Here is a Stick

Vol 3 No 12

Hello, friends.

Seasonal Affective Disorder.  Mental health issues in general.  Finals.  The Holidays.  Any number of things can cause us to long to run away and hide.  We all face challenges of varying levels of difficulty as we go from day to day.  It can make even the smallest task seem daunting.  It can become harder to eat, sleep, socialize, be productive.  And now that we are in the last few weeks of classes, I am sure that this sounds like a familiar song to some of you. 

The title of this blog comes from an owl named Boggle.  In the post, Boggle explains a few things about asking for help and about the things we can do for one another.  And for ourselves.  

I want to tell you that you are going to be okay.  In order for that to be true, though, I need you to do something for me.  Or rather, for you.

What I need you to do is get a 3 x 5 card or something similar and write the following words on it:

I AM WORTH IT

Then, on the back of the card, write down that you are worth the following things:

·        Self-care

·        A good night’s sleep

·        Fun and adventure

·        A good meal

·        The help of a friend

·        The help of a professional

I suspect you are starting to see where I am going with this.  Only one of those things is bolded and that’s because all of the other ones fall under that one main one.  I encounter students everyday who are not engaging in that first bullet in one way or another and I want so badly to be able to help them.  One thing I can do is to tell you that you are worth taking the time for self-care.  I think too often we feel that we have to push ourselves to distraction without stopping to breathe and relax.  But this relaxation is so important.  We have to stop and focus on ourselves now and then or all of those outside forces will keep pulling on us.  So, what is self-care?

“’Self-care’ refers to the active process of recovering, maintaining and improving one’s health” (Ziguras).  I love that this definition includes three levels of health – which means that it applies to all of us, regardless of our general mental health status.  Engaging in self-care means that you need to accept that you are worth caring about.  You are worth the care you give yourself and the care that is offered to you by others. 

And how do you engage in self-care?  Well, that depends a little bit on who you are, because “[f]orms of self-care are as numerous and diverse as the number of people who practice them; they run the gambit from extreme workouts to binge-baking sessions” (Carlson).  So engaging in self-care means that you need to know a little bit about who you are.  You really need to know what brings you some small measure of happiness or relaxation.  It can be anything from reading a book for a little while to practicing yoga, playing a video game to going for a walk, doing 50 jumping jacks and painting your toenails to watching cat videos for twenty minutes and drinking hot cocoa.

You notice something there?  Self-care does not have to involve that you wholly sacrifice your academic or professional success.  One of the most liberating things we can accept is that self-care does not mean giving up on your tasks or delaying your responsibilities to a dangerous level.   Self-care does not have to take hours of your time, nor does it have to cost a lot of money or require you to go anywhere in particular.  What it all boils down to is taking the time to do something that will help you relax and refocus.  Without these moments of indulgence, our stress and mental health runs the risk of becoming too much for us to handle.  We have to let some of the pressure off – reward ourselves for hard work and persistence, for doing something difficult or making progress on a project.  Self-care “doesn’t need to be anything elaborate” nor do we “need to do it all at once;” we just have to remember that “trying to fit in the basics is a great place to start,” because that will “give us a solid foundation to work from” (“Self-care”).

YOU ARE WORTH ALL OF THIS.

This said, I cannot stress enough that if you get to the point where you feel you cannot handle the stresses in your life, you should seek out someone you trust and get help.  Help-seeking is one of the most important and the hardest things we can do that falls under the category of self-care.  There is no shame in asking for help and although it might be difficult, it’s one of the most important things you can do.  We have counseling services on campus, and there are numerous faculty and staff who can help you find the services you need.  Don’t stay lost and alone if you can’t handle the stressors in your life.  Help is out there for you.  It is a sad truth that “despite the relatively high prevalence of elevated stress and mental health difficulties in college students, research has consistently revealed that most students who have a problem do not seek help” (Hubbard, et al).

FLCC Counseling Center 

National Suicide Prevention Hotline

Better for me is finding the best possible way to live and function while having struggles. I want to continue to grow and understand why my brain works the way it does. I want to learn how to prevent myself from closing off when I’m hurt. I want to put the work in and be able to stay rooted and confident in myself, my beliefs, and my mental state. I want to be the best me (Milner)

Works Cited

Carlson, Melissa. “Finding Health and Happiness the Write Way: Blogging as Self-Care Within Student Affairs and Higher Education.” Vermont Connection, vol. 36, Jan. 2015, pp. 23–30. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.flcc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=101367094&site=eds-live. Accessed 3 Dec. 2018.

Hubbard, Kimberly, et al. “Stress, Mental Health Symptoms, and Help-Seeking in College Students.” Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research, vol. 23, no. 4, Fall 2018, pp. 293–305. EBSCOhost, ezproxy.flcc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=132602564&site=eds-live.  Accessed 3 Dec. 2018.

Milner, Alex.  "The Reality of 'Getting Better.'"  To Write Love on Her Arms.  26 Nov. 2018, twloha.com/blog/the-reality-of-getting-better/.  Accessed 3 Dec. 2018.

“Self-care for Busy People.”  Blurtitout.org.  The Blurt Foundation, 24 Oct. 2017, www.blurtitout.org/2017/10/24/self-care-for-busy-people/.  Accessed 3 Dec. 2018.

Ziguras, Christopher.  Self-care:  Embodiment, Personal Autonomy and the Shaping of Health Consciousness.  Routledge, 2004.  Google Books.  books.google.com/books?id=CksXt89K-6QC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false.  Accessed 3 Dec, 2018.

