As September comes to a close, we’re all preparing ourselves to say goodbye to warm, bright summer days and trying to welcome cloudy and cool autumn weather. As unpredictable as New England weather is, Boston still has a few weeks of nice weather that we all should be taking advantage of! Keep the summer feel for as long as possible by getting outdoors to do these 5 activities that you can remember throughout the fall. 1. Attend the Boston Calling Music FestivalBoston Calling is a 3 day concert featuring many great artists like Walk the Moon, Hozier, and the Avett Brothers. The concert is taking place this weekend, September 25-28 in City Hall Plaza. Although the tickets can be pricey, Boston Calling is a fun and interactive event that’ll give you a chance to catch some live music just minutes away from Suffolk campus. 2. Kayak on the CharlesKayaking on the Charles is an awesome outdoor activity that provides a combination of fitness and fun to help close out summer. There are some great deals on renting and discounted group rates, and this would be a great way to get all of your roommates out of the house and doing something fun! 3. Hubway RideTake a Hubway ride! Hubway is a bike sharing system that has stations all over Boston. Simply
4. Lawn on DCheck out the Lawn on D for a fun, outdoor, interactive experience located on D Street, between Summer and Claflin street. This space in South Boston features different events every day from live music to art exhibits. 5. Duck TourTaking a Duck Tour may seem like a strictly tourist attraction in Boston, but I’ve found many people who have lived in the city for years have never been on one! If you’re looking for something to do on a nice Saturday or if your parents come in to visit and you need somewhere to take them, try a Duck Tour! Tours depart from The Prudential Center, the Aquarium, and the Museum of Science, and it’s simple to just buy tickets and go! I promise there will be plenty of time during the fall and winter to sit inside and watch Netflix, so consider doing a few of these activities to make the most of the last couple warm days. Kayla Shearns, CLAS Tutor
Having a great study session is kind of like real estate, it's all about location, location, location. Take our quiz to find out which atmosphere works best for you.
Welcome to the 2015 Suffolk school year! Whether you are a new or returning student, the beginning of the year comes with so much excitement and opportunity within just the first few weeks. All of us are busy reading syllabi, starting assignments, and trying to figure out our new dorm or commute, but it’s also important to find time for fun and getting involved. Here are a few ideas of activities you can do to start the 2015 school year off right! 1. The Temple St FairTuesday, September 22 12-2PM I begin with the Temple Street Fair because it is an absolute must do during the first few weeks of school. Suffolk clubs, teams, and groups gather on Temple Street for the purpose of showing new and returning students what they have to offer. I attended the fair my freshman year and was excited to learn about all the different ways to get involved here at Suffolk that I wouldn’t have known otherwise. There’s a huge diversity of different activities on campus, so you’re bound to find something that interests you. If you go to the Temple Street Fair I’m sure you will learn a lot, get some free stuff, and see some friends along the way. Also be sure to stop by the CLAS table, I hope to see you there! 2. Six FlagsSaturday, September 19 9AM-8PM Looking for something fun to do this weekend? Take part in Program Council’s trip to Six Flags! This is an awesome opportunity that you won’t be able to do every weekend, especially at a discounted rate of $10! 3. Ram OlympicsFriday, September 25 2-5PM 20 Somerset Plaza Come meet the SUPERs (Suffolk University Peer Health Educators) at the 20 Somerset Plaza for the Ram Olympics! Compete with other Suffolk students in fitness activities for fun and some awesome prizes. This is a great way to learn about the SUPERs, stay active, and meet new people! 4. Men's & Women's Soccer GamesSaturday, September 26 East Boston Athletic Fields WOMEN 12:45 MEN 3:30 If you’re a sports fan, go out and support Suffolk Soccer on Saturday afternoon at the East Boston Athletic Fields! Check out the games if you’re interested in joining a team or just want to watch a free game outside with your friends. 5. Health & Wellness FairTuesday, September 29 11:30-2:30 Somerset Cafe Looking for some ideas on ways to stay healthy during the school year? If you’re moving into a new dorm or apartment, it’s not always easy to eat well and get exercise on a busy schedule. Check out the fair for some tips on staying healthy and to learn more about the Health and Wellness Center here at Suffolk. These are just a few of the activities happening to welcome everyone back to Suffolk. To find a full list, go to http://www.suffolk.edu/campuslife/2680.php! Coming from my own experience, I highly recommend checking out at least a few of these events to get involved and have some fun during your first few weeks back at Suffolk. Wishing you the best of luck on your 2015 school year! Kayla Shearns,
CLAS Tutor As a college student, living sustainably seems to be a topic that is widely discussed but rarely put into action. According to Boston College’s Sustainability Facts, “the average college student produces 640 pounds of solid waste each year, including 500 disposable cups and 320 pounds of paper”. Earth Day is coming up, so it’s a good time to start thinking about our consumption habits and taking steps to live more sustainably. It is a common misconception that you have to completely change your lifestyle in order to make an impact; if we all take small steps toward going a little more green, we can make a change. Paper & Plastic The amount of office paper wasted each year in Massachusetts is enough to fill Fenway Park to the height of the Prudential Building! (bc.edu)
Water Water is a huge part of the sustainability movement, and learning how to conserve a little water is easier than you think.
