Luke's Blog

Completion

2008-11-23T11:55:00.000-08:00

This past week was the last week of Civitan's rush, and we finally got pinned this Friday. It was a day that I thought never would get here. Seven weeks is a long and tedious wait that at sometimes can almost be unbearable. But it made it all worth it Friday night when we got pinned by our big brothers.

I got called up to the stage awaiting to see who my big brother would be and it seemed like I was standing and waiting there forever. Finally, out of the crowd walked Daniel Henderson. He is a pretty awesome guy and I was pleased to have him as a big brother. I hope that we can grow a closer in the future.

I honestly cannot explain the amount of pressure that has been lifted from my shoulders. I am free and can do whatever I want whenever I want. It is a pretty awesome feeling and I am so proud to be a Civitan Man!!

Anticipation!!

2008-11-15T22:39:00.000-08:00

This whole past week of my life has been filled with anticipation. Anticipating the end of rush and finally getting to go home and see my family. I have been looking forward to the day that I was pinned as a Civitan active since the day that I signed up on October the 3rd. Now the time has come and it is only 6 days away, but it couldn't feel any further away. It is so close yet so far away.When Friday rolls around, if you happen to run into me, I will be all smiles for the entire day. Maybe even the whole rest of the next week to come. Man, I am so ready for it!

I am also very ready to see my family and friends over Thanksgiving. It is going to be a very much needed break and a time where I can catch up on some sleep! I am so ready to see my family again and the friends that I haven't seen in so long. I haven't seen my best friend from back home since I moved in here at MC. As close as we were, that is a very long time, and I am very ready to get to hang out with her and the rest of my friends.

I hope that this next week goes by as quick as possible and Friday is here before I know it, but I know that that probably won't happen. One thing that I do know is when it is all said and done, I will be very proud of my accomplishments thus far.

Swamped

2008-11-09T13:21:00.000-08:00

This was another one of those weeks. It was so busy, and I was swamped with tests and papers. It just seems like the faculty plans it, but I know they don't.

Starting off, I'm five weeks into a seven week rush. I'm rushing Civitan. I love my pledge brothers, but it is so hectic at times. Always doing something, but it does help you to learn how to manage your time better.

Well, Thursday, I had my Music Appreciation mid-term, and I got a feeling that I didn't do well at all on it. For future reference, do NOT take music appreciation. Take art! The test had ten listening questions where we had to listen to a piece of music and tell its name and who composed it. Then the rest of the test was fill in the blank and listing. I truly do not understand why a core class that everyone has to have would be so hard.

Then Friday, I had a paper due for english and two other test. I didn't make it to a class on Friday. I overslept, and I promise that I didn't mean to. I had every intention on making it to class that day. The only thing that I was worried about was my paper. I knew if I could get it turned in that the other two test could be made up or dropped.

I got my paper turned in, and my western civ quiz will just be one of my drops. The Biology: Plants and People test can be made up. I was pretty much relieved. I guess I can expect these sudden waves of big tests and papers to come at the same time during my college career. I don't really like the idea, but I'll live.

Halloween Party

2008-11-02T12:27:00.000-08:00

This past Friday, Civitan had their annual Halloween Party, and it was pretty much amazing. Luckily, they allowed the pledges to also attend.

I was getting pretty nervous come Friday, and my date and I still did not know what we were going to be. We set on Friday around lunch and went to look for one. When we got to the store, we couldn't seem to find any matching costumes, but after a long search, i decided to be Caesar and she was a Greek goddess. We were both nervous of how it we would look, but we both ended up looking rather snazzy.

After we got done with the whole costume ordeal, it was party time. When we first arrived, we just stood around for a while and took some pictures, but then it was time for the pumpkin carving contest. I went to get the pumpkin I had bought just hours earlier, and it wasn't there. Someone had stolen it. It was all good though. I didn't really want to carve one anyways.

It was finally the time to dance. The part that everybody had been waiting for the whole time. We cranked the music up and had a blast.

FOLLIES!!

2008-11-02T12:18:00.000-08:00

I forgot to do a blog entry last week so this will be it. I'm kind of mad because I usually have to sit and think of what to write about, but this topic was evident.

Last weekend was follies and it was amazing. Civitan brought home the gold, but it wasn't without much work. We spent at least two hours a day practicing and some days, we spent up to six. It was so worth it though. Practice got so old and boring doing the same thing over and over again. By the end of it, I knew all of the actors' parts, and I was just one of the guys dressed in all black.

That night was so exciting. We finally got to perform what we had been working so hard on for the past three weeks. I can honestly say that we nailed it. Everybody did what they were supposed to do and said there lines perfectly. It was such an awesome feeling when we heard that we had won. I hope that next year's pledges can carry on the tradition.

If you missed our performance and would like to see it or if you would just like to see it again, you can check it out on youtube. Just search "Civitan Follies 2008".

FOLLIES!!

2008-11-02T12:17:00.001-08:00

A Much Needed Break

2008-10-18T14:22:00.000-07:00

This week, I got to answer some questions about Dr. Pratt and chapel, and it was quite fun. I know that sounds nerdy, but I love doing stuff like that. I love explaining my view and beliefs on things but more importantly, God's view on things.

