tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49875279308488467332023-11-16T08:06:52.348-08:00Jordan's Ripon JourneyHey everybody! My name is Jordan Elizabeth Lander, and I'm a senior pursuing a major in communication and minors in sociology and
English. I love Ripon College because it provides an environment that cultivates the socially and academically mature person I hope to be when I graduate. This blog is an opportunity for me to share my experiences and love for the College with, well, everybody.Jordan Landerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651599637764585896noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987527930848846733.post-30828135639971636792008-11-19T10:59:00.000-08:002008-11-19T11:21:34.936-08:00Is it Friday Yet?Phew, quite a bit has gone on since I last updated my blog...<br />When I left you last, I was running into the cloud of anxiety that surrounded the Man Pageant... not only was this a class project that would help determine our grade, it was actually affecting others' LIVES... no pressure or anything, right? Well, the Man Pageant went AMAZING. We had a packed house, and even community members, President Joyce, Dean Ogle, and many other staff members from the school, were in attendance. With a lofty goal of doubling the Man Pageant profits of last year, (our goal was to hit $3,000), we were freaking out when one week before the pageant, we were just nearing $900. Doubling the amount seemed impossible, but we really kicked it into high gear and ended up raising 3700 DOLLARS!$!$!$! What great evidence of how hard work pays off... and it felt WONDERFUL being able to make an impact and raise all of that money with executives from the Huntington's Disease Society of America right in the front row...<br />This past weekend, we initiated our 3 Alphas on Friday. Then, two of my sorority sisters and I hopped in a car on Saturday and went to stay at a BEAUTIFUL hotel in downtown Chicago. One of my best friends had won a free stay there... she wins EVERYTHING! It was nice to get out of town for a night, and it would be even nicer if my friend would pass a little of that luck my way...<br />As of Sunday, my plate just got a whole lot fuller... and that is because formal recruitment kicked into full swing with our first round party of the recruiting season. We had a lot of girls this round, so many that we had to separate them into 3 groups. It was nice to get to meet a group of girls, and it is SUPER nice to begin seeing ones who could be my future sisters.<br />Well, this weekend should be a fun one, if my rhetorical criticism paper doesn't kill me first. I have a 25 page paper due Friday that is haunting me everywhere I go, so it will be so nice to turn it in and put that bad boy out of my mind... at least until it's time to do our mandatory revisions. Then Saturday, we have our sorority formal in Oshkosh. Formals are always a blast, but this one promises to be extra-enlightening. For one, it will be my first formal as a 21-year-old SENIOR. And two, it will be the first formal to which I bring a new boy ..... we'll see how he keeps up with me and the rest of my sorority sisters... poor boy won't even know what hit him! ;-)Jordan Landerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651599637764585896noreply@blogger.com62tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987527930848846733.post-57748690953525193812008-11-06T14:50:00.000-08:002008-11-06T14:57:30.635-08:00Picking Up Speed!Well, it seems to me like the semester has really gained some momentum this past week... I think a large part of it has to do with the upcoming Mr. Ripon Man Pageant for the Huntington's Disease Society of America that we are putting on for our Applied Communication class. This is one of the main projects for the class, yet I am a little hesitant at labeling it a "class project." This will actually be a real event, and the proceeds will go to real people suffering from HD, which to me, catapults it out of the realm of most class projects... <br /><br />Anyways, it has been one of our primary focuses of the semester, but with it nearing quickly, we are really kicking it into high gear. Yesterday we had the dress rehearsal. Tonight and tomorrow I will be helping sell tickets in the commons. And all weekend I am devoting any spare time to completing several random tasks, including sprucing up press releases and painting banners. <br /><br />There's not a TON going on this weekend... my little sister is coming to visit tomorrow. She's a senior in high school, and much to my delight, is seriously considering Ripon as one of her potential future alma maters. She will be coming and meeting with an admissions counselor, and I'll be giving my two-cents as well. Saturday is the last conference football game of the year (and of my college career... sad day.) It's away at Lawrence, our biggest rival. I am hoping that I will find enough time to break away from my slew of random tasks and be in attendance!Jordan Landerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651599637764585896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987527930848846733.post-49026576396386033502008-11-03T11:13:00.000-08:002008-11-03T11:25:15.212-08:00It's November Already?It's hard to believe, but it's officially NOVEMBER.... that is just a strange concept to wrap my mind around. Where is the semester going? Well, regardless, I had a FANTASTIC weekend. On Thursday, we did the haunted house thing up at Merriman for the smaller children in the community. It wasn't really much of a haunted house, just mainly trick or treating around to each of the rooms, bobbing for apples, decorating pumpkins, etc. It all went so well, and we had a pretty good turnout for a community event aimed at 5 year olds! Then the rest of the weekend was just crazy dress-up fun. One night, my friends and I decided to be the mob, so we spent the night chasing people around with these fake tommy guns that we found that were absolutely AWESOME. And the other night was, to put it simply, AMAZING. It was soooo much work to put together the haunted house at Merriman for the college students. Being our first year and all, we really