April 5

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It’s finally spring, and I couldn’t be any more excited. There is so much going on around campus that I can’t even keep up. I will certainly do my best to tell you about everything! First of all, Task Force One (TFO) is finishing up our duties and trying to get set up for the new students next fall. On March 27, we took part in Embry-Riddle’s Relay for Life. We set up camp on the ERAU track and stayed up walking all night. Even when it began pouring down rain we didn’t quit, and the rain made it even more fun. The ceremony was very meaningful, and the activities all night were tons of fun. ERAU raised tens of thousands of dollars for cancer research, and the event was a huge success.

Delta Upsilon is keeping me very busy as well. We have colony meetings every Monday where we have been getting a lot of things done to establish DU at Embry-Riddle. As an officer, I also have meetings on Sunday to get ready for the next meeting and upcoming week. Recently, Delta Upsilon took part in Collegiate Kindness Day, where we painted and worked all day. Although it was an early weekend morning, we had a good time and got a lot done to help the ArtHaus improve their facilities. We are also planning on participating in more activities this semester including Oozeball (mud volleyball), which I am very excited for. This past weekend, Touch-N-Go Productions put on their big spring concert. This year they brought the band Sugarcult to ERAU, and they were very good! You may know Sugarcult from their songs Memory or Bouncing off the Walls. They were pretty good live, and the lead singer was a really funny guy. TNG also brought two opening bands, Luna Halo and The Sleeping. Both did a good job, however Luna Halo was more my type of genre. The crowd got a little crazy and crowd surfing was common, but it was a fun experience!

I thought I might give you updates on classes as we are getting to the final stretch of the semester. MA112- We took our final midterm last week and I feel like I did very well. Collins knows how to teach Math and still have fun – a skill more Math professors need to attain. He knows his stuff and knows how to teach it to the students. This is definitely the best Math course I have taken in my life.

BA201- We are about to present our semester-long project this week in Business. We have been working hard to perfect our product and set up our mock companies. My company’s name is MoKurity, and we specialize in home security. The ten of us in the group have a lot of fun and have become good friends over the semester. This past Friday we painted the spirit rock in MoKurity colors and had a great time goofing off together.

PS142- Environmental Science is a great class. Professor Cabiac is passionate about science and has some great stories to tell. Some of his many stories over the semester have included chasing a squirrel into asbestos and a person smoking 12 packs of cigarettes and 5 cigars every day. He also has some great ideas about shipping nuclear waste into space, but feels the aliens might not appreciate it. However, he feels it’s “a risk we might have to take.” But all jokes aside, the class is never boring and I have certainly learned a lot about environmental science and the Northern Spotted Owl.

COM221- This class is A LOT of work. I have not had a class yet in college that requires this much writing, organizing, and researching. However, I am learning a lot and can sure produce a great technical document.

WX201- I am still doing well in this class and it is becoming much more interesting as we talk about predicting the weather and things such as tornados, hurricanes, and storm systems. I have learned a lot, and feel like I could give a decent forecast by looking at a few weather maps.

As this semester winds down I will be running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get everything done. However, being very involved and busy is great, and I love every minute of being in Florida. If you are coming down for Spring Preview day, you might find me hanging around the Oozeball courts or by the TFO information booth. If you see me, feel free to say hello. As always, if you have any questions send me an email and I will do my best to help you with anything!

Until Next Time,
Mack

March 23rd

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So spring break is over (it wasn’t long enough if you ask me) and there is a little over a month of class left, AH! My break wasn’t very exciting. I stuck around here in Daytona to work and study. I hung with friends most of the time, I did go see the shuttle launch though. It was the best I have seen so far! I did some flying and tried to cook some stuff. Chili being one of the things, it’s not that easy, it did taste really good though!

Currently I am working on my schedule for the fall, I have to register for my flight block Wednesday and next week we register for classes. That snuck up on me quick! I also have a web project to do for weather where I design my own weather web page type deal and a test on Friday. AH!!! As soon as the semester is over, nationals for flight team will be held. I don’t quite know if I am going yet, but they are held the whole month of May, then it’s back here to finish my private and take summer classes. There really hasn’t been much going on lately so I don’t have much to talk about.

I added some pictures of the space shuttle but there are a TON more on my facebook. Check them out!!! Hope you guys are enjoying the spring!!!
-Elizabeth

March 23, 2009

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Hello everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful spring break!

