The end of an era

This last Wednesday was the last large group event for Social Mentors that I will ever attend. I went to all of them as a freshman and then I became a mentor my sophomore year, so four years of experiences are now finished. It was a BLAST!!!
We went ice skating at Crown Center, and I really enjoyed it. I only fell once, and it was because someone cut me off and pushed me over, so I thought it was a pretty successful night. Also, no one else present got severely hurt, so that was pretty good.
The Social Mentors are awesome here on campus. Their goal is to basically help freshmen get acclimated to college life at Rockhurst in Kansas City. They help freshmen get the hang of getting around on campus and out in the city. It is a great program, and one that every freshman coming here should take full advantage of. My time with them is coming to an end, but I am confident that we are leaving the group in good hands, so anyone coming to Rockhurst next year should be able to have a blast, just like I did.
My top five favorite things about Social Mentors are as follows:

5) FREE STUFF: getting to go to ice cream shops, haunted houses, Royals' games, and a whole lot more for free is always nice

4) Meeting people, if you show up to the activities, you will meet people, I guarantee it

3) Learning about campus: The mentors can show you around campus in ALL its glory, they can tell you what classes are fun, and they can let you know a lot more about what goes on here at Rockhurst

2) Learning about what is off campus: I did not know Kansas City that well when I got here, but the mentors take people out into the city, and it really helps to get your bearings in a big city

1) Helping freshmen: I just like that there is a group totally devoted to making the transition into college life as easy as possible, it really helped me and I know it will help many more people in the future.

For more info on this group you can go here, I'm sure you'll enjoy Social Mentors when you get to the Rock!

It was a good time, anyway

Rockhurst hosted the first round of the D-II soccer tourney yesterday, and we lost. However, it was still a fun time. Getting to go out to the game and root on the team in the national tournament on our campus was a lot of fun. It was a 0-0 tie through regulation and overtime, and then we lost 4-1 in the shootout. Our guys fought hard, and we appreciate the hard work they do for our school. You can go on the website and see all the information about our soccer team, and all our other teams as well.
Anyway, that was the beginning of a long weekend for me. I work all weekend, and I had a test at 7:30 this morning, and that was not fun. On the other side of this weekend is yet another stress-filled week, but then we get a full week off for Thanksgiving, so it will all be worth it (hopefully).

The Rockhurst Men's soccer team has overcome all opponents. They are the champions of the GLVC tournament. They came in ranked sixth in the tournament, and they beat the ninth ranked team in the championship. The campus is incredibly proud of the team, especially with the guts they had to show to get to this point. The road to the championship was not an easy one, and they had to get passed a seven-round shootout in the semifinals just to get a shot at winning this game, and they went ahead and won the championship game 2-0. As with any championship game, every player on the team had a helping hand in the victories that led to this point.
With a 16-1-3 record, the Hawks are now preparing for the battles that will come in the national tournament. We are obviously all pulling for them, and expecting them to go out and win for our school.

As Halloween approaches, I feel the need to get into the festive spirit. While some see Halloween as a simple marker for the beginning of the "good holidays", there are others that feel Halloween is awesome in its own right. Whether it's the cooler temperatures outside or the beautiful colors on the trees, there is something about Halloween that makes everything seem calmer.
That is, until you go to the Haunted Houses in Kansas City. I just went there with a large group of people, and it is sufficient to say they are more ready to make sure you do not sleep for a while after you leave.
The house was a quarter mile of darkness, lights, empty rooms, and rooms full of people just waiting to make you scream. There was even a real live python (in a cage, obviously)! Anyway, it really got me into the spirit of Halloween, and I felt the need to make up my own little top five list of Halloween movies:

5) Hocus Pocus - while some may not think this belongs here, it is just one of those movies I grew up watching, and it will forever be a classic to me

4) It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown - I love Peanuts, that's all that needs to be said

3) The Amityville Horror (the original) - this movie just scares the crud out of me every time I watch it. Like a candy cane, it's good all the time, but it always tastes the best at a specific time of year.

2) Beetlegeuse - not specifically a Halloween movie, but, again, it is better to watch it in October. Michael Keaton is hilarious, and the rest of the movie is done almost perfectly.