We Got Hugs

Vol 3 No 8

The following is a transcript of the little speech I gave at the Honors Dinner on October 30, 2018.  We had an amazing gathering of faculty, students, staff, and alumni where we shared food, stories, hugs, tears, and laughter.  For those who came, thank you.  For those who did not - I hope to see you at next semester's dinner.  :)

There is a Tweet that keeps popping up on my Facebook feed that says “we have officially hit the point in the semester where every college kid is at least half sick, probably in the midst of an emotional breakdown, and very behind in several classes.  Please be nice to us. We’re trying our best and we all just need a hug.”  This has resonated with me for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it is also true for faculty – but that isn’t really important right now.  What gets me about it is that I first saw it right after I sent out the Honors Study survey and, for those of you that did it, you’ll remember that there was a question on there that asked what concerns you face as a student.  The top three responses are so telling:  Time management or procrastination (73%), stress (71%), and (tied for third) work load and mental health (49%).  Ouch, right?  It rather makes me wonder how different the responses would be if I had asked at the beginning of the semester.  Part of me thinks they would be radically different, but part of me thinks that Honors students tend to be aware enough to know that they face these things regardless of what point of the semester we happen to be in.

Lately, it feels like I do nothing in my classes but teach content and talk about the crises we are facing in the world around us – the barrage of dark and painful news that greets us each day and makes many of our hearts hurt.  But, as much as we are members of communities both large and small, I think that it is equally important to acknowledge that our individual worlds are in flux as well.  This is not a permanent state and, in some cases, it’s just par for the course as we watch October die into November and realize how few short weeks there are until the end of the semester (seven, counting Thanksgiving, if you’re wondering).  I mean, this is what you all signed up for as students right?  You are rapidly becoming used to this, if you haven’t become so already.  I mean, it still hits you like a ton of bricks every time, but at least it’s not catching you entirely off guard anymore. 

 …right.

Anyway, this feeling becomes even more pronounced for Honors students, and not because the courses are harder, exactly, but because the demand on you is a little bit higher.  Sometimes – okay, nearly all of the time – this demand on you comes equal parts from yourself as well as your faculty.  37% of you wouldn’t value class discussions more than other aspects of your Honors courses if you weren’t actually participating.  It’s hard to hide when its seminar seating, and personal reflection requires a certain amount of vulnerability.  That teaching style that over half of you value most in your instructors?  If we break it down, it’s one that challenges and expects you to be more engaged, attentive, and self-aware than you might have to be elsewhere.   We know that, and, for the most part, we also know that you are up to the task.

But you are so tired.  I can see it in your faces and in your postures.  I can sometimes tell it in the work you are doing.  I can hear it in what you say and how you say it.  I read it in your Facebook posts and in your informal writing.  But I can also see that you are not giving up.  You still have your dreams and your big ideas, you still come to class and engage in those conversations you love so much, you’re still planning for the future.  You’re poring over course offerings as you build your schedules for next semester.  You’re looking at colleges and transfer programs, and wondering what it will be like at a whole new school.

And you’ll make it.  You’ll figure it out.  Some of you may stumble and need to regain your footing, but you’ll make it.  You may make it in a way that you never expected, but you’ll make it.  I’ve seen it time and time again in countless different ways.  Those stories, some outwardly big and some quietly so, are what make every day that I do this – in the face of my own exhaustion – worth it.  I mean it when I tell my students that they are going to change the world.  Even if the only person they change it for is themselves.  And I know that my fellow faculty feel much the same.   You will make it.

One of the things that will sustain you is….well…coffee.   But, beyond that, it’s the people around you.  They understand better than anyone the pressure you are under and the pressure you put on yourself.  In their own way, they are doing the exact same thing and who better to be there to help shore you up than someone who also needs shoring up for the same reasons.  Get help when you need it, lean on one another, stay focused, have goals and make sure you take time out for yourself.  Go play in the leaves if it ever stops raining.  Or just go play in the rain.  Go bowling and have a chuckle at how low your score is.  Or at least laugh at the shoes.  Do art.  Make words.  Sing at the top of your lungs.  Jump up and down on your bed.  Laugh until you can’t breathe.  Binge watch some Netflix.  Make an ice cream sundae and eat it without guilt.  Get together with other students and have some pasta…oh, wait.  Good job!  In other words, do whatever makes you truly happy for a little while. 

And then get back to work.  Because no one can do this for you; in the end, you have to stay the course and do the work on your own.  You chose the path you are on and you have to be the one who walks that path.  You have to do the work and make the grades and be satisfied with the results.  Or you have to accept that you’re going to fail this time, but that it isn’t the end of the world and you can learn from failure.  You can always pick yourself up and do better next time and mistakes can be the most amazing teachers.  No matter how it all plays out, you have to realize and accept that all of it really is on you.

But if you need a hug?  You’ll find one in Honors.  From me, from a classmate, from another faculty member.  We’ve got hugs.  All you have to do is ask.

Food, Fun, and Fellowship

Vol 3 No 8

You're invited!

What:  Dinner!

Who:  All students, particularly Honors Students

When:  Tuesday, October 30 from 5:00 - 7:00

Where:  Stage 14

On one hand, there are always jokes (or not jokes) made about how if you serve food, students will come.  Students LOVE free food.  Well, here's a secret:  that's also true for faculty and staff.  And honestly, it's an appealing prospect for students - I remember being a student and anytime I could save money, I was all for it.

That aside, however, the bi-annual Honors Studies dinner is so much more than 'just' free food.  It's also free T-shirts and free giveaways.

No, wait...

I meant, it is, but it's also something more than even that...

We open the evening with a few remarks from faculty and staff of the college who support Honors.  After that, we hand the microphone over to students and spend the evening sharing thoughts, questions, and stories about Honors.  Students talk about how they found Honors, why they love Honors, what they've gained from Honors, and what they are looking forward to as they continue their Honors experience.

