The Woods

By Beth Allard
Columnist

It’s inevitable: if you have anywhere to get to in a hurry, the elevators in Le Fer are going to stop on every other floor at least twice before letting you on.  Once you do get on, you may find yourself with about 15 seconds to talk to someone.
I make a habit of asking whoever’s in the elevator “Hey, how’s it going?”  And I have gotten every response. “Good.” “Eh.” “Today sucks.” “Why?” (That one’s my favorite.)  Sometimes, I get a core dump from a complete stranger about exactly who or what is making their day miserable.  Strangely, I rarely get the opposite. It’s so much easier to say what is bad about our day, isn’t it?
One of the biggest challenges of dorm life is keeping a positive attitude.  Living in such close quarters with 200+ girls is an exercise in patience, even if you are a seasoned Senior.  Sometimes all it takes in one little glitch in a day to turn even the best of us into grouchy old women. And that old saying “Misery loves company”?  Too true. Spend about five minutes at a lunch table, or a few seconds in an elevator.
We all know how fast conversations can turn to the complaints du jour.   And they don’t go away once we feel better, either. Negativity has a way of sticking around and following us, and if we don’t address it, it becomes a way of life.
You may be wondering what this has to do with dorm life.  Think about your closest friends, classmates, your roommate, that girl across the hall; how do you get along with them? Do you find it hard to get along? Do some of them “annoy” you?
I know from my personal experience that when I am annoyed at people in general, it’s usually because of my own cynical mindset.  When I am holding one to a bad mood, every little thing annoys me, and in a dorm situation, there are a hundred little things to get annoyed at. How many of them are real issues, though?
How many times have you gotten really mad at an empty toilet paper roll, the girls next door’s loud laughter, or your roommate’s music and then wondered the next morning why on earth you were so touchy?
The biggest key to dorm life is perspective, and nothing skews perspective like being negative.  Need some help being positive? Try these simple tricks:
• Stay away from pity parties. (They are not nearly as entertaining as they seem!)
• Don’t be afraid to be the positive person. Sometimes all a conversation needs is someone to say “Hey – today is a good day!”
• Instead of blaring your go-to bad day song, put on some fun dance music.
• Leave little notes or gifts for people anonymously, especially if you know they are having a bad day. You’ll make them smile, and feel pretty good yourself!
• Try and keep perspective. Next time you’re ready to spout off about something, stop and consider whether it’s worth it.
• Be thankful. I know, it’s cliché. But I promise, you have more to be thankful for than you realize!
Don’t let negativity take over your dorm life.  “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Instead of complaining, see what you can to make Le Fer life worth living.

Popularity: 19% [?]

By Anna Spydell
Staff Writer

Many Woodsies probably recall the experience of visiting college campuses during their high school years. It’s likely they remember the first time they set foot on Saint Mary-of-the-Woods campus.
On Friday, Nov. 11, SMWC students got to see it from the other side as high schoolers visited the Woods to see if, perhaps, they too might become Woodsies.
With an eye to introducing potential students to the campus of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, Campus Life kicked off Campus Visit Day that afternoon with registration and a meet-and-greet.
With an RSVP list of more than 30 prospective students, including seven soccer recruits, the faculty had their hands full for a big day ahead.
“It was really a partnership between Elizabeth [Coley], Nicolette Cisarik, and I,” said Jeff Malloy, dean of Student Life at SMWC.
While Malloy’s role centered around coordinating the housing and hostesses for the visitors, it certainly wasn’t all that needed to be done.
Assistant Director of Student Engagement Nicolette Cisarik made sure that the visiting students were kept well amused.
“I planned the entertainment for the evening and helped host the events that night,” said Cisarik.
While Campus Visit Days aren’t new, this year was a little different.
With interested high school students arriving on campus Friday morning, Campus Life hosted events for the potential students during the day. From 6 p.m. until 8 p.m., the events ranged from a “photo booth,” manicures and pedicures, turns playing the campus’s ever-popular Wii, and a performace by mentalist Sean Bott.
However, for the first time in four years, after the events were over, the prospective students stayed overnight with student hostesses.
Student Krista Rangel served as one of the hostesses for the event.
“Some of my duties as a host were to make sure that the overnight guest was comfortable, make them feel at home, and answer any questions they might have about the school,” said Rangel. “It was really nice to talk with the prospective students and realize how much we had in common.”
“You’re getting a more immersive experience,” said Malloy. “They get to know the students and the campus.”
Assistant Director of Campus Life Elizabeth Coley emphasized the importance of the event.
“Enrollment is key to the future success of SMWC. Not only enrollment, but to make sure we are finding the best students for our institution,” said Coley. “Having an overnight visit like this, we give students the best opportunity to see the Woods, what it really looks and feels like and authentic conversation with current students.”
With attracting future enrollment being an important part of keeping a college alive and relevant, the Campus Life faculty and student hostesses played an important part in bringing the Class of 2016 to SMWC with Campus Visit Day.

