Semester in Review: from starting a mission to the "Last Midnight"

DISCLAIMER: Since this is the last post, for now, I am returning to my long post roots.  Enjoy!

Over the semester, I have tried to discover how involved are people on campus.

My intended plans did not exactly come true, but I have had fun through it all.

At the start of the semester, I did not expect to be in a crowded room learning about IRS Criminal investigators, observe people acting out scenes from an anime, and understand both groups as people investing time in what they love, even if photos do not tell the whole story.

I was not expecting to find out a smoker can be inside and not get warned about lung cancer.

I learned goals can be met if one is willing to wait long enough for your voice to develop.

I was able to get introspective and explain who I am and what I believe and display where work.

I was one of the few who took notes at an improv show (and got my suggestions used) after hearing heartfelt music about a developing relationship.

I was able to report on "the varsity sport of the mind" and promote the Taqueria (great value and community, even if your digestive system might not agree.)

I got to drive a golf cart and raise the scoreboard!   I might still feel the strain from that weekend, but the ability to see this campus from a different perspective was definitely worth the risk.

I discussed ASUP Senate Resolution 11-03, (funding the fundraising efforts for the new rec/wellness center from Fall Capital Improvement Fund money for the next three years), running a debate and expressed my views about the Beacon. 

Though those two entries proved to be among the most popular, I am mixed about my work on each. 

Call me naive but I do not want attention, views or whatever passes for social capital these days through arguments and controversy.  Though I might go into the field of journalism for a career, I want to stand on my own and attempt to build a reputation through what I wrote about 11-03, uncovering facts and pointing out solutions to problems rather than blithely complain about issues.  If I cannot survive in the field without resorting to unsubstantiated viewpoints with limited bias, then I am skeptical of a culture that supports people putting their own goals ahead of their subjects.  Journalism should be about displaying new ideas and perspectives so people can realize the world is full of new and different ideas that can shape their lives, hopefully for the better.

I cannot retract my views from either entry, but I must acknowledge those views were valid at the time of writing.  I will deal with whatever comes from the reaction and if that costs me opportunities, so be it. I will always try to keep the perspective of subjects in mind and remember to aim toward story not opinion (unless the situation somehow requires a sledgehammer instead of a camera.)

Even in that 11-03 post that recieved positive reactions, I feel I got a little too personal and opinionated about the meeting and discussion.  The post might have been able to shed light on the 2010-2011 ASUP Senate experience, but the meeting made me weary, frustrated and bitter toward the senate, democracy and even myself.

Several of my views about this semester can be supported/emulated in the Steven Sondheim production "Into the Woods" which wrapped up its UP run on Sunday the 17th and was profiled over at UP in Theater.

Possibly the only spoiler-free photo I took, unless you did not realize trees exist in the woods.

Warning: some spoilers abound!

Like the main characters, I wished to see how involved people, specifically students, are on campus.  Like Little Red Riding Hood, I strayed from the path, but was able to learn things I never knew before making the journey.

Like the finale "Children Will Listen" points out, children and people will look up to everyone of us and develop plans of action from what they see us do. I feel this blog tried and succeeded every once in a while by showing clubs and activities people would otherwise ignore.  Maybe people will try to start their own club or decide to attend an event or join a club just because the name is odd or for a new experience. 

When I strayed from my original goal, I acted in ways that might have harmed others and have to keep those transgressions in mind to avoid repeating those mistakes. I must always remember people are reading and not always commenting.

What does the future hold for this blog and myself after I leave this wood of supervised writing?

We will have to find out together. I might focus on some things more (ASUP Senate, clubs gone by) and not be as personal.  Depending on what the reader wants, this entity could shift toward crowd-sourced reports about clubs or events or wither away into the digital ether.

I must go for the summer but like the song also points out, no one leaves for good.  This experience through the woods allowed me to discover people can enjoy my work, regardless of length and amount of links.  I guess to them, I was doing something right. The important part is we all survived and hopefully are richer for the experience.

Thanks again to everyone who allowed me to profile them or allow me access to materials surrounding clubs and especially the commenters.  The perspectives have allowed me to gauge content reactions and improve my writing/storytelling skills.  Without you, this blog could or might have turned into random ramblings that only I and future family will see to mock or enjoy.

What did you think of this first journey through the woods?  What would you like to see more or less of in the future? How has this blog helped your journey through the woods of line on UP's bluff?

Following Bill Reed with a Minor Detour

When I pitched the idea of following Bill Reed from University Events, I did not realize how active it would be for only 7 hours.  Not only did I realize how much can occur before 9am on a Saturday, but I never expected to be raising the scoreboard or driving a golf cart.

Thanks to Bill Reed, Perry, Billy, and Michael Minor for letting me follow them around for the morning!

Here's the video of me raising the Scoreboard!




View Doin' Work: University Events in a larger map
(The map starts at the Chiles Center and Finally ends at university events.) The Descriptions make it easier to read.
The path(because it is hard to tell): Chiles Center, University Events, Chiles Center floor, Chiles Center Mezzanine (2nd floor), BC 12, Detour: BC 163, Mago Hunt, 3rd Floor Franz, Commons, BC 12, Mago, Chiles for Meeting, Hall of Fame Room, Mehling Ballroom, BC Auditorium, BC 12, Commons, Commons Boardroom, St. Mary's Murphy Conference Room, BC Auditorium, Mago, Chiles Center Marketing for soccer, Events, outside Chiles to get golf cart, events.

Who is More Miserable: a biological father or a religious father?

Refreshments and Candy

While some people were attending Christie Pub, Christie Hall's semester show featuring local acts, I and about 50 others were in the UP bookstore watching Fr. Charlie Gordon,  Theology professor and Brian Doyle, editor of the Portland magazine and parent of three including twin boys that once threw up on him (AT THE SAME TIME!)