It's about fellowship and taking a break from the countless calls on your time and energy at this point in the semester.  It's a time for sharing laughter and food and perhaps a tear or two.  Maybe a hug.  You can talk or you can just listen.  But, at its simplest, it's a time to just hang out and relax.

Come join us.

Monkeys and Magic

Vol 3 No 5

This is a special blog that invites you to help FLCC Honors Studies by filling out a survey through Survey Monkey.  If you are enrolled in an Honors Studies class or are formally declared as an Honors student, you should have received a link via email.  You may have even received it more than once.  This blog is to shamelessly implore you to take a few minutes to complete it.  It is only 10 questions and it would help us a great deal.  Why?

Well, because Honors Studies is nothing without the students.  That is such a constant in a college environment.  In some ways, education is different than any other sort of business in that everything employees of an institution do is nothing without the students...even if they have nothing directly to do in the process.  We make policies and create programs, we hire folks and let folks go, we encourage and support professional development, we have finances and reports, contracts and unions and the list goes on and on.  But without all of you, we are nothing, really.

So, it is so important that we stop every once in awhile at the very least, to ask you what you think.  That's what this survey is about.  I've spent quite some time make a 63 page Honors Studies User's Guide that has so much information in it.  I've create rubrics and talked to various committees on campus.  I've talked to other colleges.  I've done so much to help make sure that Honors is sustainable and will continue to grow because it has firm roots in the ground. 

Honors is so many things to the students who invest their time and energy into it and it's their stories that add the magic to everything I do.  The user's guide has a picture of an Honors student who is clearly laughing and if you look at our Flickr stream you will see so many students who look passionate and engaged and happy.  This is the magic.  The things I've talked about in other blogs about students feeling at home and welcomed in Honors, even if they also feel challenged and uncomfortable. 

I often collect stories, and we of course read your thoughts in your reflective essays and in your journals.  I gather anecdotes in Facebook messages and in emails, in my office and in the halls, and in Honors events like the dinner (10/30 at 5:00 in Stage 14).  These reminders of what Honors means to the people living in it are so very important.

Without you, there is no magic.

This survey is a different way to learn what you are thinking and to gather important information so we can keep making Honors Studies better for everyone.

If you did not receive the link, please contact me at trista.merrill@flcc.edu or honorsstudies@flcc.edu and we will send you the link.

Thank you!

Torchbearers

Vol 2 No. 27

I missed last week...so we are going to do two this week.  One today...and then one in a couple of days.  The following is a transcript of the remarks I made last night at the 2018 Honors Graduation and Awards Ceremony, followed by a list of our graduates and award winners.  I hope that you feel some resonance in these words and in the message they have for us all...

This is my third time presiding over this very special event and I’ve already established a tradition, or at least an approach to this speech that helps get me started in its writing at a time when things are, in a word, frenetic.  I see smiles and nods from some of you who are still in the throes of writing the papers and studying for the tests that will close out the Spring 2018 semester for you.  Having a hook already in place to hang my hat on lets me more quickly roll up my sleeves and get to work on writing something that will hopefully resonate with all of you.

I want to talk about two things tonight that have been a niggling voice in my head all during the course of this semester.  I’ve heard them in presentations, I’ve seen them on social media,  I’ve observed them in the interactions I’ve seen between students both in and out of the classroom.  In short, they’ve consistently come up during the course of the semester and even in the beginning stages of my thinking about next semester.  But then there was that tradition.

I began it as a way to make the starting of speech writing easier, but I ran into an even worse snag this year than I did last year when I tried to link it to Development of Modern Horror.  Even worse was that I couldn’t seem to figure out which hook to hang that hat on – Women Who Kill or The Lord of the Rings?  The first seemed daunting and the latter threatened to take over because it is rife with powerful content.  And, honestly, other than Eowyn’s rallying cry of “I am no man” on the fields of Pellenor, the two really don’t have a lot in common.  Except, they do.  Which leads me to those two things I want to talk about. 

The first is the power of fellowship.  As we read the stories of women who made horrific and heart-wrenching stories, we so often read, also, about how they had no support from those around them.  They struggled with trauma, tragedy, and tribulations that speak volumes about the choices they made.  These stories do not make what they did okay, but they remind us of the importance of having a tribe, or people, or a support network, or whatever personal phrase you want to use to describe the amazing communities we build around us.  I’ve sometimes joked that Honors Studies often attracts students who have not yet found a home anywhere and, jokes aside, it is powerful to watch what happens when their Honors courses become their home at FLCC.  They – no, you – have found a place where you are not just tolerated – but welcomed and accepted.  At the least you found a fellowship of like-minded learners in your Honors classes and experiences.  But more than that, many of you found friendship and community beyond what you expected.  As Gildor tells Frodo, “courage is found in unlikely places” and so who would have thought that in a class about fear and horror, you would find safety and encouragement?  Or that in a course about women who poison and smother, you would find comfort and affirmation?  But you have – and not just in my Honors courses, but in others as well.  You have leaned on and supported one another and offered compassion and encouragement.  And you have been given the same by those who sit with you tonight, along with others who could not be here.  You have a support network that many do not and that leads me to my next thought.

