Sports and the Economy

In today’s world most professional athletes are making millions of dollars per season. People across the planet love sports, and cheering on their favorite teams. But are athletes being over paid? In the MLB (major league baseball) there are some players making in the $20,000,000 range per season. Some of these athletes are opting out of these contracts because other teams are going to pay them even more money. Many people don’t even realize that athletes are making this much money just to entertain people and play a sport they love. But what about the doctors, teachers, and scientists, even though these professions make good money, they don’t compare to professional athletes. Professions like these are what really impact the world and make a difference and they do not make near as much money as they should. A third string NFL quarter back can make a million dollars a year for doing absolutely nothing besides practicing, as a teacher only makes $50,000 a year for educating America’s future. Overall the general message is priorities in the American economy can be controversial some times.

-- Hatton

Flipping Turtles

*This is a "sticky" post, meaning it will always show up first. For new posts, keep scrolling down.*

So, I was thinking about the article we read, "Political Paralysis," and the great discussion we had in class on it. I especially liked the part about how she stopped to flip turtles over when she walked near the railroad. She says something like, "It's a small thing to me, but it means the world to the turtle."

In the spirit of that idea, I'm creating this sticky post so we can publish the "small," anonymous things we've done. We can all be "anonymous saints." You can add to this anytime you like in the comments section. Here's what I did recently:

I was going to pick up my son from the Boys & Girls Club, and a college student was sitting on the bench outside. She stopped me and asked me if I would fill out a bunch of paperwork about my son and his habits. She was getting her Master's in Psychology, and she was doing a study on kids with ADHD. My son doesn't have ADHD, but she needed kids without it as well. She said the paperwork would take about 20-30 minutes at home and that I'd have to return it to her. My first instinct was to say "no", because I'm so busy. But I also thought about how much it would mean to her--it's her degree, after all! And it's hard to ask people to help you. So I said yes. And yes, it was a pain in the ass to fill out those papers. But it meant a lot to her. And who knows? Maybe what she's doing will help kids with ADHD and their parents. A little bit of my time could mean a whole lot.

That's the turtle I flipped today. What turtles did you flip?

-- JG

WVU Security Alert!

Emergency Alert System

The new Emergency Alert System the University is offering is a great thing. If nobody has heard of it, they are offering to send a text message to your cell phone in case of an emergency on campus. I think this is a great thing, especially since not everyone has a computer and is able to check MIX on a regular basis. It is also a good thing if you were in a class and something happened on campus, instead of not being aware you can be notified as soon as the alert goes out. The implementation of this is very necessary, especially after the VT massacre in April. I definately signed up for this and think everyone else should too! If you want to sign up, log in to your MIX account and there is an icon you can click on and register for it.... Seriously, everyone needs to do this.

-- Walker

Midterm Madness

I don't think im the only one sighing with relief as midterms finally
come to an end. Many hours of studying, redbulls and sleepless nights
went into my preperation just to get me ready, and i didn't even feel
like i did that well. With all this worry over midterms, finals is
starting to freak me out. how did you all prepare for midterms and
what advice would you give to help me out?

beers

Has Your Assignment Gotten You In a Twist?

I am kind of nervous about this new "service learning" aspect for
English 101. I think going out into the community and helping an
organization will be very beneficial, if done successfully. I'm
nervous about the actual interview though. I've never really conducted
a formal interview before. Sure I've been interviewed in the past, but
its not quite the same as being the interviewer. I'm worried about
what I'm actually going to say in this interview. Also, today in class
we were told how great and helpful all of the past students were with
this unit. I am a little worried about "living up to their standards."
My other concern is I'm not from Morgantown, so I really do not know
much about the organizations. What are your thoughts on this "service
learning" piece?

Laura Scarton

But Brittney Is, Like, Soooo Important!

Do you ever wonder why our generation is so fascinated by those in the
media? Especially people like Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and
Brittany Spears. You can`t flip through the channels and not see
their faces. Serious news people are even talking about them, and
sounding concerned about what's going on in their lives. I think that
it is sad and pathetic how much people focus and put their time into
them. People everyday are drinking, doing drugs, and getting in
trouble with the law. Why is it everyone cares when they do those
things, they are real peopole. Is it just me or do other people think
their are a lot more important things going on in this world?

-- Elphick

Was University of Columbia Wrong?

