Students@UM-Flint

Our Student Government is working for a strong semester to bring students a voice, build stronger student life, and provide tools for clubs and organizations to thrive. I am Stephen Miller, a Student Government Senator, and I will be blogging for  the Students@UM-Flint student blog. As a Senator, I would like to give updates on activities Student Government is involved in. There are several efforts we are pushing right now.

Publicizing Student Faculty Evaluations and Syllabi

Making Student Faculty Evaluations and Syllabi public has been an ongoing effort for the past few years. This is an opportunity to provide students with more information for which they can use to plan what classes to take and to know which professors are more geared toward their learning style. Student Government has been working with the university faculty to continue this effort but several unresolved concerns have created road blocks. While it may be beneficial to the students, the faculty may have issues with the possibility of extreme comments in evaluations being public. These comments often times don’t accurately attest to the performance of the professor because they are views not held by the majority. Moving forward, I personally am on the hunt to find a suitable compromise that would give students information like a professor’s teaching style, and faculty an easier time teaching to students that learn best how they teach best. Making Syllabi public, however, looks to be a much less controversial issue that could help students when choosing classes. Soon we hope to make a dent in this effort to help make the University of Michigan-Flint a stronger campus. Read more about this topic.

Check out Ratemyprofessors.com for detailed information about professors.

Touch-a-Truck is this Saturday

After such a successful Touch-a-Truck event last year, the Department of Public Safety and Student Government are hosting it again this Saturday, Sept. 28^th from 11:00am to 3:00pm. I will be going to mingle with community members and have some fun. Over 25 specialty vehicles will be on display, including a survival flight helicopter. Anyone is welcome to come and enjoy free food, bounce houses, child ID kits, and face painting. The north parking lot of the UM-Flint campus at Saginaw Street and Fifth Avenue will be the place to be to hangout with students, Flint community members, and families in the Genesee county area. I am excited to watch this annual event continue building our university stronger as well as the entire community around us.
Join the Facebook Event!

How can I help?

Any student with concerns/thoughts about the university, please contact me and make your Student Government aware! My contact information will be presented below. Student Government has public meetings every Wednesday at 6pm in the UCEN 1^st floor on most weeks this semester, and we would love for you to visit. Be on the watch for more going on through Student Government. I challenge you this week to take a step outside your comfort zone. Remember why we are here at the University of Michigan-Flint. Push your boundaries and help make the world a better place.

CHALLENGE: Take a step outside your comfort zone this week. One step could change your life! #ConcernedStudent

Tweet #ConcernedStudent

Contact Information
Stephen Miller  –   (810) 394-9299   –   [email protected]

The semester is underway! Friendships have been rekindled in the UCEN, syllabi are littering the halls of MSB, and the freshmen have discovered the best way to walk from the First Street Residence Hall to the White Building. These are all signs that UM-Flint is alive once again. And with all that comes my bi-annual ritual of taking stock of my commitments. As an active student, time management is incredibly important. If I don’t prioritize now, it will only lead to disaster down the line.

So walk with me for a moment as I wander through my major engagements for this fall. Seeing as I only have so much room here, I’ll spare you all the extraneous details and just focus on my classes for the semester.

Up first, we have the infamous Basic Statistics and Probability. This is the first math-centric course I have taken since my sophomore year. According to the syllabus, it looks as if we have four exams throughout the semester with almost weekly homework assignments that will be turned in for credit. That doesn’t sound too bad. The real issue is, however, that this class is 7-8:40pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Yuck. Beyond that, from the few lectures that I have sat through, the material seems manageable as long as I do the practice problems and pay attention while in class. This is one of those courses I can’t miss because what the professor explains to us will be infinitely easier to understand than reading the book.

Verdict: Thanksgiving dinner with that annoying Aunt whose green bean casserole you always avoid.

Next let’s talk about my online course, Developmental Psychology. Through the grapevine that is college, I have heard Developmental is not hard by any means. It is actually interesting and pertinent to our lives. I mean, we each developed from tiny balls of cells to the misguided and often confused young adults we are today. What better way to spend your time than finding out why and how we came to be? My only issue is that this is an online class. Online classes and I have not had the best track record. And if this is an indicator of my future success in the course, then I guess I should actually start doing the work as I have barely looked at the class since the semester began. Oops!

Verdict: That rash you ignored has spread and you’re now stuck taking an antibiotic twice a day for a month.

