Blog - Page 120 of 147 - Life at Hope College

Experience the National Tournament 2013

Hope College hockey qualified for the ACHA D-III National
Tournament this year, for the twelfth consecutive season. This is no small feat—considering that
only sixteen teams in the entire country get the opportunity to play for the
grand prize. Not to mention that
each region of the country contributes four teams, limiting the competitive
North region from flooding the tournament.

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My freshman year, we had the honor of hosting the tournament
in Holland. Having the support of
our hometown fans was a huge advantage. Unfortunately, we lost in the championship game to College of the
Canyons (CA). Last year, we
traveled to Atlantic City, New Jersey, only to lose in pool play. This year, Missouri State hosted the
tournament in lovely Springfield, MO.

It just so happens that Nationals week always occurs the
week before Hope’s Spring break—which means that we hockey players get to miss
a week of classes AND get a head start on our Spring break. Home free! Or so one would think. But most Hope College professors aren’t so fast to grant a week off of
classes. Which results in
schoolwork on the eleven-hour bus ride and in the hotel all week. Some professors even required players
to Skype into class (cough
mine!). Tests and quizzes are
common during this “cram” week. Naturally, Coach Van Timmeren proctored these throughout the week, until
our number one fan, Dean Frost, graciously provided relief.

And that’s the only con to playing in the National
Tournament!

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*Disclaimer* Hope College hockey is pampered. There is no other ACHA D-III team in
the country that gets the treatment we do.

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Hope provides us with a coach bus for the journey. The thirty-three of us players, plus
Coach, fit on the bus, no problem. The majority of the seniors
get two seats to recline for the ride. The rest of us have to choose our seatmate wisely. Important factors to consider include:
snoring and drooling habits, shoulder width, and general social
compatibility. Naturally, fellow
Chicago native Joe Pappas and I remained faithful to our Atlantic City
partnership for the 2013 Springfield version.

Bus rides are limited as far as activities go. There’s always schoolwork. Pffft but seriously. Watching the mediocre movie Coach selects, sleeping in
unorthodox and uncomfortable positions, playing cards, or browsing social media
sites using the WIFI hotspot that we so wisely invested in for last season’s venture
are usually the most common ways to kill time.

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The Hotel

With a name like La
Quinta, it’s hard not to expect great things. For those of you who don’t speak Spanish, quinta translates to “fifth,” no doubt
an ode to our “five-star.”

The team was split into threesomes based on line
pairings. Therefore, the only
flexibility lay with the defensemen (who play in pairs) and the injured/reserve
players. Needless to say, I was
very pleased with my rooming situation: fellow juniors Jordan Rose and Kevin
Deane. Tragically, both have been permanently
sidelined due to repeated concussions, a growing epidemic in the hockey
world. Regardless of permanent
brain damage, both manage to keep a bright outlook as they help guide the team
as bench coaches. Having Coach
directly across the hall allowed us to be in frequent conversation with
“Bossman.” I don’t think we could
have orchestrated it any better ourselves!

Among the perks of staying at La Quinta was the pool area. Now, before you deem me a child, allow me to explain. Growing up, away tournaments were always the highlights of the season. The kids frolic in the hotel until game time and the parents attempt to avoid them. Naturally, the hotel pool was the hangout for us rink rats. Nothing really changes.

Throughout the year, the team stays in other hotels—all of
which lack pools, or whose pool area is a glorified concrete dungeon. La Quinta’s was naturally lit by floor
to ceiling windows, contained decorative plants, and had a Jacuzzi that consistently
stayed at 104°. As if that weren’t enough, the high
tech surveillance system and punch code keypad entrance kept us feeling safe at
all times in the pool! However, we
were a bit disheartened to learn that the pool area closed at 10:00 PM. Not that the punch code didn’t work
after 10:00…

Which reminds me. Coach Van Timmeren means business at the National Tournament. Therefore, he created a detailed
itinerary with the days’ proceedings that each player received via email. He sent out three updated versions
throughout the week. Among the
drawbacks was mandatory breakfast attendance at 8:00 AM and 11:00 PM curfews. Curfews were enforced
with an iron fist, as Stal—er, Coach saw fit to enact “bed-checks” each night. All players (including us reserves) were
required to be under the covers, with the television and lights off by 11:00 PM. Not an easy requirement for night owls
like myself.

