Ho, Ho, Ho!

After a refreshing and much needed Thanksgiving break, we are back!

Another week of classes down, one more week to go, and then FINALS...

The cramming has officially begun.

However, the snow fall two days ago brought about a necessary study break for an intense snowball fight out in back circle. I would have posted pictures, but I feared for my camera's life.

: )

Needless to say, socks, jeans, mittens, and tennis shoes were thoroughly socked and in much need of a good drying when all was said and done. There are still a few visible snow bunnies and snow midgets in back circle, but the snow continues to drift on down... blanketing all of Lexington.

Aside from the Christmas cheer falling from the sky, Greek formals have been adding to the excitement of the end of semester. Phi Mu's Masquerade Formal was a ton of fun- and all the decorated masks were super creative. Most girls fashioned and crafted their own masks, although some more elaborate ones were purchased. Chi Omega, Tri-Delta, and AOPi all held their dances as well- and from what I've heard all went well.

In other news, auditions from the Theatre Guild Show, The Shape of Things, also went extremely well. I was lucky enough to get casted as Jenny. The show was turned into a movie not too long ago, so I will probably be watching that over Christmas Break. Auditions for Aloha Say the Pretty Girls are also coming up later this week.. so good luck to all of those auditioning!

Finally, Crimson Christmas was today- kids from around Lexington came to celebrate with Transy students by playing games and winning prizes, and finally opening presents that various halls had collected and purchased for them. Games included Corn Hole, Face Painting, Pin the Nose on Rudolph, and Reindeer Games. Finally, towards the end of the afternoon, Santa and Mrs. Claus (also fondly known as President and Mrs. Shearer ) made an appearance.

It's been an excellent first week back from Thanksgiving break, but now it's time to get back to homework and go flip my laundry....

Count Down Until Christmas Break: 13 Days!

Bakkhai Rolls with the Women Who Rock

IT'S ALMOST THANKSGIVING BREAK...!

There are a lot of things that I am thankful for-- like getting a break from homework!

But in all reality, I am ready to go home and see my family again.... I miss my bed, and my own bathroom, my dogs, and even, surprisingly enough, my sisters and brother.

Luckily for me though, my parents and godparents made a little surprise trip down to Lexington to see one of the final nights of Bakkhai. : )

We had a wonderful late lunch at deSha's and enjoys one of the last gorgeous of fall walking about the city.

Below are some pictures from behind the scenes and up on stage!

During the show the Bakkhant women had a favorite expression to get pumped up for the show....

Bakkhants... what is your profession? Ou-ooh Ou-Ooh Ou-Ohh!!

Okay.. so we might have borrowed it from 300... but it worked for them, and it worked for us!
The whole cast together for final bows
The women of Thebes searching for the face of Dionysus

This is Ashley, our wonderful student choreographer! In honor of all the hard work she put into the show... and how hard we all worked to keep up with her moves.. we signed my beat up dance shoe for her (which had to be fix multiple times and the holes patched )
The rebellious Dionysus and his women

We had a lot of fun back stage taking pictures and dancing along to Rocky Horror to get us relaxed before the show every night

Fall at Transy! My parents wanted to take some pictures before they left.. so I had to make faces.

Happy Early Thanksgiving!!! Be thankful for your family and all your loved ones.

Opening Weekend!

I would be lying if I said that Bakkhai practice was always my favorite part of the day.

There were a lot of days where I left practice frustrated, tired, and normally hungry. I have never been formally trained as a singer, nor formally trained as a dancer; but as a chorus girl for the rock musical "The Bakkhai" I was going to learn how.

The student choreographer, Ashley Stafford, worked all of us girls hard- making sure we looked sharp and were on step. While I'm not always particularly graceful on my feet, Ashley gave us some room for created liberty with her inventive and organic dance movements. There were a lot of times when we'd been goofing around during rehearsal warm ups and Ashley would see our silly moves and throw them into the dance. She warned us to "be careful what you do around me, if I like it, we're going to keep it." And in a way, I appreciated that. While we performed this opening weekend, having a couple of our own unique moves in the production helped us to feel like we were really part of the show.

However, this adaptable quality wasn't just present in the dance portion of the show. The student music director, Alex Yaden, was also very all encompassing as we practiced the music. If the chorus had issues with lyrics or rhythms, many times they were changed and improved upon. Alex was always super patient and encouraging when we practiced- and it was nice that he recognized that not all of the chorus girls were choir members. The number of stupid music- related questions I asked him, or the amount of extra practice or encouraging words he gave to us was unbelievable, and he really helped the cast of Bakkhic women gel as an ensemble, instead of just a group of individuals.

