Breese Disease

Hehehe...the theme for Breese next year will be:

The Breese Disease: Expect the Infection
"Infecting students with leadership since 1960."

I am very excited for this theme. I realize that is a little bizarre and could be open to misinterpretation, but I also think we could have a lot of fun with it. My hall leaders already have lots of ideas and the thought of a shirt with a big biohazard symbol on it just seems cool.

If the students like it, then I like it.

It is hard to imagine that when the buildings open for next year, I will be beginning my fourth year as a Residence Hall Director.

Committees

Being a Residence Hall Director and a member of a church, I am no stranger to committees. I serve or have served on all sorts of committees:

Job

• Senior Staff Committee (weekly)
• Student Conduct Team (weekly)
• LBGTQ Council (monthly)
• Freshmen Project Committee (irregular)
• Homecoming Committee (monthly)

Church

• Worship Commission (every two months)
• SPRC (monthly) - And I'm the chair of this one
• Church Council (every two months)
  

This is only a start, but I am sure there are some committees that I serve on that I am missing. There are a few things that I have learned by serving on so many committees (And these truths are not specific to any one committee:

1. There is no quicker way to take a good idea and delay its implementation than by sending it to committee.
2. It is very easy to say, "Let's generate some ideas and we'll take of this next week." Does it really happen? Not too often.
3. Decisions that would take 3o minutes end up taking 90 minutes.
4. You find that the decision the committee came up with is exactly what one individual has been saying all along.
   

Is there something you have learned that is not on here? Please add it to the list.

Conversation

I just had a reflective conversation with a good friend. Intermixed between concerns and frustrations, we were able to address some issues that have not been examined for a long time. I feel like I am in a much better place now and hope that things may come to a positive change.

As I walk through the campus today, everyone looks like they are on fast forward...

"Oh man, I am late for class."

"I need to get to work."

"Did I put enough money in the meter? Let me check."

...it seems so strange to me because I leisurely walk through the campus, George Winston in my head. For once, life seems to be moving nice and slow. There are tears in my eyes, but they have nothing to do with sadness. If anything the cold wind, so uncharacteristic as of late, blows straight into my eyes. I wonder what the people behind me are thinking, why he rubs his eyes so much.

No, I'm not crying, but yet somehow I feel like I am losing a friend...

(There ya go...a brief bit of unfinished prose. This was just a scene/moment I had while I was walking this morning.)

Last WURHA Conference

Well, I leave tonight for my last conference as WURHA Advisor. After two years of service, I will be handing the reigns over to my esteemed colleague from UW Eau Claire, Steph Van Pay. I am a little worried because at this point no one has submitted a bid to run for WURHA Advisor-Elect. Hopefully someone decides when we get there. I would really like to keep the string of a full advisorship going.

I will leave behind many great memories and I have made many great friends. I am sure that I will pop into on or more WURHA events next year so I won't be a stranger.

Good Lyrics

I was listening to my I Pod and I heard this song. I like it:

Because all men are brothers, wherever men may be,
The world shall be one union forever proud and free.
No tyrant shall defeat us, no nation strike us down,
All men who toil shall greet us, the whole wide world around.

My brothers are all others, forever hand in hand,
Where chimes the bell of freedom, there is my native land.
My brothers' fears are my fears, yellow, white or brown.
My brothers tears are my tears, the whole wide world around.

Let every voice be thunder, let every heart be strong
Until all tyrants perish our work will not be done.
Let every pain be token, the lost years shall be found.
Let slavery's chains be broken, the whole wide world around.

New Blog

I have created a religious blog to chronicle my journey as a Christian. I figured I would do this so that is folks are not comfortable with religion ro would prefer not to have to read it, they do not have to see it. Those interested could then just read journals in relationship to Jim's Journey.

Walking

The weather has warmed up. Huzzah! I now feel more of a desire to go outside and do stuff. With this, I feel more of a desire to actually start exercising. I have gotten the bike fixed up and have now done some regular riding which is nice.

More importantly, I have gotten into the habit of walking each morning at 8:05 am. The walks are no mroe then 30-35 minutes. They give me the opportunity to clear my head and think about what is coming up for the day. It has helped me to create a mental task list of items I might otherwise forget. It is also good for me.

