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

Furry Friends for Finals

This semester I am super excited for finals week…not because I love being stressed or taking tests or pulling all-nighters studying 15 weeks of class material, but because this year Chapman students get to play with puppies before our finals! Yep, you read that correctly. On the Wednesday of the week before finals, a club called Active Minds at Chapman University will be bringing ten puppies for all students to play with. Since research has shown that pet ownership can lead to reduced stress, the club thought this would be a great way for the stressed out undergrads here at Chapman to take their mind off of their tests by playing with a furry friend! The club made a Facebook event for the day, and as of right now 450 of us will be relieved of all stress (or a little at the very least) on Wednesday afternoon. An article was published about the event in the LA Times if you want to take a look at it!

Taylor

"Consuming Kids"

Last night I attended a screening of "Consuming Kids" at the Dodge Film School. It was put on by Chapman's PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America) and Ad Club. It was a documentary about the ethics of advertising to children. I have to admit, I was not excited to go, however I was really surprised how much I enjoyed the documentary. As a public relations and advertising major, it was interesting to see the ethical side of advertising and the impact it can have. The event was sponsored by Mothers Against Nickelodeon. A group of mothers who are demanding Nickelodeon to change advertising on their network. It was interesting to hear how these women, both Chapman University alumni and students, came to support such a unique cause.

Registration

So as the semester nears, registration becomes the first thing on everyone’s mind. We start mapping out what classes we need (if we didn’t plan out our entire four years already) and looking for those classes on Web Advisor, the online program through which we do all our scheduling. As a sophomore, my registration date was Wednesday, December 2nd. Sophomores have last priority for scheduling, and I know this definitely stressed a lot of us out. I sat down at my computer this past Wednesday at 11:00 pm, and had to wait until 11:15 to click submit for my classes. Talk about a tense situation. My roommate sat next to me, as we looked at all my classes. I had 12 I was going to try to register for. Some were already full; some only had one or two spaces left.

The clock finally changed to 11:15, and boom, I clicked submit. I ended up getting most of the classes I wanted, but a few were full and I had to hop on the waitlist. I’ll definitely be visiting those classes come February 1st trying to get the professor to add my name to the roster.
- Robert

Visiting Home

Hello All,
So this past week I got to go home for the first time in amost 4 months. As the years have gone by in college, going home has happened less and less frequently so it was really nice being able to see the family and unwind for a little bit. One thing I've noticed however, is that my parents get so much more done now that I'm out of the house. Since I've been in college, we have re-painted the house, re-done the kitchen, renovated our entertainment center and completed the majority of our basement. It makes me wonder why these things couldn't have happened while I was still around! Oh well, it makes it really nice going home when there is something new to see when I do.

Now that I reflect on going home, it makes me realize that winter break will be the last time I will be home with my parents for an extended period of time (unless I move back in after graduation, hopefully not). It's crazy to think that the real world is coming so fast. It makes me really want to savor this next semester and make the most of my time here at Chapman. So for all of you who will be attending college any time soon, please do me a favor and enjoy your time. Cause you will be an adult before you know it.

-Ross

Community Outreach

At Chapman, I am a member of Gamma Beta Phi, the general honor society. To join, you have to have a 3.7 GPA, and to maintain membership, you have to complete different service hours and meetings. This year I became Director of Public Relations. Our main focus is educational community service, especially that community service relating to literacy. One of our big events every semester is Magic @ The Library at the Orange Public Library. This year's Magic was really cool for me, as it was my first one. Basically local parents bring their children to the library where we read to them and do various arts and crafts. It's a great experience because it really helps the kids out as far as their passion for education goes. I'm glad that my organization on campus is somehow making a difference :)