wanted to make a good impression so that we could get continued support for years to come, so we spent many many hours and days getting costumes, decorating the house, doing test runs, etc. So when the time came to actually put it on, we were all pretty nervous but mostly excited. and it turned out to be a hit! We received soooo many compliments, and we collected a LOT of cans to donate to the local food pantry (that was the cost of entry) It was a long night (3 hours of scaring people after days of decorating... yikes!) but it was SOOOO worth it. It's definitely an event I will consider coming back to help with when I'm an old alumni next year!Jordan Landerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651599637764585896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987527930848846733.post-44124758937695227612008-10-27T10:37:00.000-07:002008-10-27T12:21:20.552-07:00Quarter of the Way Done!After just getting back from our fall break, I came to the realization that YIKES... I am a quarter of the way done with my final year at Ripon College. Therefore, the coming of fall break was bittersweet... bitter in that it signifies the nearing end of my college career, and SWEET in that I didn't have to go to class. One of my sorority sisters and I embarked on a 4-state excursion around the midwest. We made our way around Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, and to both sides of Wisconsin, visiting family and friends. Needless to say, during all that drive time, there wasn't a whole lot of opportunity to do homework, so I had a long night of catch-up last night. However, I still don't regret taking it a bit easy over break... I really needed it after a stressful week before...<br /><br />Well, this week, I am pretty much being ruled by my sorority.... especially Tuesday, I think I will be doing sorority stuff from about 6 PM to 11! At least part of that will be fun time... we do this thing called Serenade where we go over to the dorms where most of the freshmen girls live, and we sing them songs to sort of "re-welcome" them to campus before formal recruitment starts... it's kind of cheesy but cute at the same time. <br /><br />I think I will need just one more late night of catch-up, and I should be good to go, but you never know... things just seem to have a way of popping up, and before you know it, my plate is full again...Jordan Landerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651599637764585896noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987527930848846733.post-29470218956425854512008-10-08T11:19:00.000-07:002008-10-08T11:42:00.023-07:00Wild, Wild RiponNow that Homecoming week is in full swing, it is honestly encompassing a large chunk of my time. The campus is buzzing with PLENTY of activities to keep students busy. The theme this year is "Wild Wild Ripon," as in wild west. We will be having our first ever homecoming parade on Saturday, and our sorority has to come up with a float that fits that theme. We also will be decorating a window in the commons to represent our group. On top of that, each homecoming, our sorority sells carnations to benefit the Ronald McDonald House, so I will be devoting some of my precious time to sitting in the commons selling flowers, and then delivering them to people's doors Saturday morning.<br /><br />There are also plenty of events for students to attend. Tomorrow night there is a comedian coming to campus. Friday night we will be having "Couch Potato Playoffs," a trivia competition revolving around tv and entertainment. We also will be having a fireworks display Friday night. Saturday is the parade and OF COURSE the football game. <br /><br />In my spare time this week, I will be standing in as a campaign manager, as one of my best friends has been nominated for Homecoming Queen. Ok, I guess I won't REALLY be campaigning, as homecoming king and queen are not THAT big of a deal at this school as opposed to other schools, but it sure would be nice to see her win! :-)Jordan Landerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651599637764585896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987527930848846733.post-72253840170152482422008-10-06T10:55:00.000-07:002008-10-06T11:05:20.759-07:00Chaos!Ugh boy am I glad last week is over.... it was so hectic! Mainly, I had our first major paper due in Rhetorical Criticism, so that was occupying a good chunk of my time. The rest of the week was chaos, but GOOD chaos. We had a recruitment activity on Wednesday where we got to meet some more lovely independents, and then on Friday, we picked up three new girls! They are ABSOLUTELY fantastic... I get to be a mentor for one of them, but we spent the weekend getting to know all three. They are so much fun, and I can't express how happy I am that we have them as sisters now! We also had a career panel on Sunday where alums from our sorority came back and told about their experiences in the working world and gave us tips.... I'll tell you, with the economy the way it is, we'll take all the tips we can get!<br /><br />This week is homecoming week, which promises to be equally filled with "good chaos," so I'll keep you updated with the events as the week goes on!Jordan Landerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651599637764585896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987527930848846733.post-81971030609368477122008-09-22T11:09:00.000-07:002008-09-22T11:16:28.286-07:00Mondays make me sickLiterally. I guess having such a looonnnnngggg weekend really took a toll on me, because I don't feel so hot today. I think it's because I'm severely sleep deprived, but I have a cold, sore throat, dizziness, you name it. Hopefully I get over it soon, because I have a big week ahead.