Energy
Photo: Suffolk Environmental Club Now that you know how to live a little more sustainably every day, join Suffolk Environmental Club’s Earth Day event! This event will celebrate Earth Day, and all the individuals and communities who are doing their part to live sustainably.
The event will be held on Earth Day, April 22nd, in the Donahue basement from 12-4PM. Hope to see you there and Happy Earth Day! Kayla Shearns, CLAS Tutor
The semester is coming to a close, finals and final projects are approaching, and you’re wondering - how can I mix up my study tactics?
These days, quite of a few of us have smartphones, tablets of various sizes/shapes/OS’s by our sides, and access to laptops… we might as well use them to their fullest extent! Here is a collection of apps for your various study needs, whether you need to get a little more organized, a little more focused, or you just need a little help with the content of your course. Bonus: we only picked the free ones.
If you’re easily distracted..
These apps will help you curb your mild social media addiction. The first step is admitting you have a problem; the second is taking action. Check out these apps to see how they can help you battle your tendency to get distracted.
If you’re tired of carrying around stacks of flashcards…
For some students, the flashcards really pile up--and buying them can get expensive! These apps provide an alternative, plus you can have access to them wherever you’re heading. Your commute on the B line just became a thirty-minute study sesh.
If you need some help scheduling and keeping track of deadlines..
Deadlines can get a little overwhelming at the end of the semester - especially this year, since syllabi have been altered and re-altered to compensate for Snowmageddon. Don’t let that get the best of you! Hopefully these apps might help you avoid that oh-wow-the-exam-is-tomorrow-isn’t-it moment.
If you’re interested in trying some new studying and note-taking tactics..
Maybe studying straight from your notes isn’t working so well anymore. Check out these apps - maybe mixing it up is just what you need!
For miscellaneous study needs…
your favorite sites, now apps!:
Thanks to these posts for inspiration:
http://blog.laptopmag.com/best-student-apps?slide=17 http://www.higheredtechdecisions.com/photos/10_best_college_apps_for_studying_on_the_go/9/
What is a desk? A workspace? A motivation station? A surface upon which your inspiration comes to life? If you find yourself sitting at your desk in a sea of sameness--awash with your familiar objects and distractions-- and unable to motivate yourself to do any work, you might need to just get up and try an unfamiliar space to spark your motivation again.
Try something new, be more productive, test your faith in free Wi-fi:
Go Outside
You haven’t seen the Sun in a while. It misses you. The Vitamin D will put you in a better mood so that you can get your work done. You need Wi-Fi? Try the Norman B. Leventhal Park or the Courtyard at the Boston Public Library.
Check Out Your Local Library
They aren’t dead yet. In fact, they even offer ergonomical 1980’s inspired wooden desks, outlets to plug your computer in, and access to the internet! What more could you need? So why not isolate yourself in the cozy catacombs of your local library and bust out that essay? Best part is, no one knows you there so you can slum it as hard as you need to, to ace your midterm.
Try a Cafe
When you are surrounded by other people who are trying to get work done and are energized by a steady stream of caffeine, the motivation is infectious.
