Food!

With Thanksgiving fast approaching I thought that today would be a perfect time to talk about food on campus.

I miss home food. That is inevitable though. Every student, no matter what college, will always be a bit dissatisfied with campus dining options, no matter how great. That being said, I honestly think that Transy has great dining services. I have friends at other colleges and some of it sounds pretty bad (one friend complains that fast-food is basically the only option her campus offers. That would have to get old)

We have 4 dining options on campus. I will go through and give a little mini-review of each.

Jazzman's Cafe- This is a little coffee shop and bakery-esque restaurant that is somewhat reminiscent of a Starbucks. It is located on the academic side of campus in the same building as the bookstore. It has all kinds of specialty drinks from lattes to smoothies, and even plain black coffee. On the food menu it has some pretty quick options perfect for breakfast on the go. Muffins, Scones, Cookies, Bagels, and more! During lunch they also set out some premade salads, sandwiches, and wraps. The shining star of Jazzman's is definitely the workers. The staff at Jazzman's are probably the nicest people I know, and are incredibly high energy and friendly. They definitely make my morning brighter.


The Rafskeller ("The Raf")- This is basically a grill-style restaurant located on the academic side in the basement of the fine arts building. It is the place to go if you want "fast-food" style. The menu includes burgers, chicken sandwiches, chicken fingers, and cheesesticks. It also has a sandwich line where you can have the workers make you a self-designed sandwich (Subway-esque). Soup and Grilled cheese are also a great option for cold or rainy days. The cheesticks are my favorite offering, but you have to request them (most students here don't realize they are even on the menu!).

Forrer Dining Center ("The Caf")- This is probably where you will eat the most. It is the campus cafeteria. It is buffet style and has a very wide selection of food. There is always a salad/soup bar, pizza bar, and a burger bar. There is also a place to get self-designed sandwiches and wraps (my favorite). Then there is the international bar which has a new suprise everyday (I love the orange chicken). Then the everchanging general food bar where you will find assorted sides, entrees and stuff like that. The food here is really good, and the staff is receptive to any comments/suggestions you might have (SGA also has a liason specifically to foodservice)

1780 Cafe (The '80)- The late-night hotspot located in the lobby of Thompson Hall. This place has deliscious flatbread pizzas and specialty subs as well as some awesome cheesebread. If any place can be single handedly held responsible for the proverbial "Freshman 15" (which btw I don't think is true. I have lost 10 pounds this semester without trying) it is the '80.

So there you have it. I have to say that I think we have a lot of dining options on campus, especially considering the small size.

Before I go let me remind you of something VERY important. December 1st is the Early Action deadline for applying for admission. Definitely don't forget about it.

Enjoy your week,

Jake

Work Study

Well, I must admit, I was hoping to get a few comments from you guys for suggestions on blog topics. Never fear, however, I am sure I will manage (feel free to suggest anything at anytime though!).

I hope you all had a good week, because I surely did. It was parent weekend on campus, and while it did not produce anything "blog worthy" it did give me a chance to spend some time with my family.

I am coming at you this week from my on campus Work-Study job at the library. The fact that I am blogging while at work should tell you something about the work environment. It is extremely relaxed. After all, it is called "Work-Study" for a reason-- they care just as much about you having study time as work time.

Work Study is offered only through the financial aid office, but can be filled at multiple places on campus (and, if interested, community service hours can even go toward paid work-study hours). Here at the Library I have a great time. I always work at night, so it is a perfectly quite place to study. It isn't all free time, though. I do have to help people find books, check them out, return them, and all the other things associated with the Library.

To be honest, if it weren't for my work-study here I think I would have a much harder time budgeting my time. Work Study helps me have a set time and place to study.

As for the money, you get paid once a month, and for most people the check is somewhere around $200. It is enough money to last me a month, but if you do a lot of extra stuff a supplementary "call home" may be in order.

In another note, I am already in the Christmas spirit. I saw the new "A Christmas Carol"(in 3D) this weekend with my parents. After seeing it I had to go out and buy a mini Christmas tree for my dorm room and I am somewhat embarrassed to admit I have already put it up. I love it though, and have to share the picture (taken with my cameraphone so excuse the poor quality).

Let's Pause and Take a Blog Break...

Hey Guys! I hope some of you all got a chance to come to open house. It was a great turnout and I got to talk to several prospective students and their families. I greatly enjoyed it and I hope you all did too!

It has been pretty hectic on this end lately, in a good way, though. I haven't felt too incredibly overwhelmed, but I have had to budget my time very tightly. That's not to say I haven't had fun though! I am involved with a lot of campus groups and, while they may take up some time, they are very fun and rewarding! So I figured this was a great time to mention a few.

First, there is The Rambler. It is our student newspaper on campus. I am a Staff Writer and have had the opportunity to write some really awesome pieces. For ky first article I got to interview a pretty famous (or infamous depending on your politics) person, Cindy Sheehan. I wont go into too much detail about her, but it was pretty awesome to think that the person I was interviewing had also been interviewed by television journalists like Matt Lauer, Bill O'Reilly, and Chris Matthews (The picture to the right shows NBC's Brian Williams talking about Sheehan). In fact, only two weeks after our interview she was on CNN for a protest she was leading in D.C.! I still ramble (no pun intended) about how my first ever story was such a great oppurtunity.

Another organization I am proud to be a member of is Transy's SGA (Student Government Association). I am a senator, representing the first-year class, and absolutely love it. I am a guy who has political aspirations, so this is a great starting point to learn the basics of representation. I serve on the Student Life committee as well, so I have the honor of making sure that students are as happy as possible with the non-academic aspects of college. A week ago a fellow senator and I took part in Storm the Dorms. Which involves senators going door-to-door and asking feloow classmates about aspects of college life they would like to see changed. It was a great experience not only to talk to my fellow classmates about things on their mind, but I appreciate the part SGA will be playing in improving our campus.

An organization that I recently joined, but have enjoyed immensely is Crimson Crew (and I overslept this morning and missed my scheduled time slot to work! So so sorry guys!). Crimson Crew members work, on a volunteer basis, in the admissions office. For someone who loves Transy as much as I do it is an absolutely rewarding experience to play a part in getting the word out about Transy. In addition, we get to be around all of the admissions counselors who are, without a doubt, some of the funnest and coolest people to be around.

Those are just three of the many many clubs and organizations on campus. If you want to see the complete list just click here. (Yay for figuring out how to hyperlink!)

BUT before you go, I have an assignement for you! I need your help coming up with some things to blog about. I mean, I have a whole list of topics I would like to talk about, but this is about what you want to see, after all. So, if you would be so kind, please just drop me a comment with a question you may have about some aspect of campus life and I am sure I can include it in the next few blogs.

Until then,

Jake Ryan Hawkins