMass Amherst. The game is at 7pm on Saturday, I expect to see you all there wearing your Riverhawk colors to show your UML pride as we cheer on our boys to a victory.

Make sure you head to the UMass Lowell Athletics site to check out all the time and locations of all of the Riverhawk Teams. http://www.goriverhawks.com/

Below I have added some links to all the lastest info and stats on our favorite teams:

NBA Lockout Update
Bruins
Riverhawk Hockey

-Meg

Hello everyone!

I hope that you are having a very pleasant Wednesday.

Are you stressed out? Me too.

Below is perhaps the best article that I have seen on identifying types of stress and how to cope with it.

http://helpguide.org/mental/stress_management_relief_coping.htm

Did you read it? That’s okay, I skimmed it too. Well anyway, the article focuses on taking control of your life and coming to the realization that you are calling the shots.

The first recommendation of the article is to identify the sources of stress in your life.

Second, really take a look at the way that you cope with stress. You can either change your situation or your reaction to the situation. This section of the article also gives a pretty vast list of unhealthy methods of coping with stress. (I read them and realized that I am guilty of almost all of them.) You should learn the healthy ways of managing stress. The four main ways are avoiding the stressor, altering the stressor, adapting to the stressor or accepting the stressor.

If you have a couple of minutes, I would highly recommend reading the whole article. It changed my day.

~Alanna

.. For Pumpkin Spiced Lattes, falling leaves, apple crisp, and Thanksgiving break! I know I am very much looking forward to going home over Thanksgiving weekend and seeing my best friends! I’m sure it has been a big adjustment for all of you to be away from your close friends from high school and it may feel like you are drifting apart. But this is the perfect opportunity to get back on good terms with everyone you haven’t talked to in a while. Here are some fun reasons to get back together with your friends and rekindle that amazing friendship:

Friends-giving: Have a mini-Thanksgiving with all your friends! Have everyone make one Thanksgiving dish and bring it over. The rule with my friends: everything home made! No frozen apple pies or mash potatoes from a box. Think your guy friends won’t be up for cooking? Challenge them to a cook off: girls vs. boys. They will definitely be into if there is a competition or a bet going on.

Thanksgiving Day Football: Bundle up, grab some hot coffee or hot chocolate and head to your high schools football game! Chances are you’ll be able to see a ton of people you graduated with or friends you have that are still at the school. And you might get to see your old teachers (which is good or bad depending on how much you liked your teachers).

Black Friday Shopping: Even if you don’t like the big crowds or don’t want to shop, go to Walmart at 4am when it opens to watch how crazy& funny people get when they are pumped about the awesome deal they just got.

Slumber Party! I know it sounds cheesy and wicked clique but nothing is better than brownie sundaes and watching movies all night with your best friends. It gives you plenty of time to share all your college stories and exciting news you might have.
– I plan on doing this with my best friends Liz and Kelly, Liz goes to school in Maine and Kelly is in Chicago so I never get to see them. Our all nighters help us catch up because there is only so much that can be said in a hour phone call once a week.

Any other ideas you can think of?! Share your ideas with us on how you plan to spend time with your best friends. Maybe one of us will even try it!

Enjoy you time with your friends!!
-Meg

So I have recently fallen in love once again with Barbershop music. After watching the classic musical “The Music Man”, and I hear the barbershop quartet singing Lida Rose… something just gets me every time. I’m not a vocalist actually, I am a trumpet player.. but I have been a fan of A Cappella for as long as I can remember. Barbershop is THE HARDEST ENSEMBLE SINGING YOU WILL EVER COME ACROSS. If you are a singer and you have never experienced singing in this kind of group, you need to go do it…. now. And have your mind blown by all of the music theory that is going on all over the place. Seriously… I have never seen so many secondary dominants in my life. Not only is this style difficult, but it is also extremely entertaining. A lot of time and effort gets put into doing a style like this.

I suggest you check out these links if you want to hear some good barbershop!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbBITrZa6Ok

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c__XoBjsyN4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWCNiIikbFw

Enjoy your Monday!

~James ( Going to go arrange some Barbershop right now!! )

I was very nervous about a presentation that I had yesterday. I pulled a weak all-nighter and finished it up the best that I could. I went to class ready to present as the third presentation. It was weird that the person scheduled to present first did not show up, but I didn’t think about it too much. I presented and I felt pretty great about it. Overall I think that I grasped the idea that my professor was trying to get across.

It is then time for the rest of the presentations. Come to find out that half of those persons did not come to class. Other names were called to present and voices answered, “I don’t have anything for today.”

What???

Hold on a second …That’s an option? I wasn’t aware that was an option. DON’T LET THIS BE YOU.

If you are having difficulties concentration on an assignment that is due in the next couple of days, try out this anti-procrastinating techniques.

http://www.hackcollege.com/blog/2009/02/20/5-quick-and-dirty-anti-procrastination-tips.html

One piece of advice that I can offer is to choose a topic that you are interested about! It sounds silly, but honestly the projects that I have had the most difficult time with have been in either classes that I had no interest in or project topics that I could not relate to whatsoever.

Whether you just hate the number 0 or are having bigger GPA goals, if you utilize good time management you are surely on the road to success.

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

~Alanna