Session 2-Washburn Review

My second session at the Washburn Review was actually yesterday, Nov. 23. Katie Wade printed out five stories for me to edit during my session. This time I felt more confident in what I was doing and didn't have to double check all of the corrections that I made to the articles. The article that stuck out to me the most was the one written about Washburn's womens' basketball team. Some of the wording and phrases used were awkward and choppy, while other I thought ran on and on. The thing that stuck out to me the most about this article, as well as in another article that I edited, was that numbers before ten, they had put the actual numeral for. I learned that a long time ago, and it was definitely reiterated throughout the duration of this class, that numerals under ten are spelled out and anything after ten can be in the numeral form. It was interesting editing the basketball article as well as the one dealing with the Kansas Board of Regents. All of the articles that I edited, I found mistakes in and even fact errors. I was actually proud of myself to find errors in the ones that had previously been edited. This class gave me confidence in my editing skills and allowed me to be able to make corrections without second guessing myself. I honestly look forward to when I have to edit something again. Because, I'll actually have a grasp at what I'm doing.

Session 1-Washburn Review

My first shift for editing at the Washburn Review was on Oct. 26. Eric helped log me on to the online website where they edit the potential upcoming stories. There weren't many stories to edit while I was there, so he just gave me one article. I edited a story about YouTube Music and the new implementations YouTube is making to its brand. I was honestly surprised about how grammatically incorrect the article was. I'm not sure if it had been edited before I had a chance to look at it or if it was the first draft, but it was such an interesting site to see. I think there was a lot of confusion on quotes within the article and how to properly format that. Also, when I was reading each time there were quotations around a word or sentence, the would end with the punctuation outside of the quotation marks. From this class, I am completely aware that it was an editing no-no.  There were other punctuation errors here and there. Overall, it was a very informative article that took a lot of work to fix.

This was toward the middle of semester that I edited at the review for the first time. It was difficult remembering everything I had been taught, so it took me longer than I had anticipated. Other than that, I enjoyed editing and honestly, finding the mistakes. It made me feel as though the lessons I learned in this class were finally starting to click.

The final countdown to finals week

Success Week was implemented to provide students with a week geared towards preparing for finals week. At other universities, the week before finals is normally called "Dead Week." Washburn University wanted to promote positivity and to create an environment that students achieve the utmost excellence. Along with allowing students ample amount of time for studying, the week is filled with events that are created as an outlet for stress relief.

Washburn Student Government Association's student engagement committee in charge of preparation for the events that happen throughout Success Week. They start a year in advance for collaboration on these specific events. Each event has been tailored to fit the majority of students' interests. This year there is a broad range of events to accommodate for what the students want.

Monday: “Polar Express” movie night in Vogel Room- 7 p.m.

Tuesday:  Pizza and energy drink give out in Mabee- 7 p.m.

Wednesday:  “Coffee Ground Off” in Washburn A/B-  10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

                         “Massages at Mabee” in Mabee- 7 p.m.

Thursday:  PJ Day on Washburn’s campus-ALL DAY

                   Late Night Breakfast in Kansas Room- 7 p.m.

Friday:  Dog Days of Finals in SRWC- 11 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Saturday:  Pizza Night in Mabee- 7 p.m.

This year's Success Week is Nov. 30, through Dec. 6. This year's finals week is Dec. 7, through Dec. 11.

Theatre students to study abroad in London (EDIT)

A group of Washburn theatre students will be spending their spring break exploring the streets of London, England for a study abroad trip.

This will be the second time within the past year that Washburn has sponsored this study abroad opportunity for theatre department students. The last trip to London was in May and lasted 10 days.

Paul Prece, chair of the theatre department, travels with the group of students as the faculty mentor. Prece works with a touring agency based out of New York and spends months planning the trip.

"London is a mecca for theatre and other arts," said Prece. "The city is widely diverse in its neighborhoods and population and draws visitors internationally and year-round."

Theatre majors Abbey Geiss, senior, and Jamie Schartz, junior, were two of the students who attended the London trip in May.

"I decided to take the trip because I had never been out of the country before, and the thought of travel has always been exciting to me," said Geiss.

During the last trip to London, students attended five theatrical productions. Two of the shows included "War Horse” at the New London Theatre and "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" at the National Theatre.

"I read the novel [Curious Incident] before we left and fell in love with it," said Schartz. "Everything about the show was pristine. The cast was brilliant, the set was magical and the acting was phenomenal."

In addition to the required activities, students were also given the opportunity to tour the city independently. Prece recommended that students visit the Tate Modern Museum and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.

For the upcoming trip in March there will be several new students attending including Alex Laughlin, junior theatre major.

