The good old days

By: Sarah Schwadron '14


Isn’t It Funny…

Term II is winding down and I can hardly believe it. I can still remember the first day of Fall Orientation. And so much has changed since then.

I have a different group of friends, a (hopefully) new dorm room, a different major and minor, ten extra pounds, a newfound dislike for a lot of chamber music, an understanding of rhetoric, along with a bunch of other things. As for whether I’m excited or upset about these changes, I’ll
let the reader be the judge of that.

I’m ready for the next term, surprisingly. And that is not just to be down with Freshman Writing, although that is a huge plus. I like the idea of having one class every day, but not on Wednesday, even if my class is from 850 to 12 in the morning.

It’s really funny how 850 seems like such an early time to me know. In high school, every morning, without fail (unless I was sick) I was up at 6 am and driving myself to school at 7 am, and I was not the least bit tired. Now, I sometimes can barely manage to drag myself out of bed at 9 for a 955 class. On those days, I remind myself that as long as I shower, it doesn’t matter what I wear to class.

That’s another thing. In high school, I would never dream of walking out the door if I had sweats on. Now, it’s nothing. I look forward to the days where I can lounge around and go to class in sweats. As it stands now, I’m wearing a blouse, khaki pants and heels for a presentation that I have later on today.

Wow. If I am talking like this now, can you imagine the nostalgia I’ll have when it is my last year here at Elmira? I cannot even fathom that right now.

Right now, it’s time for a cup of coffee and my laptop and I to become best friends while I finish this fifty page portfolio. Thank God I actually know what I am doing with it!

The Conference

By: Paige Kleinfelder '14

This past week was extremely busy for me because on top of my typical class work I was preparing for the Pennsylvania College English Association Conference. A few weeks prior I had submitted an abstract proposition for the conference with little belief that I would be chosen to present; but after a couple weeks my name appeared on the list of presenters. This meant I had to read my 20 page freshman writing paper again, cut it down, and present it to a group of professors, English enthusiasts, graduate and a few undergraduate students. So of course my fear of presenting to these people caused me to put it off. Last weekend I realized I really needed to get prepared. Eight revisions and nine excursions to the library later I had a finalized, or so I thought, paper.

As I road in the car to Erie Friday morning I was still crossing out words and writing out pronunciations next to some of the names. At 8:45am I walked into the building, went on three elevators and eventually found my way to the correct conference. I signed in, received my name tag, and was directed to the room I was to present in. I walked in and saw the chairs sitting at the front of the room. One of them was for me, I was going to have to sit there facing everyone, and wait for my chance to speak. I made my way to the front and took a seat next to my fellow presenters for that session. Two graduate students. They went first and finally I was introduced and began reading. Surprisingly my fifteen minute talk about women in Ancient Greek literature was well received and I breathed a sigh of relief. I attended another session after mine about Southern Fiction; focusing on the works of William Faulkner, Eudora Wetly, Flannery O’Connor and others. This of course made me want to find these authors stories to read. (As I write this I am thinking to myself that I would rather go look for a Flannery O’Connor book in the library than work on my nine page paper due Friday). I attended one session the following day about technology in education and how students and professors can best use the resources that are becoming available daily.

Now that I am back at Elmira College I have a new appreciation for the education I am receiving and even the long papers that I sometimes dread writing. It is always interesting to find out how other people view things that you also have a passion for such as English and literature. The conference forced me to face my fear of speaking in front of crowds and showed me the value of listening to the many different perspectives on a single subject.

Lord of the Dance

By: Daniel Patrick Moriarity '14

I danced in the morning when the world was begun
I danced in the Moon & the Stars & the Sun
I came down from Heaven & I danced on Earth
At Bethlehem I had my birth:

Last Friday I not only attended the greatest Encore event I have yet to experience, but I have also done something I've been wanting to practically my entire life, to see a live Irish dancing performance. Michael Flannery's sold out "Lord of the Dance" show was truly a masterpiece; I did not think it possible to tell a story so beautifully without saying a single word. Michael Flannery and his troupe took one of the most cherished worship songs from my childhood and once again reminded me of its perfection, albeit in an entirely different form than I am used to. The lights were enrapturing;the music, captivating; the dance troup, harmonious; and Michael Flannery, flawless. In all my life of watching Superbowl half-time shows and live concerts, I have not seen anybody as at home, as at peace, on the stage as Michael Flannery. He, and his show, are truly awe-inspiring. However, there is no need to take my word for it, you can just ask anyone from the full capacity, quintuple encore performance crowd that gave him a standing ovation.

