Commuter Student Appreciation Massage Video

As Charlotte promised in her post Thursday, here's the video of commuter massages. Massage therapist, Melanie Rottmann, gave five minute massages to all commuters that signed up.

Even Charlotte and I received our free commuter massages. Check out this video for more.

P.S. residents, resident massages are coming soon.

I Want the Red Eye!

Last year every morning I would pick up a Red Eye newspaper before going to class to catch up on celebrity gossip and news. But this year, where is the Red Eye? One night at dinner Joe Piatkiewicz was expressing his disappointment that we do not have it anymore especially because it is a free paper. He really misses the crossword puzzles and Sudoku. The students have spoken; we want the Red Eye back!

Student Bloggers get paid $25 a post

The Office of Marketing and Communications recently launched the new DominICAN website for potential students. Guess what this website includes... Blogs .

The difference between DominiNET and DominICAN blogs: the student bloggers on DominICAN get paid $25 per post.

The other obvious difference is that this is a news blog with multimedia content, while the student blogs on DominICAN are personal blogs about their lives and experiences at Dominican.

According to Junior Andrew Infanger, a contributor to the DominICAN blogs, he was emailed by the PR department offering this position. He then had to submit a writing sample and was chosen for the job.

There are 6 student blogs on the page and, of course, Dean Jeff Carlson's blog.

After discovering that students were getting paid to blog I had mixed feelings. I understand this is a great PR tool and is new with the changing technology, but I think it is silly DU has to PAY students to say things about Dominican. If students are passionate about Dominican and love our school, they should be willing to write about it without charge.

I am not upset that I am not getting paid. DominiNET is strictly for a class and I am receiving credit, not to mention great blogging experience to add to my resume. I just wish that Dominican realized they are a good school and students are willing to say good things about them without getting paid for it.

Dear CSA: You've won me over.

If you would have asked me last year (or even at the beginning of the semester) if I participated in anything on campus besides attending classes, I would have said, "No. I come to Dom early enough to print my documents, go to class, and bolt to my car right after."

Well, that's all changed, and commuter student appreciation week isn't even over yet! When I heard about all the fantastic activities scheduled exclusively for non-residents this week, I made the conscious decision to attend as many as possible and see what the deal was.

I'm only on campus Tuesday through Thursday, and each day I experienced something great! In case you missed anything, here is a recap (and a preview of tomorrow) with a couple photos:

From myDU:

Monday, November 17
Campus Town Hall Meeting; 5:30p.m. in the Social Hall
Come and voice your commuter concerns to administration.
This I missed, but my colleague Tom posted a great video here.

Tuesday, November 18
Coffee with Commuters; 8:00a.m.—10:00a.m. in Lewis Alcove
Free coffee and donuts for all commuter students. Also stop by to share any commuter concerns you have, pick up commuter student resources and sign up for opportunities to be involved with Commuter Student Association.


No complaints here...

Wednesday, November 19
Graffiti Name Art 11:30a.m. in the Social Hall
Stop by to have an artist combine your name and hobbies into an original piece of art. Who got some cool name art? Send your photos in, I missed this!

Basketball Tournament; 7:00p.m– 9:00p.m. in the Gym

Hot action!


Movie Night featuring the Dark Knight; 9:00p.m. in the Social Hall
We walked through at 8:30 while they were setting up and saw popcorn and beverages galore! Talk about hospitality..

Thursday, November 20
Free Neck and Back Massages; 11:00a.m.—2:00p.m in the Cyber Cafe
Relieve some stress by enjoying a free massage.



Natalie and I--exhausted from late-night blogging and early-morning campus blanketing--took a marketing hiatus and received exquisite massages from massage therapist Melanie Rottmann. There was beautiful, tranquil music playing in the background, and Melanie was fantastic and thorough.



And of course, Natalie set up the tripod to shoot interview commuters receiving the massage--coming soon!




Commuter Student Association Meeting; 2:20p.m. in Lewis Lounge

Winterize Your Car; 5:00p.m. in Crown 002/003

I would love to hear from those who attended any of these events!


Coming tomorrow:
Friday, November 21

Hypnotist Frederick Winters; 8:00p.m. in the Priory Auditorium
Watch as Frederick Winters hypnotizes students and gets them to do crazy things.



