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The On-Campus Atmosphere
As a rising senior, I was approved for off campus housing next year. It’s a bittersweet moment because I really love Juniata’s campus. I’m going to miss being able to look out the window and see the quad. I’m going to miss walking to dinner with my friends and only having to take a two minute walk to their dorms on the weekend, no matter my location.
Juniata’s on campus living experience is a memory I am fond of. My first year here, I lived in Sherwood, a freshman dorm. I was kind of disappointed with this, as a sophomore who transferred here, but was surprised with the experience it provided me. Sherwood was my favorite dorm. All of my friends were on the same floor. The walk wasn’t even two minutes—more like two seconds! We always had our doors open and were worried if a door was shut.
I remember when the infamous “dress” started going around on social media. I heard a scream down the hallway and so I ran to my friends room and exclaimed “what’s wrong!?”
“Tell me this dress is white and gold,” she said about the blue and black dress.
“That’s definitely not white and gold,” I said.
Before I knew it, the whole floor was in her room debating this dress.
I’m going to miss that dynamic. I loved Juniata’s dorm experience from the beginning to end. It’s a bittersweet moment being approved for off campus housing because, as much as I’m excited to learn how to live in a house and pay rent, I am really going to miss the experiences I had daily on campus with all of my friends.
Taking a Break
Since I live in New Mexico I go home twice a year; Summer and Winter breaks. That means I either stay on campus or nicely ask a friend to stay with them. This past weekend was the three day Easter Weekend and since I was on duty (and because I had nowhere else to go) I stayed on campus. This is a hard thing to do, especially when the majority of your friends have gone home to be with their families for the weekend. Fortunately, there are several groups on campus that put on events for those of us who have to stay because we live so far away.
My weekend began with a trip to the cliffs, a beautiful location just north of campus. The rocky outcroppings jut out into a canyon through which the Juniata River runs. In the fall the leaves on the oaks, maples, and elms are shades of red and orange so vivid, that when the wind blows through the trees it looks like a raging wildfire has engulfed the canyon. My friends and I wandered down to the cave at the base of the third cliff and then continued exploring down the lower path, picking our way through brambles and dead bushes. We got to the fourth cliff and I suddenly had the bright idea to climb up instead of walking back along the trail.
There is something strangely relaxing about doing something risky after weeks of stress. My friends and I climbed up the wall of thorns and rotten logs and loose rocks half hoping, half praying that we wouldn’t fall. It was nice to get back to the simple things, to just focus on where we were and where we were going. When we finally reached the top we just sat, relaxed, watched the sun set over Huntingdon, and of course took new profile pictures.
After we had got all the right angles for our new profile pictures and captured as much of the dying sunlight as we could, we continued on down the trail to the fourth, fifth, sixth cliffs. When we finally reached the end we realized that it might not be the best idea for us to walk all the way back through the dark along the trail so we bushwhacked our way through a bramble thicket and back into civilization. We ended up several blocks away and down a very steep hill from our car so it took us another couple of minutes to actually get back to campus.
One of the best things about Juniata is its proximity to beautiful places in nature. The cliffs and the Peace Chapel are the closest of these, but if you ever get a chance, take the drive out to A Thousand Steps. The climb up all of the steps can be difficult and long but all of that is worth the views from the top. It is easy to get lost in your school work and clubs and sports teams and social life, and all that is well and good for being a successful college student. But sometimes you just have to take an evening, afternoon or an entire day to just go out into nature, take a breath, and just enjoy the sunset.
V-Day 2016
A little more than a month ago, a sophomore student approached the Office of Student Activities and asked if it was possible to put on a production of Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues.” This is a collection of stories and monologues, turned into a play about women in every aspect. She was worried that it wasn’t possible, or it was inappropriate, or that it would be received negatively on campus. Yet she worked for one solid month, through organization, casting, rehearsals, marketing, and ticket sales to put on two performances on campus, and everyone loved it.
Julia McMurry, the student behind it all, wanted to put together the production in support of Huntingdon House, a non-profit organization in town that provides support for victims of domestic violence. She reached out to the student body and asked if anyone was interested in performing in the piece or working behind the scenes. I jumped at the opportunity to get involved, and auditioned (and was cast!). There were 18 women who were a part of the production, with three additional individuals helping with casting and rehearsals.
We quickly worked to put on the production in a month, working hard in rehearsals and taking time to reflect on what it really means to be a woman. Being in the production allowed me to meet students from all different backgrounds and POEs and really branch out socially. Not only was it an additional performance opportunity for me, but it was a completely different experience than performing in a show through the theatre department.