Over the following hour, the audience was treated to a mix of lighthearted banter, sparring and deep discussion shifting toward larger ideas. One of these topics was the question of loneliness and how either can handle the moments of loneliness when they occur. 

Fr. Charlie believed he can be lonely due to his priestly lifestyle, the relatively small number of people who  require "Fr. Charlie's services" and his nature as an academic to not be as engaged emotionally as others.  However priests should be able to come to grips with loneliness. Fr. Gordon, paraphrasing a Joeseph Brodsky quote about bordem made during a commencement address, encouraged the audience to embrace the loneliness and go into it for loneliness/bordem (the actual subject of the quote) to embrace the knowledge and wisdom inherent in the situation to help create a solution to your problem. By embracing the situation and going deeper, one is better able to grow spiritually and bridge the gap of actual loneliness and perceived loneliness.

Brian Doyle had felt misunderstood but he himself had not felt lonely as a father, though he understood other fathers could feel lonely at times. Doyle believed he encountered the "jostling of expectations versus ambitions" rather than feeling lonely.

After they finished, I encountered a different pair of  Father and a father discussing this same issue, this time asked by a woman named Mary.

 Josh Noem, the father, and LXG coordinator has encountered lonely moments without his young children and wife in the house.  He says he has had trouble determining what to do because his young ones, around the ages of 8, are still at that stage where they want to play with daddy.  

Fr. Frank Murphy followed a similar course to Fr. Charlie by learning to embrace the loneliness inherent in being a priest but he can overcome that feeling by acting within his environment, regardless of the acts being small or substantial.

One downside of seeing Bryan Doyle is how he will tell certain stories again and again even if the story fits the context.  The stories can still be useful, funny or poignant  but sometimes they feel like the punchline to a joke you have already heard several times before.

Fr. Charlie discussed how to be addressed by those outside Catholicism and Christianity and the fun of being among the "motley crew" of the Order of the Holy Cross; while Doyle mentioned the disrespect and insults typically slung by children about their parents speaking and their attire.

In the end, the debate was considered a draw by Jamie Powell, director of the Garaventa Center and MC for the event. However, next year could see topics including Fr. Charlie getting tattoos, whether hermeneutics really means anything or even a discussion on surfing, so those people who cannot wait to get their fix of non-serious debate turning serious can start speculating who will come out the "winner" for the next debate.

Who do you think has it harder, priests or male parents?

KDUP: a hidden oddball community on campus, or why you should stick to one type of camera while filming

If this is the first post you have read from this blog, please read some of the other posts below or via the archives to help you understand my approach to this topic.  WARNING: some are longer posts or appear to be; blame my love for the narrow look.

Continuing the examination of clubs I am involved with, (LXG), is KDUP, the campus's radio station.

I have been involved since my freshman year to provide an outlet for my fascination with radio. I have had different formats (music, talk/current events, radio drama) and currently serve as Web Technician, attempting to maintain the website and the programming schedule.

Outside of office hours, I have two shows on KDUP.

I start my weekends with my show "Up to Something" Fridays from 4-5 pm, in which I try to report and understand what happened over the last week while also providing a P-Safe Report and Dinner update fr anyone who ever happens to be listening at the end of the show.

I end my weekends on "Animorphs: the Radio Drama, UNCENSORED", Sundays 10pm-Midnight, in which I and two others read the "Animorphs" book series about five young teens who have the ability to morph into animals defending the Earth from a parasitic race called the "Yeerks."

From its start as a house for St. Mary's Lounge's cook before the days of the Commons, to the brink of a technological upgrade, I thought it was time to present the station through the DJs themselves.

Enjoy!

Mr. Corrado and Mr. and Ms. Shipstad: a Tale of the Tape

Despite plenty of events occurred this week including the Minute to Win It Pilots After Dark event, the Fields Hall Spring Spectacular, The Upright Citizens Brigade Traveling team visit Mago Hunt Recital Hall, the Pilot Dance Team Spring Showcase, Fish’s Dodgeball tournament, and the Battle of the Bands in the Anchor, I am paying off the teases made last week about Mr. Corrado.

Mr. Corrado over the last few years has followed Mr. and Ms. Shipstad and usually has been viewed as the tamer version of the dorm-based competition until this year.  The final round of Mr. and Ms. Shipstad for the last several years was called "How Bad Do You Want It?"

Predictably within a college environment, some contestants were creative by crafting Astor Roth's College into an ode of the building, getting a tattoo of the Shipstad logo (an S overlaid over an anchor), or swallowing a goldfish.

Despite efforts from the coordinators to tone down the segment, contestants have branded themselves with an "S" for Shipstad, lick salt and hot sauce off their RA and tried to drink a gallon of milk while being pelted by cherry tomatoes.

In an effort to rebrand the event, the Shipstad Hall council, in conjunction with Staff and the office of Residence Life, dropped the round and replaced it with a series of Minute to Win It-style challenges in which contestants have to complete a given task within the allotted time, all in minute increments.

How similar are these two events that rely on the stereotypical export of residence halls, people willing to make a fool of themselves? Here's a hopefully objective comparison of the events.

Year of Origin:
Mr. Corrado- 2004

Mr. & Ms. Shipstad-1999

Number of contestants (2011): 
Mr. Corrado- 6
Mr. & Ms. Shipstad- 6 (3 male, 3 female)

Rounds:
Mr. Corrado- "Cribs" Video, Talent, Underwear, Question and Answer (Q&A), Tug of War

Mr. & Ms. Shipstad- Evening Wear, Talent, Q&A, Minute to Win It (formerly How Bad Do You Want It?)

