Karoline Zacharer

The BSU Twitter Directory: Who to Follow and Why!

by Karoline Zacharer on June 11, 2010

Ok, now that you know why college students should be on Twitter and how to use it…I’m going to give you the skinny on who to follow here at Bridgewater State and why…because it isn’t enough to just sign up for Twitter, send out a few quick tweets and call it a day; it’s who you follow that’s important.  This helps you gain new and information and, if they follow you back, can help you spread your ideas, wisdom, questions, and random observances.

First and foremost, everyone who reads this blog should be following the most important Twitter-ers of all…the RCC Blog Team, of course!  Here we are:

  • Me (@KarolineZ): Warning! I tweet A LOT!  Mostly I tweet about random things I stumble upon throughout my day, but sometimes I promote my own blog and share news and world events. Oh, and I love creating awesome hashtags like this one.
  • Courtney Cormier (@CourtneyCormier): Courtney tweets mostly to post links to her personal blogs and this blog.  Also, she shares lots of really cool websites and articles she finds around the web.
  • Kayla Harvey (@Kayla_Harvey): Like me, Kayla tweets a lot about what’s going on with her and what she’s doing.  Kayla likes to post links to cool events she’s going to.  And, she comes up with way funnier/more creative hashtags than I do.
  • Heidi Faith (@HeidiFaith): Heidi likes to tweet her funny observances about people and situations she sees.  She has a knack for finding people who look like celebrities in the RCC!
  • Rob Morton (@RobertFNF): Rob is the newest to Twitter of the bloggers, and tweets less frequently than the rest of us.  However, every once and awhile he posts some really cool twitpics of fun stuff he’s doing!

tip: make sure to follow all of us RCC Bloggers so that you can see the funny conversations back-and-forth between us!  We’re always @-replying eachother!

Alright, next on the list of who you should follow is BSU organizations and clubs:

  • Rondileau Campus Center (@BSCCampusCenter): This is where you’ll find out all the cool events and activities around the RCC and the rest of the campus!  They also list class cancellations in the morning.  Definitely one of the most important BSUtwitters to follow.  Oh yeah, and they’ll also alert you when we post new entries!
  • Bridgewater State University (@OfficialBSC): This is Bridgewater State College’s official twitter page, and if you follow, it gives you some pretty interesting stuff about what’s happening on campus, with current and past students and professors, and awards and recognition the school is receiving and giving out.
  • The Office of Student Involvement and Leadership–or OSIL for short. (@inBSU): Are you looking to become more involved on campus?  Follow OSIL and they’ll let you know about all the interesting things you can help out around BSC and become a vital part of campus life!
  • Bridgewater State Athletics (@bscbears): Following the athletics department will keep you up-to-date and informed with new about everyone’s favorite team, the Bridgewater Bears!  …speaking of bears, you can also follow our mascot, Bristaco Bear! (@Bristaco)
  • BSC Orientation (@Off2BSU): Are you going to be a new student here at Bridgewater in the fall?  If so, you’re going to have to go to orientation.  By following the BSU orientation team, you can learn about what to expect, see funny pictures of the OL’s, and give feedback on your orientation experience.  @Off2BSUalso provides valuable information to incoming freshmen and transfers on everything from how to use your connect card to job opportunities.

Many student organizations have caught onto the trend and have begun to use Twitter as a way to promote their and networks with members of #bsclife who are tweetin’ up a storm. Some groups of note are SGA (@SGA_BSC), the Social Justice League (@BSC_SJL), The Comment, BSC’s school newspaper (@BSC_Comment), Program Committee (@PCBSC), the Public Relations Student Society of America (@PRSSA_bridgew).

OK, now that you know all about the important organizations at BSC you should know about, here’s the people that run them!

  • Ed Cabellon (@EdCabellon): Ed is our boss here at the blog (we even made a movie about him!).  He’s also the director of the Rondileau Campus Center! So, as you can imagine, he’s a very busy guy.  Ed tweets a lot of insightful links about how to get ahead in college and your career.  He also tweets to promote his own blog and join Twitter “chats” with other student affairs professionals around the country.  He is also one of the biggest Twitter cheerleaders I know, aside from Kayla.
  • Cindy Kane (@cindykane): Cindy is the director of the Ofice of Student Involvement and Leadership (OSIL).  Aside from being an avid Yankees fan, she’s an all-around nice person.  Like Ed, she uses twitter for various professional chats and shares a lot of cool information about colleges and professional life.  And, if you’re looking for something funny or a day-brightener, I highly suggest following @littleredsaid, the Twitter page Cindy runs about funny things her son, Little Red, says.