The second thing I want to talk about is the need we have in the world for compassion and understanding of others to the extent that it is possible.  Hard work, determination, passion, creativity, and intellectual rigor are all amazing things to have and to hone and to habituate.  But these things alone should not and cannot exist in a vacuum.  I often lay upon my students the daunting reminder that it is they who will change the world and you, our Honors Studies students, are at the forefront carrying the torch.  And so, I lay on you another reminder – that you please do all the remarkable work of which you are capable with your heart engaged and open.  Strive to understand those who come from different places and have made choices that run counter to your beliefs and your realm of experience.   Do not compromise your principles without reason or surrender conviction in the name of understanding, but remember that old adage about walking in another’s shoes.  Sometimes we have to stand up and fight, it is true, but choose those times wisely and remember, as Galadriel tells Frodo that “even the smallest person can change the course of the future.”  Use your sphere of influence to spread positivity, compassion, understanding and, dare I say it, love.

2018 Graduates and Award Winners

Honors Studies Scholar Graduates

Brandon Bailey - AS Business Administration

Christian Case - AA Liberal Arts and Sciences Literature, December 2017

Tyler Deskins - AA Liberal Arts and Sciences Mathematics

W. Henry Livingston - AA Liberal Arts and Sciences

Honors Studies Distinction Awards:
Jill Bond
McKenna Guarasce
Onni Adams
Will Maskrey
Elijah Lorah
Brianna Smith
Blinne Krieger
Vicki Ilyssa

Honors Studies Student Leadership Awards
Jill Bond and Blinne Krieger

Dr. Barbara A. Etzel Spirit Award
Lucas Holmes 

Congratulations to all our winners and all of YOU.  Without you, Honors could not be what it is.

Seminars Matter

Vol 2 No 25

Lots of folks have begun to look at their classes for next semester and we are really excited about the Honors offerings. You heard a bit more about them at the Honors Studies dinner and can read the course descriptions on WebAdvisor, but that doesn't necessarily explain why you might want to take a seminar - or even what a seminar is or looks like.

So, why would you take a class that doesn't "do" anything other than fill a general elective? Part of that has to do with the other question. What IS a seminar?

Google's proprietary dictionary defines seminar as "a class at a college or university in which a topic is discussed by a teacher and a small group of students." Well, is that what a lot of classes at a college are? Perhaps just in between needed lectures, but still...that seems the heart of what college classes in general should be. The Online Etymology Dictionary has this to say:

"1887, "special group-study class for advanced students," from German Seminar "group of students working with a professor," from Latin seminarium "breeding ground, plant nursery" (see seminary). Sense of "meeting for discussion of a subject" first recorded 1944.

'Plant nursery' is a fascinating idea, but I'm not sure Honors Studies students are necessarily inclined to appreciate being compared to budding plants. But, it's getting a bit closer to the concept I'm aiming for when I think about what we mean by seminar. The first word there that stands out is 'special'. This is not to say that other classes for other students aren't special, but I firmly believe (and I admit I have a bias) that the special nature of Honors Studies seminars is more common than not. Far from being contradictory, this is really what I have observed and heard about the seminar experience. I often joke that if someone stuck their head into one of my Honors classes, they wouldn't necessarily be able to pick out the instructor compared to the students. That's more than just a joke - it's true. In the seminars more than in any other type of class, I'm sitting WITH students. There is now nothing in between them and I. We sit together as learners.

Now, I know that I can never fully erase my role as instructor with a suitcase full of grading and other responsibilities.  And I humbly lay claim to a little more expertise in general, given the number of years I've been in academia and studying whatever topic I've chosen, but to the extent that it is possible, I can learn from my students even as they learn from me.

Many of those who teach seminars do so because they want to research and dig more deeply into a topic about which they have an interest.  The thing about Honors Studies faculty (and many faculty in general) is that they have dedicated their lives to learning.  This is one of the ways they do so.  And this coming fall?  We have two amazing seminars coming that are the products of the passion, curiosity, and the enthusiasm of the instructors who are teaching them.

So, no...seminars might not fulfill a requirement in your degree (other than a general elective or a liberal arts elective), and perhaps there's nothing in them the connects to your program of study at all...but think larger than that.  There are few classes in any college anywhere where you will find a room full of people who truly chose to be there.  No one needs it, which means everyone wants it.  They don't necessarily come because they need the credit or the class or anything about it.  They come because they love the content of the course itself.  And that, my friends, is the best learning environment you will ever find.

This fall?

HON 200-90 : Games and Storytelling taught by Honors Studies Librarian, April Broughton.

HON 200-91 : Eat Me:  Food and Identity in American Culture, taught by Lori Vail of the Humanities department.

Come.  Learn.  Celebrate your own curiosity.  And, dare I say my little plants, grow.

Dinner Report - Spring 2018

Vol 2 No 24

Last night was the Spring 2018 Honors Studies Dinner where students, faculty, and staff gathered together to share stories of what Honors meant to them and what they were doing in and for Honors. As is tradition, I will post my opening remarks below...but before I do that, I wanted to share some highlights - sound bites, if you will - of things I heard that really stood out to me.

...I found my voice...
...I was an Honors student before I ever knew it had a name...
...We will cry together in Honors...
...Inclusive...
...I have few regrets in life, but one will always be that I didn't find Honors earlier...
...a sense of belonging...
...discussions and passion...

...a sense of discovery...

...I learn differently...

...sharing passion and curiosity...

So many good stories and experiences - reminding me again how special Honors really is. So much more was said, but these struck me as being themes that carried through what students said and so I wanted to share them here. And now the speech I gave...

***

Honors means home and family to many students and that is something about which I’m immensely proud. I knew that Honors was about building community, but I never really appreciated just how much that was happening until last semester when I handed the microphone around to various students to hear what they had to say about their experiences. It was eye-opening in the best of ways.

