Turning The Page

            You want a mad rad place that’s not bad to study? Boom. Avila Library. Recently renovated before the fall 2014 semester, the Learning Commons at Avila University has everything a student who needs to study, write a paper, or just wants to hang out with friends. There are a variety of areas that cater to the needs of each individual. There are rooms in which students can meet with one another to study, computers that can be used for research purposes and writing papers, and there are tables for those who just what to meet with their friends and chat in between classes. There are even books for those who are not yet caught up with the technological world. The Avila Library is an excellent place for any student to visit.

            When people hear the word “library,” they generally think of a place full of books where people might go to read or study. However, the Avila Library is so much more than that. The library on Avila’s campus is hardly ever as quiet as a library that is in any other location. Friends meet in the library to hang out and catch up with one another.

            “The library is one of the only places on campus I go to,” said Junior PR major Logan Sterling. “It’s a pretty great place to go catch up on homework or meet with friends.”

            Generally speaking, the Avila University Learning Commons is one of the best places on campus for students to go. It provides them with all the necessities to make their college experience the best it could possibly be. Without the Learning Commons, Avila students would not have the incredible resources they have now.

Saving Lives One Pint at a Time

On Friday, April 10, 2015, Avila University hosted a blood drive in the Whitfield Center from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. The Community Blood Center set up their equipment early in the morning before those who wanted to donate came in to do just that. While donors were able to sign up for times online, walk-in donors were also welcome to donate. After registering, answering questions about health history, and completing a mini physical, donors then continued with the experience of donating blood and saving lives.

People who donate eight times have officially donated a gallon of blood to those who need it. After donating for the eighth time, the donor receives a pin with a blood drop emblazoned with “1 gallon,” symbolizing the fact that they have potentially saved up to sixteen lives. Donating blood is extremely important for those who are able to do so. It allows people who need any sort of blood transplants to have more access to their blood types. Blood donors develop a sense of pride in helping others gain the gift of life.

            Blood drives assist in doing a variety of things to help the community. The first thing is that these drives bring an awareness around the fact that blood donors are needed to help those who need blood for any reason. It helps bring in new donors, leading those donors to talk about it with their friends and family, possibly convincing them to donate themselves. The second thing that these blood drives do is actually bringing new donors to the drives. It broadens the possibility of having more blood types to help those who need blood transplants. Blood drives are very important for many people to help others in their communities.

            The blood drive at Avila University helped raise awareness for the need of blood donations in the Kansas City area. Those who donated should feel a sense of pride in the fact that they helped those who need blood transplants. Because of them, an extensive number of people have been able to survive.

Teresa Lorenz: More Than a Professor

To many people involved with Avila University, Dr. Teresa Lorenz is nothing more than a professor. Some students have seen her teaching in the classroom and her fellow professors know her as the Assistant Professor of Spanish. However, just as with everyone, there is more than one side to Dr. Lorenz. Outside of Avila, she enjoys reading, running, and spending time with her loved ones. Her teaching job at Avila University is just the tip of the iceberg. Hopefully people involved with Avila University will begin to see Dr. Lorenz as more than a professor.

                         

The idea of perfect happiness is something everyone strives to find. Dr. Lorenz, just as everyone else does, has a very specific idea of what would make her perfectly happy. “[I want to be] content with my work and personal life. Having them balance well with each other with sufficient time for relaxation. I feel like that’s an important part of being happy, is that you need to be able to relax and unwind.”

                                    

Something everyone faces in their lives are fears. Whether they control the person who possesses them or not is a completely different matter. Dr. Lorenz has a fear that she does not let manage her life, but this fear has still presented her with many obstacles. “My biggest fear is probably not having complete control. That’s not really achievable because there are always times when we don’t have control. And that’s what leads us as humans to stress. It’s definitely led me to stress about certain things.

“Another fear I have is speaking in front of crowds. [But I also have] ability to make funny corny jokes at the appropriate times in the spur of the moment. I guess it's a hidden talent because I only really do this with people I am extremely comfortable around like family and close friends.”

