Academic Success & The Harlem Shake

This week Shelby and Stephanie facilitated class and discussed ways to improve Academic Success. I think they did a great job of selecting activities that made the class interact with each other while still emphasizing the point they were trying to make. During the question of the day I learned that our class has a lot of varying academic goals. Numerous people in the class said that they want to get their Masters or Doctorate. I have never thought of continuing college once I get my degree. Having a variety of goals as peer mentors will be great for next Fall when we'll be dealing with incoming freshman who also have varying academic goals.

During the quiz we took I learned that I am a kinesthetic learner which I predicted. If someone shows me how to do something, I can usually pick it up pretty easily. I think audio learning is probably my weak point. If someone describes to me how to do something it can very easily get jumbled up in my mind and I forget some of the steps. It is important to know your learning style so that you can use techniques that specifically help you learn. There are several different study techniques that you can use for each learning style.

This week we also had a very interesting discussion about the Harlem Shake. People from Harlem are angry that a dance rich in culture has been turned into an internet meme. I understand why they are angry but I believe that the meme and the original Harlem Shake are two completely things. No one could watch the two and confuse them for one another so I don't think the videos were meant to mock the original dance. Political correctness is at an all time high now which is necessary at times but can prevent innovation or growth which I think it does in this case. Also, today's society is all about changing things and adding new meanings to things that had been left alone for centuries. For example, there used to only be one solid definition for the word love, now people throw around the word love to describe their favorite ice cream. Culture in general is changing rapidly with today's technology. Lastly, I think the videos only brought attention to what the Harlem Shake really is. I had never heard of the original dance style before the meme became popular. The example we saw in class of people performing the dance was very interesting and entertaining. I would definitely consider in an art form and I kind of wonder why I had never heard of it before.

Ending Racism In About An Hour

I attended the diversity event called Ending Racism In About An Hour. The presenter was a comedian named W. Kamau Bell. I had heard of him before which was the main reason why I went to this presentation. The event definitely lived up to my expectations. Bell did a terrific job of mixing comedy with the points that he was trying to make. I personally think that comedy is the best medium for discussing issues that can be possibly uncomfortable for some people. Comedy helped Bell tear down some of the crowd's reservations which allowed for a more honest discussion on race and racism.

One of the main points Bell discussed was how racism has changed during this generation. It is no longer people out right discriminating against other races like it was during the civil rights movement. In today's society people think they are just being funny and innocent when in fact they are encouraging stereotypes and engaging in racist behavior. Another thing that has changed with this generation is that with all the technology and social media used by everyone, people are posting pictures of their racist actions.

Another thing Bell discussed is that white people need to own up to their actions. As a white person we should be proud of our heritage as well as own up to those of us that are ignorant of others. Bell said that many white people use excuses to separate themselves from other white people that have committed racist acts. Many use the excuse that they from a different racial group than the person who made the comment but in reality they are both white. We need to acknowledge when someone from our group does something ignorant and let the world know that we do not support or agree with their viewpoints.

Bell's discussion made me think about race in a more contemporary fashion. As technology and culture changes, so does racial discrimination. It is important that we recognize these changes and avoid discrimination

Leadership and Financial Awareness

This week Brady and Josh facilitated class discussion about leadership. The final question they asked us to think about is whether leaders are born or made. I believe that leaders are made. To me, everyone has the tools to be a leader; it is a matter of whether or not they step up. Some people don't become leaders until they find an issue that inspires them enough to become a leader. Also, how someone is raised has a large impact on whether they will become a leader or not. If someone is taught the values of a leader while growing up then they will have a better chance at retaining those values as an adult. I believe there are too many factors that make a leader to say that leaders are born rather than made.

During the retreat on Sunday we had a long discussion about financial awareness. The one thing I learned is that I need to keep a closer eye on my finances, especially now as I prepare for internships and graduation next year. I also learned that I should be paying more attention to changes in tuition and federal aid not only for myself but for my sister who will be going to college in the fall. I found a lot of the articles that the others brought very interesting, especially the ones that talked about alternate ways to pay for college. The more options you have, the easier your path will be. I'm definitely going to look into some of the things Allie mentioned like the webpage where you can see your loans and the government plan where you can pay off your loans based on income for a set number of years. I had never heard of that payment option before and it sounds like something I would be very interested in. Overall, I will be paying a lot more attention to my finances in the future.

ISCORE Sessions!

This Friday we went to various ISCORE sessions and discussed issues involving race and ethnicity. I could only attend the last 2 sessions because of my class schedule but I went to as much as I could. The first one I went to was called "Stop Actin' So Black!" It was about the stereotypes of African Americans. The one part of the presentation that struck me the most was their analysis of the Trayvon Martin case. It was a murder trial where the suspect shot and killed a 17 year old black male because he looked suspicious. The teenager, Trayvon Martin, was wearing a hoody and was going home from the convenience store. The neighborhood watch guard saw Martin and decided that he was suspicious and started to follow him. After Martin saw that someone was following him for an extended period of time, he felt unsafe and tried to get away from the guy who then shot him. The only things found on Trayvon was a bag of skittles and a can of ice tea. The presenters then described how stereotypes can predict our decisions before make them. Because the guy was suspicious of Martin and followed him, Trayvon reacted in a way that reinforced the man's expectations which led to the shooting. It really opened my eyes to the subconscious results of racism.

The second session I attended was a group of graduate students that have talked at ISCORE numerous years in a row. They discussed their experiences at Iowa State as multicultural students. The main thing I learned from this session is that they said it is important to create a support group of people similar to yourself as soon as possible. Creating a group with students that you can relate to will guarantee that you will always have at least one place where you feel like you belong.

Kat and I facilitated a lecture!

So if you didn't get it from the title, Kat and I gave the lecture in class this week. Overall I thought it went pretty well. The class helped immensely by jumping right into our discussions. It is much easier to teach a class that actually has thoughts and opinions on the topic than one that is just waiting for class to be over. Hopefully the freshmen come in next Fall with energy and enthusiasm.

I liked how right from the Hixson introductions, everyone seemed interested and having fun. I enjoyed seeing how each Hixson responded to our clothes question (you can't ever go wrong with cut off jean shorts). The class brought that energy into the baton game where we learned that leaders don't necessarily need terrific hand-eye coordination. We then watched the sardine video. I wasn't sure if the class understood what we intended to show them at first. Once we started to explain what we got from the video, I think it helped a lot. After we explained how much stronger the sardines were as a group, it appeared that they saw the lesson that we intended. The last activity allowed the class to analyze some group situations that they have been in and talk about what worked and what didn't. I think the group did a great job of talking about what they have learned from experiences in group situations. Overall, I think Kat and I did a good job of keeping the class involved throughout the lesson.

Finally, the discussion we had about the Kansas tweets was brand new to me. The fact that just a few people can tarnish the entire reputation of a university bothers me. It makes me take my future leadership role even more serious now.