PS 3conomics

Note: I try not to double up on posts unless my personal post is about MVNU. So if you have already read this, no need to read it again, it is the same.


So by now most of us have heard about the crazy events that took place last Friday (November 17, 2006) with the Release of the Sony PlayStation 3. There was the guy that ran into a pole, the guy that got shot, the several robberies and don't forget there were several PS 3s that were sold for over $2,000 on Ebay.

Well you may not have heard the less dramatic, but equally interesting acts that happened throughout the country, including here in out-of-the-way Mount Vernon, Ohio.

It began a few days ahead of the release when a group of MVNU students started scouting out the local Wal-Mart Supercenter. They found out that there were going to be 6 PS 3s and 4 vouchers for additional PS 3s that were guarenteed within 3 weeks. They found out that the longest anyone every waited for anything at our Wal-Mart had been 12 hours.

They spoke with professors and received semi-official excuses, they had friends promise to bring them food and they planned to show up about 24 hours prior to the 11/17/06 12:00AM release date.

Of the 10 people waiting in line, 7 were MVNU students; here is where it shifts from a stunt to capitalism at its best: one student paid another student $50 to shift from a voucher to an actual PS 3 because he heard the voucher was for a better hard drive (60 gig instead of a 20 gig). Another student paid 2 student $200 each to wait in line for him so he could get the PS 3s without missing class or sleep. Finally a man came in on Thursday evening, right before the release and saw that he would not be able to get one of the first systems and he gave one of our students $1,000 cash for their spot in line.

The other six PS 3 systems are expected to be sold on line and should continue to fetch a nice chunk of change for the students that put in the Wal-Mart all-nighter. What an interesting society we live in.

Current PS3 Ebay listings

PS3 Shooting

Sen. John Edwards is a line jumper

PS3 Theft



Craig Weston running into flagpole

Post-Confrontation

Question: "How are we helping students by ignoring or minimizing our responsibilities to ourselves, the institution, but mostly to the students choosing to violate a campus policy?"

Answer: "We aren't!" But relationships do not begin and end with confrontation.

We all know by now that one of the toughest parts of being an RA or even a ResLife Professional is when we need to confront someone about their behavior and their choices. We tend to want to avoid the confrontation or second-guess our opinions, actions or reactions, when we are simply doing our job by enforcing what is already known (most of the time). Most of us like the nicer side of Student Development: the relationships, the activities, the food and the fun.

An even bigger problem is when we put all of our time and effort into addressing problems and then focus on catching them again.

When a student makes a mistake it is important for correction to take place, but even more important is showing them that they are still important and that you still care.

A couple of good examples from MVNU:

A. The Maplewood and Elmwood staff have been intentional to reach out to any of their residents that are on social probation. They engage them in discussion, invite them to spend time with the staff and they make sure they understand they are important.

B. Lee Yowell tries to meet with many of the students who have received major discipline schedules from his office. Although this is done in a formal setting, he tries to make it more relaxed and informal by asking about the student's opinion of the process, adding humor, and asks questions about how things are going since the discipline occurred.

Here are some ideas for dealing with someone after any time of confrontation (large or small):
1. Respect their privacy; don't make them feel awkward in front of other people.
2. Don't bring up the issue very often; move on to new subjects.
3. Smile and say hi to them by name when passing each other.
4. Genuinely care about them and show them that.
5. If ever possible, invite them to participate in activities. Build a relationship beyond discipline.
6. Invite them to a meal.
7. Pray with them.
8. Even if they give you dirty looks or the silent treatment, don't give up on them, just work harder on the relationship and pray even harder.

Residence Life Programming Ideas

Fall Semester Program Ideas

SEPTEMBER

Adult Literacy Awareness Month
Jazz Month
Library Card Sign-Up Month
National Chicken Month
National Piano Month
National School Success Month
Self-Improvement Month
National Cholesterol Education and Awareness Month Classical Music Month
International Visitor’s Month
National Honey Month
National Courtesy Month
National Rice Month
Women of Achievement Month
National Alcohol and Drug Treatment Month

Student Issues

New year adjustment
Getting to know your roommate/apartment-mates
Strong start on academics
Finances
Community service projects
Time management
Social involvement
Familiarization with Mount Vernon
Hall council involvement
Long-distance relationships
Fire safety
MVNU policies and procedures
Exploring your personal beliefs

OCTOBER

American Magazine Month
Computer Learning Month
Crime Prevention Month
Ending Hunger Month
Fire Prevention Month
Hunger Awareness Month
Lupus Awareness Month
National AIDS Awareness Month
National Car Care Month
National Education Month
National Popcorn Poppin’ Month
Polish-American Heritage Month
National Seafood Month
Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month
Auto Battery Safety Month
Consumer Information Month
National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Healthy Lung Month
International Book Fair Month
Vegetarian Awareness Month
Lock in Safety Month
National Breast Cancer Month
National Dessert Month
National Pasta Month
National Pizza Month
National Pork Month
National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Student Issues

Alcohol issues
Roommate conflict/privacy
Health & fitness
Personal safety
Time conflicts between academics & social
Relationships – dating, non-dating, student withdrawal – adjustment
Friendships
Judicial process
Graduate school selection, preparation, and admissions
Disenchantment with school academics – midterms
Study skills
Homesickness (homecoming)
Job panic for mid-year grads
Group identity issues
Financial stress
Involvement opportunities
Fall Parties

