Category: Student Organizations

Such a ‘Bler: International Education Week 2018

Such a ‘Bler: International Education Week 2018

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Can you name the countries?

This wasn’t actually my first international nibble of the week! Monday kicked off with a warm bánh mì (Vietnamese sandwich). I’m from Hanoi, Vietnam so this was like a warm morning hug. There was even a little stand set up in Sullivan Center just like (well, as close as Chicago can get haha) the streets back home.

I got a pork bánh mì, something I’ve definitely missed. A friend in my theatre class said it looked amazing and asked where I got it when she saw me munching before class. I felt very proud.

With Friday came International Night. There was food, information boards and a dance performance, as international and local students arrived in the Damen Multipurpose Room to celebrate. I noticed that dishes from around the world are actually equally similar and different in so many ways. They were definitely all similarly delicious.

International Night was also a great chance to see old friends – this is Vanya, one of my first friends here from freshman orientation week, a newly Loyola Alum and always a proud Indonesian.

The short trip around the world was refreshing – my taste buds danced the night away! It was a great International Education Week.

 

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A Series of Firsts: My First Time Leading a 360

A Series of Firsts: My First Time Leading a 360

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My Retreat Leaders Team, a.k.a. Team A! Sept 30, 2018.

When I got that e-mail from Campus Ministry early last semester saying “Congratulations, you’ve been chosen as one of the Honors 360 Retreat leaders,” I could not believe it. It had nothing to do with the fact that I had submitted the application late (correction: VERY late) or the fact that I was already involved in so many things. It was because I was going to be part of one of the programs that had such a big impact on my First Year experience. My 360 helped me find a little direction in the maze that was my first semester, and it helped me connect to Loyola on a very personal level. I learned more about the Jesuit values and how Loyola tries to apply them in its curriculum and in its activities, and how my time at Loyola had a purpose, I just had to find it. I also met some very cool people during that retreat, and was able to strengthen those relationships that I already had. So it wasn’t surprising that I was very happy when I learned that I would be part of the experience of so many new First Years, who had much of their time at Loyola ahead of them.

To be honest, my favorite part of leading the retreat was preparing for it. Don’t get me wrong: I loved meeting my Small Group and being able to discuss with them what their expectations of the retreat and Loyola as a whole were, and what they wanted to improve of themselves. Every single one of them had a different idea of what they wanted to do with their experience at Loyola, and it was great seeing them interact with one another and getting to know each other. I also liked being able to witness how many of the students in the retreat felt like their retreat had changed something in them. Whether it be their attitude or the fact that they made new friends, I could tell our retreat had been a transformative experience for them just as it had been for me.

However, the process of becoming a Retreat Leaders had a great impact on my experience in this 360 retreat.I was lucky to be placed in my Retreat team, who are some of the best people I have gotten to meet here at Loyola. During our training, we got to know one another quite well, while prepare for our retreat in terms of logistics. Therefore, we built a little community and had created a good atmosphere even before the retreat started. In addition, as part of the training, I was able to learn a little more about myself, things like what kind of leader I want to be, and how I would put into practice all that I’ve learned as a student at Loyola back home. So, by the time we had to leave for our retreat, my Retreat Team were all very excited to be spending a weekend together at LUREC, one of the best spaces Loyola offers to its students, with its location outside of the city, its comfortable facilities, and their (in)famous cookies. It was honestly a great experience, and it went WAY better than I expected: everyone was willing to participate, our Small Groups had connected instantly and the conversations they engaged in were very good as well. But most importantly, I was able to spend a whole weekend with my now-close friends while enjoying just one of the many opportunities that Campus Ministry offers us Ramblers.