They cut me down and I leapt up high
I am the Life that'll never, never die!
I'll live in you if you'll live in Me -
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!

And People Say Term II is Boring…

By: Paige Kleinfelder '14



This weekend has been a string of awesome events that I need to share. Friday night after creating signs for A Capella Weekend I got together with friends to do homework (I know, that’s not exciting, but stay with me). I soon decided to see what my friends were doing in Towers. Most of them were just watching movies but I convinced two of my friends to search for people to do something else with. We managed to round up five people to play Taboo. It was probably too late at night to play Taboo and give reasonable clues, but we managed. A few pieces of pizza, lots of excitedly screamed answers, and dozens of categories later we wrapped up the game but weren’t ready to call it a night. So after sitting around and talking, four of us headed over to Perry to make t-shirts for Relay for Life. I eventually decided to leave, but as I walked back to Columbia, I heard a strange noise coming from the bushes at the back of Emerson Hall. I paused for a moment and tried to see what was there. Then I saw it: the black and white face, the fluffy tail; I was staring directly back at a skunk. As I assume most people would do, I backed up and walked as fast as possible to my dorm. I blame my curiosity on the warm weather that prompted my hope that it would be an adorable bunny.

Saturday, much like Friday, started out kind of slow: breakfast followed by homework. However, later in the afternoon my Grandparents arrived to visit and take me to dinner. We headed over to Corning to do a little shopping and grab dinner. I was on a mission to find chalkboard paint for my studio, because I, like most little kids, have the desire to draw on the walls. We finally found it and then went to The Gaffer Grill and Tap Room for dinner.

When I got back to campus I rushed to get ready for the Relay for Life. I didn’t know what to expect but it turned out to be a really fun (but also long) night. The original plan was to stay for a few hours. Then my sleep deprived mind decided that I should just stay all night. The team I was on, “Sporting” the Fight Against Cancer, walked around together all looking awesome with our matching baseball uniform style t-shirts, shorts, and knee socks. Our t-shirts were each dedicated to someone in our lives who was affected by cancer. Between walking (or rather dancing) around and watching different performances, we made a quick run to get Taboo. Our four teams of players sat in a tight circle trying to hear the clues over the music. The Joshes dominated the game with their uncanny ability to guess the correct word with two word clues. Kerri and Kelsey came in a close second. Katie and I came in third, due to my extreme use of words that were not allowed. And Brie and Ryan, two first time players of, came in an admirable last. 1/2 Time, the five guy band from EC, began playing so we grabbed some candy to wake us up and resumed our laps around the gym.

Sadly, I didn’t last the entire night and I headed back to Columbia for some much needed sleep which was rudely interrupted by my alarm clock going off at 8:30 reminding me that I had to be ready for breakfast in half an hour. So, of course, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep again, barely waking up with enough time to throw clothes on, brush my teeth, and run downstairs to meet my grandparents for breakfast. We went to Light’s Bake Shop just a few blocks from campus. (For anyone who hasn’t eaten there, it is a quaint change from the weekend breakfast at our dining hall). After breakfast and saying good bye, I immediately went back to sleep for another two hours. I decided that I had to finally get up to do some homework before the Columbia dorm meeting (which turned out to be a “Un-Birthday Party” with presents and cake).

Now I am sitting in my friend’s room waiting to go to dinner and then to see the movie How Do You Know in Gibson with a group of friends. This weekend has felt like an entire month compressed into a weekend. I am still exhausted, but it was definitely one of the best weekends I have had here at college.

How to Deal with Break Downs—The College Edition

By: Sarah Schwadron '14

Anyone who has had extended contact with me will tell you that I have monthly breakdowns. As bad as that sounds, it’s how I deal with stress. I take on too much to do at once, and then I can manage it for while, then it becomes too much, and I cry for a whole night. As a new psych major, I know that’s not good. At all. But it’s what I do.

Without going into what caused this month’s breakdown, I will explain the colleges system on how they deal with student’s breakdown.