<br />The weekend was another amazingly awesome time. We did the pub crawl on Thursday, Friday was Sigma's Derby Days "nerd party," and Saturday was the actual Derby Days. It was the first time that I have participated, and boy was it a blast! There was a balloon launch, egg drop, gladiator duel, bat race.... just a lot of crazy things. Plus it was a beautiful day, and charity is an excellent excuse to spend the entire day outside. I have a ton of homework to do and editorials to write for my other internships so this week should be prettttty busy, but it will all be worth it... if I can get everything done in time, then it will be smooth sailing into the weekend. This Saturday is Merriman's annual toga party, and seeing as it is my last one, a lot of preparation is in order!Jordan Landerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651599637764585896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987527930848846733.post-21810906452482127172008-09-16T14:10:00.000-07:002008-09-16T14:22:17.878-07:00Tuesdays are the new Mondays...I have stumbled across a new phenomenon in my life, and that is that Tuesdays have actually pulled ahead of Mondays as the longest, most stressful day of the week. I run from class to internship, to another class, to another intership, to a meeting.... you get the drift. It's just yuck. <br />The weekend, however, was fabulous. We won the football game against Lake Forrest, so that was awesome. It was rather rainy and humid for Theta's Frisbee Golf tournament on Saturday, but my friends and I, being the troopers that we are, did it anyways.... well, at least for 9 of the 18 holes... at that point we decided we had done our charity work for the day and just went back and hung out with some of the brothers for a couple hours instead.<br />So far this week has been a lot of running around with my head cut off, but part of it is that I'm trying to work ahead so I can get an early start on my weekend.... Thursday night Sigma Chi fraternity is holding a philanthropy bar crawl. I mean, it's for CHARITY and all, so me being the good samaritan that I am, I am making every effort to make an appearance. Just several hours of internships and endless pages of reading to go...Jordan Landerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651599637764585896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987527930848846733.post-45703136313081694092008-09-11T13:45:00.000-07:002008-09-11T13:57:24.884-07:00Almost the Weekend!Phew, a rough night of homework tonight and one class tomorrow and the weekend will be here! I sort of have a lot going on right now, as far as projects for my internships and homework goes, so I plan on pulling a late night tonight so I don't have to even THINK about any of it this weekend. My boyfriend, who now goes to law school at Hamline University in St. Paul, is making the long drive to come back and see me again this weekend. I have a feeling he'll be here a lot in the next few months, as it's football season and I'm sure moving on from his 8 year football career isn't easy on him... <br />At least there will be plenty for us to do! After our football game against Lake Forrest on Saturday, I am signed up for a Frisbee Golf team. Each year, Theta Chi fraternity hosts a frisbee golf tournament to raise money for the fight against leukemia. I've never participated, but since this is my senior year, I figured now is as good of time as any to try it out! Then Saturday night, there is a beach themed party at the Merriman fraternity house, so I've got a full weekend ahead of me! Sunday will be dedicated to a little R & R, unless I don't get my homework finished...<br /><br />On that note, I'm off to bury myself in books and papers! Be jealous...Jordan Landerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651599637764585896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987527930848846733.post-78697116621737931772008-09-09T14:17:00.000-07:002008-10-27T12:26:09.008-07:00Beginning of the End<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj7HtGowdMBRgZXZcyKSH-MYyvFkFxLl8WHi7mgAx2Mk3RgDOZ-4PaTBP27n206qY3-UkEOmJHuulA6Tm2XBpuqxLjA4mIUWwrfxg7yHceni2XgUq9O6Rekd28niE9j33k_4qQTjUCngg/s1600-h/chicago+fountain.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj7HtGowdMBRgZXZcyKSH-MYyvFkFxLl8WHi7mgAx2Mk3RgDOZ-4PaTBP27n206qY3-UkEOmJHuulA6Tm2XBpuqxLjA4mIUWwrfxg7yHceni2XgUq9O6Rekd28niE9j33k_4qQTjUCngg/s320/chicago+fountain.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244143338340064898" /></a> Experiencing Chicago During My Summer Internship<br /><br /><br />Cliche, yes. Corny, I suppose the title is that as well. But I honestly couldn't think of anything more witty at the moment, and it really is fitting. I am a SENIOR! I can hardly believe it. The price of tuition curbs any urges I may feel to throw away my nice GPA and stay another semester, and so alas, I will be graduating in 9 short months. Then it is on to the real world for me, but it's not like I didn't have a taste of that already this summer...<br />Remember that internship I got during the last semester I updated my blog? Since I have three internships just AT THIS MOMENT, it can be hard for ME to even remember sometimes what I'm involved in and what I'm not, so I'll enlighten you with a recap. At the end of the school year in May, I was gearing up to head to Chicago and live on my own, in my very first apartment, and explore the world of marketing through an internship at Medix Staffing Solutions. That was the internship that was offered to me through our WONDERFUL network of alumni at Ripon College; the CEO and President of the company is a Ripon College alum (as well as an alum of the Communication Department). Boy did I get more than I bargained for.... in a good way. I soon came to find that this blossoming company, with already 9 branches nationwide and a TON more expected in the next few years, had no marketing division to speak of. That was essentially my task. I apparently did SOMETHING right, because I am currently still working as their Marketing Coordinator (and basically, their entire marketing department in general) from the comfort of my own dorm room. And the best part is, I have a position available there for after I graduate... talk about a load off of my senior year!