But, I am probably getting WAY ahead of myself.

For those of you who made it out for family weekend here on campus and came to see the show- thank you. Your support is so greatly appreciated.

For those of you whom have not see the show...

first of all, come out and see us! We perform again this upcoming weekend!

Secondly, what is the Bakkhai?

Weeeeelllll...

It is a new written modification of a greek tragedy which is originally by Euripides. It is written to a rock-opera, and it just made its debut performance to the world this past Thursday night. The story is about the god Bacchus (or Dionysus) and how he takes control of the women of Thebes in revenge for the people not having faith in his divinity. There are underlying themes of control vs. rebellion, conformity vs. individualism, gender topics, and other societal issues.

I would say more about the show, but I don't want to wreak any surprises for those of you planning to come!

However, we did have a wonderful opening weekend, and hope to see all of you next weekend.

Raf Week

"Hi, my name is Emily Novak. I'm looking for Nancy Emerson? I was the student who called about the lake pigments."

"Oh, yes.. from Transylvania U? I'm sure that's a fun place to be around this time of year."

Yes. Yes, it is.

Granted, don't get me wrong- I had my fair share of tests and papers this week, but the spirit of Transy picked up to celebrate the festivities. All week the school has been hosting various functions in celebration of Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz, or as he is affectionately called--"Raf". One night there was a bonfire and Improv Show, another night the Theatre Guild hosted ghost tours of the campus, and one night four lucky students got to spend the night in Raf's tomb. But why all the fuss about some old dead guy?

Let's rewind a couple hundred years to when Transy was established back in 1780. Raf was a french biology professor at the school and was known for being... "brilliant". Although he wasn't recognized for his genius back then, this eccentric teacher's work was later examined, and it is possible that he came up with many theories about evolution long before Darwin. While he was not an "A+" professor in the classroom, Raf roamed the Kentucky area classifying many new species of plants and observing the natural vegetation.

Fast forward a couple years to when the Transylvania President is sick of Raf skipping more class than his students and can't stand him anymore. Legend has it that while Raf was on a trip regarding his scientific discoveries, the President ordered all of his belongings to be consolidated from his two room space (Professors often lived and worked in the singular building on Transy's campus when it first opened) down to one room to make room for a student who needed a dorm room. Well, Raf came back and wasn't very happy about the changes. He claims that specimens had gone missing, equipment was broken, and at the end of a big fight, the President fired him.

In an angry rage, Raf writes an angry letter cursing the President and Transylvania, fleeing up the eastern coast to Pennsylvania.

Not long after, the President died out at sea on a trip with his wife, and the Transylvania building burned down. Supposedly, this is all because of Raf's curse.

After Raf's death, he was buried in a public cemetery. Many years later, the cemetery was destined to be destroyed and changed into something else to accommodate the growing Pennsylvania town. Students and staff refused to let such an interesting piece of Transylvanian history slip away, so Raf's remains (or at least, what we think were his remains... public graves often had multiple people buried in them) along with the tomb marker were brought back to the school and are now housed under the steps of Old Morrison.

Sometimes people blame the fire in the Old Morrison on Raf as well, claiming he started the fire. Mostly because the fire took place at the opposite end of Old Morrison and Raf's Tomb was perfectly untouched by the flames.

Nevertheless, the story of Raf is something the students here love to celebrate-- and it definitely makes Halloween week more exciting.

Fall Break!

It's Tuesday, October 19. A sad, sad day for Transy students across the campus.

Why so sad you ask? Fall Break is quickly coming to a close.

It was a much appreciated four day weekend, but unfortunately for the brains of staff and students, tomorrow morning begins another learning filled adventure.

Nevertheless, it was a glorious weekend, and there are a couple pieces of excellent news!

1. Hooray for the Brown Science Center!

Over the past several months, the laboratory spaces in the L.A. Brown Science Center have been under construction. Slowly but surely each of these spaces has been updated, renovated, and are now looking top notch. However, there were a lot of very generous donors who made the changes possible. To thank them for all of their donations, the various labs put on exhibits and demos to model the new facilities.

