By Kylie Miller on May 14, 2012
We all had so much fun on our day trip to Ohio that we plan on doing it at least once a semester next year!
Spring Term is a great time on campus if not for any other reason than because of the relaxed atmosphere. This allows us to enjoy our weekends even more so than we usually would. It was my big weekend to get off campus, and I definitely took advantage of Spring Term on Saturday.
My roommates and I had had this day planned since the middle of last term. Ever since two of us went to Jungle Jim’s, (go here to catch up) we have been dying for an opportunity to return to the international market. So we started putting ideas out there and before we knew it it was May, then it was the middle of May and we had yet to follow through on our return journey to Jungle Jim’s. So we made plans, changed them and then settled on a definite plan.
The final version was even better than the previous ones, as it included a trip to Dave and Busters. This place is amazing, and if you’ve never been, I highly recommend going. It is like an adult version of Chuck E Cheese with better food and better prizes.
Saturday morning, we loaded into the car, drove for roughly one and a half hours, and we were at Jungle Jim’s. After two hours of roaming all over the store, sampling about a hundred foods, and checking out with our supplies of imported goods, we were off to Dave and Busters.
A dinner of mostly yummy burgers (I was the difficult one who got chicken) later it was time to play! We hit the game room with our loaded cards and ended up making our ten dollar cards last for just over an hour.
Then we took our buckets of tickets into the prize room and traded them out for classes, toys and candy. The prize room is always a cool experience, as the prizes range from a 15-ticket Chinese finger trap to PlayStation IIIs and much, much more.
After packing our loot to the car, we were all pretty tired, but we all managed to stay awake for the ride back to Hanover where we all did homework and/or watched some of our favorite T.V. shows. Ahhhhhh, Spring Term, how I will miss you when summer begins!
Posted in Junior, Students | Tagged Cincinatti, FOOD, friends, fun, new things, off-campus, playing, shopping, Spring Term, Traveling, weekends |
By Kylie Miller on May 14, 2012
The Murder Mystery party was a great success. We successfully brought the roaring 20's to the SAC.
It had been in the works for weeks — Crowe, Coulter, Wiley Hall Council (CCW) and the Student Activity Center committee banded together for a Murder Mystery party. As event coordinator for CCW and a member of the SAC committee, I was one of the main people planning the event. It had all been carefully thought out. We knew when the cut off date would be for RSVPs, when the scripts had to be purchased, what kind of food we wanted, everything was thought out.
Then, after we had our final head count of who would be attending our event, (a lot more people were interested than we anticipated!!) we got down to real business. I called the Red Pepper in Madison and got sandwich platters, sides and pickles ordered for the nearly 40 students that would attend.
From there, we made and re-made Wal-Mart lists, along with copies of important papers, and things really came together.
The night of the event things went extremely well! Nearly everyone who RSVP’d showed up, and we were lucky to have some last minute people drop in who were willing to play the game. Luckily, we had picked a great hostess and investigator to lead the game throughout the night.
Everyone really seemed to love the 1920′s theme and even though it wasn’t mandatory, many showed up in full costumes! It was great to see the wide range of fake mustaches, flapper dresses and police uniforms!
The night was truly a success; everyone seemed to enjoy at least some part of the solving of the murder. It was a different experience to get so many people from different years in one place where they had to mingle in order to reach a common goal. Every year (freshmen to seniors) had multiple representatives who attended, and they all mingled together beautifully.
A night of great food, lots of laughs and fun is easy to come by on Hanover’s campus, but this was an event that made me very proud. People really got into the game and the process of trying to talk everything out to figure out the murderer. While many were lead astray by false information, three guests correctly identified the murderer and will soon find a certificate of achievement in their campus mailbox.
I hope to do another successful, campus-wide event like this next year. While it is nice as a hall council to have events just within our buildings, it is so nice to reach out to everyone. Obviously, our three residence halls affect the other living spaces on campus. Whether you have a friend who lives there, were once a resident yourself or plan on being one soon, everyone knows the halls and it was a great opportunity for us to give a fun evening back to ourselves, our friends and our campus. So thank you to everyone who came, saw, supported, helped with and/or read about Murder Mystery!
