New Student Orientation: Welcome Class of 2018!

Hi Mounties! Well, the lovely founder of The Mountie Guide, Briana Bayer, has finally packed up her things in Mansfield and is off adventuring in the next phase of her life. I'd like to say congratulations on graduating, Bri, and thank you again for giving me this opportunity to keep the Guide going. 

Keep and eye out for an introductory post from me in the near future!  

- Erica

I'm staying in Mansfield this summer and working as the student worker for the Counseling and Learning Center in South Hall. Yesterday, I realized that a New Student Orientation happening and thought what a prime opportunity to meet some new students as well as a summer post for the blog! So, I grabbed a note pad and ran over to Manser during my lunch break to do some mini interviews. 

Let's welcome some new students!

Name: Lindsay Vincent

Major: Undeclared

Hometown: Towanda, Pa 

What brought her to MU: "Its close to home, I like the campus, and they have great nursing program I'm hoping to get into!"

What she's most excited for: Meeting new people

What she's most nervous for: Hard classes

Her favorite thing so far about Orientation: "I love how friendly everyone is and all of the information."

(I love how Lindsay already had on some Mountie gear!)

Name: Elizabeth Deuel

Major: Forensic Science 

Hometown: Jersey Shore, Pa 

What brought her to MU: "Its one of the only schools around that had my major. Its also close to home."

What she's most excited for: Meeting new people and the freedom

What she's most nervous for: Keeping up with her chemistry classes

Her favorite thing so far about Orientation: "Eating! I was so hungry! And getting my schedule."

Name: Kierstin Goodby

Major: Undeclared

Hometown: Jersey Shore, Pa

What brought her to MU: "I have a lot of friends who go here and I've met some really nice alum who liked it here!"

What she's most excited for: Meeting new people, being on her own from her parents

What she's most nervous for: Keeping up with classes, having enough free time away from schoolwork

Her favorite thing so far about Orientation: "Getting to know people! And everyone has been so friendly today!"

Elizabeth, left, and Kierstin, right.

Name: Brian Kircher; transfer student

Major: Criminal Justice

Hometown: Perkasie, Pa

What brought him to MU: "I know the area pretty well; my grandmother has a house close to here so I've been coming up this way for years."

What he's most excited for: Being in a new place, being able to meet new people, and doing something different with his life

What he's most nervous for: Exams - since they're such a big part of the course grade

His favorite thing so far about Orientation: "How helpful everyone is and how nothing is confusing. Even my schedule is nice and easy to read."

Additionally, I was able to chat with an Orientation Ambassador.

Name: Cody Carlson

Major: Communications

Year: Junior

Hometown: Elmira, NY

His favorite thing about orientation: "I love introducing all of the new students to MU and helping to get them antiquated with campus."

How he got involved with being an Ambassador: "My mom was one when she went here so I was sort of born into it. My leaders were great during my orientation they made me want to be the same way. They really made my transition great and I want to help do the same for the new freshman." 

Cody, right, with Assistant Director of Admissions, 

Matt Guagiardo, left. 

To see what the new students did during their orientation, you can check out the first year students schedule here and the transfer students schedule here. Or if you wanted to just check out the New Student Orientation homepage, you can do that here, as well as the Admissions home page here! Is that enough here's? 

What's Happening Wednesday: Student Film Screenings

One of my absolute favorite parts of the semester is finals week. I know what you must be thinking... "really?..." But yes, I love finals week... aside from all of the stress that comes along with it. Besides the large amount of studying you're hopefully doing, there's also a ton of opportunities to take a break and enjoy MU.

One of my favorite ways to take a break is to attend the student film screenings in Allen Hall. In the past few semesters, I've always made sure to make it to the film screenings for the Advanced Video or Post Production Editing classes. The videos I've seen are usually anywhere from 10-20 minutes long and some are documentaries, some are narratives. I've seen some seriously amazing talent from these screenings and I totally recommend you attend one of them at least once before you graduate.

Two of my favorites from the videos from today's screening are posted online so I thought I would share them with you! I can't even begin to imagine how much work went into the making of these films. They're creative, entertaining, and (warning) contain some strong language.

