OH YEAH BACK FROM SUMMER

My summer was awesome!!!  I completed two independent studies with one of my favorite professors, Zoe Hammer, reading Michel Foucault.  They were so challenging and awesome!  It took me about an hour to get through four pages in his books...but it was worth it.  Enough about academics though...let's talk about my roadtrip!

About two weeks after last semester ended an opportunity arose that I couldn't pass up.  Two of my friends were roadtripping to Austin, Texas and then homeward bound to Philadelphia!  I had some money saved and I wanted to surprise my sister for her birthday...so I went for it.

The first leg of our adventure was to drive straight south to Tucson.  This is about a 4 hour drive with like a 20 degree increase in temperature.  It seems pertinent to mention that we were in an '87 Diesel Mercedes Benz with no air conditioning.  I may or may not have wimpered about this as we approached the shimmering heat of southern Arizona.  Of course...we're all Prescott College students so eventually we were saying things like "Wow, brah, this heat is mega cleansing...I feel like all the toxins are totally leaving my body and my vibes are all aligned...Let's go charge some crystals."  But seriously...and we meant it.

Once we made it to Tucson it was time for a break so we got some lunch and made a new friend:

Right. 

From this point we drove drove drove east through New Mexico and into West Texas.  Texas has a lot of really threatening signs regarding littering...it's cool.  Seriously do NOT mess with Texas when it comes to littering...  Driving through El Paso was strange.  We took a moment of silence for the women in Juarez.  It was very emotional and we talked about it for awhile, driving through the night.

Eventually we made it to Fort Stockton, Texas which is one of the WEIRDEST places I've ever been.  Seriously soooo weird - and I'm from New Jersey!  Home of some of the weirdest stuff on earth!  After parking in front of a gentleman's club to rearrange the car (it was closed..this was at like 3:30am) we headed over to Walmart and slept in the parking lot.  I forgot to mention that at some point the humidity kicked in and all of our water bottles started sweating and my hair got really puffy.  It was awesome.

I woke up early the next morning with quite the neck cramp.  My friends were still sleeping so I naturally decided to go into the Walmart and try on some swim suits.  This outrageously fun 6am activity proved fruitless.  I may be from Jersey but I can't rock swim suits featured on the Jersey Shore.  And apparently one pieces are only meant for older women?...it was very discouraging.

After some breakfast we were on the road again and by 4pm we made it to Austin!  Oh wait I forgot to mention our flat tire...that was exciting. 

And by exciting I mean terrifying at first.  We thought we had a fuel leak...but it was just a loose radiator cap.  Matt and I went to look for rocks to shove under the front tires while Sam set up the jack.  About 200 feet down the road Matt suddenly goes "ADDIE WATCH OUT!"  I looked down to see a massive snake slithering toward me.  Much shrieking and fearful gesticulating ensued. 

So flash forward to this horse tail and then all the way to Austin, where we left off.

Austin is an awesome place.  It seemed to me that instead of hanging out on the stoop, on the block, Austin folks hang out on the Green Belt aka sweetest inner city water holes ever.  I love swimming so I was basically in heaven.

I loved Austin and met some great people there.  Plus you can't go wrong with a brown and gold sparkly (one piece!) swimsuit from the 90s.  I was bound to have a great time.  One night my friend Sam and I did some urban exploring/deriving (citation: Guy Debord).  We found a restored theatre that showed classic movies all summer.  That night they were playing a Thin Man movie and I LOVE the thin man movies...old mysteries...check 'em out!  We ate way too much popcorn.  Waterholes and old movies in fancy restored theatres...I was blissed out.

Capital building in ATX

no teef to eat my beef

Eventually it was time to get on the road.  Sam and I bid goodbye to Matt (because he lives in Austin) and were on our way.  I miss Matt's Mom....she was so cool.

Hahahahaha!

PIZZA GAMES.  One of the best signs of our roadtrip.

Goodbye, Texas.  You are a gorgeous place.

We took three days to get to Philadelphia.  Driving through Louisiana Sam and I talked about the oil spill a lot.  Then Shreveport was basically deserted.  I had a definate energetic shift: upset, sad, compassionate. 