Sample of Talents:
Mr. Corrado- Singing “A Whole New World”, singing and playing a montage of songs, dancing to a country song, solving a Rubik’s cube
Mr. & Ms. Shipstad- Singing an opera song, sing and dancing to “Singin’ in the Rain" with an umbrella, "Accents from around the World," an informal Q& A with a Scotsman, Tiffany from the South, and Svetlana from the Motherland.

Question Asked of a Contestant:
Mr. Corrado-If you were a zombie, which contestant would you bite first?
Mr. & Ms. Shipstad- If you were Hall Director for a week, what would you do?

Perspective of previous winners on this year’s event:

Mr. Corrado 2010, Ben - "I was amazed so many people chose singing as their talent. I was also pleased at how well the guys pulled off the opening routine.”

Mr. Shipstad 2010, Kyle- “It’s hard to compare to last year because this year did not have How Bad Do You Want It, but it was good. Some of the talents were interesting.”

Ms. Shipstad 2010, Lara- “Fun, entertaining, and showed that How Bad Do You Want It is not necessary for Mr. and Ms. Shipstad to be successful.”

Co-host view on the event:

Mr. Corrado- “Well organized by the Hall Council. Closing the doors brought a sense of anticipation to the event.”

Mr. & Ms. Shipstad:-“This was a great two-hour period where the building was able to come together.”

Qualifications:
Mr. Corrado-Male resident of Corrado, raise $50 for the Holy Cross Charity
Mr. & Ms. Shipstad-Resident of Shipstad

Prize for winner:
Mr. Corrado-Trojan helmet and plunger

Mr and Ms. Shipstad "Crowns"

Mr. & Ms. Shipstad- (Mr.) Hat  (Ms.) tiara, earrings and ring 

Perceived Core Audience:
Mr. Corrado-Corrado residents and female inhabitants of the West Quad
Mr. & Ms. Shipstad-Shipstad residents, East Side Quad inhabitants

Mr. Corrado 2011 Crowd awaits fun

Crowd size:
Mr. Corrado-close to 300 people
Mr. & Ms. Shipstad-close to 150 people

Location Held:

Mr. Corrado-Buckley Center Auditorium

Mr. & Ms. Shipstad- Shipstad First Floor Lounge

2011 Mr. and Ms. Shipstad Crowd awaits a retooled event

Overall, both events pleased their audiences with the exception of those who might have had high expectations, thought the talents were lackluster, or technical miscues compromised parts of the events.  No event can satisfy everyone, but these events allowed their respective dorms to allow a small section of the UP community to become a part of the dorm community, at least for two hours.

Have you been fortunate to ever attend either event?  If so, what did you think? 

Week in Review: Rain makes the Weekend a Wash, but the Middle was Surprisingly Satisfying

As expected during the week after midterms, events were back loaded and contingent on weather to succeed. 

The East Side Hall Councils planned to have an afternoon of a Muggle rendition of Quidditch. This low-budget version would substitute PVC pipes for brooms, soccer balls for the quaffle, the main scoring ball, eschew bludgers and beaters for the sake of safety, and utilize a member of the Cross Country team for the Snitch.  To improve scoring and ensure the matches last longer than five minutes, "catching" the snitch would result in 50 points instead of 250 points and the end of the match.

Unlike the wizarding world, inclement weather and a muddy playing surface will tend to prevent successful execution of Quidditch. Hopefully the weather will clear up and the East Side Quad Quidditch Season will begin this semester.

Sadly, I was also unable to attend the Luau or UP Idol, the Pilots After Dark event of the week. From what
I have been able to gather from atendees, the latter event featured special guest judges who knew residents and music well: Director of Residence Life Mike Walsh, playing the "Simon" role, Maureen Briare, Campus Ministry Music Director, played the "Paula Abdul" position, and Assistant Director Jon Merchant, relished his role as the "Randy Jackson" member, often utilizing "dawg" in his responses.

One event I was able to attend was Mr. Corrado, but stay tuned for that review.

I was able to stumble upon the International Club's Arts show and music night at Espresso UP.  Before my camera battery ran low, I was able to tape some of the performances.

Members of the International Club displayed their talents in one of five categories: painting, drawing, 3D art, photography, and mixed art, which I believe incorporates at least two different types of artwork.

Some categories, like photography and mixed art, only received one entry a piece, creating an easy win for those participants.

The musical portion of the evening featured a montage of around 23 songs mixing classical music and modern hits and the examination of whether French improves music (it does!)

Beatriz offered a change of pace with an anecdote from her time in South Africa.  When Beatriz went to say farewell to one of her friends who happened to be several months pregnant, she executed the traditional maneuver of hugging her friend.  When the embrace ended, Beatriz was dismayed to see her friend crying because hugging is considered unlucky.  However, this anecdote has a happy ending because the birth went off without any complications, which prompted Beatriz to consider the effect of superstitions on important life events.

It was definitely fun to stumble upon the International Club again because they have so many different cultures that can produce a greater variety toward their programming. I last encountered the International Club during Diversity Dialouge Week and it is always nice to see events overlapping. 

Stay tuned for a fun map and the Mr. Corrado/Mr. and Ms. Shipstad Tale of the Tape! 

Clubs Gone By

As UP approaches budget season, tough decisions will be made to disperse roughly $200,000 among 50-odd clubs. Some clubs will be able to thrive from the influx while others will fade from the campus due to lack of funding or interest.

This week we will look at a few of the clubs that have graced the Bluff, but are no longer active for different reasons.