Nashta November

Nashta November

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Pakistani Students’ Association (PSA) hopes everyone is ready for the Thanksgiving holidays. As we approach the end of the semester, things can be quite stressful, but that is why PSA is inviting you to yet another exciting event! To celebrate a successful semester and to thank you all for your support, BREAKFAST IS ON US!!! We will be serving Halwa Puri with Aloo and Cholay, Seekh Fry, Naan, Paratha and Omelets along with Chai. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this popular Pakistani breakfast, halwa is a sweet that comes with a deep fried bread (puri) and is typically served with potato (aloo) and curries mixed of chickpeas (cholay). Seekh Fry is We will also be giving a run down of the upcoming spring semester!  Bring your friends along and enjoy Nashta November!!!
 
When: Monday, November 19, 2018 from 11am-2pm 
Where: Damen MPR South
 
 
 
Note: Loyola Students Only.
 
 
We look forward to seeing you all this Monday 11/19/18! This will be our last event of the semester so stay tuned for what we have planned next!
Our mission is to recognize the struggle and hardship facing Pakistan today and help alleviate these hardships through fundraising events, while simultaneously raising awareness about the culture and beauty of Pakistan. We hope to create a diverse group of members through our outreach and fundraising efforts.
Through many of our previous events taken place this year, we have raised over $1,500.00 and have donated this to the Dam Fund in Pakistan. PSA could not have done this without the help of Loyola students, so we thank you all!
Colossus is over.

Colossus is over.

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Guess what guys… after many years, Loyola’s annual two-night show, which often featured a musician one night and a comedian the other, won’t continue.

The event has been cancelled since May, current and former Department of Programming (DOP) students said. While DOP is student-run, the decision came from the top of Loyola’s Student Activities and Greek Affairs (SAGA) department without any input from students, according to the DOP students.

The decision was made after Colossus 2018 on March 17. On its second night, comedian Hannibal Buress, told a joke about Catholic priests molesting children. His microphone was cut. The restrictions banned content related to rape, sexual assault, race, illegal drug use and sexual orientation.

While university officials cited financial reasons for Colossus’ cancellation, the students at Loyola said they thought the Buress incident also played a factor.

Now, DOP can’t have a two-night event that weekend and feature a comedian and musician, the students said. It also can’t be called Colossus.

Instead, the students said DOP aims to spread out events featuring big-name guests across the academic year. Having musicians and comedians perform at Loyola is still an option, the students said.

That doesn’t mean an event that holiday weekend is off the table. Because of DOP’s “alternative programming” philosophy, the students said they’ve been brainstorming ideas for another type of event for St. Patrick’s Day weekend, but nothing’s been approved yet.

Supporting the Arts!

Supporting the Arts!

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Although some of our most populated majors at Loyola are science-based, like nursing or biology, and we have a very good business school, Loyola is still a liberal arts school seeking to educate and allow a space for the creative arts. That’s why we have a Fine Arts Program, and that Fine Arts Program puts on lots of showcases for the various disciplines that make up ‘the Fine Arts.’ Last week, I attended the student orchestra’s showcase, just for fun!

Actually, there were three orchestras – the symphony, the percussion, and the wind instruments, each taking their turn. They were all quite good – I played the oboe and clarinet in high school, so to see a symphony was quite fun. Beyond the sound of Beethoven, I love watching the bows go up and down. Wind instruments don’t really move like that as an unintentional visual show to accompany the music.

I wish I could include a video for you, but the file is wayyy too large. Attending the orchestra does come for the price of a ticket, unlike the basketball game happening the same night, but there was a student discount and I can go to many, many basketball games, if I so choose. It was really nice to see other students at the orchestra, there to support their friends, sitting amongst the parents and family members who came to Mundelein Theater.

Out of all of them, I think my favorite piece played with a version of “Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair,” but the percussion played a song called “Guac is Extra” which made me laugh.

In addition to the orchestra, Loyola also has an exhibition space for student artists who make visual media like sculptures, drawings, and photographs, and lots of theatrical performances throughout the year. I have a close friend who was the costume manager for a recent production called Violet, despite not being too deep into the theater world herself. That’s what’s fun about our theater program – you don’t have to be a theater major or minor to join! There are extracurricular band groups, a cappella singing groups, and so on, so you don’t have to take a class or dedicate more time than you can.

