Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Fantastic Attitudes Despite Furloughs

I am amazed at the attitudes of the staff and faculty at Arizona State University. With the institution facing over $88 million in budget cuts enrollment is being capped, programs are being eliminated or combined with others, in addition to staff and faculty taking furloughs. Despite this our professors have student’s best interest at heart. It made me feel warm inside to pick up the State Press on February 12th and read the opening headline "Some ASU Faculty Choose Less Pay in Lieu of Furlough".

Other great examples are right here in the School of Community Resources and Development. I just finished meeting with one of my favorite professors from last semester, Dr. Megha Budruk. Despite facing furloughs, she is continually encouraging me to explore research opportunities and has me aiming for goals I would have never thought possible. It is because of these dedicated individuals that Arizona State can truly offer quality in their programs, while being one of the largest universities in the country.

I encourage students to take the same attitude when faced with the negative factors of the current economic crisis. Now is the time to value your education and soak up the ambiance of these resilient professors. With even more budget cuts and tuition increases in the mix, these opportunities may prove to be farther and few between.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

paper crowns and broken hearts

When I’m having a bad day I like to come home and put on a little Joshua Radin (he’s amazing-check him out) and if my roomies aren’t home I put on the cardboard tiara I kept from New Year’s and daydream about better days. I let myself get lost in thought about wonderful things. Lately I try to imagine myself grown up. Every time I peek in on my future self she’s doing something different. One day she is a gypsy in a field of flowers dancing to the music in her head. Another day she is in the middle of Rockefeller Center ice-skating underneath the giant sparkly Christmas tree. Today she is doing the exact same thing I am. Except her tiara is especially glittery and Mr. Radin is serenading her from the bottom floor of her third story apartment. I can’t quite see them, but I’d like to think she has stars in her eyes. For I believe that if they are indeed starry she has found happiness; in herself, in her family, in those who surround her.
Love has proven to be quite a sticky word. Not just the word itself, but all of the situations that come with the vague definition. I often wonder if such a delicate bond between two people is meant to last the test of time, or if it is simply like the glow of a firefly caught in a mason jar slowly fading into the night. I constantly worry about the opportunities missed because they presented themselves to a blind eye, but not as much as the opportunities passed up because of selfishness or confusion.
I fantasize about being brave. Riding in on the white horse of humility and slaying the dragon of pride, I will burst through the gate of uncertainty and kiss my prince passionately, offering my heart and undying love at his feet. But this is just another daydream. Instead I will sit in the melody of Joshua in my paper crown pretending that I am the one who needs to be rescued.