Shady Grove

Bozemanites love their dogs. They love them more than they love their Subarus. That should give you some perspective. It can hard to leave home and your four legged best friend behind. Students look forward to moving out the their freshmen dorm (where dogs are absolutely not allowed) and into a rental. Moving off campus brings about a psychological freedom. RHA no longer dictates your living space; you are free to nail into the walls, light candles on your birthday, and have a pet if you wish. Finding a rental or apartment complex that is pet friendly can be harder than you think unfortunately.  So for all you lovers of furry friends, good luck to you.

I will now share the latest success story in college-kid-in-rental-housing-dog-ownership-success. Two days ago, my friend Emery brought home her darling little English Springer Spaniel puppy, Shady Grove, after the much loved Doc Watson song. Congrats Emery for making your doggy dreams come true!

Down to Business

As I was contemplating what to write about today, it dawned on me that I never really publicized my class schedule. Although this might seem trivial sometimes, I find that knowing the classes that students are taking can give a pretty clear picture of how they spend their time both inside and outside of academia.

M,W,F

Career Perspectives

Finance

T, Th

Principles of Marketing

Business Information Systems

Management & Organization

Intermediate Accounting I

Now that I have painted a clear picture of my accounting degree, let me add insult to injury by documenting the extremely professional week I have just finished.

Wednesday night at the Stadium Club the College of Business hosted the Meet the Business Recruiters social. This is marketed as an opportunity to meet firm representatives in a low stakes and non-threatening setting to practice your professional interactions and make some contacts for either internship opportunities or full-time employment. So I ironed a suit, threw on a pair of heels and went to mingle with potential employers. Firms present included ANR, Boeing, BNSF, Edward Jones (Matt Blades was there Dad), Sherwin-Williams, the Office of Senator Jon Tester, and NAVSEA, to name a few. The event only lasts an hour and a half, so with more than 20 firms, you have to be very strategic about who you want to talk to and in what order. The big dogs, like Boeing, are going to take more waiting, and elbowing than other firms might. All in all the experience was good. Thursday was the Career Fair, same deal, except for a hundred times larger and more crowded. Again, I threw on the suit and tried my luck.

But that’s not all. To nerd out further, I agreed to be on the Student Organization Funding Board, which doles out funding from ASMSU per applications submitted and reviewed on a rolling basis. This happens once a week until the money is gone. Sounds fun right?

But now the weekend, were I will set aside business thoughts and academic work and relax. Just kidding. I will be working on a presentation and studying for an accounting exam on Thursday. Oh actually, I will also go to the hot springs, the football game and a barbeque. So it balances out!

Happy Weekend !

 

Winter is Coming…

Well. It’s starting. Mark your calendars folks: October 3rd, first snow of the year. Now granted, it’s supposed to reach the upper sixties everyday next week, but even if that first snow doesn’t last more than 24 hours, its very presence is very important. In my years here at MSU, I have observed that the timing of the first snow always sets the tone for the fall semester. If the first snow comes in early fall (as is the case this year), then those who hate snow realize the reality of impending winter and find little solace in the fact that the first snow is already melting. On the flip side, the early snow gets snow enthusiasts jazzed for ski season. But after that initial celebration, they realize that Bridger doesn’t open for just under 2 months from now, and that first snow was nothing more than a big fat tease. No one wins in this situation. You are either saddened at the loss of your shorts-wearing abilities, or are devastated to realize that the snow will do you no good under it sticks and the mountains are open. What we all want is that perfectly timed, perhaps just before Thanksgiving weekend, first real snow of the year. It sticks, it accumulated, and the feeling of the impending holiday season sets in. Not this year folks. We will just have to hope for a White Chirstmas. (Unlike last year, when Christmas break was full of rain). Thank you global warming for strange unpredictable weather patterns.

Even though the snow put a bit of a damper on today for me, some awesome things did happen tonight. In my Sustained Dialogue meeting, we engaged in a conversation about the underlying principles of the recent tobacco ban on MSU’s campus. After that, the College Democrats sponsored a showing of the Presidential Debates from Denver at Culture, giving all who attended free frozen yogurt to snack on during the broadcast. Although the amount of accusations and finger pointing is deplorable, it was awesome to surround myself with a culture of active civil engagement, excitement, and free snacks!