Drove through Arkansas and made it to East Memphis before total exhaustion set in.  The next day we drove through Tennessee and listened to a lot of Dolly Parton.  Especially the song about her Tennessee mountain home where life is as peaceful as a baby's sigh...  Besides the traffic I think I got what she was saying :)  Last thought on this leg of the trip:  the bayou is amazing.

Made it to Radford, Virginia and stayed with another PC student.  Her parents were so cool also!  The next morning they made us a pancake breakfast with fresh fruit from their garden and introduced us to Buttercup, the Vulture.

Yes.

So we drove drove drove through VA, West VA, Maryland, and finally made it to Pennsylvania (SHWEW!).  Sam drove me to the Septa station and I was almost home.

The train ride was awesome.  I love the east coast.  I felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and joy.  When I made it to the 30th street station I made a really nice cheerleader take this picture:

 

MADE IT!

AND I successfully surprised my sister, Paige, for her birthday.  She thought that I was a burgler but that's another story...

Love always from your admissions liason,

Addie

Indecision 2010

Hello to all you blog readers! Bonjour! Guten Tag! Jambo! Konnichiwa! Aloha and Kalimera! It realize that it has been a while since I sat down and wrote a blog--for that, my deepest and most sincere apologies. It's not that I haven't meant to write...it's just, well, I'm having trouble commiting to one specific topic. I sit sometimes, staring at the computer for what feels like hours, starting topic after topic and never finishing one. Making decisions can be really difficult sometimes, especially for someone like me. I like to start new projects all the time...the only trouble is staying focused on one specfic thing. Its so easy to float from project to project, topic to topic, plan to plan--but then all you really have at the end of the day are few half-finished projects, blogs, or degree plans....
So you probably guessed by now that I'm not really talking about being indecisive with blog topics exclusivley. Thats right, folks....I'm having trouble with my degree plan. But I'm not too stressed about it. In some ways, I guess I should be. I never really had a clear answer to that question I'm sure we've all been asked in our lives: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I've wanted to be a lot of things...Clown, Ballerina, Judge, Princess Spy, Farmer, Fortune Teller, Fire Dancer, Rythmic Gymnast, Environmentalist, Aquarist, Journalist, Flight Attendant, and the list goes on. Most of these things I've wanted to be in the last few weeks alone. So maybe I should be stressed, right? If I can't even finish a blog, how can I expect to choose a MAJOR?

This, my friends, is the part of the blog where one would expalin to you the *key* to managing their hectic life, focusing their interests, and sitting down and creating a plan for oneself. Sorry to dissappoint, but I don't have the key. What I do have, however, is a network of support at Prescott College. Just the other day I had a minor freakout when a class I was planning on taking in the fall had to be rescheduled. WHAT WAS I GOING TO DO???? My degree plan needs to be finished by next semester if I want to graduate on time...... Fortunatley for me, the people who work at Prescott College are INCREDIBLE.

I headed over to the registrar's office to try to get myself into another class. I was met with the friendly ladies in the registrar's office who sat me down and guided me through which classes were still open and which worked with my schedule. After writing down a few course titles, I ran off to the advising center and had a long chat with Heather Knowles (who runs the Advising Center) about planning out a schedule that could work for my degree plan. The only problem was, I hadn't finished writing out my degree plan...i hadn't even fully committed to my competence. We sat down and talked for a bit: What kinds of things are you interested in? What kind of job might you like to have? These were questions I had asked myself before. Though I still didn't have a clear answer, we were able to start a dialogue about all the different things I was thinking about so far. I was interested in all sorts of things but I didn't know how they could fit together. I was interested in Cultural/Regional Studies, Environmental Issues, Conservation Projects, Ecotourism, Marine Biology, and the relationships between organisms and their environment. How could I ever mesh all those things into one competence? I could imagine myself one day working for an eco-tourism company of some sort teaching others about environmental issues, the natural history of certain species, or the impact humans have on the area. Thats when we began to get an idea of what I should be studying...

Though I had orisinally planned on a more generic "Natural History and Ecology" competence, it seemed to Heather Knowles (and soon, myself) that I was describing more of a career in "Environmental Education". I really hadn't even thought about that. Education classes seemed so far off from what I wanted to study--it never really seemed like something that I might want to combine with my other areas of study. Looking back, it seems like a natural course of action. Education and Environmental Studies are so clearly related that I am almost kicking myself for not realizing it sooner. I was so focused on CHOOSING a competence, that I hardly considered CREATING one unique to myself...and that was one of the primary reasons I came to Prescott College in the first place.

