The Woods

By Beth Allard
Columnist

With high temperatures hitting almost 90 degrees last week, it definitely is beginning to feel like summer at the Woods!
And with that comes all the little things we’ve forgotten how to live with during the winter like sticky dorm rooms, frizzy hair, and pesky bugs.
But, on the plus side, there are no worries about slipping on the ice on the way to class. As the stressful end of the semester looms, take advantage of the wonderful weather.
Sunshine is your best friend this time of year! Catch up on your tan while studying out on the balcony, brighten up your room with some sunlight and fresh air, and get your daily dose of vitamin D.
After three months of the winter blues, the sunlight is a welcome sight. The late daylight hours make the day seem endless, and you might find yourself more productive when there is still a nice open window and sunset to sit by. I recommend doing your homework outside or by an open window- it definitely helps keep your morale up!
Another way to enjoy this weather is changing up your wardrobe. What better excuse to go shopping than new summer clothes?
Transition your wardrobe from coats to shorts slowly.  It’s only March and Indiana has been known to throw in some end-of-season snow storms.
But, if it seems like you are in desperate need of new sandals to go with the June-like weather, go for it!
Finals week is just around the corner, but don’t let the homework keep you from missing out on this rare gem of a March. Take a study break, grab your iPod, and go for a walk! All the beautiful things you’ll see if you just wander around campus are amazing. Find some pretty flowers. Pick a few and put them in your dorm room to bring spring indoors.
It’s a beautiful start to the second half of the semester.
Love your Le Fer Life, ladies!

Popularity: 12% [?]

By Beth Allard
Columnist

I used to tease my sister and ask her if she was waiting for the cleaning fairies to straighten up her side of the room when she let it get messy.  Unfortunately, the fairies never did come to work their magic on the messy closet or make the dust bunnies vanish.
Then I came to college and discovered that the cleaning fairies do exist.  Except they have big carts of supplies instead of wands.
Yes, I am talking about our wonderful Le Fer housekeepers!
I often run into these ladies in the hallways in the morning, vacuuming the floors or mopping the marble stairs until they shine with the nice, lemony floor cleaner.  They always have a “hello” and a “good morning” for me, and my wing always looks nice and clean when I return from class.  
I just want to take a minute and challenge you with this thought:  how do you say thank you?
Think of all the things that the housekeepers take care of for us: the community bathrooms, the staircases, the elevators, the trash cupboard – things we all use every day.
Yet, for every time that I have seen a housekeeper scrubbing the elevator floor, I see someone drop food in there and just walk away.  Muddy boots track up staircases and down carpeted hallways, and crumbs litter the floors under lounge tables.  Still, every morning, our Le Fer cleaning ladies have the place all sparkling clean.
Let’s extend some thanks to these lovely women – can you imagine what this building would look like without them? I’ve always said that Le Fer is like a castle; it truly is a wonderful place to live.  Take a few moments to return the favor. If you drop food, pick it up. If you see trash, toss it. And while crumby carpet and muddy stairs are a little out of our hands, prevention is the best cure.
So, next time you run into a housekeeper in the hall, stop and tell her that you appreciate her hard work.
Remember, the cleaning fairies are all around.
Love your Le Fer life, ladies!

Popularity: 21% [?]

The Woods Staff Report

Saint Mary of-the-Woods College hosted the final Western show of the season Jan. 28-29.  After all the points were totaled, SMWC claimed High Point Team of the region, winning with 30 points.
The SMWC team started its final show last weekend –15 points away from becoming number one in the region. After a long day of hard work, the team was ecstatic to hear that they narrowly won the regional championship title by 5 points.
SMWC coach Sara Schulz was also shocked that the team succeeded in this feat.

Photo by Beth Allard/ The Woods

“It was overwhelming that the team did the unthinkable. They never quit, kept a positive attitude and worked hard,” Schulz said.
In the Jan. 28-29 Regional Championship, SMWC competed  against Ball State University, Butler University, Eastern Illinois University, Indiana University, Parkland College, Purdue University, Purdue-Calumet, St. Mary’s College and University of Illinois, all teams from the region or Division I programs.
The SMWC team goes directly to the IHSA semifinals March 24-25 in Tallahassee, Fla., to compete. If they place between 1st and 4th they will then advance to Nationals.
The riders who will compete at the semifinals in Florida are Whitney Mahloch, Jordyn Perrott, Karen Cannon, Sarah New, Paige Harvey and Shelby Harbor.
SMWC will host the Regional show March 2 for individuals to qualify for semifinals. Nine SMWC students will compete that day.

 Jena Thralls contributed to this article.

Popularity: 21% [?]

