The thrills of experiencing the different scales of homecoming at a college level-- classes competition, games, spirit, parties, and clubs. Being only fifty minutes away from Gallaudet University, I had heard a lot about their homecoming week and the fun coming with it.
I finally got to be involved with the homecoming week being a Gallaudet freshman. It started off terrible, believe it or not. On the first day of homecoming week, at Sunday noon, there was a relay where all freshmen did different sections of the relay passing on a banana. My part included some running, way more than I had anticipated. I had to run from the football field to Benson Hall. There, I had to run up nine stairs and back down. Ballard West sandlot was the final task... By the time I was at the third floor of Benson Hall, I couldn't run anymore. I found some energy in me I didn't know existed before as I sprinted to Ballard West sandlot to finish it out. Result? I threw up. Hahaha, I know.
The rest of the week wasn't as difficult as the first day itself. The next several days included many fun activities such as the mix of football and basketball, ping-pong with dixie cups, and spinning with a bat to your head then tossing a ping-pong ball onto a dixie cup... Also, flag football for the girls only and on the flip side, cheerleading for the boys only. Not to mention, all of us had to show up at volleyball games and show some support for them to fetch some much-needed points. All in all, our class did well at all of them and really bonded over those times.
Oh no, I didn't forget the weekend part obviously. Being a football player myself, I missed out on the homecoming bash; I heard it was very fun. Fortunately, I was able to go to the homecoming clubroom, it was tons of fun (PPV to mini UFC, get my drift?) along with some drinks, not just some but you get it.
I look forward to the next three years of being involved with the homecoming week. Hopefully, they won't fly by me too fast. Until then, peace out.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Plagiarism
With the latest technology developments, it's no wonder that the rates of plagiarism have increased big-time. Nearly all teachers classify it as bad or terrible. However, I'm here to tell you that plagiarism should be allowed.
Growing up all my life, I was constantly frowned upon when forgetting to cite my sources. No plagiarism! No copying! No cheating! It's really tiresome... It only motivates students to rebel and go against what their teachers are constantly bothering them with ethics. Speaking of ethics, plagiarism is one of the worst things a writer can do nowadays: "There are few intellectual offenses more serious than plagiarism in academic and professional contexts." Of course, students already know what is wrong and right, and teachers should back off a little.
Before you go all berserk on me, of course, it shouldn't be allowed. But, schools or universities should 'chill' out on the rules because kids do make mistakes sometimes by forgetting to cite their sources. Sometimes, students need to learn how to walk through between the lines of plagiarism and converting sources into their own paper: "I just believe that my students need to learn about the line between dishonesty and creative adaptation before they cross it."
Not to mention, some confusing websites really doesn't help students out on trying to cope the idea of avoiding plagiarism. Naming a few, Northwestern University's website... improper examples are offered with paraphrases of cliff notes. Cliff notes should never be used or paraphrased for that matter. Also, some other materials suggests reading a source then closing the book (situational) and then writing down what you remember. That's not acceptable either according to the rules of plagiarism.
BEFORE YOU THINK ABOUT NOT CITING YOUR SOURCES ...
Penalties -- The usual punishments of a university
Reprimand:
Warning from the college or university that a repeated action will result in a more serious penalty.
Loss of Privilege:
Losing the privilege to use some college facilities.
Probation:
Get a written warning that his/her conduct is in violation of college policies and the student's position is in jeopardy.
Suspension:
Excused for the rest of the semester due to actions.
Dismissal:
Officially expelled for an indefinite period of time.
Basically, plagiarism is illegal in our society and the penalties is really swift and harsh. Why plagirize when you have a mind of yours to use? Don't be lazy and type up some brilliant papers of your own.
