5 things you’d understand if you live in UC Berkeley dorms

Charlene Wang/Staff

While the UC Berkeley residence halls might not be the most luxurious — unless you’re lucky enough to live in Blackwell — they do promise to add to one’s college experience in a unique way. As a current freshman, I find that living in the dorms at UC Berkeley is a mix of summer camp and a never-ending (fully masked) party. There is never a dull moment in the hallways, bathrooms, elevator or study lounge which creates the inevitable love-hate relationship between students and dorm life. One might complain about the many struggles involving dorm living, but at the end of the day, these experiences unite us. So, here at the Clog, we gathered some common experiences that only people who live in the UC Berkeley dorms can understand.

Waiting an eternity for the elevator

The view from many of the dorm rooms is absolutely breathtaking, especially if you live on one of the higher floors. However, I guess one must pay a price outside of the tragic housing fees for a beautiful look at the Bay Bridge. That additional price is one elevator that stands a good likelihood of breaking down. A single elevator just doesn’t work for a building that houses hundreds of students who are always on the move, but the wait is usually better than hiking up those flights of stairs. 

Observing the absurd sticky-note art and messages on the dorm windows

I guess UC Berkeley students have moved beyond writing “hi” with sticky notes on their windows. If you live in the UC Berkeley residence halls, you see all the creative and funny sticky-note art. From sticky notes that illustrate penises to the many windows that read “MILF,” these windows always make you stop on your way out and just think.

Cherishing the short and rare quietness

One of my favorite parts of the UC Berkeley dorms is that they are so close to everything. Unlike most college dorms, which are secluded from the local city, UC Berkeley residence halls are integrated into the city and situated near so many restaurants and stores. This is amazing until you realize that NYC is not the only city that never sleeps. Paired with students that lack a proper sleep schedule, there is always noise sneaking into your room. However, the occasional moments when it’s silent feel like heaven.

Calling your family and friends from back home in the courtyard

With roommates and halls that are never quiet, UC Berkeley dorms will often have you heading outside when it’s time to make calls. Every time I go to the courtyard, whether on my way out or to meet up with friends, I can count at least five different people sitting on benches talking on their phones. Even I sit all alone in the courtyard at least once a week, so I can talk to my friends and family in peace.

Going onto the study lounge balcony to get a breath of fresh air

Sometime during the first week of September, the study lounges reopened which meant our balconies were back as well. I don’t think anybody knew how much they’d appreciate a balcony until it was there. University can get stressful, but stepping onto the balcony immediately gives one peace and serenity. Whether you are down in the courtyard or in the study lounge, it’s not uncommon to spot at least one person finding tranquility as they people-watch from that balcony — which even I have done a good handful of times.

I can’t deny the perpetual homesickness that occurs while living in the UC Berkeley residence halls, but it is comforting to know that there are thousands of students who are sharing a similar experience with you. These common experiences will soon lead to unforgettable college memories!

Contact Zara Koroma at zkoroma@dailycal.org.

The Daily Californian

The Pittsburg State University Choir and Chorale will present classic stage numbers and more in “Back to Broadway,” a modified dessert-only version of their annual choir dinner.

The event, which the choirs are calling a “choir dessert” due to attendees receiving a boxed dessert in place of the usual choir dinner meal, will be held on Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the ballrooms of the Overman Student Center.

“As part of the University Choir and Chorale, I believe that our constant goal is to bring beautiful music to our PSU community and provide the opportunity for our members to have a place to learn and grow with diverse musical experiences,” said Kimberly Harries, administrative associate in the department of music and member of the University Choir and Chorale. “This first concert comes from our yearly Choir Dinner, which has provided in the past a themed music program and a dinner. This year to make sure this is a safe experience for all, we have chosen to have a ‘Choir Dessert.’ This will be a themed concert “Back to Broadway” where we will perform various pieces from Broadway through the years and will end with a delicious, boxed dessert to take home.”

As the changes to this year’s event format were based around restrictions due to the pandemic, masks will be required at the event. The choir and chorale plan to sing tunes based on numbers from Broadway’s past and present, such as a medley from George Gershwin’s jazz-inspired opera “Porgy and Bess” and the song “You Will Be Found” from the musical (and soon to be movie) “Dear Evan Hansen.”