So, I'm testing the waters. I think that's important. making a commitment to a specific major isn't something you should enter into lightly. So far, this one feels right. It may sound kinda cheesy, but Prescott College is really awesome that way. If you play around in the areas that fascinate you, your competence has a way of finding you. I'm glad I chose this school. If I had picked another school, I'd barely be finished with my General Requirements and I wouldn't even have had an opportunity to figure out what I'm passionate about. I'm two years in at PC and I've been dipping my toes into every possible area of study. Maybe I haven't made a solid decision yet. But I have time to figure it out...and with the resources a school like Prescott College offers, I know it will be an adventure the whole way.

Erratically Yours, Sydnie.

Independent Studies and Creativity

Here at Prescott College you’re given the opportunity to customize your education to an extraordinary degree, and one of the best examples of this is the independent study (IS). Through the independent study structure here you can design a class for yourself that encompasses elements of other classes you’ve taken but expands your education in a way that currently offered classes can’t. This manifests in different ways depending on the content area. Some Adventure Education students have used this unique system to create academically rigorous adventures for themselves involving ice climbing in the northern states or caving in Mexico. But the independent study is not exclusive to any one area. I am currently enrolled in an independent study to create a functional library for my future as a teacher, a comprehensive database of resources to help make biology and ecology relevant for my future students.

Artists have an especially fun time with the IS system, allowing them to create entirely new projects that have never been done before; some of which become classes in the future. My partner is currently working on an independent study in Dance, involving dancing every day for 2 weeks in a different environment each day. Today we utilized a computer as an environment, creating a Youtube playlist filled with advertisements to be displayed behind us by a projector, and entertaining assorted random people through Chatroulette. Dressed in aluminum foil, computer chords, and headphones, we did an interpretive dance about technology in modern society.

These sorts of projects are common here; innovation is something that we are encouraged to take part in, rather than pushed away from at our school.

If you have an interest in following a Prescott College Artist through the Independent study process, feel free to check it out here:

http://edanceproject.tumblr.com/


Sincerely,
Zach

Summer 2010 Block A: Herpetolgy

Prescott College summers here have been drastically re-imagined this past year. Whereas the summer term used to be a reflection of fall and spring terms; it is now composed of four blocks. These blocks are slightly shorter than the ones in fall or spring semester; three weeks instead of four, so one has to fit even more experience and information into a shorter time period.
My first block of the summer was Herpetology; which focused on studying reptiles and amphibians of southeastern Utah and western Colorado. In addition to learning about the evolution and morphology of these critters-

-we each had to design our own project that would utilize information gathered in the field as well as peer reviewed journals and field guides.

My personal project revolved around caudal autotomy; the ability of lizards and some snake species to shed their tails when threatened and escape predation, and more impressively the ability to grow them back later.

I think one of the greatest things about the personalized projects here is that I become so much more invested in the material when I know I’m going to have to teach it to the class. I feel like there’s a lot of unintentional learning that happens during this process as well. For example; did you know that lizards are always right or left hand dominant like us? I certainly didn’t. Turns out, the left handed lizards are always more clumsy and so loose their tails more often as a result of not being able to run from predators. You can tell that one to all your left handed friends, I’m sure they’re love it.

We learned a ton about performing population surveys in the field, it was quite eye-opening to begin to learn how you go about setting up a scientifically sound field survey in an undergraduate class. We also learned that in a pinch, you can make a head dress out of a tee-shirt to keep the gnats off your face and out of your nose/eyes/ears.

We also discovered a ton of related and equally enthralling material about biotic soil crust…

… Indigenous cultures…

…and that the health food store in Moab, UT, does in fact carry the best ice cream on earth, which happens to be made in NH. Go figure.

I think I saw more spectacular natural bridges, arches, and ruins while hiking through the canyons for this trip than I have in the rest of my life. In sort; it was fantastic. While I admit the shorter block was hectic at times as far as getting work done, I am already loving summer courses. It just doesn’t get any better than watching a woodhouse’s toad sit on a tiger salamander.