I’m so honored to have been able to be a part of this production, and the fact that it was entirely student-run and put together in one month brings me so much joy. We had a huge audience for both performances, and we raised $1,087 for Huntingdon House! I hope this becomes a Juniata tradition because I would love to be a part of this production again!
The Senior Resident Assistant: Juniata Residential Life gains a new position
The Resident Assistant is a staple of collegiate residential life. They are simultaneously friend, advisor, and somewhat overbearing parent reminding you that it is quiet hours and even though you may not have class tomorrow, someone does. An RA is supposed to make their residents feel at home, which is particularly important for incoming freshman who may never have been away from home. Above the RA’s are the Resident Directors who oversee the RA’s and make sure the building runs smoothly. They all work other jobs on campus meaning that they can be a great resource for finding jobs or learning how to join an athletic team or club. Above the RD’s is the Director of Residential Life, and above them is the Dean of Students. Why am I telling you about the seemingly boring chain of command of Juniata College’s Residential Life Office?
Because next year it is getting a new player: The Senior RA. The college is beginning to shy away from the RD framework of leadership, instead opting for Area Coordinators (RD’s with a fancy new name) who are placed in the building that most need an RD and who oversee the running of several buildings, and SRA’s who will be experienced RA’s that oversee their individual dorms. While the SRA’s will technically answer to the Area Coordinators, their role is not just limited to looking over their building and reporting to their boss. The SRA’s will have a greater voice in the ResLife office, and will serve as much more efficient liaisons between the students and the administration.
For the past year I have worked as an RA in Sherwood Hall on the first floor, and along with the reapplication process RA’s who had worked for at least two semesters were allowed to apply for the Senior RA position and I would like to share my last paragraph of my application essay:
“I am excited for the new SRA position and the impact it will have on Residential life and the Residence Halls, especially the first year Halls. There are many changes coming to Juniata in the next few years and the best place to address those changes with the students is in the Residence Halls. We as a staff are liaisons between administrators and students and in the coming years I believe there is a lot we can do to make the students feel like their voices are being heard. Having a student in a position where they come into close contact with both students and administrators alike on a much more personal level than say, a student government officer, will be a huge step in getting the students’ voices heard, and will make Juniata feel that much more like home.”
In the past, I believe the RD has been some nameless faceless entity that lives in some hard to find corner of the Residence hall and it is near impossible to form any kind of relationship there. Now, we have students leading students. Your SRA next year might be in your Survey of Western Art class, or the TA for your Integrated Chemical Principles Lab or a co-member of the Dance Ensemble. You will study with them, or they’ll help you with an acid-base titration or help you perfect that last dance move of your set. But more important than that (okay less important than your grades…) is the bond you will have with them. You may not become best of friends but you will most likely be more comfortable voicing your concerns to them than at a forum put on by the administration. And because of the SRA’s new found proximity to the administration the divide between administration and the student bodies’ voice will be that much smaller.
Speed Chatting… better than Speed Dating
Speed dating was never a good idea to me. The concept always seemed so uncomfortable. However, when Juniata’s Health and Wellness student intern hosted a SpeedChat event on campus last week, I decided I’d give it a try.
SpeedChat was an event to help students get to know each other. When I arrived to Sill Boardroom, I was surprised at the large amount of people who were attending. The chairs were set up in a few lines and were facing each other. As students arrived, they were given a ticket. You sat with the person whose ticket number matched yours. In between the chairs were questions to help prompt conversation.
I sat down waiting for someone’s ticket to match mine and to my surprise, it was actually someone I already knew! When the five minute round of chatting began, we asked each other some of the questions on the sheet.
I learned a lot about her. Even though I see her four days out of the week for class, I didn’t know how much we really had in common. As the round came to an end, we agreed to talk again soon.
The next few people I met were just as interesting. There’s no one who isn’t interesting at Juniata. I learned a lot about different places in the world, family ideologies, different POE’s, and so much more. I really am happy that I talked myself into going.
It’s important to attend events at Juniata. You learn so much about fellow students, about the school, and about the community as a whole. Talking to different students, even if it didn’t create friendships, creates a unit. Juniata is a unit of individuals who think differently, broader, and more outside the box. I think that this event really helped remind me of my love for Juniata and I am glad I have creative and fun opportunities, like this one, to give me a break from all the studying for midterms!