Free Wi-Fi found here: Waffles, Ice Cream, and Bread
Need I say more? Sweet treats with a side of Free Wi-Fi respectively:
Find a rock….Gym?
It’s a little hard to grasp.. (pause for the pun).. But these gyms provide Wi-Fi with your membership so that you can get your work done, and then go work it out on the ropes and in yoga; but mainly on their rock walls.
If you are uncomfortable with the idea of studying away from your traditional desk, think of it this way: when you are stranded in an unfamiliar place you will cling to anything familiar. That familiar thing being your work. So whether it’s outdoors, between dusty books, surrounded by the aroma of coffee, positioned in view of decadent delights, or between a rock and a hard place, you might just find motivation in some of these crazy places.
The Quiz
OR if you’re not into gambling take this Quiz and it will tell you where you should study.
Casey Lugli is an Environmental Studies major with a minor in PR. When she’s not working as part of our CR staff, she is working at SWEET bakery or at her internship. She is graduating in May, and decided it was finally time she went on one of the Alternative Spring Break trips Suffolk offers. For her last Spring Break, Casey went to Triangle, VA, in Prince William Park. She worked as part of a team of ten students to help the national park service clean the grounds and the cabins, and build an extraordinary amount of picnic tables. Here is what she had to say about the incredible Alternative Spring Break experience she had. Why ASB? Where did you first hear about it? I did the environmental trip because it worked with my interests and majors. I had always heard good things, and I really enjoy service work so it combined all of my interests into one trip. Last semester my roommate had done it before and she was telling me about her trips and how great they were. Did you feel stressed trying to fit in the meetings/classes every week with all of your other jobs and school? Not really, packing was difficult because you didn’t have much space. It wasn’t as relaxing as some Spring Breaks, but I still had a really great time. What was your favorite part? I think my favorite part was seeing the amount of work we could do, and I was with a really great group. It was really incredible to see that a group of ten people could make such a significant impact in a short amount of time. What happened on the trip that you weren’t prepared for? I dont think I expected to learn so much about myself. I learned a lot about what I want to do with my career. I learned how I wanted to combine my passion for the environment and my career and what aspects are important to me. I always knew I wanted to work in environmental activism, but working on that trip I realized how important environmental education is, and I think that I definitely would like to do something with that at some point. I especially was surprised at how close my team got. Before the trip, we had class together and we would all sit spread out in the room. Now that we are coming back, we all opened up to one another. We had such an incredible experience that I can’t wait to go back to class and see them. This time we all are going sit pretty close. Why do you think other students should try ASB? ASB in general is such an amazing experience because you get to see how much a little bit of service means to people. It really shows you how important service work is. Why should students try the Environmental Trip? My environmental trip was really awesome because in the class that went with it, we spent the first part of the semester learning about the Civilian Conservation Corps. That definitely helped. We came to the site knowing a lot about the history of the park and the history behind the buildings that we worked on, which really helped us appreciate it. Overall? It was life-changing. Now that you’ve trudged your way through plenty of snow and midterms, Spring Break is finally here! If you are going to a far away, sunny, sandy place, take some time for much deserved R&R. For those of us who aren’t going on a tropical getaway, here are some ideas to make the most of your Spring Break! Day TripsNew York City: Take a Peter Pan bus from South Station! This is a great day trip idea if you’re willing to spend a little extra for a fun day. If it's your first time, go to Times Square, Chinatown, or Central Park. If you've been there before, find a neighborhood you haven't seen yet and roam around. Either way, relax and enjoy your mini-vacation. You don’t have to be a NYC expert to make the most of a day here, and that’s the adventure of it! Photo Courtesy of INEtours.com Museum of Fine Arts: A classic Boston trip. You may not have the time to stroll around the museum during midterms, but now that you’re on break, pay it a visit and take your time. Even people that aren’t typically fond of museums find something they like at the MFA, and it always has an interesting visiting exhibit. There are also tons of local restaurants across the Fens behind the museum, so a quick visit can easily become a fun day trip. Photo Courtesy of Twobuoyslobster.com St. Patrick’s Day Parade: Make the most of your last day on break by attending the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in South Boston on March 15th at 1pm! This