Commuter students: what did you like about this week?

I would say this week was a success in me spending more time on campus than usual, enjoying all the goodies the Commuter Student Association had to offer. This semester I had slowly begun hanging around more often (mainly reporting for the blog & Star), but this week helped me get truly involved, meeting new people and interacting with the community.

Thanks, CSA and Student Involvement!

Student Voice: Chartwells

Here is a short video on what the students think of Chartwells.

dominiNET: HIT IT!

This morning, circa 9:56 a.m. CST, two bloggers, who shall remain anonymous, did a little thousand-flier-drop on the students.



Said bloggers did return to the scene two hours later to scoop the remaining flyers that hadn't been claimed by excited dominiNET fans--and also, not to "litter" our beloved campus.

Throughout the day, if you were on campus, you undoubtedly noticed our not-so-subtle guerilla marketing of the blog.










Someone took many of our fliers down, but it worked! People were reading!













To all who are checking in here on a daily basis, thank you! We really are striving to represent the voice of the students, and bring all current events and on campus happenings to light. We know you're reading, but we also want to hear from you! Comment, agree, disagree, discuss! We want dominiNET to be a sort of open forum where all of us can feel like part of the community, residents and commuters alike.

Again, thanks for the support, and leave us your feedback!

dominiNET Promo

Today, Charlotte and I were on a mission: get the word out about dominiNET.....to DU students. Tom and Megan also helped promote our blog. Fliers were posted all over campus. We also handed out promo fliers to about 100 students. Hopefully, students will become familiar with our blog. We encourage all readers to please leave comments!!

Check out this video to find student's first reactions to dominiNET.



I hope students will agree with Javier and become regular dominiNET readers. And commenters.

RockFest 2008: the aftermath

In case you missed RockFest 2008 this time around, no worries! Sounds Society will be doing it again this Spring.

Maryann Dreas, Vice President of the campus organization, explains that several other people were involved in the event besides herself, Shahzeb, and Nick.



Here's a short clip of three of the artists--and students dancing. Don't be fooled by the small group of kids at the front; there were nearly 200 people in attendance scattered throughout the auditorium...mainly scavenging the free pizza and pop in the back.

Averno performs "Blown Away," Anemic Annie is covering the Smashing Pumpkins' "Disarm," and Fotosputnik gives us a visual utopia while playing "Terns."



Bright Light Brigade's drummer, George, gave me his opinion on the event, and shares the band's plans for the future.



Everyone did a fantastic job, and keep an ear out for the Spring show! It'll be around before you know it.

Footage of the SGA Town Hall Meeting

Here is some brief footage from the Student Government Association Town Hall Meeting that took place Monday night, Nov. 17.

Thanks to students interviewd: Ali Wesowlowski-SGA President
Zach Holtman

Dominican Athletics Shares Their Thoughts

Here are four people in the Dominican sports community sharing their thoughts on DU sports. Assistant Men's Soccer Coach Seth Mason and Head Women's Soccer Coach Jeff Halsema share their thoughts on their recently completed seasons, while Head Women's Basketball Coach Michael Lane and Aubrey Denard, a forward/center for the Men's team, discuss the start of the basketball seasons.

Bullet Investigation....Part 3

So, once again, River Forest police were at Dominican inquiring about the fired bullet that was found. My original posting stated that the bullet was found Thursday, Nov. 6. This is a factual error. In fact, the bullet was found Tuesday, Nov. 4. I apologize for the mix-up.

That said, the police are still working on getting to the bottom of the finding. R.F.P.D.'s Deputy Chief Kendra Sullivan was finally reached for comment. "(Dominican University) asked us to look into this. It's still under investigation. Officer Fields is following up in conjunction with our detectives." Yesterday, Officer Fields, the community liaison for DU and R.F.P.D., contacted Ashton Baran to meet where the bullet was found. Baran walked Fields step-by-step as he and Conrad Sewinski did when they noticed the bullet.

The original posting, not only led campus safety to alert police, but police also spoke with Trudi Goggin, dean of students, and Norah Collins, assistant dean of students. Goggin said: "The fact is, there was no sign of damage to Dominican property that indicated a gun was fired here. There is no proof based on what was turned. Someone could have taken the bullet from a shooting range, put it in their pocket and dropped it there accidentally."