Thanks to Chelsea Simmers and Kyle Northrup for posting their videos online! 

 

We Are Miraculous from Chelsea Simmers on Vimeo.

Mountie Monday: Passing on the Torch...

Hey everyone! Sorry the few absences last week... I caught the plague that hit campus a week or two ago. For the last Mountie Monday of the semester, I chose to feature the lovely Mountie that will be continuing The Mountie Guide next semester!

(Me, left. Erica, right.)

First off, I would just like to say that I am so, so happy that I found someone to continue The Mountie Guide since I tried to work hard on it this semester. It would've been a little heartbreaking to just watch it die down. Even though I didn't want to be extremely picky about choosing who would take over The Mountie Guide... it was hard not to be! This blog is almost like my baby and I want to make sure whoever adopts it takes great care of it. I have no doubts in my mind that Erica will do just that.

Thanks Erica! I'm so excited to see the amazing things you do with The Mountie Guide next semester and hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

Name: Erica Frank

Year: Junior

Major: History and Mass Communications with a concentration in Public Relations

Hometown: Hatboro, PA

Organizations: Public Relations Director of WNTE, Student Promoter for Sodexo

What made you choose Mansfield?

Erica: Originally, I just applied to Mansfield as a safety school in case I wasn't accepted into the other state schools I applied to. After I was accepted to all of the state schools I applied to, I made sure to visit them. I was dead set on attending IUP at first, until I visited their campus and it just didn't feel like the school I was meant to attend. As soon as I saw Mansfield from Route 15, I fell in love with it, just by looking at it. I went on a tour of MU and fell even more in love with it. It was so homey and just felt right.

Favorite professor or class and why?

Erica: Dr. K. Sue Young and Holly Pieper, for sure. They're both so fun and extremely personable. I seem to participate the most in their classes... probably because I'm really comfortable with them and they make it easy to be interactive during class.

Favorite event at Mansfield and why?

Erica: My favorite event would probably have to be when the music department puts on their Prism concerts. The Prism concert gives you a sample of almost each ensemble. It's interesting because you save your clapping until the end of the entire show and you just get to sit back and listen to the different varities of music that's being delivered.

Favorite memory from Mansfield:

Erica: I've actually dressed up as the Mountie before! I've always wanted to be a mascot and when I asked my friend that dresses up sometimes for it, he said I would be able to help out. The best part about being the Mountie is that no one knows it's you so you can dance and not be embarrassed. It's nice to just have fun with the crowd and go out into the field to increase the audience's support for MU.

What do you plan on doing with The Mountie Guide?

Erica: I'm interested in spotlighting a lot of different organizations on campus. At MU, there are so many options for clubs/organizations and I would love to expose them. Along with clubs, I think it would be interesting to spotlight different departments and expose any interesting things they've been doing.

Mountie Monday: The Spirit and Pride of Pennsylvania

Happy Monday, Mountie Nation!

For this week's Mountie Monday, I chose someone that I recently met and knew would be perfect for one of my last MM posts. Derek Smilowski conducts the marching band here at MU, which means he's the guy waving his hands in front of the band in order to teach the band their music. Derek grew up hearing his older sister play the violin, which originally inspired him to get involved with music.

Derek continued his love affair with music simply because it is purely human-created and notated. He pointed out how music is found in all cultures and civilizations in the history of the world and there has yet to be a culture founded that doesn't have some type of music that is unique to them. He (as well as I) finds it amazing that we can travel anywhere in the world, even without being fluent in a language different than our own, and still communicate through music. Another reason why Derek studies music is because it is one of the most human subjects out there and can be completely mood altering and relatable.

Name: Derek Smilowski

Year: Senior

Major: Music Education and Instrumental Performance

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

Organizations: Kappa Kappa Psi (Music Fraternity), NAfME (national association for music education, Marching Band (drum major), Orchestra, Wind Ensemble

What made you choose Mansfield?

Derek: I knew that I wanted to be a music education major so I was in search for the perfect program. Mansfield was one of the first schools to offer a degree in music ed and that was back in the 1880's! What a reputation! Also, the quality of the marching band and other ensembles had a huge part to play.

