A peek at Point Park

Internship opportunities available left and right

2010-04-28T17:26:00.001-07:00

Start early, Network a lot

By: Ashley Goodsell

Point Park University has plenty to propose in the areas of internships, scholarships and job offers.
Not only does the university provide students with workshops, internship and job fairs, but also, career development and human resources are heavily involved with temporary agencies and job listings in and around the area of Pittsburgh, PA.

Angela Meiers, the coordinating assistant of career development at Point Park University helps organize the pizza prosperity workshops that are held in the academic hall atrium overlook on the second floor, six times a semester.

“Originally, these [workshops] were just for prep before the West PAC job fair,” Meiers said. “And now, a lot of students are bringing their resume for us to review.”

These workshops include free pizza, tips for your resume and/or ways to prepare you for an internship or job interview. Computers are on-hand at the workshops, as well as brochures to further the student’s process in the job research. Job-searching sites such as Monster.com and J. Croyle Associates are just a few of the options that are provided on the laptops.

“Start early, you know, come to the [career development] office and get suggestions,” Meiers said. “Networking and informational interviews provide a great response.”

Other internship listings for the majors of Broadcast or Print Journalism, Digital Media and Design, Advertising and Public Relations, and Photojournalism are available on Point Park University’s website for a students’ convenience.

Some of these listings include opportunities from The Jewish Chronicle, Moon Community Access Television, KDKA radio, Pittsburgh Penguins, The American Red Cross, Wall Street Journal, Inspect Tech, and The Pittsburgh Pirates.

Michele Tabaka, a Freshman Advertising and Public Relations major at Point Park University is partaking in her first internship experience this summer at Springdale Highschool.

“I’m really excited to start working in my field this early in my college career,” Tabaka said. “Getting my foot in the door this early can really help me in the future.”

Career Development services at Point Park University highly recommend making a visit to them as a freshman to become more prepared when applying for an internship or a job. The West PAC internship fair is also a great place to put yourself out there and begin networking.

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INTERNSHIPS

Soupy wraps...

2010-04-26T05:57:00.000-07:00

I hope that in the fall semester, the Buffalo Chicken wraps made in the cafe are less soupy than they have been this semester. It is only a select few wrap makers that put wayyy too much sauce on these, but for future reference I recommend not to ask for extra buffalo sauce. Although this picture was found on google, it looks exactly like what I received last week for my meal...the wrap fell apart before I could even eat it. Also, if anyone has seen the movie zombieland, this picture looks similar to a lost limb off of a zombie...gross.

Where is Frontier Hall?

2010-04-21T08:25:00.000-07:00

So, in case you need your ID fixed or changed, Point Park has decided to make your situation twice as difficult than you actually expected. If you enter Thayer Hall and check out the old ID center right before you hit the financial aid office, you will find a notice on the door that looks exactly like the picture I posted above. The directions on the sheet then proceed to send you to Frontier Hall, which until last week, I had no idea that it even existed. After asking the security guard where it was located, I headed around to the shady corner of First Ave to a small building labeled with a green Point Park Frontier Hall flag. By the door there is an ID activation pad, which I though I might have had to use. Obviously if my ID is not working correctly, and the new ID center is located in Frontier Hall, I would not be able to get in the building. Fortunately enough, the activation pad was fake, and the door was conveniently open for anyone to enter (kind of risky, don't you think?)After all of this hassle, it ended up taking 20 minutes to find the ID center, but only 3 seconds to fix my ID. Convenience is oh so consistent here at Point Park. =)

Everything magically tastes like popcorn...

2010-04-19T10:56:00.000-07:00

All out of Orville Redenbacher's popcorn? Too broke to buy some? For all of you popcorn lovers out there, worry no more. The microwaves that are accessible 24/7 in the cafe or in Thayer Hall are great for making everything or anything...taste like popcorn. If you check out the bottom of the microwave, it even looks and smells like burnt butter! So make your way down to one of these two microwaves today and get a free sample!

World Cup History Timeline

2010-04-12T08:33:00.001-07:00

Point Park is good for your health...

2010-04-12T08:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I know I blogged about the hand sanitizer earlier in this semester, but I feel like this topic should be addressed a little bit further. Not only do we have hand sanitizer machines with an excessive amount of hand sanitizer, but now there is a wiping system located right next to them! How convenient...Point Park likes to keep their students clean. Or there might have been a MRSA outbreak and now they are cracking down. I guess we will never know...

But in case you don't know how to use hand sanitizer...don't worry, Youtube actually has a video how to do so (so weird...)

What to do (in a crazy order) for a Point Park Fire Drill...

2010-04-08T10:33:00.000-07:00

Although the text on this image is hard to decipher, the order of the steps to exit your dorm during a fire drill is quite amusing. The list of steps is as follows:

-Close and lock door (shouldn't that be listed last?)

-Close windows

-Leave lights on

-Take I.D. and key

-Leave the building

First of all, this sign is so small that I didn't even realize this was on the back of my door (especially because there is a very large coat hanger...with tons of coats...blocking it). Besides that, I do not think in the panic of a fire students would stop and read the directions before they are engulfed by flames (or not engulfed by flames). How are we supposed to exit the building? Or leave the building, rather. I mean, I know the stairs are a good place to start, but the notice doesn't really instruct us on what to do...and if we are closing the windows and flames block the door...don't you agree we are screwed? But no worries, at least the lights will be on for someone to see us and save us. However, considering the fact we are closing and locking the doors FIRST, no one will be able to get us if we have our key! Especially if the door is blocked off with fire. Well I certainly hope Lawrence doesn't have any serious fires before this fire drill direction sheet is revised...