I am still waiting for a copy of the police report. I submitted a Freedom of Information Request Friday, Nov. 7, and have not yet received it.

"But I don't beat women!"

Now through Wednesday (and also Nov. 24 and 25), DASH (Domestic Abuse Stops Here) is holding a bag & bracelet sale in the Lewis Alcove.



"We're trying to raise money for the DASH program," said senior Cecily Bonilla. "We raise funds and give them to domestic abuse shelters in the area," she explained.



DASH's aim is to increase domestic abuse awareness on campus and support local efforts. Last month, DASH held an informational meeting for that very cause. "We tried to get guys to come out," Cecily told me, "but most of them were like, 'Well, no! I don't beat women!'"

But everyone can learn from these meetings; and it goes beyond physical abuse.

A year ago, I entered into a relationship with a seemingly sweet, sensitive 28-year-old who appeared to have it all together and played the Prince Charming role perfectly. Within weeks, however, his true nature emerged and he turned out to be excessively controlling and possessive; demanding to know where I was at every moment and freaking out if I wanted to spend time with anyone other than him (including my best friends and family!). Irritated to the core, I googled "How to tell if you're in an abusive relationship." The guy had never physically hurt me, but out of a list of 100 "warning signs," he had committed over 95% of them. Mmhmm.

He was out of my life before we hit the three-month mark, but it wasn't without major drama. This just goes to show how easy it is for a relationship to become abusive, and people may not realize exactly what constitutes "abuse." Emotional and mental factors also come into play. It can go the other way around as well, with the female abusing the male. And let's not forget about gay relationships!

DASH is definitely onto something. So guys, you may not beat up your sig os, but you may still be abusive!

DU Former Athletes Play PROFESSIONALLY Overseas

As I was watching the Bulls game last night with a friend, my inner journo came alive! I thought of my friends that graduated from DU last year now playing professional basketball overseas. Three of the five starters on 2007-2008 men's basketball team are now getting paid to play professional basketball. Mike Haiduc plays in Denmark. Jose Garcia plays in Mexico. Rashim Lettsome plays in the Virgin Islands. How cool is that??

Haiduc goes up for the rebound wearing his red Denmark jersey.



The 6'8" center from Chicago has received post-season recognition, numerous awards and was named to the 2007-2008 Northern Athletics Conference All-Conference 2nd team. Haiduc is a three-time all-conference player in the NAC.

Garcia, in his Dominican jersey, scored a total of 691 points in only two seasons as a DU Star.




The 6'2" guard from Kenosha, Wis. currently plays for a team in Mexico. Garcia ranked in the top 20 in the conference in scoring. He averaged 12.8 points per game. Garcia left Dominican as the all-time leading three-point shooter. Garcia, like Haiduc, also received post-season recognition.
Lettsome was nominated numerous times for the NAC's student athlete of the week while he played for Dominican.




Now, 6'1" Lettsome plays for the US Virgin Islands men's national basketball team. The point guard spoke with me on the phone last night about where he and his former teammates are.

"I'm really proud of Mike and Jose because we've worked really hard to be able to play at this level. I still keep in touch with former coaches and players because they've been with me all the way. I still wear my Dominican University Basketball t-shirt and people (including the media) always ask me about DU. It's cool!" Lettsome plans on playing with the Virgin Islands for the time being but hopes to move forward and play in Europe or a semi-pro US team. With his current team, the Eagles, Lettsome played tournaments this summer in Argentina, Brazil, China and the US. The Eagles qualified for the 2008 Olympic games. Lettsome hopes that the Virgin Islands will get another chance to win a medal at the 2012 games.

From left to right: Haiduc, Garcia, (Andre) Smith, Lettsome and (Kendall) Moore.

Former player, Andre Smith, was one of the starters last year. Smith said he talks to his international former teammates every other day. "I'm very, very proud of them. I still tell them to play hard."
As for this year's men's basketball team??? Smith, now assisting with coaching and managing, says the season looks promising. "We have a young team this year. Although we had more experience as a team last year, our talent this year looks really good."

Who knows? Maybe players from this season will play professionally overseas next year!! CONGRATULATIONS TO MIKE, JOSE, SHIM AND ALL OTHER FORMER DU ATHLETES THAT REACHED FOR THE STARS AND ARE NOW PLAYING PROFESSIONALLY!