<br />Except while simultaneously heading up Medix's marketing department, I still have those other two internships, two positions in my sorority, yadayada on top of being a full-time student.... MORE than enough to keep me busy. But I promise I will try my best to devote ample time to tantalizing the blog readers with all of the wonderful things Ripon College is up to these days! :-)<br />Now that I've caught you up to speed about where I've been these past few months, and what I've got going on this semester, I'll move on to the events going on this week. We have a recruitment event for my sorority on Wednesday; it will be the first of the year, and I have to admit I am pretty excited to meet the wonderful first-year women Ripon has brought to the campus! Greek life in general is definitely on a high right now at Ripon; we just finished our first ever "Greek Week," which involved the participation of all the Greek groups on campus. It was great to see everyone engaging in friendly competition for a good cause (raising money for the Boys and Girls Club of Berlin) while also uniting as a strong force on campus. The week turned out to be a huge success, and I'm sure many people will be looking forward to it again as an annual event! Another exciting development for Greeks is the blossoming of our newest sorority on campus; over the past few years, girls have been working hard to get another Greek group to campus, and they have been more than successful. Seeing the newest sorority's spirit, enthusiasm, and dedication over the Greek Week, and the past few years in general, really shows that they are here in full force.<br />Outside of the Greek world, I am thoroughly looking forward to the impending fall sports season at Ripon. Many of the sports are already strides into the season, but this week is full of conference and home games... I am particularly excited for the first home football game of the year on Saturday against Lake Forrest...<br /><br />Basically, with everyone back on campus, classes in full swing, and PLENTY to do, I will have no shortage of material to talk about... it will just be a matter of finding the time to get it on here!Jordan Landerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651599637764585896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987527930848846733.post-13941018089518771482008-05-02T13:01:00.001-07:002008-11-19T11:37:45.390-08:00Done!Woo hoo! After a ROUGH last couple days, I can finally kick back and relax.... sort of. It just so happened that ALL of my finals/papers/projects for my classes were due on the same day, yesterday. Wednesday was definitely an all-nighter, and yesterday was exhausting, hopping around from finishing one thing to the next. But now that it's all done, I can relax and focus on the more FUN obligations I have going on... like getting everything in line for my new apartment! I will be moving in in 9 days, which is CRAZY! My boyfriend graduates on Sunday, and we will be finishing up with that and going straight to Illinois to get everything settled before we both start our new jobs. It's all very exciting... so much to get figured out in so little time!Jordan Landerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651599637764585896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987527930848846733.post-38920947174677348412008-04-28T13:41:00.000-07:002008-04-28T13:58:06.462-07:00Long Weekend, Long WeekWell, today was the last day of TWO of my classes, which is a real upper compared to the long week I have ahead of me. This weekend was long too, but in a good way. It was Springfest here, where we have a sort of carnival atmosphere all day and then bands at night. My sorority did a fundraiser with Merriman, "Pie a Pi," where people could pay to smush pies in our faces. There was also a cookout, an obstacle course, one of those bunjee races, and a mechanical bull. At night, we had two bands perform... too bad we had absolutely horrible weather. It was freezing out... we had really bad weather Friday night (the tornado drill even went off), and that must have ushered in some cold air. It is sort of ridiculous, but we made do... yet it was sort of snowing/sleeting today, and I don't know how much more I can take!<br />I have quite the week ahead of me as well. Besides wrapping up classes, I have an induction to the Laurel Society on Wednesday, a take-home final for one class due on Thursday, a final paper for another class due on Thursday, and another in-class essay final. On top of all of that, I'm trying to wrap up some projects for all three internships, while still attempting to stay sane! In light of those things, I think it's safe to say I'll update this again on Friday to prove that I survived...Jordan Landerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651599637764585896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987527930848846733.post-35791516959586480872008-04-21T16:32:00.000-07:002008-04-21T16:58:07.670-07:00Meh Monday<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXIWOoct-7mVYyTB3V3jHtJGi-MQfExxupVqKL7k-Gt32DkajSi977H3EhShoHlRyNq6rl4y01mxJdyTa_EUle4J573g-qa-YvxCmEiZXKmXutzBzULtMhd-mu8ZECa_BeKOOR3ELwuoI/s1600-h/tri.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXIWOoct-7mVYyTB3V3jHtJGi-MQfExxupVqKL7k-Gt32DkajSi977H3EhShoHlRyNq6rl4y01mxJdyTa_EUle4J573g-qa-YvxCmEiZXKmXutzBzULtMhd-mu8ZECa_BeKOOR3ELwuoI/s320/tri.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191851828050162002" /></a> <strong>My Besties and I at Formal</strong><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxPtOxBsw1wbX1mfoK8lePukxm8rNI_9C1AfYtO6HPXPntjPzIJsQkG7kd26k0MojdHLDU1hM0S_4jZB4aJWFAsuASy4sJaIte1ZKFRJtM_pFClahDdc1s4Ct_10NVciPBMDFCHkGmBAQ/s1600-h/ultimate+team.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxPtOxBsw1wbX1mfoK8lePukxm8rNI_9C1AfYtO6HPXPntjPzIJsQkG7kd26k0MojdHLDU1hM0S_4jZB4aJWFAsuASy4sJaIte1ZKFRJtM_pFClahDdc1s4Ct_10NVciPBMDFCHkGmBAQ/s320/ultimate+team.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191850324811608370" /></a> <strong>Our Team Together Watching the Tournament</strong> <br />So starts a new week, and YUCK. Yay for the weather, boo for the Monday part. I got out of my internship early today to take a prospective student out to lunch... she's a former student of my mom's from back home, so she wanted to eat with me specifically to ask me questions about what it's like to come from that area and go here. She was super sweet, and I'm pretty sure she's coming here next year (fingers crossed...) so we'll see. That wasn't the bad part. Neither was going to my mailbox and finding out the Crump Phi Beta Kappa award I won at the awards convocation was a $cash$ award. All of the makings for a great day, but then I had a group presentation to give, and I'm not too certain our professor liked it too much. Sucky thing is we went first and thought we were doing what she wanted, but as the first group, it's always kind of a hit or miss... and I'm kind of a freak about grades so that wiped out a lot of the "good" in my day.