Take care all,

Zach

Summertime

To me, summer is bittersweet. Sure, it can be a time to relax and soak up some sun, but more often then not, I spend the time thinking about school. I miss Prescott College when term isn't in session. Call me a nerd, but I actually look forward to my block and semester classes. Its exciting to think about the new term. It reminds me of elementary school--you know, buying all your school supplies and slipping them into that new backpack, laying out your "first day" clothes and sneaking a peek at your new text books....Okay, so maybe I'm a nerd. But when has that been bad? Prescott College is the type of school that you WANT to be at. Lucky for me, that doesn't end when Spring Semester does. Summer Term 2010 has officially arrived! Seperated into 4 "blocks", Prescott College has turned into something of an educational "summer camp" of sorts. Students enroll for short, but intensive classes which can sometimes take them all over the world. Rather than creating a summer term that lasts from May to August, our Block system divides the summer into 4 chunks so students can pick and choose when they have classes. Some classes might span over multiple blocks,heading to Nepal, Alaska, Africa, or Costa Rica, while others might last only one block and either stay in Prescott, or travel to Kino Bay, Baja, Utah, or the Grand Canyon. What makes this an EVEN BETTER choice is the fact that financial aid is available for those summer months! Students who file their FAFSA forms intending to take a summer semester are eligible for 3 terms of financial aid, making summer classes not only logical, but affordable.
Sydnie

Stay Curious, Stay "Foolish"

 As the seasons change, so do I, and it is with this change that creates new perspectives and growth in this seemingly chaotic life. For the past year and a half, I have participated in accelerating the outcomes of many current students at Prescott College. As a Student Admissions Counselor, I have spoken to many people, giving them advice on how best to approach this labyrinth of choosing a college. Every once in a while, someone approaches me and says, “Hey, you helped me figure out my life, and now I am here because of you. Thank you so much.”
I am not trying to toot my own horn, but I believe that sometimes, I forget how much of a difference I make in others lives.

Waking up in the morning, it can be easy to walk through the day feeling completely independent of everything else in the world. This can’t be farther from the truth. Every breath we take, every step we plant, and every blink of our eyes creates a resounding vibration that resonates the entire universe. Someone might say, ‘I don’t feel like I am ever making a difference in my job, home-life, or overall experience.” Again, our lives are defined by perspective.

For there are many jobs that may seem menial; for example, the job of a janitor could seem unfulfilling, but this depends upon perspective. Someone has to make sure the working environment runs smoothly and efficiently in terms of making sure items get recycled, facilities are clean enough so that others will not become sick, and so forth.

In effect, it truly comes down to following our bliss, and keeping open eyes to the effect we have on others. This becomes superbly present when looking for a job on campus. There are truly a great amount of options for all different interests. Some current examples are: Performing Arts Assistant, Cook/Baker in the café, Video Tech, Community Events Coordinator, Tutor/Consultant…. All of these jobs have certain attributes that we may not always enjoy, but asking ourselves the essential questions, ‘why do I do, what I do?’ and ‘who benefits from what I do?'

It is never a great challenge to find a job on campus, whether we have work-study or not, there are always more than enough. Where the challenge lies is within the reason for choosing a particular path.

“The future is not a result of a choice among alternative paths offered by the present, but a place that is created… created first in mind and will, created next in activity. The future is not someplace we are going to but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made, and the activity of making them changes both the maker and the destination.” – John Shire

There is no such thing as luck, only change, choice, and the connection between. I ask all of you prospective students to live a life filled with curiosity and reasonable “foolishness.” Let truth be your guide, and nothing else, within this you will always find bliss. C’est la vie.

Jordan

Oh Captain, My Captain

This is an ode to President Dan Garvey. For I have known him for the past two years since attending this school. He has brought many ideas into my head, heart, and hands that have stayed with me for quite some time. This is especially true before leaving on the Arizona Trail expedition, he had dinner with the team before embarking and we asked if he had any advice, he said, "I don't want to put any assumptions onto the table. This is your journey, now go and live it." And live it we did.