1) Sleepy Hollow (the Johnny Depp version) - this movie just captures everything that Halloween is about. It is scary, entertaining, and has a happy-ish ending (All right, not really. But it could be.)

In keeping with the spirit of Halloween, you can check out all the cool stuff that happens at Rockhurst around this time of year. There is a haunted physics lab, and the school hosts a party on Halloween for all the people living in the areas around the school. It's a lot of fun, and everyone has a great time doing it.

Time for a break!

I just went ahead and came home this weekend. School and work have combined to really get me down, and I just needed to get a break. I came back to Jefferson City in order to bet a break in, but I still have to do a little homework before Monday.
These breaks are necessary for anyoe that is in school, and students at Rockhurst are no exception. The semester is hitting its final stretch, because Thanksgiving is in just a couple weeks, and finals are the only thing between Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks. This means that all the work I have been putting off thill the end of the semester needs to be done.
This is the reason that I wanted to come home this weekend, to get a little rest in right before I hit the most stressful part of the semester. This got me thinking about what the top five things to remember during this time is:

5) No matter how bad it gets, you cannot give up. After all, you don't want to have to take the classes over again.

4) If the tests, papers, and projects were impossible, the teacher would not have assigned them. Try different ways of approaching the challenges.

3) Take a multivitamin (or exercise and eat right) in order to avoid getting sick. The stress level combined with the changes in temperature have taken down more than one person with sickness.

2) Prioritize. Make sure you have organization in what you are doing, that way you should definitely get everything done.

1) Do what you can. You shouldn't try do to too much, and you definitely need to not do too little. Just keep in mind how you will feel after, and use that as motivation to work hard.

For any other questions about the calendar of classes for Rockhurst, you can look here

RESEARCH!!! I HAVE TO DO THAT HERE!!!

WOW!! Who would have thought college would require so much research!? I have several papers to write this semester, but luckily Rockhurst has me covered. At Greenlease Library, here on campus, there are numerous research tools for students to take advantage of, and I definitely do. You can look through some of their online information, or just look at the books that they have. This got me thinking of how great it is to have all these resources right where I can get to them. You can look at the online catalogs and the rest of the library website as long as you are connected to the schools wireless internet. If you are off campus, they have a system you can use also. Basically, no matter where you are, Greelease goes with you, and you can find out for yourself at the website.

Fall Break is Upon Us

Fall Break is finally here. For many students, this means a nice and relaxing trip home to spend some down time with family. For other students, like myself, it means a great break in classes so that they can get caught up on their homework. Either way, it is a nice break to have at this point in the semester. I have been able to get my homework caught up, and get some of my homework caught up as well, so it has been a successful break for me.
However, I not only have all this homework to catch up on, but I am also taking a class at UMKC. While this is inconvenient, I do like that I have the option to do that. KCASE stands for "Kansas City Area Student Exchange", and it lets any student here at Rockhurst take one class per semester at UMKC, or any other KCASE school, for free. I have done it twice, and it has saved me from having to stay at Rockhurst for an extra semester in order to graduate. Some people may have a lot of questions about academics at Rockhurst, and looking here should help. Rockhurst and the KCASE program aim to help everyone get the opportunity to take the classes they need right when they need them. The top five things I have enjoyed about having the option of KCASE are:

5) I get to meet new people from a different school, which is always fun

4) I get to experience a different style of teaching than what I am used to at Rockhurst (I prefer the styly at Rockhurst, but at least I experienced something else)

3) I get to have a nice walk over to UMKC a few times a week. I enjoy having those 5-10 minutes to just walk and get all my thoughts in order

2) It is a fun challenge for me, because I choose to work on my own instead of going over to UMKC and studying with other people in my class. At Rockhurst I always study with other people, because it is just easier.

1) I get to graduate on time, which was my goal from day 1. Rockhurst was not offering 2 classes that I needed right when I needed them, but UMKC was. I needed Computer Science and Geometry. CS is not offered at Rockhurst anymore, and Geometry was not offered until the semester when I student teach, so I could not wait and take it. In short, KCASE is letting me graduate thie May!!!

Homecoming Week!