A Beacon profile: the dream of many clubs

Bowling Club ( Fall 2003-Spring 2007): Started by two freshman who bonded during a Micro Econ Icebreaker.   A small number of people met Wednesday or Thursday night at Interstate Lanes for a few intra-club games. As the semesters progressed, the relatively cheap club fluctuated in ASUP support from $810 for the 2007 Spring Semester to receiving only $360 for the 2006 Fall Spring Semester. 

Events: Inter-squad bowling, hence the name.

Budget Requests: Every semester, they simply asked for lane and shoe fees to cover around 20 people over the course of 8 weeks of the semester.

P.C.O.D. (Potential Cause of Death): Lack of interest.  Many clubs have trouble when their leadership graduates.  The already small  niche of bowling and the expensive nature might have lead to hard core fans of bowling to join.

Hope for Resurrection: Possible.  All it needs to thrive again are a committed few, a solid advisor and a good freshman group willing to establish a tradition that could last a few 4-year cycles.

Monogram Club (c.1903-1950): Dating back to the Columbia University days, the club began as the collection of players who had received the monogrammed jackets from their sport. Later, it evolved  into a potential prototypical Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) as members became more involved in campus life.



Events: Serving as ushers at basketball games, performing plays, hosting dances and holding the annual "smoker."   The smoker, not to be confused with Villa Maria's Smokeout, in which participants smoke cigars and pipes, was a yearly boxing tournament.  Fighters were paired up equally in terms of ability and fought until they reached the winner.



Monogram Club successfully executing more than sport plays

Budget Requests: Unsure due to lack of access to older budgets.

P.C.O.D. (Potential Cause of Death): Lack of football.  Without the largest source of monogrammed sweater recipients, due to the lack of football funding, the club, run by one of the coaches, slowly faded or became the early SAAC chapter.

Hope for Resurrection: Not sure. Since football has been off campus for 60 years, despite the urging of students, the sports teams have trended away from varsity letters and sweaters. The SAAC has been trying to raise its profile among the student body through their talent show (this year's is on April 17th, Clive and Clarena Charles Day, in BC Auditorium.)



Fighting Words?



The smoker is another story. For a proper revival, leaders might need an underground setup, American Gladiators-style Jousting or a Wii Boxing twist to modernize the event. Perhaps the University and society has moved beyond people testing their own fighting abilities against their comrades.



These are just two of the clubs that people enjoyed.  As the Bowling Club showed, any person or group of people who are passionate about an activity can start a club.  Other clubs evolve to fit the needs of the participants, like the Monogram Club.  The latter is speculation due to lack of available information in the University Archives. 

Thanks to Fr. Bob Antonelli, head of the Archives, for the access and permission to photograph.  The Archives reside in the basement of Shipstad and Fr. Bob is always willing to help you find what you might hope to learn about the Bluff's history.  Don't forget to grab some candy while you visit!

Midterm Review: A Visit from the Archbishop; Identity Questioning and CAKE!!

 Thursday Night featured the awarding of the Catholic Campus Ministry Association's Excellence in Facilitating Personal Development award and The Northwest Association of Student Activites Professionals Award for Innovative Programming to the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, a men's spirituality group. Again, I had my camera ready, resulting in some great and not so great photos and videos. Sorry for their lack of light/quality.

Archbishop Vlazny posing with the original group and Josh Noem .

 Starting in freshman year, groups of 6-8 freshmen gather with two faculty/staff advisors to discuss topics "deeper than girls, sports and cars," as co-founder Josh Noem puts their mission. Every meeting, a member shares their story through the lens of the year's guiding questions.

 Freshmen tackle the questions "who am I?" and "what do I believe?;" sophomores focus in their relationships and how they affect themselves and others; juniors discuss resiliency and how to persevere; and seniors review what has happened over their time on campus and discuss where they are headed.

The reason many are here, other than the Archbishop and cake

  I'd like to take part of this post to discuss my answers to those questions thus far and show you how the Archbishop answered the freshman questions.

I am the younger of two, a neurotic, somewhat intelligent, sardonic, passionate, often cynical but occasionally optimistic, California male who often enjoys being wrong because the situation has become more educational and puts the efforts of others ahead of my own so often I have trouble understanding my own interests, dreams or beliefs.

The second and surprise award

I do believe in truth, information, complex sentences, the importance of keeping a close eye on government bodies (that one's for you, Dr. Lovejoy,) and the idea simple things can be crucial to happiness, especially at unexpected moments.

My relationships are diverse but often shallow because I share more of myself through actions than words, which somehow leaves me feeling like the other person does not know who I am other than an aide or possible hindrance within the interaction.

 Whenever I try to interact deeply with others, I often either cannot coordinate the time or cannot facilitate conversation for a sufficient amount of time to be viewed as interesting or sociable to a normal extent. If a time presents itself, I will tend to keep you occupied for longer than you intended.

 My resiliency right now comes from the British method of soldiering on through the day and tasks. Like Jesus, I also need time to withdraw and understand the previous events.

 From the relatively nomadic style I pursue, I have no proper clue where my life is headed. I could be anything from a lawyer, accountant, priest, HR Rep, radio board operator, or transient.

 Here's the Archbishop telling his story, it is a long one:

Stay tuned this week for the student and advisor responses, partly so I can take my time rotating the video, the hardest part of the whole process and the main reason for the time of this posting

I teased it in the title and you were so patient, so here's the cake!

The final award of the night: would you believe there were leftovers?

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen will be having their Manquisition in the coming weeks, so stay tuned, readers and event fans!

For those of you who managed to stick around: who are you and what do you believe?

Cheap Food and Jazz Carry Mardi Gras

This last week was the final week of Ordinary Time, and Campus Ministry and the Jazz band continued to amaze with their Mardi Gras activities.

King of the Napkins!