Whew! What a long two weeks. My simulator class, FA 420, started two weeks ago. It is amazing, but a lot of work. I am learning everything there is to know about the CRJ-200 aircraft; how it works, why it works, and how to fly it. I love learning the technical side of a jet aircraft; however, it definitely takes up a lot of your time. I had my first test last Monday and I got 91! It was the highest grade in the class; however I studied 12 hours for it. My second test was this morning and I got a 95 after studying for 15 hours. Let’s just say, the last two weeks I have been nose deep in an aircraft manual. But, even though it sounds painful, it actually isn’t. When you enjoy learning something, it goes by extremely fast. I would much rather study an aircraft systems book than a history book. I find it much more fascinating. Over the next few weeks, I will be getting into the good stuff, especially learning just how to fly this incredible aircraft. I’ll keep you updated on my progress.

Now on the topic of spring break. That is where the location of Embry-Riddle is extremely awesome! Why leave when spring break comes to you? I just chilled at the beach most of the week and then got caught up on all of my homework. It was a well needed break.

Other than that, I have just been flying across Florida with my students, getting ready to graduate, and enjoying my last 5 weeks as a student. I hope everyone has a great week! I’m off to class.

March 22

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Spring Break is over, and I can feel the push toward the end of my second semester. With only 5 weeks of school remaining, I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Just as I had hoped, my grade came back from the latest MA112 exam, and it was a 97%! Although I have felt comfortable with my first two exams, the new material is much more difficult. I am trying hard and hope to score high enough on my last exam to keep my A in the class. In COM221, we have been assigned our final due dates for our papers, as well as two large group projects. Much of the success for this class comes with good time management. If you fall behind in Technical Report Writing, you are going to be in trouble. The assignments are not impossible, but there are a lot of them and you can’t procrastinate.

On Wednesday March 11, Alpha Xi Delta (one of the sororities at ERAU) held their annual Xi-Man competition. The whole point of the event is to raise money for their philanthropy, and the competition proved very successful once again. Each fraternity on campus can nominate one of their brothers to compete in the pageant-like event, and the winner is crowned the sweetheart of Alpha Xi Delta. The Delta Upsilon representative was one of my very good friends Mike. He had to take part in a swimsuit competition, Q & A session, boy-band performance (note the picture of the 4 DU’s in ponchos), and many other things. It was HILARIOUS to watch the guys get on stage and thoroughly embarrass themselves. Mike did an AMAZING job, and he placed fourth overall. Xi Man is a must-see event for anyone at Embry-Riddle, and I am already looking forward to the competition in 2010!

Just as everyone else, I was very excited for Spring Break to arrive. Nearly all of my friends left for the week, and I followed suit. My mother, sister, sister’s fiancé, and my best friend flew down to Florida and we spent a week on the beach near Tampa/St. Petersburg. The weather was absolutely perfect all week, and my skin picked up a nice tan. The first half of the week was very relaxing as we sat on the beach, ate good meals, and enjoyed each other’s company. However on Thursday, things got a little crazy. While we were all sitting in the living room, my best friend collapsed and had a seizure. I had never experienced anything like that before, and to say the least, I was horrified. The next few days were spent at the hospital, where my friend was unfortunately diagnosed with a form of epilepsy. The event was easily one of the worst things I have had to watch, and I feel so bad for her. Although I love spending time with her, I was relieved to send her back to her very concerned family in Missouri.

These next few weeks will be a busy time for the organizations I am involved with. Task Force One will be finalizing plans for the incentive and participating in the Relay for Life. Also, we will be setting up a booth for the spring sneak preview day to begin handing TFO over to the incoming students (so if you’re planning to be here – look for me). Delta Upsilon continues to be very time-consuming as well, as we work toward becoming an official chapter. We are working on recruiting new members, as well as shaping our colony of DU into what we want it to be. It is very rewarding to be involved on campus, and I continue to enjoy doing all that I do.

The time is coming to officially decide on a college, and I hope each and every one of you considers ERAU. The people, the campus, and the education are great, and I don’t think you would be disappointed with your decision. Please let me know if you have any questions and good luck with your March Madness Brackets!

Until Next Time,
Mack

March 22, 2009

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Hey guys. I’m back from Spring Break! I had so much fun back home with friends and family in New York, I spent half the week relaxing with family and the other half out with friends. I did a program at my old high school for kids interested in aviation and I talked to them not only about Embry-Riddle but about the field of aviation and the jobs and careers that are associated with the field. It went really well, I got a few people that were interested in not only aviation, but Embry-Riddle! I also did a program on college prep, mainly focusing on the transition from high school to college. The day before I left New York, I went to a track meet and watched my old team compete. They got so much better since the last time I saw them run. I am so proud of them. I am happy to be back at school to complete the last month left in the Spring 09 semester.

