Campus Cooking

Posted on January 30, 2013 by blogeastern

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!

Around $20 Adventures: Ice Skating Edition

Posted on January 25, 2013 by blogeastern

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!

2nd Annual Campus Health Summit

Posted on January 24, 2013 by blogeastern

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!

Finding Where You Fit in on Campus!

Posted on January 18, 2013 by blogeastern

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.

True Life: I Visited a Reptile Zoo

Posted on January 16, 2013 by blogeastern

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

Creativity, Gangnam Style and Learning, All Rolled into One!

Posted on January 8, 2013 by blogeastern

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.

Year in Review

Posted on January 2, 2013 by blogeastern

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?

Snow is in season

Posted on December 26, 2012 by blogeastern

By: Jesica Rubio

The snow is starting to fall and with that being said this means the roads will be getting worse. Yes, I said it. The roads will progressively be getting worse and the snow continues to fall. I seem to notice that every year when the roads start to get slippery and snow covered, the residents of this fine state forget how to drive.

Here is the deal, every year it snows here in Michigan. So I am here to help provide a few tips that may be helpful to those who are not huge fans of the winter season.

 First of all, check the quality of your tires. If you’re able to get new ones, or better winter ones, I recommend you do so. This can make a world of difference.

 Secondly, make sure that your car is cleaned off and defrosted. Take the extra time to make sure that you’re able to see clearly.

 Third and I cannot stress this point enough; make sure you’re driving to the conditions of the road not the posted speed limits. Give yourself plenty of extra time to get where you need to be going.

 Fourth, when it comes to braking, give yourself plenty of room to stop. Don’t mash on your brakes, this will only make you slide.

 Lastly, my final tip would be in regards to someone who gets stuck. Remain calm, don’t stress out and spin your wheels (this will only dig you deeper). Call someone to help you.

Hopefully you find these few small tips beneficial. Make sure you have plenty of time and enjoy the winter season.

Drive safe and be careful out there.

Letter to Me

Posted on December 13, 2012 by blogeastern

By: Sarah Drabik

I heard Brad Paisley’s “Letter to Me” on the radio on the way home from work today. After actually listening to the lyrics, I thought “huh, I wonder what my letter would say?” I laughed to myself, sat down, and started writing…

Dear Freshman Sarah,

Most people will call you Drabik – that also gets transformed into Dray, Dray-Beezy, and Draby Baby. Each name has its own funny story so just let it happen. Dad still calls you Sarah Lou and you’ll invent a face that makes you look like a Cindy Lou-Who from the Grinch, which becomes sort of a photo-bomb trademark.

The next few years are somewhat of a rollercoaster, but I promise you it’s all worth it. To help you through the ride, here are some pointers:

Transitioning the first couple weeks was rough, but you make tons of friends in Downing Hall. It’s true that you meet some of the most amazing people at school and you stay friends with many people from the second floor all through college.
Remember to say “hi” to the girl in the bathroom at sorority recruitment. Her name is Katie; you join the same sorority and she becomes one of your best friends.
Flirt with the guy in American Government; he’s actually a pretty cool guy and makes class at 9:30 AM a little more tolerable.
Once you complete your Math requirement, don’t worry about taking Calculus. You don’t become a Math Teacher.You’re going to get your heart broken… more than once. I know it’s tough, but you learn something more about yourself every time.
- On that note, don’t take Econ. Honestly, you aren’t that good at it and you don’t become a Social Studies Teacher.
- While we’re on the topic, you don’t become a teacher at all. It is okay that you switched your major and completely normal that you changed your mind. You’re now doing something you really love, but I’ll let you figure that out.
Tell people how you feel. Your first heartbreak is because you didn’t share your feelings; the second is because you did. Either way, knowing is better than sitting with a life of “what ifs”.
When the girls are going out to Theo’s – don’t think twice about going. It’s like “Cheers” and everybody knows everybody. A majority of the best memories are created here and they will keep you laughing forever.
Finally, spend as many summers as you can at school because nothing beats an Ypsi Summer.

Now this may not make sense right at this time, but you’ll look back and smile. You’ll have some rough patches and days where nothing seems to go right, but your spirit (just like your horrible “Snooki” poof) won’t ever completely deflate. Remember to smile, love, and live every moment.
-Sarah

Random Acts of Kindness

Posted on December 11, 2012 by blogeastern