Quick stats -
-66% of 16,000 students from 31 prestigious U.S. universities have cheated at least once (1991 study by Rutgers University)
-36% of undergraduates have admitted to plagiarizing written material (1997)
-Cheating on campus increased an estimated 744% from 1993 to 1997
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/01/
http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~rhart/courses/materials/plagiarism/
Growing up all my life, I was constantly frowned upon when forgetting to cite my sources. No plagiarism! No copying! No cheating! It's really tiresome... It only motivates students to rebel and go against what their teachers are constantly bothering them with ethics. Speaking of ethics, plagiarism is one of the worst things a writer can do nowadays: "There are few intellectual offenses more serious than plagiarism in academic and professional contexts." Of course, students already know what is wrong and right, and teachers should back off a little.
Before you go all berserk on me, of course, it shouldn't be allowed. But, schools or universities should 'chill' out on the rules because kids do make mistakes sometimes by forgetting to cite their sources. Sometimes, students need to learn how to walk through between the lines of plagiarism and converting sources into their own paper: "I just believe that my students need to learn about the line between dishonesty and creative adaptation before they cross it."
Not to mention, some confusing websites really doesn't help students out on trying to cope the idea of avoiding plagiarism. Naming a few, Northwestern University's website... improper examples are offered with paraphrases of cliff notes. Cliff notes should never be used or paraphrased for that matter. Also, some other materials suggests reading a source then closing the book (situational) and then writing down what you remember. That's not acceptable either according to the rules of plagiarism.
BEFORE YOU THINK ABOUT NOT CITING YOUR SOURCES ...
Penalties -- The usual punishments of a university
Reprimand:
Warning from the college or university that a repeated action will result in a more serious penalty.
Loss of Privilege:
Losing the privilege to use some college facilities.
Probation:
Get a written warning that his/her conduct is in violation of college policies and the student's position is in jeopardy.
Suspension:
Excused for the rest of the semester due to actions.
Dismissal:
Officially expelled for an indefinite period of time.
Basically, plagiarism is illegal in our society and the penalties is really swift and harsh. Why plagirize when you have a mind of yours to use? Don't be lazy and type up some brilliant papers of your own.
Quick stats -
-66% of 16,000 students from 31 prestigious U.S. universities have cheated at least once (1991 study by Rutgers University)
-36% of undergraduates have admitted to plagiarizing written material (1997)
-Cheating on campus increased an estimated 744% from 1993 to 1997
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/01/
http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~rhart/courses/materials/plagiarism/
Sunday, October 11, 2009
FYE #4
The PHAs hosted a workshop related to Drugs and Alcohol several weeks ago. I have to admit at first, I wasn't going to show up because I thought I would be busy... However, for some reason I was at the right place at the right time and was able to listen to what they had to say.
At the workshop, I learned a lot relating to alcohol and drugs -- how to reduce the chances of a hangover, the penalties relating to usage of alcohol or drugs, dangerous party drugs such as roofers, and many more. It was good to be reminded of the dangers of partying.
One of the most important things that I felt was provided at the workshop was the feedback on using dixie cups. The PHAs explained that it was at our best interests to keep our dixie cups in our hands at all times because many things can be put in a dixie cup without us knowing.
It was really fun to put on a beer goggle and know exactly how a drunk person would see things. I tried walking around it and then ran around. Before you have a heart attack, I ran around in an open space full of grass with no obstacles.
To sum it up, I had a blast and was glad that I made time to see the workshop.
At the workshop, I learned a lot relating to alcohol and drugs -- how to reduce the chances of a hangover, the penalties relating to usage of alcohol or drugs, dangerous party drugs such as roofers, and many more. It was good to be reminded of the dangers of partying.
One of the most important things that I felt was provided at the workshop was the feedback on using dixie cups. The PHAs explained that it was at our best interests to keep our dixie cups in our hands at all times because many things can be put in a dixie cup without us knowing.
It was really fun to put on a beer goggle and know exactly how a drunk person would see things. I tried walking around it and then ran around. Before you have a heart attack, I ran around in an open space full of grass with no obstacles.
To sum it up, I had a blast and was glad that I made time to see the workshop.
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