is a Boston tradition that you should definitely take part in at least once during your time at Suffolk if you aren't from the area. Wear plenty of green and join in the madness! Photo Courtesy of Steven Senne/AP Good EatsDine Out Boston (March 1-6 & 8-13): Participating restaurants have a designated menu just for these two weeks. Lunches are priced $15/22/25 and dinners at $28/33/38 on Beacon Hill, the North End, etc. Treat yourself while sticking to your budget and try out some of the restaurants you've been dying to go to since freshman year! Restaurants offering deals include Aria Trattoria in the North End, 5 Napkin Burger in Back Bay, and Aquitaine in the South End. http://www.restaurantweekboston.com/ Photo Courtesy of Restaurantweekboston.com Sonic: If you’re not looking for fine dining, take a mini road trip (or an adventure on the Newbury/Rockport Line) to Sonic! The closest location is in Peabody, so many Boston residents and out-of-state students have never been. Take an average day and turn it into a goofy adventure in the name of drive-in fast food. Here’s the menu: https://www.sonicdrivein.com/menu Photo Courtesy of In News Weekly Be ProductiveVolunteer: If you’re not signed up for Alternative Spring Break, but you feel the urge to give back, you can still get in some volunteer hours! Volunteering locally will help you get to know a new side of your city by giving back - plus it leaves you feeling more refreshed than sitting on the couch all day might. Volunteer match lets you plug in your location and the causes you care about to match you with volunteer opportunities near you. http://www.volunteermatch.org/ Then again, you are absolutely allowed to binge watch your favorite shows on Netflix and catch up on sleep; that’s what breaks are for! And I know the last thing you want to think about on break is school... but take this time to get organized. Make sure you have all the supplies you need for the second half of the semester. There are probably a few projects and papers that you could could choose to neglect during break, but try not to. Block off some time each day to get some work done. I promise, it’ll pay off for the rest of the semester! Try to remember the “spring” in Spring Break. We’re almost there! I hope you have great break and come back to Suffolk motivated to end the year strong! Kayla Shearns,
CLAS Tutor Students who make the ambitious decision to study in a language that they did not grow up speaking face a unique set of challenges in their coursework. One of the biggest of them is writing in English. As a lecturer here at Suffolk and as a professional tutor at the CLAS, I’ve seen these challenges firsthand, and to help you overcome them, I have devised a few tips based on my experience working with many nonnative English speakers and on some of the academic literature on second-language writing. 1. Plan before you write. While crafting grammatical sentences may be the most challenging aspect of writing in English for you, you shouldn’t let sentence level issues impede the free flow of your ideas. Plan your essay before you actually start drafting it. Writing instructors call this pre-writing. Before you even create your document in your word processor, generate ideas, consider your structure, and build your argument using pen and paper. This process can really take whatever form comes comfortably to you: you can create a list of bullet points, you could write a more formal outline, or you could use thought bubbles or idea trees. Use whatever method works for you, but you should eventually arrive at a working thesis and a basic outline of your paragraph structure before you actually begin drafting your essay. 2. Draft in stages. If you follow my first tip about pre-writing, you’re already beginning to draft in stages; however, non-native speakers of English can especially benefit from separating the entire writing process into distinct phases. → After you’ve planned your essay, draft it. When you’re in the initial drafting stage, don’t worry about grammatical correctness or proper vocabulary; let the ideas flow and write whatever comes out. Then, take a break. Eat a meal, go to class, or hang out with your friends, and come back to your draft later. → When you return to your project, revise, but don’t edit yet. The distinction between these two activities is important. When you revise, you should be working on the level of your ideas—or what writing instructors call “global” issues. Does your thesis precisely state the argument of your essay? Do your topic sentences relate to the thesis and accurately reflect the arguments of their respective paragraphs? Is your pattern of organization perceivable and logical? Have you remembered to include all of the points of your argument? Revision is all about getting the content where you want it to be. Then take another break. → When you return to your project (ideally on another day), begin editing. While you certainly can still make changes to your content when you edit, editing is more about form than content. This is the stage of the writing process in which you should be correcting grammatical errors, tweaking word choices, and making sure your sentence structures are effective. By separating the writing process into distinct stages, you’ll be able to express your ideas more effectively because you won’t be getting hung up on the challenges of writing in perfectly grammatical English until the very last phase. 