“(One of our goals for this year was) ​to return to live performance,” said Susan Marchant, director of PSU choirs. “We have some wonderful music chosen for the year, representing many different styles and traditions, and we hope that we’ll be able to share it with audiences in a way that is safe and meaningful.  We have already performed with the SEK Symphony in the recent 9/11 Concert of Remembrance, and we’ll collaborate with that ensemble again in October. The upcoming Sept 24 program features repertoire from musical theater and popular song traditions.  Then in November we’ll present a more traditional program.  We’re fortunate that the choral repertoire is so vast and varied…we have many choices!”

Some of the students performing at the choir dessert concert will have the opportunity to sing with PSU’s auditioned choral group, the Chorale, while others have been given solos.

“Some of the pieces will be performed by the full University Choir, while others will be sung by the smaller Chorale…and beyond that, subsets of the Chorale, and even a few solos in the mix,” Marchant said. “I think it will be a really nice program with something for everyone to enjoy.”

The funds raised during the choir desert serve as a fundraiser for possible choir trips in the upcoming academic year. Ticket sales to receive the dessert at the end of the evening are closed.

Rosie discussing the history and possible realities of Aliens among us with Professor Tyson Davis.

The post Reel Talk Episode 3- Aliens appeared first on The George-Anne Media Group.

The 51st senate of the Associated Students of Colorado State University convened on Wednesday, Sept. 15, for their third session of the semester to hear a presentation on facilities-related committees across CSU’s campus, introduce a bill resolution and hold elections for the Legislative Strategy Advisory Board. ASCSU heard a presentation by Fred Haberecht, leader of […]

“Closet to Quarantine: Queer Art Then and Now” highlights portraits, social media and queer history.

The Daily Trojan features Classified advertising in each day’s edition.  Here you can read, search, and even print out each day’s edition of the Classifieds.

Click the icon to download the PDF of today’s Classifieds:

To place an ad, please contact an ad representative:

(213) 740-2707

USC Student Publications Student Union – Room 400

Los Angeles, CA 90089-0895

http://dailytrojan.com/ads

The post Classifieds – September 17, 2021 appeared first on Daily Trojan.

In 2020, Phoebe Bridgers shot to indie — and to some extent, mainstream — stardom following the release of her critically acclaimed album, “Punisher.” Meanwhile, Kesha, known for her raunchy early ‘10s hits, also released an album: “High Road.”

This fall, both artists have returned to the concert stage to tour their new albums, coincidentally visiting Minneapolis on the same weekend and providing Twin Cities music fans with an opportunity to observe the juxtaposition of their differing career paths. Phoebe Bridgers easily displayed the talent that has garnered her such universal praise while Kesha relied on showmanship and nostalgia in her effort to churn out a night of messy fun.

Tonally, Phoebe Bridgers and Kesha could have easily switched nights. Kesha gave the crowd a Saturday night type of debauchery. Within minutes of arriving on stage, she yelled, “Let’s forget the world is a f–cking dumpster fire and just dance our f–cking asses off!” as muscular men in mesh shirts gyrated behind her.

As exciting as it is to take part in Kesha’s unapologetic sleaziness, there is something to be said about watching an artist perform their craft at the top of their game. Everything about Phoebe Bridgers was thought out and executed almost flawlessly. She was backed by a five person band, including a trumpeter and pianist, and the storybook-inspired background visuals corresponded well with her songs’ deft lyrical content. The Phoebe Bridgers crowd was there to watch Phoebe Bridgers play her songs, not to party and get high off of nostalgia, among other things.

Phoebe Bridgers performed a cover of Bo Burnham’s “Funny Feeling,” a song that details how our daily life has become increasingly apocalyptic as post-capitalism and global warming rage on. Phoebe Bridgers’ own lyrics were also full with the types of melancholy observations that take place on Sunday nights, as one dreads the week ahead.

Yet the Phoebe Bridgers concert was not necessarily all doom and gloom. As with nearly every concert, fans were ecstatic to see their favorite performer, perhaps more now than ever. Both performers mentioned how thankful they were to be back on stage and many in the audience at the shows excitedly chatted about how this was their first show since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Most differences between the two are surface level. One could summarize them as an “up-and-coming indie darling” and a “popstar in her flop era”, but those descriptions would do neither justice. As Phoebe Bridgers and her crew walked onto stage, “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas blared on the speakers —the 2009 hit single co-written and performed by Will.i.am, a Kesha collaborator. The song choice speaks to how small the gap between these two music scenes have become. As streaming services have taken the place of 99 cent iTunes songs and CDs, it has become easier and cheaper than ever before to casually explore genres. This technological shift has affected the way artists consume and produce music as well. They too are exposing themselves to larger varieties of music and can become more genre-adverse without risking part of their fanbase. This is part of the reason why similarities between Phoebe Bridgers and Kesha are easy to spot, despite their vastly different careers.

