The primary purpose of the symposium is to learn about the types of original research projects conducted by advance psychology students here at the school, to learn the outcomes of studies in which I may have participated in over the course of the semester, experience an event that is conducted in a manner similar to “paper” or “oral” presentation sessions at professional association meetings in psychology, to see what I will potentially be doing once I declare my major in psychology, and also practice understanding and summarizing verbal descriptions of research studies.

As part of my grade, I was advised to stay for the entire session and pick two of the many studies shown and provide a brief summary of my findings and interest. Overall the event went by fairly quickly and didn’t take as long as I expected, partially because the information presented was fairly interesting and engaging. I had a wonderful time at the event and look forward to going to it again next year and possibly presenting a project of my own in the near future.

I could not be more excited to join my professors at Iron Hill, and I cannot even begin to express my gratitude for their generosity. The email that was sent out to the students in my major explained that the professors would be buying “until the funds ran out.” Although this was just for my specific major, I do know that all majors will receive a happy hour of some kind as a celebration for completing their majors.

This is bound to be quite the experience and one that is sure to be memorable. Imagine that after taking countless classes with the professors of your major, how enjoyable will it be to be able to meet with them in a relaxed atmosphere? For me, this is such a personal gesture from the faculty of F&M. I cannot imagine something such as a happy hour with students viably taking place at a larger university. Yet another perk of going to a small liberal arts college! After four years of really getting to know most of the professors in my major, this should be a very special and momentous gathering.

The next few weeks are sure to be full of both happy and sad moments, and by sad, I mean in the best way possible. There will be a lot of “remember when” moments shared among the senior class and I am very excited to begin the start of many senior class activities and events that will be taking place. I know there is a flapjack festival for the seniors only at the Dining Hall, there is a senior BBQ, and many more events.

Joshua Bennett

Nationally acclaimed spoken word poet Joshua Bennett performed last night in the Steinman College Center; a special event organized by students Aime Silfa ’13 and Astrid Barerras ’14 as part of National Poetry Month. Bennett is an award winning poet who has performed at events like The Sundance Film Festival and President Obama’s Evening of Poetry and Music at the White House, so it was truly an honor to see him perform free of charge.

The night started off with some opening performances from students from both Millersville University and F&M, spoken word and a musical performance; afterwards, Bennett performed a popular piece that has some of the most hits on his YouTube channel.

The crowd was full of energy throughout the night. After students’ performances had ended, Bennett performed about 6 or 7 more of his original works, telling personal stories that both made the audience laugh and moved us. When he was done performing, there was a Q&A session and autograph signing.

I arrived probably an hour or so after the initiation of the tournament. From my understanding the tournament went bracket style similar to the NCAA tourney and as the teams won they were able to move up the bracket until they reached the championship game. The games all ran for ten total minutes or until one of the teams scored a total of 21 points. The atmosphere was beyond competitive as each team brought their A game, in an effort to win the prizes received at the end by the “unofficial commissioner” our campus President Dan Porterfield.

When I first heard about the bombings in Boston, I was really shocked. It is the city I plan to live in when I grow up, and hearing about these attacks really made me take a step back. At first I was surprised, but afterwards I was angry. How could something like this happen? Was this another sort of small scale 9/11? Or was this the act of just some random sick person? I talked to both of my parents that day and I got some very interesting insight into the world we used to live in.

Throughout the 20th century our country has suffered from a great deal of violence. Both abroad and domestic attacks plagued the American people. But what my mom noted was that there was a purpose. People were fighting FOR something. Whether it was right or wrong, good or evil, that was besides the point. The issue at hand was that there was motive for the actions that took place. But these days, like the bombings in Boston, the shooting at Sandy Hook, it seems as though people are acting out violently simply for the sake of hurting people. There is no deeper goal or purpose to fight for. That, to me, was such a sad realization. Needless to say it didn’t help improve my outlook on life.