It is well known now what they have
done this past Monday. For you people who don't know, I will tell you.
The president of the University decided to have a guest speaker. This
guest speaker could have been anybody in the world. It could have been
former Prime Minister Tony Blair, could have been President Bush, or
they could have gotten OJ Simpson to speak. But no, they possibly
brought the most hated person in the US and a person who hates US as
much as Usama Bin Laiden does. If you guessed Irans' President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad you are right. And the protesting towards this Ivy League
University showed yesterday with many people coming out and showing
there views. The president of the University brought in a man who
could possibly start a war with the United States and is making
Nuclear Weapons right now to come and speak. I mean this guy doesn't
know a word of english. I thought what the president of the university
did was terrible. I mean
how stupid can you be. This man is a terrorist towards the United
States and you invite him to your University. I mean I thought what
the University of Columbia President did was a disgrace to America and
should be fired right away. What do you think?

Frownfelter

Maniac Scam?

The Mountaineer Maniacs are probably one of the largest collegiate clubs on campus. For a small fee of 20 dollars, you receive a shitty screen print T-shirt and are supposedly guaranteed football tickets to the games of your choosing. But are these tickets really guaranteed, or are the maniacs just one big sham. Recently several friends of mine, who signed up for the maniacs by the deadline for guaranteed tickets, were extremely disappointed to discover that they had not been awarded tickets to the East Carolina game. How many others have fallen prey to the maniacs scam, god only knows.

-M.H.

Come to Class!!--Or Not?

College Attendance: Should colleges become stricter?

In college today, when speaking of attendance, it is all in the
decision of the student. This is obviously not like high school to
where you must go to class or else you will receive a cut. In college
rather they student must make the decision to attend class and this is
in order to receive an education. But experiencing college thus far, I
have noticed that not all teachers have made attendance mandatory.
Some of my own teachers do not even take attendance therefore given
the opportunity for students to be regularly absent. While most
teachers therefore believe it is the student’s choice to come to
class. So the real question is should all professors make attendance
mandatory rather than students come and go as they please? This may be
going back to the days of high school but this is an educational
institution and their goal is to further our education. College
though is supposed to be about being more independent and making your
own decisions. So how strict or attentive
should college be about students’ attendance or do you like the way it
is?

-- Mach

Sex Problems--Got Your Attention, Didn't It?

Is our sex education system failing us? If anyone attended The J Spot seminar in the Mountainlair, you know a little bit about what I'm talking about. The US has extremely high statistics concerning teen pregnancy, STDs and rape, yet has the most conservative sex education plan of most developed countries. At the seminar, we were shown an educational tape that is used to educate middle school students about sex and STD protection in the European countries, only to learn that the same tape is banned in all high schools in America. Do you think that if our sex education programs were more open and positive about sex, that our unhealthy statistics would decrease? Or do you think that speaking openly and positively about sex would only make matters worse?

-- Scarnato

Which 'Neer Gets It?

Steve Slaton and Pat White are both very eligiable to win the Heisman Trophy this season. Who has a better shot of winning this trophy and why?

- Seigrist

Whoops, He Did It Again--sort of...

What do you think about OJ Simpson's situation? I cannot believe that he is being tried for crimes that could result in a life sentence, after the whole murder trial a few years ago. I dont see how anyone could even consider committing another crime in OJ's situation. Do you think he will be able to get off of this one or receive life?

-- Malcomb

How Far Should Free Speech Go?

I really liked this article [Bowling Alone]. It was alot easier for me to understand than the Freire article. The one thing that bothered me about it though was the part about the KKK. They said they want to be a part of the community. I don't know about anyone else but I don't really want to see the KKK cleaning a highway. These people perform hate crimes against other races, why should they be allowed to do this. I feel very strongly about this and I want to hear everyone elses opinion about it.



--Mathess

Dorms or Home?

I don't think many others have the same experience as me, but I'm hoping everybody will know what I am talking about, and possibly want to add your imput on the dorms... Yesterday, I was talking to somebody about how my college experience has been so far and we got onto the subject of the dorms. I'm from Morgantown, so I live about 5 minutes driving, 20 minutes walking, from downtown campus. So, many people over the last few months have asked why I am living in the dorm. My answer, simply, is that if I lived at home, college would be like high school all over again. I'm a very social person, so my favorite part about Stalnaker is meeting new people. I like to leave my door open and talk to anybody who walks by (if they want to stop and chat). There is no way that I would meet so many people if I was living at home. And of course you've all heard about how most of what we learn in college won't come from classes; I think that living in the dorm is part of that non-class experience that college students should have. Sure we'd rather have home-cooked food, but is it really that bad that you'd rather be at home with your parents? College is about learning to do things on your own and I think that the dorm experience is great for doing just that.