Friend of the blog, Will Lyons covered the Mardi Gras Celebration for the Beacon this week.  He had a good article covering the community's approach, including a block party the previous Saturday on Lombard.  The only error was misquoting Maureen Briare's statement  this was the Jazz band's first year history at the event because I remember one of their conductors, Teige Weidner, having to leave a Hall Mass early in order to play last year. Other than that, the article did have a good analysis of the event. 

Low-priced food in the Commons? This must be a special occasion!

Unlike most nights, the Commons offered non-Grill food beyond 8pm. As the photo shows, those who complain about food prices were pleased for at least a night.  Chicken and waffles, oyster shooters, and biscuits and gravy at around half of their usual prices obviously lead to longer lines.

The Jazz band performed to varying crowd sizes, the norm for late night events, but when I swung by, there were about 20 people taking in the musical stylings.  As shown, the members enjoy their craft, but understand hard work is needed to flourish.  In this video, the band is playing the jazz standard "G'Day Mates," Luckily I had my camera at the ready. Despite some stabilization tactics, the video does have some shaky moments.  The sound should still translate and entertain, so do not worry.


Lent leads to an interesting time on campus.  The Commons has now included meatless options with their usual fare after years of students complaining that the school should not be making everyone subject to meatless Fridays even if they are not Catholic or as devout as their pastoral residents or Bib Trad professors.  Though UP is a Catholic university, allowing students to err on meat abstention or their Lenten promises by still offering chocolate and other temptations is proof Bon Appetit, the parent company operating the Commons, Cove and Anchor,  listen to students and are able to change to meet concerns.  Maybe they can expand their warm food options after 8pm the rest of the week...

Maureen Briare, one of the event coordinators, said she was "giving up complaining and am going to try and do more silent prayer" for Lent. I am going to seek more personal time for reflection and discernment because I have spent plenty of time investgating and helng others. If I can sharpen my own skills, I should be able to better help others.

What do you plan to do for Lent?  If you are not celebrate Lent, what do you wish to improve about yourself?

Week in Review part 4: Interview with the Electric Acoustic Groove Experience

I should have included this within the JPFW post, but I actually forgot about it while writing the post.

Table offerings. Taken by Steven.

Saturday night of Junior Parents and Families Weekend, CPB presented a coffeehouse featuring Eric E, an acoustical guitar artist armed with some loop machines and recording devices that allowed him to layer his voice to assemble melodies.

He was able to mix in some original songs into his request style allowing the crowd to offer a year.  Eric would then play a hit song from that year. 
This tactic allowed the small crowd to hear among others, a string of 1998's "Thank You" by Natalie Merchant, 1968's "Sittin on the Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding with audience participation on the whistling verse, and 1990's "Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty. 

To prove his musical diversity, he was able to play country (1986's Randy Davis's "Forever and Ever Amen") and jazz (1955's "Autumn Leaves" by Andy Williams.) 

Stay patient over the next few weeks for video from his performance.

After the concert, I was able to interview him before he left.

bs: Why the stage name "eric-e?"

eric-e: Well, my last name is Engerbreston and people kept mispronouncing it, so I decided to shorten it to save people the struggle.

bs: How wide is your repertoire?

eric-e.: I can play songs as old as "The Entertainer" to recent hits (he played Train's "Hey, Soul Sister" as the 2010 request.) I was actually surprised I did not get requests for years older than 1955, because I could have played some great jazz and blues standards.

bs: What is your view on music radio and the music industry as a whole?

eric-e: Radio has been damaged by the ipod and Itunes. When I was young, I could only afford 15 albums. I was able to listen to albums all the way through and get the true meaning of songs only after listening to them  several times.   Music is not album-oriented anymore.  Since people do not listen to albums as much anymore, some people are not able to understand songs that fit within the context of an album.

bs: Why did you refer to you final song, Kansas's "Carry on, my Wayward Son," as your favorite Top 40 song of all time?

eric-e: It is a great rock song and has a good message.  I enjoy playing songs that have a message to them.

bs:  You have a diverse amount of songs in your repertoire. Are there any songs that you have proud to have mastered?

eric-e: I had trouble mastering "Carry on, my Wayward Son" due to the complicated nature of the song and  I was originally not able to sing that high.  Over the years, I developed the ability to sing high enough and managed to learn the difficult parts.



Eric-e used to travel all over the country, but now stays around the Pacific Northwest partly due to the economy, as proved by his driving around in his family minivan that can hold all his equipment. 

Coffeehouses are open to everyone, so try to stop by their next one!

If you need music to accompany your wedding, party, or social gathering and your event will be taking place in the Northwestern states within a relatively short drive from Idaho, (Wash., Ore., Idaho, Mont., Wyo.), consider eric-e!

This coming week is midterms, so events should be light.  The next few posts might not be great, but we'll see how it goes. 

Hopefully you readers will be able to get enough sleep and not let your brain melt!

Diversity Dialouge Week: Breaking Down Misconceptions with Humor, Food, and Discussion

This week, UP hosted Diversity Dialogue Week. The week featured different ways to understand those of different backgrounds from their perspective. Luckily, I had my camera ready to document the fun.

For full disclosure, I am of Western European descent and have not left the Western Time Zone, so my experiences are rather limited in terms of being a racial minority. I might be a numerical minority on campus, but societal norms dictate otherwise.

I started my excursion into cultural understanding at the Cultural Edition of Mythbusters on Monday afternoon in the International Student Center Lounge, located in the basement of Christie Hall.

This discussion, taking place during one of their biweekly "Coffee Hours",  lacked individuals in berets or a dummy damaged for the sake of science, however, the quick hour allowed for some myths to be busted while the few gathered enjoyed banana chips or Japanese cookies with their coffee or tea.