Posted in Junior, Students | Tagged Coulter, Crowe, events, FOOD, fun, Hanover College, History, Learning, Murder Mystery, SAC, The Red Pepper, Wiley Hall Council, Working together |
By Kylie Miller on May 7, 2012
Two of the visiting teams battle it out while members of Hanover's team observe one of their potential future opponents.
I constantly see them. On The Quad, behind the Horner Center, taking up a large table in the Campus Center during dinner. The Ultimate Frisbee team has quite a presence here, and I believe it to be a good one. Those who are on the team seem to really get along well with and know their teammates.
A lot of them even live together in a suite in Greenwood – meaning that they must really enjoy one another.
Until this weekend, I would just glance at their practices and keep walking, not really thinking too much about it. Then I went with my roommates to watch a Frisbee hustle on the football field, and I realized just how serious and competitive this Hanover tradition is.
The captain is always running around trying to get the team ready to travel or get practices scheduled. This year, he was even recognized at an award ceremony for the success of the team.
Even though the Frisbee team has been around since about 2006, it seems that I have heard more about them recently. They have really started traveling to other schools and areas to get their name out there and play hard.
This weekend they held a tournament that I attended, as did many others. There were several teams in the tournament, which lasted both Saturday and Sunday.
Unfortunately, due to my timing, I was not able to watch the Hanover team play. Instead, I watched two visiting teams battle it out for a chance at moving on to the next round. Still, it was a great experience.
I realized that while you may not have coaches, all of the team gets a say in what happens. And if, like me, you know nothing about the ins and outs of Ultimate Frisbee you are bound to catch onto this fast-paced game that is a mixture of Frisbee, football and a few other sports.
If you love playing Frisbee or are a fan of the sport, Hanover has definitely got you covered, and I expect the team will continue to grow in the years to come.
Posted in Junior, Students | Tagged bonding, clubs, friendships, fun, hard work, quad, Sports, ultimate frisbee |
By Kylie Miller on May 7, 2012
The St. Louis Zoo is just one of the great attractions in the great Midwest city of St. Louis.
If you have taken the time to glance at my blogger’s biography page you know that I love animals and that I have rescued several cats in the past year. My love of animals doesn’t stop with cats — I adore animals of all shapes and sizes including big cats, giraffes, hippos, you name it.
It should also be no surprise that I jump at the chance to see exotic animals as often as I can. Since I have a budget, I can’t fly all over the world to get a view of magnificent animals in their natural habitat. This means I must visit a zoo to get my fill, even though I can easily see the sadness in watching animals who live in a small pen without free roaming abilities.
I love the zoo and animal watching because it gives me a chance to admire the simple beauty of nature. Each and every animal is graceful, poised and fascinating. I could spend hours staring at each animal but that’s usually not in the schedule. At the end of my break, my mom took my sister and I to the St. Louis Zoo for an afternoon.
Like many zoos, the one in St. Louis is free of admission. Though you do have to pay to park in the zoo’s lot and for certain attractions.
While it is not a city that Hanover students visit often, St. Louis is a nice city in which to spend some time. It has a lot to offer in terms of art, history, education and significance.
The historical sights include a portion of the Lewis and Clark trail, among others. The St. Louis Art Museum is a free and beautiful collection of many important works of art.
With all that it has to offer and the fact that it is not a huge drive from Hanover makes it worth a stop, even if it is just a weekend trip. Perhaps, much like the Philadelphia, Washington and Chicago Centers that offer domestic exchange programs one day the city of St. Louis will be among these great cities as an option. Hanover is always coming up with new options and great programs you just never know!
Posted in Junior, Students | Tagged animals, Chicago Center, fun, Hanover College, hobbies, Learning, new possibilities, Philadelphia Center, St. Louis, trips, Washington Center, Zoo |
By Kylie Miller on May 7, 2012
The table in the dining center was jam-packed with every strawberry related dessert I could imagine.
Every so often our dining service staff provides us with a special dining experience. These range from Steak Night to Carnival Night but they are always a big deal to all those involved, including the students.
These are the days when we know to line up early in front of the Campus Center doors. Steak Night happened recently, and it was a nice break from the everyday offerings. Casino Night is one of my favorite themed dinners, and it typically includes a variety of great food. The corndogs and taco in a bag are two of my favorites.
At the beginning of this term, dining services hosted a Strawberry Extravaganza in which there were strawberry dishes of all sorts everywhere! There was a huge table filled with chocolate fondue, fresh berries, strawberry cheesecake, and about five other strawberry desserts.