Wow! Homecoming week was a blast!
There were plenty of activities throughout the week, culminating with Rockhurst Day on Friday, but my favorite had to be the events of Saturday. The Homecoming dance was that night, and I got to go eat at the Hereford House steakhouse before the dance. It was so much fun, in fact, that it took me a full week to gather my thoughts about it enough to write this blog describing just how much fun I had.
Unfortunately, I had to work on Friday, which was Rockhurst Day, but I was able to enjoy the events vicariously through these photos on the website. While it looked like a lot of fun, I chose to make sure and have work off for the dance on Saturday.
As I mentioned, I got to go out and eat at the Hereford House before the dance. I enjoyed a delicious KC Strip with twice baked potatoes and some delicious cheesecake afterwards. Then, we let the food settle in our stomachs a little bit, and we were bused to Bartle Hall in downtown KC where the dance took place.
This was my last Homecoming, but it was a good one.

PS I wound the night down after the dance with a wonderful jaunt out to IHOP, and I recommend this trip to anyone else who goes to the dance.

Going Green!!!

There has been a lot of talk over the last few years about going green, and I am doing my part. I was able to acquire a nice little road bike for under a hundred dollars, so I decided to begin riding it EVERYWHERE. I ride to work, I ride to the park, I ride to class, etc. I began to think about all of this, and I realized that it is just another thing I love about Rockhurst.
I love that there are so many things to do around Rockhurst that I can bike to within just a few minutes. While most schools may be like this, I enjoy the variety of things I can bike to, such as these five:

5) Work - makes the list because I do it a lot, not because I like it

4) Loose Park - can go to have a picnic, do homework, or just ride in circles for some exercise

3) Class - while walking works, biking is faster, meaning I can get an extra 3 minutes of sleep every morning (and it IS worth it)

2) Grocery stores - this is great for small trips, but obviously driving is necessary for larger loads

1) Nelson-Atkins Museum - this is just a great place to go and hang out for a day and look at some art

There are many more things withing biking distance, so feel free to explore. Also, biking is not just about being green, it helps save money on gas and lets you get plenty of exercise. If you want to know anything about how Rockhurst is going green, here is one example.

Coming to Rockhurst!!!

I have always felt that Rockhurst was the best place for me to go. However, there was never a good way to see the campus without really coming here and seeing it in person. I did come here, and I did like it, but how many people would rather not take the chance on taking a whole weekend to come see a campus without getting even a little sneak peek.
Well, now there is a sneak peek. Rockhurst has now posted a video on the website that allows people to get a look at how the campus really looks. I really liked this idea, because now there will be a lot more students that get to see what it is like, which may spur them to come to the school.
Another thing this video made me think of was a list of my top five favorite places on campus:

5) My room in my house. Would be higher on the list, except all the homework I have to do here really takes away from the fun-factor.

4) The Quad (aka Kinerk Commons). This is a great place to sit outside and just relax. There are plenty of trees to get some shade, and plenty of squirrels to laugh at. All in all a good place.

3) The honors room. This is a study room open to any students in the honors program. My friends and I have affectionately named in "The Batcave".

2) The soccer field. It is a nice turf field that is used for everything from varsity soccer to intramural softball. I have plenty of good memories there.

1) The Rockroom. This is where relaxing can happen. There are a few pool tables, a ping pong table, some free arcade games, and the daily grind, where you can get pizza, sandwiches, coffee, milk, etc. Not only that, but it is centrally located, so everyone can meet there without any problems.

Those are my top five favorite places on campus, so you can come see it and find your favorites.

Sports are breaking through, but I had to find out where

Ronnie Brewer is giving back to his school
almost as much as he is about to give to that rim.