Thanks to Ibrahima Kone or "Ibie", one of the International Club Campus Connectors, originally from the Ivory Coast, American society is not full of opportunities to get shot and the Ivory Coast has a nightlife that goes far beyond 2 am.

From Ona Goloka, the other Campus Connector, American by birth, but occasional visitor to Poland, the group learned Poland is a country on the rise and not a backward civilization that is struggling to understand modern society.

Want to answer some of the questions yourself? Give it a try!:

The event also allowed me to explore the International Student Services Office setup.  The offices are decorated with items from the homelands of International students, like a Mirror from Tunisia or a gong.

Gongs are better than bells

Wednesday Night allowed me take on a different role of fashion show photo/videographer, an interesting experience. I was not able to catch the entire show, but I got to record their final walk, which will be posted soon.  The best outfit of the night? According to Haley Barrick, the honor went to a green ensemble not shown in the picture because the wearer had opted to wear several outfits and had changed out of the outfit by the end of the show.

Those able to honor their culture at the Espresso UP fashion show

My cultural investigation ended Thursday night with Black Students Union's (BSU) discussion about "good hair" and the documentary of the same name.

This is Marshawna illustrating a weave

After watching clips from the Chris Rock Documentary on Youtube, specifically the trailer, some perspective on perms, the cost of maintaining one's hair style, and a potentially vulgar clip pointing out the black male's view on touching a black woman's hair (NNSFW/C, not necessarily safe for work/class,) members of BSU explained the efforts needed to maintain their hair, some basic elements like what makes hair nappy (the inability to run your fingers or a comb through the hair) weaves, perms and relaxing (the straightening of one's hair through chemical means).

The atmosphere was conversational and honest, just like the rest of the week. This style worked well for David Bauders, who attended the event for an event review for SOC 436, Race and Ethnic Relations. David thought the conversational style helped him learn a lot about hair care products and maintenance because he or others were able to ask clarifying questions and feel like a real conversation instead of a lecture. 

The week allowed me to become a little more informed about people not like myself.  The programs were so successful, I wish I would have gone to previous events because the events possess tremendous amounts of effort to help people learn about other cultures. By no means, do I think I can do anything abroad as an expert, but I know this week was a start in the right direction.

Keep an eye out for Diversity Dialogue Week next year and do not hesitate to spend some time outside your cultural identity.

Things to ponder: When was the last time you were the outsider in a situation?  If you have studied or traveled abroad, how has that experience shaped your view of other countries or even America? If you have not been able to get out of the country, what culture would you most like to explore?

Week in Review, Photo Edition: IRS+Anime= Tennis and Focus the Nation?

Wednesday presented an interesting pair of contrasting clubs: the Accounting Club (UPAA- University of Portland Accounting Association) and the Anime Club. The former was filled with students who desired extra credit and/or were actually intrigued in government work. The latter had around 10-12 people coming in and out, depending on time/opinion of show.  The blend of these two can be personified in tennis and Focus the Nation 2011.  Housed in the Louisiana-Pacific Center, tennis possesses the length and crowd size of Anime club meetings (around 3 hours, depending on length and around 10 people) but the seriousness of the UPAA meetings. Focus the Nation was a daylong event allowing students, teachers, community members and businesses to gather and discuss how to spread the new energy efficient ideas to the world. The sessions also featured the intensity of tennis and the capacity of the UPAA meeting.
Hopefully the following can illustrate the comparisons. If the link in the caption does not work here is the youtube link to "Every Anime Opening Ever Made"




See you next time, for some housekeeping from JPFW. Have a good week!

Week in Review Part 3: JPFW Aptly Names its Core Demographic

After a week of discussing issues and topics that can strike chords with people, here's a recap of last weekend's big event: Junior Parents and Families Weekend.

Craig Karges, the "mentalist", was a hoot again this year, opting to select the 10 digits of a random Cincinnati phone number, give them, in order to 10 children and "children at heart", matching the same number a mother-daughter selected.  Karges also opted to perform his trademark "table levitation" and display his abilities of identifying the name and ID number of a UP student and each digit of a piece of paper currency, usually of unusual American value, like a $2 bill, even if someone tries to trick him by handing a 500 Forint note from Hungary.


After a brunch featuring breakfast quiche, introductory speeches for introductions, and Fr. Beauchamp delivering a general speech, Career Services, the Alumni Office and the Moreau Center were able to promote their services through the examples of several alumni and a current senior.  The varied post-grad experiences prove the sponsoring departments can find plenty of options that could work for the individual completely unsure of their future to the determined person who really wants a fellowship.

The end of the morning presented the "varsity sport of the mind," quiz bowl, pitting parents against students.
For those who have not played or seen a match, here are the basic guidelines.

Two teams of four compete to answer the most questions within 10 minutes.  The moderator, after saying "Welcome to College Bowl!" and getting the response "The Varsity Sport of the Mind!", will offer a tossup question.  The person that gets it right, earns their team 10 points.  If someone thinks they know it before the end of the question, they can buzz in early.  However,  an incorrect guess would subtract 5 points from their team's score.  If their team waits until the end of the question to offer a guess, no penalty exists for an incorrect answer.

The team that gets the tossup question correct gets about 30 seconds to answer a three-part question, having little to no relation to the previous topic like naming three different types of poetic lyrical forms after identifying which war the Lincoln Brigade fought (the Spanish Civil War.)

The moral of the exercise is the adults are more knowledgeable about the origins of Fictional Detectives and USC's transgressions, while the offspring were better at chemical compositions and identifying movies that Stephen Toblowsky, one of Hollywood's bit part royalty, has gotten paid to appear. (Groundhog Day as Ned Ryerson the Insurance Salesman and a part in the Garfield movie)  The parents showed their distance from general knowledge was closer than they were from their college days as they won close (75-65) and not so close matches (115-25).  The progeny did salvage some sense of pride with a 90-60 rout over the parents behind knowledge Mosul is a city in Iraq and Toblowsky films, despite a late threat by the parents.