-- Li

If You Were President...

Now that we have all been college students here at West Virginia University for one month you have learned a lot about college life and our college campus itself. Is there anything you would change about our school after spending a month here? For example, your schedule, the campus layout, increasing the student body, or decreasing the student body. Basically, if you were President Garrison and you could do anything to our school, what would you do and why?-

-- Hunter Timko

Did You Catch What Happened On Thursday?

Driving down university Thursday after noon minding my own business, on my way to get some lunch. When I drive up to campus I’m greeted at the mountain lair with huge pictures of dead babies from abortion. I know there is freedom of speech and I know abortion is a horrible thing but do we need to be surrounded by dead fetuses to get the point? Is there not enough you can do vocally to get the message out. I understand that people need to see the results of abortion in order to change their minds, but when is enough too much. Everywhere you looked there were dead babies with the protestors merely holding up the sign. Could the message have been effectively sent with less pictures and more communication. -- Carlson

How Do People Outside of Our School View WVU?

So every student that goes to college usually has mad school spirit
for the school & is never afraid to show it. In my opinion WVU
students have to most school spirit around...clearly. So has it
crossed anyones mind why people make negative remarks when you tell
them you go to WVU and your proud of it. I went home this past
weekend, and people who i knew asked how school was and all those
other lame questions just to be nice, but when someone asked Ohh where
do you go? and i said WVU they would be like Ohh.. and make a face or
say something negative remark about the school and the recent #1 spot
on the Princeton Review of Top Party schools. Which i think is
completely bullshit. I mean just because i go to a school that has a
reputation for being a very big party school and that has a ton of
school spirit does not mean that it is a horrible institution for
learning. I just wish people would not judge the school i go to by
what they hear or read from someone or something else.
It must not be as bad of a school if all these people go here and the
ones who have graduated have made something of themselves.


Caitlin Rubinstein


Why is it that WVU has a bad name? Is it because we were recognized as the biggest party school or because we were voted as a whole as the university that least studies? Even though i am very proud of this award as number 1 party school how can it be true? There is no real measure of what school parties the most because lets face it all universities party. Is it because we have better sports teams, and are others jealous? Coming from another state and coming to West Virginia I now have such pride in this university and state that I didn't before. I don't care if my mom is nervous I go to the number 1 party school because if I can survive and make it through this school without failing out and coming out with a good degree, I must have determination and responisibilty to do my work and learn but at the same time have fun.

bborgony

Your Thoughts on Portfolios

I think that having a portfolio grade at the end of the semester is a
good way to have your assignments graded. I like being able to fix my
papers and hopefully to receive a higher grade. This idea works well
for an English class, however I don't know if it would work well for
other classes.
-- Scott

I like the way the portfolio is done. Personally, I’d rather do a portfolio than take a final exam. I think it is fairer to be able to change your papers for the last time to get the grade that you want. It’s a lot like taking a take home test and being able to get the answers that you want rather than being rushed for the two hours you have to take the test and end up forgetting everything you studied. -- Horsley


I 100% am down with the portfolio. I think it is the best way possible to survive an english class. This is sooo much better for an exam, less crammin' and it cuts you a little slack on one of your exams. In addition, the peer reviews and conferences are always a plus. They help to correct anything and everything in your portfolio to only make it better. I love it, great idea!

-O'Roke

Overall I really liked the portfolio experience. I think that this way of grading is a lot more fair than just tests. The portfolio allows Mrs. Greene to see where we started as a writer and how far we've come over the course.She's able to see what changed and why it changed. If students are just given tests they can know most key concepts for the material, but depending on what questions your teachers asks you may not do well. I really like the portfolios. This is because we didn't get graded on each paper at first. This gives the writer the chance to take risks and not be afraid how they will turn out. We were able to take the chance and write the paper. Then we were able to see what our peers did and get their opinions. Conferences with Mrs. Greene were especially helpful because we got one on one time to see how we can correct our papers. Her feedback is really helpful for our final revisions. With the portfolio system we are given many opinions and many chances to revise. -- Lilley

From one year experience at WVU, and having finals and exams all the time in other classes, I LOVE the idea about portfolios. I much rather write a paper and keep revising it any day!! The papers were not that bad but at the same time challenged me. I learned a lot but still didn't have to stress out like a lot of other classes.
-Stephanie Learn