Step 1: No eggrolls at 9

By Beth Allard
Columnist

One of the biggest topics in the health world right now is making smart dietary choices. We see it everywhere: “Healthy options” and “Smart choices” on our menus,  “Whole grain” and “Fruits and vegetables” all over our snacks and cereals.  Here at SMWC, we are given all sorts of… well, interesting “healthy” food options. We are encouraged to be healthy, taught to make good choices. Eating right should be really easy around here, right?
Wrong.
While we are given a lot of really great choices, there are also a lot of poor choices out there. (Hello- deep fried eggrolls at 9 pm?!)
The “Freshman Fifteen” is not a myth- and your food habits affect every aspect of your college life. So, before you head down to Snack tonight, here is some food for thought:
Get to know your metabolism. We all have those friends that can eat anything at any time and never gain a pound.  As for myself, I can’t even think “doughnut” without it going to my thighs! No two bodies are the same, so pay attention to signals your body is giving you. Make note of what foods give you energy, and which ones make you feel like it’s naptime.
Stay away from the empty carbs.  Pastas, breads, potatoes, pastries- our cafeterias are full of carbs. While carbs give you energy, the “empty” ones found in white breads and pastas, as well as potatoes, turn to fat really fast. Try to stick to whole grains.
Make your own snack.  Commercial food is full of salt, preservatives, and sugars. Even the “healthy” looking foods can be loaded with lots of unhealthy ingredients.  Having a stash of good, satisfying snacks will help curb the munchies. Keep snacks like yogurts, cheeses, whole grain crackers, granola, peanut butter, or fruit (just to name a few options) in your room.  Stick a pack of trail mix or granola in your backpack to eat on your way to classes during the day. Eating a few 100-200 calorie snacks between meals will help keep you from bingeing once you hit the dinner line.
Drink lots of water! It’s amazing what a little H20 can do when it comes to watching your weight and staying healthy.  Water keeps everything functioning properly, including your metabolism.  Because the commercial food is high in salt, you may need to drink more than normal.
Learn to say no. This is my biggest struggle personally! I can tell myself to be good all day, but by the time 9 pm rolls around, my willpower is easily conquered by those darn eggrolls. Walking past the snacks is hard- and every once in awhile, it’s ok to indulge- but as you reach past the fries for the vegetables, just think about how great you’ll feel later.
Making healthy choices isn’t just about your waistline. It affects your immune system, your complexion, your sleep, your energy, and most importantly your education.  That’s worth eating your veggies for!
Love your Le Fer life, ladies!

Popularity: 18% [?]

By Beth Allard
Columnist

Ever watched the show “Buried Alive”?
For some sick reason, we flock around the television to observe the lives of hoarders, and the professionals that come in to help dig them out of their clutter-filled grave.  I don’t know about you, but after watching that sort of hysteria for an hour, I’m ready to purge my room!
Three trash bags and a can of Pledge later, I feel a little less hoarder-like. And yet, somehow the laundry and wrappers and paper and books and mysterious-thing-in-the-bathroom-that-no-one-wants-to-touch keep coming back with a vengeance. Let’s face it: dirty, cluttered dorm rooms are not fun. When you have to crawl over piles of stuff to get to your desk, or spend an hour trying to find your bed at night, it kills the atmosphere.
If you’re one of those awesome (and slightly irritating) clean people, congratulations for having solved the mystery of housekeeping! I admire you greatly.  If you’re like me, and can’t even spell orginzation organization, I’ve gathered a few tips for keeping your dorm room a healthy, restful, fun place to be this semester. Yes, you’ve heard all of these before; but we all can use a little refresher course once and awhile!
Admit you have a problem: Hello, I’m Beth, and I lied on my housing form. I’m not a neat person. Your turn!
Toss, recycle, donate: You won’t believe how much space you’ll have in your room once you take a trash bag to it. Put on some motivating music, and start pitching. Don’t look back. Items that don’t need thrown away, but you never use can go to Goodwill. Or your favorite Le Fer Living columnist.
Make your bed: This is a simple step that will really help. Not only will it look better, but then you have a nice, clean surface to lay stuff on as you organize.
Finding the floor: According to the room check-in sheet, you should have a floor in your dorm room. If you haven’t seen yours in awhile, it’s probably hiding under the laundry and the pizza box. Once you find it, run a Swiffer or mop over it. The Swiffer Wet Mop cloths work wonders on these wood floors, and come in a lot of great scents.
Reality check: Your room doesn’t have to be Martha Stewart perfect to be clean. If you’re like me (so sorry!) organized piles do way more for you than everything put away out of sight.  If you prefer to have everything strewn on the floor… well, just think of the hoarders, and go back to step one.
Make a schedule: and keep it! If you have an open hour or two, determine to make that time to work on your room. After awhile, it will just become habit. The clean room feeling should be all the motivation you need.  I started off last semester super-tidy, and ended it living in a pit. Don’t let your room go the way of your notebooks.
Love your Le Fer life, ladies!

Popularity: 15% [?]

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: 26% [?]