Classes are great. Before the break, I took a test in Instrument Pilot Operations and got an 83%. It’s not exactly the score I wanted but I did my best and it is a really good grade. All my other classes are going well; I think my grades this semester will be better this semester than last!

In two weeks, I may be going to Jamaica for my cousin’s wedding. I am so excited and really hope I get the chance to attend. The main issue right now is booking a ticket, I will be traveling American Airlines but they do not offer flights that would get me there in time to attend the wedding. I am currently looking into other airlines and seeing if I can get a flight that suits my travel better.

Right now, of the many organizations on campus that I am a part of, I am focusing a lot on ERRSA and First Gen. I know each time I make a post it’s always a different combination. But when you get involved with a lot on campus, at times you have to pick and choose what you can do over a given period of time to fit your schedule. I am running for an Executive position in First Generation for next school year. I am planning on running for Secretary, it’s the only Exec position that I have ever run for and held and I really like the position. My plan B is to run for the Public Relations position, I think I am qualified for both positions and would do a very good job. In ERRSA, we are currently working on our bid to host SAACURH [South Atlantic Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls]. If our bid wins, we will host the conference in the fall of the 2010. I am working on four of the ten bid sections, but very active on the Sponsorship section. I am currently working on writing up those bids and presenting them to our NCC [National Communications Coordinator] for approval. We also have our April outing and Spring Banquet coming up. Over the summer, we will be attending the NACURH [National Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls] conference hosted this year in Arizona. The conference should take place from May 22nd until the 24th.

Friday is Relay for Life. For those of you that do not know, it is an event done by the American Cancer Society in an effort to raise money for research and cure of cancer. The event is an all night event from 4 p.m. Friday night until 5 a.m. Saturday morning. There are going to be a lot of events going on that night to keep people occupied and also to fundraise. Also, Sunday is Adopt-A-Road which is a project put on by our SGA and what we do is we go to a specific road that the school has adopted and we clean it up! However long we stay out there counts as community service and we also have the opportunity of winning prizes. This week is Student Employment Week!! It’s just a week when Student Employment honors the student employees on campus. We get free food and prizes all week long! It’s also room selection week. This is when we get to choose who our roommates and actual rooms will be next semester.

I know it’s about that time when you guys not only have to select schools, but do financial aid. I know from experience that the FAFSA isn’t the most fun form to fill out, and that picking a school that is right for you is really tough. If you guys have ANY questions at all on any topic from housing to weekend life or even scholarships, send me an email. Those of you guys that have sent me emails, I enjoy reading them and I hope my responses have helped you. A lot of you guys have been asking a lot about financial aid and scholarships, remember to contact your admissions counselor or financial aid counselor if you have questions about aid.

Stay safe!
Andre’

March 22nd

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Well spring break is over, and it seemed that I had just left Daytona when I found myself driving back. Although the break was needed, I was ready to get back in the swing of things back here at Riddle. I left last Friday and drove six hours home to Fort Walton Beach, where I spent the entire break. I think I ended up going to the beach almost every day, and hanging out with my buddies from high school every night. I also was able to spend some valuable time with my family, who I miss more than I thought I would, which was nice.

Before I left for break, all of my professors thought it would be a good idea to flood their students with the second round of tests. Needless to say, I spent the week before break with my nose stuck in my books. I performed about the same as I did on the first round of tests earlier in the semester, so my grades are still pretty high at this point. The space shuttle was also supposed to launch before break, but as usual they found something working improperly during its inspection so it did not go up. But upon arriving back in Daytona, I heard that it went up during the break. Hearing this sort of bummed me out, because I have still not been able to see one launch since I moved here! Oh well, hopefully I can catch it the next time.

Things back in Daytona are just as I left them. I registered for my classes for the summer A term; I am taking AT302 and AT305, which are the second and third courses in the air traffic control series. For the summer B term, I am still hoping to do an internship with the FAA in an ATC facility. Pike is still keeping me very busy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I enjoy being with these guys and having the support of my pledge brothers is something that means quite a lot to me. My job at the admissions office is still awesome, and I just became certified to give campus tours on my own. So when all you journal readers out there decide to come down and visit the campus, you’ll probably meet me in the admissions visitor center. And if you’re lucky, you might get me as your tour guide. Ha-ha, just kidding.