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Back to La Quinta. Perhaps the most impactful of all was
the twenty-four hour complementary Folgers blend coffee available in the
lobby. Were it not for this, it
pains me to imagine how little schoolwork I would have completed. It also proved to be a saving grace at
breakfast, helping me to overcome the lure of the unusually comfortable beds
back in room 112. Lastly, it saved
me a handful of bills, as I was able to fill my thermos with Folgers instead of
shelling out at the rink for lukewarm, weak joe.

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The Meals

To perform our best, us hockey players need calories,
preferably nutritious ones. Providing three meals a day to thirty-three hockey players and the coaching
staff amounts to quite a task. Therefore, a set of parents assume the responsibility of taking orders,
determining costs, catering the food, and in many cases, preparing the food. The Dolehanty family has served the
team for the last two seasons, and has done a tremendous job of keeping the
boys fed, and fed well. While
other teams are eating at fast food joints to save money, we dine at fine local
establishments, handpicked by the Dolehanty’s. We can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done, Mr. and Mrs.
Doly and Allison!

The Tourney

There’s magic in the air at Nationals every year that isn’t
rivaled by any mid-season matchup or league playoff game: particularly the
first day of games, when all sixteen teams are optimistic at their chances at
advancing. Since each pool
contains a team from each region, many teams have not encountered each other
previously. Many teams spend the
whole day at the rink, scouting teams in their pool and getting a feel for how
the tournament is going to proceed. It also gave us a chance to mingle with our favorite team in the ACHC,
the University of Alabama, who had previously embraced us at a tournament down
in Huntsville the year before. Legend
has it that after an Alabama victory, a Hope player exclaimed, “Roll Tide!” To which a ‘Bama player responded with,
“Roll Dutch!” Since then, we have
adopted “Roll Dutch!” as our own slogan, featuring it on various articles of
clothing, including our warm-up gear. To our surprise, an unidentified coach informed us that “rolling Dutch”
was a term for cannabis consumption.
Oops.

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After a Monday afternoon skate, we took the ice Tuesday to
face Neumann University, who hail from Pennsylvania. The word was that they had a legitimate shot at winning it
all. As such, we came out of the
gate fast and never looked back, putting on a clinic in a 10-2 drubbing, receiving goals from eight different players. No need for a “Newman!” exclamation (for those of you who consider yourself Seinfeld fans).

Our next test was the following afternoon versus Northern
Arizona University, who had managed to recruit a German and a Canadian to their
roster. Despite their
international appeal, there was no doubt that they had seen the double-digit
tally we had put up the night before. Standing behind their coaching staff during our 20-minute warm-up, I observed
that they exchanged a grand total of two sentences, while staring wide-eyed at
our squad. Quite literally, they
were quaking in their loafers. The
6-0 score reflected the vibe before the game, as the Dutchmen rolled to another
victory, led by a hat trick by first team All-American and ACHC MVP Chris
Kunnen.

The tournament hosted a skills competition on Wednesday
night that showcased one player from each squad. Seeing as how we wanted to remain focused on what really
mattered, Coach elected to send Kevin, who had led Hope in goals his freshman
year, and Alex Caradonna, a freshman tendie
(goalie) looking to prove himself on the big stage. Seeing as how he was medically
ineligible to play, Kevin had not brought his gear. Therefore, he pieced together a set of equipment from fellow
teammates: grabbing shin guards from Jake Green, pants from Nick Cornicelli,
shoulder pads from Chris Kunnen, elbow pads from Drew O’Brien, and a helmet
from captain Court Fall.

Predictably, Coach vetoed the team’s request to attend and
support Kevin and Donna. However,
Anthony Gasparotto, Jesse Gardner, and myself weren’t about to be denied as
injured reserves. Lacking a ride,
Mr. Cornicelli and his son Joe generously offered to drive us to the rink to
support our teammates. We arrived
at the rink to find the place packed. Every other team was there to support their star, or scrub, in some
instances. The obstacle course was
the first challenge. To our
surprise, Kevin was up first. He
posted a dazzling time, weaving through the cones with the puck seemingly glued
to his wand (talented player’s stick). His time held through the remaining
fifteen skaters and he received a high quality twig (stick) as a reward for his triumph.