I went to the St. Louis Cardinals game on Friday, and they lost. I was pretty depressed, because it is the first time in several years that I had been to any professional sporting event where the home team lost. Up until this game, I felt that I was something of a good luck charm, but now I see that it must not be so.
Anyway, this led me to come back to the Rock and collect my thoughts. I wanted to find the good things in sports, so that my dreary cloud of depression would be broken apart by the warm rays of good feelings. What I came up with was a list of five reasons to be happy about sports:

5) While my Miami Dolphins did not win their opening game, they did appear much improved from their 1-15 season a year ago

4) Utah Jazz small forward Ronnie Brewer donated $50,000 back to his college (he was a Razorback), showing me that professional athletes still do put stock in education

3) The Cardinals went on to win the next two games in their weekend series against the Florida Marlins, so they are still in the playoff hunt

2) Tom Heinemann was named the GLVC player of the week for his work helping the Rockhurst Hawks win some tough games (you can read about it here)

1) As much as I love Rockhurst sports, nothing can be better than the NFL season getting off to a good start. My Dolphins looked good, a healthy number of rookies showed they are going to be able to put on some shows at this level, and the league looks primed for another whirlwind season. It's gonna be great!

So for any sports fan out there looking for some upbeat story lines, these five should help you (except, I guess, if you are not a Cards fan or Dolphin fan . . . or if you don't like football, but everyone should be happy that professional players value education). However, in an attempt to reacher a wider audience, I will leave a small list of things that happened in sports that did not make my top five:

- Roger Federer showed he is not done yet by winning the U.S. Open in convincing fashion over Andy Murray

- Lance Armstrong is going to come out of retirement to show everyone he was not cheating when he won all of his Tours de France

- College Football is also set up for an exciting season (Go Irish!)

Well, the first heavy week of classes is in the bag. I already have plenty to do this semester, but it will all be worth it in May when I graduate. I have 15 hours of classes right now, and probably another 3-5 hours a week preparing for student teaching in the spring, which is pretty exciting. All this work and stress led me to think of the top five ways to de-stress while at school:

5) Play video games, this is effective, but not necessarily the best way for your physical health

4) Watch a movie, similar to playing video games, but I generally am more involved in a movie, making it more of an adventure, which relieves stress for me

3)Hang out with friends, this obviously is a good way to hang back and let loose

2) Play a sport (any sport), as long as it is one you enjoy, it will be a good stress relief

1) Running, I know it doesn't seem like fun, but it is a great way to clear your head and stay in shape at the same time

These are my top five ways to relieve stress, but you can visit the counseling center's website, and they would be able to give you some more.

Back at School

Well, my senior year is off and running. After the first few days of classes, I see that this semester will be a lot of fun. I live in one of the On Campus Houses (OCHs)-just another house in the neighborhood surrounding the campus-that Rockhurst owns. There are four of us in the house, and it is going to be a blast. It took us a little while to get our stuff situated, but now the good times begin (studying is obviously included in that).

Aside from parties, I also have classes. I am taking 15 hours of classes, but I also have to finish writing a portfolio for my education major. For anyone interested in what that entails you can visit the Rockhurst websites education section and find out about it. The point is, I enough writing to do this semester than my 15 hours of classes could be bumped up to 18 or more, but that is what school is about.

Anyway, one of my favorite movies is "High Fidelity" in which the main character, Rob, puts everything into top fives, so here are my top five reasons to be exicted about being back at school:

5) I am going to set up a tennis tourney (and I love tennis!!),

4) I get to live with some of my best friends,

3) I get to be back in Kansas City (and 21 years old on August 26th!!!!),

2) The classes are challenging, but I love every minute of them, and

1) I am back at the Rock, and I graduate in May, who wouldn't be excited about that!?

School is just around the corner

Here we are, move-in day is in just a couple short weeks, and summer is winding down. For some people this time of year is kind of a downer, and for some it is very exciting. For me, it is time to worry about packing. I will be heading up for my fourth year at Rockhurst, and I think I finally figured out the best way to pack.
While everyone has different situations and priorities, I have thought of a top five list that will help anyone moving in to school shortly, even if you have done it before:

5) If you find yourself asking, "Will I really want this?", the answer is "NO", so don't bring it

4) Limit yourself to ONE box of "decorative items", limit yourself to what you will need

3) Once you have everything packed up in the car, remove half of what is there, and you should be all set

2) DO NOT OVER PACK!

1) DO NOT OVER PACK!!

Those last two on the list are ranked the highest for a reason. It is not a good situation if your first thought at school is, "I can't wait to get some of this stuff back home and out of my way". I know, because I have had that thought every time I have moved to school so far, so hopefully me bringing this to your attention will help you avoid being in that situation.

Walk the streets around Rockhurst!