CHECK OUT THE DECEMBER 3RD ISSUE OF THE DOMINICAN STAR FOR MORE ON THE GUYS!!!!!!!!!!

DU's Still Got Edge

Last Tuesday, Suzy posted about a free sample that had been passed out, Edge. Edge is an Ecslpise shave gel with a pinkish tint. Suzy observed, as many students and faculty did, that the free sample was used for graffiti all over campus. It was sprayed on the lockers near Cyber, in the mini quad, the trash can in the commons and even on cars in the parking lot.

That was last Tuesday. Yesterday, I saw that the Edge Effect is still around. Check out these pictures of Edge graffiti on a car in the parking lot near the gym.

Holiday Helping Hands at DU

"No one can do everything, but everyone can do something," Taylor Eshleman, president of Students Exploring Rewarding Volunteer Experiences, says is one of her favorite quotes.

Dominican University's Service Learning and University Ministry have been encouraging the Dominican community to follow Eshleman's footsteps. The helping hands of DU will bring joy to many in Chicagoland this holiday season. Service Learning will be sponsoring Thanksgiving families through the Thanksgiving Baskets by providing all the necessities of a true holiday meal. Serve, sponsored by University Ministry, will be holding Adopt A Kid to provide needy children and adults with presents for Christmas. Watch this video package to find out how.

To Write Love on Her Arms

According to the American Association of Suicidology, suicide is the 3rd highest cause of death among young people. Depression and suicide is a major issue on any college campus. To Write Love On Her Arms is a movement to promote awareness of depression, addiction, and self-injury among individuals of our generation. Since its creation, the organization has gained support from colleges, musicians, and individuals around the country. The organization uses merchandise to raise money and compassion on these issues to help create a more hopeful world.

This past Thursday was To Write Love on Her Arm Day. Individuals were encouraged the write the word “love” on their arms in order to promote the organization and the movement. Many Dominican students participated in the day, proudly writing “love” on their bodies. The idea is for others to see it, ask about it, and learn that while depression is a serious problem, there are many people to help.

Here are some pictures of DU students displaying their artwork.

For more information on To Write Love on Her Arms click here.

Ya know what really grinds my gears?

Mandatory attendance at extracurricular academic activities.


Make 'em optional for extra credit. Offer something in place of the event. Give students a choice! I already am scheduled to be on campus for certain classes at a certain time. Beyond that, I'm not just sitting at home; I'm working around my ridiculous class schedule.

Let's back up here.

This week I've been faced with a challenging predicament as a full-time working, self-sufficient (barely), commuting student. I have two and a half jobs, and one of them is at a private season-ticket holders' club at the United Center. This week we have events (Bulls and Blackhawks games) Sunday through Sunday, with the exception of Monday night. I already request off every Tuesday and Wednesday night event because of night classes, and I just cut my losses with that because you have to sacrifice and be magnanimous and all that jazz.

However, this week, in addition to missing two nights for class, I am required to attend the Etiquette Dinner on Thursday night, and one of the performances of the musical Into the Woods either on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. And if you'll notice again on the November schedule, there are events on all four of these nights, meaning an inevitable missing of FOUR nights out of a six-night workweek!

But it gets better! Each year, during the last two weeks of November, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus comes to United Center.


joesportsfan.com
Being that I work in a classy white-tablecloth establishment on the Club level (or so my bosses like to drill in our heads every day), my restaurant in particular won't be open for the circus crowd (they must prefer unruly, beer-guzzling hockey fans who wear shorts in the winter to ice arenas), so I have two weeks off.



Am I seriously supposed to work two out of six nights in one week when I won't be working (at the U.C.) for the next two?

I know it's not my professors' faults that the U.C. planned their schedule this way. Our great teachers want us to learn how to not slurp our soup and which fork to use when. They want us to experience the magic and excitement of stage performances and stories in solidarity.

These, inherently, are good things (even though the only time I'll slurp is for the last couple sips of my cocktails--but I use a straw! Plus, I saw Into the Woods in high school six years ago).

But I don't have the time (or money) for this!

I'm not donning a Miss Misery sash for pity points here, but something's gotta give. It's a lot easier for some students to attend events outside of the classroom than it is others. I get that for every 3 hours in the classroom, you have to devote an additional 300 outside the classroom per week, yes.

