Students’ Views

My room is a mess, notes from the semester are scattered across the floor, and the last week of classes is approaching, followed by the stress of finals. Everyone on campus is in a zombie-like state of wearing the same clothes for multiple days, staying up in the computer lab all night, and trying to reach page limits by their due dates. Personally, I do the worst at these times, unlike many of my friends, I can’t last all night in the library, I’d rather sleep, and because of this, I’m more worried about my work and getting it all turned in on time. Right now, I have a paper for Theories of Class, which I’m still debating a topic for, but it’s currently looking to be about class in politics - specifically related to the election. I also have an Art History final paper, a Japanese Politics test, a test/presentation for Exploring the Universe, and I’m working on the Bike Collective for the Grand Opening next weekend.

Even with all the work, I took some time this week to see a student play at the Jones Theatre. SubUrbia, by Eric Bogosian, directed by Jared Stein with set by Jessica Colley-Mitchell, costumes by Emily Everidge, lighting by Daniel Farrar, and sound by Erika Rodriguez, had an impressive cast of SU theatre majors. The play caused some controversy on campus before its opening due to the advertising announcements used to promote the production. The students involved with the play send out offensive ads related to homosexuality, racism, and sexism on the campus-wide e-mail system with the tag-line “Offended. You should be.” Instead of the realization that these advertisements were related to the subject manner of the play, and were actually a commentary on the issues presented rather than an endorsement of such negative viewpoints, many students decided to ‘protest’ these types of advertisements saying that they incited racist, sexist, and homophobic views. Well after having my e-mail clogged with the back-and-forth war of worlds, I decided to see exactly what the big deal was.

SubUrbia, with students Tyler King, Matt Harper, Zac Carr, Kinsey Keck, Becca Plunkett, Eric Feldman, Jennifer Gregory, Garrett Buvinghausen, and Sara Peterman was an intense drama showing the life of middle-America 20-somethings who are dealing with drugs, alcohol, living in a dead-end town after graduating high school, and used graphic language and violence to show unwarranted racial conflicts. The play managed to be entertaining, funny, and reminded me of the movie ‘Clerks’ all the while promoting an awareness of difficult issues. Many students from the theatre department worked to put on this play. It was the only play I managed to make it to this semester, but a reminder of how talented the students in the Fine Arts program are.

Along with performances, the Cake show last week was heavily attended, but I have to admit that it did feel a little bit like a middle-school date (since it was held in the gym). Cake gave away a peach tree to a girl in the crowd, and I think everyone was excited to hear “The Distance” as the encore. No pictures though, they didn’t allow cameras inside the show.

The Bike Collective opens SATURDAY! We’re having a big all-day party at the shop and have invited a lot of local children, church groups, students, and community members. Sustainability class ended with presentations showing what all the different groups did on campus - the garden is going really well, the recycling group is changing the way professors use paper for class and providing more recycling bins on campus, and other groups are changing the light bulbs on campus to be more energy-saving. Earth Day was last week, and there was a an event on the mall (even with a bike-powered blender) where several student groups demonstrated ways to make SU more green.

The Georgetown Poppy Festival was this weekend, which I unfortunately am on the parade route for and woke up to bagpipes at 9 am. Other than all the noise, the downtown square was full of people, music, and crafts all weekend providing for a lot of wholesome Georgetown entertainment.

I’m really looking forward to summer. Kiddie pools on my deck, floating the river, going to concerts, sleeping in, days in Austin, and NO HOMEWORK! I just have to make it two more weeks.