Anyhow, shoot me an email and let me know if you have any questions. And let me know when you all get your acceptance letters!

Josh

March 22, 2009

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Spring Break was wonderful and now I feel refreshed and ready to finish out the semester with a bang. In fact, I felt so revived that I stopped procrastinating on my Business Law paper and actually started it. The amazing thing is I finished it too, so now I have that out of the way! As you know already, my sister came to visit me for Spring Break and we had a good time. She even got to go to some of my classes with me and I’ll let her tell you about her experience…

Hello! I am Kaleigh’s sister, Katelyn, and I visited during her spring break. Kaleigh told me that the ERAU campus was small, but I was still surprised at how small it actually is. I think that there are many benefits to a campus of that size. For one, you are close to all of the buildings and would be able to get to class on time very easily. I went to two of my sister’s classes with her. International Business was interesting and the class size was small. The teacher knew everyone by name and most everyone participated in the class discussion. Since it was Friday, Kaleigh was dressed in her Air Force uniform and I got to watch her being inspected. She had to stand at attention while other cadets looked over her uniform and her shoes. She passed inspection. I am glad I was able to sit in on her Air Force class. Five cadets gave a briefing on planes and the history of the Gulf War. It was a really professional type of class and atmosphere.

Of course, we also went to the beach while I was in Daytona. It was really pretty, but there were a lot of seagulls. We went to Daytona Lagoon and raced go-carts, played miniature golf, and laser tag. I got to sample chocolate at Angell & Phelps Chocolate Factory on Beach Street. One of Kaleigh’s friends took us out on his boat on the Intercoastal Waterway. We walked on the boardwalk and went shopping, I discovered a store I really like called Maui Nix. My sister and I love ice cream and we visited Ritter’s Custard and the Dairy Bar. The flea market was huge and had about everything a person could even think about buying.

Overall, I was very impressed with the Daytona Beach Campus. I told my sister I would love going to a school where it was warm and palm trees surrounded me. She does not realize how lucky she is! Everyone I met on campus was really friendly too. I am so glad I was finally able to go and visit my sister!

I really enjoyed having my sister come and visit me! I’m looking forward to the end of the semester when she is going to come back because there are several things we didn’t get to do. Next time, she is going to go to the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse and we are going to play miniature golf at a place called Pirate’s Cove. She really liked the campus and the fact that there are palm trees everywhere!

I was telling you in my last journal entry how the week before Spring Break was Operation Bottoms Up (OBU) Week. Well, my job as Operations Support Squadron Commander kept me pretty busy and I enjoyed the learning experience. My primary job was to execute Lead Lab on Wednesday morning and I was so happy that it went well and everything went according to schedule. Now, I just have a couple weeks left of Field Training Preparation. One big event that is coming up is the QFR (Qualifying Fitness Review) it’s basically another PT test, but the scores follow you to Field Training. I went running everyday over Spring Break with my sister and I plan on continuing that, so hopefully my run time will be really good.

I hope everyone is looking forward to the rest of the school year and summer! I know I sure am. If you have any questions, send me an e-mail. Be sure to take a look at the pictures I posted!

Until next time,
Kaleigh

March 12, 2009

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It’s Spring Break time!!! This is the final few days until we go for Spring Break. I am so excited, I am going back home to be with family and old High School friends for an entire week. It doesn’t sound like much, but when you’re away at college, it makes you appreciate the opportunity to see family, no matter if it’s 3 days or a month. My mom is looking forward to me coming back home, she is so excited; she is taking off from work that day! Even though the excitement for the break is high on campus, we still have classes going on. On Friday before I leave, I have a test in Instrument Pilot Operations, which I think is the hardest one yet! I have been studying long and hard for it and I think I’ll do great.

Outside of classes, we had Greek Week last week. It was a lot of fun. The end of the week, I participated in the Up till Dawn Finale event as a Morale Captain. Up till Dawn is an organization that does fundraising activities, the proceeds of this go to the St. Judes Research Hospital that helps kids with cancer. The event was 12 hours, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. It was a long night but we had dances, food and a ton of activities. We had trikes and a bounce-a-bout and also a black jack table. We even played Gatorade pong! This week we also had the ERRSA Elections. The elections went very well, and everyone that I wanted to be in office got in. First generation will be having their elections in about two weeks.