Waaaayy up on third floor at the end of the hall, Dr. Fox's Cell/Molecular class (that includes me!) demonstrated peroxidase tissue printing.

For those of you wondering what the heck that means, it's actually pretty simple. Inside of plants there is a chemical compound called peroxidase. It's job is to protect the plant from hydrogen peroxide that is produced by different reactions. Think about how your skin turns white and dies when you clean a cut out with normal hydrogen peroxide from the store.... the peroxidase stops that dying white part from happening to the plant cells. One way to test if you have that special compound in a plant is by tissue printing. There is "paper" called nitrocellulose which is a special kind of membrane. When fresh vegetables (lets take celery for instance) is pressed into the membrane it "prints" a copy of all the proteins and compounds that are right there on the surface. Then, the nitrocellulose is developed in a chemical bath which stains the peroxidase that was stamped into the sheet a dark blue black color. If you are interested in seeing where all the proteins are in the stamp, there is a second color bath which will stains the rest of the proteins a bright red.

Down on the chemistry and physics floors other demonstrations were also being performed. So, congrats to all the demo-ers, and thank you to all the donors!

2. Sustainability

On campus, there has been a huge push to go green. President Williams has a lot of forward thinking ideas that he really hopes to be carried out on campus, but there are a sea of possibilities that are still untapped as well. This year, a new council has been formed to outline and create a plan for Transy's continued sustainability. The first meeting was held today, and a lot of healthy discussion went on as far as what sustainability is, what that means to Transy, and what were our biggest concerns for accomplishing it. Faculty, staff, and students were able to toy with ideas and words, and in the end walk away with some new things to think about. Although nothing has been solidified, good headway has been made in the direction of organizing a plan of attack .

3. Home Cooked Meals.

There is not a whole lot more to say on this topic except appreciate your home cooked meals while you have them. God Bless the cooks at Transy, but I missed having real food.

4. The trees of Back Circle

Fall is in the air. The trees seemed to skip from green to gone in a matter of 4 days, and the whole back lot is covered in bright yellow and orange leaves! The air is starting to become nippy, and the only way to truly embrace the change in season is the hot apple cider at Jazzman's.

Luckily, after all of this, it is only a three day week a head of us.

Don't forget to look forward to Parent's Weekend which is coming up soon, as well as Raf Week is right around the corner!

Hello, October!

Well, I successfully made it through last week, and now that everything has been sorted out, this week is almost over as well!

It is pretty amazing how fast time flies here, and already it's been a month. It's to the point now where it feels like everyone is starting to consistently hit a stride. I feel less like a "new" student and more like a Pioneer, and the new prospective students are starting to venture on to the campus. I get so excited every time I see them, and there is definitely and urge to spend a kajillion hours explaining to them how wonderful Transy is. Unfortunately, it's not something you can tell a person very well- more of an experience you have to be there for. (part of the reason why I am such a huge advocate for visiting a school before you make any decisions!)

So, if you are considering Transy, I would HIGHLY recommend staying a night. The people you stay with are amazingly friendly, and I am still friends with many of the girls that showed me around on my first visit.

Anyways, outside of prospective students, things are still busy as ever on campus!

The rehearsals for the Bakkhai are picking up, and tonight was the first time all the parts were incorporated together. It was fun to see all the hard work the other actors had been putting into their scenes, and the chorus girls and I were just as excited to show off the moves we'd been working on the past two weeks. Although there is still a lot of work to be done, the show is looking nice. Elements are falling into place, people are exploring their characters, and as a team we are finally starting to see the bigger picture of the show. Performances are going to start the first week in November, so hopefully some of you all will come to see it.

As a first year student in my first semester at college, I didn't think I would have all the opportunities I am finding present on campus. Over this past week, I have started researching with Dr. Csuhai, a professor on campus; something most undergraduates don't have the chance to do else where, let alone a freshman undergraduate. Dr. Csuhai is wonderful at provoking forward thinking questions as to where I want to take the experiments, as well as keeping me on track and in the right direction. Through the ACS (American Chemical Society) students have the chance to present research at a region and national convention. The experience of not only working in the lab and synthesizing data, but being able to discuss and present work is a nice leg up when looking at graduate schools or for a job.

Right now I have been working on creating a could different solutions of food dyes which we plan to run through a spectrophotometer (a machine that tells you how great the absorbency of a solution is). From there we hope to separate the colors out to be able to pinpoint them in our daily foods and determine amounts. There are a couple other aspects of the project, but right now I'm just beginning to embrace the freedom of working in the lab like this.