Favorite professor or class and why?

Derek: Dr. Rinnert (the king as, as we call him) is the assistant director of the marching band and a professor of music education. He is an inspiration to me because he practices exactly what he preaches and is a phenomenal teacher. He teaches us exactly how he wants us to teach in the future and is more than fully supportive to the next generation of music teachers. He has helped guide me, not only in my experiences as a teacher, but also as a musician, conductor and more importantly, a person. Dr. Rinnert helped shape my life's philosophy, "it's all about the process, not the product."

Favorite event at Mansfield and why?

Derek: My favorite event at Mansfield was definitely the Light it Up Again weekend at MU. I can not tell you how much of a rush it was to conduct lead the marching band for the first time on our very own lighted field! The stands were packed and there was excitement in the air the whole night. It was an honor to be part of such a big event during my senior year at MU.

Favorite memory from Mansfield:

Derek: It's honestly hard to pick my favorite memory. My greatest memory is generally being here for four years. I've had so many great experiences and have certainly made life long friends. If I had to pin point one exact memory that was one of my favorites, it was when I won the student solo competition my sophomore year. Winning this meant that I got to prepare a major solo work for my instrument and be accompanied by our orchestra here in concert. Two of the other winners that year were very close friends of mine and I will always remember performing on stage that night and hearing my friends make some truly awesome music!

There must be a lot of pressure that comes with conducting... how do you deal with it?

Derek: I always make sure that I am overly prepared for the band's performance. Nothing is worse than going on feeling like you aren't prepared or ready for the show. We always perform at the Allentown Marching Band Festival in September where thousands of people are in attendance. Nothing tests your nerves more than trying to count off the band in a stadium filled to the brim with people. I try my best to pretend they aren't there and focus on what I can do to help the band sound its absolute best!

What's Happening Wednesday: Introducing the... Mountie Den

What's up, Mounties?! 

Last week, the Mansfield University Bookstore got a makeover. Well, the title and logo did, at least. From what I've heard, the actual bookstore will be receiving a makeover as well, soon enough! 

Every spring semester, a class called "Public Relations Workshop" is taught to (mostly) PR juniors/seniors. I've already taken this class and let me tell you... I've never worked so hard. This class gives PR majors an idea of what to expect when they enter the work force as a PR professional. For the class, you and your group (around four other students) are assigned to design a small campaign and plan an event for an actual business/organization.

Trevor Clark, Onyema Utti, Kate Younkin, Sally Reigle, and Quin Taylor were lucky enough to work with Connie from the campus bookstore. The main element (from my perspective) of their campaign was their decision to rename the bookstore. However, instead of just choosing a new name for the bookstore, they held a Twitter contest in order to let Mounties help decide what the new name of the bookstore would be.

After counting all of the votes from Twitter, the group hosted the Grand Unveiling Ceremony that was held right outside of Jazzman's Cafe. The whole event was incredibly professional and I was so impressed by all of the hard work that the group put into this class. I'm so happy for both the bookstore and the group for this successful campaign and can't wait to see what comes next for the Mountie Den.

Mountie Monday: MU Royalty

Hey, Mounties!

For this week's Mountie Monday, I chose to interview someone that is constantly leaving a lasting impression at MU. Kevonte McClain... Homecoming King, Captain of the basketball team, and student is someone that most Mounties have heard of by now.

I first met Kevonte during the Homecoming rehearsal and instantly felt comfortable with him. It was really nice to see such a popular athlete be supportive towards other candidates and humble about being nominated. While staying confident, Kevonte never seemed to be overly-confident about Homecoming and when they called his name as King, he was pleasantly surprised and grateful.


Name: Kevonte McClain

Year: Senior

Major: Philosophy (Pre-Law)

Hometown:Rochester,NY

Organizations: Men's Basketball (Captain), SAAC

What made you choose Mansfield?

Kevonte: I came to MU because I earned a scholarship to play basketball. Coach Miller sold me on on MU and the players were cool when I came to visit.

Favorite professor or class and why? 

Kevonte: Johnathan Rothermel because I love his teaching style and the way his classes are set up.

