Marooned on Mackinac Island

Strolling the streets of downtown Mackinac Island in the hot summer air / Photo: Brittney Harvin

By: Brittney Harvin

Mackinac Island in the summer is at the peak of its tourist season.  That’s exactly when my family decided to go.  When I was on the Michigan island the town was bustling – whirling bicycles, melting ice cream cones, and flashing tourist cameras everywhere I looked.  As I learned about the island, the locals said the summer was the only time people ever came.  In the winter there are but 500 people isolated on the 4-mile island – even the ferry stops running.  No transportation, limited food and a ghost town replaces the once-bustling village.

Ferry Godmother

Mackinac Island is about 7 hours from the Twin Cities.  When we got there we had to take a loud, crowded, ferry to the island.  As much as I took that ferry ride for granted, it disappears entirely for the locals during those long winter months.  Once you’re on the island for the first snowfall, that’s the last time you’ll get to the Michigan mainland.  You’re stuck.

No Horsing Around

There are never any cars on the island, just horses and bikes, however it is a pretty cold ride on either of those during the winter.  The current temperature in the middle of January is -11, so you better have a good reason to travel a long way once you’re on the secluded island.

Bye Bye Big Business

As you probably imaged, all the businesses are closed with the exception of one grocery store, a bank, and a restaurant.  That 4 mile wide island can get pretty deserted, especially for the 12 kids who attend the elementary through high school.  Most of the locals I spoke with who stay for the winter don’t mind however, they enjoy the peace and quiet.  For most, that’s the only thing they are used to.

Do you think you could survive Mackinac’s artic tundra?  You can try for yourself – just make sure you catch a ferry before you’re marooned like those 500 locals.

For more information on visiting Mackinac Island, visit Mackinac Island Info 

Want to Live the Suite Life?

The MV Explorer.  Photo: Emma Florin

By: Emma Florin

Have you ever seen a college campus that looked like this before? Well on the Semester at Sea program this is your home and floating campus!

This amazing program is filled with many countless opportunities for people who have a thirst for traveling and seeing the world.

Semester at Sea gives students the opportunity to live on a cruise ship, while traveling the world. The fall voyages are Atlantic Ocean-based, and the spring are Pacific. They also used to offer summer voyages that were European-based, but they have decided to stop those trips.

While on the MV Explorer, you live just like Zach and Cody would from Suite Life on Deck. Your cabin quickly becomes your new mini home and your roommate is your family.

Every student is required to take at least four classes, while you are given the opportunity to take five for the same price. They offer a large variety of courses from Marine Biology, to Spanish!

During my time on the MV Explorer, I took four courses: World Religions, Intercultural Communications, Global media, and International Business. As a Communication & Journalism major with a business minor, these luckily all transferred back to count towards my major or minor. I traveled to FILL THIS IN different countries, which were: Iceland, England, Russia, Poland, Germany, Belgium, France, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Holland, Italy, Morocco, Brazil, Barbados, and Cuba. My favorite country was either Holland or Portugal because of the unique cultures they both had to offer. Portugal had the most beautiful beaches I had ever seen, and 10% of the worlds bikes rest in Amsterdam so there were bikers around every corner.

Semester at Sea is an amazing program that allows you to apply what you are learning in your classes, to what you see in everyday life. Who wouldn’t want to live on a cruise ship and get college credit for it?

For more info, visit Semester at Sea

4 Tips for the Adventure of a Lifetime

Study Abroad Group at the Blue Mosque / Photo Rebecca Hitchner. 

 By: Shandi Buck:

Seven countries in 29 days! I spent all of January touring Europe. What an amazing experience it was. I visited France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Latvia. Whew!! That was a lot.

This was so crazy since it was just ONE month. I did a study abroad experience for the first three weeks then a trip on my own for the last two weeks. YES! On. My. Own.

I am sure you guys hear it all the time that going abroad or studying abroad for that matter changes you. It really does! I had all of these amazing experiences that I could not even dream of before.