For anyone wanting to get a look at what the neighborhood around Rockhurst looks like, you can "walk" the streets on Google now. They have a new option where you can literally go down to street level and look around the city.

I have looked around with this new option, and you can go around most of the city. Not only can you look at the main entrance to campus (including getting some looks at the main campus), but you can look at the immediate neighborhood and venture out the the Country Club Plaza as well as downtown. Now when you are looking for your way around town, you can get a look at exactly what it is supposed to look like when you get to where you are going.

All of this would really help anyone coming for a look at Rockhurst's campus, so I just felt like sharing with anyone. Again, this option is available on Google Maps, so get on there and take a look. Even if you are not using it for finding your way around, it is still fun to cruise around town.

WOW!!!!!

While I am a fan of the Utah Jazz, I do have a lot of dislike for Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. This means that I am happy the C's finished off a 24 point comeback in the game last night. Not only that, but the game was IN LA!

I am really excited. I felt as though the refs made sure the Lakers beat the Jazz in that series a month ago, and from what has been happening in the last few days, it may be true. A former NBA referee has come out and said that there are situations where the NBA will have refs call games in order to give the "preferable" team an advantage. This year, the NBA really wanted a Boston-LA final, and I think they did everything they could to make that happen.

Regardless, I get to see the Lakers fail, and the Jazz will come back next year and win it all, I can't wait.

On a lighter note, I did get to see my Red Wings win the Stanley Cup last week. I realize that not many people care about hockey, but I don't care. It was a good year for us, and I am letting everyone know that my team won it all!!!!!

PS I am rooting for Turkey in Euro 2008, I have my reasons.

Well, here we are yet again. Summer has been trucking along just fine so far, I have been to one wedding and begun dreaming of the many float trips I want to take over the next few months. However, right now I am focused on the one thing all college students need to focus on over the summer . . . my job.

I was supposed to start today, but there was a lot of confusion as to what was going on, so now I start tomorrow. I will be working in either printing of manufacturing, either option makes me happy, because I will be working 7-3 Monday through Friday. I'll have my weekends all to myself, which will be nice (especially when I want to plan a float trip).

Anyway, I'll be ready to hit the Rock in August, but not quite yet. The top five things I have left to do this summer explain it all:

5) Finish watching the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup

4) Continue following my Cardinals with no pesky interruptions, such as homework

3) Earn some money so that I can spend it all when I get back to school

2) Finish a few papers I need to have done when I get back to school in August

1) GO ON AS MANY FLOAT TRIPS AS POSSIBLE!!!!! It may end up not being that many, but as long as I take advantage of every opportunity, I'll be happy.

A little outgoing help

Well, I am now all moved out of my house for the summer. It was stressful, and took a long time, but it is good to be home. Rockhurst is a great place, it really is, but home is also a good place.
However, all this talk about moving out has me thinking, and here are my top five things to remeber when you are moving out of your dorm/house at the end of the year:

5) There is always more. Find everything you have, and then you will have to pack all the stuff you didn't know you had.

4) Pray for a cool sunny day. Rain is bad, cold is bad, heat is bad. You want a nice 50-ish degree day, otherwise it will not be fun.

3) Have music playing. Moving out is depressing enough, don't do it in silence. Play some good music.

2) Remember that you have to come back in three months. DO NOT UNPACK EVERYTHING WHEN YOU GET HOME. Only unpack what you will use over the summer, keep everything ready to go.

1) Finally, BE SAFE. When packing your vehicle, make sure you can still see all your mirrors as well as your blind spots. Any questions, ask me or look here. I am a master at what I call "tunneling" so that I can see everything around my car pretty clearly.

I hope these tips help you, or at least you agree with some of them. As much as I love home, I can't wait to get back to the Rock for my senior year!

What's up world? My name is Joe LeRoy, and I am getting ready to start my senior year here at the Rock. I am finsihing off majors in Mathematics and Secondary Education, and I also have a minor in Theology.
I am the fifth child in a family of seven, and while we have all gone to private grade school and high school, I am the first one to go to a private college. I took the road less travelled, and it really has made all the difference. In talking to my brothers and comparing my experiences to theirs, I have found that Rockhurst really is just as good as advertised.