Sitting on the front porch watching the horses before dinner while playing the guitar, Dan sat down next to me and told me he used to play the guitar quite often as well, this was before he contracted Multiple Sclerosis. For his right hand is not as agile as it once was, but he asked if I wouldn't mind strumming while he put his left hand on the frets. There I was, sharing a guitar with my college president, all the while watching Arabian horses running through a field, and smelling a delicious dinner being prepared.

Like most faculty, instructors, and administrators here at Prescott College, they all show themselves to be people, rather than a talking mirror. I still go out to breakfast on a regular basis with my first writing professor, Jeff Fearnside, along with his wife who works in the registrars office.

To me, this college is very academically, emotionally, and physically challenging, but it also feels like a truly sustainable living community. It will be hard to leave after graduation in 2012, but I believe that I will always remember the friendships that presented themselves. For Prescott College is not a set of buildings, or a sign out front with a logo, but the people who are creating this beautifully productive environment. It will be different to not have Dan around next year, but he will be back to teach a few classes in the fall of 2011. Furthermore, I am hopeful that the new president, Dr. Kristin Woolever, will transform this college to meet the needs of the future, all the while maintaining the wonderful community we currently reside in.


O CAPTAIN! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,

                                                    -Walt Whitman 
 
Here is to a great man, and a great future for the college he helped produce; along with a legacy that will continue sailing with the winds of grace, dignity, and compassion.

Gentle seas, 

Jordan

Our Life Belongs to Our Dreams

The semester is winding down and we have less than two weeks left. This has been quite a transformational set of months. I started out with the idea of gaining a competence and certification in Elementary Education, then slowly moved away from this already defined path and into a self-designed competence called Sustainable Community Development. Lately, I have been researching more of what this means.


Overall, life moves fast here at Prescott College. I came here in the fall of 2008, and it has been superbly engaging since then. I have gone to many amazingly beautiful places, discussed various topics with the utmost passion, rode a horse 800 miles, changed my course of study, and participated in countless events, all since I took my first step on orientation.

It is an interesting opportunity to be able to attend a school like Prescott College, and the school is changing, much like everything else; for change is the only constant, and in order to not become stale, we must move with the river of energy. As for immediate change, President Dan Garvey will be retiring at the end of June, and Dr. Kristin Woolever will be stepping forth to fill the position. Dr. Woolever comes to Prescott College from the University of New Hampshire at Manchester, where she is currently Dean and Director of the Campus. Prior to UNH Manchester, Woolever led the Antioch Center for Creative Change at Antioch University Seattle in a reorganization that included the development of alternative course delivery models and innovative, cross-disciplinary graduate programs in environmental studies, management, organizational psychology, systems thinking, and strategic communication.

Moreover, the college has acquired the alley way that previously split the campus in half. Now, we have purchased this piece of property and will be reinvigorating it by taking down the telephone poles that expose various wires putting them underground, and the ecological design class has been planning what we will see in the near future. This will greatly beautify the campus, and will create a more integrated environment. Currently, the alleyway has been closed to cars, and has begun the process of redefining the current nature of the campus.

In terms of residential options, there are a few ideas in the works that will include a dormitory for around 150 students, but this has yet to be set in stone. The college will probably not see this for another year.

As for the summer class schedule, this has been changed from a block and quarter system to a semester filled with four block classes. Examples of these classes are: Public Art-Mural Painting, Expeditionary Sailing, Surfing & Oceanographic Principles of Wave Dynamics, Aboriginal Living Skills, Jungian Studies…. Moreover, there will still be classes that take up most or the entire summer, which include: South America – Land of Contrasts, Maasailand – A Study in Community Activism, Sustainable Nepal, Studies in Alaska, Ecological Design at the ECOSA Institute….

In essence, our world is constantly changing, and if we are going to be active in our environment we must move with the belief that our life does not belong to us, it belongs to our dreams.

Peace be the journey

Jordan

P.S.
If you ever think you are too small to make a difference, you have never slept with a mosquito in the room.
                                                                                                                -African Proverb

Well, the semester is coming to a close and I feel pretty good about all that I've accomplished academically, personally, and politically.  I made the decision to get a double competence in Psychology and Cultural and Regional Studies and wrote two independent studies for the summer.

Some highlights from this spring:

This is my partner in crime.  We started a feminist zine last semester and my sister did the cover art for our most recent issue...so cool!