<br /><br />On a brighter side, the weekend was great. Formal was amazing, we won our frisbee game on Saturday, and the fundraiser made over $5,000, which is the most I think it's ever made... weekends seem to be my forte, so this week can't go fast enough...<strong></strong>Jordan Landerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651599637764585896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987527930848846733.post-44238574735056890152008-04-18T10:43:00.000-07:002008-04-18T10:48:48.560-07:00TGIF!Ah this has been a long long week, but just one more class, and it's finally over! And it should be a fun weekend too... tonight is Phi Kappa Pi (Merriman)'s spring formal, so somehow after class I have to quick get all pretty, and we will be taking buses to the Wedgewood Country Club in Omro. I'm really excited because formals themselves are always an amazing time, but seriously, what beats an excuse to get all dressed up?!<br />Then tomorrow is the long-awaited Merriman Ultimate Frisbee for Leukemia tournament... if you've been keeping up with some of my other blogs, you'll know that this is something we've been fundraising for a LONG time for... selling hot dogs, putting jars around town, sending out letters for donations, etc... and we've also been practicing the game so our team doesn't embarrass ourselves this year. It is forcasted to rain, but at this point, I really don't care. Rain or shine, our team will be out there giving it our all, because these months of preparation are not going to be snuffed out because we "might get wet!"Jordan Landerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651599637764585896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987527930848846733.post-51060710831007798982008-04-16T14:16:00.000-07:002008-04-16T14:22:32.567-07:00What a Blustery DayWell it's not quite 70 out, but it is gorgeous, and rather windy. I had a rather unfortunate incident where I came out of the library and my 15 copies of workshop pieces for my creative writing class blew out of my hand and scattered all up and down Hugh's walk. It may even be too windy to play frisbee this afternoon... the girls and I had planned on getting together for some last minute practicing tonight, but we'll see if it works...<br />AND, it definitely wasn't allergies. I'm sick. I spent all day in bed yesterday and missed my class (luckily, I only have one on Tuesdays). I'm also missing the awards convocation tonight... if we somehow have earned one of the awards that are presented each year, we just get a vague letter inviting us to the convocation. I have no idea what I won, and would have really liked to be there in person, but I guess I'll just have to let the suspense carry over until tomorrow...Jordan Landerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651599637764585896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987527930848846733.post-27744085776154319432008-04-14T14:39:00.000-07:002008-04-21T16:53:30.079-07:00Please just be allergies...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjki1JzPutMUVFQye_fLN_yi7Axk4PcY1b0Nhop0JSoWyu3gyI664jeZ7YhYh7-ARxQib4wsOVs5sKqgGAtUG7UjYLD5Undc6Xf_R841REkDH3RdEBQsv-zNBlFanCmN4-G3gIXpT60GqM/s1600-h/keradate.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjki1JzPutMUVFQye_fLN_yi7Axk4PcY1b0Nhop0JSoWyu3gyI664jeZ7YhYh7-ARxQib4wsOVs5sKqgGAtUG7UjYLD5Undc6Xf_R841REkDH3RdEBQsv-zNBlFanCmN4-G3gIXpT60GqM/s320/keradate.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191850891747291458" /></a> <strong>My Hot Formal Date and Myself</strong><br />Today has simultaneously been pretty decent and kind of rough... first of all, the weather is MARVELOUS. In fact, it just might reach 70 degrees on Wednesday! Of course, it couldn't have been like this LAST week for the baseball game, but oh well, water under the bridge, right? On the flip side, I have been physically miserable all day long... congested, sneezing and coughing, pounding headache... all very fun stuff. My boyfriend has been very sick with the same symptoms for the past couple weeks, so I am praying it's just allergies and chalking it up to be related to this beautiful weather... guess I'll have to take a Claritin when I get back to my dorm and discover the truth...<br />Our formal Saturday was a blast. Yes, it snowed, but it stopped just in time for me to get on the bus, so as to not ruin my pretty pretty hair. One of our sorority sisters has a friend who's a hair dresser, and she came to our floor and professionaly styled our hair for discounted prices.... pretty nifty, I know.<br />As for this week, I'm donating my time to a horendous group project and shopping IKEA online for furniture for the apartment I'll be moving in in less than a month... I really prefer spending time on one more than the other, bet you can't guess which...Jordan Landerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651599637764585896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987527930848846733.post-77463890349729944862008-04-11T09:53:00.000-07:002008-04-11T10:06:14.098-07:00As suspected...Well, I should just have kept my big mouth shut because I probably jinxed everything... sure enough on Tuesday, we drove all the way to Appleton to go to the baseball game for Blind Bash, and of course big snowballs were falling from the sky. Not even snow flakes... no these things were massive. Needless to say, the game was cancelled and we had to ride all of the way back to school with ornry dates, who we tried to appease with free pizza, but I'm not sure how much good it did...<br />At least we get refunded the tickets to go on our own whenever we want!