Probably my favorite class this semester, Social Psychology is looking to be not only interesting but fun to take. This course has the most people in it that I know already, so that is a plus, and I am familiar with the professor’s style of teaching, another check in the pros column. This all adds up to me being excited to go to class every day. So I’m optimistic. Albeit this is the second full week of school. Talk to me again in eight weeks and I may tell you something different.

Verdict: You will be young and beautiful forever!

Last we have the only class that actually pertains to my major area of study. The Bible as Literature: The Old Testament. All English majors are required to take an ancient literature course. Unfortunately this class was not one that I was even mildly interested in. It simply fit into my schedule. I heard from my fellow English major friends that this class plays more like a History course than an English course. Great, so the only English class I have is actually a History class in disguise. But so far I have only fallen asleep once. Baby steps, right?

Verdict: Your mom has asked you to take out the trash five times now and you finally get to it, only to discover a raccoon has somehow snuck into the garage and had a bountiful feast in your honor.

Joking aside, it is important to understand which classes will be more demanding of your time, energy, and effort. Allow yourself more time to study for classes you are not as strong in. Find study groups for classes that you can’t understand simply from lecture notes and the readings. Visit the Academic Advising and Career Center and get a tutor. Do what you need to do to make it through this semester. The university understands and does its best to offer services and create an environment where we can succeed.

With that said I welcome you all to climb aboard the struggle bus and let’s start off the semester right!

Hello everybody!

Now that the first full week of classes has come to a close I hope you’re all adjusted and ready for the rest of the semester!

Now’s when the classes start to get serious and your time management skills are required to come out in full force to pull off the balancing act of assignments-juggling.

I’ve always found that self-motivation is absolutely key to staying on top of everything you need to do. Professors hand out a syllabus to let you in on what you’ve got to do and know throughout the next few months, but it’s all up to you to actually get it done. In an online-only class where you might never see the professor in person, making sure you are up-to-date on assignments is especially imperative. Read your syllabus regularly!

The real problem with self-motivation is finding what motivates you properly. A huge majority of study-tip articles I’ve read say things like “study for 30 minutes then watch TV/get on the internet/etc. for 30 minutes and repeat” or “reward yourself after studying by going out with friends.” Personally, I’ve never been able to stick to that. Maybe my problem is that I have yet to find a TV show that lasts exactly 30 minutes and wind up getting hooked on it for longer than intended, and if I’ve got plans with friends later, I tend to focus on that instead of the task at hand.

If those methods work for you, great! Stick with it. If they don’t, you have to find different motivation. Maybe your motivation is not wasting the money you’re spending to attend these classes, or maybe after each paragraph you write in an essay you’ll let yourself eat some food you’ve got with you. Knitting, folding origami, running a lap around a track, or baking cookies might be the motivator for you. I’ve personally found that setting small goals with a quantitative reward works as a better motivator than a random allotment of time that is way easier to break.

My point is, find your motivation and focus on it as you work throughout the semester. Make time for fun, but know when you need to be serious about academics as well. Do everything you can and work with what you have and everything will turn out just fine. 🙂

One of the many perks of being a college student is a college student discount (who doesn’t want to save a few dollars here and there?). Last week was the first of University Outreach’s My Flint events, Taste of Downtown. During this event, we were able to break up in to groups and explore seven of downtown Flint’s local eateries. Many of the restaurants passed out coupons and discount flyers, and by the end of the trip, I’d eaten enough food to call it dinner! So that you, too, can begin taking advantage of some of these awesome downtown deals, I’m going to give you some details on some great savings.

Stop 1: MC’s Restaurant
615 Martin Luther King Ave.
(810) 259-8414
Monday – Friday: 10am – 11pm
Saturday: 11am – 9pm
Sunday: 10am – 5pm
Located next to Flint’s Soggy Bottom Bar is MC’s Restaurant. They offer a delicious and inexpensive menu, featuring the city’s only $0.99 burger. There’s free wi-fi, they offer delivery to campus (perks if you live in the residence hall!), and great student discounts.

Stop 2: Churchill’s
340 S. Saginaw St
(810) 238-3800
Monday: 8am – 10pm
Tuesday: 8am – 11pm
Wednesday: 8am – 12am
Thursday & Friday: 8am – 2am
Saturday: 8pm – 2am
Home of Flint’s original college bar, they offer 10% off your meal with your college ID Monday through Friday from 11am to 7pm. Thursday evening is college night, and you definitely don’t want to miss live music on Fridays! Plus, they offer $1 delivery to the residence hall from 11am-2pm on weekdays. You can’t beat that!