2010-04-07T08:31:00.000-07:00

Everyone must be sick of school by now...I know I am. Once flip-flops are pulled out and the temperatures hit 70+ degrees...spring fever is definitely underway. Less and less people are showing up for class, procrastination is becoming extreme, and the Point is filled with students who are tanning, reading and frolicking in the grass pretending to be athletes. It's basically gotten to the point where it is just too hot everywhere to do anything. The dorms are 100 degrees (mainly because the heaters are still cooking and Lawrence has no air flow) and clothes are annoying to wear at this point. Due to the extreme temperatures and lackadaisical attitudes from everyone (including myself), I vote for no more school for the semester. Who's with me?

Darkness in Thayer causes danger...

2010-04-06T06:47:00.000-07:00

So as I've heard and now have seen for myself, computer lab room 212 on the 2nd floor of Thayer keeps their students in the dark. Literally and Figuratively. While I was here on spring break, not only was I not notified that the labs were closing at 4:30 PM, but the hallways near the bathrooms are never lit for students convenience, which is totally dangerous. Other students have experienced this as well--and they are not happy about it. This is especially dangerous because if anyone at Point Park has seen the hallway by that bathroom (which I'm sure you have), it is kind of scary back there. I actually didn't even know those bathrooms existed until this semester, and now that all of this has been brought to my attention, I will probably never use them again. Just kidding...but seriously, probably not at night, beause I won't be able to see and who knows who is lurking back there? If you are working on a paper late at night (or maybe even early in the morning, we haven't investigated that yet), I recommend bringing a flashlight or talking to the janitors, because we all know light bulbs usually aren't burnt out that long before they are replaced.

Funny Analogies...

2010-03-31T08:19:00.000-07:00

So I think I should begin making a blog specifically about these comments, because they are absolutely hilarious. If you are unable to read the writing, this post comment suggests:

"Can you please make sure that there is always regular (heavy emphasis on the regular) ranch in the salad bar, light ranch tastes like roadkill! Thanks!"

The residence hall kindly responded:

"While I would not describe the taste of light ranch as roadkill, I certainly agree there is a big difference..."

It's kind of funny because unless the person has actually tasted roadkill, I believe it would be hard to compare light ranch to it. Although, the smell of roadkill is pretty disgusting, so maybe this is what they are referring to. As students, we are kind of hypocritical, suggesting we need more options, yet we need to eliminate options for other people? This person was obviously NOT HAPPY about the light ranch. Someone please send them a bottle of LIGHT Hidden Valley Ranch (COSTCO size) ASAP. Thanks. :)

(I totally hope the person who wrote that comment isn't reading this...if you are, I'm totally kidding.)

Turning back time?

2010-03-30T06:49:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if anyone else has witnessed a crazy clock in Point Park's Academic Hall--but it reminds me of something out of the 'Poltergeist' or maybe 'The Ring'. This picture, although it is far away and blurred, is similar to what you see when you witness a crazy clock. Sometimes you may find the big hand going backwards in a counter clockwise motion, or maybe even both hands frozen in time, 4 hours off beat. Although cell phones are not recommended in class, if you like to keep tabs on the accuracy of your time schedule, I recommend you bring them just in case you are placed in a classroom with a "Point Park crazy clock."

World Cup from Point Park

2010-03-29T08:38:00.001-07:00

Some Point Park athletes extend their opinions about the 2010 World Cup for soccer:

Where do we go next?

2010-03-26T12:06:00.000-07:00

If someone asked me to paint a picture of Thayer Hall, or possibly how to get there...this is what I would come up with. For new students and for anyone else that has no idea how to get through Academic Hall, Thayer is confusing. There are signs pointing left and right and until you walk back and forth about 3 times, you finally realize that it's just one big circle. And what about the Academic Hall stairwell? You can take the elevator down to floor one, but instead of walking the stairs down to floor one, you are forced to come out on floor 2 and take the grand stairs to the lobby. How many Freshman or new students do you think have walked down those stairs just to see how far it takes them before they have to walk back up again? Maze I tell ya...

Elevators are irritating...

2010-03-24T08:14:00.001-07:00

Although my posts about elevators and food in Lawrence are extremely repetitive, I need to further address the fact that elevators are by far the most irritating thing at Point Park University. I believe that the Dean, or some representative of higher authority should implement a rule that disables anyone from the 6th floor down,(unless you have the occasional ladder or a food cart) to ride the elevator. We all are young, able-bodies with perfectly functioning legs(for the most part), therefore stairs are put there for a reason. The elevator continues to stop on every floor from 20 down, and it does not help keep you on time for class when you have that clown that takes the elevator down from floor three to floor one. The cafeteria is located on floor three, there should be no excuse for not walking two flights of stairs, especially after the 6,000 calorie meals that they are feeding us. Exercise is good for the body, let's practice good habits and use our legs. Americans are stereotyped as lazy, let's help prove them wrong.

Advertising in a flash...

2010-03-23T07:52:00.000-07:00

So I have noticed that this banner right outside of the Cafe is changed about every hour of every day. Okay, so I'm exaggerating a little bit, but it must be changed every few days. How are they ever supposed to advertise for something if nobody even gets a chance to read the sign? Last week it was the business idea, the next day it was WEST PAC internships, the next day it was something about something else, and now there is a pointless banner that threatens you to listen to WPPJ. What's next? A banner recruiting potential food providers other than Aramark? I hope so...