Popularity: 21% [?]

By Colleen Daum
Staff Writer

I spoke with seniors Camielle Larrick and Ashley Logan about their senior art exhibition on  Nov. 16 where their art pieces are included. From the most challenging projects to advice for future students; these two share their experience with us.

Colleen: Tell me about some of the pieces that are going to be in the show? And are these pieces of art just going to be from class or are they going to be from your own personal work as well?

Camielle: I have stuff all the way from freshman year to senior year that are going to be in there. The paintings and 3-D work will be from class. I might be putting some photography in; that will be on my own, if I get it matted in time.

Ashley: Yes (some is personal, some is from class). There will be graphic design things I have done over the years, a sketch portrait of myself and maybe a couple others around it. Also, paintings; my series of eggs (paintings) and maybe two pieces that I just did.”

Colleen: What kind of media are you working with?

Camielle: It will be oil paintings; I’m going to have watercolors in it. I’ll have ceramic, photography, maybe some design work I’ve done so it should be pretty eclectic.

Colleen: Which of the pieces that is in the gallery has been one of your most interesting or challenging (or both) pieces that you worked on?

Camielle: All of them were challenges for me!  Maybe a couple ceramic pieces were easier and not too much of a challenge, but I think the most that I have learned from are gonna be the 4 x 7 neon painting and the black and white painting; red ink to clover. That one, that one was challenging, the background of that one.

Ashley: That is a good question, I really don’t know. I won’t know until everything is in the gallery the night before and then I actually look in the gallery and see which one and ‘I’m like dang I did that?!’

Colleen: Could you name any inspiration that you have had for these pieces?

Photo by: Colleen Daum/ The Woods

Camielle: Probably me battling to be better and expand what I know, and do things that I don’t know. Pretty much everything in there, minus the ceramic pieces, I had no idea how to do, I just did it. They were all pretty much experiments. A lot of experimentation.
And doing what I hate to make it so I like it.

Colleen: Specifically referring to the gallery show on Nov. 16, what were some of your challenges in creating this show and preparing for it?

Camielle: Well a few tips; all of which I did not do, so I learned the hard way. Find out if and when you are going to have a show. (Find out) which semester you’re going to have it your senior year. I was undecided whether I was going to have a show so I wish I would have made up my mind sooner. But once you do find out, and even before you find out you’re going to have one, prepare yourself the entire semester for it. Don’t just take a month out of your time because your never gonna have time.

Make it an ongoing process. I didn’t do that and now I’m scrambling. I’m losing hair.  If you’re like me and you did wait till the last minute, make sure you can con your friends or significant other into saving your butt by helping you out.

Ashley: Having people look at it, that’s for sure. I know when I did the ‘Focus the Woods’ poster I was very panicky, I couldn’t even look at people looking at it. Like, I had to go walk away. I get really bad nerves when people see what I have done because I don’t know what they are going to think about it. I’m excited. I want to do it but I don’t want to do it at the same time because I’m nervous.

Colleen: What is the most fun you had with a piece for this show? Which piece would be the most rewarding?

Photo by: Colleen Daum/ The Woods

Camielle: Hmm, I have found that none of my work has been fun. It’s been a battle and a struggle and I look at it, and it always can be fun; but I don’t think that your best pieces are fun.  I feel like you need to hate your piece at the end and that’s when you know it’s done and it’s good.  I have learned a lot from doing all the painting. The most rewarding painting? That is so hard. The most rewarding medium for me has been probably painting. I know I can do ceramics, I know I can do it, I’m glad I know how to do it but that’s not really rewarding for me. Overcoming your struggles and learning the hard way makes the piece more rewarding. So, I think either the neon painting or the black and white one; those two are probably the most rewarding.

Colleen: Is there any advice that you would like to share with future students?

Ashley: Just have fun with it. Start early, start your freshman year.

Colleen: Is there any good advice you would like to share that you have received from a professor or faculty member with this department?