Stop 3: Cafe Rhema
432 S Saginaw St.
(810) 342-0511
Monday – Friday: 7:30am – 10pm
Saturday & Sunday: 12pm – 10pm
In what used to be the Brown Sugar Cafe, Cafe Rhema is open 7 days a week until 10pm, serving up some pretty great specialty coffee and sandwiches. “Come for the wi-fi, stay for the coffee!”

Stop 4: The Lunch Studio
444 S Saginaw St.
(810) 424-9868
Monday – Thursday: 8am – 4pm
Friday: 8am – 7pm
Saturday: 11am – 3pm
The Lunch Studio offers a homey atmosphere and a delicious menu. You definitely want to stop in for their chili sometime, and they’re another restaurant offering free wi-fi in downtown Flint!

Stop 5: Rolls R Ready
111 East 3rd St.
(810) 234-0677
Monday – Friday: 8am – 4pm
Saturday: 9am – 11am
If you’re looking for a sweet treat, then look no further than Ms. Evelyn’s Rolls R Ready. They have the best buns in town and many other tasty treats. If you purchase any pastry, you receive a free 12oz coffee. Believe me, even if you don’t go in for the food, you’ll absolutely love Ms. Evelyn and her grandson!

Stop 6: Flint Crepe Company
555 S. Saginaw St.
(810) 336-3308
Monday – Saturday: 7am – 10pm
With a menu that changes seasonally, the Flint Crepe Company offers delicious food made with local ingredients. College students can receive 20% off their order or a free drink refill on Monday or Wednesday night.

Stop 7: Blackstone’s Pub & Grill
531 S. Saginaw St.
(810) 234-9011
Monday – Wednesday: 11am – 11pm
Thursday: 11am – 12am
Friday & Saturday: 11am – 2am
Be sure to check out the area’s only authentic Irish pub. They offer a great College ID menu Monday through Thursday from 11am-7pm. For just $7, you can have a great meal, with your choice of a cheese pizza, spinach and artichoke dip, and more!

There are a lot of other great restaurants all within walking distance of campus, too, so take some time to explore and check out what kind of delicious food the city of Flint is offering all on a college student budget!

If you’re bummed that you missed out on the first My Flint event of the year, worry not, because this Friday is the monthly Art Walk. This month only, we’ll be taking groups of students downtown to explore different art locations, like Buckham Gallery and the Greater Flint Arts Council. If you’d like to join your fellow wolverines as we explore the arts, RSVP here and join us at 6pm on the 1st floor of the University Center.  I hope to see you there!

Great to meet you! Shouldn’t you be on BlackBoard? Just kidding, I’m not on it either, so we’re good. If you’re a professor reading this, my computer broke and it will be fixed in three days. I’m just kidding again. I always get my homework done first before I do anything else. Don’t you?

I’m a “longer than most” student at the University of Michigan-Flint, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. I started out after high school as a General Business major because I was unsure of what I wanted to do in life. Business is everywhere, so why not try that route? I enjoyed the classes and did well, but once I took my first Accounting class I made the change of majors into something I was passionate about. Teaching. I have a year left of classes and student teaching to do before my time here at UM-Flint is done.

In the meantime, I’m the standing President of the Men’s Ice Hockey club here on campus and that takes up a big part of my time. My first two years on the team we won just a measly two games. This past year was my last season as a goaltender on the team and we lost in the National Championship game. Quite the turn of events, eh? The hockey team on campus is a great bunch of guys. I’m sure I’ll be giving you a lot of updates on the team’s progress this year. Come to a game sometime, you’ll enjoy it I promise.

My summer was the busiest I’ve had yet! I started an internship with Reebok-CCM Hockey as a Goalie Advisor. Basically, I go to events and represent the company while helping fit kids in gear. I get to travel a lot because of it and I give the company a lot of feedback about market trends and so forth. I should’ve stayed in Business right? Oh well, that’s life. I’m out chasing the things I love everyday, and I love that once I graduate I may have the option to choose between two things I love. How many people can say that? When I wasn’t busy with my internship I was coaching youth hockey. I spent probably 600 hours at the rink coaching this past summer alone. It’s a blessing. I also kick-started my cable television acting career this summer. Ever hear of the new AMC Series called “Low Winter Sun?” I got the chance to be an extra with some of my friends a few weeks ago down in Detroit. If you couldn’t already guess my role, it was as a hockey player. But more on that another time.