We got our lottery numbers this week! Lottery numbers are numbers that housing gives out to students at random and is used when picking your hall for next semester. Once you do a contract, you are eligible to get a number and the range is from 1 to 1300. My number was 662, so it’s not too bad.

This week we also had the Xi-Man competition. The competition is a fundraiser done by the Alpha Xi Delta sorority and it is like a male pageant. Delta Upsilon placed 4th, mainly because of our t-shirt sales which was also a part of the fundraiser.

I know that it’s time that you guys are getting your financial aid letter, or should be getting them. Please be sure that you file your FAFSA for the upcoming school year if you want Federal Aid. It’s never too late to apply so do it when you get the chance to. If you have any questions about it, please feel free to shoot me an email.

I hope you guys are doing great. Thanks to those of you that asked me questions the past few weeks. Keep them coming, if there is any way that I can help you, just ask, I’ll be sure to answer as best as I can and also get you to the right resources. Stay safe!

Andre’

March 9th

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Hey guys!!!
It has been quite eventful since I last wrote to you all!! Let’s see, starting with e-mails/facebook-ers: There have a been a ton (ok maybe not a ton) but a lot of people contacting me! I hope I am helping you all as much as I think I am!!! Remember, if I don’t help you as much as you wanted or get back to you quickly enough, you can always call admissions.

Last Thursday (this is the best part of my week) I did my first 3 landings ever!!! They were nowhere near as bad as I thought they would be either!! I was going to fly today but the plane is down for its 50 hr. inspection so we will fly tomorrow! Spring break is just a week away!!! However, it seems sooooo far! I just recently got a job in admissions so if you all come for a tour, who knows maybe I will be your tour guide! I am not 100% sure what I am doing for spring break yet, I want to go home but my parents might come visit me for a few days instead so we will see. Either way I am in Daytona until at least Sunday because I have flight team practice Saturday. My friend’s girlfriend is coming in on Thursday and we are going to Disney World on Friday!! That will be VERY fun!! As far as classes are going – test in weather tomorrow and after that nothing much until after spring break. The semester starts to wind down after the break and finals will come up fast!

AH. I am getting a townhouse with two of my roommates that I live with now for summer and next year, that will be awesome!!!! There isn’t much else to tell except I hope you all have great breaks and keep the questions coming!!!!
~Elizabeth

March 8

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Warm weather is back! It was so nice all weekend, and I welcomed back the warm weather by sitting on the beach getting sun burned. Although I currently resemble a lobster, I enjoyed every minute of the sun and sand. Daytona has been packed full of visitors this past week for Bike Week and the beginning of Spring Break time. I have never seen the roads and beaches so crowded, and I am certainly glad Bike Week is over.

On Wednesday February 26, Delta Upsilon (DU) had our official colonization ceremony. It is very exciting to be a founding father of such a great organization. When I came to Embry-Riddle, I was almost certain I was not interested in Greek Life. However, the principles and ideals of DU matched with mine. I am very passionate about the four founding principles; the advancement of justice, the promotion of friendship, the diffusion of liberal culture, and the development of character. I am also very excited about DU’s nationwide partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of America. I hope to do a lot of work promoting our values and volunteering in the community.

Last week was Greek Week on campus. Greek Week is a friendly competition between all of the fraternities and sororities at Embry-Riddle. Some of the events included a human pyramid, tug-o-war contest, cardboard boat race, and a chariot race. Although it was our first year, Delta Upsilon did very well overall. We even got FIRST PLACE in the cardboard boat race! I met a lot of the other Greeks this week and got to have fun with my DU brothers.

Classes have been extremely demanding as we approach our break. I took tests in PS142, MA112, and WX201, and did very well. I got A’s on the two tests I have gotten back, and I am confident I did well on the math exam too. Along with these tests, I have been continuing work on my large projects in COM221 and BA201. I am still really enjoying my classes and schedule this semester, and my professors are a lot of fun. Although sometimes it is tough to wake up, I am always thankful to be done with classes in the morning!

Amongst all of the tests and Greek week activities, my grandparents made a visit. I got to eat two meals with them and I showed them around campus. They were very impressed with the facilities and enjoyed their visit. I think they were a little overwhelmed with Bike Week, but we had fun anyway. I will be spending more time with family in the coming weeks, as my mom and sister are heading down to Tampa where I will join them for Spring Break. I am really looking forward to the break and spending time with family and friends.

If you have any questions or want to know anything random, just let me know and I will be glad to answer. You can email me at meansm@erau.edu for ANY questions! Thanks for reading!

Until Next Time,
Mack