1- Someone gets the RA.
2- The RA calls the RLC on duty, and they both talk to you. The RLC then decides if you need to talk to the head of counseling.
3- You talk to someone on campus and they figure out ways to prevent it from happening again.

And it’s a great system. But… if you are me, that’s the last thing you need. My mother will tell you that I just need time, and only one person to talk to. And some retail therapy.

Again, not the healthiest way of dealing with my issues, but it works.

But beyond my personal thoughts, the counseling services that the college offers are great for ‘crisis situations’ (I kind of object to calling it that, but it’s not my call). Even if it happens at 11pm like mine did. My RA is great, and would not leave me alone until she was sure that I was fine. And the RLC on duty did follow up with me today. Even though it is stuff that I don’t need, it’s great to know that the campus has resources like that so readily available.

Now, to recover from my breakdown, I’m going to watch The Swan Princess, paint my nails, have a cup of tea, and study for Human Services. It actually sounds like a great night to me =]

I’m Back.

By: Paige Kleinfelder '14


The week back after term II midterm break has been super busy. I returned and I found myself faced with a large amount of work to do before classes even resumed. First I had to make sure I could meet with my group for a presentation in Foundations of Education (which we presented very well) and then I also had to finish my ten page draft for Freshmen Writing. And then it hit me, that sinking feeling as I realized I would be lucky if I got even half the sleep I got over break.

It is now Friday and I have survived my first week of classes back. I am getting back into the routine of college and classes; while also having some fun. Monday I spent an hour blowing up balloons and attempting to shove them all into my closet. No, I haven’t lost my mind. Tuesday was my roommate’s birthday so I wanted the room to be filled with balloons when she woke up. In order to do this I had to wake up super early Tuesday morning to pull them all out of my closet while she was still asleep. The problem was that I wake up with the alarm on my phone and I had left my charger at home. Somehow I woke up without any alarm, pulled all of the balloons out of my closet (managing to make loud static crackling noises). The majority of the day was pretty average, but that night to celebrate her birthday five of us sat around a round table to 1855 and enjoyed a brownie sundae. After that we had an intramural volleyball game. (Just a little piece of advice for anyone about to participate in a volleyball game: DO NOT eat a huge sundae right before hand). The game was really fun…but it may have been our excessive laughing that led to us losing by two points.

The first week after break has come and gone. I am used to getting up for classes, hurrying to get to lunch before the Core Class rush, and balancing time between homework and friends. It’s good to be back.

Snow Day!

By: Emily Oshinskie '14

Since both my Child and Adolescent Psych and Freshman Writing classes were cancelled today….I thought I’d take the opportunity to write an overdue blog! Monday mornings are usually the least desired part of anyone’s week, but after I checked my e-mail and realized I had no classes I started to drift into the melodies of the Rascal Flatts, Jack Johnson and Ingrid Michaelson, embracing Mondays mornings. I have officially survived my first week back at EC since our February midterm break. It was a long week and lots of work to do but also really great to catch up with friends. It’s amazing how quickly a week of vacation goes by, yet half way through the week you realize you miss EC and your friends and can’t wait to go back!
On Friday night my friends and I headed to Macs to check out the Wax Hands and Bamboo Sculptures. We stood in line and waited for our hands to be dipped into wax and mold our hands into various different shapes. You could either do a peace sign, “I Love You” in sign language, “Star Trek”/alien hand hand, or any other shape that you could get your hand out of the mold without breaking it.


Saturday night we got our Elmira fan gear on and headed to the Murray Athletic Center (aka: The Domes) for the Men’s ECAC West Hockey Championship! The game was packed and the energy was at an all time high! No. 1 Elmira College vs. No. 2 Neumann University….bring it! Besides EC students and faculty, a lot of people from the community come out to watch the EC Men’s hockey games. Every attempt at goal was followed by a loud sigh or “OHHHHH!” of the crowd. The adrenaline was pumping through my body as every fan subconsciously leaned forward, physically and emotionally engaged in the intense action of the game. When EC scored, fans screamed, whistled, ecstatically jump up and down, hugged each other, chest bumped….one fan even rang his purple and gold cow bell……hey, there’s something for everyone. In the last few minutes of the game, EC scored two goals on Neumann. When the final buzzer rang, everyone screamed and shouted and the men’s hockey team all celebrated….here’s a picture, in case you missed the sweaty huddle of hockey players.

the Id of The Vagina Monologues

By: Daniel Patrick Moriarity '14

What would 2 famous psychoanalyst think of The Vagina Monologues? Well lets see...