The weekend works best for families that might not visit campus too often due to the distant nature of home from the university or to whom many stories of classmates are told.  Having had the family visit enough, the normal attractions of the university were no longer special, so I took the folks to the taqueria known as Tienda Santa Cruz #2, a restaurant hidden in the back of Panderia Santa Cruz Taqueria, a Mexican grocery store and bakery in St. John's. If one is not careful, they could drive right by the place along Lombard.  Park nearby and enjoy cheap Mexican cuisine that will fill you up for a limited amount of money.

Overall, the weekend featured plenty of time to have fun, point out the similarities between parent and child, and take your mind off tests and midterms.

To readers, what was your JPFW experience like? Is there anything you wanted to do, but just did not have the time to accomplish? If you are not yet a junior or your university did not offer the experience, what would you have liked to do with your family during college?

Week in Review Part 2: Warning: A Look Behind the Machinery, Debating might be agreeable to your health, Venting about the Beacon, and JPFW Looming

As mentioned in the last post, this entry will discuss the ASUP Senate Speech Night and how it was covered.

Warning: this will be long.  Please stick with it; I provided some nice links to support my views!

Even though the 2 comments were favorable of my writing, I still feel like I was a little bit of a talking head, and not of the "Heaven" and "And She Was" variety. I was surprised I found the Senior Gift part of the ASUP Constitution, but I'm digressing.

Before I get to the content of the event itself, I need to provide how I got involved. The process started on a Friday, Feb. 4, when Secretary Burrelle shot me an e-mail. She mentioned KDUP has played a role in prior Speech Nights and wondered if we could handle this year's moderation because she had to go to a Drama Conference and thus could not be present.

Being the dedicated person I am, I spent the next few hours going through KDUP's archives to find anything about ASUP Senate.  I was only able to find the 2006 Speech Night, a cursory mention of Beergate, in which a candidate handed out flyers to attendees of a keg party, including the sibling of another candidate and a 2003 Beacon article from the then-president about ASUP Senate.  Since the latter were not much help, I listened to the question from 2006.  I quickly realized how similar the concerns of students were five years earlier, even down to the concern over printing allotment that was brought up at the following Senate meeting. 

I wrote down the questions, sent them to the KDUP news team because it is under their responsibility, and only Kirby, the News Director was comfortable participating because they did not feel like they could help and Kirby and I, since I have been attending ASUP Senate Meetings, should handle the event.  I also consulted others (the current president and vice president, other students I met, and faculty) and received some productive ideas that did not make the final list, like what has been your legacy within ASUP Senate, what would you do differently/similar to your predecessor, and how to increase participation within Senate meetings. Secretary Burrelle also provided a list of general questions last year's senate provided and the agenda.

Luckily, I also got help from Senator Vasconcellos, a member of the ASUP Awareness Committee.  He was willing to step in and co-moderate with Kirby. Thanks so much for rolling with the changes and great job!

However, I did not spend too much time outside the occasional day of work until the night before the event.  I overheard some candidates wondering how early to appear and got the opinion of Adviser Koffler. He mentioned the moderators needed to dress up to set the tone of the evening and how to handle personal attack questions: cutt of the question if it is an ad hominem attack, but if it is more biting than bitter, let it go, but remind the audience that the night was for the issues and how the candidates could handle the issues.  I spent the time after the meeting crafting e-mails to the candidates and Adviser Koffler. Luckily, Adviser Koffler managed to craft great introductions to questions, partly due to his decade plus of  Speech Night experiences.

That night, I spent the time before the event in CST 363, kavetching and fretting about the event going wrong, a personal characteristic I have to acknowledge. Thanks again to Caitlin and Roya for the switch to the bow tie, even if it bothered me through the entire event, existing just below my chin.

As mentioned in the twitter feed, ASUP's Facebook page and ASUP's Blog, there was plenty of agreeing, but this should have been expected from the similar platforms of the candidates.

Thanks again to Dr. Lovejoy and CST 363 for raising awareness of the Speech Night, allowing former CPB Director Tarra McCurdy follow it from New York.

Of course, the Beacon made their endorsements of candidates.  Sadly, the opinions seemed only formed from the impressions of Speech Night and views of the candidates, not the views of objectivity. I might have been more than a little concerned with keeping time, but I fail to remember hearing anything Presidential Candidate Imfeld say provide an impression he would "favor the administration's needs over the students' needs during the debate." Sure, he said he would go to the administration and provide student views and he endorsed 11-03, but the other president and vice president candidates did as well.   My point is no more obvious than their endorsement of Caitlin Chu for Treasurer.

They state:

Caitlin is a highly organized and genuine candidate who has forward thinking ideas and experience with the budget in the ASUP Finance Committee.
While Andy is enterprenurial and ambitious, he appeared unprofessional and apathetic during the ASUP debates.

How he appeared in the debates does not necessarily relate to how he would act with clubs.  By resorting to "lazy journalism", the Beacon, already a burr in my side over their preference on feature stories like a staff member getting some internet publicity from a blending of Snooki from Jersey Shore and the Mona Lisa
getting placed on page two and a piece on the results of a survey on the mental health of college freshman as their "top" story.  I know it tied in well with the Peer Health Educator's program earlier this month, but "top" stories have to be the ones that are the most important to readers, like the piece on 11-03 the week before, inconveniently published the morning after a compromise was reached.

