Students balance busy social life and academic life in different ways

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. (May 10) – Monday, 8 a.m. Abhi Aggarwal wakes up and immediately turns on his iPad – but not to check Facebook or Twitter. Aggarwal’s finger taps the calendar application and a sea of appointments washes over the screen.

     “I have a daily schedule,” said Aggarwal, a junior bioinformatics major. “It really helps to have all my appointments in front of me at every second of the day. I even have to schedule getting a haircut.”

     Friday, 8:30 a.m. Aja Wzientek has worked out for an hour and now heads to class. Afterward, she’ll go to intramural volleyball practice and then complete her 32-hour work week at Tops.  Beginning and finishing her homework are two thoughts that haven’t even crossed her mind yet.

     “Sometimes I feel like I don’t have enough time in the day to do everything that needs to get done,” said Wzientek, a junior physical education major. “But I’m totally self sufficient. I pay for my car, my housing, everything. It’s nice to provide for myself, but I’m definitely busy all day, every day.”

Students learn about the Franciscan values outside of the classroom

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. (April 27) – Someone takes a few extra seconds to hold open the door for you. Drop a notebook? Before you can pick it up, someone has already done it for you. You’re walking to class and someone smiles at you. Some call these actions selfless acts of kindness. St. Bonaventure University students call them Franciscan values.

     “These values are innate in us,” said Alex Henry. “We don’t even realize we’re using them in everyday life.” 

     Henry, a sophomore gerontology major, defined Franciscan values as subconscious acts of kindness.

     Other students defined Franciscan values as encompassing four factors – generosity, kindness, humility and service.

     Bonaventure’s definition of Franciscan values compared similarly to the students’ definitions, as does its mission statement:

     “St. Bonaventure University is a Catholic university dedicated to educational excellence in the Franciscan tradition.”

Students, professors agree writing well prepares students for the professional world

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. (March 28) – You didn’t get the promotion. You work for an employer instead of being the employer. You are not credible. You can’t write well.
     “Writing is one of the few products we have to offer the real world,” said Daniel Ellis, an English professor at St. Bonaventure University.

     Students and professors said writing well prepares students not only for college, but also for their job through good communication skills.

     “It’s a way to communicate effectively and show your level of intelligence,” said Frankie Matuszak, a freshman biology major.

     Nick Hillman said writing well helps students in their college courses.
     “It helps you clearly answer assigned questions so professors understand you,” said Hillman, a freshman political science major.

     Each professor had his or her own definition of writing well, but all agreed with Tracy Schrems’  “three C’s.”

     “Clarity, coherence and caring,” said Schrems, an English lecturer.  “Writing is an extension of who you are. If you don’t care enough to follow the three C’s, then what does that say about you?”

What happens in a classroom stays in ... cyberspace?

What Happens In A Classroom Stays In … Cyberspace?

A student takes a comical professor’s quotes and shares it with the world on Tumblr.com

By Maddie Gionet, staff writer

     ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. (March 22) – You’re falling asleep in yet another boring class. As your eyes begin to close, you hear your professor say, “I don’t get my news from a cell phone. In fact, I left mine at home today and tried to make a call with my car keys.” What would you do?
     If you were Joey Mullin, you would post this quote to your blog.

     In honor of John Hanchette, his Introduction to Mass Media professor, the freshman journalism and mass communication major put together a blog dedicated to quotes that Hanchette has said in class.
     “He’s one of the funniest people on the planet,” Mullin said.

     Quotes like “Now I can get stiff at the bar and roll downhill to my house.” and “That’s the bad news, that there is a midterm. The good news is … I stole candy!” don Mullin’s blog that had 55 laugh-out-loud quotes as of March 20.
     He said he began posting Hanchette’s quotes from class as his Facebook status during the 2010 fall semester. Once Mullin decided to take Hanchette for another course, he created a Tumblr blog dedicated to Hanchette’s quotes.

Students say schoolwork increases stress levels

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. (Feb. 25) – An alarm clock rings in Máire Reynolds’ dorm room. She rolls out of bed and shuffles to her desk. Her first task—set up her daily schedule.
     “I strictly manage my time,” said Reynolds, a sophomore management major with a 3.7 grade point average. “I make a checklist to see what I need to do and check things off when tasks are finished.”

     Sam Spinelli spends his day in class or in St. Bonaventure University’s Café La Verna with friends. It’s 8 p.m. He has a proposal due tomorrow morning for his psychology study. He’s not worried.

Students, professors differ in amount of technology usage

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. (Jan. 31) – Ryan McDonald sits in Café La Verna, a coffeehouse on St. Bonaventure University’s campus, typing a text message. Thumbs a blur, they suddenly stop. Message sent.

     “Funny, isn’t it?” said McDonald, a junior management major. “I’m about to be interviewed about technology and I can’t put my phone down for two seconds!”

     David Levine, a computer science professor, types up PowerPoint slides in his office for his courses.