I organized a lot with my class, PERC.  We did "Coffee Talk" (free coffee, breakfast, and news publications every Tuesday morning), Game Night, workshops on health, addiction & recovery, how to graduate, time management, etc.  This flyer I made was for a textiles-themed get-together.  Laurie Silver is actually the Dean of Student Life here at the College.  Not only did she teach me how to knit, she also didn't mind my totally ridiculous pun.  I love going to a small school!

 

I have been developing a workshop on the three waves of feminism (and all contemporary feminisms) and their differing perspectives on pop culture.  This semester I held it for freeskool a few times, at some mini-WEB conferences (Women's Empowerment Breakthrough - Sydnie volunteers with them too...amazing organization that is very active and holds an annual three day conference up at Mingus Mountain for local teenage girls), the Praxis Youth Action Conference (my friend's senior project, it was amazing, Rebel Diaz came and did the keynote and an incredible performance), and the Nonviolence Skillshare (sponsored by the Peace and Justice Center).  I basically talk foundational feminist history and theory and then the group and I collaboratively deconstruct videos like Lady Gaga & Beyonce's "Telephone" or Jamie Foxx's "Blame It".  We discuss things like mind pollution, sexuality's relationship to political power,  art, and bell hooks.

I took a course called "Dreamwork" for block, then "Family Systems Theory", "Peer Education Practicum", and an independent study on Carl Jung, "Jungian Depth Psychology".  All of these classes were absolutely incredible.

We did a silly April Fools joke for this month's freeskool...Normally the Catalyst logo occupies the back inside cover:

It's been a wonderful semester.  And now...

I'll be doing some intensive reading of Michel Foucault's Discipline and Punish as well as Madness and Civilization for my independent studies.

Don't let my degree fool you...this summer I will be reading Foucault in my hiking boots, adventuring in Colorado and the southwest. 

:)

your student admissions counselor,

addie

The Peace and Justice Center

     It started out as an assignment for my Social Movements class—to volunteer my time with a social justice group in Prescott that I hadn’t yet participated in. The Peace and Justice Center seemed like a perfect choice for me, having had taken multiple classes in Peace Studies at Prescott College. I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did—it wasn’t that I didn’t care about social justice or the objectives of the Peace and Justice Center(PJC), I was just crunched for time. I was taking a full course load, dividing my time up between work, classes, groups I currently volunteered with, and extracurricular obligations. I didn’t feel I had the time to tack on another obligation. I was looking at this as a chore, and not a golden opportunity to be more involved with my own experiences at Prescott College.
     The first meeting of the semester was what really began to change things. I began to understand what the PJC was really about. We weren’t sitting around talking about issues and the way things should be in our community…we were pitching ideas about speakers, workshops, film screenings, and other events to bring to Prescott College. We were focusing our efforts on collaborating with other on-campus groups to educate our community and CREATE CHANGE within the town of Prescott, the state of Arizona, the United States, and the World.

     And that’s when I realized it for certain: Prescott College is an activist’s dream school. Here we have the ability to step forward out of the crowd and work together to take action and create change. More often than not, students can be afraid to come forth with their beliefs and let their colors shine. But here we receive so much support that failing to come forward with new projects and ideas can be scarier than actually implementing them. The Peace and Justice Center offers students and community members a space to be heard—to pitch ideas for events, to share grievances and create a dialogue about how we can manifest solutions to current issues about human rights, border justice, environmental problems, and the like.

Sydnie

***Our most recent efforts have been focused on putting together a series of FREE community events exploring the true costs of “Free Trade” and how it affects food sustainability, environmental, economic, and social justice issues on a national and worldwide scale. On Monday, April 26th, Director Aaron Woolf will be arriving at Prescott College to screen his award winning documentaries “King Corn” and “Big River”. Following the screening he will conduct a discussion about food sustainability and the pressures of government subsidized mono-cropping in the United States. The following afternoon, April 27th, Borderlinks will present a workshop about the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Following a skit and discussion, Borderlinks will explore the profound implications NAFTA has on the environment, global politics, economical, and human rights issues, as well as the way it affects our everyday lives and the world around us. Come join us for an informational discussion about “Free Trade” and the ways in which each individual can help solve these issues in our country, and the world. ***