Dr. Lorenz works extremely hard as a professor at Avila University. She spends time in and out of the classroom helping students. “I definitely feel like she really cares about me as more than a student,” said Junior Logan Sterling. “She’s a really good teacher, but she also shows that she would be there if we ever need anything outside of class.”

Dr. Lorenz teaching a Spanish 2 class

“I think I’m a caring person and fairly understanding,” said Dr. Lorenz. “I think anyone who really knows me well knows I’m a caring, loving person. My friends and family have always told me this.”

While she works hard to form relationships with her students, Dr. Lorenz also works hard in all aspects of her life. However, she sometimes feels as if she works too hard. “I’m too hard on myself. I’m my own worst enemy. I always strive to achieve more. I think that’s definitely what I hate and like about myself. I always work really hard, but I never am fully satisfied with the outcome.”

Outside of teaching, Dr. Lorenz spends time traveling, reading, and spending time with her friends. “Traveling is something I really enjoy doing. Some people would say, ‘Oh, you have everything you need here,’ but I feel like it’s something I need to do. Just because there might be something I haven’t seen before, even if it’s only ten miles down the road.

“My favorite authors are Paulo Coehlo, Sandra Cisneros, and Julio Cortazar. Those are probably my favorite Hispanic authors. Everyone should read [something by them]. Oh, and J.K. Rowling. I love Harry Potter. I feel like [the characters] struggle with a lot, but they get through it. I see certain similarities in parts of the storyline that reflect struggles I’ve endured.

“I really enjoy getting to see my close friends. Even when we’ve been far apart or haven’t talked for a while, it feels like there hasn’t been a distance. I think the best quality for friendship in general is that no matter if there’s a distance, you’re all still the same. Distance and time can’t destroy a true friendship.”

Dr. Lorenz is very content with where she is in her life and where it is heading. “I never think of my life in terms of regrets. I think everything happens for a reason, and if something would have happened differently, I may not be where I am. I guess my motto would be ‘No regrets’.”

Dr. Lorenz is very passionate about her work. She spends as much time as possible helping her students with classwork. However, she is not only a dedicated professor. She enjoys spending time with loved ones, exercising, and watching her favorite TV shows. Outside of Avila University, Teresa Lorenz is more than a professor. 

Does Race Matter?

Race is something that always seems to be talked about within the society of the United States. There are conflicts with profiling, immigration, and various other things having to do with race. However, the broad question of whether or not race matters can be answered in a variety of ways.

The race of an individual should not matter. The person is what matters, as they are going to be the same person no matter what the color of their skin is. They will have the same knowledge and the same personality. The only difference would be on the surface: the color of their skin. Race should not matter, but it does. There are people who profile others who have a certain color to their skin. All this happens before they get to know the other people. They assume that they will already think and act a certain way. Some steps obviously need to be taken to get rid of attitudes like this.

In February, 2015, Avila University participated in an experiment of sorts on campus. There was an interactive race kiosk in the Marian Center lobby. Anyone could have used it, and those who did gained knowledge about race in a shocking way. A person would sit in the kiosk and take a picture of their face. They would then select a race on the screen (Asian, Middle Eastern, Indian, Hispanic, Black, or White) and their face would change right before their eyes.

This experience provided new insight when it comes to race. It is not about the color of a person's skin, but about who they are. Even though the face changed, the person behind it was still the same. This further proves the point that there is only one race that matters: the human race.

Asian

Black

Hispanic

Indian

Middle Eastern

White

(Google Search) "Define Cheating"

I was having trouble with getting my opinion across for this post. So I did what any college student would do in that situation: I turned to Google. According to Google, "cheat" is defined as 1) act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage, especially in a game or examination; 2) avoid (something undesirable) by luck or skill. Just as there are two definitions of the word, I believe there are separate situations in which cheating could be viewed as completely against all ethics ever or as slightly permissible.