I really like the idea behind the porfolios. It give a student a chance to impliment all their writting skills and strategies that they have learned into all their fianl papers. The final portfolio gives a student a chance to truly prove themself as a writer. They are given one last chance to show how they have progressed through out the year into a more literate person. -Yearsley

I think the portfolio is the best way to earn a grade for English. I love the idea that our papers are not graded the first time around. By putting a portfolio together you get the chance to go back and revise your work to recieve a better grade. On top of all that you get a lot of time and help putting your papers together with peer review and conferences. What more could you ask for? By getting a second chance to correct your papers, it allows Mrs. Greene to see the progress we have made from the beginning of the semester. -- Gilmore

I like the portfolios. I would rather turn in a portfolio than take a final. I like how we can change our papers and improve them to get a better grade. Too many classes stress just one test. The portfolio allows you to show your work throughout the entire semester. I think the portfolio is a way to receive the grade you really deserve. -- Devan

Advice to the Next Generation of 101ers

Advice for English 101:Get your thoughts down on paper! Don't worry about producing the final copy at the onset of the assignment; just get your ideas down on paper. Then take full advantage of the peer editing and teacher editing sessions. But at the beginning, don't worry about using the best word possible or even about minor grammatical errors. Just get the big ideas down on paper so that you have something to work with. This is the beauty of the portfolio experience; it is a process. Don't expect to produce a finished product the first time you sit down to do your paper. Just put your thoughts down, and then let the writing process take its course. -- McFadden

English 101 is an interesting class that I learned a lot in, but if I had to give any advice I would say don't take it. I don't know about other people, but I can;t write three papers in a week. If you do take it stay ahead and try to finish your short writes and journals early. They take for ever to write so do them early. Have fun with the class and take extra time to find a topic you like for each of your papers. This will help the papers go quicker, smoother, and make the class go faster.P.S. Take it later in the day. So when you remember that forgot something you have time to go get it or do it. -- Michel

My experience in English 101 at West Virginia University was a very postive one and for the next generation I would like to give some advice. It is a lot of work to write a paper in one night, so when the short writes, journals, or peer reviews are due it helps to get started before those due dates. Also the journals and short writes help to understand the big papers, so do them and do them rite. Also take advantage of the peer review and teacher conferences because the teacher is the one grading your papers so get her advice before handing it in. And obviously go to class, I had english at 9:30 in the morning MWF...I think everyone else can handle it too!!
-Stephanie Learn

My advice is to take part in evrything that the class offers. Peer review, conferences, and the final for now phase are all very important. Participating in these things through out the year will help you develop as a wrtier. As a student who revises a paper over and over again is more liekly to suceed in the class. Participation is important as well, you need to let your voice and opinion be heard.-Yearsley

My advice for the people who take English 101 next is to stay on top of things. You have to write a lot of papers so make sure to get them done on time. If you get behind it is not easy to catch up. The class is much easier if you get things done on time. My other advice would be to go to class. You will learn a lot and you need the attendance points. You only get to miss three days. -- Devan

Words From The Wise

So....now that you've actually been on a Spring Break, what words of wisdom do you have to offer to other Spring Breakers coming up behind you?

Even though Spring Break is suppose to be a “break” from school, you still need to stay on task. By saying this I mean you still need to study, read, do homework, ECT… It is important that you stay on top of your academic performance. Going an entire week without studying and so forth will most likely result in one forgetting important information. A professor usually does not take it easy on students to give them time to get back into the swing of things. Most professors start right back into full swing. So you better be prepared and ready to get right back to work. A student does not want to come back from Spring Break lost and behind on work. Especially since there is only a few weeks left in the semester when students return from Spring Break. It would be almost impossible to play “catch up” this late in the semester. Your grade in the class would mostly like suffer the consequences. My advice is while on Spring Break is enjoy yourself and have fun, but take just a little time each day to study and review material for each one of your classes. It truly will be worth the extra time and effort. -Yearsley

Coming out of my first spring break as a college student, I think I had a little differnt experience than most other students. My parents booked my families vacation in accordance to my sisters spring break, not my own. So while i did get a nice break away from school, I also came back to school almost clueless about what had happened in the week i missed. And on top of that I only had 5 days to catch up before WVU went on break. Needless to say, I am still playing catchup and now that its all over im not to sure i want to go through this again. My advice is to stick to your own schools spring break rather than someone elses if at all possible. It saves a world of grief.-Michel

Spring break is the time to just chill. There is so much talk about how when you're in college, you have to go somewhere like Cancun or something. But honestly, most people just go home to see family or go somewhere relaxing with friends. It's the time to catch up on work or even get ahead. You just take time at your own pace. There are stories out there though about the kids who do get wild on Spring Break. Those are the stories that make you think twice about your crazy plans. If you're lucky enough to hear those stories before your first experience then good for you. The most important thing is to stay safe, have fun, and just relax. You're in the home stretch. -- Szykowny

Why Mrs. Greene Should Let Us Have Friday Off...