Favorite event at Mansfield and why?

Kevonte: Spring Fling because there are so many activities available and they usually have a good concert set up.
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Favorite memory from Mansfield:

Kevonte: That would have to be winning a PSAC championship during my freshman year.

What does the title of Homecoming King mean to you?

Kevonte: It means everything to me because I feel like all of the friends I've made since I've been here are continuously supporting me and showing me love.

Friday Five: Five FUN Classes to Take at MU

Hi, Mounties! For this week's Friday Five, a close friend and sorority sister, Kate, suggested that I write about FUN classes that MU offers. I thought this was the perfect idea, especially since everyone has been picking out their schedules for next semester. Maybe these suggestions will even help you decide between one class and another!

Even though there are technically only supposed to be five... I couldn't choose between two of my favorite English classes, so they both made the cut. I tried to mix the subjects up a little because I understand that not everyone wants to take 5 English classes before they graduate... and that is exactly what my list of fun classes would entail.

(Photo Credit)

• Digital Photography (ART-3330)

"A course designed for the non-art major using a hands-on approach to learning the digital camera in acquiring images, in preparing them on the computer for print and in presenting prints in various formats." (Borrowed from WebAdvisor)

I can personally say that this class is a fun time. I'm currently taking it and... I'm a little obsessed with the camera we get to use. Is it bad that I use the camera more for personal reasons rather than school-related reasons? Oh well. Anyway, other than learning how to use an awesome camera, I've also learned how to use Photoshop! I definitely have a lot more of Photoshop to learn but I would say that I'm fluent in the basics.

(Photo Credit)

• Monster Lit (2299)

"This course focuses on analyzing and understanding the significance of monsters in mythology, literature, and film using a variety of critical approaches." (Borrowed from WebAdvisor)

Here's another class that I've actually taken myself! Even though I'm kind of a book nerd, I can testify that others (non book nerds) have enjoyed this class as much as I did. The books used in this course are the classic, monster stories that almost everyone seems to enjoy. One of my favorite parts about this class was being able to watch the movie adaptions of the books we read in class. 

(Photo Credit)

• Young Adult Lit (3386)

"This course focuses on analyzing literature written for the young adult audience, with a focus on the characteristics of the genre, emerging themes, and contemporary trends." (Borrowed from WebAdvisor)

And again... another class I've taken! What a surprise. You know what else is surprising? That I chose another Lit class. Actually... that shouldn't be surprising at all, if you know me. Anyway, let me first just say that the day and time for this class sucks. Bad. It's on a Saturday morning and most of you, after reading this sentence, have decided not to take it just because of the day and time. But seriously, this class was amazing. Oh, and Veronica Roth (author of Divergent) knows about this class and totally approves. I met her twice at book conventions and I made sure to mention that I got to read Divergent for a class... which she thought was awesome.

(Photo Credit)

• Persuasion (4401)

"A study of the psychology of persuasion and its use in a free society, and propaganda and its effect on our daily living. Prepares the student to evaluate persuasive messages, to use persuasion effectively, and to appreciate the ethics of persuasion." (Borrowed from WebAdvisor)

And yet again... another class I've taken before! I took Persuasion last semester and loved it. In general, communication courses tend to be pretty fun just because they're very open for discussion and are also interactive. The best word I can use to describe this class is "intriguing". The information isn't isn't life-changing but it certainly explains a lot. How can you not like a class that teaches you how to get your way?

(Photo Credit)

• Psych Disorders (3391)

"Provides an introduction to the history of psychological disorders as well as an overview of the symptoms, causes, and treatments of psychological disorders. Emphasis is placed on the biopsychosocial model of psychological disorders." (Borrowed from WebAdvisor)

Surprise! I've actually taken all five of these classes! It makes sense to choose classes that I've actually taken... especially if I'm going to recommend them because they're fun, right? Psych Disorders was probably one of the easiest classes I took during my time at MU, but that's not why it was fun! I've always been a fan of movies like Girl, Interrupted and Black Swan, where the main character has some serious psychological issues. This class gave me a chance to explore a little beyond those movies and learn about the actual disorders. It was... enlightening, to say the least.