If you are thinking of traveling abroad, I thought I would give you some tips before you leave.

1) Pack MANY layers

There are so many different occasions you would think to pack for: going out, walking around the town, hiking, cold weather, warm weather, etc. I would advise layers. Layers helped me so much. It was nice being able to bundle up if I need to and take off layers if I go too hot.

2) Pack the RIGHT shoes

You need good walking shoes. I cannot stress that enough. I had to buy new shoes abroad since mine wore out. What I would advise is buying a new pair of shoes maybe a week or two before you leave so you can break them in. I know, being college students telling you to buy something new is sometimes not possible but trust me, your feet will thank you.

3) Be In the Moment

Look UP from your phone or camera. It is super nice to keep in touch with family and friends back home. It is great to take pictures as well. The problem these days is we are constantly on our phones. The problem you face while going abroad is when you are constantly updating your status or taking a pictures everywhere. It ruins the moments. It is really nice to capture all of these fun times but it is good to just enjoy it.

4) Do things you normally would not do

Take risks and chances. Do things you normally would not do at home. Talk to new people. Make memories. This is a chance to just have fun. Chances are you will not see many of the people you meet again so why not live it up.

If I would have known these tips before, it would have made my trip even better. This quote by Mary Ritter Beard sums up the entire experience, “Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” So be adventurous, live life, and have a good time!

For more information visit the  UST Study Abroad Program

Cellying for a Fantastic Season

Photo: Tay Smith 

By Shandi Buck

The University of St. Thomas Men’s Hockey team season ended at the end of February. Their cunning determination and hard work made for a great year. The Tommies finished first in the MIAC Hockey Conference. What an accomplishment! The team, who is coached by Jeff ‘Duke’ Boeser, was a nationally ranked team at the end of the season. The team has always had that work hard mentality. You can just see it in the way they play. The guys had a such a fantastic season!

One of the coolest things was they had an unbeaten streak from December 5, 2014- January 31, 2015. WOW! This is incredible. This was the third longest NCAA men’s hockey streak. Tell that to any college hockey fan and they will be impressed! The University of St. Thomas has yet another team to be proud of. For all of you non hockey fans out there, you can even tell that not getting a loss in that amount of time is incredible.

The Tommies do not have a game left of their 2014-2015 season but you can check them out in action next season!

 For more information visit:

http://www.tommiesports.com/sports/mice/index

Follow the team on twitter:

https://twitter.com/ustmenshockey

Yes, We Can

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By: Emily Yang

“Run The World (Girls).” The famous song—sung by the talented Beyoncé—is not only a global female-empowering anthem, but its lyrics have also impacted young women right here on the St. Thomas campus.

“This is how they made me.”

Women In Business is a student organization dedicated to help expose students to the influences and history of prominent businesswomen by networking, educational events and many other activities.

“This goes out to all my girls.”

This organization is the only student run organization dedicated to women’s success for any specific major.  What does this tell you? Obviously, it means that the women studying business at St. Thomas are power-hungry feminists.  I’m totally kidding, of course! Sure, the club’s primary focus is women.  Is it nice to see them represented? Honestly, yes.  Should we assume they don’t acknowledge hard work of men? No, absolutely not.

“Boy don’t even try to touch this.”

We can all accept that business makes the world go round.  But, did you know that a woman heads 23 out of the 500 S&P companies? It’s true! Who says business has to be a man’s world?

“Endless power, with our love we can devour.”

WIB opens doors for young women who want to be in this immensely diverse field of study by encouraging and educating them.  Sure, not everyone wants to be a Marissa Mayer (the CEO of Yahoo!), but it’s nice to know your potential. And that’s the ultimate objective of the organization.

Ladies, in the wise words of Queen B herself, “Disrespect us? No, they won’t.” Get a head start in running the world now.