OK, so here's the deal. We're far enough ahead that we could potentially take off on Friday. But, I've got my doubts. For one thing, people aren't asking many questions about the MGRP. That tells me that I've either done a fantastic job as a teacher of explaining it to you, or you have no idea what you're doing. The latter makes me fear that you need more in-class time to prepare. Also looming large in my mind is the fact that I'm afraid that half or more of you won't even bother to show up on the Monday after Spring Break. Wouldn't it make more sense to cancel that class instead, considering most of you have tests on Friday anyway? Maybe I should make you act like responsible adults and come both Friday and Monday. After all, in "the real world" you'd get in trouble if you left for your vacation early and you came back from it late. Maybe this is a good "life lesson" opportunity. Isn't that what college is supposed to be about as well? I don't know. I might cancel class because I like you. But I don't know if I like you that much...
-- JG

Imagine, a five year old all hopped up on caffeine and sugar, then
trying to get them to sit down in class and actually pay attention. This
is exactly what a college student is like the Friday before spring
break. The student is not listening, usually either zoning out thinking
about their spring break plans, or fidgeting around tapping their pencil
just really anxious to leave. The one thing they are listening for is
the famous “see you all after spring break” line that all teachers seem
to say. This is when they know they are released. During this day no
advances in work were made due to this one extra day because mentally
the students weren’t even there. Not to mention that all information
will be lost one way or another during spring break anyway. So in all
class on Friday, if we have it, will be like we didn’t even have it at
all.

-- Purtell

I feel if we were to have class on Friday that most people would be exhuasted from the rush of work due before break and the amount of tests scheduled, which i have many of myself. Everyone im sure is anxious to be on their way home and is anticipating a week of relaxation. My partner and i have been able to grasp a good idea of how our paper is to be completed, especially from the examples you have given in class. The monday after break would be nice to have off as well because since class is so early and people will be traveling on sunday back to school, im sure most of us will be tired. Instead of getting up early and discussing our paper with our partner in class, we could arrange a time later on in the day to get together and go over our paper before peer review when we are more rested. If we have any questions we could email you as well.
-- Johnson

Why Do You Think The English Dept. Makes Students Write The Multi-Genre Research Paper?

The MGRP is a good way to get students to explore every aspect of a certain scenario. It seems like a great deal of work for one person, but when split between two people is rather reasonable. The MGRP also seems like a good teamwork exercise to prepare a student for the workplace because, as you know, it’s not always a walk in the park. It seems to be able to bring depth to the reader’s, as well as the writer’s, knowledge of the given subject.
-- Loring

I think that English Department makes us write the MGRP because it is so different than all the other papers that we already had to write this year. This paper is not a typical paper because it does not require us to write a persuasive paper. It is an objective paper that allows us to use our creative side.

-- McCullough

The department wants to have students form a broad objective question
and research for more details over several genres. It forces students
to look at multiple perspectives on a single subject. This paper is
designed to let the students research a topic of their choice so that
it is interesting to write, as well as read. I think this is a great
paper because if researched and written well, a lot of interesting
points and observations could be made that wouldn't normally be
noticed.

-- Shupe

The MGRP is a type of paper that not many of us has ever written, let
along even heard of. This unfamiliarity brings up the burning question,
"Why does the English Department make us do the MGRP?" Well for one, it
is probably meant to set us up for English 102 which we will all have to
take at some point in our college career. English 102 is a class based
around the research paper, so I guess the Department thinks that if we
get exposed to it before we actually enter the class then we might have
an easier time. Another reason is to give us a break from writing
boring old papers. The MGRP seems like a paper that is going to let us
be creative and have fun, or have as much fun as we can while writing a
paper.
--Edwards

So...Did Anything Surprising Happen?

