By: Katie Bono

Have you ever had a craving for warm cookies and milk for your midnight snack? If you are anything like me, then you often have these cravings! I love to cook and bake and luckily for me there is a kitchen in my residence hall. I am able to enjoy these great snacks by just going to the main floor and making that special craving.

Don’t worry is you do not have cooking supplies on campus. At the front desk of some residence halls, you can borrow the supplies with your state ID.

Here are just a few options of what you can cook in the kicthen:

1. Popcorn: Making popcorn on the stove hits the spot and is healthier than a bag of chips.

2. Bake Cookies: Perfect time to bond with your roommates and invite the neighbors from down the hall to come share.

3. Have a Pizza Party: Cook pizzas from scratch with pizza dough and have your friends over! Everyone can make their own pizza with different toppings.

4. Enjoy a Home Cooked Meal at School: Make your favorite dinner from home, here on campus!

5. Dessert to Share: Convenient to make desserts for a get together and everyone will be impressed that you were able to whip something together!

I hope you find this useful and will take advantage of the kitchen in your residence hall, or another resident hall near by. The residence halls that have kitchens include Downing and Buell.

Happy Cooking!

By: Benjamin Cooley

When we were young, we all loved having our mom’s and dad’s read us stories and even when we began to get older, we loved telling stories of what happened to us with our friends. When you get even older, you usually tell stories to remember all the good times we had when we were much younger and they always give us a laugh. Well, here at Eastern we have what is called Storytellers Lounge!

This event is on different Thursdays throughout the school year and you can listen to people tell stories about their lives. Each night has a different topic that the students telling the stories have to follow and the most recent one was on surprises. The students got to tell of moments in their lives that they were surprised and many were quite funny and gave people laughs. I personally enjoyed hearing about stories from other people because I absolutely love to hear what people have to say! Telling stories is a great way to connect with people here on campus. Sharing stories might even trigger finding out that you have something in common with each someone in the audience, and can help start lovely friendships full of stories and laughter together.

So be part of Storytellers Lounge and share your great story!

Are you a college student? Are you broke? Do you enjoy adventures?

Good, because so do I. I mean who wouldn’t want to go on an adventure for $20 or
less? Between the stresses of friendships, work, school, relationships, and family, everyone deserves a break at least once a month.

This month: Ice Skating! My roommates and I just went skating at Campus
Martius Park in downtown Detroit for just $20 a person! Here’s how we did it:

1) Carpool together! We ended up taking two vehicles because we had seven people
going. That would’ve been an uncomfortable forty minute ride squished in one car, but
very humorous. Cost: $5 or less (around $3) for gas money.

2) Parking. There are various locations surrounding downtown Detroit to park. It could
be fairly cheap if you are demanding and willing to arrive early in order to hunt down a
location. Cost: If you find $10 parking lot/5 people = only $2 per person!

3) Dinner! Personally, I recommend a local downtown restaurant. We decided upon Pizza
Papalis which serves delicious Chicago Style deep dish and thin crust pizza along with a variety of other great selections! Between the 7 of us we only demolished one deep dish pizza which is $22.30 total and our appetizer was a traditional garden salad which for family size is only $8.95, with a pitcher of water to share. $22.30+$8.95 = $31.25 / 7 = around $5 plus $1-$2 tip from everyone. So that is $7 for dinner in downtown Detroit, what a bargain!

4) Saving the best for last: the Ice Skating! At Campus Martius Park they will provide ice or
hockey skates for a rental fee of only $3 and it costs $7 admission to use the rink. That’s
only $10 to enjoy the beautiful winter season skating alongside the people you care
about! Not to mention you get to snap a photo or just take in the beauty of a snowy winter wonderland.

$3 + $2 + $7 + $10 = Only $22!!

Ice skating in a beautiful city with friends you’ll have for the rest of your life = PRICELESS!

Looking to shed some of that Freshmen 15? Live a healthy lifestyle? Check out the Health Summit!

The Freshman 15, every first year student’s worst fear. If you are interested in
taking some proactive steps to avoiding the dreaded freshman 15 then check
out this year’s Health Summit hosted by one of Eastern Michigan University’s
fraternity’s, Delta Tau Delta! The Health Summit is a campus wide event, which
focuses on how to incorporate healthy living into a college budget. Here are some of
the highlights of the Health Summit:

1. This year Delta Tau Delta is having an exercise psychologist come to speak to
everyone about how to inquorate a healthy lifestyle into your daily routine!
2. There will be a Yoga instructor there to teach anyone who’s interested about
a few basic yoga poses.
3. Our very own Snow Health Center will be there educating students on how to
live a healthy lifestyle.
4. Listen in on guest speaker Michael Stack, the owner of Applied Fitness
Solutions.
5. Learn basic skin care tips from one of the featured dermatologists!
6. In the market for some new work out clothes to go with all of your new
fitness knowledge? Make sure to hit up these booths sponsored by South
Huron Care, the Eye Gallery, Dashing Dish, Tranquility Sleep Center, Skin
Care by Rodan and Fields, and Lululemon Athletica.