So, if anyone wants to walk with me...meet in the lobby of Breese Hall at 8:05 am. You are welcome to join me. I promise I won't listen to my IPod if I have visitors.

Donna

She may not have cleaned a thing, but there is definitely a different feeling about the building when Donna comes back from vacation. Huzzah!

A Message

It's about 8:25 am on the morning of Easter and I am on my way to church. As I make my way down the hallway out of Breese, I see the following statement on my door, "Great job! Now when I turn on the water, it scorches my skin". I have my suspicions about who wrote this, but I will let them stay in anonymity.

Backstory: A few days this week, the hot water in Breese Hall was not working. A few residents expressed this concern, so I notified the proper individuals to remedy the problem. It would also be good to know that when there aren't many people in the building and the water sits in the heating tanks, it just gets hotter. Thus, on Easter weekend, with next to no one here, the water got really warm.

So, to be honest, that statement got to me a lot less than it would have in the past, but it is still hard to take, because no matter what you do sometimes, someone will always find something wrong in it.

Friends

To be honest, the last few weeks have been slightly trying in the area of friends. I am sure you have all experienced being in various circles of friends where the circles involved also overlap as well. Lately, there has been a rift that has been occurring with individuals in some circles not wanting to hang out with individuals in the other circles. It has become difficult for me personally; something might be said about someone in the other circle and you have to try to not take it too seriously or find yourself getting involved in what they are saying.

After reading that, you may be thinking to yourself, is Jim seriously talking about people that are in their 20s? Yes, yes I am. I it is truly sad. I find myself in this strange friendship crossroads, a place that I have not found myself in some time.

The Wheel of Bureaucracy

There are times when I really love working for a University. I was informed by a resident that there was a leak in the basement laundry room. The leak wasn't too bad, but it would obviously need to be fixed. So, the phone calls began.

Phone Call 1 (Residence Life Facilities) - In this conversation, the individual I talked to said that she could have someone come to clean up the mess, but she would be unable to have a plumber come over. To accomplish that, I would need to contact the University Police to have someone brought it.

Phone Call 2 (University Police) - I call the University Police. They tell me that I have to call facilities because it is still business hours. I am perplexed because it is past hours...I bring this up, but she insists I need to call University Facilities.

Phone Call 3 (University Facilities) - Nope...I need to call the UP. I explain how that went the first time and the response was, "They are so full of shit". Priceless! She talks to her supervisor to figure out what to do, and indeed I am to call the UP to have someone come in. She calls over there to make sure they know I am calling.

Phone Call 4 (University Police Redux) - They know I am calling and they say they will sned someone over once I tell them where to go. Huzzah!

They didn't take too much work, did it?

Milwaukee Brewers

So the Brewers are 5-2. They started the season 5-0. Turnbow set a record for number of saves in a row to start a season. They have looked competitive in all their game so far except for 1. After an 81-81 season last year, could it be that the Brewers will be worth watching? Let's hope it continues!

Ice Age 2

On Saturday, I had the opportunity to see Ice Age: The Meltdown. I did not see the original movie until after it had come out on DVD. Christa and I went to Appleton to watch it.

Overall, it was an entertaining movie. Scrat the Squirrel played a larger role in the movie; in the first film, he only had a short cartoon to start the movie. Most of the big laughs in the picture came as result of his antics. The main plot line (the escape from the ice age melting) was not quite as entertaining. There was also a move story involved with this one, which like Pearl Harbor, was completely unnecessary. There was a good messagae for kids, and the movie had humor that folks of all ages could appreciate. A solid, above average movie.

Grade: B

Tamagotchi

So, Christa dug out her out Tamagotchi key chain game and we have recently started it up again. I don't really remember when the toys were all the rage, but they are still around and Christa was able to teach me the basics. My pet is currently four days old and I am hoping that he live longer than the one we had before which lived 7 years (or 7 days in Tamagotchi time).

The overall maintenance of a Tamagotchi is not too difficult. Feed it and play with it. If it gets sick, give it medicine. If it gets cranky, yell at it. If it falls asleep turn out the lights. I think I can manage that...who needs kids?

