A Poem to Share

I actually stumbled upon this while reading the introduction to a scientific journal article (further proof that scientists can be thoughtful poetic people as well!)
It made me think of Dayton...

I do not know much about gods; but I think the river
Is a strong brown god|sullen, untamed and intractable,
Patient to some degree, at ­ rst recognized as a frontier;
Useful, untrustworthy, as a conveyer of commerce;
Then only a problem confronting the builder of bridges.
The problem once solved, the brown god is almost forgotten
By the dwellers in cities|ever, however, implacable,
Keeping his seasons and rages, destroyer, reminder
Of what men choose to forget. Unhonoured, unpropitiated
By worshippers of the machine, but waiting, watching and
Waiting.
T. S. Eliot, The dry salvages

Totally Ballah!

http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2011/01/12/132831729/sudden-words-suddenly-gone

Ice skating at Riverscape

First off, I hope everyone has had a wonderful winter break! I'm pretty excited to everyone again this coming semester. One weekend during my break, I decided to travel back to Dayton and ended up visiting Riverscape along with various other things. It was right before dusk and a storm was blowing in when I went Riverscape, there is outdoor ice skating at Riverscape right now for those who don't know. Being outdoors, winter, almost dark, and super windy add up to below zero temperatures. Despite the chill there was quite a coward at the rink, it provided a unique experience with the ordinary Dayton people. While the children skated, most of the parents sat around little gas fire-places chatted about various things in Dayton. I found it very interesting to listen to the non-professional view points on subjects from the city of Dayton to metro-parks to everything in between. Before leaving the ice rink, I did visit the river and took a couple photographs.

So I saw a few rivers in 2010....

This drawing of mine represents the moment that I truly felt like i belonged and fit in at the University of Dayton. River Stewards has given me so many opertunities that I would had never had unless I was part of this group. I have come to love the city of Dayton more than I thought I would. I have seen several different angles of Dayton and the view I drew is by far my favorite. When I saw the city from the river it was a clam and beautiful. A side of Dayton I had never experienced before. Because of River Stewards I truly feel like I have found my place both at the University of Dayton and have been connected to the City itself. I love River Stewards bottom line! Its my family away from home!

Two Christmas Parties in One Day!

Christmas spirit is definitely in the air at the Fitz center! This past Friday I attended the Fitz Center Christmas Luncheon and then the River Stewards Christmas party. The Fitz Center Christmas luncheon transformed the KU W. Ballroom with poinsettias as center-pieces, Christmas cookies decorating the tables, and a pianist playing festive background music. After Mr. Ferguson welcomed everyone to the luncheon and Emily Kline led us in prayer, our lunch was served. The seating arrangements was a treat in itself because most of us sat with other divisions of the Fitz Center and it was a pleasure to meet more people and hear about what activities they do under the Fitz umbrella. Everyone that attended the luncheon walked away with a poinsettia and a snowman, or coffee mug. Also, I have to compliment the KU waiters for being so friendly and really making me feel welcome! It was a lovely lunch.

Christmas did not end there though; A couple of hours later the River Stewards had a Christmas party of our own! While munching on Christmas cookies, we each shared a reflection for the semester. Some people brought in pictures, shared stories, and even made collages (Ann). So many of the new stews shared fond memories and really seemed to be enjoying the River Stewards program. After the reflections we had our white elephant gift exchange! I was one of the higher numbers so I waited to see if I wanted to steal from anyone, and I did. I stole Golden Grahams from Ryan- thanks Ryan!

Overall, I had a wonderful, spirited day! Merry Christmas!

Dayton Explorers take UD students to the Dayton Art Institute

The Dayton Explorers, the Senior Stewards’ capstone project, took 12 students to the Dayton Art Museum Saturday, November 20. This was our biggest turnout to date! We reached out to students through our Facebook group, also called Dayton Explorers, an email to all the international students, and a digital flyer shown below.




The Dayton Art Institute, located across the Monument Street Bridge from downtown, has been a Dayton establishment for 91 years. It is easily accessible, close to campus, and free! It was chosen as a destination of the Dayton Explorers because it is a hallmark of the Dayton cityscape and is a place of history. The museum displays a permanent collection and is temporarily featuring works by the Dayton native, Bing Davis. The Art Institute is truly a gem of downtown Dayton.

Out of the students that joined us for the trip, there were multiple first years and one graduate student in the group. Several of the attendants were also international students. A few of those who came on the trip had already been to the museum once, but for most of the students this was a new experience. The majors of the students also varied, adding even more variety to the already diverse group. Below are several photos taken throughout the trip.

For the Senior Stewards, planning these events has been a learning experience. Inspiring students to leave campus and to see what Dayton has to offer has been a challenge. We have discovered that students respond most to online advertising rather than paper flyers. In addition, students are often very willing to explore Dayton but need help in terms of providing transportation and pointing out specific sites around Dayton that would be the most interesting to students.

We are hopeful that when our events start up again next semester we will have even higher turnouts, and the diversity of the group shows that all different types of students are interested in exploring the Dayton area. Each successive event has garnered more attendees and with exciting event selections like the Air Force Museum and ice skating planned for next semester, we are hoping to increase our attendance levels even more.