<br />And of course, snow is still forcasted for our spring formal tomorrow... as long as the roads aren't bad, it shouldn't be too big of a deal. It's also supposed to rain for our frisbee tournament to raise money for a leukemia patient next Saturday, but I won't get too worked up until the date nears and that stupid little rain cloud still hovers over the 19th on weather.com.<br />We are having a fundraiser this weekend to raise more money for the Merriman's Ultimate Frisbee for Leukemia fund, as well as monitoring the jars we have placed around in local businesses, so hopefully we can make a lot of money for the little girl! (Her name is Alyse).<br />And with any luck, this weather will clear up next week so the girls and I can get some ultimate frisbee practices going... we aren't exactly the best team every year, so we want to improve our status... if the weather would only cooperate...Jordan Landerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651599637764585896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987527930848846733.post-62862631903271219622008-04-08T11:46:00.000-07:002008-04-08T11:56:05.690-07:00Rain, Rain Go AWAY!Well, I have quite the busy yet fun week ahead of me, but not if the WEATHER has anything to do with it... Tonight is supposed to be my sorority's "Blind Bash." It is where each sister writes down three potential people she would like as a date, and after drawing from a hat, another sister is in charge of calling and inviting the boys to this "date party." The girls don't know which boy said yes, and the boys don't know who they're saying yes to.... sounds kind of silly, but it is actually very fun! Our date for tonight was supposed to be to take a bus to Appleton and watch the Timberrattlers baseball game on $1 hot dog night... unfortunately there's a forecast for rain and thunderstorms tonight! I don't know what we will end up doing if we can't go, but I DO know that I passed off my social chair position just in time... I would hate to have to deal with this!<br />On top of that, we're having our sorority's spring formal on Saturday, and logicially, since it is a SPRING formal, there is a forecast for snow.<br />After a B-E-A-Utiful weekend, with sunny skies, frisbee, and cookouts, I had hoped this week would provide wonderfully spring and warm weather for the nice little romantic get-a-ways planned this week, weather perfect for helping love bloom lol... <br />However, I guess this will just have to do!Jordan Landerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651599637764585896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987527930848846733.post-41035953665840396232008-04-02T15:29:00.000-07:002008-04-02T15:46:29.355-07:00Speeches and More SpeechesWell, this week there is no shortage of presentations on campus to attend. I feel as if my brain is swollen already, but a good swollen, where you've learned a lot and are proud of yourself for getting off your butt to go hear what people have to say... and it's only the middle of the week!<br />Yesterday was the Liberal Arts Symposium, where a panel of speakers prepared presentations from their major's lens on the topic of illness. Students could see how the same issue can mean very different things depending on how you approach it,for example, from a Communication major, Biology major, and Religion major's points of view. <br />Today we hosted a Youth Forum, a program designed by senior Communication majors to engage and inform high school students on a particular piece of discourse in history. This year's piece was Elizabeth Cady Stanton's "Solitude of Self." Not only is it beneficial for high school students to hear how pieces of history are applicable today and what you can do and explore with a liberal arts education, it was also interesting for current students to enlighten their minds and catch up on what our peers have been working on.<br />The rest of the week is sprinkled (perhaps "packed" is a better word) with speakers for the Ethics in Medicine forum. Tomorrow night will be a showing of Michael Moore's film "Sicko" with a panel to facilitate discussion and answer questions afterwards. Friday and Saturday are filled with speeches and panel discussions on such topics as health care costs, health care in diverse communities, and end of life issues. Just a few of the many speakers include Nick Turkal, the President and CEO of Aurora Health Care, Joia Mukherjee, medical director of Partners in Health, and Tommy Thompson, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.<br />Although attending ALL of the speakers available this week might be a little tedious, students always have the OPTION of listening to the insite of renowned experts in a variety of areas. One of the best things about Ripon College is the OPPORTUNITIES it presents; you can take them if you want.Jordan Landerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651599637764585896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987527930848846733.post-12638098456385451682008-04-01T11:31:00.000-07:002008-04-02T16:24:21.168-07:00This Weather is an April Fools, right?!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3gDmKafEo-PGay49VUdSnhY5wOvfFO0TcrD-UifgPu2mq6dbfOXrFni8xO6pOIjDRLQnb2-FJbShaSBqy6siavcSMsAun_RsSFnKdiQPilkZa7mWYfM4FVhIRXAQ-lo9MsB4FDqo5-I/s1600-h/winter.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3gDmKafEo-PGay49VUdSnhY5wOvfFO0TcrD-UifgPu2mq6dbfOXrFni8xO6pOIjDRLQnb2-FJbShaSBqy6siavcSMsAun_RsSFnKdiQPilkZa7mWYfM4FVhIRXAQ-lo9MsB4FDqo5-I/s320/winter.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184792762337602690" /></a><br /><strong>Good Old-Fashioned Wisconsin Spring</strong><br /><br />Ahhhhh springtime in Wisconsin... as the days role on and March turns to April, one would expect the air would warm, the wind would soften, the grass would shine a little greener... but no. On the first day of April, there is a forecast for snow, which I'm praying is a joke, but I'm afraid it is certainly the truth. The great thing about Wisconsinites is we tend to not care; we pretend it's spring anyways! Girls break out their mini-skirts even though it's freezing, boys play frisbee over mounds of snow, people even skip class just because, "Hey, it's springtime!" Perhaps it is this blissful ignorance that makes me love it here so much...