Side Tangent!

This week was Transy Unplugged!

In order to help decrease our environmental impact and increase student awareness, several sustainability groups on campus have been working to make this week a more eco-friendly experience. Students have been invited to ride the "smoothie bike" - a bicycle powered blender for a free fruity drink, trade in their regular lightbulbs for more efficient eco ones, and turn off power strips. These groups also host larger events like the candlelit dinner- a dinner were all the lights are shut off and the cafe is illuminated with little voda candles down every table. It was a surprisingly relaxing night, and it was fun to experience dinner in the dark.

Other than that, classes are still moving right along, there have been no issues with room mate disasters yet, and my laundry is STILL getting done!! woohoo!

It's been a very productive week, and as much as I love doing what I'm doing, TGIF!!

STOP! It's STUDY time!

Well, here we are- Week 3.

Weekend Update: Boy's Bid Day.

Much more intense than girl's bid day. Instead of tutus and tiaras there were loud trucks and war paint. Boys from all the Fraternities rallied in back circle, whooping and running around, preparing for the running of the pledges. Unlike girl's bid day where we run out in groups to our new sisters, boy run out one by one, across the back lot and into the arms of their brothers. Literally, into their arms. The boys are not hugged and embraced, they are CROWD SURFED over the mob of brothers.

I happily watched this little show, thanking god I remained on the solid earth during our run out.

Weekday Update: Three Tests, One Quiz.

It's about that time where the second chapter is wrapping up in class and it's time for a test. Luckily for me, they all just happen to be in the week. So, I'm studying when I wake up, when I eat, when I walk to class, when I brush my teeth, when I fall asleep.

Good News of the Week!

After auditions last week, I am now in The Bakkhai! A rock musical about a Greek Tragedy originally by Euripides. It's a pretty cool conceptual show about individualism and balance. I will be writing more about it later, but as for the moment, it's back to Biology...

P-H-I-M-U, Phi Mu

If you had asked me about Rush a week ago, my response would have been a mix between nervous, uncertain, and anxious. I won't lie- I was excited, too, but I didn't know if I was a "sorority girl." I signed up to go through recruitment initially to meet other people. I figured if I didn't feel ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN about my decision at the end of the week, I would bow out and not join. I can now happily tell you I am a proud member of Phi Mu. : )

But let's start at the beginning. Before rush started, all of the girls who were signed up to rush were placed in Rho Gamma groups. (Rho Gamma: Transy's version of recruitment police. They make sure that there is no dirty rushing, that ALL your questions get answers, and carry a Mary Poppins-esque bag of bobby pins, chap stick, snacks, mints, deodorant, and anything else a girl could possibly need on a big night.) Each Rho Gamma leader is a sorority girl who has temporarily disassociated from her chapter in order to unbiasedly help girls find which sorority fits them best. In their own words "We gave up our letters in order to help you find yours." These leader help to explain the procedure and rules that are involved in rushing, and take their group from place to place.

The first night was most casual, and it was "Hall Night." Rho Gamma groups traveled to the different sorority halls (there are no fraternity/ sorority houses on campus, members can elect to live on a specific hall in the dormitories ) and before we even entered any of the halls you could hear the sororities cheering and chanting. There was so much excitement on both sides- from the girls rushing and the girls recruiting. When you entered onto the hall one of the active members would link arms with you and show you around, introduce you to people, and explain basic information about their chapter. At the end of the night, all the girls rushing filled out sorority sorts to help them organize their thoughts, and then each girl picked their top three choices. Transy Greek Life selection is based off a mutual selection process, so it isn't ALL dependent on the sorority OR the girls rushing.

The next night, (which is Saturday night, in case I forgot to mention that this process starts on Friday night) is a little more dressy, and is known as "Community Involvement Night." This night is all about the philanthropic events that each group hosts, the events they throw, outside clubs and activities, sisterhood events, and anything else that helps connect the girls to the community at Transy and in Lexington. All of the sororities have very strong ties to their foundations and some of the efforts are really impressive. DeltaDeltaDelta (TriDelt) was able to raise $10 million dollars for St. Jude in just four years. At the end of the night girls make preference sheets again- this tim listing their top two choices.

