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To Be, or Not To Be (Involved)
The spring semester theatre production of “Hamlet” opens this week and I am so incredibly excited. Not only are they performing this weekend and next, but they get to travel to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland in August! I was not cast in this show, but just because you’re not cast doesn’t mean you have to sit on the sidelines and watch from afar. I hopped on the opportunity to work backstage with the costume crew. This was my first experience working on the technical side of theatre, but my supervisors were appreciative, understanding and helpful with our tasks.
I was a little embarrassed to admit I didn’t know how to sew, but the costume designer for the show, Tara Webb, taught me everything I needed to know. I worked to sew buttons and labels while she made alterations to the actor’s costumes.
Another great part of working backstage is that I get to see the whole process of the show being put together. Many of my best friends have been cast in the show and it is
so amazing to see them killing it on stage! Not to mention, “Hamlet” is not an easy show! Any Shakespeare play has some serious memorization and text work that needs to be done before the play can even begin to be blocked in rehearsal.
“Hamlet” opens this Thursday, February 18th, and will perform the 19-20, and the 25-27th as well. There is a male cast and a female cast, and the casts alternate each night. I’m so proud of my friends for all of the work they’ve put into this show, and I’m so glad I can be a part of it, even thought I’m not in the actual show.
Finding Your Place
There are two rooms tucked away on the second floor of the Beeghly Library. They are about four feet wide and six feet long and are furnished with only two chairs, a lamp, and a two and a half by four-foot piece of wood for a desk. The walls are made of pegboard, and the paint, where it hasn’t been peeled away or graffitied, is an off white. The graffiti is as diverse in subject matter as it is abundant on the desk top and some of the walls. To my left there is a list of all the amino acids accompanied by their structures, and to my right a clever student has used one of the holes in the pegboard to draw an eye. But it is the graffiti on the desk that has truly caught my eye tonight. There are names, movie quotes, some Korean words, two lines of what looks to be Arabic, several complaints about finals, and a poll asking whether or not the graffiti artist should leave Juniata.
Each time I return to this particular room I am in tonight, my eyes are drawn to that question, and each time I smile at the thirteen yeses (stay), the one no (leave) and the other tally that seems to be voting for nothing in particular. I know Juniata is not for everyone. We lack a lot of specific majors (even though the POE program allows for the creation of a personalized field of study), some students don’t like rural areas, and others may want to play D1 sports.
But I’d like to think that Juniata has a lot more to offer than the opportunity to play on a varsity D1 team, as prestigious as that may be. Since it was founded in 1876, Juniata has striven to create a welcoming and diverse environment for its students. Because of that we now have a Quidditch team playing on the same campus where the Ultimate Frisbee kids throw and the Rugby teams scrum. Sports aside, we have several cultural clubs (Umoja, French, Amigos de Guanin, Burmese, Chinese, German, Russian, and more at http://legacy.juniata.edu/life/clubs.html ) that hold dinners and cultural events throughout the year to spread the knowledge of and appreciation for their respective cultures. And as a kind of corollary to our many cultural clubs, Juniata has an amazing study abroad program, with exchange partnerships all over the world, from France and Russia to India and Australia.
College is a time to step out of your normal comfort zone and discover something new about yourself or the world, and the people at Juniata, from President Troha to the freshmen, do their best to foster an environment where people feel comfortable to do so. No matter who you are, what you like to do, or what you want to do with your life, there is a place for you here at Juniata. Even if that place is a room tucked away on the second floor of the Beeghly Library, covered with the names and art of those who have come before and found their place here at Juniata.
Intramural Soccer Moms
Growing up, sports were a very large part of my life. Between multiple sports and multiple teams for each sport, I was always kept very busy. When I got to college, it was almost a relief to decide to not commit to a varsity sport, and instead dedicate this free time to the increased workload and many friends that I was making.
At the same time, it was strange not playing soccer anymore, and I really missed it! Fortunately, I discovered intramural sports, which are a perfect combination of low commitment and low pressure fun with the competitiveness of actually playing. We usually play one day a week, always at night after everyone’s activities and meetings are over. Five people are on the field at a time, and halves are twenty minutes long. This is my second year playing intramural soccer and though my team isn’t very good, it’s a blast!
Now when I say my team isn’t very good, I should really clarify that we are downright awful. Our team name is the “Soccer Moms,” and we’re made up of both guys and girls who haven’t played in many years, some since they were eight years old! The point, however, is not really to win, but to just have fun running around and trying our best (I know this sounds clichéd but it’s true; after your team scores multiple goals on your own net, your expectations really lower).