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Kevin and Donna also each finished second in the shootout
competition, which was a five-puck spree with forty seconds on the clock. Both qualified for the final showdown,
Kevin with three goals, and Donna by saving all five pucks! Donna amused the crowd with an arsenal
of showboating moves; including pad stacks, tucking his stick behind his back,
and jumping jacks. Kevin was
brilliant, scoring two silky
(smooth) backhand goals and going river
(between the goalie’s legs) for his final goal. The final brought
disappointment for both Hope players. Regardless, a terrific showing for Hope hockey at the skills
competition!

Thursday’s game against the University of Central Florida
was do or die for the Dutchmen. Win and advance. Lose and
go home. Just minutes into the
game, Brandon Flood picked the puck up in the neutral zone, beat three players
with a burst of speed, and ripped a cheddar
bomb (top left corner of the net, over the goalie’s blocker). The first ended 1-0. The second period brought UCF’s
wrath. The Florida natives were
head-hunting, targeting Kunnen with cheap shots to the head and late hits. But Kunnen and the Dutchmen kept their
cool and extended their lead on a brilliant flip from Cornicelli that bounced
to O’Brien, who beat the UCF tendie with a deft backhand move. Rounding out the scoring in the third
period was Green, who glanced to the middle of the ice, as if to pass to a
teammate, and instead fired a low wrist-shot just inside the left post. On to the semifinals!

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As mentioned previously, the North is typically the most
competitive region. This year’s
tournament exemplified that, as all four pool winners were teams from the
North, specifically Michigan. We
were to see Adrian, the defending champions, on Friday morning. The short turnaround resulted in a handful
of sore players scurrying to and fro the ice machine to create an ice bath
before bed check. To our dismay, we
received disconcerting tidings that our captain Court Fall had aggravated a
previous shoulder injury and would not be dressing the next day.

The Flying Dutchmen came out just that. Dominating play, end to end. Our hard work paid off when freshman
Rob Calvert buried a rebound to give us the lead. Moments later, senior Justin Johnston was given a violent
shot to the head by an Adrian goon, rendering JJ incapable of getting to his
feet. Concerned, Doc Van Timmeren
and Coach hustled to his side to determine the extent of the injury. JJ was helped off the ice, still woozy
from what proved to be a serious concussion. Hope was left with a two-minute power play on which they
failed to capitalize. Shortly
after which Adrian capitalized on a breakaway to knot the score at 1-1. Bad turned to the worse, when a
questionable call by the officials put Adrian on the power play. The first period
horn sounded and the teams headed to their respective locker rooms to await the
resurfacing.

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Just moments into the second period, Adrian capitalized on
the stale power play, taking the lead. Seizing the momentum, Adrian turned it up a notch and put another one
past LaDouce. Feeling the pressure
building, Hope slowly began to tilt the ice in their favor, reverting to the
puck possession style of play that had worked so well. Their persistence was rewarded with a
power play. Working the puck
around the perimeter eventually left an Adrian defender out of position, giving
Calvert an opportunity to walk the puck in and let loose a wrister. PING! Off of the post and in! Hope was back,
and still hungry. The second
period ended 2-3 in Adrian’s favor.

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Before returning to the ice, senior Chris Kunnen took the
opportunity to address the team in an emotional speech that served to motivate
the team to a near-frenzy. While waiting
in the tunnel for the Zamboni to finish, Hope and Adrian players began chirping (talking trash) animatedly,
something that Hope does not regularly engage in, with the exception of Kyle “Daddy”
Wollet and Drew Cook. Both of whom
are exceptional.

As expected, the Dutch played with an urgency that usually
only appears in the last few minutes of a game. The ice was tilting further and further in Hope’s favor, as
Adrian players began sucking wind from the relentless onslaught. Yet time kept ticking. At the 2:40 mark, Coach Van Timmeren
called his timeout to refocus and give his top players a brief rest. Eventually establishing puck control,
Hope yanked LaDouce for an extra attacker and threw the puck towards Adrian’s
goal, resulting in a fierce battle to bury the puck. The referees blew the play dead with 48.8 seconds left, as
several Hope players raised their hands to celebrate an apparent goal. But it was not to be. According to the officials, only
two-thirds of the puck had crossed the goal line. Undeterred, Hope pressed the attack but alas, could not bury
the puck before the final buzzer sounded.

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The boys skated through the handshake line and trudged into
the locker room. They had given it
their best effort, yet had come up one bounce short. There is absolutely no doubt in any of our minds that we
deserved to win that game.

But that’s why we play the game. If they handed the trophy out at the beginning of the year,
we’d be lacking the journey. The
journey is what is what we share, and what binds us together as not just
teammates, but as a family.