At least they look kind of cool...

2010-03-22T05:35:00.000-07:00

Well, although these Point Park shuttles look pretty innovative with the crazy new designs, it is a shame that no one can even see out of them from the inside. Maybe they should have made them a little less tinted for safety issues? Drivers backing up into things may not be the best way to keep us on our budget. Or maybe just to give the athletes the ability to see out of them when they are bored on the 30-minute ride to their "home" fields. The sky walk seems to have the same problem and now students can barely view the city from the second floor. The sky walk and its view is one of the most exciting things at Point Park, (well besides the taco bowls in the cafeteria) and if they take that away...what do we have? Struggling athletic records and people in tights? Well hey, at least the designs kind of look cool from the outside right...

Which one is it?

2010-03-15T08:43:00.001-07:00

If you use the computers on Point Park's campus often, then I'm sure you are familiar with this Point Park logo and the slogan, "Get There." I'm not really sure what "get there" is pertaining to...but I guess it works? There is also the new slogan: Point Park University, "The metamorphosis of me." This one is plastered all over prospective student brochures and of course on the shuttles with the hippie designs and creepy faces. Where are we getting to? And since we have two slogans all of a sudden, which one is it?

St. Patty's Day

2010-03-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

So I Youtubed St.Patty's day, this is one of the first things that popped up...which is kind of strange...I'm sure there aren't many people reading this because you are probably outside at the parade or heavy into your root beer at this time in the day. Happy St. Patrick's Day everybody! Be careful and watch out for those crazy Irish.

Point Park...

2010-03-10T08:26:00.000-08:00

Point Park dancers perform in relation to the G-20 summit happenings this past semester...

Point Park = High school?

2010-03-09T10:06:00.000-08:00

So I'm sure you have all seen the lockers on the different floors of Academic Hall--for commuters of course. Eventually I am sure that they will turn the fourth floor lounge of Lawrence into a more appeasing place for them to hang out, but until then, lockers are available to put their coats? Or maybe their brown paper-bagged lunch because the Cafe continues to charge $10.00 for turkey wraps. I have come to the conclusion that Point Park is primarily a boarding school for athletes and dancers. Well, dancers according to most of the population of Point Park, but us athletes are still trying. The last time I associated lockers with my academics was during my high school years...

...

2010-03-08T08:03:00.000-08:00

Funny video. Everybody back from break causing elevators to go slow again...not so funny.

We scream for ice cream...

2010-03-05T09:41:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I have heard rumors before that the cafe used to have an ice cream cooler. And although the picture above isn't the exact image of what they recently put in the cafe, the ice cream is back! Took them long enough. I guess it's appropriate to bring it out now as the weather continues to get warmer...although snow is still everywhere! They haven't stocked the ice cream cooler yet, so I'm guessing we will not have access to delicious treats until the last day of school. Just saying...that's how Point Park works...like clockwork.

Point Park is a haunted house...

2010-03-04T08:49:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if anybody else who is reading this has experienced a pre-season in August at Point Park University, but it was one of the most petrifying experiences of my life. Of course it didn't help that I had just transferred in and was placed on the 18th floor of Lawrence, with no other floormates at the time, nor did I know prior to coming here that the dorm rooms would resemble a penitentiary. Also, during the first few days upon my arrival, my friend Juliann came to drop some stuff off and talk to me a bit, and as her eyes widened, she casually posed this question, "Did you know that Lawrence is haunted?" Thanks Julsy. Not only am I terrified of staying alone, but I already had been sleeping with my light on for the past two days, (I know, I know, I'm a wimp) and now I have to deal with the shuffler, while you can go back and sleep in the comfort of your own home with safe parents and snuggly puppies. (miss your tackling mish--Juliann's dog...no Michele, I didn't spell your name wrong) Okay so anyway, as I remained scared throughout the entire night, not only did I sleep with the light on, but because of this I saw that the ceiling boards began to move.

(Yes, the ghost was kind enough to let me capture a video of this, however, verizon was not kind enough to let me save it to my computer--hence, no video, just a picture)

Anyway, anyone who has ever been scared to stay home alone at night knows exactly how this goes. (I am alone at Point Park for part of this week, that is why this is relevant...) First you begin to just freak yourself out because you're alone in the dark, then you begin to hear "noises", then coincidently, the shuffler is moving around in your ceiling boards, the fridge times on and begins to growl EXTRA loudly...and then you call/text someone for a security blanket. As if texting or calling a friend is actually going to help you in this situation at all. But for some reason it makes you feel better for about five minutes while you are communicating with them, and as soon as your phone stops beeping, the noises start up again. Now there is a hugeee shadow on the wall that resembles a man with some sort of weapon like an axe or something awful, floor boards creak, everything you can possibly imagine to scare you is happening and it's not until you turn on every light and TV in your room that your eyes begin to rest. Maybe that's just me? Don't even get me started on the other ghosts here...

Point Park, I'm starving....

