Brrrrrrr… baby it’s cold outside – and in
Well, finally … the 90-degree heat wave has broken. I heard on the Weather Channel (one of my favorite stations) that we had more than 15 days in a row of temperatures in the upper 90s, making it an unusually hot October, not to mention the heat and humidity of the last 6 months. So, temperatures over the weekend plummeted to the mid 50s at night. That may not sound like frigid air to the average, hearty Midwesterner, but to us, it’s plenty cold: cause for celebration for some (open the windows, break out those flannel shirts!) and chattering teeth for others.
I guess it takes awhile for our buildings on campus to catch up to this sudden seasonal temperature change, cause the a/c is still cranking away. In our staff meeting today, it was interesting to note the various forms of winter dress – sweaters, scarves, closed-toe shoes, and my favorite (below). Love the look!
So, is it cold enough for you – outside and/or in?
Little LU in danger!
*WARNING* – Contents of this blog post may be disturbing to our more sensitive readers. Please view at your own risk.
For those of you who missed it, Little LU, our small but significant, tiny but tough face of Lynn University – and the smaller sidekick to “Big LU,” the taller but softer Lynn mascot, has been getting himself into some sticky situations lately…
In fact, earlier this year Little LU got kidnapped for, as his assailants say, “too much traveling and well… just being a celebrity really. If you are willing to pay the ransom we might be willing to provide proof of life.”
These evil-doers were no match for our little guy. LU easily escaped the rubber band that held him captive for only a few short days.
He may be strong and tough, but he’s still not staying out of trouble. There have been reports of Little LU nearly drowning in the bottom of a lake during the Adirondack Experience and others have reported seeing LU decapitated after one of his wild adventures.
All I know, is that Little LU needs to start playing it safe and being more careful during his world-wide travels.
Have your own Little LU adventure story? Please share below!
Look what the Internet “killed”
London’s Telegraph newspaper recently took a look at the way we work, play and even think; and in the process came up with a list of 10 traditions the Internet has “killed.” Very interesting …
Here are some (the snide comments are mine): letter writing (an obvious one, what with e-mail and all); telephone directories (you know that big, fat book with the teeny, tiny print?); music stores (can you say download?); photo albums (the kind where you take the printed photos and put them in between the clear, sticky sheets); newspapers (I’ve already said enough about that one); memory (who needs to remember anything when you can Google); and my favorite … doing nothing (even when walking down the street, people are checking iPhones, texting, etc.; it’s hard to “stop and smell the roses” when you do that)
Since this topic was right up my alley (being the “back in the day” girl and all), I thought up some others … encyclopedias and library card catalogues (have all but gone away with the advent of Google); video stores (not when you don’t have to leave home to get a video – or more importantly bring it back); bills (paying online means never having to hunt around for a stamp); shopping (again, you don’t have to leave the house with Amazon, eBay and dozens of other online sources available); sending greeting cards (have you seen the prices of one lousy, little card lately – $3.99!); the post office (just recently in the news about all the closings, since clearly nobody is sending those obsolete letters or bills through snail mail anymore); getting directions (that’s what MapQuest is for); dating (meet the love of your life online); and spelling/grammar (what happened to the English language anyway? how r u?).
All that doesn’t even take into consideration all the social media by products of the Internet i.e. mySpace, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc. Now I’m not saying we revert back to the way we were, but it is sure does bring to light just how much the “times they are a changin’.” (If you don’t recognize the lyrics, Google it!)
Anyway, you get the idea; can you come up with any others?
Performing Arts Center getting all dressed up
The rough edges are quickly getting smoothed out over at the Wold PAC. The first coat of external paint is on, the framing for the sweeping front entrance is complete and the windows are also appearing. It’s finally starting to look like the renderings.
Size matters … when it comes to advising and parking
It’s true. Size DOES matter, and in this case, small is good. I’m talking about Lynn, of course. This weekend, two articles in the Sun-Sentinel caught my attention. (Yes, I still read that antiquated relic they drop on my driveway every day, called a newspaper.)
The first article titled, “Long line to get college advice,” talked about the ratio of advisors to students at some of our Florida universities. The standard ratio, it says, is 300-to-1, and at the school just “across the street” from us – FAU – it’s a whopping, 1,332-to-1. Can you imagine? Not much individualized attention there. Clearly we have a distinct advantage with an advising ratio of approximately 25-to-1. Granted we are not a big state school, but it’s just another great plus at Lynn, where “individualized” is one of our hallmark strengths.
In the second article, “FAU students to stage protest about parking,” it says parking at FAU has become “so scarce that students are holding a protest on Tuesday, saying they can’t make it to class on time.” It was also mentioned that some schools are offering valet service (FIU); and at UF most students aren’t allowed to park on the central part of campus until they’ve earned 120 credit hours!
Here at Lynn, I know that parking is a hot issue and most students and employees, if asked, would say we have a parking “problem,” but compared to these larges universities, our “hike” across campus is much more like a walk in the park. You can really get anywhere on foot in just 10 minutes. Now, during our fast-moving rain deluges or our Sahara-like scorching heat, it can be a bit uncomfortable and inconvenient, but you’re not exactly walking a marathon.
So, Lynn’s small class size and small campus hopefully cut down on those big headaches. What do you think?