<br />As for a "campus update," Ripon College is currently wrapped up in the Ethics in Medicine conference that will grace us this weekend. Each year we have an Ethical Leadership Conference, and this year's topic is medicine. There will be a showing of Michael Moore's "Sicko," and several other speakers throughout Friday and Saturday. As if the concept of being enlightened and informed as to the ethics in our current health care system wasn't enough, several classes are cancelled on Friday so students can attend. :-) No class is awesome, but the speakers are often very insiteful and interesting, so it truely is a double bonus...<br />It is getting closer to Merriman's annual Ultimate Frisbee for Leukemia fundraiser, and many of us are bustling around trying to get last minute donations. Last night, a group of girls and I worked on making jars to place around town to hopefully accumulate more donations for the family Merriman is sponsoring... fingers crossed!<br />Philanthropy seems to be a trend right now, because Saturday is Sigma Chi's annual bean bag tournament to support the Jamaicaan Maymester. I'm not really a "bag-pro" per say, but for the sign-up fee, we also get a nifty t-shirt and all you can eat food - Jamaicaan style. Yes, I certainly enjoyed stuffing myself with jerk chicken, rice and corn last year... hopefully this weather will ease up for the boys by Saturday!Jordan Landerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651599637764585896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987527930848846733.post-52685504090025118282008-03-27T11:21:00.000-07:002008-03-27T11:31:26.427-07:00Alumni, Alumni, AlumniThis weekend, our campus will be buzzing with alumni, as it is our biannual alumni board meeting this weekend. First off, after class today, I am attending an alumni seminar put on by the Communication department. A couple times a month, a Ripon College Communication department alum will come back and deliver a seminar to the department. They will fill us in on what they've been up to, what they've learned in the real world, what they're doing with their communication degree, etc. They are always very helpful tips. And more times than not, they come with opportunities for students for potential jobs and internships. That's how I snagged my amazing summer internship; at one alumni seminar, the CEO of a company offered interviews for a summer internship, and TADA! That is one thing that is unparalleled here at Ripon... our alumni are soooo willing to give back and help current students, it's crazy. I know that one day when I'm successful, I won't forget to come back and do the same thing.<br />Tonight is exceptionally busy for me, because after that, I have another amazing opportunity. The author Justin Cronin is visiting campus, and I was one of a few students invited to eat dinner with him as a reception at a nice restaurant tonight. Tomorrow morning, I also get the opportunity to meet with him and have all of my questions about writing answered; as a person extremely interested and serious about my writing, this is an exceptional opportunity.<br />The rest of the weekend, I will spend with alumni as well. I am one of four students elected to the Alumni Board of Directors. They meet twice a year and brainstorm helpful ways to benefit the college, both alumni and current students alike. The meetings last two days, which may seem boring, but it is so interesting to meet the people who went to school here before me and compare stories. On top of that, being on the alumni board has given me the opportunity to know what's going on around campus; I hear about plans and renovations when they first surface. I also have the chance to speak on behalf of my peers and have my concerns heard by the President of the College, Dean, and many other important figures. <br />The next few days promise to be very hectic and busy, but I will undoubtedly be making amazing connections and receiving valuable input; that makes it more than worth sacrificing a bit of my free time.Jordan Landerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651599637764585896noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987527930848846733.post-56214195570415388702008-03-25T14:44:00.000-07:002008-04-02T16:22:02.581-07:00More Homework, More Weddings<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsQeVNmQMWdgPWOWxcG2NpLlNjkFvA81guGhgZjGz4pUjaMrZwIMB7dIrNIagbPGyc39pKnZPMzqVBZYWo03VSxJPZM_Gv5d27w4s4S-XLs5iOiSppCNOyzvICDlqgQgF99Xp1WEbiAvU/s1600-h/adpi.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsQeVNmQMWdgPWOWxcG2NpLlNjkFvA81guGhgZjGz4pUjaMrZwIMB7dIrNIagbPGyc39pKnZPMzqVBZYWo03VSxJPZM_Gv5d27w4s4S-XLs5iOiSppCNOyzvICDlqgQgF99Xp1WEbiAvU/s320/adpi.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184791731545451634" /></a> <strong>The Wonderful Sorority Sisters with whom I fill up my time</strong><br /><br /><br />Well, I happened to have a fabulous Easter, and I hope you all did too. I traveled to my boyfriend's hometown to see his family, who we haven't seen since winter break. We had an AMAZING Easter meal of twice-baked potatos, prime rib, strawberry shortcake, and my personal favorite, deviled eggs. <br />After family time was over, it was back to school. I hadn't really realized how my homework had piled up over the weekend, but it undoubtedly had, and I am still feeling the wrath of it. We have tons of things to do for my sorority, so I will have my fair share of "sister time" as well. I have a million things to do between now and my crazy weekend ahead of me (it's alumni board meetings this weekend... more on that later!) <br />And on top of that ANOTHER one of my friends is getting married Saturday. It is one of the Merriman alumni, so it promises to be another fabulous college reunion with current peers and my favorite graduates alike.