In the first situation with the first definition of the word "cheat," I believe it is not okay. If people purposely act in ways to get ahead in their lives (and possibly hurting other people in the process), they need to reevaluate their priorities. Gaining advantages is a great goal to have in many areas, be it in a career aspect or in some other way. But there is a certain way to get these advantages, and acting "dishonestly or unfairly" is not the way to do so. It is only through hard work that a person truly becomes successful.

However, the second definition threw me for a loop. Is avoiding something truly a bad thing? For example, if I did something that could somehow get me into trouble, I'm not going to blab about it to anyone unless they plainly ask me about it. I'm avoiding getting into a bad situation by not telling the whole truth. While I'm not trying to currently defend myself, I don't believe this to be a bad thing. If people feel the need to leave out parts of their history in order to stay on the right path, they shouldn't feel as if they are doing anything wrong.

Cheating is not something I recommend to the faint of heart. It takes a lot of planning to be able to successfully carry out cheating on any significant level. And avoiding certain circumstances may make some people feel guilty. While it may not be ethical to cheat in everyday situations, everyone has different morals. In the end, it's the decision of the individual, and whatever I say won't make a difference.

And The Best Award Show Goes To...

The 87^th annual Academy Awards ceremony took place on Sunday, February 22, in the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. It was sure to be a lighthearted evening with host Neil Patrick Harris starting the evening with a stab at the lack of non-white nominees, saying, “Tonight, we honor Hollywood’s best and whitest.” This was the first of many jokes (both verbal and physical) Harris had planned for the night’s festivities.

Throughout the evening, just as with any Oscar ceremony, there were many musical performances between presentations of nominees. Starting with Maroon 5 performing “Lost Stars” from the film Begin Again (in which Adam Levine, the lead singer of Maroon 5, stars) and ending with Lady Gaga performing a medley tribute to The Sound of Music, a night that was filled with honoring films left just enough room to shine a light on the musical side of Hollywood. Gaga’s performance shocked the audience and left Julie Andrews nearly speechless. A new song “Glory” from the film Selma was performed by John Legend and Common. It received a standing ovation and brought many people to tears, including David Olelowo, who played Martin Luther King in the film.

Lady Gaga after her musical performance

As those who were honored with awards gave their acceptance speeches, they thanked everyone who helped with their achievements. Besides thanking people, some winners spoke about deeper subjects, such as suicide and the importance of realizing an individual’s importance. Statements of this nature reach out to young people and make viewers realize how circumstances in the lives of the nominees affected how they chose to live the rest of their lives. It shows how everyone struggles, but you can still go on to be successful.

As the Oscars went on, Neil Patrick Harris announced that he had made predictions about what would happen during the ceremony. He had the envelope displayed in a glass case on stage that was in view of the entire theatre and was being livestreamed online. He even gave Octavia Spencer the task of watching the case throughout the evening. When he finally revealed the contents of the envelope, they were not predictions about who would win which award as members of the audience and viewers from home believed. They were predictions about what would be said and what would happen during the introduction of presenters, the presentations of awards, and the acceptance of awards. And they were shockingly spot-on.

The 87^th Academy Awards provided a night of solid entertainment for those who viewed it. Filled with emotional acceptance speeches and Neil Patrick Harris’s wit and humor, the evening was another success for Hollywood. If there was an awards show for awards shows, this year's Oscars ceremony would receive many nominations.

What I Would Buy with a $50 iTunes Card

Believe it or not, this list was harder to come up with than the list of my five favorite presidents.  As an Android user, I'm not quite used to all the options in the iTunes store.  But I hunkered down and came up with a list of what I would buy.

Birdman film...$14.99
Boyhood film...$9.99
Everything Will Be Alright In The End album by Weezer...$9.99
Talking is Hard album by Walk the Moon...$7.99
Kauai album by Childish Gambino...$6.99
TOTAL COST: $49.95

While I would only be able to buy five items on iTunes with a $50 gift card, these five things would make me very happy.  With 5 cents left over, I believe this was a successful shopping trip.