Though they have dubbed the election "an election for the ages," the label would be more fitting for even last year's election in which non-senators tried but failed to topple those with Senate experience.  A race with similar platforms and unsatisfying responses even to a question of how they are different from their opponent makes this race similar to too many of the real political races, in which voters will select based off their personal feelings toward the candidates, something the night should have helped avoid.  

The audience did step up and ask some tough questions like how they plan to relate to the faculty and the aforementioned difference question.

Thanks again for all those who participated in the process and looking at my length means the Week in Review gets a special part 3, in which JPFW will finally get discussed.  Stay tuned for a report on the "Varsity Sport of the Mind", what the future can entail, sponsored by Career Services and the Alumni Department, what I gleamed from the Coffeehouse performance.

In case part 3 falls after the election, I will close with the sign-off of another famous TV journalist, Edward R. Murrow, " Good Night and Good Luck!"

Week in Review Part 1: Warning: Debating and and JPFW on the Horizon

Wow! 

The only reason I was able to post today was due to rehabilitating from the first half of the week. Sadly no club visits yet, but this Week in Review will deal with some of the bigger events this week: ASUP Senate and Junior Parents and Family Weekend (JPFW). 

Monday featured the continued discussion of 11-03 a resolution to reallocate Capital Improvement Funds toward the fund-raising efforts of the new Recreational and Wellness Center.  Want to know more about CIF? ASUP Senate Vice President Katie Scally has done a nice job explaining the purpose and history of this fund on her blog Heard on the Bluff.

The executive board brought in speakers from the Rise campaign and the Office of Development to answer questions the senators and visitors had.  Not surprisingly, the representatives were for the idea of students giving their efforts money.  Even though they were prepped like witness for a trial, the representatives failed to convince enough senators to support the resolution, at least for that meeting. The representatives were also skilled at the art of not completely answering questions like whether the new Library or Recreational and Wellness Center was a higher priority for the campaign at the time of questioning or even if the donation could speed development. 

I understand the latter is a purely hypothetical question, but with the new Recreational and Wellness Center not even in the designing phase, it seems foolish to assume that enough people can get swayed by the legacy argument.  The main senators who believed that were Senior Senators, some of whom appear to think that people will acknowledge the plaque that could read "Construction supported by the contributions of students from 2011-2013," when few people read the plaques on the Victory Bell, Howard Hall or even recognize the island outside the library was funded by the 1994 Senior class. If they really wanted this to be their Senior Gift, here's the Senior Gift  page from the Rise campaign website.



Also here's how the Senior Gift is funded under the current ASUP Consitution :

ARTICLE VII: SENIOR GIFT
SECTION 1: FUNDING OF THE SENIOR GIFT
A. A portion of the student government fee shall be set aside each year for the purpose of
enabling the graduating class to give a gift to the University. This amount shall be a minimum of $500.00, which may be supplemented by the graduating class itself. All monies for the gift remaining unallocated at the end of the academic year shall be returned to the general account.
SECTION 2: SELECTION OF THE SENIOR GIFT
A. A committee composed of all interested Spring, Summer, and Fall graduates of the calendar year shall meet by the last week in January, for the purpose of designating a gift, if any. The organization of this committee shall be the responsibility of the ASUP President, and the Senior Class Senator(s). Campus publications and Alumni Office shall be requested to notify graduates of the nature of the gift.

If you look at Section 2: the committee is composed of the ASUP President and the Senior Class Senators, who are for the resolution. If 11-03 does not pass and enough seniors really want to donte to the fund-raising efforts, they should use the Senior Gift.

The discussion turned bitter as senators were rehashing the same talking points that had been developed for the last few weeks of "this has to be done now or it will never be happen", "the campaign will get the money regardless of our contribution", and "why not contribute anyway? The donation cannot hurt their efforts."
Also, senators representing the Freshmen class said their constituents did not want the idea, then Senator Ross, a freshman representing Shipstad, stated he had interviewed freshmen that were for the idea.

Now from reading all that you might think I am against 11-03.  I am only against the part in which it comes from the Capital Improvement Fund and the means by which it was presented.  The idea of giving to the new Recreation and Wellness Center is good, but skipping the Oversight Committee and having three members of the Executive Board be sponsors of the Resolution does seem a little hinky, at least to this blogger.

Thank God the discussion got tabled.  Sure, the debate will still not be a debate this Monday, but at least the bickering on that topic ended so they could bicker about the current CIF.

 
To alleviate some of the concern, the donation to the new Recreation and Wellness Center was not selected as one of the final six CIF ideas submitted to the Executive Board for their decision this last Wednesday at 2:30. 


The decision to keep the donation to the Rise campaign this semester on the final list was only supported by 8 senators, two of whom were Senators Bibbs and Collins, a President/Vice President ticket. I believe enough senators were concerned the Executive Board would not be objective in their selection of the Rise donation, hence it was one of the first items to be cut.

The surviving ideas are solar panels, a computer kiosk in the Commons, weight room equipment for Howard Hall, renovating the outside of St. Mary's Lounge (because the inside has been the recipient of previous CIF and the interior "possesses character"), CPB sound and Lighting, and Repairing the Victory Bell.  The last idea was attempted to be cut by the recommendation of  newer Senior Senators Steele and Saxton, but they and two others were the only ones in favor of cutting the repair.  Enough Senators believed ASUP (the Associated Students of the University of Portland) should fund its repair since a student allegedly broke it and its repair would help raise awareness of its purpose, ringing in victories for the athletic teams. 

The need to thoroughly discuss these ideas and caucus twice provided ample time and was a great inadvertent way to stall for time to not vote on 11-03. 

Since this is getting a little wordy, next post will feature day 2 of the intense week: the ASUP Executive Candidate Speech Night.

To borrow a sign off from Dan Rather that seems like appropriate summation and foreshadowing: "Until next time, Courage!"