Preference Night: The longest night. The most dressy night. The most personal night. This is the final night for girls to meet sorority members and really talk to them about why their chapter is special to them. It's hard to explain why this night is so touching, but hearing personal stories from the girls really does help solidify choices (or in some cases, make them more difficult). But tonight's the big decision night.....

BID DAY (Monday)! Let me tell you, it is a LONG wait until 3:30 to find out which sorority you are in. But three thirty FINALLY rolls around, girls get their official invitations to the chapters, there are pictures, and screaming, and crying, and running around. It's an exciting process to go through, and after an official Panhellenic Pinning (Panhellenic is the national sorority association) is one of the best parts. All the new pledges get into groups of their chapters, hide behind a giant banner of their sorority's colors, and two by two run into the cheering arms of their new sisters. There are ridiculous costumes, everyone is screaming and jumping up and down, and it's practically a scene out of Legally Blonde.

Now, for all you out there saying Greek Life isn't for you- come experience it at Transy. It's not the stereotypical experience. Absolutely no hazing, no cutting-down of people, no negativity to other groups... there's a reason Transylvania is rated number one for Greek Life in the Princeton Review.

The night progressed with Candlelights, sorority bonding, Harry Potter Uno, Gummy Bears, and laughter. By the time I was absolutely exhausted, I walked back up to my room, and wouldn't you know...

My door was completely decked out with notes and signs form my new sisters, welcoming me in, telling me how proud they were of me, and how excited they were to have me as a new Phi Mu.

And the Classes Begin.....

First week of classes. First week of homework. First week of being a "full time student".

I guess it's a little funny that the day before classes started was Labor Day. The best misnomer to ever grace a calendar book: Labor Day- the day where people across America do as little work as possible on a much appreciated day off. Then, around rolls Tuesday and all the work you didn't have to do on Monday multiplies and manifests its self for the rest of the week.

Luckily, Orientation week was so effective at getting me to meet people and make new friends that I had a group of people to help me push through the delights of calculus. We had a homework parties in the front hall of Forrer, in my room, their room, my Professor's office, Professors-I'd-never-met-before's offices and slowly bit by bit it all got done. It seems like a lot of work (and it can be) but I never felt like it was overwhelmingly impossible. Upperclassmen would stop by the table in the lobby and ask if we needed help on any problems, and the Professors I'd never met before were thrilled to have students in their offices asking questions about their field. Classes can be a lot to handle the first couple of days, but by Friday things began to click into place. Having the support of other girls in the dorm to study with definitely helps keep you focused and sane, and it's been a lot easier to keep on going, even when the homework problems get challenging. As I type this, my calculus books lay open in a circle around me, layered with biology labs and study snacks, and next to me are Esi and Juliet- playing Justin Bierber's VMA performance video and trying to figure out how integrate using fractional parts.

So, college is still school work. It's still late nights studying, asking questions in class, and reworking your essay. However, this whole week hasn't been JUST homework.

Accomplishments (outside of classes) Of the Week :

1. Regardless of what my mother thinks, I did do laundry. I used the right amount of soap, sorted my brights and whites, and nothing came out pink, shrunken, or otherwise ruined. : )

2. Battled the Freshman Fifteen. That's right ladies and gents- it is possible to make time to use the fabulous Beck center.

3. Explored the city. Every Saturday morning there is an expansive farmer's market that opens up right in the middle of downtown Lexington. I went with a group of girls from my SOL, and together we made our way through rows of vendors selling their produce. In hindsight, it's probably a good thing that I found the Beck center because I came back with fresh baked bread, muffins, pesto dip, and a basket of indescribable peaches.

4. Attended Block Party

With Greek Recruitment right around the corner, block party is a chance for each of the four sororities and each of the four fraternities to set up tables and mix with students who plan to rush. You can ask questions, play corn hole, meet some of the Greek students, and get a feel for each of the different groups. This day was also the first day that Greek groups were allowed to wear their letters on campus.

(for the sake of rushing purposes, I won't put up pictures from this event until after this weekend. There are a lot of rules involved so that there is no "dirty rushing" and I would hate to get anyone in trouble. )

With all that being said, homework is calling my name. It's time to power through and work ahead because this up coming week is a big one. Involvement Fair and Rush both start this week, so hopefully my next post will have a lot of pictures.