I hope that I have been insightful and influential in your decision as to who to follow.  I know it can be hard to get involved, and that it can feel overwhelming at times trying to remember all the things going on around campus.  While I can’t make any promises, I can tell you that I became a lot more in touch with what is happening in and around BSU once I started following these Twitter accounts.

So, what do you think?  Have you made the switch from Facebook to tweeting yet?  Get to it already!  And, any new users this post or Kayla’s, may generate, I encourage you to tweet me, and I promise I’ll follow you back! :)

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The Best Places to Crack the Books on Campus

by Karoline Zacharer on March 15, 2010

I have a problem.  I can’t study in my dorm room to save my life.  I just feel like there are too many distractions.  From catching up with the girls on my floor, to reading the newest Glamour magazine that just arrived in my mailbox, to watching re-runs of Teen Mom and Jersey Shore (again), there are just way too many things there I’d rather be doing than oh, you know, studying!

When I want to buckle-down and get some serious studying in or crank out a paper for my classes, but I have to go somewhere public like the library or computer lab.  I know, this pretty much defies my previous logic of distractions–how can I concentrate when there are so many other people around?!–but for some odd reason it increases my focus.  This is just the way I work; I’m sure other people probably find my study approach pretty weird.

But, as I’ve come to find here at Bridgewater, I’m apparently not the only one with this problem.  There are lots of different places that people congregate to get their studies done on campus, be it by themselves or in a group.  Here’s a few of the places I’ve noticed that people go, with some of the pro’s and con’s for each.

The Clement C. Maxwell Library: I’ve noticed that the library is a very popular study spot on the BSC campus.  Maybe it’s the flexible hours (open till 11:45PM on Sundays and week nights!), maybe it’s yummy smell of Starbucks wafting through the building.  Whatever it is, there’s always students there getting work done no matter what time you go.  One thing that’s interesting is that everyone has their own “spot” there where they always get down to work.  Personally, I like to sit way up on the third floor (I know, the climb up the stairs is exhausting!) in the comfy armchairs near the windows. Also, they have these nifty little private study rooms you can rent out at the circulation desk.  Pros: Except for the ground and first floors, the whole Library is a “quiet zone” so you don’t have to worry about people yelling into their cellphones.  Cons: If you make a peep in said “quiet zones” you’ll be on the librarian’s bad side-fast.  Also, if someone takes your highly-valued spot, you’re not going to be in the mood to work anywhere else.

Study lounges in the dorms: Whether it’s a table and chairs near the elevators or the quiet room on the ground floor, every dorm has a study lounge.  And once again, there’s almost always people there.  There’s even a big one in Burnell.  My roommate loves to go down the hall to sit at the table and chairs on our floor in Shea/Durgin if she has to get homework done.  There’s also two study lounges on the ground floor that I like.  One is “quiet” and one is not. Pros: If you want to study with all of your friends, this is the place.  And, sometimes you get a much needed study break if you take a few minutes to chat with the other kids on your floor.  Cons: Here in lies the paradox: all your friends are there!

The computer labs in Moakley and the RCC: This is where I go whenever I have to write a paper longer than two pages.  For some reason, I get too distracted when I’m working on my own computer, and I’m able to focus on my writing better when I’m using one of the college’s PC’s.  Plus, I don’t have to worry about tracking down a printer, since they’re right there in the lab.  Also in RCC–like in the library–you can rent out conference rooms when they’re not in use for group study sessions.  Pros: Being on one of the school’s computers helps take away some of the distractions on your laptop like Facebook, Skype, IM’s, and blogs.  Cons: Lines in the computer labs are a common sight and people pounce as soon as a free computer becomes available.

The dining halls: Some people like to hit the books in places like ECC, the Bears Den, or–my personal favorite–Tilly.  Eating while you study can help your focus (who wants to read on an empty stomach?) and, because college students are so strapped for time, it’s a great way to kill two birds with one stone.  Pros: Food, obviously!  Cons: It’s great if you’re there studying during a non-traditional meal time, but if not, watch out!  It can get noisy…fast!

These places are some of the favorites I’ve noticed on campus.  I think they’re universally popular, from residents trying to avoid the chaos and distractions of the dorm, to commuters trying to kill time between classes.