<br />Between all of the things going on DURING the week (the ethics in medicine forum, sorority meetings, mounds of homework) and my crazy weekend, I've got a few too many things to do, so I'll catch up with you later!Jordan Landerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651599637764585896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987527930848846733.post-78568799618019943342008-03-18T14:51:00.000-07:002008-03-18T14:57:25.137-07:00Was that really a "break?"Well, spring break has come and gone, and I cannot say that it left me feeling entirely refreshed. I spent the majority of it apartment hunting. The good news is I found a place! :-) It's in a suburb rather than right downtown, because after weighing the options, saving tons of money for rent and avoiding the dreadful rush hour that would plague me driving in and out of the city every day seemed to be the best bet for me. With the apartment thing wrapped up, I also completed my first assignment for my summer job. My supervisor liked it, so it appears I'm starting off on a good foot!<br /><br />The rest of my break, I committed to getting AHEAD in my schoolwork. Yes ahead, not caught up. For the first time in, I believe EVER, I have my readings done days in advance, and it feels superb. Not exactly the serene and restful spring break I had imagined, but at least I got a lot accomplished.<br /><br />Now I'm back to the daily grind. Not too incredibly much going on this week... just a poetry reading to attend on Wednesday, and a sorority recruitment activity on Thursday. We will be hosting a spa night for any interested independents, which just might give me the rejuvenation absent from my spring break!Jordan Landerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651599637764585896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987527930848846733.post-45858370544538685212008-03-06T15:27:00.001-08:002008-04-02T16:13:06.923-07:00I Must Apologize...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9pQY_YXj1XMC4mDVHEO52pMu6Cc_vp38syWiFme8BpUOJGidBKQCwRIOo8j5PKkFsRnjJxCIhl2SZq9IwYLkzGYRM4rsz8aYqkJOajV_DqS36V-TuUmKFi6gJi2uKCL_o-7hkzbbtvf4/s1600-h/sorority.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9pQY_YXj1XMC4mDVHEO52pMu6Cc_vp38syWiFme8BpUOJGidBKQCwRIOo8j5PKkFsRnjJxCIhl2SZq9IwYLkzGYRM4rsz8aYqkJOajV_DqS36V-TuUmKFi6gJi2uKCL_o-7hkzbbtvf4/s320/sorority.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184788488845143106" /></a> <blockquote>Sorority Family on Bid Day</blockquote>I'm sorry... I am ashamed to admit that I became far too engrossed in the dealings at fascinating Ripon College and have severely neglected my blog. :-( For that, I apologize.... Of course, since my last post, a million and one things have happened, and I cannot begin to recap them all. Some of the most notable are that the recruitment period is over for the Greeks on campus; we recently initiated 11 wonderful girls into our sorority! :-) On top of that, we had elections for new positions in my sorority... I said adios to social chair, and I am now the scholarship chair, making sure that each of our members is living up to her full academic capacity... doesn't sound thrilling, but it's a pretty important job!<br />Outside of the Greek world, we are currently electing a new exec board for our Student Senate. The past month of heavy campaigning has reached its peak... unfortunately, we all must remain on pins and needles because the votes were close and we have run-off elections today and tomorrow...<br />Midterms were this week! Yay, right? Not really, but I only have one more tomorrow, and then it's SPRING BREAK! Unfortunately I don't have any plans to jet off to some exotic paradise like I did last year, but I will be quite busy over break divying up my time between a two-night stay at the Kalahari Indoor Waterpark and Resort with my boyfriend and apartment searching in Chicago for my internship this summer...<br />Oh yeah! Forgot to mention that I sealed the deal on an internship with Medix Staffing Solutions in Chicago for this summer. Because Ripon College alums are absolutely AMAZING, the CEO of the company came back to visit and interviewed some of the students... I was chosen! Oh the opportunities available at such a supportive college... Not only will I get invaluable experience in marketing and public relations while working with amazing people, I will also get the experience of living downtown for a few months! I can't wait!<br /><br /><br />Well, I feel as if that is enough catching up for now. I PROMISE I will not start another hiatus in my blogging... but how can I help it with all of the adventures and excitement Ripon College is throwing at me lol... :-) But seriously, I'll catch up in a week or so with all of my spring break adventures and mishaps... until then, Happy Thursday!<blockquote></blockquote><blockquote></blockquote>Jordan Landerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651599637764585896noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4987527930848846733.post-72767797607577591312007-12-03T13:51:00.000-08:002007-12-03T14:03:13.856-08:00Home StretchWow, after an extremely long hiatus, I am finally putting up another post! Imagine that! After fall break came Halloween, after Halloween came Thanksgiving, and now here we are, just two weeks away from CHRISTMAS break.... yikes! This semester has really flown by, but I have to say that being in the home stretch is quite a relief. I'm getting mildly exhausted of my current courses and am started to get more excited about the ones for next semester... problem is I have to finish these ones first....<br />I have three papers for this week, and four finals next week... that should keep me PRETTY occupied. However, we just had officer transitions for my sorority, where I said adios to being the director of social enrichment, and hellooooo to scholarship chair. This position doesn't require quite the work load as my previous one, which should help in the next couple weeks. I won't OFFICIALLY say goodbye to being social chair until after my two events I have planned for this upcoming weekend: a Christmas in July party with Theta Chi fraternity on Friday, and a secret santa activity within the sisterhood on Saturday. Should be a good time! <br />Well, for now, I ought to get plugging away at one of those lovely papers due this week... I know you're jealous!Jordan Landerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16651599637764585896noreply@blogger.com0