-Steven Skawski #9

A Springtime Poem

As the snow and ice finally begin to melt on campus, the new signs of spring are showing up. I’ve been seeing plants peaking out from the ground and buds starting to grow on trees. All of this makes me very happy because spring is my favorite season!

While I was walking through the aisles of Van Wylen Library last week, I found a book of poems called How Can I Keep From Singing? by Deckard Ritter. Now, I’m normally not a big fan of poetry, but the musically themed title made me curious to look inside. I flipped through a couple of pages and absolutely loved what I read. I checked the book out and have been leafing through it ever since. What’s great about this book is that the author, Deckard, was a former Hope professor. He earned his Ed. D. from New York University and taught english here, and at Talladega College in Alabama and Ohio Wesleyan University. He wrote poetry for seven decades; he even wrote a poem on the day he died! His family and friends published the poems, which were previously unknown to the rest of the world.

One particular poem that I think is appropriate for spring is called Seasons:

A blizzard fierce and cold holds sway
Along Ohio’s streets and roads.
The snow besieges homes by day;
It chills the nights and often goads
Us on sallies we regret,
With checks the eager frost has bitten,
And limp resolve to not forget
And go again and be so smitten.
And still we go because we know
That life is more than cozy kitchens,
And be the weather friend or foe
Besides, these skies that suffering bring
Will soon be blessing us with spring.

Beautiful, isn’t it? It only makes me more excited for the coming days 🙂

I want to wish all Hope students a happy spring break! Stay safe!

-Rachael

Life in the dorms

Hello Everyone!

Today I interviewed my friend Ali about her experiences living in the dorm. I thought Ali’s answers would be helpful for some of you who may living in the dorm next fall.

What is your favorite part about living in the dorms?

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I live in Gilmore and love it because of the community. I
enjoy living in such close proximity to a lot of different people. I lived here
last year as a freshman too, so it was nice to have a community of
sophomores as well as freshmen.

What are some fun activities that you do with your dorm?

Last night we had a hopping pool party at the Dow! We’ve
also gone ice skating and roller blading. We had a dorm Christmas party, and in
the fall we picked apples at Crane’s.

What’s your favorite thing about having a roommate?

I LOVE my roommate! It’s great coming home to such an awesome friend! We talk about our days, we have deep discussions, and it’s just really
great to know that I have a friend all the time. She’s the best!

What’s it like sharing a community bathroom?

I really like it. I never have to clean it, which is great!
There’s always music playing, and I actually have a lot of great discussions in
there. The bathroom is a great place to meet people that you wouldn’t encounter
otherwise. Also at night my friends and I get to brush our teeth all together
and talk about our days and bond, which is a highlight of my day.

Are you able to study a lot in the dorm?

Not always in my room, which can be a blessing and a curse.
It’s great because people are always coming in and out, which is super fun but
doesn’t always make for a good study environment. But when I do want to do some
serious studying, I just walk down to the basement and there I can go to the study
room where I can study as much as I want without being disturbed.

What’s your best piece of advice for living in the dorm your
freshman year?

I have two, actually. My first piece of advice is to get to
know your neighbors! A great way to get to know your neighbors is to leave your
door open, so that people can just pop in and say hello. My second piece of
advice is to talk to your roommate. Living with another person can be a big
adjustment, so it’s important that you and your roommate can be honest and open
with one another.

What are you most excited about for living in a cottage next
year?

I am so excited to live with all my close friends in one
place! I am also really excited to have a kitchen and start cooking for myself,
even though I can’t really make anything real. Really, I’m excited for a new
experience!

I hope you all found some of Ali’s insight helpful. I met Ali last year because we were neighbors and became really good friends within her first week on campus.

Surprise!!!

Oh boy do I have a good blog for you today! First of all,
Spring Break just started today, which makes me SO HAPPY!!!! Besides that, I
need to let you all know about my past weekend because it was one of the most
exciting weekends of my life. Let me just let you know that my friends Cheryl
and Connor were planning on coming to my cottage on Lake Michigan with me just
so we could get off-campus and hang out for the weekend. Well, that was the
plan, at least.