I was most surprised with how much information I received
from the interview. I asked about fifteen questions and had plenty to
write about in my paper. I thought the paper was easy to write
because I had all the information I needed in my transcript. I was
also surprised how hard it was to set up a meeting with the person I
was interviewing. I thought I would be able to meet with him any time
I wanted, but it came down to the last minute. The last thing that
surprised me was the responses I got to some of my questions. I
thought the person I was interviewing would give short simple
answers. He gave very detailed answers and was not afraid to open
up. The interview paper was not as bad as I thought it would be.
-- Devan

For my interview, I chose my sociology teacher here at WVU, Daniel
Brewster. I interviewed him on how society can make a country how it
is. I made this point by discussing the genocide occuring in Africa
with him, because he is very knowledgable of the events occuring over
there. What my paper was about was why no other countries were
helping the people of AFrica, and how it relates to sociology. The
interview was very insightful. First, I had to research the events in
Africa, which I found to be greatly disturbing. Second, Brewster
taught me to notice the sociological aspects of why America wasn't
helping Africa. I couldn't beleive some things that he said because
they make sense, but you never want to hear them because it makes
America arrogant and unmoral. Overall, he opened my eyes to how a
society transforms how the country acts.
-Tanya

I was very suprised to find out the reasons why my friend smokes,
and the amount of money that he spent on smoking a week. I was also very
interested to find out his view towards smoking, and how other people
felt about him smoking. And finally i was shocked to learn that smokig
had not really affected him at all. He is still able to do everything
that he had been able to do before he started smoking.
-- Anonymous

Gender -- Nature or Nurture?

Is it nature or nurture that causes a child to develope socially? This blog has to deal with the short write we did in class on whether it is nature or nurture that made that little girl want to play with dolls and baby the fire truck. No one makes a little girl play with dolls. I understand that she may only play with the toys that are presented to her, and her parents have all the say in what type of toys she gets, but saying that gender roles are the only reason girls play with dolls and boys play with trucks is an extremely close minded statement. A not so long time ago people thought it was weird for a girl to play with mud, worms, and little boys, but now a days it seems to just be kids being kids. I believe that nurture has alot to do with how a kid grows up and how they will act, but to insist that this is the only factor in development is rediculus. Nature has to have something to do with how someone grows up. Not only does it determine a persons height, hair color, and all other physical traits, I dont see why it wouldnt have and effect on a persons personality. If someone is depressed, and it is due to a mental illness, that is due to nature. No one socially distorted that person to make their brain release the chemicals that cause depression. Before i piss too many people off, i will stop with my own close minded opinon just to see what type of hate mail i get after this blog entry.
--Comstock

If You Could Interview Anybody In The World, Who Would It Be?

If I could interview anyone in the world it would have to be Edward Norton. He is such an amazing actor and i'm sure has an interesting web to weave. Just to be able to listen to the experiences he has had and the places he has gotten to see due to his career would be phenomenal. Also to listen to how he prepares for certain roles. Who or what did he observe in order to get into character for American History X. That is such an infomrative film about contemporary society, yet it's hard to believe that anyone can be filled with such hate. He managed to pull it off with flying colors. Another question I would have for him would be who is his favorite actor to work with, or who he considered the most intimidating before he began filming. Finally I would want to ask if he feels that his life is fulfilled? Is this what he planned for himself, what changed? If not, what did he want to do with his life? -Irving

There are a lot of people I would like to interview. Some names that come to mind are Larry David, Hitler, and MLK, but none of them would compare to an interview with Jesus. Jesus is arguably one of the most influential people of all time. I would want to interview him because he a different person than you and me. He was a man without sin and was the son of God. Being a Christian, there are many uncertain facts about God, Heaven, and the Bible. In my interview, I would ask Jesus to clarify his message and to clear up all the controversy over him. An example is the Trinity, which is something that was never really explained in the Bible other than that God exists as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The questions to ask Jesus would be endless. -Kang

Evaluation Vs. Letter Grades

I feel the the grading system for the major papers we are to write is a fair system. The check system however i never really liked because it is not specific enough to tell the writer what he did or did not do correct. I feel that the grading system overall in English is perfect because writing is all about progression and if people are bad writers at the beginning, their english background may not have been as good as others. The system that is in place with the english classes is great i feel and i think other subjects should look towards progression throughout the course because that is what education is all about!-O'Neill

The comments on the paper are very helpful. How else are we going to know what a teacher likes and dislikes in a paper if he or she does not tell us? However, I am still partial to the letter grade. It is a clear cut way to let us know how we do on our work. You can judge your own paper based on the comments received, but how do you really know? A teacher may like the paper the first time around, but may find something different the next time. If there are not standards for grading made, how do us as students know whether the teacher takes off the same points for the same mistake on two different papers? The check system is a mix between the two. We at least know for a fact that we are getting a good grade when we receive a check plus. Also, it is pretty self-explanatory if you get a check or a check minus. You either did an ok job or a crappy one. -- Cunningham

