SE Speaks

Don’t expect to be bored to often in college, there’s always something going on. Lately, a lot of my time has been devoted to community service with Honors and Southeastern. We’ve helped organize clothes at a local resale store, painted buildings around town with the Durant Main Street program, run a food drive for families feeding families, and refurbished some of the flowerbeds here on campus with new flowers and mulch.

But even though I’ve been hard at work, it’s still been a lot of fun. I think Honors students have this innate ability to turn everything we do into a game. For example, painting a wall turned into painting each other. We even have a game we play where if you think about the game, you lose THE GAME (if you’re an honors student and you’re reading this, you have just lost the game).

Ha, but now I’m rambling, I should stop before someone calls shenanigan on me. Till next time

Jerreck Uncategorized

So here’s what’s on my mind:

Today was SE Live. It’s a big event, wherein many prospective students come from several high schools to see our campus, our classrooms, and our residence halls. It’s kind of a big deal. I usually have a role to play on these days, and this year it was to stay in North Hall and tell passing groups about the building and the community. Which has me in heavy retrospect right now.

You see, I’d like to say that I had a nice, well written script to follow. You know, something that had all my thoughts and feelings on the building rolled into a presentable ball, and I got to sound like a well-informed authority. In reality, I winged it. That’s just what I do. And (in all modesty) I’m pretty good at it. But the problem is that each group heard different things. I wasn’t able to say everything I wanted to say at any one time. So I’ll take that time now!

As a Residence Hall, North Hall is easily the best of the four. I feel I can speak with authority on this, as I have lived in all four. I spent my freshman year in Chicasaw, I was a sophomore RA in Choctaw, I spent sophomore and junior summers in Shearer, and I’ve lived in North Hall for two and a half years now. (Don’t sweat the math; I promise it works out) And after those two and a half years, I have reached a conclusion as to why it is the best:

It’s magic.

Follow me on this one: Two years ago, we had a student living there who was recluse. He didn’t want to leave his room, and he didn’t want to talk to anyone. By the end of his first year, everybody knew him, he knew everyone, and he was free to realize his goals. And now, everybody knows SGA Vice President Matt Heggy. Which reminds me: one year ago, we had a community leader. He was fairly involved in his fraternity, and in SGA, but not many people knew his name. Now, everybody knows SGA President Trent Castleberry. Not to mention the fact that there are 8, count ‘em: 8 top ten freshman in the last three years that have come from North Hall.

This year, half the first floor got together and started an official, campus recognized, paintball club. Half of the second floor got together and started an official, campus recognized, book club.

And the atmosphere is out of this world. Think of the Cheers Song: Sometimes you want to go/ where everybody knows your name/ And they’re always glad you came. Which isn’t just a fluke happenstance. It happens every year. And it keeps going. On any given day, I can find you a group of at least four people hanging out who either currently live, or used to live, in North Hall.

Seriously, if you doubt me, come spend one day with us. Pick a floor, any floor: 1, 2, or 3, and at day’s end, you will be incredibly happy for no adequately explainable reason.

–In case you were wondering

jswoboda Uncategorized

Honors Students are not nerds; they are leaders. You might have heard of the stereotype of Honors Students as the bookworms hiding out in the basement of the library, studying day and night with no social life. You might have even received a similar label from your peers in high school. First-hand experience as an active SE Honors Program member has taught me that Honors Students put these stereotypes to shame by being some of the most active, personable and successful student leaders at Southeastern.

When I was applying to Honors my senior year of high school, I was a little hesitant about joining because of these typecasts. But after meeting my future classmates at Honors Day, and receiving my acceptance letter with my scholarship amount, I could not wait to start my freshman year of college.

Once the school year finally came, and I moved into my new residence hall, I was introduced to the exciting and excellent opportunities available to students in the Southeastern Honors Program. The residence halls, although at first a little unfamiliar, quickly became a second home because of their close proximity to my classes and fellow Honors students: many of whom I know consider family here at Southeastern. But one of the sweetest parts about being in Honors is getting to take Honors classes.

Honors classes provide engaging class sessions and coursework that challenge your critical thinking, self-disciplinary, self-expression, and teamwork abilities. This coupled with the fact that you essentially take Honors classes with people who will become your best friends, ensures that studying in the Honors Program will be a very rewarding learning experience.

Apart from friends and classes, the leadership opportunities provided by Honors are unmatched. The Honors Program encourages its students to take an active role in campus leadership by making opportunities to meet upper classmen easy and enjoyable. Many Honors students who are on campus are often active in at least two or three other organizations such as the Residence Hall Association, Student Government Association, and Greek Organizations.

As I have said my testimony is one of first-hand experience, and not just a bunch of whitewash. For example, during the fall semester of my freshman year, I was nominated by Honors to run for Big Man on Campus for Homecoming (a traditional title similar to Homecoming King and Queen), which I later won with the help of my friends and through self-disciplinary skills I learned in my Honors College Success class. I later became a student senator in SGA as a freshman, and played a dynamic role in the Honors Advisory Council along with many of my Honors Program friends.

Now in my second year of college as an Honors student, I am the Financial Director of SGA, the Vice President of HAC, and I am also nominated to be one of last year’s Top Ten Freshmen. I attribute my success to being an active member of the Honors Program, and taking part in the many leadership opportunities while living on campus here at Southeastern. Nothing you could offer me would be as valuable as the time I have spent here at the campus of 1,000 magnolias.

Jerreck Uncategorized

Hi there! I’m John, and I live in North Hall at here at Southeastern. What’s North Hall, you ask? Why, it’s the most magical, wondrous place you’ve ever seen! There are rainbows in the hallways, and unicorns under every bed!

Okay, that’s not true. But it is, in fact, the coolest place to live, especially if you’ve never been away from home for an extended amount of time. There is always stuff happening, and people to see. For instance: last night, I played Rock Band with about twelve people for somewhere near three hours. It wasn’t planned or anything, that’s just what happens—someone starts to play Rock Band, somebody else hears it and joins in, which draws in two more people, and they draw in three more, and so on and so on ad infinitum until everyone’s hanging out. This happens almost every day.

Not to mention the caliber of people that live here. There’s Joe (we call him Hibiki), and Ben (the Brofessor), who can and will talk about video games like they’re a fine art (which I’m not saying they aren’t). There’s The Josh Baker, our resident guru, Brothena and Brostina (they’re roommates), and Wolf and Fortune (those aren’t nicknames, by the way, those are they’re actual names), all of whom can brighten your day and make you feel welcome.

Now I’m babbling. I’ll take a breath, and maybe later I’ll come back and introduce you to everyone else.

jswoboda Uncategorized