This specialty food presentation was very well executed. It was so pretty and tasty that my friend and I decided to eat minimal real lunch and sample each of the strawberry sweets.
When it was all said and done, however, I was in a sugar coma but it was well worth it. The fresh fruit and the chocolate fondue is always one of my favorites but I was pleasantly surprised by all the different strawberry desserts that were available. I am very excited for next year’s food service events, and I hope that Sodexo continues to offer these special day and evening meals.
They are a great way to bring people together and they are very effective in keeping the students lingering in the Campus Center. This is definitely a good thing as they help us relax and spend a little more time building a bond with each other.
Posted in Junior, Students | Tagged campus center, Dessert, FOOD, friendships, fun, Hanover College, Sodexo, special meals |
By Kylie Miller on May 7, 2012
The groundbreaking ceremony for the new activity center was very well done, I know that I felt proud to be a member of the community.
Through our great alumni, Hanover is able to make the campus a better place for everyone. As an avid member of the SAC committee, I was extremely pleased to learn the campus had received a rather large donation that would allow us to completely renovate the activity center. The SAC will now be referred to as the Jo Ann and Ward Withrow Student Activities Center as the Withrows were very kind in making the center possible.
The current SAC hosts three televisions, as well as two pool, ping-pong, and foosball tables, and several dining tables. There are board and video games student can check out and use while they are in the SAC. The new center will be the new home of the Student Life staff in addition to a place for students to gather. There will be a built in theater, a stage, meeting rooms, a computer lab, game tables and so much more.
I attended the groundbreaking ceremony Friday and was happy I decided to attend. The donor and her family were very nice, and they were well received by my peers. We really do appreciate each and every gift donors make, as they give us opportunities we would never have had otherwise.
With this gift, it gives us a place to make friends and get to know our fellow classmates. I know that because of the SAC I have made several good friends and have gained some party planning experience.
With each class that graduates from Hanover, the more chances there are for donations to be made. If each of us can give a small gift sometime in our life, then we will be part of the mission to keep Hanover going for generations to come.
Posted in Students | Tagged Activity Center, Alumni, Donors, giving back, groundbreaking ceremony, Hanover, Live the Legacy |
By Alena Reese on May 7, 2012
Meggles and I before the hike changed my life :)
Spring Term is a different beast the second time. When I got to campus for my second year here at Hanover, I expected things to be different because my experiences would be different. What I’m finding out is that I was right! Doing this thing all over again is interesting.
There are a few things about Spring Term that I knew for sure starting out:
1.) I only have one class a day
2.) I’m free to do anything outside of those hours that my class requires my attention
3.) There are a million and one things to get into
4.) I’ve had all the fun I could possibly wish for during Spring Term
What I found, of course, was that I was right about all but the last of my bucket list for the term. This weekend I had the chance to explore one of the waterfalls off of campus. I’m not usually one to enjoy the outdoors (for squeamish reasons.) I usually do a lot of complaining about the heat, allergies, bugs and anything else that will get me out of an outdoor adventure. The idea of even considering it was new to me.
I thought I had done it all! We drove from the end of Hanover Beach to the nearest one. It had rained heavily for four hours the night before. The current was slow in some areas and rushing at higher speeds in other landings.
I found out that I’m a pretty decent climber. I also learned that I can conquer my fears if I put my mind to it and that the outdoors isn’t so bad when there’s fresh water involved.
My friends Megan, Alicia and I didn’t go all the way to the very top. However, we decided that over the next couple of weeks during Spring Term that we would make it a point to gradually go a little bit higher the next several times that we visit. We also thought that it would be a cool idea to explore other parts of the local area.
Did you know that there are several different waterfalls and hiking trails off of the campus? I hope to have the chance to explore and visit them all this term and for my next two years here.
Next year I think I’ll visit another country or at least another state. You only do undergrad once (live it to it’s fullest is what they tell me)
Posted in Students | Tagged nature, nature trails, new experiences, off campus exploring, Spring Term |
By Kylie Miller on May 7, 2012
The second week of my break was even more relaxing than the first. While I was off campus for the first week I had some assignments to wrap up, but the second week was all mine!