Camielle: They are constantly helping and maybe when they don’t necessarily think that they are teaching, they are teaching and helping. When I’m extremely frustrated and at wits end, they probably helped tell me to quit thinking so much about it. I analyze way too much and I’m too much of a perfectionist. You need to somehow train yourself to let go and embrace your mistakes. Because things you think are complete failures and mistakes, and something that just ruined you piece, you can expand on them. That’s what I think makes great pieces of art.

Popularity: 26% [?]

By Emma Pattee
Staff Writer

There was a lot of heart in Coffee Grounds on the afternoon of Nov. 1.
People were lounging around, drinking their lattes and espressos. However, in the back of the shop, there was a group of people avidly typing away at their keyboards.
It was the first day of National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo. This is a month where writers come together to reach a goal of writing 50,000 words in a month.
Rebekah Dickey is one of the organizers for NaNoWriMo in the Terre Haute area.
“If you’re crazy enough to write 50,000 words in 30 days and you’re doing it with other people, you know they have to have something good about them if they are insane enough to [do] that challenge,” Dickey said.
NaNoWriMo takes a lot of dedication.
Megan Hoolehan, also an organizer for NaNoWriMo in Terre Haute, went on to explain her history with the NaNoWriMo program.
“To be honest, this is my ninth year, so I can’t remember exactly why I started,” said Hoolehan. “It’s insane to keep doing it because I work retail, so November is my busiest month of the year.”
However, despite how much time it takes, people keep on coming back year after year.
Dickey and Daniel Richmond, a participant in NaNoWriMo, have both been with the program for seven years.
“I like meeting other people and getting their ideas. For me personally … it’s fun writing rather than just writing for classes,” said Richmond.
Perhaps the most interesting part of NaNoWriMo is the people.
A wide variety of people showed up to this first meeting, both veterans and beginners alike. Participants say the human aspect of NaNoWriMo is really what makes it worthwhile.
Dickey explained some of the people she’s met over the years.
“I’ve met more people than I can count. Our region has so many different… I mean we have all the way from 13-year-old seventh graders to … a mom of a sick now 18-year-old who just received a heart transplant. And so, we have a very wide diversity of people. And it’s fun because you get to meet people that are different from you.”
Just like NaNoWriMo is more than just writing, it’s about more than just ‘winning’ too, or reaching the 50,000-word goal.
Actually, Richmond has never won before, whereas Dickey has won every year she’s participated.
“I think it’s that even though everybody’s really different, they all have a commonality, a common goal,” Dickey said.

Popularity: 20% [?]

Dear Miss Terious,
I have a small problem. I live in a single room in Le Fer and I have had multiple difficulties this year with a creepy-crawly called silverfish. I have a phobia of silverfish, and the fact that I have killed nearly 27 of them in my room so far this year really creeps me out. They’re everywhere….on my walls, my ceiling, my windowsill, my bathroom, everywhere. I spray them with Raid usually, but I don’t really like using chemicals in my room. I thought about asking the school to spray my room, but the idea of having professional strength bug killer being sprayed where I sleep bothers me more than Raid. I don’t know what to do at this point. What do you think?

Livid in Le Fer.

Dear Livid,
I am sorry to hear about your problem – 27 silverfish is an out-of-control number!
For our readers that are not familiar with silverfish, let me explain.  According to a website at Texas A&M University, Insects.tamu.edu, silverfish are small insects that are wingless and silvery brown color.  They are soft-bodied due to their bodies being covered with fine scales and are oval in shape with tail projections and two long antennae.
Silverfish are commonly found in books. Are you an avid reader?  If so, this could be where these little pests are coming from.
Instead of using a general bug spray like Raid, look for a bug killer spray that is meant for killing silversfish. Use this spray along baseboards, cracks, and crevices. I would suggest putting in a work order for this issue because Facilities will more than likely have the correct spray that will not only kill these pesky insects, but be safe for your health.
If they do not have the answer that will kill these pests, they have a contract with a local pest control.  Before any killing is done, maybe you should come at peace with your phobia. Entomophobia is the phobia of insects.  Here are a few movies to help you face this fear:
-A Bug’s Life
-Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
-Ants
-Charlotte’s Web
-A Bee Movie
Good luck, Livid in LeFer!

Miss Terious

Popularity: 20% [?]