A Comment On Culture

I felt a number of different things come out of the Bordo article. Firstly, I think her views on what "the perfect body" should look like, are very profound. Our society is collapsing because a picture is painted for women that if you aren't 5'9", 125 lbs., you're fat. That's not the way it should be. People are developing eating disorders and anxiety issues trying to fit the mold that's, if anything, completely ridiculous. The same thing for men. I personally think that big, huge muscle men are an absolute turn off, but there are ads and constant commercials about how boys need to be fit and look a certain way so that girls will like them. Eventually, I hope that this mold will break. It's stopping people from being happy because they constantly feel inferior to the "Barbie and Ken" dolls that are walking around us today. It's an epidemic and if it doesn't stop, people are going to keep developing major problems.

-- Sizemore

Are You Getting Your Money's Worth?

I think that there is enough "critical thinking" here at WVU. I personally do not really care about them because I will do the same in each one. They do not make me really think to much, however they can be kind of hard. They also give more homework in those classes, so I do learn more, however you can only have so many of those kind of classes because you might overwhelm yourself with homework and all the other stuff that we have to do. Mara Cranfill

I feel that in high school there were not enough critical thinking components in my classes. It seemed like all you had to do was memorize information long enough to spit it out for a test. I was never given an article to analyze and tell someone what it was about. I found this to be very difficult to do when I first came to college.

In my first semester of college here at WVU I had a Nursing class where I used critical thinking. They would give us a scenario and we would have to analyze it and diagnose the patient. Other than that most of my classes just involved memorization of facts. However, inmy second semester, I feel that I must use critical thinking more in all of my classes.

I believe that you do get more out of a class if you are forced to think critically and analyze material. Because in order to think something through critically you must really know the information. This will force you to study because there is no guessing involved. The critical thinking classes are more difficult because you must pay attention and know what you are doing to do good in the class. I feel that they are very boring to sit through. I think it is because you must pay attention to everything being said and if it is a subject you don't like then you are definitely going to be bored in that class.

-- Katie Fidazzo

The Drafting Process

Drafting:
When writing a paper, there are many helpful steps to accomplish. One is selecting a topic; another is putting your thoughts down on paper. Each time you think of something to put in the paper, you are drafting the paper. One of the many definitions of “drafting” is “writing a first version to be filled out and polished later”. That is exactly what you have to do. When you draft a paper, you are expanding on your thoughts, outlining what you want to say with the paper. You are trying to fill all the requirements for the paper, while trying to tell a story. If you are drafting a paper, you are writing several versions of a paper, each draft being better than the first.

You would not, for example, just turn in a major paper with only your first thoughts as the completed paper. You make the paper better by finishing what you began to say, by filling in details. When you write an essay in class, like the response essays, you are writing without having all the details about what you could write. You are writing it without drafting because you have only one chance to write your thoughts. You don’t have the option of coming back to finish what you say. A paper is going to be left hanging or unfinished if it is written without the writer having the chance to complete the drafting process. This is why completed papers have the potential of greatness; the drafting process allows you to say something, and have it be exactly what needs to be said.
--Simmons

Print

Writing should be done as a process. It takes time and working through mistakes really have a "finished product." I really like writing in drafts and being able to revise them. Having input from others helps to make you a better writer and realize what your strengths and weaknesses are. It also helps you to grow as a writer and realize what strategies you should use to approach writing a paper, and which ones you should try to stay away from. I feel that writing in drafts is much more effective than having to write just a "cold" essay. I know that I personally feel pressured and mess up my writing much more when I know there is a time limit or that it is my only shot at writing the essay. I don't feel that writing done in time limits or at one sit down is a good reflection of what that writer really might be capable of. I prefer writing in drafts and getting to critique my own work as well as having others give me their input about my work. This is really benificial in the long run and helps me to grow as a writer much more efficiently than sitting down and writing multiple papers and essays and only having one shot at them. -- Kave

Reading Around The Table: Peer Review

I believe that peer review, whether formal or informal, is an important factor in the process of editing and revising work. Although a peer does not actually grade the work, they have an outside viewpoint that does not have a connection to the work they are reviewing, whether emotional or otherwise. Peers also, on the other hand, have an insight to the work they are reviewing, as they are most likely doing the same work themselves and they are able to accurately tell what in a work is correct or not. Peer review is habitually helpful and should always be used before officially completing a work.
-Boone

We Don't Really Have To Respond To This...Right?