If you ever come visit and you see that something in the Fine Arts going on, stop by! They’re usually open to the public, free or at a cost. I know I for sure am looking forward to the annual Joyola production, a holiday-themed performance from singing and instrumental groups alike.

Such a ‘Bler: The Write Place | Ireland’s Poetry Open Mic

Such a ‘Bler: The Write Place | Ireland’s Poetry Open Mic

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As of last semester, I am a Creative Writing Minor, and it’s been a while since I’ve read my poetry aloud. Since coming to Loyola, I’ve been in search for a space for poetry, spoken poetry to be specific. Diminuendo Literary & Arts Magazine and MeToo Monologues have filled parts of this desire, but not even Department of Programming’s (DOP) open mic nights has fully satisfied my need for creative expression. I’ve even been thinking of starting my own spoken poetry club.

A fellow Rambler shared this thirst, and like the senior (and Ireland’s Pub employee) he is, organized a poetry open mic! He reached out to Diminuendo’s presidents, and well, we got tagged along.

I was excited, very excited. Not only because I was the Magazine’s AD/PR Chair and this was an amazing promotion opportunity with the added bonus of it being so close to this semester’s launch event but because it was a spoken poet’s dream. I was so ready to meet my fellow creative writers!!!!

The evening was lovely. Poetry, puns and paninis. Ireland’s Pub is right in the Damen Student Center. It is cozy and also occasionally hosts music events (really good ones from my experience). I even read some of my poems. I felt home.

It’s nice to see Loyola’s Creative Writing students taken on more presence on campus with this event and the newly established Creative Writing Club (more on this later!) I’m hungry for more.

 

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Keeping in the ‘Loop’

Keeping in the ‘Loop’

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Loyola students share a lot of things – common values, attendance at Loyola (shock, I know), dread at the incoming presence of finals week, to name a few – but we also all like to be kept updated on what is happening in the Loyola community. That’s why we have the Loyola Phoenix, our student-run newspaper!

With sections such as Arts and Entertainment, Current News, Sports, and Opinion, as well as podcasts and ‘Closer Look’, a column dedicated to tackling issues students are concerned about, the Phoenix covers lots of topics and is published in print every Wednesday, with online articles being updated often. Sometimes the articles create controversy and stir, like an article they wrote about their copies going missing (the general thought was: why is this a big deal?) and other times they echo student sentiment, such as the ones regarding student safety or lack thereof. It also strives for a social media presence so students don’t have to seek it out but they can pop up on newsfeeds to increase readership.

When our men’s basketball team was doing great in the Final Four, our  sports writers were all over it. They show a fantastic amount of dedication to sports and to Loyola as a whole by going out and supporting games and matches of all types of sports, even if I don’t really understand what they’ve written because I’m not a sports girl. If you want to see what was covered and written during the spring, you can search for the previous articles on the website!

Everyone on the team is a student, from the graphic designer to the top editor. Although personally I’m not always impressed by the quality of the writing (you don’t have to be a journalism major to write with them) I still appreciate what they are doing. They don’t just write about Loyola things as well! They have features on things to do around Chicago and the Arts and Entertainment section has reviews of new movies and artists of all kinds. It’s really neat to connect with Chicago and culture in this way, and they’re more than a student-run newsletter but a real newspaper this way.

So if you want to get a feel for student life at Loyola (beyond these blogs, of course) I’d totally advise you to follow this link and see their website.

Such a ‘Bler: Dragging It Up

Such a ‘Bler: Dragging It Up

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It was a night of firsts for a lot of us. The stars and the stargazing breathed the same air of anxious excite, as the theatre became more and more packed by the minute. People were in between chair rows, against the wall of walk ways, right against the stage and still there were more eager to have a peak.

It was the annual Rainbow Connection Student Drag Show – an explosive, kaleidoscope of personalities screaming human. As the music danced with hearts beating proud of courage and support, we witnessed the magic that happens when an individual finds enough comfort to be themselves.

From to CTA references, earl grey tea, silhouettes to debut tears that triggered mine – they had it all. But there is still so much to see.