2010-03-03T10:10:00.000-08:00

As my week continues on here at Point Park during spring break, I have realized that there are more people residing on campus than I originally thought. The more kids there are, the more food that the cafe needs to make, which means they are eventually going to make a lot of money this week considering they aren't taking meal plan exchange! Worst news all week. I'm not sure if anyone else is in the same boat as I am, but my flex dollars are dwindling down as you read this and as I write this--there is no way that $13 can feed an athlete for 7 days...possibly a dancer, (if they are surviving on Luna bars, no offense) but definitely not if you like to eat 3 meals a day (at least). So although I brought this issue up to some of the food service representatives, they are lacking in the sympathy department, still leaving most of us angry and hungry, with no flex dollars! :(

All of this turmoil has led to this:

A lot of oatmeal, not enough water...my roommate relies on the cafe workers to provide us with delicious food and because we don't have flex to pay for it, cardboard quick oats it is. Thank you Point Park, we are starving.

Do you believe in miracles...YES!

2010-03-02T06:59:00.000-08:00

Well done, Point Park. Finally, there are staples (in a surplus amount) located on the second floor computer lab in Thayer Hall. Brownie points for you. However, considering the fact that there are about 20 out of 4,000 kids on campus this week, only about half of them (if that) stapling papers, I am going to revoke these brownie points immediately. At least it's a step in the right direction. If they keep this up I might not have to keep taking staples from my previously stapled papers and rigging my new ones. Do you believe in miracles?...YES!

P.S. - Boo Canada.

Spring Break....? Not really.

2010-03-01T11:52:00.000-08:00

Remember these commercials? They were the highlight of Superbowl Sunday besides the game itself...depending on what teams were actually playing. Not much here from Point Park, although I am on campus for Spring Break. Elevators are much more pleasant to ride. Hope everyone is enjoying their break! If you are somewhere tropical please don't let me know, I will become extremely jealous, extremely quickly.

2010-02-24T07:46:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been reading a book, writing something, or working on your laptop while you are on an airplane? If so, doesn't it always feel like the person next to you is watching your every move? It's like you can't even turn the page without them knowing what the main character said, or enjoy a DVD on your laptop without them watching right along with you. When you are in Point Park computer labs, the computers are so close together, it's exactly the same thing except it is much, much worse. It's like you are forced to look. Every time I'm in the lab I know my neighbor's most recent friend request on Facebook, or what their thesis statement is for their paper that is due next class. It's kind of creepy...just saying. Maybe spread out the monitors a bit so your credit card number or password isn't stolen from a fellow Point Park student. Not saying we are those kind of kids, it's just that we're broke and some enjoy computer hacking...that's all.

Still loading...

2010-02-23T07:04:00.000-08:00

If anyone is familiar with the computer labs at Point Park, I'm sure you are familiar with this:

If you go to the computer lab five minutes before class to print out a paper (most of us do), I recommend going 5 minutes earlier for loading purposes. And if you need to staple whatever you are printing out, I'd take ten minutes. We all know the stapler on the 2nd floor computer lab is going to be empty... (see CVS post) Considering half of the people in the computer lab are usually on Facebook, it's kind of inconvenient that social media stalking is what is clogging up Point Park's server...leading to this. It always has a little note that displays, "Applying personal settings..." Now unless you are bedazzling your desktop or personally customizing your operating system, (if you are, you probably shouldn't be going to school at Point Park) then this loading process should only take a minute.

At least we know they are washed...

2010-02-21T20:37:00.000-08:00

This is by far one my biggest pet peeves of the 3rd floor cafeteria at Point Park. Everything is soaking wet. The bowls, the plates, the cups. It's like they took everything directly out of the dishwasher, stacked it up and let it sit, which just leaves hot, sticky water for us to put our food on. Nothing like putting soggy food on a wet plate. I wouldn't recommend putting Lucky Charms in one of their bowls before wiping it out...your marshmallows might get soggy before you even put your milk in the cereal. And we allll know that the marshmallows are the best part. I guess this isn't too much of us hassel if we have a paper towel handy, but hey, at least we know they are washed, right?

My 2 cents...

2010-02-19T08:08:00.000-08:00

Commuting is rough for Point Park students. Not only do they have to leave extra early from home to get to class on time, they have to find a parking spot. It always seems like when you need change, you can never find it. If parking garage's are full, some students are forced to park at a meter...I'm sure many of you can relate. Point Park was generous enough to put a change machine in the cafe, (located next to the Snapple machine that doesn't work) so you can grab quarters for your meter. The only catch is, it only gives you nickels. Last I checked, the meters surrounding our university only take quarters, so the change machine leaves you with a heavy pocket and a ticket underneath your windshield wiper. Thank you Point Park.

Eavesdropping...

2010-02-18T08:30:00.000-08:00

So I was on a heavily packed elevator yesterday in Lawrence Hall and people just kept getting on. I heard someone say, "Jeez, this is the most action I've gotten in awhile..." Awkward, but really funny. Also, there are foreigners everywhere. Babies too. I'm talking about YouTube...

Java gone wrong...

2010-02-17T08:30:00.000-08:00

This sign is pretty deceiving. It isn't located outside of Conestoga or Pioneer Suites, not even in the lobby of West Penn. In fact, I'm sure those of you who visit the 2nd floor of Thayer Hall often, are quite aware that this sign hangs right about that weird bar seating that is placed right outside the nurse's office. It's kind of funny because unless the nurse's are undercover coffee brewers, I kind of think this sign is out of place. Point Park does allow flex to be used with the Starbucks next to the suites and across from West Penn, but everyone already knows this--they don't need an out of place sign that says, "We proudly brew Starbucks Coffee." Well, because they're not. Unless they sold it in the Cafe. Which they don't, but I think they should. Don't you agree? Actually, I'm not sure if anyone feels this way about the cappuccinos or lattes sold in the Cafe, but their caramel macchiatos taste like this:

or sometimes this:

and nothing like this:

Although, sometimes the drinks do look delicious, they taste just the opposite. I probably try a different one at least once a month in hope that they will improve. They still have yet to improve, much like time it takes to make a grilled cheese. (15 minutes, I'm sure you know) Anyone else feel this way?