Lately, I’ve been noticing that Honors is also about opportunity and is often referred to as a best kept secret at FLCC, known to a select few who love it and talk about it and celebrate it. Their voices are not always heard outside the metaphorical walls of the Honors House (which extend far past that amazing building across the street). Honors is anywhere that you find fellowship and conversation that pushes your own ideas further and farther.

Opportunity comes in many forms and takes many shapes. We will hear a little bit about our fall course offerings this evening as well as our brand new Honors Club, which you will hear about shortly as well. It’s also worth mentioning the growing number of Honors Studies Events popping up – activities on campus that celebrate what it means to be an Honors thinker. The Human Library, which we will hear about shortly, asks us to potentially face our own prejudices. Another activity on Laker Day will help us learn what to look for to help prevent violence while a third will challenge us to rethink what it means to take a selfie. Other upcoming events in April include one that turns our gaze to history and what we can learn about current events through the lens of past presidents and another that explores the forces of chaos in our universe. One more on the calendar is coming up quick – one week from today is the 16th Annual Campus Authors reading that Curt will tell us about in a few minutes. In short, it seems that more and more faculty are realizing that the Honors experience is a valuable one and I hope that you agree with them. I hope that all of you will consider not only participating in these events, but also challenge yourself to take the few extra steps it takes to earn Honors points for them. Take your learning and reflection outside the classroom and out into the world you inhabit.

And that brings me to one of the most powerful and visible ways you can fly your Honors flag.

On May 4th of this year, we will be celebrating our second Honors Convocation. This event is designed to celebrate the work that Honors students are doing in any of their Honors courses. It is an opportunity to show case to a wider audience the things you have so passionately dedicated yourself to this semester. You pour so much into the work you do and your ideas are so grand that they, like you yourselves, are larger than the classroom in which they were birthed. Therefore, I challenge each of you to consider creating a poster that shows us what you’ve been working on this semester. Choose from a project, an assignment, a paper, a concept; in short, anything that shows what you have been doing as an Honors student this semester. We know it’s a busy time of year, but this is worth it for the excitement of celebrating your hard work and your vision. To encourage you to walk down this path, I invite you to join us at Study-a-Thon on April 26th. This event, with its vibrant and enthusiastic atmosphere (not to mention the free food) is a great time to come hang out, make a poster, and talk with other Honors students about what THEY are working on. You may even be asked to be one of our four presenters at the speaking portion of the event.

We created the Convocation because at the end of each semester, without fail, I found myself bursting with pride at the work my students were doing. Every semester, I desperately attempted to convey the various projects to other faculty and staff, to friends and family and, frankly, I always feel wholly inadequate to do so. I am so proud of all of you who have taken on the Honors challenge and I want the world to see what you are doing and I want them to love and appreciate you just as much as I do. Other Honors faculty feel the same way, and so the Convocation was born.

For those of you who are inclined to argue because you’ve heard the passion and enthusiasm with which I talk about Honors….well, you are still seeing it second hand. Why should I try to tell the stories when THE STUDENTS are the ones who are living them? Why should I fall short of show casing everything you are doing when you are the ones who are living and breathing that work (along with so much other work) in every moment you are awake?

I know that we are asking you to do something extra, but I also know that many of you are up to the task. I know that we are adding to the immense burden you are already carrying, but I cannot think of a more fitting way to share the secret of Honors with the FLCC Community. You are all gems and you should all be celebrated; you should all be, if you’ll excuse the pun, honored.

If you are brand new to Honors or came here tonight to learn about it, welcome. Next semester, I will think and feel these same things about you if you can join us in Honors. I will make the same pleas of you as we move forward and, in the meantime, come see it. See what your fellow students are working on and share their excitement. Let them ignite your imagination and your curiosity even more than they already have.

And speaking of honoring you, I want to encourage you to do two other things. First, join the Honors Club – regardless of whether or not you have taken any Honors courses (….yet). You’ll hear more about that from Jill Bond in a moment. Second, did you know that there are scholarships JUST for Honors students? Go, apply. You DO like money, yes?

You know, this may be the strangest speech I’ve ever written. It’s a speech of imploring. A speech of encouragement. A speech that is designed to move you to help us share the Honors story with the wider FLCC Community and to help Honors to thrive and grow OUTSIDE of the classroom. We are a group that is always changing as students come and go but one thing remains the same: Honors means home and family. Honors is worth our time and energy. And Honors is something that we need to promote and share. Our world is a tumultuous and chaotic one and I cannot think of a better collection of characteristics to celebrate than what we’ve built here: critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, lifelong learning, and a sense of belonging. Celebrate it with me.

No Regrets...Well, Almost

Vol 2 No 23

This week's blog comes to us from one Will Maskrey, a student graduating with an AS in Business Administration this semester.  He is also the President of Student Corporation and someone I will most definitely miss once he leaves FLCC to find his way in the world.  As guest blogger, he wanted to share some of his thoughts about his experiences at the college and, specifically, an Honors class he took last semester.

No Regrets…well almost.

The year was 2016. A warm breeze cooled the asphalt that August evening as I walked to my car at the end of the work day. The typical Friday feeling of freedom and relief were painfully absent as a sigh escaped. I paused to think about everything that was ending, and what was dawning on the horizon. I never once questioned the decision to leave the stability of full time employment, and finally do something I had long put off: I was returning to college to finish my education. I was heading to Finger Lakes Community College the following Monday, and I would need the weekend to prepare for this major alteration in my life. The words to adequately describe the two years, since that day I stood in the sun and questioned my life altering decision, escape me incessantly. As I think over the multitude of experiences and choices that I have made in my time here, I can say with great confidence that I have no regrets… well almost.