This lady called me Wednesday afternoon and asked me if I would be willing to answer a few questions that she had about the controversial chapel on October 2. I told her that I would love to. So she sent me an e-mail with the questions. Honestly, with rush going on, I just wanted to go to bed that Wednesday night, but I decided that I needed to stay up and answer these questions.

What I thought would take 15 minutes, turned into an hour and a half. These questions just sparked a fire in me and brought things to my attention that I had not thought about before. I loved every bit of it, and it is funny because when I do things like that or get in a discussion about Jesus, that is when I feel the closest to Him. It lets me know that God wants me in the ministry and reassures my doubtful heart.

I'm not going to even start to explain on here how I felt about that chapel and Dr. Pratt in general, but she said that it might be in the Collegian. So you might get to check it out there.

The Pledge Blast

2008-10-12T19:48:00.000-07:00

This past week was the first official week of rush. It was rather busy at times but it also made time for some fun. The most entertaining night of the week had to have been the Pledge Blast.

I had mixed feelings about it going in because I usually am not the dancing type. Fortunately, I let my guard down and had myself a great time. It's fun to just let your guard down sometimes and be goofy. Even though that is a daily occurrence for me.

It wasn't only a time to act goofy and dance but a time when you could come together with fellow student and have a great time. I met new people and got to know my friends even better. It was just a great atmosphere for a good time, and it did not disappoint. I can't wait to see what else they have in store for us.

Rush Parties and Pref Day!!

2008-10-07T10:50:00.000-07:00

This past week was an ISEC filled week. We had parties Monday through Wednesday and Pref Day on Friday. It was full of excitement... well some of it was exciting. Some of it was just plain out boring.

Monday night we had the Rotaract and Circle K rush parties. We went to Rotaract's first and it was pretty cool. They reserved a big room in the Alumni Sports Bar and had Monday Night football and other games on TV's that were everywhere. They had recliners set up like stadium seats with the game playing on a massive screen in front of them. They could've had a bigger selection of food, but overall, it was alright.

Next, we went to Circle K's party which was behind the baseball field, and they had a bonfire. I don't really know what to say about it other than it was lame.

Tuesday, we had Shawreth and Blue & Gold. Shawreth's was pretty good. Mostly because they had some good food. Blue & Gold's was not much better than Circle K's, and we'll just leave it at that.

Wednesday is the only day that mattered because it was Civitan's rush party and man was it a party. They did it how it is supposed to be done. They had it at the Capitol Club in Downtown, Jackson, and awesome is an understatement. It was the whole 19th floor and the food was amazing. The best thing there though, was the girls. Civitan actives were allowed to invite any girls that they wanted to, and that just made the night even better and made it much less awkward.

The big day finally came Friday. It was time to pref and I figure that you know already who I preffed! I woke up about 30 minutes early so that I can run by there before I went to class. As I stepped into the room, my eyes focused in on the goal and I walked over to the Civitan table and proudly signed my name.

I am really looking forward to the next seven weeks of rush and to making friends that I will have for a lifetime.

2008-09-28T12:38:00.000-07:00

This past week, I have been challenged much more academically. I had a Western Civilization test in Dr. Ford's class, and I am just going to be honest and tell you that I was scared to death. I worried all this past weekend and the two days before about it. I spent all of Tuesday night studying for it and hoping for the best.

I was really nervous as I walked over to take the test Wednesday, but I was quickly reassured as I received the test and realized that I could recall most of the material. I left class that day very confident that I did good. I was kind of disappointed Friday when we got the test back. I made an 85, and I honestly thought that I was going to have an A. Those dang multiple choice got me. I missed 19 on the whole test and 12 of which were multiple choice. Even though I didn't do as well as I was hoping, I was okay with my grade seeing that it was the first big test. Now I know what to expect, and I'm only accepting better from now on.

I also this rough draft due for English this Monday lingering in my mind. Of course, I have procrastinated and still do not have it done. Honestly, I almost forgot all about this blog which was due by 3pm. I realized this at about 2:15 pm today, so I'm just proud to have it done. But back to the paper, the rest of this Sunday afternoon will be sent finishing it, and I am kind of looking forward to it. I think that it will be fun looking back on my past and seeing how it has developed me into the student I am today.

Blog #1

2008-09-14T11:31:00.000-07:00

One of the big concerns that I have for MC is the outlook students have on chapel. I honestly don't think that I've heard anybody with a positive attitude about it. So here for a little bit, I'm going to give my view of it.

First of all, I do think that chapel is a good thing, but with the way it is now, I see it as a burden. I don't like the military-style attendance policy and the way the administrators try to use scare tactics and intimidation to force attendance. I feel that chapel should be something that students look forward to and also the MC staff that is over it. I not only feel that it is an obligation to the students but also for MC. I feel that MC, just because they are a Christian university, thinks that they have to have it, and they don't put much time or heart into engaging the students.

I personally feel that chapel is entirely too boring! It is going to be practically impossible to get the students' attention and interest when your ten minutes of praise music is followed by a thirty to thirty-five minute sermon. By no means am I saying that this kind of service is not useful, but I do not feel that the faculty and students are on the same page. I feel that chapel is too formal and should be geared more for the students and their interests. I don't know whether the administration is just that out of touch with the students or what, but something needs to change.

Chapel could be such a dynamic time and touch students in a way that is indescribable, but the way it is going right now, the students are getting nothing out of it and dread Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:50-11:40.