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Here we go again...

2010-02-16T08:10:00.001-08:00

This is a first. Someone actually enjoys the food that is in the cafeteria? I mean, I could understand if this was a positive comment on the wings or pizza, because honestly, who could really mess those up? But the Monte Carlo sandwich...that just sounds risky. And I don't know if you have read my previous posts, but I recently blogged about the "Chicken Cordon Bleu" sandwich, which was basically just a chicken patty with fancy sauce. Chances are that the Monte Carlo sandwich is the exact same thing with weirder ingredients. Whoever wrote this probably enjoys the Tofu section as well. Sometimes after reading the comments in the cafeteria, I wonder if they are being sarcastic or completely honest...or just silly. Because honestly, look at this one:

Whoever posted the "fat list" must have something to do with this...Comments anyone?

Full Elevators

2010-02-15T06:20:00.000-08:00

If anyone tries to ride the elevator in the middle of the day from the 2nd floor, then you are familiar with this:

or..this:

(Yes, that is Point Park...)

We are all impatient. Especially when you are done classes for the day or you have somewhere to be. It's obviously so frustrating for anyone in Lawrence Hall trying to get anywhere in the middle of the day, and that leads to becoming desperate for an elevator. Point Park kids don't mind squeezing 15 or 20 people on one elevator just to get to their destination, and by now, everyone should be used to it. However, if you are riding the elevator up, then take the elevator up. Please do not hit both buttons, wait for the one that comes first and then clog the elevator. Although it is tempting to jump on a down elevator after waiting 10 minutes to go up a few floors, I'm sure the people on the first floor don't appreciate an elevator showing up with 30 people in it. I mean, they could always ride the elevator down to the basement first, but just think about those in the rec center? They have nowhere to go...except up. And it is going to take them twice as long if everyone from floors 1-4 is in the elevator after their workout. Nobody wants to be shoved in an elevator with sweaty people and 10 other musical theatre majors...that's just no fun for everyone. So if we all just wait two more minutes for the elevator that is going up, we would all be a little less frustrated in a little less smelly elevator.

Valentine's Day...

2010-02-14T10:37:00.000-08:00

Not much to really say about this day, each person has their own take on it I guess. I did see a lot of packages on the Lawrence Hall security desk yesterday and today, so some people are getting some lovey-dovey cards and flowers.

Intramurals at Point Park

2010-02-12T08:10:00.000-08:00

Point Park holds intramural sports over at the 'Y' on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Apparently we are going to have complete ownership of the gym over there soon, but I guess we will have to wait and see (like we always do). Now, this isn't really a knock on Point Park, more of a joke on the 'Y'. Christmas was almost two months ago now, but they still seem to have decorations up in the gym...in the strangest places. See?

This one doesn't even have a hoop!

I guess it kind of works out because Valentine's Day is on Sunday, but who really looks at the garland on the basketball hoops and says, "Oh, how pretty". Especially because it's not...pretty. And I don't know if you have ever witnessed Point Park Intramurals, but they are almost more intense than actual sports at Point Park. I know that the basketball boys that show up on Tuesday nights definitely don't want garland getting in the way of their game. Considering Valentine's Day is a fake holiday, (sorry for all of you love birds out there) I believe that the garland should be removed. Immediately. No, but seriously, it just looks goofy. Also, I am sorry if I offended anyone in my snow post a couple days back, that storm was...kind of a big deal.

Fruit at Point Park

2010-02-11T00:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I just noticed this today. Cafeteria fruit is always super under ripe. You can bring one of these apples in your room in the beginning of December and still be able to enjoy it on New Years. But the funny thing is, if you choose to eat it a day after you bring it back to your room, it's just as good. They might be pumping these things with crazy chemicals, so we might wanna contact the FDA immediately. Or someone with nice handwriting please leave a comment in the cafeteria. Another thing I learned today is that apparently, you can't take more than a cookie or a piece of fruit out of the cafeteria. How clownish is that? Especially with the Cafe being closed during this crazy storm (which by the looks of everyone's Facebook status', everyone is thrilled to be attending classes today). I made a sandwich today to bring it back to my room for later, and was told I had to leave the cafeteria immediately--I thought they were going to confiscate my sandwich but luckily there was someone nice near the register to overrule the cranky id-checker-inner. It's funny how much money they charge us for fake food and how strict they keep their hours. You would think for 50 bucks a meal the least they could do is let me snag a turkey sandwich for later. Money doesn't grow on trees. Don't get me wrong, I know Pizza, Subway, and Chinese are delicious, but you can only make that rotation a number of times before your bank account is empty and your stomach is sick of take-out. Also, there are so many "college special" deals out there now, I feel like new places keep opening up just to compete with each other. It's not THE college special if there are 12 other deals just like it. P.S - sorry for the creepy picture. I googled "Point Park fruit" and obviously, nothing came up. So then I googled "weird fruit" and that's what came up.