When were driving to my cottage I told them that they were going the wrong way, in which we went into the
train station to turn around and I looked out the window and saw my absolute
best friend standing outside of the station. My brother had surprised me!!!
Many of you might be like, “Your brother is your best friend, really?” in which
the answer is yes. My brother, Brian, knows me better than anybody else I know
and we have become each other’s best friends over the years. Anyway, when I saw
him, my natural reaction was to start crying because I hadn’t seen him in quite
a while and his surprising me meant so much to me, especially since he had been
secretly planning it with Cheryl and Connor for a few weeks. This was like an
added birthday present for me because my birthday was earlier that week.

When we got to the cottage on Friday we just hung out,
watched a movie and played some cards in front of the fireplace. However, the
next day we rode bikes down to Tunnel Park and played on all of the playground
equipment and ventured onto the icy lake and took some awesome pictures. After
we started getting a little cold, we rode back and had some warm macaroni and cheese in front of the fireplace while watching some TV together. We ended up
renting a movie from Redbox and going to Qdoba for dinner, followed by making
some pretty delicious, yet not completely cooked chocolate chip cookies. It
seriously felt so surreal because we were away from campus and being
stress-free of homework and academic responsibilities.

On Sunday, I unfortunately had to drive Brian back to the
train station so he could get back to school and start his own Spring Break.
This weekend was so memorable because the effort that my friends and Brian put into
making this weekend special meant the world to me. Anyway, while I’m writing
this, my Spring Break has started so I’m about to head to Grand Rapids and then
head back home to California tomorrow, so I have to go! Talk to you after the
break!

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @hopeleslie15.

Theta Gamma Pi ϴГП

I went to Round Robin as a joke. It’s the traditional beginning of spring Greek Life rush at Hope College. Most of my friends are Greek, and I thought I might as well enjoy myself for a couple of hours hobbling around [remember hip surgery?] and laughing at sorority girls.

I surprisingly got caught up in one organization: Theta Gamma Pi. I walked into their round robin presentation giggling and left with tears in my eyes after watching this:

I didn’t know any of these girls. One went to my high school but I hadn’t ever really interacted with her. But when I watched their rush video, I felt an instant connection. The love and excitement, morals, values, and pure emotion flooded into my heart and caught me up in a whirlwind of strange feelings. I CAME AS A JOKE! This wasn’t supposed to happen.

The week following Round Robin, I was in a huge dilemma. I had condoned Greek life (mostly privately) since high school, and never thought I could be part of something like it.

After attending one rush event, I was hooked. I got there early and was the last to leave. I couldn’t get enough of these beautiful women! They were dedicated, had fun, and were encouraging, empowering, and motivated to succeed.

This past week I was initiated/activated as an active member of ϴГП. I couldn’t be more proud. I now have the most wonderful, powerful, and beautiful (inside and out) sisters that will only enrich my life and my time here at Hope.

Maybe you, too, should open your eyes, try something new, and don’t judge a book by it’s cover.

Intramurals at Hope!

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Hey everyone!

Hope you’re week is going well. This week has
been going full-blast with one activity after the next. Another intramural
season has ended. I played women’s indoor soccer, co-ed inner tube water polo,
and co-ed volleyball. All of my teams went pretty far in the playoffs, except for
soccer where I had a concussion at out first playoff game. Last night our volleyball
team lost in the championship game. It was an intense game, we played 3 games
and the other team won 15-13. Our team was really bummed, but we had a ton of fun playing together.

Intramurals have been a great way for me to get
to know more people. Plus, I really enjoy playing on a team. This school year I
won two championships: one in tennis and the other in flag football. Every time
you win a championship everyone on your team gets an intramural championship
t-shirt. Since t-shirts are what you win in the finals, the championship games
are always pretty heated.

Here are 5 Reasons to Join a College Intramural Sports Team

1. Intramurals are an amazing stress reliever.

2. They provide great exercise.

3. They’re a great way to meet people.

4. There can be leadership opportunities.

5. It’s one of the best ways to have fun.

I hope this post inspired you to join an intramural team at Hope. I really enjoy playing with friends and meeting new people. Plus they are the perfect study break. I definitely recommend checking out Hope’s intramural website so you can see all of the fun sports Hope has to offer.

Have a fun weekend!

Hope College Concert Series

This past Wednesday, I had the awesome opportunity to attend a concert by Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Foxygen, and Wampire!

