Ali, Shy, and Shaniqua

I have eaten at Einstein Bros Bagels each morning this semester. While I used to cringe in angst after spending five dollars on a bagel, I ultimately came to accept the idea that money is just a number on a piece of paper that is completely replaceable. But I didn’t come to this consensus on my own. In fact, each time I ordered my regular egg and sausage bagel, I began to realize that I wasn’t there just because the bagels were good, but also because the cashiers and other employees were so fun to be around. I can honestly say that I would spend those five dollars each day to simply interact with the employees at Einstein Bros Bagels. Each woman was so carefree and took orders with a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye. Not only did they know me by name, but they knew my class schedule, and would have my bagel made before I had even ordered it. It was obvious through their actions and our open conversations that they truly cared for me. I am going to miss Ali, Shy, and Shaniqua this summer, but it will be very exciting to catch up with them a few months down the road.

Are You Phony or Real?

At SMU, I have found it difficult to know when members of our community are being genuine or fake in their interactions with others. I feel that people put on various "masks"to adjust to certain situations and act differently around specific people. College students care a lot about what other students think of them. With that being said, the company we surround ourselves with is obviously going to be very important. In fact, I recently learned in my Theatre class that people commonly evaluate each other based on who they associate themselves with. So let me ask you this: Are we shorter with those who bring embarrassment to our reputation – and genuine towards those whom we look up to? Or all we always fake to fulfill our exterior motive of a desirable reputation?

What the Prospectives are Thinking

The past two months at SMU have been filled with numerous visits by high school seniors. These students usually come on a Thursday and stay through Saturday to get the ultimate SMU experience. But what many of us consider the ultimate experience isn’t necessarily desirable for these college-bound students. The past three senior girls who came to stay with a few of my friends each left with an unsure feeling as to if they even wanted to consider attending SMU. I was shocked to learn this because I am so happy at SMU and wouldn’t change one thing about it. Upon further investigation as to why these girls left with this feeling, I found the common denominator: the Party Scene.

While each of these girls realized there would be drinking in college, none of them realized how predominant and dangerous this factor is at SMU. Basically, many of us current SMU students have grown to accept this late-night behavior while it comes as a shock to others. These three girls explained that half of the people around them were blacked-out, and about every tenth person had to throw up at some point during the night. Some girls who progressively drank themselves to obliteration became sloppy and slutty. We all come to college to get a stellar education and to meet and make lifelong friends. As of now a good number of Prospective Students aren’t seeing that these two things are possible at SMU.

Do These Jeans Make Me Look Fat?

I have never been in a more self-conscience environment than that of SMU. It’s almost as if a day doesn’t go by without me having to reassure a classmate that she doesn’t look fat. I even witnessed a girl in my Oceanography class take two SlimQuick diet pills. This girl must not weigh more than one-hundred pounds, so it worries me that she feels the need to lose weight. The boys I've talked to say that really skinny girls freak them out, so if she is doing this for more attention it's not going to be the positive attention she's hoping for. I'm really not sure why the skinniest girls seem to think that they need to do everything in their power to lose weight. It's unhealthy and unnecessary. And it must make the heavier girls very uncomfortable, insecure, and self-conscience. What do you think?

Did You Fart?

Farting in public is an extreme act of rudeness. It basically signifies that you could care less about the people around you so you allow the fumes and bubbly noise to erupt out of your butt hole. When my brother farts in front of me I lecture him on how disrespectful and uncleanly it is. I always say: “If you were sitting in a car with Paris Hilton you wouldn’t have farted.” It’s so true. If we don’t care about certain people’s opinions or we feel extremely comfortable around them, we won’t resist our urge to fart. Otherwise, when were in a classroom full of peers, a significant other’s family, a person we don’t know well, or pretty much any other social situation, we know better than to fart. So I recommend that if you feel the urge coming, take the liberty to exit the room and proceed accordingly. Not only will you save yourself from embarrassment, but you will give people one less reason to look down upon you.

Sisterhood at a Glance

I recently joined a sorority that I absolutely love and feel I really belong to. The girls in my pledge class are all very unique, nice, and fun to be around. It’s an experience I am already proud to be a part of. Yet I was taken aback, almost to the point of tears, when an older sister of mine began swearing at me on Bid Night. I had simply forgotten to wear my wristband, which was supposed to indicate that I was in fact a part of that sorority and could therefore board the bus traveling to our Bid Night venue. While the bus driver and I were discussing alternatives for me to prove that I was truly in that sorority, a Junior sister of mine stood up and began shouting vulgar words in my direction while commanding that I step off the bus because without a wristband I simply didn’t belong. Not only was this behavior extremely farfetched and unnecessary, but it also gave me an awful initial impression of the sisterhood sororities are rumored to share. This experience was hard for me to mentally overcome - especially since I think we all tend to look up to the older girls for role model behavior and demeanor. No matter the situation, our age, or the people involved, I think it’s best to keep in mind that somebody is always affected by the decisions we make, and the way we choose to act. With that said, know it’s best to not test the limits of your sororities’ sisterhood.

Snowballs of Fury

Snowball fights are usually a fun activity when guidelines are set. There’s typically a “don’t go for the head” or “only below the waist” memorandum. However, no such rules existed this past week on the SMU campus. All throughout the day on both Thursday and Friday students pelted each other with icy cold snowballs. Those who leisurely made their way to class were prime targets. Out of excitement, I too threw a tightly packed ball of snow in the direction of an older SMU football player. I watched my first snowball sail through the air and then suddenly realized that it was in fact headed for his face. A split second later he was on the ground with both hands covering his eye. I couldn’t believe it. What was supposed to be a gesture of fun enthusiasm turned into me giving him a swollen black eye and a bloody nose. Of course I ran over to him to apologize profusely and help him to his feet. - But it was then that I realized that with the onset of snow, our SMU campus had turned into a dangerous warzone. So I have to ask, were you as frightened as I was when trying to navigate your way around campus last Thursday and Friday?