Presidents' Day: Different States, Different Rules

What does the third Monday of each February mean to you?  The intended effect of Presidents’ Day is to provide a chance for Americans to recognize the great Heads of State that this country has had the privilege to be led by.  Unfortunately, this message is sometimes lost in the swirl of other events

The nationally recognized name
 for 'Presidents' Day'
is legally 'Washington's Birthday'.
(Courtesy of Cool Dude Stuff)

surrounding the day.  Among the most popular of topics is whether or not employees and students are exempt from a day of work.

Though all federal employees are granted the day off, the same is not universally true for all students.  There tends to be anger and confusion from students that are forced to attend classes while others stay in and get a free day.  Rebekah Capeder, an Avila University student, displays this irritation, “I don’t really care about Presidents’ Day, I just wish we didn’t have school!”  

A look at the USA, Missouri, and Avila
flags at the front of the AU campus.

Max Mammele, another AU student, shares his feelings surrounding the holiday:  “I find Presidents’ Day to be frivolous because no one truly knows what the holiday is about or commemorating. I don’t either! But, I do feel that if it is a reason for some schools to get out because of it, all schools should receive that benefit, public or private.”  The reality of the matter is that K-12 and college students are all under different jurisdiction.  Whether or not students get out varies from state to state.  Different states have different official holidays.  For example, in Missouri, Washington’s Day (aka Presidents’ Day) is in fact an official state holiday; on the contrary, Presidents’ Day is not officially recognized in Kansas.  To use these two states as an example, generally children within K-12 education in Missouri would originally get the day off from school, whereas Kansas schoolchildren would not.  When it comes to college and university students, there are even more twists.  Public universities typically follow official state holidays, whereas private universities are open to do as they please.

 All in all, there are no all-inclusive rules; the administration of each school, college, or university is free to do as they see fit.  At the heart of the matter, however, is the fact that this is a controversy is taking away from the true meaning of Presidents’ Day.  As Olivia Black, an Avila freshman points out, “People just see Presidents’ Day as a day off, but they don’t actually respect what our past Presidents have done.”  (More from Olivia's interview can be viewed below)  People ought to worry less about whether or not they have class, and focus more on the true spirit of the holiday.  Our country would not be what it is today without fine leaders such as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and these men deserve the recognition that this holiday calls for Americans to reflect upon.

While some get a day off in
observance of Presidents' Day,
others do not get a holiday.
(Courtesy of Pixmule)

                              

Exploring Creativity- an Interactive Event

         On Wednesday February 8th, Avila University & Steven Fischer presented select Avila students with an all-day event in which they explored ways to tap into their full creative potential.  These students all had a background of talents in the arts, such as theatre, choir, drawing, or creative writing.  The goal of the symposium was to get students thinking.  Everyone was asked to reflect on certain questions throughout the day, among them were the following:

         -What makes us passionate and willing to take risks?

         -What prevents us from responding creatively to challenges?

         -How do we develop creative self-improvement?

Symposium students ponder a brick during an exercise on Wednesday, Feb. 8

         In order to come to some conclusions about these questions, students were confronted with a variety of exercises.  Their day began at 10 a.m. with a film screening, followed by an artist panel in which three exclusive guests were brought in and the students had the chance to ask this Artist Panel questions.  Following a lunch break, interactive stations were underway.  In this activity, the students were divided into five groups and rotated between five stations where they had five minutes to complete the presented task.  Among the stations was one named Blackout Poem where the students had to use newspaper articles and cross out unwanted words, creating a poem from the remaining words in the article.  In another station, the students were given a piece of paper with one squiggle on it and had to create a drawing surrounding and utilizing this one seemingly insignificant mark.  In yet another activity, a brick was simply placed in the center of the table and students had to brainstorm on various ways to use the item.  Most of the time, students were very interactive, constantly bouncing ideas off of others, and at certain moments it was evident that ideas were flowing and students kept to themselves, working diligently with their profound concepts.  After having a reflection session following the stations, the event transitioned into the next activity at 2:00 in which students worked in interdisciplinary groups to create a work of art to be presented at 4 p.m.  Following presentations, everything wrapped up around five o’clock following closure and final reflections. 

AU students embrace the crayons of their Kindergarton days during an activity.

            All in all, this interactive symposium induced students to explore and familiarize themselves with their full creative potential.  Many left the day feeling refreshed and ready to tackle things with a new, more creative mindset.

Obama’s Promising Plans for Students



President Obama delivers his State of the Union
to a joint session of Congress.
(Courtesy of Reuters)

          On Tuesday night, January 24th, 2012, President Obama addressed the nation by giving his State of the Union address.  He covered many things from American manufacturing and energy production, to the deficit and the need for politicians in Washington to set aside their differences and get to work.  In the midst of his address, Obama hit on some key points regarding higher education and continuing studies.  At this point, the ears of college students across the country perked up to listen a little more carefully.  In case you missed out on Obama’s speech, there are a few hopeful concepts for Avila students to be aware of.

         Obama stressed restricting the interest rate on student loans from doubling in July, as well as urging colleges and universities to keep tuition rates down.  Among the highlights, the fact that Obama hopes to double the number of work-study jobs across campuses in the nation in the next five years was also mentioned.  Here at Avila, there is work-study that pays $8.00 an hour and another more advanced program that offers $10.00 an hour.  Both work-study programs top out at earning $700 per semester.  Unfortunately, many students have been turned down from these programs.  The simple fact is that the university does not have enough jobs or funding to fit the multitude of students seeking work-study positions.  For Obama to increase the availability of jobs would mean for twice as many Avila students to have an additional $700 income to use for the ever-rising costs of books, tuition, or room and board expenses.  What’s not to love about extra income?  Obama is working to make this possibility a reality.

An Avila University work-study student in action.
(Courtesy of Avila.edu)

If You Don’t Succeed, Tweet, Tweet Again

          There is no escaping the fact that Twitter usage is on the rise, as statistics from the website CommunicationsStudies.com point out.  In 2009, only 3.6 percent of first-year college students were using Twitter.  By 2010, that number shot up to 17.8 percent.  Because Twitter usage is going nowhere but up, the key to a more fulfilling 2012 is successful utilization of what Twitter has to offer.

          Curious about what the new year has in store?  Interested in the do’s and don’ts of this semester?  Twitter has it all.  There are many factors that make Twitter so user-friendly and beneficial.

Rebekah, an Avila University student, checks her Twitter.

  

à Mental and emotional well-being: Having a tough day?  Many use Twitter as an outlet.  It can act as a journal to express how you are feeling and people can find comfort in the relatable tweets of others.

à Entertainment: Follow the Twitter accounts of major actors, singers, comedians, or even sports stars.  Whatever your interests are, there is a place for you on Twitter.



à Social connections: Twitter’s obvious advantage is the fact that it keeps you connected with friends and loved ones. In addition, to stay up to date on what is most current, Twitter offers a constant listing of popular news that is trending.

 What isn’t to love about Twitter?  The fact that there is a 140 character limit on every tweet, reply, or message keeps things condensed and straight to the point, unlike other social networks where more time is spent sifting through junk than finding information that sparks your interest.  All in all, anything you could possibly need to do, understand, know, or avoid for the following year is only a click away on Twitter.  Happy Tweeting everyone! 

A look at the Twitter Application on an iPhone 4.