This past fall I took my first Honors class, The Development of Modern Horror taught by Dr. Trista Merrill. There are so many things that made this class arguably the most important of my academic career. I could spend an entire blog highlighting the genius of the unparalleled Dr. Merrill, however most of you reading this are already aware of this fact. As great as she is, my classmates played the biggest role in what made this class the highlight of my week. Some would say that gathering a random group of people, that would be comfortable and open enough to talk about horror and fear, is miraculous feat. I agree, but to have a group of strangers trust each other enough to do this on day one of the class, that is something impossible to recreate.

The respect for each individual opinion, coupled with the care each took to ensure the safety and well-being of their neighbor is something rare in most traditional classes. I have not seen or felt this level of oneness in any of my other classes. This is what I miss about not being in an Honors class this semester. I want to be very clear that I am talking about something far beyond the physical safety I feel every day when I walk through the doors of FLCC. I am referring to a freedom to explore and question, to challenge and, in a way, be rewarded through an expansion of personal perspective. There are a few rare classes that seem to fit this model but fall incredibly short of what an Honors class achieves.

As the homestretch approaches and my time at Finger Lakes Community College is ending, one cannot help to reflect on what has been. It has been a tremendous experience with opportunities that I could not have fathomed. The only thing I would change, the only real regret that will remain when I leave here is the fact that I did not take full advantage of Honors Studies. The one Honors class I did take, that special group of people that made everything better, can never be forgotten. I owe all of them a great debt, more than they may realize. There are other groups and people that have added to my being here, but my time in Modern Horror will hold a special, permanent place in my memory.

Honors is so much more than a unique curriculum or a special class structure led by terrific faculty. It is a special journey shared only by those who are willing to stare into the vastness of the unknown and be willing to trust the person next to them as everyone jumps. The fear that can encompass making mistakes can always creep up on us during those unexpected moments. Now that I have taken an Honors Studies class, I have more people in my life to remind me of my goodness. We all could use more people to remind us of that. Honors is the place to meet the best of those people for your journey, just make sure that you don’t miss out like I almost did.

I can wholeheartedly say that I am a better human being today because of my experiences in Honors Studies. I wish more classes were like the Development of Modern Horror class I took, but if that were the case these classes might not be as life-altering. More students, and maybe more faculty as well, need to be aware of the impact Honors Studies can have on the college experience of a student.  I almost missed out on those experiences and that is why I have no regrets about my time here in Honors Studies.

FREE FOOD Matters

Vol 2 No 22

Invitation!

Come have dinner with us! 

When:  April 4th, from 5:00 – 7:00

Where:  Stage 14

Who: ALL STUDENTS interested in or curious about Honors

What:  TACOS!

What else:  shirts, coloring books, and this semester's gift

Come eat, and fellowship, and hear about important Honors matters such as…

Faculty and Staff reflecting on Honors

Students reflecting on Honors and asking questions

Spring 2018 Honors Convocation 

Poster making at Study-A-Thon 

What is Chaos Honors event

Presidential Greatness Honors event

Honors Club news 

Human Library - Honors Approved!

Fall 2018 Honors Studies classes

Spring 2018 Honors Graduation Ceremony 

Poetry Matters

Vol 2 No 22

A little something different this week....

Fluidity

Honors kids
Y’all are chill
Active participation
Happy people, fun times

Exploratory
The coolest thing
An open knowledge place
We don’t want to make knowledge restrictive

Gauging interest
Get your voice heard
What’s important to you
Anything we want to talk about, we can

It’s pretty chill
Keeping the motif
A minimal rules club
You never know with rules

Not super structured
No unnecessary hierarchy
That would be a lot of work
And we already do a lot of work

Kinda like a family
It’s all about support
Making a community
We want that space outside the classroom

Fire and drive
Loose and fluid
Instill that spark
All you have to be is curious

…Keep it going…

The above is something called a found poem. I didn't use another 'text' per se, but rather I used the words of Blinne Kreiger (with some help from Jill Bond) during the informational meeting of the brand new, near official Honors Club. As I sat there and listened, I was struck by how their words resonated with me and showed me that all the work we have done in Honors has....well...found root in these students. They are living, breathing embodiment of all that is Honors and I'm so excited to see where this new venture goes. Well done, ladies.

Why Cats

Vol 2 No 21

Before I begin with an apology and the blog – I wanted to remind everyone of this:

I hope you can make it - I've wanted a student Honors Club ever since I became Director and I'm so excited that we have students with the time and energy to make that dream come true.  But they need YOUR help to make it work!  Such a great opportunity...I can't wait to see how this developed!

That said, I want to apologize for being a little late with this blog.  I blame the loss of an hour - but honestly I was just ridiculously busy last week.  But, while I DO miss that hour, at least Daylight Savings Time means that Spring is most definitely coming and your semester is probably in full swing.  Today’s blog is a little bit lighter than last week’s, though the thoughts raised in that last blog are hopefully still in all our minds.  Today I thought I would talk about cats.

Why cats?

As you have probably noticed, we have adopted cats as the unofficial mascot of Honors, with a specific focus on their eyes.  That was a deliberate choice for a variety of reasons, and I’m happy to see that the Honors Club has continued the use of cats to represent them.

Most people know that cats are associated with curiosity…in fact, we all know the adage that curiosity killed the cat.  What many people do not know, however, is that the adage has a second half.  It would not be odd for us to celebrate cats and curiosity, but the killing part is a little strange.  Not to worry, however, for the rest of the saying is but satisfaction brought it back.  The cat will live on as we continue to celebrate curiosity and the fulfilling of the endless questions that seem to drive what Honors students do and are.