And in the (rephrased because I was way too emotional to write them down) words of the host, Naomi Smalls, that night, “I feel so blessed to be a part of a tradition that helps celebrate and advocate such love and expression.”

It was a Rainbow Connection.

Thank you.

www.facebook.com/Rainbow.Connection.LUC

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Such a ‘Bler: HalLUween 2018

Such a ‘Bler: HalLUween 2018

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October 31st 2017, I found myself at the Chicago Northalsted Halloween Parade & Costume Contest. I went as a social butterfly with my harlequin doll roommate and our closest friends. The weather was so chilly, and we couldn’t feel our hands half the time, but the energy was addictive.

This year, my sophomore roommate and I did a couple’s costume of Puff the Magic Dragon and Jackie Paper. It was also really exciting to find other Ramblers rocking some Halloween spirit – I met the joker, Charlie Brown (my theatre scenic practicum professor) and a lion – and the candy supplies were endless. However, other than that, I honestly thought I wasn’t going to do much this Halloween. Festivities have been all around campus for a week or two now, from spooky movie nights to the Murder in the MPR Murder Mystery Dinner.

From my experience last year as a Mertz Hall Council E-board member, I assumed that student organizations like the Department of Programming (DOP) and the Residence Hall Association (RHA) along with residence hall assistants planned their events ahead, keeping in mind that student will probably be out on the actual Halloween night. In addition to this, assignments have been piling up with Thanksgiving and soon after, finals on the way. But as always, Loyola surprised me.

DOP and Peer Advisors were showing A Quiet Place. This was an award-winning film that I’ve been dying to see, and the exact short break I needed (could afford) with such a hectic schedule these day. The Regis MPR was soon packed with excited eyes (and free popcorn!).

And with that, t’was the spoopy season! Now, get out those Christmas lights, Michael Buble is already playing.

 

HEY, I ALSO MAKE VIDEOS!

HERE’S THE SUCH A ‘BLER PLAYLIST:

A Winning Weekend

A Winning Weekend

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What a weekend it has been! From Nick Jonas performing a burnin’ performance, to Loyola making it to the sweet sixteen, to Loyola’s Pakistani Students’ Association holding an amazing event, to Hannibal Buress getting kicked off of stage! It all happened this weekend, and it couldn’t have been better.

Nick Jonas came to Loyola and fans were in so much excitement. Nick Jonas performed old classics to new ones and the crowd went wild, singing along to every lyric.

The next day, comedian Hannibal Burress was kicked off the stage here at Loyola University after joking about priests molesting kids. Before getting kicked off, the comedian shared an email he received asking him to refrain from cursing– topics including sexual assault. After an extended 15 minute break, Buress was allowed to return to the stage and continue his set. Students expressed how they were “shocked how he can say this at a university performance even after told not to.”

In addition, Loyola University’s Pakistani Student Association held an event called “Explore Pakistan” on Saturday evening. Over 200 students attended and enjoyed the celebration of Pakistani culture. Pakistani food, music, and colorful decorations done by Afrin Designs captured the bursts of colors and blooming of Spring time. All proceeds went towards Doctor’s Hospital in Pakistan. The event had live food stations, performers, dinner, and dances. “It was truly an unforgettable night.”

Students at the event were also in attendance at Loyola’s incredible win! Cheers ran across the entire campus as all students celebrated the win and making it to the sweet sixteen! Clayton Custer’s jumper took a friendly bounce off the rim and in with 3.6 seconds left, and 11th-seeded Loyola beat Tennessee 63-62 in a South Region second-round game Saturday night. The Ramblers (30-5), who won the Missouri Valley tournament, broke the school record for wins set by the 1963 NCAA championship team.

Loyola will play the Cincinnati-Nevada winner in the regional semifinals Thursday in Atlanta.

Loyola is headed to the round of 16 for the first time since 1985, when it lost to Patrick Ewing and Georgetown.

That was also the last time the Ramblers made the NCAA Tournament.