I spent it catching up on the “Avenger” movies (“Captain America” and “Thor”), cooking up a storm and traveling to Chicago. I also spent it doing one of my favorite things, reading for fun. I devoured several books in just a few days and now can’t wait until the summer break when I will be able to read even more.
Some of my less formal reading including reading about a month’s worth of two or three magazines. Some of these I managed to read on a train ride from Effingham, Ill. to Chicago. This train ride is about three-and-a-half hours long and was a great experience. One of my roommates, who’s also from my hometown, and I rode the train to the Windy City to meet our other roommate who lives in the Chicago area. This was a great opportunity to some of the sights that students who take advantage of the Chicago Center experience.
The Amtrak train that took us from our hometown to Chicago. This was my first experience on a train, and it was great.
The first slice of deep dish pizza I have ever eaten, it was delicious and so different from any other pizza I have ever had.
The Bean has been featured in several movies over the years and is a well known Chicago landmark.
Posted in Junior, Students | Tagged Chicago, cooking, FOOD, fun, Hanover College, shopping, Spring Break, The Chicago Center, trains, Traveling, Windy City |
By Kylie Miller on May 7, 2012
Friday, May 4th 12:01 a.m.: Sitting at The Madison 6 for the midnight showing of Marvel’s “The Avengers.” I am beyond words excited as I have prepared for this particular movies since “The Incredible Hulk” and “Iron Man” came out years ago.
The movie theater was packed full of my fellow Hanoverians, all enjoying the freedom that comes with Spring Term. A lot of our classes don’t start until the afternoon, meaning we are free to stay up and go to the occasional midnight screening.
Some of my fellow schoolmates even showed up dressed as their favorite Avenger. There were several Captain Americas and Thors, even an Iron Man or two. I think I even saw one Hawkeye.
It was a great atmosphere and it set the stage for the excitement that started just a few minutes later.
I was very impressed by the newest Hulk, Mark Ruffalo! He did a great job at portraying both the Hulk and the unfortunate Dr. Bruce Banner. The other actors did a top-notch job portraying their characters: Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Captain America were great.
It was definitely well worth staying up late for the film and getting less sleep than usual. It’s always great to go to a midnight show with your friends; the excitement beforehand and during the movie is bound to make you closer. Talking about the film afterward is usually a fun time for everyone.
Attending these late night openings is one of my favorite past times. I have gone on two or three hours of sleep several times in order to be one of the first to watch the “Harry Potter” films, “Twilight” and various other blockbusters. Watching these movies with other fans makes for the very best environment. I highly recommend going to a midnight showing if you have never had an experience like this.
Posted in Junior, Students | Tagged Avengers, film, friends, fun, Hanover College, Madison, Midnight showings, movies |
By Kylie Miller on May 7, 2012
The city of New Orleans is a great place to visit since it is culturally diverse. You get to experience so much in a fairly small amount of space!
This year, I was an extremely lucky duck, as I had no finals during finals week. (Well, I did have some take-home finals.) I was allowed to leave campus a week earlier than most. I definitely took advantage of my two weeks of break, traveling and resting as much as possible.
My first week of break I spent in Alabama with my aunt, uncle and cousins. It was amazing! I absolutely love spending time with my family, and it’s always nice to get away from the Midwest and spend some time in a different part of the country.
While I left my cool 65-degree Illinois home in favor of the humid 88-degree southern Alabama weather, I was completely happy. I spent the week taking advantage of fresh produce and an empty kitchen. I cooked some of my favorite dishes (chicken pot-pie) and some new dishes (a mushroom roast), and I enjoyed every second of it (obviously, since I only blog about food all the time).
However, I also spent a good part of my week traveling about. I flew in and out of New Orleans, so I was able to see the city post-Katrina. I traveled a bit around Alabama but I wasn’t able to make it down to the beach due to several thunderstorms.
I did have some papers to finish during this week but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. I finished up the work just by working in the evenings and managed to spend some time shopping and eating out. I am definitely looking forward to my next trip to Alabama, since it was a great experience.
After all, my college career is a great time to travel since I don’t have to worry about missing work at a regular job ]. I fully intend to take advantage of the next year of my life and see many things I have always wanted to see.
Posted in Junior, Students | Tagged Family, Finals, Flying, FOOD, fun, Hanover College, Making the most of your time off, Spring Break, Traveling |