Cats have long been associated with independence, intelligence, curiosity, agility, and for being amazing companions in their own, unique way.  It is hard to watch a kitten playing or a cat hunting and not be cognizant of their sense of play and their seeming insatiable desire to explore everything.  They will push their way into places where they don’t necessarily fit and they will maintain a sense of grace while they do it.  Every cat has its own personality, of course, but even the most solitary cat will often find itself ‘accidentally’ in the same room as its human companion.

In short, I have always felt that there is something very Honors-like about cats.  They are a creature of many contradictions on the surface and often misunderstood.  They carry on despite of that and often with grace and seeming indifference.  They are solitary but also social, simple and yet mysterious.  Playful and yet also content to lay sleepily anywhere that they feel comfortable.

One of the things that has always fascinated me about cats is that of all the creatures we have domesticated, we have changed cats the least.  No matter how much we love and pamper them, they will always be true to who they are.  Tigers and lions, cougars and panthers, jaguars and lynxes, cheetahs and leopards, long-haired and short-haired, calico and Persian, tortoises and tabbies – cats of any size will always be curious and thoughtful.

And that is how I see Honors students – some many different variations and yet all harboring some of the same basic qualities of playfulness, curiosity, creativity, and a sense of thoughtful mystery.

That is Honors.

Honors Club Matters!

Vol 2 No 19

A guest blog this week from two Honors Studies students who have something important to share....

Hello everyone!

Our names are Jill and Blinne and we have some exciting announcements for anyone and everyone who is interested in digging deeper into the topics that spark their curiosity. How are we planning on doing that? By starting the Honors Club here at FLCC to offer the Honors Studies experience to all students.

What is the Honors Studies experience, you ask?

You may be thinking that Honors implies more difficult tests, challenging assignments, and classes capped off for “smarter” students. But that is NOT what Honors truly is. Here at FLCC, Honors means interdisciplinary seminars, discussion led courses, and classes that turn into communities. From classes on Women Who Kill, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Love and Romance, food and culture, storytelling in video games, and the Development of Modern Horror, as well as english, math, and social science courses, Honors is all about diving deeper into what makes you tick, and learning about who you are as a learner. 

For more on the Honors Studies experience, click here!

So, what exactly is the Honors Club?

The idea behind this club is to continue the Honors Studies experience outside of the classroom. If you cannot fit Honors into your semester, want to try a class but are nervous about the word ‘honors’, or just want to keep enjoying the same collaborative atmosphere, this club is here for you! We want to continually encourage self-reflective learning and expanding your horizons on an even more personalized level than taking an honors course. This club is all about what you want to explore, what you want to discuss, what you want to understand. Take that idea of ‘honors is for smarter students’ out of your mind, if you want to be a part of this experience then you can. We are here to welcome you with open arms and open minds.
More formally, the Honors Club’s mission is to:

• Develop multi-disciplinary self-reflective learning outside of classes and introducing it into extracurricular activities
• Help students meet who have similar interests and to develop more confidence in regard to such activities as open discussions
• Encourage students afraid to try Honors Studies to, at the very least, try the club
• Foster an environment of fluid curiosity, following what interests whoever makes up the club at any given time

Curious if Honors Studies is all it’s talked up to be?

Well… it 100% is, and we both know the power that an Honors class can have on not just a student’s semester, but on each student as an individual. We met each other last semester during the Honors Development of Modern Horror class, and by the second class we both knew that it was going to be something special. Within just a few weeks the entire class was slipping from just a course full of different people looking to know more about horror, to a community full of people who were truly interested in hearing, challenging, and debating what each other had to say. We learned from each other, helped each other, and truly found connections and friendships throughout the 15 weeks of classes. Leaving the Honors House was painful as our final class wrapped up, but the connections remain. And this is exactly what we are hoping to find and continue with this club. Nothing is as welcoming as a home away from home, and that is what Honors has become for the both of us.

Wondering how you can get involved?

We are looking for anyone and everyone curious about the Honors club and what it has to offer. Whether as a regular attendant of club meetings and events, someone who drops by when they can, or even as an officer- we have a place for you here. You do not have to be currently, previously, or planned to be enrolled in any honors courses to be a part of this club- if you are curious, you are welcome! As Dr. Trista Merrill, Director of the FLCC Honors Studies Program, says- come in and make yourself uncomfortable.

Curious about hearing more? Come to our information meeting on Thursday, March 15th from 1:00 to 2:00 pm (College Hour) in room 4245.

You can email us with questions before the meeting at:

jbond7@fingerlakes.edu

ckrieger4@fingerlakes.edu

We hope to see you there!

-Jill and Blinne

Did you know?

Vol 2 No 18

Did you know?

This week's blog is just a few informational pieces that you might not know or might need to be reminded about.  Hope there is something here of interest!