What about you guys?  Do you have weird study habits like me?  What are your favorite spots on campus to go and crank out your homework?

photo credit 1, photo credit 2

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How to Find the Best Roommate Ever!

by Karoline Zacharer on February 22, 2010

Punxsutawney Phil may have seen his shadow recently giving us six more weeks of winter, but like it or not, spring is in the air.  That’s right folks, it’s that time of year when everyone is pairing off and trying to find “the one”.  And I don’t mean for Valentine’s Day.  I’m talking about finding a roommate for next year.

There are many ways a Bridgewater student may go about choosing a potential roomie.  Naturally, it has to be someone you get along with and someone you wouldn’t mind spending the next seven months of your life in the same small room with.  Maybe you choose your best friend from back home, a classmate you really hit it off with, or your closest teammate.  Of course, if you can’t find anyone or feel like everyone’s paired off without you, there’s always the option of having the college match you up with a random stranger.  Each scenario has its share of ups, downs, good, and bad.

That’s why this week, I’m here to help BSC students pick the perfect roommate for next year.  I’m going to share real BSC roommate horror and success stories that I’ve heard around the dorms to help you guys know what to expect.  The tips here are for everyone from incoming freshmen to returning upperclassmen, to help you find your residence hall soulmate.

  • tip #1:  Communication is key! Nothing is worse than a long, stressful day of classes, when all you want to is get back to your room, curl up in a ball, and take a nap. But then when you walk in the door, your roommate is in the middle of a workout.  Or blasting music.  Or has all their friends over to watch a movie.  Obviously, you want to let your roomie do their thing (it is their space too, afterall!), but it interferes with the stuff you want to do.  If this is the case, shoot them a text telling them you’d like a little R&R when you get back, rather than throwing a fit and kicking all of their friends out, and they should be fine with it.
  • tip #2:  Sexile…don’t let it happen to you! Another annoying situation that seems to be pretty common in the BSC residence halls is the college phenomenon know as “sexiling”.  For thoes of you not in the know, to be sexiled is when your roommate has a person they’re hooking up with in the room, so you can’t go in.  If you’re going to sexile your roommate, or vice-versa, here’s the proper protocol:  Lock the door: I know way to many people who have been scarred for life by walking in on their roomies getting it on.  Devise a signal: Anything from the old standby of a sock on the door, to leaving a message on your whiteboard will do, so long as your roommate knows not to come in.  Have a place to go: This part is very important.  You need somewhere you can chill out while you wait like the library or a good friend’s room.
  • tip #3:  Know their sleeping habits!! This may just be the most important piece of advice I can give you.  If you and your roomie like to sleep in completely different conditions, no one–and I mean no one– in that room is going to be happy.  Because sleep is so important, you’re either going to have to decide on a happy medium or find someone you know that shares the same habits as you.  This means bed times, whether or not you like to sleep in, temperature in the room, whether you need music or a fan to get to sleep, keeping the TV on etc…
  • tip #4:  Synchronize schedules! Say your roommate has an 8AM class on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, but you don’t have class until 11.  This could cause major problems.  If your roommate has to get up way before you, it’s inevitable that you’re going to be woken up by the sound of them getting ready, even if they’re trying their hardest to be quiet.  For example, two days a week my roommate and I both have 11AM classes, so we wake up at the same time to get ready.
  • tip #5:  Divide the chores! No one wants to live in a messy room.  But at the same time, no one person wants to be doing all the work to keep the room clean, either.  Make sure you and your roomie talk so you know who likes to do what chores.  For example, one can Swiffer while the other vacuums.  Or one can dust the TV and windowsills while the other takes out the trash.  This also goes for smelly stuff like food and socks.  Chances are if you find the smell unpleasant, so does everyone else!  So, say you have a half eaten pizza with garlic and onions, put it in the fridge!  On that same note, in a small space like a dorm room, Febreze is your best friend!!!

In short, you want a good roommate, because so much of your college experience depends on them.  I, for one, lucked out this year and have an awesome roomie that I love!  But yes, even I am on the hunt for a new roomie because mine is moving in with other people next fall.  Looks like I’ll have to take some of my own advice while on my search.

What about you?  Do you have any tips on how to be an awesome roommate? Do you have any funny or horrific roommate stories? Any cool ways you found yours?  I met mine on a campus tour!  Share your experience in a comment below!

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