NOVEMBER

Good Nutrition Month
National Diabetes Month
National Epilepsy Awareness Month
Religion & Philosophy Books Month
Latino American Month
Peanut Butter Lover’s Month
Native American Heritage Month
International Creative Child & Adult Month

Student Issues

Finals/grades
Changing relationships
Friends from home
Significant others
Dealing with parents
Time management conflicts
Roommate problems – short tempers
Winter Break depression
Results of procrastination
Social apathy
Problems related to alcohol

Spring Semester Program Ideas

JANUARY

Crime Stoppers Month
Soup Month
Volunteer Blood Donor Month
National Eye Care Month
Hot Tea Month
Oatmeal Month

Student Issues

Academic Revival
Post-holiday depression
Roommate relationships
Leadership
Para-professional recruitment
Family loss / stress
Welcoming of new residents
Weight gain
Money problems

February

African American History Month
Canned Food Month
World Understanding Month
Creative Romance Month
National Blah-Buster Month
Humpback Whales Awareness Month
International Boost Your Self-Esteem Month
American History Month
American Heart Month
Black History Month
National Snack Food Month
National Weddings Month

Student Issues

Dad’s Weekend
Summer job hunting
Graduation planning
Cleanliness in common areas
Living arrangements for fall
Tutoring services
Race issues
Dating
Alcohol and relationships
Dealing with noise
Where to study

MARCH

American Red Cross Month
National Frozen Food Month
National Peanut Month Irish-American Heritage Month
National Nutrition Month
National Women’s History

Student Issues

Safe spring break
Travel tips
Goal-setting
Choosing a major
Impending crises for seniors
What was/is my education worth?
Did I choose the wrong major?
Job interview preparation
Resume writing
Resume building
Summer job hunting
Earning money for spring break

APRIL

Keep America Beautiful Month
Listening Awareness Month
Multicultural Communication Month
National Recycling Month
Actors Appreciation Month
Alcohol Awareness Month
National Anxiety Month
National Humor Month
National Poetry Month
Stress Awareness Month

Student Issues

Outdoor resources
Bike trail
Hiking
Modesting issues (warmer weather)
Financial strain affecting social life
Time management
Major selection
Illness due to weather changes
Senioritis

MAY

Better Sleep Month
Electrical Safety Month
Mental Health Month
National Barbecue Month
National Hamburger Month
National Egg Month
National High Blood Pressure Month
Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month
Revise Your Work Schedule Month
National Sasquatch Month
National Asparagus Month
National Bike Month
National Mime Month
National Physical Fitness
National Photo Month
Sports Month
National Strawberry Month
Personal History Awareness
Cinco De Mayo (Mexico) Month
National Salad Month

Student Issues

Year end check out procedures
Finals pressure
Going home for the summer
Spring health and fitness
Finishing strong with academics
Senior/Summer job panic

JUNE

Fresh Fruits & Vegetables Month
Fireworks Safety Month
National Accordion Awareness Month
National Drive Safe Month
National Pest Control Month
Black Music Month
Tony Award Month
June Dairy Month
Youth Suicide Prevention Month
Zoo & Aquarium Month

The information used on this page was found at http://www.oneonta.edu/development/reslife/pages/prog_social.asp

Doppleganger

We had FNL at MVNU this past week and here is one of the videos made by some of the students.



Good job guys!

RA Caption Contest

"Its amazing we actually caught someone cleaning the bathroom."













"Is this an 'A', 'B', or 'C' Fire Extinguisher?"















1. "If I showed this to my roommate, I wonder if the Director of ResLife would count this as an Educational Program."

2. Cypress' annual preparation for TWIRP Week.






















"How am I supposed to find my future wife if I can't get on my Facebook?"






















Next year's RA Retreat plans.



















The state school version of the "Straw Game".

Summer 2006 Update

RAs,

I know that many of you are excited about returning to campus, but I wanted to let you know about some of the updates taking place on campus.

Cedar: The two large trees (Pod trees) have been removed and make that area look so much nicer.

Birch & Rosewood: New trash cans have been added for the grills. These cans are not for trash, but for discarding charcoal remains.

Galloway: Lobby is being painted

Pioneer: Old furniture has been removed from the study rooms

Maplewood & Elmwood: Some apartments are receiving new windows

PSU: A new outdoor patio is being put in outside the 586

Galloway and Pioneer: Carpet is being added to Galloway 1E and Pioneer 2N

Thorne Library: New expansion being added to lower south-east corner of the building (Depicted below).

Enjoy the rest of your time with your friends and family. We look forward to having you return on the Friday the 25th of August. Please contact your RD if you have any questions about arriving back at MVNU.

Ryan

The Kellers are here.

Hello everyone, I hope that you are enjoying the summer. Things are going well on campus, we have had 3 orientations and have found housing for over 300 first time freshmen with more to come, and there is a large group of transfer student also assigned. Travis and Sarah Keller have completed the first leg of their move and are planning to be completely moved in next week.

Just to let the RAs know what the next month holds for us: the RDs and I will be hitting the ground running starting August 3rd, we will be attending a conference at Grace College in Indiana and following that up with Residence Life Planning until the 16th of August. Your RDs will be in contact with you, but they will be pretty busy during that time, so leave messages if you want to get in touch with them.

Also RAs, you should plan on returning to MVNU on Friday August 25th (unless your RD specifies an earlier time) because we will be going camping at the MVNU Wood on August 26-27. We will be sleeping in tents, so come prepared with sleeping bags and clothes that can get dirty. So get some rest before you come back to school, because we are going to have a lot of fun, but it will be very busy as well.

Have a great week!

Ryan Schmitz