- Kaitlin

Wrapping up the semester

It is coming down to the final weeks of my second to last semester of college here at Chapman. I went home for Thanksgiving last week and it was great to be home and with my family. My dad was out of the country working, so it was just my grandma, my mom, my sister, and my brother-in-law who were around. I took advantage of the Black Friday shopping this year and found some great deals. It was exciting.
Now that I am back at Chapman, I have three papers and two projects to complete for the end of the semester. Luckily, I have been able to get a lot of work done already. It's an exciting time in my sorority because we will be having initiation as well as our semi-formal this weekend. Although I have lots of work to do, it will be a nice break. On Sunday, Disciples on Campus will be holding their annual DoC Christmas Party. We'll be having some snack and a white elephant gift exchange. I can remember when I was younger how I would have ornament exchanges and white elephant gift exchanges. The gifts have definitely become more interesting as the years have gone by. There's always that one gift everyone wants and the one gift that's completely useless.
Finals are in two weeks and then I will be flying home. On the 19th, I will be attending a renewal of vows for two of my friends back in Texas. They were both in the Army and when they got married they only had their immediate family there in the comfort of their homes. I'm excited that they have the opportunity to do this before the husband is deployed overseas. I've gone through the holidays before with someone very special to me being in Iraq. It's difficult and hard to go through. If any of you out there are experiencing this, my heart goes out to you. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and a great new year. I'll talk to y'all later in the year 2010!

Chelsey

The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien

On October 22nd, I was able to attend Chapman University Airbands 2009, which is a Greek life event sponsored by Gamma Phi Beta sorority and Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. This event allows any group on campus to perform an eight minute lip-synced performance which incorporates dance and theatrical elements. This is a very popular event both for Greek and non-Greek students alike. While it is important for its entertainment value, Airbands is most significant for its philanthropy partnership with Camp del Corazon. After the performances, a raffle is conducted in order to help generate more proceeds for Camp del Corazon. One of the raffle prizes this year was four VIP tickets to The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien. To support the cause, I purchased five tickets for this package and was lucky enough to win them!

I went to the show today, on December 1st, with three close friends. While I was there, I was not just living out my dream of seeing a live taping of Conan; I was also gaining experience for my education. Currently, I am working on Chapman’s very own sketch comedy show, Nightcap. Being at the Tonight Show gave me insight into the inter workings of a professional television set, an insight that I have been developing throughout the semester in Nightcap. My journey from Airbands to The Tonight Show and its value for both charity and my education has been a very memorable and significant part of my Chapman experience. I am looking forward to staying involved on campus and taking advantage of the benefits that it offers.

David

PRSSA Guest Speaker

These last few days and upcoming weeks are sure a whirlwind! Between classes coming to an end, balancing my job, club activities and then throw in all that fun stuff during the end of the semester life is pretty swamped for the moment. Tonight one of the activities that I will be participating in is with one of the clubs on campus Chapman PRSSA. Long acronym, I know, but it stands for the Public Relations Student Society of America. This club has a series of different ways to "get ahead" professionally and tips for entering the public relations field. Plus, there are a lot of fun people to hang out with :)

Tonight PRSSA is having Joan Gladstone speak about how to obtain your dream job. She will be specifically talking about how to write the perfect cover letter to stand out from the rest. I know that I personally have never known exactly what I was doing when writing cover letters but just, lets say, winged it. It will be great to learn exactly what employers are looking for in the PR field.

It might sound like a dorky way to spend my Tuesday night, but it is definitely a great way to get involved on campus AND be successful in your career down the line. I look forward to my Tuesday nights filled with PR/Ad info and nerding out with fellow PR majors!
Amy

It’s beginning to look a lot like finals!

It’s beginning to look a lot like finals!

Thanksgiving has passed and so has midterms, this can only mean finals are on their way. It is very common that this time of year is filled with projects and research papers. Excitement builds as the semester windes to a close. Despite this often-stressful time here are some things to look forward to break up those study sessions.

1. Holiday time at Disneyland. If you have an annual pass, and you should if you are a Chapman student, then get ready for fireworks and snowfall every evening! Not to mention yummy holiday treats, sparkling lights, and a parade!
2. Midnight Breakfast! Associated Students holds it’s annual midnight breakfast the week of finals. From ten till midnight you can grab some brain food, pickup a scantron or bluebook, as well as break it down on the dance floor to the tunes of Chapman Radio. Not to mention it’s all FREE!