Current Position at SMWC: Associate Professor, Psychology Program. I teach Psychology of Women, Abnormal Psychology, Human Sexuality, Crisis Intervention, Adolescent Psychology, Drug and Alcohol Addiction, and the Seminar in Psychology as on-campus classes as well as in the Woods On-Line program. In the SMWC’s graduate program I teach Techniques of Counseling.
Some semesters I teach one evening graduate class as an adjunct professor at Eastern Illinois University.
Past Positions:
•After graduating with my B.A. in Psychology I was a full-time outpatient counselor for clients who were drug dependent (I also worked in drug abuse prevention). During those six years I attended classes part-time, finished my Master’s Degree, and decided to pursue a Ph.D.   I remember one of my male professors saying “you shouldn’t do that, you have children!”   He never would have said that to a male student.  In fact, he had children while he worked on his Ph.D.  It made me so mad I was even more determined to get that degree.

Photo by: Colleen Daum/ The Woods

• While I was working on my Ph.D. I was a graduate assistant at the University of Illinois Counseling Center where I ran a group for students who were chemically dependent.  Also while I worked on my Ph.D. I was a part-time counselor at a program for chemically dependent women.  In that position I lead a sexuality group for the women and a play therapy group for their children.
• At the end of my Ph.D. program I completed a full-time year-long internship at a V.A. Hospital working with combat veterans in the psychiatric ward and with veterans who suffered from PTSD.   I had to live away from home while Alan stayed with our children (they were ages 8 and 14), but I came home every weekend.
• After finishing my Ph.D. I was therapist at the University Counseling Center at Eastern Illinois University for 10 years, serving as the Interim Director of the Center for one year. During that time I also taught classes in the Psychology Department and in the Counseling and Student Development Department at EIU and became a tenured faculty member.
Undergraduate and Graduate School(s):  Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree: Eastern Illinois University. Ph.D.: University of Illinois.
Interesting Facts About Yourself:
• I was born the middle child of seven children in a Catholic family in Morris, Illinois (not far from Chicago). There was a period of time when my father became ill and my family had to use food stamps. People say bad things about the government, but I am extremely grateful for government programs.
• When I worked in the substance abuse field a colleague and I created a primary prevention program that involved dressing up as clowns. Yes, I was a clown. The program caught on and we trained others to do this program throughout Illinois. We wrote a manual about it that got published and we presented the program at several professional conferences, including the Fifth World Congress on the Prevention of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• In my doctoral dissertation I studied the existence of family roles in children whose parents have alcoholism.
• Alan and I were undergrads when we got married (after my sophomore year), and we have been married for over 30 years. We have two children, both boys.  Alan and I own and live on a 34 acre farm. For a few years we raised free-range chickens and gave the eggs away to our friends.
• I have two nieces who were adopted from China.
• I once stopped an attempted rape at a campground bathroom in Sarasota, Florida.  After you learn about “the bystander effect” it is hard to just sit there when someone needs help.  I was scared, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t try to help her.
Favorite Thing About SMWC:  I love the people here.  The people in my department are some of the best I have ever worked with – both in talent and in personality.  They make me laugh every day. And the students are great—bright, engaged, and fun to be around.  I feel so fortunate to be employed here.

Popularity: 31% [?]

By Sherry Bube
Student Senate President

In the last couple of weeks Student Senate has brought new things and events to the campus community, including the long awaited coin machine, and has updated students on recent developments like the first annual Leadership Summit.
On Nov. 9, Student Senate finally unveiled the new coin machine, which was in the works for about six years. Senate held a ribbon cutting ceremony where they served cookies and about 20 people attended. The coin machine will exchange 1, 5, 10, and 20 dollar bills to quarters and is located in the basement of Le Fer Hall by the ATM.

Photo by: Emma Campbell/ The Woods

The commuter branch of Student Senate’s Forum Committee held the first Commuter Lunch Forum, which Student Senate may make a monthly event.
This will help keep commuters in the loop of what is happening on campus and give them a chance to get to know each other and share their concerns. At the lunch commuters were given an update of the Board of Trustees meetings and shared concerns including being escorted on upper floors in Le Fer Hall and about meal tickets for the Senior Dinner.
Nicolette Cisarik spoke to commuters about how to get more involved on campus. The lunch was in Sullivan Parlor, Le Fer Hall, where nine people attended.
Student Senate’s first Leadership Summit, titled “Leaders Under Construction,” will be on Saturday January 21, from 10a.m. to 3p.m. Attendees will take a leadership assessment quiz to learn more about their own leadership styles and will choose sessions to attend to help them develop their skills.
There will also be an etiquette lunch where students will practice keeping calm while discussing some controversial subjects and making polite conversation, as well as learn which forks, spoons and glasses to use when.
Keep on the lookout for more information!