Lastly, I spent the last two weeks of the summer studying abroad at Utrecht University in the Netherlands as a part of the Education Program. It was my second time going there, I could talk for hours about it. Keep up with my blog and I’ll tell you all about it!

Thanks for peeking in on my life as a student at UM-Flint for just a minute. I look forward to sharing more with you as the year goes on. Best of luck with your first few weeks of classes and hopefully I’ll bump into you! Go ahead, get back to BlackBoard now.

Hi! My name is Madeline Ciak. I am entering my senior year here at UM-Flint, and I’m really excited to see what this period of time has in store for me.

I am a Communication major with a concentration in Media Studies here at UM-Flint. I’m learning so much about people communicate with one another, and how to communicate effectively.

I was recently hired into the Academic Advising/Career Center. I cannot wait to start putting my sunny disposition to better use by helping others.

I also write for The Michigan Times. Writing is a really important part of my life. I love learning more about people by listening to the stories that they have to tell. I love being able to help them tell their stories as well.

There are so many ways to say things and get one’s point across, but it is also important to remain down to earth.

Being a blogger for Students@UM-Flint is a big deal to me. I have the ability to give others the inside scoop about what’s happening on campus and what the college experience is all about. I cannot wait to get cracking on this project!

Here’s to a great year on campus!

Hey, guys!  My name is Erika Trigg and I was born and raised in Saginaw, MI. I’m a senior in the Honors Program majoring in Communication, and I’m super excited to be graduating in the spring (whoo Class of 2014!). I’ve had some of the most amazing experiences while being here at UM-Flint and I look forward to sharing my final year with you all!

This year will be my fourth year as an Orientation Leader, so if you’ve come in as a new student recently, you’ve probably seen my face, or maybe my hair. (That’s definitely my identifier on campus; you can’t miss the fro!) I absolutely love orientation, and working in Academic Advising is part of what’s driven me to pursue a career in Student Affairs (which basically means being at a college for the rest of my life.  Success!). It’s been great being able to help welcome in new students each year and I’m looking forward to the changes we’re bringing to campus. Heads up for any of you prospective students joining us in Fall 2014: we’re moving to a 2-day, overnight orientation next summer and it is going to be awesome!

Beyond the jobs that keep me busy on campus, I’ve also been involved in several clubs and committees. I’m excited to be back on the Campus Activities Board for my fourth and final year, this year as the Marketing Coordinator. I’m all about sharing events with you guys, whether they’re ours or any of the stupendous ones coming from the Department of Student Involvement & Leadership. If you’re not afraid to look, there is always something happening on campus, which has truly made my experience here at UM-Flint. Whether you want to volunteer, play a sport, perform, or just hang out with people who like the same things you do, I guarantee you’ll never be bored on campus.

As the year gets started, it also means that it’s time for me to start applying to graduate schools. I truly feel like I was just applying for undergrad yesterday (where did the time go?!). If anyone is out there getting ready to graduate and wondering what’s next, I’m with you! The thought of leaving UM-Flint seems absolutely crazy, yet exciting at the same time. I’m going to dread leaving this place that I call home, but I do look forward to what’s in store after graduation. I know that no matter where I go, I’ll always bleed maize and blue!

I’m looking forward to another great year sharing with you all, and as we kick off this first week of classes, I wish everyone good luck and the loudest GO BLUE!

Hello University of Michigan-Flint! My name is Floyd and I’m going to tell you a little about how I ended up at UM-Flint. I’m a native of Flint, so I have always known about the university. It is literally ten minutes from my childhood home. When I was a wee lad, I remember seeing the aqua green roof of the University Pavilion and thinking it was the strangest building I had ever seen. I also remember swimming at the Recreation Center with my Dad after we visited the Flint Public Library. The university has been a staple in this community and, in turn, a staple in my life.

So with that being said, perhaps UM-Flint should have been one of my first options when it came to choosing a college to attend. But it wasn’t. During my senior year, I had my eye on art schools. Specifically, art schools outside of Flint. I had been here my whole life, so I was determined to see what else was out there. With all of that in mind, I got accepted to an art school in Grand Rapids. I packed my bags and was off to live on my own for the first time, leaving the comfort of Flint behind.