But I should be able to choose when I devote those 300 additional hours. If I want to stay up all Monday night to finish a reading or start a project due Tuesday, that's my prerogative. But to have to pay to attend fairy tale plays and pseudo dinners while forgoing income...uh, yeah. I don't think I can hit up my profs for rent money.

Nothing replaces actually attending an event, but teachers should remember that we are adults and a lot of us work. Give us options. Give us us free! I understand scholarly responsibility, but you have to draw the line somewhere, right?

Is that too much to ask?



Well. I'll figure my life out, friends, but THAT'S:
investorial.com

ROCK Fest 2008 review

Dominican held its second annual Rock Fest featuring Tonight the Prom, Fotosputnik, Bright Light Brigade, Anemic Annie, Averno, and The State Affair this past Saturday, Nov. 8 from 6-11 p.m. Free pizza and drinks were definitely consumed.

I saw (as much as I could take of) each band's set, and the following is my opinion on the performances of the night.


Tonight the Prom is good...if you like pop punk emo powerpop music that sounds like a mix of early Fall Out Boy and Hawthorne Heights. I'm sorry, I don't listen to much of that genre anymore, so I can't give you other examples. But they were energetic and had the crowd going wild, as far as stage presence goes, and they were cute and seemed like friendly kids. But really, I would have liked that band if I found them back when I was 17 maybe, so that explains their masses of young fans who couldn't possibly have been college students. Which rocks for them, hitting the target market.

I thought the glossy black and white photos they were selling and autographing crossed the pretentious line, though.

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Fotosputnik impressed me, and I'm not just saying that because drummer Tom Blackwell is my editor. I had seem them play once before in September downtown at Cal's Liquors, and the sound is never good in a cramped corner of a dive bar off Congress Parkway, so that didn't help much.

But last Saturday, the band was in their element, playing on a large stage in front of a projector screen with colorful, trippy visuals. Their abstract style of music, which was random but controlled, was truly enjoyable, despite their lack of a singer (which many people think detracts from musical quality). I had deja vu feelings of Radiohead and Ratatat, for reasons other than the sound of the music. It had more to do with the "feel" of it; the ambience of the room while they played.



Unfortunately the dark did not make for great photos on my camera without washing everything out.






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The singer of Bright Light Brigade made me want to say "snoochie boochies" and "noich noich noich" every time he walked by. And I did, in my head. But seriously, he had a great voice. Again, their music was upbeat pop punk, but it was well-performed, tight, and energetic. I wish they woulda covered "Jungle Love," though.



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Oh, Anemic Annie! My, was I captivated. The duo played originals, covered the Smashing Pumpkins and Ludo, and moved the house. The acoustic guitar coupled with beautiful harmonizing voices and gorgeous string accompaniments was fantastic. I was, especially at this moment, glad that the Sounds Society chose a variety of artists rather than all the second comings of New Found Glory. Kudos to Anemic Annie.






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Then there's my Shane, who goes by the name Averno when performing. I'm biased, naturally, but I loved his performance the best. With strong, beautiful, hauntingly soul-wrenching vocals over electric guitar, keyboard and hand-crafted electronic compositions, Averno's fresh, different style made the crowd stop and listen. And dance.



I'm gonna go ahead and do another shameless myspace plug right about now.


Shane closed with my favorite, "Laced Blinds."


I think people truly appreciated his unique style, and a number of girls approached afterward to say how beautiful of a voice he has. Swoon.

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The State Affair got a great crowd surge to close out the concert. Again with the energetic pop punk genre, the crowd was really into it, singing along and fist-pumping. They were talented, but I couldn't handle the gimmicky vest get-up. You can wear costumes on the weekend before Halloween, the week of Halloween, Halloween itself, and the rest of the weekend, but beyond a week after is just too much. I didn't dare ask if it was his normal stage getup. Other than that, though, they were catering to their crowd and people were enjoying.




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Overall, the Fall Rock Fest 2008 was a huge success. Everything ran smoothly from load-in time to showtime, and Shahzeb, Maryann, and Nick did a fantastic job coordinating the event. Kudos to them as well, and I'm excited for the bash in the Spring!




Additional videos from more artists coming soon.