When Weekend Plans Go Awry…

At Montana State University, the weekend that Easter falls on is always a 3-day weekend; we get Friday (which just happens to be Good Friday) off under the guise of ‘University Day.’ However, no one is complaining because who doesn’t want fewer days of class?

As any normal college student would, I consented to spending an exciting day in Livingston, MT, touring the towns museums and art galleries. The drive time (which usually takes about 20 minutes) was increased by the onset of heavy snow flurries and parade of slow moving semis.

The agenda was to first hit up the Yellowstone Gateway Museum of Park County to educate ourselves about the rich history of Livingston as well as that of Yellowstone National Park, just a short drive to the south. Next, we would go to the Livingston Depot Center to satiate our desire for all things train-related. Much to our chagrin, both museums were closed. Whether this is because of the season or because it was Good Friday, this much is certain: Emmy and I were going to be deprived of history for the time being.

While the snow continued to fall, we drove around the 6 blocks that is downtown Livingston, searching for entertainment and/or food. As I usually do, I suggested that we look for an awesome thrift store to peruse. We found a gem in the east part of town, Bob n’ Lu’s Second Hand. After an hour, both Emmy and I walked away with a plethora of treasures. For $10, I scored a couple funny political buttons for my backpack, a sticker about saving whales, two books, and an old Neil Diamond vinyl.

We topped off the day back in Bozeman by first petting the ponies behind the high rise dorms, before retreating to my basement for gummy worms, old episodes of Saturday Night Life, and Dustin Hoffman movies. Oh yea. What an awesome start to my last three day weekend!

 

Life of an Intern

I work for Outside Bozeman, the magazine publication portion of a company called Outside Median Group, which brings such things as the MSU Pocket Guide, and the Outside Bozeman calendar.

In the fall, an email notice from the College of Business informed me that Outside Bozeman was looking for interns in a few departments, and one of them was sales. Although I’m no marketing major by any means, business experience was business experience, something I had very little of. After a short email courtship, I was offered an interview downtown, and subsequently a position.

Now I knew the internship was unpaid (as many are), but I didn’t mind. This is something I suggest you do too: don’t mind. If you are looking for experience in your field, an internship is a great place to start. It’s a learning experience, and a chance to look at a potential career field (or may not) and ask yourself, is this something I like? Class work for your major and practical application of those skills in the real world is drastically different. I knew I wanted to go into business in theory, but I wanted to know if it was something I wanted to pursue in actuality.

As it happens, I love my internship, and this spring, when I was offered the opportunity to take on some accounting/bookkeeping tasks and responsibilities, I jumped at the chance. Good things come to those to wait. And apply for jobs. And send follow up emails.

Some people may think that being an intern is like bring a free laborer, but it’s not really true. Companies make an investment in you, by using time and resources to make you a productive part of their team. If you can’t do your job well, then they have to clean up your mess. You want you to do well, and they want you to do well. They also want you to stick around long enough for them to get a return on their human capital investment. In the case of Outside Bozeman, because we do trade with so many of our advertisers sometimes Boss man Mike doles out some goodies from the trade treasure chest. Tuesday was one of those days. I got an hour massage and $75 to a couple of boutiques downtown.

If you get a chance to intern in a field that interests you, go for it.

(Check out Outside Bozeman here!) The magazine is free and available at tons of businesses around town. Or take a look at the digital edition on the webpage!

Scavenger Hunt

There are few things in this world that college students like more than scavenger hunts and free food. Fortunately for us, La Parilla brings the two together on a monthly basis. Here is the deal: La Parilla posts a list of ten tasks to complete during the month. You make sure you do all of them and get photo documentation. Then you bring your proof into La Parilla to win free burritos for a month! Now these tasks are not for the faint of heart. The way to go about it is to make a game plan. First day of the month, print off the list. Decide how many tasks require weekends to complete and which you can get done during the week, working around homework and such. Then, make it happen. Free burritos cannot be beat. All your friends will be jealous. Here is a March’s list.