• It is possible for you to claim that an event should be eligible for Honors Points based on what is going on during that event and how it ties to the values and mission of Honors. There’s a form – just ask!
• Not only is the Human Library an Honors Event for visitors, but you can also earn Honors Points by BEING a book. Is there something about you that is often misunderstood, little known, or misrepresented? Consider joining the Human Library as an actual book! Earn Honors points and spread the word about whatever you best represent! Follow this link to learn more: http://libguides.flcc.edu/human_library
• We have a dedicated Honors Librarian! April Broughton has blogged for us before, but if you’re new to Honors you might have missed it. It’s also a good reminder now that the semester is in full swing and those projects are being assigned and brainstormed. You can read her blog here – and her email is April.Broughton@flcc.edu.
• We have an Honors Convocation at the end of the semester (May 2nd) where we display the work of Honors Students through posters and an invitation for four students to present their research and writing. Keep this in mind as you move through your Honors course this semester. You can read about last semester’s Convocation here. 
• We also have a DINNER! This semester, the dinner will be held on April 4th at 5:00pm in Stage 14. This time around it’s a taco bar (with vegan options!) and new giveaways. We have T-shirts left from last semester’s dinner that we will be giving away as well as coloring books and a cool new item. Hope to see you there!
• You can declare yourself an Honors Studies major with nothing more than your name, your ID number, your signature, and my signature. This does not ‘lock’ you into getting Honors Studies Scholar status, it just allows the Honors Director to access your program evaluation and help you make choices to reach that status. If, in the end, you don’t earn the 15 points, there is no failure or penalty at all. Just use the Change of Degree or Advisor form available at the OneStop or online here.
• The Honors Studies website is changing! As the days and weeks unfold, you should start to see more information available on the FLCC Honors Studies website, located here. If you have any ideas about what else should be there, please let us know!
• You can send any questions, concerns, feedback, or ideas about Honors Studies to the Director simply by emailing to honorsstudies@flcc.edu or Trista.merrill@flcc.edu. I look forward to hearing from you and hearing how your Honors classes are going!

Let me know what you need or what's happening with you in Honors!  We hope that you can get as excited about Honors Studies as we do!  STAY TUNED FOR EXCITING NEWS NEXT WEEK!

Honors Faculty....

Vol 2. No. 17

So, why do faculty teach Honors? To answer that, here are the voices of three who teach many Honors courses and come back to it time and time again. It is clear that the faculty find the experience as rewarding as the students do and that makes for an even more enriching experience.

Dr. Vera Whisman

Associate Professor of Sociology

I love teaching Honors courses because this is the place where I get to pursue my calling in life.

I’m a sociologist. I’ve found that sociology is a great tool for replacing ignorance, prejudice, and fear. I decided long ago that I was going to teach everyone I could reach how to think like a sociologist. That task is worthwhile, and meaningful, and important. And it is also so much fun: It’s a celebration of the love of learning—of ideas and questions and how to answer them and how that creates yet more questions. I’m helping students discover and nurture that in themselves. The beauty of it is that often it’s the students who end up in the course because it fit their schedule, who didn’t know that it was an Honors course, who benefit most profoundly.

• “I didn’t think I would like sociology.” 
• “I never thought about this stuff before.” 
• “I have really opened my eyes.” 
• “I just love this class.”

Those are the comments that mean the most to me, and Honors inspires students to make them.

Dr. David McGuire

Professor in Music/Music Recording and Visual and Performing Arts

I am drawn to Honors courses because they open the possibility of cooperative explorations with enthusiastic collaborators, and the electricity of genuine questions. In Honors, I am invited to reconsider the authenticity of my work by reinvigorating myself as a student: chasing down connections and implications, relishing clarity and expressiveness in the articulation of insight. Honors courses open the possibility of engaging a subject ardently, with conviction; they remind us that imagination is the last frontier.

Curt Nehring Bliss

Professor of Humanities, Former Honors Director

Teaching in the Honors Studies program invites me to design learning experiences that privilege and promote reflection as a core learning practice. So when I teach an Honors Introduction to Literature course, not only do we study critical reading, writing, and thinking strategies, but we also dive into a rich and rewarding exploration of who we are as developing readers, thinkers and writers. We get to interrogate our reactions (intellectual and emotional) to the texts we are studying; we get to unpack our biases, assumptions, and misconceptions about the texts, ourselves and our classmates; we get to identify, better understand, and engage with our strengths and weaknesses as learners. And because reflection (metacognition) has been identified as an essential component to assist with learning transfer, I feel confident when students leave an honors course, in any subject, they will be well positioned to be successful in their future learning endeavors.

Initiative Matters!

Vol 2. No. 17

It is with great pleasure that I introduce to you an Honors Studies Event that spans the entire semester and will truly challenge and support you to be the best version of yourself you can be.  I'm talking about the Women's Initiative on Leadership, sponsored in part by Student Life.

If you choose to participate, you will enter into a place where "individuals gather together, share their stories, offer guidance, mentor" so that you "have a safe space to be able question and develop" and can "grasp an understanding of [your] full potential."

This event began in August 2013 and has grown in scope and impact ever since.  Those who organize it have realized that there is "an ever-growing need for more leadership development and opportunities for students on and off campus" and this blog is one of the many places where you'll see invitations for you to participate in this amazing opportunity.

The theme for Spring 2018 is Daring Greatly - which is also the title of the book by Brene Brown that is used within the program.  This book, and the program, focus on "how the courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we live, love, parent, and lead" and "the overarching hope [is] that those who complete the program learn what Brown emphasizes in her book:"

“Vulnerability is not weakness, and the uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure we face every day are not optional. Our only choice is a question of engagement. Our willingness to own and engage with our vulnerability determines the depth of our courage and the clarity of our purpose; the level to which we protect ourselves from being vulnerable is a measure of our fear and disconnection" (2)

We in Honors Studies cannot praise this program enough.  It has grown each year and the organizers are proud that "[c]ollectively since the inception of the program 5 years ago, over 450 women, men, transgender and middle school/early high school students have participated in one form or another" and they hope that you will become part of the next group who make this journey.

So, what does this have to do with Honors Studies?  Well, honestly, everything.  This program is centered on reflection, interdisciplinary explorations, learning spaces, and intellectual pursuit.  To that end, we are pleased to announce that the FLCC Women's Initiative on Leadership is a new Honors Studies event.  If you successfully complete the program, you will receive 3 points of Honors Studies. 

Interested?  Email Jennie.Erdle@flcc.edu for more information -OR- attend the information session on February 9th from 12:00 - 1:00 in Stage 14.