"When I was younger my family took a trip to London and I was too young to really appreciate the history and the trip itself," said Laughlin. "So I want to go back and relive the experience."

According to Prece, the upcoming spring break trip will mirror the May trip. Students will attend professional productions, experience an overnight trip to Stratford and witness the "changing of the guard" at Buckingham Palace.

"There is always much to see and do in London. This time will be no different," said Prece. "My hope is that this trip will make students realize how wide the world is and begin to understand their place and possibility."

Prepare yourself for the most stressful time of the semester (edit)

The time has come to start preparing for finals week. Next week is Thanksgiving break already. The week following break is success week then it is time, time for finals! This time of year can be very stressful; especially this year since it seems like it all falls so close together. 

There are several things to remember when preparing for the next couple of weeks. Students need to first remember to maintain their health. Don’t sacrifice sleep for study time. Even if you cram all night and skip sleep. Most likely what will happen is your test scores will suffer from lack of sleep rather than lack of studying. On the same token, don’t forget to eat properly. Food is key in brain function as well as sleep. A great tip is to eat a balanced breakfast the day of an exam. When you are full, your brain will be more focused on the material, and not on tacos…or chicken nuggets. 

Plan a good space to study. Unlike in the past, the library will not be open 24/7 during this week. The new hours that have started this fall will continue during finals week, according to Mabee Library’s website. If you prefer to study there, take a look at the hours and schedule your study time around that. 

On the topic of scheduling, make sure to pace yourself. During this time of year students have a lot going on. That last couple weeks of school have a lot of projects due, exams are getting closer and it's just a very overwhelming time of the semester. I have found that it is good to lay out your assignments on a calendar and stick to it. For all papers and lengthy assignments, it is best to spread them out doing a little bit at a time. For example, plan to complete two pages a week which will allow you to complete an eight page paper in four weeks without extensive sessions and cramming. 

Don’t forget, take care of yourself, pace yourself and professors and advisors are here to help you. Contact them if you are overwhelmed and need help, they will help you.

Thanksgiving buffet kick starts the holidays (EDIT)

The holidays are just around the corner. With the upcoming holidays, there are a lot of different upcoming events. The first event on campus was the Thanksgiving buffet. This was on Wednesday, Nov. 18^th. The buffet was for everyone to celebrate on campus before Thanksgiving break. 

“The buffet was really worth the money and was the best food I have ever had at Washburn,” said Logan Runnebaum a freshman nursing major.

The buffet was 10 dollars at the door or nine dollars in advance. It was for all students and faculty. It was a transitional Thanksgiving buffet with foods such as, turkey, ham, potatoes and cream corn. For dessert there there was pumpkin and pecan pie. 

A lot of people attended the event and everyone seemed to enjoy it. All of the seats were full from the start to the end of the buffet.  It is the best buffet that Washburn offers all year.

“I always miss the buffet and really wish I could have attended it.” Said David Cox a mass media senior.

Thanksgiving break starts Wednesday, Nov. 25^th and classes resume Monday, Nov. 30^th.  With holiday cooking and Black Friday shopping coming up it, is nice to be able to go and eat at a buffet without having to do any of the cooking or preparation.

If Washburn dining put on more buffets, it would keep more people on campus and generate more money. Many people feel the food is overpriced, however it is nice to be able to bring people together over a quality meal as the holidays begin. 

Buffet to kick off the holidays

Holidays are just around the corner.  With the upcoming holidays, there are a lot of different events that come about. The first event on campus was the Thanksgiving buffet. This was on Wednesday, November 18^th. The buffet was for everyone to celebrate Thanksgiving on campus before Thanksgiving break.

“ The buffet was really worth the money and was the best food I have ever had at Washburn,” Said Logan Runnebaum, a freshman Nursing major.

The buffet was 10 dollars at the door or nine dollars in advance. It was for all students and faculty. The food, was all traditional Thanksgiving food. Some of he food included was, Turkey, ham potatoes and cream corn. For desert there were a few different kinds of pie. The pumpkin pie was everyone’s favorite.

The buffet was a great hit with all students who attended. There was an abundance of people who attended. All of the seats were full from the start to the end of the buffet.  It is the best buffet that Washburn offers all year.

“I always miss the buffet and really wish I could have attended it.” Said David Cox a mass media senior.

Thanksgiving break starts Wednesday, November 25^th and class resume Monday November 30^th.  With holiday cooking and black Friday coming up it is nice to just be able to go and eat at a buffet and not have to do any of the work.

With the buffet being such a hit I feel that they should do more buffet like this in the future. Maybe a different buffet every month would be really nice and keep more people on campus. Also it makes student feel like they get their moneys worth. There are a lot of people on campus who feel that the food is over priced.