In the fall, we lost every single game except for 1, which we tied. Somehow, this was enough to advance us to the playoffs, and then we ended up losing our first playoff game. Now, for the winter session, our record is currently 0-3, but I think we just got off to a rough start and things are going to start looking up. Ultimately, I’m just happy to get some touches on the ball and glad that there are low-key options for those of us who don’t wish to commit to a varsity sport but still want to play. So if this sounds like you, don’t worry – there are plenty of opportunities to still be active and play the game you love (whether it’s soccer, basketball, volleyball, or more). Wish the Soccer Moms luck!
The Juniatian: Humans of Juniata
I first heard about the Juniatian, Juniata’s school newspaper, through an email announcement. The email was searching for writers interested in writing their own column. I had always dreamed of having my own column in a newspaper. So naturally, when I saw this advertisement, I jumped right on it. I emailed Dr. Dickey expressing my interest and I registered for the course soon after (yes, writing for the newspaper gets you college credit!).
Once I was an official staff member, I started brainstorming ideas for my column. I thought of different things such as a school cafeteria food critique, an advice column, or even a satire column. Nothing felt just right. One day, when surfing through the internet, I found myself reading Humans of New York. I was reading for a few hours before I thought of it. Of course! Humans of Juniata: a feature column of all the unique students and employees of Juniata College. I brought the idea to class and pitched it to my Editor in Chief and professor. Both loved the idea and so began Humans of Juniata.
After writing for a semester in the Juniatian, Professor Dickey and the Editor in Chief commended me for my hard work and dedication to this column, and offered me an editor position for the following semester. This came as such an honor to me. Writing has always been a huge part of my life. It was incredible to be recognized for my passion and even better that I was offered such a position.
So I spent a semester editing Arts and Entertainment as well as continuing my column in a section called Campus Spin. Towards the end of last semester, I was approached again by my Editor in Chief and professor. This time, they asked me if I would be interested in stepping up to be Editor in Chief next year.
What an honor! Juniata continues to provide me with promising opportunities and recognition for my hard work and dedication. It is just one of the little things that reminds me why I chose this school!
If you’re interested in reading any of the Juniatian, our website is currently under construction but up and running! Please visit https://juniatiandotorg.wordpress.com/ and feel free to comment. Humans of Juniata is a great way to get to know some of the students and faculty that make up Juniata’s community.
From 0 to 400 in One Semester
Because I’m a freshman, I’m expected to take the intro classes – the easy ones. However, this semester I decided to do something different. Back when I was signing up for classes, I decided to take a 400 level biology class called Environmental Toxicology.
Now, I don’t know if you’re familiar with how class levels work (honestly it still confuses me a little bit). Essentially, I decided to take a class designated for juniors or seniors who had taken more than the single biology class I had taken, and perhaps a chemistry class or two. Simply put, I was crazy, or at least that’s what my friends told me. I was worried, but not too much because I had another freshman friend who would take it with me! Well, as it turned out, he had to drop the class, and so on the first day of classes I walked into Toxicology more than a little intimidated by what I had signed up for.
The class is taught by Dr. John Matter, who is one of the professors for the freshman biology class. I enjoyed his section of the course so much that I decided that I would take a class with him in the spring semester. As it turned out, the only class he taught that I could possibly take was Toxicology, and so I decided that would be my class. I had to do a few things first: get his permission, and my advisor’s permission.
When I went to get Dr. Matter’s signature, I was a little worried he would just say “no” with no debate to be had, and so I was pleasantly surprised when he smiled at me and said “sure!” He assured me that even though it might require some work, he thought I could handle the class. With this newfound confidence in myself, I went to my advisor’s room to get her signature. She gave me a funny look and said, “Are you sure?” and then gave me her permission as well.
Walking into a room full of seniors and juniors on the first day of class was intimidating, but as it turned out, there were some faces I recognized. The first couple of classes went well, and I did not feel lost. Dr. Matter was hilarious as usual, and so I stayed in the class. It’s week three, and I’m still (and hopefully will continue to be) enjoying myself.
The point of this story isn’t that you should take Environmental Toxicology when you get here because it sounds easy, because it’s not. The point isn’t that Dr. Matter is a hilarious professor, even though that is true. The point is that throughout the whole process, nobody told me “no” or “you can’t do this.” Throughout the whole process of signing up for this course, I was the only one considering holding myself back. You can do anything once you get here, like take crazy classes or join all the clubs. You can do whatever you let yourself do, and that is the best thing I’ve encountered about being at Juniata.