Concerts throughout the year are put on by the Hope College Concert Series, a group on campus that finds and books performers. Because Hope is a small school, the performers tend to be somewhat obscure. However, once in a while performers who are fairly well known will be brought to campus. The most notable recent ones are Mat Kearney, Robert Glasper, and Ra Ra Riot. Just because most the performers aren’t well known doesn’t mean that they are not talented! Wampire, Foxygen, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and every other performer that has come to Hope are very skilled at their craft!

The concert I went to this past Wednesday was my first Concert Series concert and it did not disappoint! I couldn’t stay for the whole concert, so I only saw Wampire and part of Foxygen’s set, but I heard Unknown Mortal Orchestra did a great job.

My first impression of Wampire was that they really love what they do. Some people might say that of all musicians, but for Wampire, it really showed. Their music was rock ‘n’ roll with a little bit of a west coast beachy and psychedelic sound; I would compare them to Delta Spirit or Best Coast. My favorite songs from their set were “The Hearst” and “Trains”, both of which are from their album Curiosity that will come out in May. They brought a fun, energetic vibe to the Park Theater and got everyone excited to the rest of the show!

Before finding out about the show, I had heard of Foxygen, so I had pretty high expectations. I can say happily that they did not disappoint! They started with the same kind of energy that Wampire had and brought more. Their music was also rock ‘n’ roll with some psychedelic influences. The lead singer was eccentric both in his actions and clothing choice (he wore a big furry coat that you can kind of see in the picture), but that only made their set more enjoyable. I really wish I could have stayed longer because I was really liking their set!

Do you go to concerts often? Who was the last performer you saw? Comment or tweet me!

-Rachael

Student Employment: Not all that Bad

1. Eliminate the pains of transportation

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A brisk 6-minute walk eliminates the need
for me to drive. Which means that
I don’t have to frantically beg one of my housemates to back out so that I can. It also eliminates the following worst-case
scenario:

None of my housemates are home and I am
forced to back the obstructive vehicle out into a neighboring driveway. Leave said vehicle running, hustle
to Bonnie and back her out into another available driveway. Leave her running, and pull in the
first vehicle. Walk across the
street back to Bonnie, hop in, and now I’m on my way.

Obviously any chance to cut down on gas
expenses is welcome. [Insert political statement here]. Working on-campus is a sure way to do
so.

2. Work alongside fellow students

I’d reckon to guess that working as
a student employee offers a far greater probability of working with
friends. Take for instance, how I
went about obtaining my job at the Kletz. My good friend Nico Kolschowsky,
knowing that I was cash-strapped after my adventures in Europe, advised me that
the Kletz was hiring. He also explained that he had enjoyed
working there and would love to have me as a co-worker. So, he passed along the email address
of Aimee Molitor, his boss; and I
sent her an email expressing my interest. His recommendation scored me an interview, and before I knew it, I was
being trained to take orders from our
boss.

Keep in mind that Cool Beans is located just across the
dining area from the Kletz. In the rare instance that you end up on
a shift without a friendly face, it’s awfully feasible to wander over to Cool Beans to briefly convene with the
two student baristas. In fact, my
dear friend Cody Brant (and fellow blogger) works an overlapping shift on Tuesday evenings. Not that I can ever spare even a moment
to socialize with the gentleman (who scored me this gig) during my labor-intensive
shifts…

3. Differentiation

Currently, I am trained on three different positions; dishwashing, stocking, and pizza. All of which have their respective perks and pitfalls. Dishwashing affords one solitude and time to clear your head in extremely humid conditions. Stocking is more mobile and allows for one-line socializing with hungry friends. Pizza allows me more interaction with fellow co-workers whilst crafting delicious pizzas from scratch with tasty topping combinations.

The next week will see me being trained on fryer duty—which will no doubt serve to separate me from my appetite for fried food by periodically dunking chicken and tater wedges in boiling grease. Oh the joys of the food industry: lowering cholesterol since fast foods’ inception.

4. Schedule flexibility

Shifts only last between 4 and 5 hours. Employees can work as little as one shift a week if they choose. They are scheduled based on availability that they submit to Aimee each semester. If a situation arises that conflicts with a shift, they can request off or ask a co-worker to cover their shift via the email chain. Often times, picking up a shift is rewarded with a food item from the grateful employee. Awfully convenient system if you ask me!