Popularity: 23% [?]

Arts Illiana, the Arts Council serving the Wabash Valley announces WordFest:  Wabash Valley Creative Writing Symposium to be held on Dec. 2 & 3 at the Vigo County Public Library.
This two-day event will begin on Friday evening with a reception that includes a keynote address, “Creative Reading,” by the newly appointed Indiana Poet Laureate Karen Kovacik. Kovacik will begin her tenure in January.
She is a native Hoosier, growing up in Highland and has authored four collections of poetry, most recently “Metropolis Burning.”
Her work has received numerous honors.  She’s professor of English at IUPUI, where she directs the creative writing program.  In addition to delivering the keynote,
Kovacik will read a selection of her poems.
The evening will be open to the general public at no cost. Workshop registration is $20, with a $10 registration fee for high school students. Local college students’ registration fees will be waived.

Popularity: 19% [?]

By Jessie Uchytil
Staff Writer

After years of evaluations, studies and examination, Saint Mary of-the-Woods College’s Master of Art Therapy program has received approval by the American Art Therapy Association.
Saint Mary of-the-Woods College’s Master of Art Therapy program is the first distance art therapy program approved by the AATA and has been described as a “hybrid program.”  At the beginning of the semester, students come to campus for a short time, then the remainder of that semester’s studies are completed through a distance program.
“I was able to keep pursuing my dream,” said Tiffany Palmieri in the SMWC press release about the AATA recognition. Though she traveled and moved a lot during her college career she was able to stay in school.
Director of Graduate Admission Courtney Richie says the MTA’s style of program “provides students with the convenience of obtaining their degree at a distance while maintaining their work and family commitments.”
Richie said that “expert faculty and curriculum” are main reasons for the program’s approval that “allows our students to be up-to date on the latest trends in the field of Art Therapy.”
Part of the AATA’s says its purpose is to maintain criteria for training future art therapists and to award scholarships and grants.
“It is an acknowledgement of our quality and integrity,” said Master of Art Therapy Director Kathy Gotshall.
Current SMWC students can now apply for AATA scholarships.

Popularity: 24% [?]

By Emma Campbell
Editor-in-Chief
ecampbell3@smwc.edu

You may notice a few new features in our newspaper this edition. I am pleased to announce that we are continuing to expand and improve on the content of The Woods.
First, we have included three new columns into our content. Two of them will be written by students – one from a student living in Le Fer and one from a commuter. Each column will give our readers an inside perspective on what it is like to either live in the dorms or commute from home.
One of my goals as editor has been to increase campus community presence in the paper. This includes students, faculty, staff, and the rest of the campus community.
We are fortunate as a school to have amazing members of both faculty and staff. Unfortunately, they are so busy giving us an education that their stories often go unnoticed. For this reason, we have decided to include a faculty/staff spotlight section.
In addition to the spotlight section, our third column is an advice column written by an anonymous SMWC staff member. Students can submit questions anonymously to our email, newsroom@smwc.edu or write and submit them to me via campus mail addressed to Emma Campbell, box 764.
If I want to achieve anything in my time here as Editor-in-Chief, it’s to make the campus community want to read the paper; to make everyone feel that there is something within our pages that they would enjoy reading.
Though we have a small staff, we continue to improve on our reporting and coverage of events on campus. However, sometimes we need help knowing what our readers want.
Letters to the Editor are not reserved for complaints or rants (although those are welcome), they are also for any comment or question about the paper. Did you like the last issue? Did you have a problem with something? Do you feel like we aren’t covering something adequately? Is there an event coming up that you want to make sure we cover? Do you have any ideas on who we should cover in our next faculty/staff spotlight?
Feedback is the key for us to create a better paper. We need you as our readers to not only hold us accountable when we make a mistake, but to also let us know what you want to read.
So, once again, I invite you to fill our newsroom e-mail’s inbox. Send us any and all feedback you have to newsroom@smwc.edu and we will do our best to address all of it.
I’m proud of our staff and what we’ve accomplished so far, but we can always do better. We need your help to continue to grow and expand our coverage of campus events and news.
We look forward to hearing from you.

Popularity: 18% [?]