Print

Participation in Class Participation is important for a class of a smaller size. In order for the class to function properly the students must get involved with the discussion. The thing about it is many students don’t like to participate in class. I personally think there are many reasons for this. Many students don’t feel comfortable talking in front of people they don’t know that well. I can say from past classes that normally as the class goes on in the semester people get more comfortable talking in front of fellow classmates. Also many kids are not morning people and are just not functioning at 9:30. This is defiantly a factor when talking about participation because most students are just not in the talking mood at that time. Another thing to look at is the students themselves. Most of the time it always the same students participating either because they are more interested in the topic, or know more about the subject, or are just more comfortable talking in front of others. Normally it doe s get to the point where a good portion of the class is working together and the class is not forced to talk by the teacher. --Cowan

Multiple Literacies? Or Humanities B.S.?

I think that there are multiple definitions of literacy. I do not
think that it applies to just the reading and writing aspect. I think
that it can be applied to other subjects like chemistry and math,
computers and there are an abundance of other things that it can
pertain to. One of my friends who is a journalism major exemplifies
this exactly. My friend is a journalism major because she is an
excellent writer. She also can understand things in literature that
most people do not. If she had to take any sort of chemistry or upper
level math class she would probably die. She has told me several
times before that she would fail miserably if she was any type of
class like that. She does not understand numbers and symbols used in
math or know the difference between reactants and products in
chemistry. Her brain sees figurative language and underlying meanings
in literature. This is why I feel that literacy can pertain to many
different things.
-Cordonier

So What About Those Banking Educators??

My reaction to the Freire article was that it was very truthful.
It brought up alot of topics that have been looked at as unimportant.
Knowledge is a very important tool in which everyone should be able to
use. No one should be held back from learning. Each and every person
has their own voice and should be able to use that voice.
As we talked about in class alot of college professors use the
Banking model of teaching. I have had a few classes that have used this
model. I am a person who learns better with more interactive learning
such as discussions, labs, and activities. I am not saying that I cannot take good notes but if I am not understanding what they are saying then the notes are not going to help me. I do not think that it is all the Professors fault. I think that some of it is because we the students are afraid to use our voice.
Why do we have this fear to use our voice in situations like
these? I think this fear has been slowly put into us by the information
we recieve. Just as we are told to obey laws and rules we are also told
to obey anyone of authority, but what if we know that the person who
has authority is wrong?
It is my philosophy that we are all Americans and we have the
Freedom of Speech. We should always use our voice. It is what sets us
apart from everyone else. It is what make each and everyone of us an
individual.

-- Stoller

I really felt Freire’s article was right in the way many teachers and
students interact. The banking system is obvious to see when you look
for it. I don’t think anyone can really say they have never been
treated like a container. We are all led to retain information for
just long enough to regurgitate it onto a test or quiz at some point
in time. I find these in my classes. Lectures have to be the worst
of this. You are forced to silently listen to what is said, take notes,
with no interaction at all. In many cause I think the professors
wouldn’t even care if you slept as long as they are not interrupted.
The only solution for these problems would be communication. This
would be communication on both ends. A place where ideas and thoughts
are shared would be necessary. If the students could experience what
they are taught and teachers would even allow themselves to be taught
from time to time.

-- Gorrell

Welcome!

Welcome to Generation Back Talk: that's you!

When I was little, the older folks always said that if you disagreed with those in authority or always had something "smart" to say that you were "back talking." Well, I think there isn't enough back talk these days. One of the goals of a college education is to help you find your "voice" in the world and to develop your critical thinking skills. But too often it seems that students don't take charge of their own learning, or that they sit and wait to be spoon fed what they think are the right answers. I wonder if that's because you haven't yet found a comfortable medium for your voices? Or maybe you're just concerned that you don' t have the "right" thing to say? What will you say, I wonder?

This is your space to discuss the topics we are covering in class. While I'll always give you a prompt to blog on, feel free to jump off of conversations we've had in class, something interesting that caught your eye in a reading, or past experiences that seem relevent. The goal of this blog is simple. We are trying to create a community of writers and thinkers by providing you with an alternative way to discuss the "life of the mind". While the writing we will do here is very informal, I encourage you to still take it seriously.

It is your voice, after all. And no one can really silence you but yourselves.

-- JG