5. Break

Every shift over 4 hours warrants a 15-minute break. Big deal. But there’s a catch: anything you can prepare yourself, you can eat. Which means access to every food product in stock, and plenty of experimentation on the grill—resulting in unique meal combinations that the average Hope student will never have the opportunity to sample. Take for example, what I ate during my last break: sautéed vegetables in a spicy chicken quesadilla with a hearty portion of three-cheese French fries. Paired with chocolate milk, I left work with a full stomach, heavy eyelids, and plenty of yawns.

6. Employee Discount

As an upperclassman, the Kletz is included on my meal plan. However, the average underclassman’s
account is billed for eating at the Kletz. That bill can add up fast when student
life requires eating at odd times throughout the week. As a Kletz employee, I have a 10% discount on all items, which really
only benefits me when I purchase items not included on meal plan. Had I worked at the Kletz as an underclassman, I would
really be taking advantage!

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Until next time!

-Steven

For further reading, check out what Cody has to say by clicking below.

Cody’s blog

News is News is News is News. Top Stories you NEED TO KNOW

You’re busy. I get that. I feel that. I am busy too. Life is always busy, and it only gets worse as you go, if you let it.

So, I thought I’d be a little bit helpful and fill you in on some important things you should have heard of this week, that you probably didn’t.

1. I am pledging Theta Gamma Pi, and tonight I become an active member.!

2. A guy fell into a sinkhole and died.

NO THIS IS NOT A JOKE. Sinkholes are real. Read here:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/01/us/florida-sinkhole/index.html?hpt=us_c1

3. Michigan is in a state of fiscal Emergency!!!! BAD NEWS BROTHER.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/01/us-usa-detroit-emergency-idUSBRE9200TI20130301

4. This morning in ORGO we were talking about how we aren’t allowed to use Cyanide in our labs. This is why:

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/01/17148201-cyanide-poisoning-killed-1-million-lottery-winner-authorities-confirm?lite

5. Facebook is Changing…..AGAIN. Let’s all sigh in annoyance together.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/facebook-sends-invite-promising-new-look-for-the-news-feed/2013/03/01/0d377486-82a0-11e2-b99e-6baf4ebe42df_story.html

6. Don’t ever get a Hedgehog. You’ll die of salmonella.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/01/31/170776440/salmonella-undermines-hedgehogs-cuteness-overload

7. The pope resigned because he wanted a cat:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/03/01/cats-kitties-pope-benedict/1957295/

8. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST: PERFECT for Anthony’s new restaurant: The new iPad will have a storage drawer! Maybe I can skip the purse now, and just bring the iPad??

http://www.theonion.com/articles/apple-announces-plans-for-new-ipad-with-extra-stor,31067/

Science Night

Today, I was lucky enough to be part of Science Night at
Great Lakes Elementary School and teach children about the importance of
exercise and how fun it can actually be. Many people find exercise as mundane
and boring, but it was our job to show how fun it can be!

A bunch of students including myself from the Kinesiology
Department at Hope all were in charge of different exercise-related activities
at the school. There were stations such as vertical jump, sprinting,
sit-and-reach, balance, stepping, jump rope, obstacle courses and then station
I was a part of: Xbox Kinect. People might initially believe that playing Xbox
provides limited exercise and benefits, but this game gets kids to exercise
without even really knowing it because they are interacting with the game by
moving and having a good time.

This whole event lasted about two hours and consisted of all
of the volunteers preparing each of the stations, followed by eating some pizza
generously provided by the elementary school until children began to show up.
Once they did, a small presentation on the purpose of the evening was given and
each of the kids was given a card with all of the stations they had to visit by
the end of the night. From my perspective, the time certainly flew by,
considering my station was the most popular because everybody loves playing the
Xbox. This made it somewhat stressful for me, but all of the children were
really excited to play, regardless if they had had prior experience playing it.
The whole atmosphere of this night was very encouraging and fun because
children and their siblings, friends and parents all got to see that science
encompasses more than just plants, animals and cells, but that exercise is also
in the same field.

Something positive I certainly got out of this evening, besides showing kids the benefits of exercise on health, is that I was able to
learn how to interact with children a lot better, which is needed in the
kinesiology field. I was able to provide a positive image for these kids and
someone to look up to, which I know is nice when you’re the child. In addition,
I personally was able to get to know my peers a whole lot better from this
evening and get more volunteer experience. Hopefully there will be more events
like this, especially in other fields so that things learned in school can be
presented in a fun fashion and motivate children.

That’s it for this week, but don’t forget to follow me on
Twitter @hopeleslie15.

The Hotel

The Meals

The Tourney

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