"Some people just can't handle Vegas"

2010-02-10T08:36:00.000-08:00

I guess college isn't for everyone. Poor Michele can't juggle all of her studies this week due the hefty class schedule Point Park has had. Too much class, not enough sleep and now she can't even stay awake to complete her assignments. I guess playing a Varsity sport and school is just too hard for some people. Good thing she dropped her Hip-Hop class or she really wouldn't get her work done. You can't see it in the picture but even with Lil Wayne blasting from her laptop, she still managed to pass out. I guess 'Teen Mom' has been airing a little late on MTV, (I still don't know what channel that is--yes I'm pop culture illiterate) keeping Michele up passed her bedtime. I guess some people just can't handle college, much like, "some people just can't handle Vegas."

I hate snow.

2010-02-09T00:00:00.000-08:00

This is pretty typical of Point Park. I understand that the school was closed for snow, but if you are going to close the cafe, then close the cafe. If you are gonna have it open, then have it open for normal hours. Or at least notify us in advance. Then as some of us headed down to the cafe for dinner because we missed the delicious food in the cafeteria, we noticed that they kindly put a 3x5 sign in a hidden corner of the cafe to let us know it would be closing at 6PM that day. It was similar to a scavenger hunt. But hey, I mean, they were nice enough to post these signs multiple times throughout the cafe later on in the night as they also had the gate shut for the night. Pretty self-explanatory that when the gate is up, they are no longer selling food. But Point Park is pretty famous for obvious signs. School is closed again today and many people are still snowed in. More snow on the way which means it will probably be closed again Wednesday. Is this real life?

Snow is like Christmas morning for Point Park kids.

2010-02-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, so it snowed here this weekend. A lot. 22" I think, and due to the fact that there hasn't been snow like this in a realllly long time, you would have thought the world was about to end. Families hauled through the snow to the Smithfield corner store to purchase food to stock up because we were "snowed in". The store reported to be out of chips, all dairy products and Taquitos. Canned goods were also on the verge of being out, but thankfully they had a case of Chef Boyardee in the back room. It wasn't quite like Y2K, but close to it. No, but seriously, all buses and shuttles stopped on Friday night creating a hassle for anyone who wanted to travel out of town to have a good time--but apparently many Point Park students trudged through the snow to the Point where a huge snow ball fight erupted, ending in 3 injuries and one ambulance call. The snowball fight was pretty much the excitement of the weekend at Point Park (which is sad). Anyway as many people tried to make it home from Oakland Friday night, some baseball players continued their spring training and their community service all in one night. 3 baseball players lifted an ambulance out of a ditch with their bare hands, saving 2 cats and 3 small children. Not really. But they did in fact push an ambulance out of a rut, just so that the driver could turn his wheels the wrong way to get himself even more stuck. Everyone reconvened at Saturday brunch, (which turned out to be a picnic) involving much plastic ware, watery eggs and really thick cappuccino. However, props to the dude that made everything happen. Especially because there was no brown lettuce. School is closed today and it reminds me of high school because all 500 kids that go to this school are probably having slumber parties as I write this or possibly extending their weekends. It's kind of deceiving because professors will probably just email us all a ton of crap that is going the be due within the next hour. I recommend checking your email. I also recommend listening to Passion Pit's album - Manners. That's all. Snow is like Christmas morning for Point Park kids.

CVS is 2 blocks away, cmon now.

2010-02-05T00:00:00.000-08:00

You may just think this is just a picture of a normal stapler sitting on a normal desk, however, it is much, much more than that. This stapler here, is probably the worst trick in all of Point Park -- other than the renovation of our university (because we all know that won't happen until our grandkids are old enough to attend college). This very stapler sits on the desk of the computer lab in Thayer on the second floor, and although it looks promising and convenient, it is completely the opposite. 95% percent of the people that attend this university go to the computer lab 5 minutes (or less) to class just to print out a paper or an assignment they need for class. For some reason, every professor at this university is very strict about having your paper stapled (yes, grades have been threatened...and lives. Just kidding. But seriously, threatened.) So imagine 95% of the university going to this computer lab before class to print out an assignment that needs to be stapled, and 95% of the time, they are disappointed (or mostly pissed off) because the stapler is out of staples. Now I know as a private university we shell out a whole lot of money for tuition, the least they could do is replenish the stapler every now and then. It's probably because we waste a lot of money on really important things like hand sanitizer machines that hang on every square inch of our university's walls. And I know sharing is kind, but cmon, when you press the button to release the hand sanitizer, you get enough for 6 friends. If our school spent a little less money on hand sanitizer and a little more for staples, (that are actually put into the stapler) many students would be a lot happier and a little less sweatier when they arrive to class. CVS is 2 blocks away, cmon now.

Technology advancements are made, living arrangements downgrade.

2010-02-04T00:15:00.000-08:00

Watch this slideshow and just tell me, what is the first word that pops into your head?
(By the way, it's only 4 pictures so don't be lazy. Speaking of lazy, let's try to refrain from riding the elevator from 2nd to 3rd floor in the middle of the day. Thank you.)

Was it penitentiary? Cmon guys, that's rude, this is Lawrence Hall we're looking at. No one gets to live in such luxury. Well, except of course if you live in the Boulevard apartments. Which, by the way, I'm a little disappointed with the hard wood flooring, I expected marble. (But,I bet if a dancer put in a request for it, we would totally get it!) Anyway, when I first moved in during pre-season in August, to this empty 5X5 room, it honestly looked like I was coming into boot camp. Especially with those really innovative bed frames they provide us with. And did you see that stylish "closet" in the slideshow? Yeah, those of you in Thayer, I know you are jealous.That internet cord photo is a representation of what brings us the high speed internet here at Point Park. Which by the way, how many people are sick of this:

The photo of the hole in the ceiling that you see in the slideshow? Yeah...that's right above my bed. I'm praying that I don't feel any drops of water in the middle of the night, and I also hope that someone from the 19th floor doesn't come crashing through the stable paper mache walls above me. The other photo is a rusty vent in the bathroom that keeps us sick in the winter with unidentified dust. No wonder why Swine counts have doubled. Although this is where I live, it's still pretty cozy in Lawrence Hall 1818. And although my room has desks from the stone age, at least they gave us dressers that kind of look like they were in IKEA before they reached Goodwill.