1. Bring the La Parilla crew some Irish Car Bombs.

2. Dress as a leprechaun and do your best Irish jig in front of 317.

3. Bring Lucas a 5 dollar gas card or cash and write him a love sonnet.

4. Spend at least an hour volunteering at Heart of the Valley animal shelter.

5. Go sledding in the nude at Peet’s Hill.

6. Perform a ribbon dance in a leotard crossing Main Street.

7. Post a video of you singing your favorite Whitney Houston song on our Facebook page.

8. Eat at Bow River Burgers in traditional Irish Garb.

9. Shave a clover into a friends back or chest (must be huge).

10. Take a shower with ten friends at the same time (nudity optional but as always highly recommended).

I have decided to take on the La Parilla challenge this coming August in order to secure free burritos for the first month of school. If you think you have what it takes to secure a free lunch (no matter what your grandpa tells you, there is such a thing), then pick a month and get going!

Shadow an Engineer

Information provided by Alissa Bleem. Summarized by Katie Chamberlin.

What is Shadow an Engineer day?

The College of Engineering puts this event on once a year (although they should probably invest in it more often) to inform high school students about the engineering programs MSU has to offer. Touring high school students get to witness engineering student in their natural environment, attend engineering classes and tours the facilities.

Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society on campus and the Society of Women Engineers help organize the event and provide volunteer tour guides. Students from all over Montana, and sometimes from beyond, trek to Bozeman to check out what the COE has to offer them.

Volunteers from all the engineering concentrations are available so high school students can shadow a student in their intended concentration if they wish. Or, they can be randomly assigned and get to see a concentration that they wouldn’t have otherwise been exposed to. The laboratory tours are often the highlight of the day, especially for students who have an interest in scientific research, either as an undergraduate or as a graduate student. Labs opened to tours this year included the bio-chemical lab, the high temperature corrosion lab, and the snow science lab.

The most useful or perhaps the most unique aspect of Shadow an Engineer is the student-to-student interaction. This event is not about getting talked at my professors or administrative staff or admissions officers. You get a day to day look and the program you are considering and get a student all to yourself for the duration of the school day. They will be happy to sit with you and answer all your questions. They love engineering too. Talk mass transfer, statics and dynamics, circuits, fluids, materials, or senior design. Get psyched.

Alissa’s advice: If you are going to be an engineer, congratulations. Your journey will be long and your time will be eaten by school. But you will love it. And if you don’t love it, at least it will grow on you. Remember: there are lots of engineering stereotypes. Mix it up a little and add something new to the list.

Bio of an engineer:

Behold Alissa Bleem. A native of Fort Collins, CO, AB is a second year student in the College of Engineering. She is a Chemical Engineering major, and works in the Center for Biofilm Engineering on campus as an undergraduate research assistant. While she does not have her own desk yet, she aspires to someday have her lab cubby back. Alissa is a 5’4” curly-headed Italian with green eyes who enjoys candlelit dinners and long walks on the beach. Her hobbies include mind-numbing mathematics, drinking coffee and trail running until she pukes. When not in class or the lab, Alissa can be found hunched over textbooks with her fellow engineering cohorts in the Strand Union Building, furiously scribbling down equations and cleaning drool spots off her homework.  While the proud owner of a humidifier, Alissa likes nothing more than to discuss de-humidifying air into the wee hours of the night.

Presidents All Around!

Happy President’s Day Weekend! I know I speak for all students when I say this university holiday was a much needed one. For those of you who have no classes on Friday or Tuesday, then all the more congratulations on your four-day weekend. If you only get Monday off, still count yourself lucky. Some universities don’t take this Monday off. For example, our good friends at the University of Texas at El Paso had school yesterday. (It should be noted that while UTEP does not observe President’s Day, they do take Cesar Chavez Day as a school holiday).

This week is special for more reason than shortened class days, however. This week is the capstone of the ASMSU Presidential campaign; the surrendering of the sector, the changing of the guard, the passing of the torch. You get it. Last week in the presidential primary, four pairs of candidates were whittled down to two, with my good friend and fellow student Kiah Abbey winning the primary by an overwhelming margin. I believe she received 501 votes and the second place finisher received only 168. Do these numbers seem low to you? They are. Although it was only a primary election, only 6.1% of the student body voted. While the results seem to paint a pretty clear picture as to the voice of the student body, it is still pretty sad that students don’t take the time to directly impact the choosing of their student leaders. This is no Electoral College system. You vote directly for the candidate you think would best represent and fight for your needs and wants.

Tomorrow the real voting begins in earnest. The candidates are Jesse Cook and Brian Murakami , and Kiah Abbey and Lindsay Murdock. To read more about each of the candidates and their vision for Montana State University, click here.