3. Be aware of cultural differences in rhetorical values. When people mention “rhetoric,” they’re essentially talking about the way a writer or speaker makes an argument. However, different cultures have different preferences for how to express arguments. In her essay “Cultural Conflicts in the Writing Center,” Former Purdue University writing center director Muriel Harris notes that “while Americans value conciseness, directness, and clarity, work in contrastive rhetoric has shown us that these qualities are not necessarily valued in the discourse of other languages.” Because of culturally different rhetorical values, you may find that you need to adapt to the more linear American style of argumentation that your professors are mostly likely to expect. Thus, while you may be more used to a centrifugal structure, an argument-counterargument structure, or a structure that allows for tangential breaks, you should generally hold yourself to a strict linear style of argumentation in which you thoroughly state your entire argument in a thesis that appears near the beginning of the essay and proceed by sequentially supporting or proving all the parts of that thesis in your body paragraphs. This certainly isn’t the only good way of making an argument, but if your audience is American professors, you’ll benefit from using a rhetorical structure that they’ve come to expect. 4. Thesaurus Wrecks! You may have been taught that using complex vocabulary makes your writing stronger. However, that’s true only if you’re using complex terms correctly and if your language is accessible to your readers. Many students (both native and nonnative English speakers) inflate their vocabulary by clicking on the “thesaurus” or “synonyms” option in their word processors. However, this is an extremely dangerous practice because words have more than simple denotations (simply put, their literal definitions); they also have connotations (more subtle associations that words carry). A computer or printed thesaurus will generally not give you enough information about the connotations of words or about the contexts in which they are appropriate to use. Therefore, you quite possibly will use a word inaccurately if you’re inflating your vocabulary using a thesaurus.
To be magnanimous means to be very generous or forgiving. This causes a logical problem in the sentence because if the crowd is protesting a verdict, they're probably not feeling very generous or forgiving. This type of error usually results from the following train of thought: in the first draft, the writer produces the sentence as, “A big crowd assembled to protest the jury's verdict.” This sentence accurately articulates the writer's meaning, but the writer is not satisfied with her use of “big” and uses her word processor’s thesaurus, where among the suggestions she finds “magnanimous.” It's not crazy that either the thesaurus suggested magnanimous or that the writer chose it since one of the term's Latin root words is magnus, which means big or great. However, the term's other root is animus, meaning soul or heart. Thus, as a substitute for “big,” the writer has now opted for “big-hearted,” breaking the logical consistency of her sentence. I understand that you may have been taught that good writing employs varied and complex vocabulary; however, on a more fundamental level good writing minimizes the possibility of misreading and expresses the ideas of a writer in such a way that readers can understand them. Developing a complex vocabulary is a great goal, but you should aim to achieve this over a long period of time through reading, conversation, and general immersion in English—not with the quick path of a thesaurus. As more complex terms become a natural part of your speaking vocabulary, feel free to use them in your writing. If a term is so unfamiliar to you that you had to use a thesaurus to find it, don't use it. 5. Make regular appointments at your writing center. The key word here is regular. Some students simply make appointments at their tutoring center a day or two (or less!) before their papers are due, having the expectation that one tutoring session will produce a rhetorically brilliant and error-free final draft. However, this expectation is not realistic given the time constraints of the typical one-hour tutoring session. Furthermore, a wealth of scholarly literature on tutoring center best practices suggests that tutors should focus on only two to three issues in a given tutoring session. This practice is best summed up by writing scholar Stephen North's now famous axiom that the job of a writing tutor is “to produce better writers, not better writing.” If you make regular appointments at your tutoring center—not just when you have a paper due—you will have the opportunity to work consistently with a tutor who can get to know you as a writer and who will be able to build on your strengths and improve upon your weaknesses. As a result, you'll improve as a writer—a lifelong benefit—rather than simply improve the grade of one transient assignment. Jamie P. Bondar, Senior Lecturer in English Professional Tutor @ CLAS |
Categories
All
Archives
December 2017
|