So if any of you had new years resolutions on trimming down a few pounds, or living
a healthier lifestyle, this is a great place to educate yourself at! You will learn all
about how to develop a fitness plan, maintain a healthy diet, and do that by setting
healthy goals. The event is taking place on Sunday, January 27th from 5-7 pm in the
Student Center Ballroom. Come check it out! This could be your first step to a newer
and healthier you!

By: Brooke Maggard

When I came to Eastern, I clung to the first people I met and assumed we were going to be best friends for life. I soon realized that’s not how it worked…. As time went on and the people I first met grew apart I felt like I didn’t know many people. I wasn’t even sure why I was at Eastern. Then I decided to apply for a job and little did I know it would later become the best decision I would ever make while at Eastern.

I applied to be a tour guide through the Office of Admissions. During my interview, my now bosses asked me what my favorite color was and I immediately knew this is where I needed to be. Thankfully, I got the job! Throughout the fall semester my first year, I got to meet some of the most incredible people I had ever met. The office was filled with people who inspired me and pushed me to thrive and excel at Eastern. It was so exciting the first time I was ever asked to get lunch with friends or hang out for sleepovers and late nights at the library.

Finding where you belong in college is both the scariest and the most exciting experience. One day I felt confused as to why I was even here and then out of no where the reasons hit me in the face. I have people surrounding me who make this whole thing worth every single minute of stress.

We too often get wrapped up in the papers, tests, and deadlines and forget to appreciate the amazing people who make this time worth while. The lessons you learn and friends you gain through immersing yourself in college are ones you will get no where else. Don’t let this pass by while sitting around feeling like you don’t know anyone. Go out, meet people, and make a fool of yourself. I know I did and the people I have met have forever altered my life.

By: Sarah Orr

Reptile Stew:
(All included)

4 servings of Caiman crocodiles
3 servings of Rhinoceros Iguanas
3 servings of Crocodile Monitors
3 servings Caiman lizards
2 servings of flighted Red Macaws
2 servings Sulcata Tortoises
2 servings of Beaded Lizards
1 serving Black throated monitor
1 serving Peach throated monitor
1 serving Blue monitor
1 serving Black and White Tegu
1 serving Anaconda
1 serving 18ft Reticulated python
With sprinkles of invertebrates, various spider species, turtles, frogs (aquatic and
tropical), snake species, pancake tortoises…
Slight serving of venom sauce

Serving Size: All day
Amount per serving: Multiple visits
Calories: 0
Calories from fat: Also 0
Vitamin Z: 100%

Doesn’t that sound delicious? Whether you are a reptile fanatic or just simply love
animals then you should check of the World of Discovery the Great Lakes Zoological
Society’s Reptile Zoo! Its located in Ann Arbor on Jackson Rd! Only 15-20 mins from
campus.

The Zoo has a variety of animals, such as those in the recipe, and is adamant about the
rescue and conservation amongst its unique species.

You’re broke? Can’t afford to go anywhere? No worries, the Reptile Zoo is only $7 per
person… and the experience is PRICELESS!

If this didn’t convince you, then check out the photos that follow:

Black Throated Monitor

Rhinoceros Iguana

Poisonous Dart Frog

By: Sarah Orr

Have you decided to live on campus? Are you lonely and need a friend? Can you keep a fish alive?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then I have some great news! Non-flesh eating fish are allowed in the residence halls!

For most people this makes them feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside to have their own pet, but for me… it’s a disaster! I cannot keep fish alive to save my own life, so let me tell you a story…

A couple years back I decided to buy a goldfish; now I had fish in the past, but of course, they all decide to die on me. I believe this purchase was on a whim so I was not prepared to feed this creature properly. The only food we had available was Beta fish food and the thing about Beta fish food is… they contain FISH! If I were to feed Nemo, Goldie, Fishie, Fred, whatever I chose to name it, then I would’ve made him a cannibal and I did not want that responsibility, so what was I to do?

Of course I did the only thing I could think of to make sure Frodo didn’t starve, I fed him crackers. I figured it was a safe alternative to fish food, since Petsmart was closed, but I was dead wrong (pun intended). Within a matter of hours his water started to change chemically from the SALTINE crackers I fed Martha and it cut off his breathing.

At 2:15pm on March 12^th, 2007 poor Dory breathed her last breath. I scooped her out, cleaned the tank, and swore to never purchase a fish again because obviously I’m not qualified to raise fish and effected the fish population in pet stores everywhere, go me!

All in all, if you’re the complete opposite of me (not a fish killer) or need someone to talk to when life gets rough then a pet fish may be for you. Just remember: Fish are friends, NOT food!

This blog explains the process of becoming employed on campus.  It’s pretty simple.