That's all for today. Listen to John Mayer's new album, 'Battle Studies', it's awesome. P.S. - NOW ANYONE CAN COMMENT! YOU DON'T NEED AN ACCOUNT!

2010-02-03T06:46:00.000-08:00

There are dancers everywhere. Duh, we go to Point Park. When I transferred here earlier this year, I didn't even know that it was a dancer's school. Not only that, but the second best in the country? That's pretty awesome. (...I have to say that so I don't offend anybody) But seriously, I was thinking today, and I was wondering, when did they all start dancing? Probably before they could barely walk. I mean, I know a lot of us athletes started playing at a young age. Anyway, I know this isn't as humorous (or actually, corny) as my other posts, but check out this video. I would have to say this is a future Musical Theatre major at Point Park...with a minor in Dance of course. (P.s. wait for the 1:15 minute mark--it makes the video.)

...Probably most people's reaction to the "fat list". See, he's getting a head start already. He could possibly even be an acting major.

How to not starve on Sunday nights.

2010-02-02T07:04:00.000-08:00

Okay, so the cafe being closed on Sunday sucks. We all know that. If you miss brunch, you are forced to eat in the cafeteria anytime between 4:30 and 6:30, and if not, well then your screwed. And I don't know about you, but sometimes by dinner time on Sundays I don't have any meals left. And if anyone has ever experienced this, you know exactly how this conversation goes with the jerky Residence Hall dining police.

Food Police: Oh, wait, wait, you don't have any meals left for the week.
Starving Point Park Student: Oh, okay...so I guess I can't eat?
Food Police: Well, do you want to use flex?
Starving Point Park Student (thinking to themselves): No, I don't want to use flex, that's $15.00 for a brown lettuce salad and weird tofu..
Starving Point Park Student to FP: No...
Food Police: Sorry you can't eat.
Starving Point Park Student: Can I use a meal from next week?
Food Police: Nope (because we're mean and we just want your money, we know our food sucks)

And then, the cycle just repeats itself the next week. Solution: Open the cafe on Sundays.

You could always catch a bus down to the Southside or shuttle over to Oakland to grab something, but that means just spending more money. Haven't we all spent enough for our meal plans already?

Now I know for those of you that have strict rules not to eat after like 5PM this isn't an issue, but for everyone else--we're definitely sick of Subway. And, considering the fact that downtown shuts itself down before half of us even wake up on Sunday, it's either pizza fiesta, (my personal favorite--yes, the ranch is drinkable) or crappy Chinese.(costing you your last pay check)

Now there are always the vending machines around campus, so you could always snack on pop-tarts and cheez-its for dinner. Actually, I take that back. Half of these machines either steal your money and keep your snack, or only have shortbread cookies and weird candy bars that none have us have ever heard of. I guess it's either Ramen noodles, R&B's, or starvation on Sundays. Or...we could protest? Probably wouldn't work because no matter how many times people write, "NO BAD LETTUCE!" on the comment slips in the cafeteria, somehow it's still brown.

Thank you for the obvious signs Point Park

2010-02-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

I guess this sign explains the shot glass-sized drinking cups they kindly provide for us. Someone must have been chucking the normal sized cups out in the trash out of anger for the Zimbabwe burgers and Sesame Seaweed Salads they have been serving. Now I know it wasn't the athletes because these poor kids have to fill up 6 glasses at a time just to hydrate before their next practice. But honestly, that's what the comment slips are for. See?

They ARE listening.. (sounds kind of creepy if you ask me..)

Everyone knows Point Park starts brunch at 11:30 AM on weekends, probably because nobody in their right mind is up before 11:00 AM on Saturday or Sunday. (unless you're a loser like me) Now I know some people may still be a little "groggy" from the night before, but no one is still in that much of a haze that they could mistake the trashcan for the dish conveyor belt, and if so, you should probably lay off the Root Beer and just skip brunch this weekend.

Seems about right.

2010-01-30T07:53:00.000-08:00

So at this point, if you are reading the sign shown above while in the elevator, during a "fire", you are pretty much screwed. And, due to the amount of fake out fire drills that Lawrence Hall has, you might as well just ride the elevator, because chances are you will be perfectly fine. (don't quote me on that...) However, if you see something along these lines, I'd recommend taking the stairs...

Fancy Feasts?

2010-01-28T06:57:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I just noticed that the title of this blog post is the name of a cat food, so I hope you don't get the wrong idea. However, the cafeteria food sometimes does in fact, look like cat food. It's usually the tofu items or the weird Chinese meals they throw together. Typically, if someone wanted Chinese food, they would walk across the street to Mandarin Gourmet or grab take-out from Hong Kong Express--no one is going to walk into the cafeteria expecting Chinese. And if they are serving Chinese, it's usually just chicken strips smothered in some duck sauce or something fancy.