Both women have released songs about the abuse they have suffered at the hands of well-known men in the music industry and both shows were adamantly queer-friendly spaces. For all their stylistic differences, it is not hard to imagine the two artists being fans of each other’s work. After all, Phoebe Bridgers has declared her love for the empowering raunch of Megan Thee Stallion, and Kesha has worked with indie folk rocker Sturgill Simpson. While in line for Kesha, I spotted a fellow fan wearing a Phoebe Bridgers shirt from the night before. It was rather unsurprising.

Georgia Southern updated their bus routes, taking away the Sweetheart Shuttle and bus stops along Forest Drive and adding a few steps to their commute.

“I think they’re too crowded, it’s kind of scary,” Bee Byers, a sophomore, said. “I don’t ride them as much as I used to.”

In order to not be late to her classes she would have to leave an hour in advance and the only reason she would ride the bus is for the convenience of housing, Byers said. 

Masks are required while riding on the bus and no social distancing required this semester, Director of Parking and Transportation Services, Derrick Davis said. 

While masks are said to be required, upon observation, students still enter the bus without masks with no further actions being taken to have them wear one. 

In addition to the COVID-19 protocols, Byers said she felt most of the students did wear their masks but, “the huge crowd kind of defeats the purpose.”

With only two stops on the pedestrium, students felt it was still a lengthy walk to classes. “That’s why I stopped taking the bus,” Byers said. 

On the other hand, another GS student, Brianna Tilley, said, “Well, since my class is right in the physics building, the stop at the bookstore is not a far walk at all.” 

“I would recommend the buses to other students,” Tilley added.

The Statesboro bus routes run from 7 a.m. – 9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, cutting out early at 6 p.m. on Fridays.

This year, the Sweetheart Shuttle Route will not be in operation. The only bus routes are the Blue and Gold.

The Gold route has 4 stops: Paulson Stadium, Cambridge apartments, Eagle Village, and Russell Union/Dining Commons. 

The Blue route only has 3 stops: Paulson Stadium, RAC, and College of Education.

The post Let’s talk about the buses: Are students getting to class on time? appeared first on The George-Anne Media Group.

This past weekend, Emory’s volleyball team traveled to the west coast and competed at the East-West Battle tournament in Thousand Oaks, California. After three matches of fierce competition, the Eagles came out of the tournament with a 1-2 record. 

On Sept. 10, the No. 2 Eagles battled Trinity University (Texas), the first-ranked team in the nation. In the first game, the Trinity Tigers won nine of the first 10 points. Although the Eagles scored six straight points down 18-6 in game one, the deficit was too much to delete. Both the second and third games followed similar rhythms with the Eagles starting the game down and not being able to complete the comeback. The Eagles lost in straight sets, with scores of 17-25, 19-25, and 15-25. 

Despite the loss, the Eagles left their mark on the court with confidence. Freshman right side hitter Alana Dawson, who had 10 kills in the match, spoke highly of the team morale during their game.

“There was no doubt in anyone’s eyes during the game, we all trusted each other,” Dawson said. 

The East-West Battle was also Dawson’s first road experience as an Emory volleyball player. While the sport and mindset are the same, the jump up to a higher level adds some new challenges for an experienced player. 

The Eagles’ next opponent was the College of Saint Benedict (Minn.), who they played a couple hours after their first match. The two teams were neck-and-neck, pushing the game to five sets. In the end, though, the Eagles clinched the victory by coming back from a 2-1 set deficit (23-25, 25-23, 16-25, 25-15, 15-11). 

Emory won the fourth set with their backs against the wall, winning six straight points when the score was tied at five and completely shifting the momentum. The Eagles went on a 20-10 run to force the fifth set, and they won 15-11 after ending the match on a 6-2 run. 

Freshman outside hitter Lily Martin finished the match with 16 kills while senior outside hitter Tara Martin had 15.

