Fall Faculty Dance Concert

For those of you who have seen So You Think You Can Dance or attended any of Chapman’s dance shows, you know that we has some pretty talented dancers. The week of Dec. 14^th was Chapman’s annual Fall Faculty dance concert- the most highly anticipated show of the year for dance majors. I attended and let me tell you… it was amazing! Not only were all the dancers gorgeous, but the choreography itself was incredible. The first act consisted of three modern pieces, each very unique in content and style. The entire second act was devoted to an hour-long piece choreographed by two of the dance faculty members. This was definitely my favorite! Inspired by the classic ballet Swan Lake, “A Tale Once Told” portrays the love and desperation of a couple who are kept apart by the evil Baron and his flock of dancing ravens. I was stunned by how professional the production of this piece was. From the costumes and the elaborate scenery to the stamina and ability of the dancers, “A Tale Once Told,” along with the rest of the pieces performed in Fall Faculty, was certainly a testament to how strong Chapman’s dance department is.

Last Comic Standing

It is typical for many of the groups and organizations on campus to
hold fun all-campus events. One of my favorites is presented by the
gentleman of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. It is one of their philanthropy
events called "Last Comic Standing." This event is open to all Chapman
students, regardless of comedic ability. You have the option of either
participating in the competition itself as a comedian, or merely going
to enjoy the comedic performances of your peers. Typically, the winner
from the previous year's performance is invited back to conclude the
performance. The winner is chosen by the audience on an applause
scale.

This year's acts were a range of upperclassman to new freshman. The
material used elaborated on bodily functions, the quirks of Chapman
University, embarrassing childhood memories, facebook, and other
creative topics. It is a great event where you can see your friends'
abilities to either make an audience laugh or cry. This year, however,
the gentleman of Sigma Alpha Epsilon were generous enough to donate
all the proceeds to one of my sorority sisters, Morgan King. She was
in a terribly accident, which left her in the ICU for over three
weeks. She is slowly recovering and has finally been transferred home.
Due to the closeness of our Greek community here at Chapman, a tragic
event does not only effect the direct house alone, but rather the
whole Greek community. These men were gracious enough to donate their
event to Morgan King. She is a beautiful person. All of our prayers
are working to strengthen and heal her. Many of us not only get to
call her a friend, but also a sister.

The event was such a success. We laughed and raised money for a great
cause. Morgan was actually able to see the performances too, thanks to
a dedicated video camera man. Laughter is key to healing and
happiness. It is great to be able to share fun memories and times like
these with your friends.

The comedian who took home the prized trophy, which by the way is a
giant nutcracker, is a new member to the Chapman community. A freshman
took home the pride and will be hopefully returning next year to
defend his glory.

The picture I have attached includes many of my best friends. Morgan
King is on the far right.

-Kela

The Library is my Home for Finals Week

This has been my "hang out" spot for the last few weeks. As I work diligently to write my Senior Thesis, along with several end of the semester paper deadlines and finals next week, I have found myself putting in countless hours in the library. As bad as this sounds to some, I actually appreciate this time in the library that I have. The Leatherby Libraries is such a beautiful building, both inside and out, it is easy for me to get comfortable there. With well lit rooms, various sections to study in, and a coffee vending machine on the first floor, I find peace when I am quietly sitting at my single desk space on the third floor and can truly focus. As finals approaches more rapidly, I find that I am hardly alone in the library. Even during closing at midnight, there are students on each floor putting countless hours in just like myself. It is refreashing to have a location on campus to retreat to that I know I am going to enjoy the silence and the atmosphere so that I can successfully pound out words onto the page in front of me. Finals can be rough, but I find the weeks leading up to finals week to be even harder - thankfully the library is a resource on campus that helps ease the stress. Well, at least for me it does... some would disagree!

-Monica

Undie Run

As the end of the semester approaches I start thinking about one of my
favorite events of the year. Undie Run. I cannot think of a better way
to relieve stress after a long and academically-filled semester. It is
so refreshing to see hundreds of your peers decked out in their
holiday intimates simply having a good time. You feel so accomplished
during the week of finals. You say to yourself, "Yeah, I did learn a
lot this semester, and look how much work I did along the way.... and
thank God it's almost over." The Undie Run is how you pat yourself on
the back for all of your hard work. And also how you keep your sanity.
Because somewhere in between Midnight Breakfast on Monday and camping
in the library on Tuesday you begin to acquire glossy eyes,
caffeine-induced jitters, and a lovely case of the Mondays. But at
11:45 on Wednesday you find yourself rallying on the steps of
Memorial. You donate your clothes to Action in Africa and then begin
the infamous chant- UN-DIE RUN! UN-DIE RUN! When the clock hits twelve
you hear the siren and you bolt. Now as a member of the Track & Field
team, I have been told I take Undie Run a bit too seriously... but
what can I say, I've been trained to sprint. A race's adrenaline rush
is a great way to alleviate stress, add scantily clad peers to the mix
and you are simply elated. And year after year college students'
sanity remains, clothes are donated to the needy, and our silly
tradition grows more and more infamous. GOD BLESS THE UNDIE RUN.