Orientation Weekend

Hi, I'm Emily Novak, and I'm an incoming freshman to Transylvania. I am so excited to be able to share my experiences at school with everyone out there, and if there are any question you all might have, feel free to contact me at ehnovak14@transy.edu

I suppose the best place to start this blog off is where I started, too- alllll the way back in Naperville, Illinois. Now, not only is Naperville one of the most amazing places to live in, it is also the home to one of the friendliest Target stores in the nation. Trust me, I know. I was there every couple of days, picking up more and more school supplies as I thought of them, slowly stock piling them in my living room. Eventually, that giant mass of notebooks, pencils, dorm room posters, storage tubs, the piles of clothes from my room, and everything else I could pack away into containers was jammed into my Dad's little Crown Victoria. Packing the car with everything I felt I needed was similar to playing tetris... the pieces just kept appearing and you always felt like you were in dangerous proximity of the full line. However, in the end all my stuff managed to find its way into the vehicle.

A few short (sleepless) hours later, my mom and I climbed into the car armed with cream soda and granola bars and set off for Lexington. I guess you could say it was a long 392.83 mile ride... but we did see some pretty interesting things along the way! Interesting things seen on my trip to Kentucky: cornfields, windmills, horse farms, cornfields, traffic, cornfields, and a U-Haul on fire. Just kidding- although I DID see all those things, I also saw the beautiful rolling bluegrass hills which was a sight for sore eyes.

Fast forwarding six and a half hours, a fun spend-the-night at my godparent's house in Louisville, and one last jittery hour car ride to campus, we had made it.

Once on campus, we were greeted by a whole entourage of friendly staff, students, and faculty-all wearing some good old crimson and white. Fortunately for my Mom and I, they happily helped me sign in, get my keys, and move ALL my stuff up to my new room. Any small hiccup or problem we might have had was quickly addressed and corrected by the wonderful Transy Resident Life Staff, and soon all my things had found a new home in Forrer Hall.

After my big move in, the rest of orientation weekend moved pretty quickly. Our new President, President Williams, delivered a humorous and very engaging induction speech, and the class of 2014 kicked off the year, as official students of Transylvania University.

To highlight some of the weekend's moments here is a count down of my personal top 5 moments:

1. Black Light Party

Bring on your neon and white clothes, glitter and glow sticks- and prepare yourselves for an amazing dance party! All the students were there, relaxing, busting a move, and just having fun. Dance contests, graffiti competitions, and some other intense challenges ensued- and the incoming class of students definitely brought their A-game.

2. IronMan II Movie Night

Freshmen showed up to an in-house movie of IronMan II, complete with drinks, candy, snacks, and popcorn. Kids were everywhere, whether they were watching the movie inside, or meeting new friends outside.

3. The Serenade and Greet Line

I think it's pretty romantic to have someone sing a song for you... but how about 150 people sing you a song? This has to be one of the most memorable moments of the weekend. All the girls met on the steps of Old Morrison to learn a few tunes for the men of Transy, and in repayment, the boys shamelessly returned the favor. It was quite the experience, laughing and singing, knowing that everyone around you felt just as silly as you did, but in the end, not really caring. My favorite song, as performed by the boys, was You Are My Sunshine....

After Serenade was over, every single incoming student lined up around the U bend drive in front of Old Morrison and shook hands with every other person. I can now say that I have met every single one of my fellow 2014 peers. I'd like to see UK try to do that! As a prize, when you were done shaking everyone else's hand, SOL leaders graciously passed out the Germ-X.

4. A Slice of Transy

Who could say no to a free piece of pizza? What about multiple free pieces of pizza? During Slice of Transy, the Greek organizations get together to host a variety of local pizza vendors. Pizzas are donated, and you get to try them all! There is music and drinks, and at the end of it all, you get to vote on your favorite pizza company.

5. Orientation Olympics

Together with your SOL group (a group of other freshmen you have class twice a week with as well as a few meetings here and there) and your SOL leader, Transy students competed with and against each other in a variety of games. There was the famous "I'm a dork, and you're a dork, too" Game, charades, Rock/Paper/Scissor tournaments, and many others. During the night, SOL groups met with students from other groups and as a class we got to know each other a little better.

So far, I have loved my Transy experience. Not only is the faculty welcoming and encouraging, but the other students here are as well. There aren't many places were upperclassmen invite freshman to play pick up games of ultimate frisbee in the back lot, or join in a conversation just to meet the new faces on campus. I am so fortunate to have found a place like this, and I can not WAIT to start classes tomorrow... !