4 days until my P Chem test, 6 days until Vegas, 12 days until the elections, and 19 days until senior seminar

OH. MY. GOD!

Talk about too busy... this would probably be the reason why I haven't posted for such a while.

I have so much going on in the next three weeks, it's quite frightening. Because the Writing Center will be going to Las Vegas next week to attend a conference on writing centers of the past and where they are going, I'm going to be missing a couple days of school... as such, I have a lot to work on. This week alone I have to finish the poster by, oh, tomorrow. My team is great so far, so I have no worries about it getting done... it's just that I'm sick and my focus is not there.

Monday I have two tests: Physical Chemistry and Macroeconomics. I'm only slightly worried about macro as there are many formulas, but I'm sure if I study hard, I'll be alright and have everything sorted out. P Chem, though.... that class frightens me.

After that I want to try to visit a friend on Tuesday. Problem is, they live two hours away. dangit.

Then there's vegas... well, that will be a nice little break from the Coe world. I've never been on a Writing Center conference before. I said to myself last year that before I graduated, I wanted to attend at least one writing center conference. About two weeks later, Bob sent out an e-mail advertising that the next conference would be in the fall in Las Vegas. Well! That's convenient. The last conference that I remember was in Kansas City. Hmmmm.... Kansas City, Vegas... yeah, I'm glad I waited.

When I get back, two exciting things will happen. (1) Election Day is that Tuesday. I am thinking about hosting a "Superbowl themed Election Party" for some friends in my apartment, where we would make snacks and prep the place for people to watch the television... except we'll be watching CNN's projections of the winner for each state. I am so excited as this is the first year I am voting for the president. (2) I register for my final courses at Coe (God-willing!). My advisor and I met today to discuss where my status was in terms of being able to graduate on time... It turns out, I am in "excellent shape to graduate in the spring". What is even better that I really only have one required course I have to take my final year, Advanced Analytical Chemistry for my Chemistry Major. Analytical and Organic Chemistry were my favorite focuses of chemistry, so this is more like an extension of something I enjoy rather than the stereotypical required class that you really don't want to take. Therefore, I can take courses that I really want to take. My advisor also agreed to let me take a course that is specifically for me. I will be doing an Independent Study in Chemistry, in which I will work with Marty to prep me for grad school. I'll be coming up with small, miniscule research projects in environmental science/chemistry and use different analytical instruments to perform this research. We're getting a couple new instruments this year as well, so it will be fun to play with them and learn something new. This is all so that when I go to grad school (God-willing as well), I'll have had a refresher and a jump start on research tools.

Then... one week later.... the big event: My Senior Seminar. Each chem major must go through this before they graduate. They must give a 40-minute seminar on a topic in chemistry to all of the chemistry professors here at Coe. The talk is also open to the public, so anyone can come and ask questions as well. I'm giving my talk on Carbon Dioxide Organic Binding Liquids-- basically, it's a way to take carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, out of the atmosphere using about 50% less energy than other methods. That, and the methods is recyclable, which is nice.... But I have to explain all the chemistry behind it, and it's very nerve-racking.

Well, on that note, I need a shower after working out for two hours in the Raquet Center today.... until next time.

The Mass E-mail Debate... Dilemma? My Thoughts During Fall Break

Coe always seems to arrange Fall Break during the peak of the fall colors. Right now I am sitting in a friend's dorm away from Coe, doing some P Chem homework, and contemplating some issues that were brought up at Coe literally the day I left...

For those of you who don't know, Coe's e-mail systems is probably the greatest thing Coe has to offer in terms of internet. It's fast and pretty reliable. I've heard of people complaining about how it doesn't allow some e-mails in or out from time to time... but honestly, I'm one of those people who can't really complain.

There is one issue, though...

Coe's e-mail system allows you to send mass e-mails, or an e-mail out to the entire student body. Most students utilize this by advertising if they lost an ID, a watch, a wallet, etc, or advertize if an events is coming up (which, that's REALLY handy for when you are done with homework and bored out of your mind... something I've never encountered while I've been in college, but I've heard it's useful for those who have!). 

But from time to time... you'll get this one e-mail... and will have some touchy subject that could be left alone... but then it stirs up some controversy and unrest in one person mind who reads it... and next thing you know, there's another mass e-mail in response to that controversial e-mail- and it contains some of their own, opinionated, controversial thoughts.... and then someone else will read it....

... and then the cycle continues, and next thing you know: it's a mass e-mail war!! 

This happens many times during the school year, and in some cases, it's fun to watch, and in other cases, it just gets plain annoying to have your e-mail box flooded with all these thoughts not pertaining to you personally. 

Well, needless to say, this year: that first pissed-off person was me.

The Cosmos-- our school newspaper-- has started a section of the newspaper called "The Minority Corner" at the request of a group of minority students on campus who have felt underrepresented. Now, I don't consider myself racially a minority, but some people do. If I had to think about it and decide, perhaps I'm a minority because I'm amongst barely a handful of Muslim students on campus. However, I never felt a burden to bear at Coe because of it. Yes, at times, especially during Ramadan, I feel frustrated about certain things (like having to keep up with the pace when my body is telling me to slow down... for 30 days *rolling eyes*). 

But all in all, being completely honest-- I've felt really appreciated for coming to Coe, and really safe. I felt that having something about myself that was different was cherished by others, that they appreciated what I had brought to the table. Over my four years at Coe, I only had one person who made me feel discriminated against becase I was Muslim; and even then, they are considered an ignorant, inconsiderate *bleep!* on campus, so it didn't get to me too personally. However, most students I have talked to on campus have felt pretty sheltered and suppported. Thus, it made me wonder why this group felt that they were being put through struggles at this college...?

Needless to say, there was a mass e-mail sent out by one girl in particular accusing the Cosmos of editing her article and for people not caring about racial issues on campus. Yes, the pissed off person was me, and I wrote back defending my college of its stance on creating opportunities for minorities and for embracing different cultures. For crying out loud, I was even on the scholarship committees for the Diversity Scholarship for the past two years! I didn't know why some students felt there was a "problem". 

Let's cut to the end: 39 e-mails were sent out in response to this issue. That is more than I have ever counted in a 24-hour period before. I guess it's good that students are talking about this issue... yet, as a person who never really fit anywhere to begin with -- and not in a bad way, mind you-- it made me worried that about HOW people chose their words and how something that I felt wasn't an issue was made into an issue.

So should mass e-mails be left to do things like this? Should we be allowed to exude our opinion upon everyone because we have the means at hand. My answer is yes. There's freedom of speech occuring in my inbox, and it's forcing me to read 39 opinions of an issue that I hadn't thought existed. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't... but point being that in a country where, to quote a politician, "people are exchanging freedoms for the promise of security", I think we need to keep this freedom of speech going as long as possible... even if it is clogging up my inbox. :-)

Still... I just wish the instigators of this debate on campus would have chosen more constructive words!!