Animal Kingdom’s got nothing on us
My esteemed colleague has written recently about an on campus frog migration. And we all contend daily with the roving packs of squirrels. But today I discovered signs of something else (I think) on our beautiful – and woodland creature-friendly – campus.
Budding naturalists help me out. What was this creature walking the steps of the Schmidt building?
Seeing PINK – here, there and everywhere
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and it seems like the whole world has gone pink – from clothing to computers; cookware to cereal boxes; to, well, just about anything. No inanimate object is immune to turning pink these days. But now, football?
Have you seen the games lately? NFL football players and teams are sporting pink on towels, patches, jerseys, caps, fields, and anything else they can think of. Even the referees are sporting pink wristbands to go along with their requisite stripes, and sports announcers are wearing pink ribbons on their lapels. This “pink” breast cancer awareness campaign knows no boundaries. And I mean that in the nicest way possible, and from a marketing perspective it’s definitely a “touchdown.”
Speaking of pink – I mean breast cancer – last year, over 200 Lynn staffers and students volunteered and helped to raise over $350,000 for the American Cancer Society’s “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” event. This year, the event is on Oct. 17 at Mizner Park, with our own Annie Weaver, student involvement coordinator, heading up the Volunteer Committee, and Chris Childers, our career center director, organizing the Lynn walking team, Lynn’s Knights Fighting Cancer. So, get in the pink and join them.
And though another American Cancer Society signature event – Relay for Life – is not until April, fundraisers and activities are held all year long leading up to the main event, starting this week and next with a Relay fundraiser at Uncle Julio’s Oct. 15 and the Kick Off event on campus Oct. 22 – when the “theme” will be revealed. I know what it is, but am not telling. You’ll just have to find out for yourself.
US Embassy in Zimbabwe celebrates one of its – and our – own
Former student body president Londoni takes Lynn with him wherever he goes (this was taken last year while he was interning with UNICEF in Washington, DC).
The U.S. Embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe just posted a story about former Lynn student (and student body president) Bernard Londoni. Bernard, who graduated in May from Lynn, was highlighted on the embassy’s Web site for his transformation “From Refugee to Political Activist.”
Bernard, who wound up at the embassy in Zimbabwe after fleeing the Democratic Republic of Congo, is now at George Mason University working on his master’s and Ph.D. in Peace and Conflict Studies.
In a nod to his alma mater, Bernard said in this interview that at Lynn he “quickly realized that the opportunity to diversify was of paramount importance. In a very individualized, innovative and international campus, I had the privilege to expand my horizons.”
As anyone who knows him will tell you, Bernard’s one to watch. He’s going places. Though he says he has no distinct destination in mind, he does have a purpose (one many of us heard him mention during his time here). He wants to help his home country, continent and its people.
“There is failed leadership in the DRC and in most Sub-Saharan countries,” he says in the story. “I am convinced that the destiny of our continent is in our hands.”
Watch out world.
Little LU: Cut it Out
Okay, so there are not enough Little LU bobbleheads to go to every single Lynn fan, but there is always the Little LU paper doll cut out version.
I loved paper dolls as a little girl, almost as much as I liked my “in the flesh” dolls. So, when you see all these cool travel photos of Little LU, now he can travel – very compactly – with you, too (word has it, he was last seen in Asia!). So, just cut and paste (literally!) Little LU and away you go.
Civility an art lost on Rep. Wilson, Kanye West, Serena Williams – but not Lynn
When I heard that all freshmen were required to read the book, Choosing Civility, I thought it a rather interesting choice – but interesting in a good way. Civility almost sounds like an “old-fashioned” word, one you don’t often hear these days. But it is something we either take for granted or we notice the absence of it.
I’m part way through P.M. Forni’s book (all employees having received this very “civil” gift at the Welcome Back Breakfast), and it really does make you aware of just how many ways there are to “be nice;” how your behavior or misbehavior can affect someone either very positively or negatively. In these times of ever-growing advanced technology, the idea of being civil to your fellow man may seem simplistic, but it also seems like a lost art.
Reading the book I found myself having those “ah hah” moments: like a form of listening or non-listening he calls “disregard and proceed” – otherwise known as “it’s all about me;” or channeling your “inner designated driver” otherwise known as think before you speak, and so many other nuggets I’m sure I have yet to uncover.
“The decline of civility is a social phenomenon that is being discussed now with the frequency and intensity that was not there 10 years ago,” said Forni.
And it’s no wonder. Just recently, we witnessed 3 very public civility offenses: Rep. Joe Wilson’s outburst to Obama; Kanye West’s rude interruption of Taylor Swift, and Serena Williams’ temper tantrum. What great fodder for classroom discussion using our own increasingly non-civil world around us as perfect examples.
If I can quote from another blog on the subject (don’t know the etiquette on that one, so I will anyway), “Somewhere, Miss Manners is going into conniptions. It’s been a tough week for civility in America,” said Sun-Sentinel blogger Mike Mayo.
During our 2nd annual Civility Week starting today, let’s get back to basics – basic human kindness, that is. I heard that Forni is coming to campus March 16, and I do look forward to hearing what he has to say.
So, what does civility mean to you? Or what is your most “uncivil” pet peeve?