Join Women In Business, and myself (!), Wednesday, March 11th at 7pm Woulfe Alumni Hall for the Women In Leadership Panel.  Email for more information on how to get involved!

Note:  Lyrics from the song Run the World Girls performed by Beyonce, © BMI, music publisher and © Beyonce Gisselle Knowles, Terius Youngdell Nash, Adidja Azim Palmer, Thomas Wesley Pentz, Daid James Andrew Taylor, Nick L. Van de Wall, songwriters/composers.  Used for nonprofit educational purposes, under Fair Use doctrine.

Home Is Where The Heart Is

 

“Building Bridges” – SAC Fall 2013/ Source

By Emma Florin

Every year in the fall University of St. Thomas hosts one of the biggest events of the year…Homecoming! This event is a great way for the community to come together to celebrate the school spirit and pride of the University of St. Thomas! So who puts it together Homecoming you might ask? The Student Alumni Council does.

Many people are unaware of what the Student Alumni Council is even though they have been around since 1972!

Formerly known as the President’s Student Development Council, SAC strives to build a bridge between current Tommies and Alumni, in hopes of improving Alumni relations.

The current president of SAC, Ali Weiss, is a senior at the University of St. Thomas. Ali joined student alumni council freshmen year and as been an active member ever since. Along with being involved in many organizations here on campus, Ali has always had a special place in her heart for SAC.

“SAC has always been one of my favorite organizations on campus. It allows current students amazing opportunities to network with new alumni and to really get the idea of what life will be like after college. SAC truly does bridge the gap between current Tommies, and old,” said Weiss.

To be on SAC, you must first apply, then if selected be interviewed by this coming year’s executive board. There are three different committees on SAC; each committee plans two major events per year. These events include: Homecoming, Senior Banquet, Community Clean-Up, Take a Tommie to Lunch, Alumni Reflections and Student-Alumni Mentoring (SAM). If you would like to be a crucial part in deciding all of the fine details of any of these events, then SAC is the thing for you.

If you would like to learn more, visit  SAC Information 

Interviews will be held at the end of the school year, applications will be available online early April.

Tommies Develop National Pizza Hut Campaign

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By Brittney Harvin

What’s the first advertisement you remember seeing?  Mine was a Pizza Hut commercial I saw when I was five.  A group of kids were having their birthday party at Pizza Hut and it was the coolest thing in the world.  I was so jealous – my mom only had my birthday parties at Chuck E Cheese.  I always paid close attention to advertisements and continued to explore my passion at the University of St. Thomas.  I heard about an organization called Ad Fed (National Advertising Federation) at the fall activities fair and got involved right away.

Thin Crust

In the fall we jumped right in and rebranded the marketing strategy of the Summit Singers, the popular male a cappella group at St. Thomas.  We utilized social media and marketing tools better to promote their winter concert, which was my first hands-on experience in the advertising world.

Hand-Tossed

This spring we are working on a national Pizza Hut campaign to increase their sales and encourage more digital orders.  Members of Ad Fed are in charge of it all.  We work closely together to form the marketing strategies, pitch ideas to the Pizza Hut representative we work directly with, and present our campaign on a large scale near the end of the semester.

Deep Dish

There will be a national competition at the University of Minnesota in April where we present our ideas to a panel of judges in hopes to be the best school.  Every school competing is working on the same Pizza Hut campaign.  We are the only private school in the competition and only have 25 students in our Ad Fed, as opposed to the University of Minnesota’s team that has 200 students.

Not Too Cheesy

The coolest part is Pizza Hut will actually use the winning campaign nationally.  At the end of the semester members get a portfolio of our campaign strategy to show future employers no matter if we win or lose, which looks great at any interview.

Come Grab a Slice

If you want the best hands-on adverting experience at St. Thomas or even if you just love pizza, you need to come to our meetings that are held every Tuesday and Thursday over convo hour.  The meetings are held in OEC 311 and run until the competition in early April.  There is usually free pizza!