To whom it may concern,
I am writing to you concerning your recent participation in the outlandish production that was the Vagina Monologues, and in particular the speech that you yourself read. As a whole I feel that this fiasco was an unnecessarily vocal display of the phenomenon of penis envy. You need to know that your desires to stand up on stage speaking about your vaginas is not an act of pride for who you are and your fellow women, it is merely a manifestation of your unconscious desire to be a man and to possess a penis. Perhaps the greatest support of this theory from the Vagina Monologues was your performance of “My Angry Vagina”. My dear Anne, I am sorry to say that the reason why your vagina is so angry is because it is not a penis. In fact, further evidence for other parts of my psychosexual theory of development comes in the wildly inappropriate subject matter and language that pervaded the entire evening. Publicly announcing your desires for sexual relief, especially through intimate contact with another female or masturbation, not to mention the constant use of such terribly despicable slang for your own body, just supports my theory that because none of you have penises, your superegos did not develop, and therefore your morals are lacking. This does not however explain that Josh fellow… I must perform a case study on him.
Sincerely,
Sigmund Freud


To whom it may concern,
I am writing to you to let you know how much I enjoyed your performance in the V-day extravaganza, The Vagina Monologues. This was the first time that I have ever attended this event, but I am sure that it will not be my last. I think that this was a beautiful display of feminine pride, and showed every man out there why they should be jealous of us and what we have. Unlike that egotistical hack Freud, who thinks that all women are morally inferior and desire to obtain a penis, I don’t think there’s any doubt by any of the audience from Friday’s performance that we women know who we are and are damn proud of our vaginas. In fact, I think the organization has put the spotlight on an interesting topic, that maybe it is the men, not the women, who have underdeveloped superegos. After all, if men are the more moral sex, then how is it that they are the ones responsible for all of the domestic violence, assault, genital mutilation, and rape? Obviously no woman would want any of these to happen to her, so that means that the men involved are too blame. Doesn’t sound very morally superior to me… In any case, thank you very much for your participation in this noble performance and I look forward to seeing you next year.
Sincerely,
Karen Horney

You know you go to Elmira College when…

By: Sarah Schwadron '14

-your rain boots are your best friends.
-you don’t think twice about that fact someone is cutting grass in the rain.
-the thought about everything being purple doesn’t scare you.
-actually, you’re the person that came up with the idea to spray paint everything purple.
-you think it’s weird not to the see the president of your school on a daily basis.
-singing is part of your daily routine.
-your rain boots and Uggs are your best friends.
-you tell time by the chimes of the bell tower instead of looking at the clock.
-you think a hexagon has too few sides.
-the school color is gold, not yellow.
-you automatically put your class year at the end of your name, no matter what you are signing.
-you know that desserts are the best part of the meal.
-your rain boots, uggs, and student I.D’s are your best friends.
-you know the exact angle that the Soaring Eagle needs to be at on anything.
-you know not to walk around the campus without a buddy after 10pm
. -Mark Twain is the best writer that ever existed.
-you’ve gone swimming in the fountain.
-hockey is the best sport you’ve ever seen/played.
-you look in the mirror, and wonder why you look so weird, and then you realize it’s because you aren’t wearing any purple or gold.
-the iris is the best flower ever.
-you can describe an iris to anyone.
-your rain boots, uggs, student I.D.’s and a fuzzy jacket are your best friends.
-you freak out that other colleges don’t have a school shape.
-you hear snapping and you immediately start singing Simeon Benjamin.
-you cannot tell military time, but you know when 1855 is.
-you try to impress your date by taking her to Simeon’s.
-you are actually impressed by a date at Simeon’s.
-there is a field trip and the bus willing starts to sing.
-you know all the worlds to all of the Campus songs, but you cannot remember what you had for breakfast.
-you met your best friends by complaining about freshman writing.
-you know and can use all the forms of rhetoric there ever where, but cannot think of a time you would ever use any of it.
-you actually understand rhetoric.
-you realize that there is no other place where you want to be (at least, while classes are in session)