Occidental College
Campus Conversations
Congrats 2015!
Hey everybody! And hello in particular to the new class of 2015!! Congratulations! So what's going on in my life right now? Currently, I have three research papers for three different classes, all due within the next three weeks. In my freshman seminar CSP (Narratives in Education), my research concerns the resegregation process 50 years after Brown vs. Board of Education, and the institutionalization of segregation. My Los Angeles Politics research paper concerns Measure R, a ballot measure also known as Traffic Relief (traffic is obviously a hot button topic in Los Angeles!). And my media studies research paper explores Gossip Girl's usage of transmedia (like Twitter) to communicate with a different kind of audience than viewers of earlier television programs. Aside from school work, my sorority is taking up a lot of my life too (but only in good ways). I was recently elected Secretary of my sorority, and we have a fundraiser and philanthropy event happening next week that I helped to coordinate. If you're on campus on Wednesday next week be sure to buy a cupcake from Alpha Lambda Phi Alpha from 11:30 to 1:30! All proceeds go to AidJapan. And of course, there's the social life. Right now is the last time we have to enjoy our amazing senior Alpha ladies, and I'll be so sad to see them go! Also, Alpha Crush, our big spring semi-formal event, is happening next weekend. Crush is an event where each Alpha gets to invite two "crushes" anonymously, and we all get to the event and mingle and try and figure out who invited who! It's a lot of fun. Obviously, I can't spill who my crushes are! As the end of the semester comes closer, it strikes me every time I open my closet that I have way too much stuff, stuff that I am going to have to somehow transport back to Seattle. I'm currently in a triple room in Newcomb Hall, but there are only two closets - my roommates assumed correctly that of the three of us I'd need the most storage space for shoes and clothes and everything else. My favorite joke is that you can tell I need to do laundry when you can actually close my dresser drawers! The smart thing to do would be to gradually start sending things home now, but... what if I need those shoes I never wore all semester? What if that dress is perfect for a themed event that might happen in the next four weeks? Clearly, these are serious issues, but everybody can learn from my example - do not bring clothes you have never worn, do not wear, or will never wear. Also, do not bring five v-neck t-shirts of all the same color(s). One will suffice. Lastly, you do not need all of your winter clothes, because winter here lasts about three weeks. And clothing isn't the only issue here! DVDs, books, magazines (I seriously have close to 1,000,000 in my room. Really.) Pillow Pets - these all take up very valuable space inside a very small triple room. Walking around campus you can definitely tell that it's admission season, and it's been great to see so many of you in classes and around school. Remember you can always stop any of us to ask for help or an opinion or anything at all! Oxy students tend to choose Oxy for a reason - all of its factors and statistics (small school, big city, amazing weather, great professors, chill social life, relaxed friendly students, good D3 athletics, financial aid, great food, etc) add up to a pretty unique environment that works really well for some people (myself included) and doesn't work at all for others (who don't come here). Shout outs for this week go to: -Jean, my future roommate and music soulmate, without whom I have difficulty transcending -Marnie, who was an excellent sport when I epically April Fool's-ed her this morning -Kendra, my Alpha big sister, who is consistently awesome and dressed up like Taylor Swift with me today for our Alpha team event -David, who allows me to be a drama queen -John, who apparently signed off for the package that arrived for me today. I desperately needed that makeup!! So thanks, mystery mail room John! I really hope to see you all soon!! Good luck in the coming weeks as you make your final decision! Love, Madi PS. Abby commented on an earlier blog post that the residents of Newcomb aren't as close. False! Some of my most amazing friends are Newcomb residents, and we have bonded so much from being hallmates. There are lots of groups of friends that all live in Newcomb together, and I love the Newcomb community. No matter where you live freshman year, your first and best friends (and first objects of affection) will likely be your neighbors. Newcomb is awesome - proximity to lower campus is not overrated, and we have great facilities, and we all get along :-)