For more information visit http://www.stthomas.edu/cojo/organizations/adfed/

Tommies: Would You Be a Piper for a Day to Win A Free Concert Ticket?

 Photo: Tyler Mumm, Winter WonderJam 2014

By Racey Rodne and COJO 270

University of St. Thomas students have the opportunity to receive free concert tickets if they cheer on the Hamline Pipers at the Hamline-UST basketball game February 21.

St. Thomas basketball goes up against Hamline University that day to play in a possible playoff-determining game for the Pipers. Later that night at Hamline is the second annual Winter WonderJam, a concert with artists such as Smallpools, Yonas, and Step Rockets.

These two events are happening on the same day, each with big consequences. So Hamline Radio DJs came up with an idea to entice Tommies to attend the concert for free- if they help cheer on the Pipers. (Just this once.) With pressure building for each of these events, a few Tommies being Pipers for a day could help both outcomes

Why?  Because WinterWonderjam is really looking for a bigger crowd this year, to continue its success.  And the Pipers are looking to get into the playoffs and need all the buzz they can get.

The MIAC basketball standings below first place are so close that it looks like it may come down to the St. Thomas-Hamline matchup to determine if Hamline makes the playoffs or not. St. Thomas basketball has the best record in the MIAC at 15-1. Your success is assured. The Hamline basketball team is on a three-game winning streak and picking up steam as the season closes. Why not help a rival out?

Winter WonderJam tickets are $15 for the public but could potentially be free to Tommies who give a bit of a cheer for the Pipers.  Contact Hamline Radio for more info at hamlineradio@gmail.,com, or look for a Hamline Radio staff member at the game.

Or cheer for the Tommies as usual – and buy a ticket for the concert. You can buy them online!

Event Details:

Men’s Basketball, Hamline University vs St Thomas, 3 p.m. Anderson Athletic Complex at UST

Second Annual Winter WonderJam, Anderson Center at Hamline, Doors at 7:30 Tickets $15 and available at   http://winterwonderjam.brownpapertickets.com

About Hamline Radio

Hamline Radio is an online student-run Hamline University radio station  with approximately 40 DJs. Each DJ has a one-hour time slot which consists of their own personal content, ranging from a sports talk show, to edm music, to sex talk. Each student designs and schedules their show’s content to fit their personality. Hamline Radio is also the creator of WinterWonderJam which is in its second year of being Hamline’s largest concert.

How to Add a Professional Email Signature

 

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By Taylor Rowekamp

One of the simplest ways UST students can add a professional touch to your UST  email account as you search for internships and jobs is to add a complete signature line. Here’s some tips about what to add – the single horizontal line format shown in my examples is a good one to follow, it’s simple, clean and professional.

Outlook Webmail signature instructions can be found here

Outlook Web App Signatures 

What Should my E-Signature Contain?

First, think of the context in which you will be using your signature. Is it for school, personal reasons or a career? For this example, we will create a signature for a career. Your signature will have your information divided into parts. Information can be organized any way you want. A popular order is Name, Company, Division/Position, Contact Information, Website.

How to Golf in the Dreaded Minnesota Winters

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By Margaret Jackson

Every Minnesota golfer’s worst nightmare is the second that first snowflake falls from the sky. This is the first sign that their golf season, which in Minnesota happens to be only 4-5 months long, is over. Many of the golfers in Minnesota are die-hards and would play through the snow if it didn’t damage the grass. In fact, Minnesota has the most golfers per capita than any other state.

Despite the long and brutal winters, there are many golf facilities in the Twin Cities that keep the eager golfer entertained. There are over 16 indoor golf domes, golf simulators, or all season ranges in Minnesota. As an avid golfer, the Minnesota Golf Academy is one of my favorite places to practice. Many winter practice facilities do not have short game areas. Minnesota Golf Academy has a large putting green and a large chipping facility with sand traps. This allows golfers to