But then I talked to my dad. And he recognized that the world is a sad and violent place. But his outtake on it was that evil will always be in the world. It always has been and it always will be. These events that have happened are just manifestations of this evil. However, there is so much more good in the world. The people who helped the injured after the bombings, the firefighters, the police officers, those who opened their homes to people, those who helped others find their loved ones. He told me to remember that there will always be issues in the world, but that I should remember the good will always outweigh the bad. It’s hard to do, especially when you know people who were in, or affected by some of these tragic events, but what other options do you have? Keep your head up and make sure that you’re one of the good people in the world that helps to make evil the minority.

On this new Facebook page called “F&M Confessions,” kids from F&M basically complain anonymously about their situations and tell everyone what they think about F&M. I want to take a second to tell all of them, and anyone else reading, this that just because you’re not where you want to be, or have something you don’t like about this place, you should make your experiences at F&M what you want them to be. Make a change. And please, for everyone else sake, stop complaining.

Many of the SISTERS arrived early at the Woods Room in the ASFC to begin prepping for PTB. We decorated the room in our colors, pink and black, and had a lot of fun doing so. Then we all left to get dressed for the event.

The turnout was great! Many of the IMPACT brothers showed up to support our event and we even had to add two extra tables to the room to accommodate all the people who attended. During the evening there was a performance by Hannibal Robinson ’16, Maria Lytle ’16, and the Kite & Keys, as well as a silent auction in the back of the room.

Dinner was Italian food from Lombardo’s, here in Lancaster, followed by dessert and dancing. PTB was truly a success and I had an awesome time. I’m so glad to be in SISTERS!

Photo courtesy of Kimmy Tin ’15.

To begin the ceremony, the president and vice president — Vicky Rodriguez ’15 & Stephanie Boothe ’14 respectively — introduced themselves and the organization by providing the event goers with a brief history of the organization. They then set a context for the event, informing us the proceeds from the event would go to nearby Clare House, which is a women’s homeless shelter in Lancaster that operates two 24-hour transitional shelter facilities for women. They set a goal of donating $500 to Clare House, which they reached by ticket sales.

The events began with a poem written by Hannibal Robinson ’16, which essentially gave praise and uplifted women. We then were blessed to hear a few musical selections from Kite & Keys, followed by Maria Lytle. Immediately after the conclusion of both pieces, guest were invited to go and eat, while also participating in the silent auction.  After about 30-45 minutes of eating, mingling, and singing to tracks being played in the background, a few members brought a close to the eating portion of the event of the procession. During this time, they announces the winner of the auctions and then invited people to take to the dance floor and “Get Their Two Step On.” I had a blast during this time and look forward to attending the event again next year around this time. Now that I know that this is something that happens every year, I have yet another reason to add a pink tie or bow-tie to my collection.

The point of the little theme in the episode is to show that if you prepare, you should then take some time afterward to get your mind off of it. There is a learning curve, and after a certain amount of hours of putting the time in, you need to step away and give your brain a break so it can function better the next day. There is absolutely no point in running yourself into the ground and staying up until all hours the night before trying to cram all the information in. Prepare a few days ahead of time, and then take it easy. Review the morning of or the night before, sleep 8 hours, eat a good breakfast and then tackle the exam. Trust me, it works.

I can not confidently say that I will have a job after college, or that the job that I might have will pay anything. But I can say that I have spent the last three years of my life enjoying my homework, and eager to get up in the morning for class. I have not enrolled in one course where I have hated the subject matter, and have never skimped out on finishing a project or an assignment 100% because it’s boring or uninteresting.

College is supposed to be the best four years of your life. It’s the time where you experience the most freedom you can ever have without having the weighty responsibilities of life, like paying a mortgage. Primarily it is a place of learning. I’m certainly not advocating studying something just for the heck of it. But go to school with your mind open. If you love studio art, but think you wont be able to get a job in the future, pick up a business major on the side. If you’re so passionate about the subject that you love, major in it. And if you’re like me major in multiple disciplines you love. This is the last chance you’re going to have to study something particularly useless just for the sake of learning. And I’m not knocking the pre-meds, and the economic majors. If you happen to be passionate in a subject that will give you a career afterwards, then you’re doubly blessed. But don’t major in something you don’t like all for the sake of money after college, because you will spend the best four years of your life sitting in a classroom that you don’t want to be in, ruining the college experience.