3. Undie Run! It’s all for a good cause as students strip down to their festive holiday undies… coordinated by the Action in Africa club. This is just one of over 90 clubs and organizations on campus. Clothes donations go to children in Uganda. A dance party follows the evenings sprint to the old town circle and back to campus. Something every Chapman student should do once!

So with these little study breaks you are guaranteed to have a clear head. That way you can cram in as much information as possible! If one thing is different from high school, it’s finals week. This week should be a refresher course. Start studying early and review as you go. Don't wait till the last minute, you would hate to have to miss any of these fun study breaks.

Happy Finals!

-Taylor

TOMS Shoes Project

Hello fellow bloggers!

Well the year is wrapping up and semester long projects and presentations that you think you have so much time to work on are all of a sudden near due date. Today I had to give my semester long research term presentation for my Public Relations course. For the project you can chose one company or organization and a specific event or launch that the organization was involved with and how they used Public Relations to make the most of it. I decided to conduct my research and present on TOMS Shoes. It was a really neat experience learning all about the For-Profit organization that goes out and changes to world, one shoe at a time. I was super stressed out in the beginning thinking of all the research I had to do but it ended up not being to bad. I encourage all of you as you will be entering college in the near future to chose topics to research and work on for projects that you are interested in. It makes the research and the homework part of it that much more enjoyable. Well I wish you all the luck! Good luck in your next few weeks of school before holiday break.

Talk to you later.

Caroline

Thanksgiving break with friends

I had a great time being home this past week. As much as I like being at Chapman, it's good to get a way every once in a while to decompress. I spent the Thanksgiving break with friends and family relaxing and eating a lot. It was awesome.

This next week back I'll be performing in a comedy show on campus. It should be a lot of fun! I'll be practicing my routine this week. I hear there's going to be a lot of people so I'll have to make sure it's good!

-Chris

Choose Shoes

Hello Friends,

The holidays are fast approaching and TOMS is inspiring people to choose shoes as the perfect holiday gift. With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One. Attached is a promo code flyer for $5 off an online purchase at TOMSshoes. Help us to provide more children with shoes by forwarding this flyer to your family, friends and campus contacts this holiday season! Also, if you are hosting an upcoming event, please consider printing this flyer and sharing it with your guests!

Happy Holidays,

-- Mark

Money Saving Week

Life always seems to get busier around the holidays, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Although the days fly by and I remain awake until very late, it is an exciting time of year. Next week, my club is hosting a series of events on campus and I am so anxious for them to commence. Our club is called Students in Free Enterprise and we are primarily business majors. The purpose of our club is to use our business skills to impact the community in a positive and lasting way.

Next week, we are holding Money Saving Week for all the students at Chapman. On the first day, we are having a Picnic in the Piazza; the purpose is to teach students that it is much cheaper to bring a brown bag lunch than to buy lunch from a fast food place or restaurant. In order to increase hype for the event, we are giving away 100 free lunches. Even better still, our club partnered with the Princeton Review and they are footing the bill for all the food! We are also going to have Chapman Radio play during the picnic. I cannot wait for the picnic and I am so glad we are able to do this for the students.

The three days will consist of sharing money saving tips and encouraging everyone to save money. We created a budget for the average Chapman student to help students see where their money is going and show them how to make a budget of their own. We are also going to help students see where they can cut spending by recording everything they spend through the week so they can see their spending habits. We will also pass out glass jars with change in them. Thus, students can start throwing spare change and extra money into their jar to help them save for something they want or need.

Clearly, money saving and personal finance is not the most fun thing. But with this week of events we hope to raise awareness and show students that there are simple ways to better their financial situation. Through our fun event, themed days and giveaways we hope to reach a great number of students and show how this is relevant to our lives. It’s mostly exciting knowing that it is possible to make ideas a reality, and plan and execute events that can reach the entire student body. I think that’s the whole point, it is a reality to make a difference and I cannot wait to see what an impact we can make.

--Leah