It’s the week of Presidents! Make your voice heard!

Finals Week Festivities

Everyone knows that finals week consists of a lot more than long tests and studying. First of all, let’s talk sugar. The cookie jar is full and the house smells like brownies. The brownie pan sits in a centralized location to allow for easy drive by bites. Second, the TV gets lots of use. We are way too cheap for cable, but a constant stream of movies plays most of the night. The list includes, Walk the Line, the Count of Monte Cristo, Almost Famous, Patch Adams, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, and Phantom of the Opera. Have no fear there will be more, after all, it’s only Monday.

A myriad of household chores also ensues. While finals week may be bad for your brain, it does wonders for the state of your home. Epic procrastination takes the form of cleaning the bathroom, doing a month’s worth of laundry, changing your sheets, taking out the trash, taking out the recycle, driving the glass to target, vacuuming, and doing the dishes right after you eat (and maybe even your roommates’ too). Decorating your house for Christmas is right up there on the list as well. Paper stars and snowflakes galore, and while we only have two ornaments on our tree, the fact that we have a tree at all speaks volumes.

And after the epic procrastination combined with many hours hunkered down doing some solid studying are over and the test are behind you, it’s time to tie up all the loose ends before heading home for a much deserved 3 weeks of vacation time. Step 1, sell your books back to the bookstore (go early in the week for maximum refund). Step 2, pack the car, or if you are flying, check in online to save time waiting in line at the airport. Step 3, eat all the perishable food in your refrigerator, and when you feel full, throw the rest out. Remember to take out the trash after step 3. You do not want to come back from break to a house smelling like 3 weeks of rotten garbage. Then you’re golden.

Have a great winter break! See you all in 2012!

A Day in the Life of an MSU RA

This is Chelsea Bourque. She is a sophomore RA (Resident Advisor) in North Hedges Hall. She runs track at MSU, her favorite color is sunshine yellow and she enjoys candlelit dinners and long walks on the beach.

Katie Chamberlin: What’s the best thing about being an RA?

Chelsea Bourque: Getting residents excited about college! Not solely the social, or solely the academic, but the whole package. Making them realize that if there was ever a time to reinvent yourself, that time is now! Freshman year has so much potential to be incredible; there are new friends and new experiences and opportunities. Being an RA means reinventing freshmen year and making it the best it can be. It’s also very special to be able to share in a time of my residents’ lives when they are developing and growing so much.

KC: What’s the hardest thing about being an RA?

CB: It’s the balance between prioritizing residents and prioritizing person stuff. I mean, I’ll always make time for my residents, but it has to be such a conscious choice because most of the time I don’t even have time for me. Time management is something you have to be awesome at as an RA, or both you and your residents will suffer. Also, if late hours aren’t your cup of tea, than being an RA is going to be difficult. But if you are really passionate about your job, then you make the time. People always say that RAs are just glorified babysitters, but really we are more like awesome parents!

KC: What sets North Hedges apart from other residence halls?

CB: The coed environment! Floor and hall activities are so much more fun! Also, the sheer size of the Hedges complex means a high concentration of residents, so there is always an active and energetic atmosphere. All those other people around means there’s rarely a dull moment or an opportunity to be   bored, as long as you don’t lock yourself away in your room. J

Check out all the different living options on campus and much more HERE!

KC: What would a freshman student find surprising about living in the residence halls?

CB: The colossal population of residents. It’s an experience like no other. When have you, and for that matter, when will you ever again get the opportunity to live with so many people your age? They will be surprised about how much they have in common with other residents. It’s impossible not to make friends and find common ground in the halls.

(Disclaimer: Chelsea and I lived on the same floor of South Hedges Hall (North Hedges’ twin) and have been inseparable ever since)

KC: What do residents not know about the RA job?

CB: How much gosh darn paperwork we do for them. For every event put on in the halls, there is preplanning paperwork, post evaluation paperwork and everything in between. We have to check up on you, and even have to document when and where we see you every week! We really do care! We also attend between 8-10 hours of meetings a week and average 5 hours of sleep a night.

KC: What’s the scoop on dining hall food?

CB: Dining hall services are wonderful. And the lasagna is excellent.

-So appreciate your RA! They appreciate you!