-Annie

Midnight Breakfast

Midnight breakfast is one of my favorite traditions at Chapman. Each semester, Chapman provides a complimentary breakfast for students. Students wrap around the cafeteria waiting for the hot meal that is served from 10 p.m. to midnight on the Monday of finals week. Free scantrons and blue books are also distributed. President Doti also makes an appearance and serves food to the students as well. After eating, many students congregate in the dining hall for a dance party.

Midnight breakfast is a perfect way to relieve some stress for the upcoming week of finals. I look forward to it every semester. If you come to Chapman, make sure to take advantage of this treat!

-Jenna

Universal Music

Hello everyone!

This semester, I had an internship with Universal Music Group Distribution in Universal City, CA as an online marketing intern. I found out about the internship through Panther Connect, the website for Chapman students and alumni that posts different job and internship opportunities. I applied last August, was interviewed and hired on the spot.

All semester, on Mondays and Tuesdays, I drive up to Universal City (that's right by Los Angeles/Hollywood!) and intern. I get to promote some of my favorite artists -- Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Rihanna, Brand New, Bon Jovi, Lady Gaga and anyone else on any Universal label.

Every day, I am assigned a different artist to market. Usually, I am assigned to promote an artist who has an “Amazon Daily Deal,” a promotion through Amazon.com in which an artist’s album is being sold at a reduced price for the day. I use Twitter for the medium in which I market the different deals. For example, if I am assigned to promote Bon Jovi, I would search “Bon Jovi” in the Twitter search bar. I would start replying to everyone on Twitter who mentioned Bon Jovi in one of their tweets and post the link for the promotion.

In addition, every other Tuesday, UMGD held sessions where professionals from the music industry would come speak to the interns. People in the A&R, publishing, management and talent booking areas spoke to us about what they do in their jobs every day.

This has been a fantastic experience and I hope a paid job comes from it soon!

Thanks for reading,
Shana

46th annual Wassail Holiday Performance

This past Friday and Saturday, December 4 and 5, the Music Department put on the 46th annual Wassail holiday performance. Since it is our fundraiser, everyone from the three choirs (Women's Choir, University Choir, and University Singers) helped set up the event and serve dinner for the people who purchased a ticket. A three course meal was prepared and served in the Beckman 404 conference center, which was transformed into an elegant dining hall for the festivities. Never having served at a restaurant, this whole experience was new and exciting to me. One must always be wary of the customer's drink, making sure they never have to ask for a refill, and one must also pay attention to when the majority of the people are finished with their course, so that the next one can be brought out. Another tip I learned from people in the choir who had serving experience was that you always serve from the right and take plates away from the left. Why that is, I still have no idea. I was mostly just focused on not dropping anything or accidentally pouring hot coffee onto the lap of people like Doy and Dee Henley. After everyone finished eating, they were ushered into the Fish Interfaith Center for the concert.

The performance was opened by the Chapman University Orchestra, who graced the audience with songs from the Nutcracker. After a couple songs, all the choirs, still accompanied by the orchestra, joined together and performed the processional, "See Amid the Winter's Snow". I am in Women's Choir, which went on after a few songs from University Choir. Our set consisted of "Infant Holy, Infant Lowly", "There is No Rose", and "This Little Babe". We were followed by the other choirs and numerous other songs by the orchestra. Finally we all joined together to sing the last three songs, "Oh Come, All Ye Faithful", "Betelehemu", a Nigerian Christmas Carol, and "Hallelujah". The "Betelehemu" performance was a ton of fun because it was accompanied by African style drumming, and swaying and clapping on our behalf. Finally, the "Hallelujah" chorus was incredible. It was directed by William Hall, the Dean of the Music school, who originally founded Wassail 46 years ago and has been a part of it since. All in all, I was so proud to be a part of such an amazing spectacle and see all the people in the audience singing along when they knew the words and enjoying themselves as much as we were.

-Florencia