Credit Hours: 0
Enrollment Cost: $0

Student Employment is a powerful force behind the functioning of our campus, and students of all economic situations are now finding themselves employed by Eastern Michigan University.  The University Advising and Career Development Center (UACDC) now best facilitates the employment of students both through College Work Study (CWS) and regular circumstances of student interest.  In working with the UACDC, students receive access to job listings across campus as well as free assistance in writing a resume or practicing for professional interview situations.  The UACDC can be found in McKenny Hall on the EMU campus, or contacted via phone at (734) 487-4278.

Some popular job opportunities on campus include:
Dining Services
Office Assistants (OA)
Front Desk Secretarial Workers
Resident Advisers (RA)
Student Eyes and Ears for University Safety (SEEUS)
Night Watch
and many more!

So if you are searching for productive ways to fill time, job experiences to put on future resumes, or just extra cash… Now you know!  Contact the UACDC, and they can help you out.

By: Kathy Hansen

Creativity can sometimes be stimulated by getting out of the classroom and instead,
physically moving. In December, to relieve some stress before final exams, Dr.
Sasser’s MKTG 369 Advertising students, as well as a few of her international
Korean students and Student Advertising Association members converged from
various locations around campus. Lead by one of our own EMU Dance experts,
these students stirred a 2012 creative tsunami with their Gangnam Style flash mob.

Dr. Sasser’s students had been discussing the impact of socio-cultural and pop
cultural social media trends throughout the semester. One brave student, Brianna
McKoy, initially demonstrated the moves to the viral video earlier in the term. This
sparked an epiphany and, with a bit of encouragement by University Marketing,
the students demonstrated Gangnam Style in the hallway of the College of Business
during one of the last class sessions in the semester.

In a scene lead by some savvy dancers, the undergraduate advertising students
strutted their Gangnam Style moves while dressed in Korean-inspired t-shirts,
with the possibility of earning bonus points. Breaking out of the classroom
confines allowed these students to enthusiastically turn into a dancing flash mob
in the second floor hallway, to the surprise of onlookers from three floors of the
Owen College of Business. With minimal practice, the students mastered a key
promotional engagement technique and had fun too!

This flash mob stands as an example to the importance of thinking outside the box
to induce creativity. Sometimes, something as simple at getting out of the classroom
walls and into the hallway where students are free to move (and dance) can have a
significant influence on their thinking patterns.

Look for the video January 10th on the EMU YouTube channel and Facebook page.

By: Freddy Karn

2012 has been quite the eventful year! Let’s recap some of the events in case you missed it! Don’t feel bad if you don’t know them, I live under a rock so researching all of this came as a surprise to me too. These are the top 10 major moments of 2012!

10. Johnny Manziel, the Quarterback of Texas A&M University becomes the first ever freshman to win the Heisman Trophy! Congratulations Manziel!

9. Korean pop star PSY released the song “Gangnam Style” which became an international hit and it even became the most viewed video on YouTube with over 1 billion views! Take that Justin Bieber, I’m no PSYchic but I saw it coming.

8. Apple becomes the largest and most valuable public company of all time with a stock market value of around $623.52 billion, which beat Microsoft’s record of $616.34 billion set in 1999.

7. Christopher Nolan released the last part of his Batman trilogy: Dark Knight Rises. The movie became the 7^th highest grossing film of all time and the Avengers became the 3^rd highest grossing film of all time. Some other noteworthy news: Tarantino released his latest movie Django Unchained, Peter Jackson made the first installment of The Hobbit, and Daniel Craig starred in his third James Bond film, Skyfall.

6. Colorado and Washington become the first two states to JOINTly legalize marijuana, and not just for medicinal purposes. This is both surprising and controversial, who knows if other states will follow suit. I did not mean to put it so BLUNTly, but it is what it is.

5. The Mayans were wrong! The world is still going around after some people believed the end was coming on December 21^st. Better luck next time Mayans!

4. Hurricane “super storm” Sandy killed around 125 people in the US and 71 people in the Caribbean during October. The massive storm flooded buildings, toppled structures, cut-off electricity and also forced the New York Stock Exchange to close for two days – which was the first time it has been shut down for weather reasons since 1888. Sandy caused about $62 billion in damage in the US, and $315 million in damage in the Caribbean.

3. London Summer Olympics the US wins the most amount of medals with 104 total. 46 Gold, 29 Silver, and 29 Bronze. Michael Phelps also won his 22^nd Olympic Medal, becoming the most decorated Olympiad of all time.

2. In what seemed like a close election, Obama was reelected for a second term. Congratulations to Obama, we have him in office until 2016! “I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting,” -Obama’s winning speech

1. *Drum roll* NASA landed the Curiosity Rover on Mars to find out if life once inhabited mars. It has also dug up some soil for further testing and explored some of the terrain of Mars. This is exciting news! Who knows, we might get a person on Mars within a decade!

What a great year 2012 was. What was your favorite highlight?