Fridays

So...why do we get lovely weather the entire week, but when Friday rolls around we either get rain and/or cold weather. It really makes it difficult to plan outdoor activities with your little brother when the weather will not cooperate. Bleh.

I am really looking forward to the weekend because I do not have that much to do and I will have lots of time to do personal stuff.

Referendum in November - IMPORTANT!

I encourage you all to become familiar with a referendum that you all have a choice about this November (well, for residents of Wisconsin):

The following is proposed to be added to the Wisconsin Constitution:

"Only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state. A legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized in this state."

If you didn't already know about this referendum, I strongly encourage you to get out there and become informed about it. This is definitely a student issue and it definitely can affect you during and beyond your time at UW Oshkosh.

Above everything, vote on November 6. How you choose to vote on this is up to you!

Three Thoughts

I had dinner with a colleague last night and we were of course reflecting about our jobs as Residence Hall Directors. In our positions, there are three very difficult situations that we deal with. One, fight this constant battle to provide alternatives to alcohol and fight underage drinking. Two, we fight this constant battle to get students "involved". Three, UW Oshkosh sets up many initiatives to make our campus more diverse. I have wrestled with these three things ever since I decided to enter the field of student affairs. Sadly, the more I think about it the more bleak it becomes.

College students are going to drink, and educational classes are not going to cut it for some people. I struggle with what might work. Is it large monetary penalties (read: fines)? In the end, finances are very important and hitting someone in the pocketbook will make a difference. I know it sounds cruel, but if the point is to alter behavior, it is something to think about. Are there other options you can think of?

If you really think about it, we should probably wake up to the fact that some college students simply want to get their diploma and get out of here. Without any involvement in campus or hall activities they will get good jobs and lead good lives. I think we need to be OK with this and realize that involvement is not for everyone.

Lastly, we need to realize that we are a regional institution that does not draw many students out of the greater Fox Valley area. Bringing diversity to the campus will be difficult. We need to be conscious about what Oshkosh has to offer and whether or not it will be a good match for students that come to this campus. Why are we bringing diversity to the campus?

I realize that some of these thoughts are quite blunt, but they are forefront on my mind right now and I am still thinking about them. Any thoughts on this? Please share.

Clothing

Seriously...I saw someone today wearing an "Aeropostale: Track and Field" sweat shirt. Why? I don't get it. The team doesn't exist and it probably get way too much money. I'm confused. What am I missing?

The "Sweet and Sour Chicken" Effect

As I am writing this entry, I am about to head for lunch. The Blackhawk menu today has sloppy joes...mmm, exciting. All I can think about is how hungry I am for Jumbo Seafood. Oh well, I guess I always have a hamburger or a grilled cheese sandwich although it will not be the same.

So, one day I look at the menu for dinner and it says that there will be "Sweet and Sour Chicken Effect." at the International Station. I am very excited because I like sweet and sour chicken and sounded very appetizing. I had my own vision of what it was going to be, mostly influenced by experiences in restaurants. Upon entering Blackhawk and I was given my two ladles full of sweet and sour chicken and it was pretty disgusting. This extreme let down between what I would expect and what I receive is called the "Sweet and Sour Chicken Effect."

I have to learn to lower my standards for foods that I would otherwise think would be really tasty!

A Productive Day of Non-Productivity

For the first time in a long time, I have almost an entire weekend with no significant obligations. Today, I had a wonderful time doing nothing! Two major brekthroughs today.

Star Wars Battlefront II - I managed to gain "legendary" status in another reward category. This was especially cool because I earned many of the rewards in the cooperative mode in Galactic Conquest. I think Christa appreciated getting back into the Battlefront mode. Now my character has four permanent bonuses in all scenarios. Time to work on more. I must have played Battlefront 4 hours today. Sweet!

Texas Hold 'em - As I am writing this blog entry, I am playing poker on partypoker.net. It's not too badm, and you play for free...no money. I couldn't really tell you if I am any good or not, I have only played Texas Hold 'Em a few times. The more games that I play the better I feel about some of the basics of the game. Now, playing on-line is one thing...I am intrigued to see how this all works out playing against people in person. I'll keep you posted.

I HOPE YOU MOVED YOUR CLOCKS AHEAD!