Note to any Point Park cafeteria user: Any kind of "chicken ______" whether it is a sandwich, a hoagie, sub, whatever, it is usually just a chicken patty smothered with some weird stuff--which in that case, they put a fancy name to it. Can't fool us residence hall dining.

Oh and note to residence hall dining: No one from the ages of 17-23 goes to Point Park dinnertime craving "chicken cordon bleu" (if you do, that's weird), but hey, here's $12.75 for my meal anyway.

Comments anyone?

2010-01-27T09:05:00.000-08:00

Well, well, well...it seems that us Point Park students get lazier and lazier everyday. Not only do some students feel that the library is too far to walk to, (imagine all the walking you would have to do at a large university!) some even feel as though it is necessary to take the elevator from the 1st floor to the 3rd floor, (side note: stairs are not just put there for firedrills...) and now, we actually are taking the time to write out notes that complain about tables being pushed together. Let's use our Lucot arms (see post 1 for more details) and provide some seating for ourselves, it's not too difficult--in fact, it will probably take less time than writing that note. And due to the fact that this request was posted in the cafeteria, you may not even need a seat because sometimes after browsing around for what they are serving isn't exactly worthy of a sit-down meal.

Not only did this happen once, but it happened twice:

...Does this not look like another one of those word verifications or what? Someone must have not earned their cursive license in 3rd grade English. Notice the feedback on this one. I don't think the residence hall staff had much to say for this one.. probably because it's not very legible.

Word Verifications

2010-01-26T07:11:00.000-08:00

So these are the wonderful word verifications that take me about 10 minutes to decipher ...which makes me feel like a huge idiot 99% of the time. Word verifications are placed at the most inconvenient times on a website. Usually when you are trying to reserve tickets that are about to be sold out, or book a flight that only has one seat left. Typical. Sometimes I just want to hit the handicap button on them so that it reads me the letters instead of taking the time to type it out 6 times before I get it correct. If I wanted to play hidden picture or find the missing letter I would go to my doctor's office and pick up a 'Highlights' magazine. This in no way relates to Point Park, well besides the fact that I'm sure plenty of people that go here get just as frustrated with these things as I do.

Point Park Bison? ...somehow it doesn't fit...

2010-01-25T19:29:00.000-08:00

Everyone should know by now that Point Park is primarily a performing arts school--and if not well you then must have been hiding in your dorm room this whole time or possibly still stuck outside from a fire drill. It should be pretty obvious by the singing in the elevators, and the students walking around in tights with granola bars in their hands (thanks to the "fat list"). However, many of you may be unaware that we do in fact have athletics at Point Park with a variety of sports teams. I'll admit, our reputation for winning isn't exactly the greatest, but we are definitely making improvements(keep it coming with the international kids). Anyway, we are the Point Park Pioneers if you didn't already know, (I'm on the soccer team and I just learned that last week...) however, our mascot is a bison...I witnessed it for the first time at the basketball game this past Saturday. I guess Pioneer kind of ties in with a bison in one way or another? This ten year old costume could use a couple repairs and I don't recommend inviting families to the game because younger children may be banned from the gym due to it's frightening face...

Point Park elevators.....

2010-01-21T20:15:00.000-08:00

This image is pretty self-explanatory. And if not...well, you see, here you have a Point Park Lawrence Hall elevator, which most of the time, riding it in the middle of the day, with 20 people shoved in, stopping at every floor...sometimes stopping in between floors (occasionally bouncing a little too aggressively)--Point Park elevators are never exactly OK. And when the little pixelated floor numbers start flashing, 00's and OK signs? That's not exactly comforting or convincing for an "OK" elevator ride.

Welcome!

2010-01-20T09:11:00.001-08:00

So, this is my blog...

I've never tried this whole blogging thing before and honestly, it was kind of hard to pick a topic. Considering that I just transferred here last semester (Fall of 2009), I decided it would be a good idea to base it off of Point Park. I kind of see Point Park as "under the radar" compared to other Pittsburgh schools. Prior to attending Point Park, if someone asked me what universities were located in Pittsburgh, Point Park wouldn't exactly be the first thing to pop into my head. In fact, I never even heard of Point Park until I checked up on their journalism program. Anyway, sometimes our school is made fun of a bit (in good humor, mind you), whether it is for athletics, the food, the size, etc., and I figure, might as well join em.

I'm from South Jersey and I transferred here from a state school located about 10 minutes from the shore. Yes, the Jersey Shore. I mean, it's nothing quite like the show (considering half of those people on the show are from Staten Island, NY), but many people around here kind of associate me with that whole... guido-jagerbomb-gelled hair-shnookie scene. I tend to get picked on a lot for being from Jersey, and the first question that people asked me when I got here was, "....so how the h*ll did you hear about Point Park?" Anyway, although I'm about 6 hours from home, sometimes I feel like I'm right at the Jersey Shore, especially when I see people everyday that look just like them!

You can click on it for a better view of the bulky dudes. (In case you're wondering, yes, Lucot's hair is spiked...although, he claims that he doesn't gel it)

Anyway, so here's "the situation": Kyle Lucot, although he looks like he should live at the Jersey Shore, goes to school right here at Point Park! In fact, did you know that he is the best baseball player ever? If you don't believe me, just ask him. I'm sure you'll see him around campus. After all, it's not very big...I'm talking about the campus, not Lucot. You can obviously tell by the picture that he's huge. And if you don't see him around, don't worry, just check out his MLB draft video:
BEST BASEBALL PLAYER EVER