Emory wrapped up the weekend by facing Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athenas (Calif.) on Sept. 11. While the Eagles fought a long and hard battle, they could not squeeze out a victory, ending the tournament with a 3-1 loss (25-18, 22-25, 25-13, 25-19). Despite the loss, Dawson and Martin both had impressive matches in addition to freshman Sarah Luong who finished with 40 assists. 

Head Coach Jenny McDowell was proud of the team’s efforts going up against the country’s best teams. Even though the tournament was not a success, McDowell recognizes the season is just beginning and hopes to get stronger before the end of the season in November.

“It was an amazing weekend for our team,” McDowell said. “[We] would’ve liked to come home with three victories, but we learned so much about ourselves and competed every single point.”

Emory volleyball playing in the Emory Classic on Sept. 3. The following weekend, the squad traveled to California to play in the East-West Battle. (Lin Yu/Contributing Photographer)

The post SoCal trip opens volleyball’s road competition appeared first on The Emory Wheel.

Little league sports paint the image of overly passionate parents who take things a little too seriously. Whether parents are yelling at teenage umpires in baseball or constantly talking down at their kids after the game, these parents stray far from the values of little league sports.

Little league sports are an escape for children — a place to spend pent-up energy. Regardless of what sport is being played, little league sports provide the benefits of exercise, discipline and teamwork for kids. All parents should give their children this opportunity.

One of America’s scariest health problems has been obesity. And leaders have done a lot to curb its effects. Famously, Michelle Obama led a campaign during the Obama administration to provide children with healthier school options and encourage exercise. Still, the problem is increasing in children. Obese children are much more likely to face harsh health consequences down the road.

According to the CDC, nearly 20% of children in America are obese. While healthier school lunches may help reduce this percentage a little, exercise has shown to increase lean body mass, improve energy expenditure and lead to better appetites among children.

But, obviously, it’s not effective to send your kid to run around the block three times and call it a day. Kids need a fun, engaging activity, and although some like sports more than others, most kids would agree that playing a game of soccer is more fun than running on a treadmill.

Obesity numbers in America are staggering. By making sure children get adequate exercise at a young age, parents are setting them up for a healthier future.

One of the more important values to teach children in their adolescence is the value of discipline. Learning from mentors in pursuit of a goal is a trait that leads to success in life.

Having played baseball and football growing up, I credit most of my current work ethic to the hours I dedicated to those sports. Sports taught me that success is not easy, and only time gets you closer to achieving your goals.

Spending energy, time and emotion in pursuit of the end goal — whether it be a championship, a winning record or even just a fun season — is often not an easy thing to do and may not be as fun as some expect. But when those goals are achieved in sports, it shows children that good things often come with hard work.

There are real benefits to effort. Working hard at a job may result in a promotion, or working hard on relationships could lead to real, valuable friendships.

By introducing simple sports to children at a young age, they’re introduced to basic skills and facets of the game that make them much more likely to stick with the game for longer. According to the Aspen Institute, children who play sports are eight times more likely to play sports as young adults. These valuable lessons must be taught from a young age.

While considering teamwork as a benefit of little league sports is rather cliché, it’s very important nonetheless. However, teamwork means different things at different ages. In a child’s early days of playing sports, teamwork may just mean kicking a ball around and socializing with other kids. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that. But the real benefits of teamwork come when sports start to get competitive.

As a child grows into this more competitive age, the childhood concept of a team is replaced by a more mature definition. There are rarely players that can dominate, and the teams that win are the teams with chemistry.

Giving it your all while knowing that all your teammates around you are giving it their all is a special feeling. Hours of blood, sweat and tears towards a common goal leads to greater trust, better friendships and bonds that are hard to find elsewhere.

When kids take these values into life, even if they aren’t becoming the next Tom Brady, it could easily lead them to a more valuable and rewarding future. There are almost no fields of work, relationships or hobbies that rely on individual success, so by learning the value of teamwork children are primed for success.

As much as little league parents may want you to think it, kids being the greatest at their respective sport is not the goal. Instead, the goal is to teach valuable lessons for life while getting in the exercise that’s vital for a child’s health.

By getting your child involved in team sports, whether it’s basketball, football or gymnastics, they are learning the essential values of discipline and teamwork, all while being set up for greater health in the future.

jackson.brown@dailyutahchronicle.com

@JacksonsTakes

The post Brown: Parents Should Encourage Little League Sports appeared first on The Daily Utah Chronicle.