Obviously I somehow ended up back here at UM-Flint. Grand Rapids was a great city and the school I went to was fun, but after my freshman year I had an inkling something was off. The field I had chosen wasn’t what I wanted. The cost of living was too high. I missed my friends and wanted to be closer to them. Despite my desire to get away and be independent, I decided the summer after my freshman year that I would be returning home and deciding what to do from there.

I had a few options in front of me.  One of those was UM-Flint. There was a world-class university minutes from my home. So I applied and was accepted the summer of 2009. Since then, a lot has changed. I’ve figured out what to do with my life and have become an important part of my campus community. Through the people I’ve met, the classes I’ve taken, and the organizations I’ve joined, I have realized so much about myself and what motivates me. So my journey to the university was not an intentional one, but it has been incredibly influential. Despite having grown up in the area, I didn’t realize how much I could gain from the place that I passed by every day going to summer camp. I’ve learned not to underestimate what your community has to offer and have since realized what it means to be open to the opportunities in front of you.

This year I am going to do my  best to  share my experiences and reflections on the university with anyone who is willing to read. My time here has been amazing and now, instead of saying I live a few minutes from campus, I can say campus is my home. The faculty, staff, and students are all my family and I hope to give a glimpse into what that means to me as a University of Michigan-Flint student.

Go Blue!

School is right around the corner!  Hopefully everyone is ready.  I certainly am!  My name is Janelle Manuel and this will be my fourth year in college and second year at UM-Flint.  I transferred here in Fall 2012 and am thankful of my decision everyday.

When I first got here I was very apprehensive about getting to know my new fellow students, seeing that people in my year of schooling probably already had their specific group of friends, but when I got here I was welcomed with open arms.  It almost felt like I had been a student at UM-Flint from my first day of college!  As a fourth year student,  I am now mentally preparing for graduation.  Though this is not my last year,  I know that the end will be here before I know it.

I am a Communication major, but my focus is in Public Health. At my previous school, I was a Health Science major focusing on pre-physical therapy. Though I loved my courses, I felt myself feeling confined in an area of study that if I was to abandon once I graduated, I would have to start over again in schooling, a fear that many people have when picking a major. When I transferred, I knew I wanted to stay in health courses, but I didn’t necessarily want to be a Health major. I decided to change my major to Communication because I thought it fit with my public health/health education classes (that I’ll be taking as a minor). In almost  any profession, you must know how to present yourself and also the information you are trying to provide to the masses. Not only may public speaking be involved, there will also be multiple small group and one-on-one conversations that you will be apart of. Bottom line: you must know how to communicate with people. Even if you don’t like talking all the time (Which is me; I live for alone time and feel much more comfortable behind a computer screen. Introverts Anonymous baby.),  you will not survive in the work place without the proper communication tools.

Whether I decide to be a health education teacher,  community health director,  worker for a non-profit org, or even an astronaut!…okay, maybe not an astronaut…but my point is, these COM classes can be applied to anything I decide to do.  So though I am a COM major who doesn’t always like to communicate in my social life (some of you reading this have probably never heard my voice…okay, most of you.), through my schooling here at UM-Flint, I am learning how to communicate for my professional life, and that is all that matters.

I’m Ethan Zeigler, a Junior in the Honors Program studying Spanish and Linguistics. I hope that by posting on this blog I am able to impart some of the knowledge I’ve gained about college life and UM-Flint in particular!

I spend a lot of time on campus; when I’m not attending class or meeting with a professor I can often be found in the library reviewing material or writing an essay. During my first year here I lived on campus in the First Street Residence Hall, but have since relocated back home and now commute to campus multiple times per week. Having experienced campus from both a “dorm kid” and commuter perspective, I feel I’ve gained some knowledge on what campus life is like from both angles.

Emulating Where’s Waldo at the 2012 Welcome Back Picnic.

Speaking academically, the Honors Program has easily been the most influential part of my college experience thus far. Through the program I’ve been able to travel to Canada, talk to prospective students about the university, and greatly improve my study habits, note-taking skills, and writing abilities. I’ve even got a study abroad trip to Spain being planned for 2014!

Outside of school I work at the River Rapids District Library in Chesaning, which bumps my total time spent in libraries weekly into obscene numbers. I also love movies, in particular comedies and horror films. Any time there’s a horror movie showing or comedian on campus I’m probably not very far away.

Being a part of the University of Michigan-Flint has been awesome and I hope I can share my excitement with everyone throughout this year!