EMAIL QUESTION: When does the Writing Lab close?

Y'all. We got our first question via email. Thanks to Jonathan who asked:



 
When Does the Writing Lab Close?


 
 I love this question because it allows me to do two things: answer your question about time AND reveal to the rest of you fools the existence of one of the campus support services that you ALREADY PAY FOR. The Writing Center is housed in Holt Hall on the first floor, and those people are there to help you make your papers better. From the first step to the last (including printing), they will make your writing experience more successful. You can take an assignment in and get help getting started, or you can take them a draft and help with revisions and editing. You can walk in or call ahead to schedule an appointment. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly, and they are students, so you can be sure they can relate to your stress. They are not all English Majors either, so you can get help for lots of subjects regardless of the assignment. Well, they probably won't help with your College Algebra homework so much, but it can't hurt to ask. Also, it's free. Did I mention it is FREE? Your fees have already paid for this service, so don't be farming it out to some fool you met on twitter. Get the help and get better. Here are the hours:

Monday - Tuesday	9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday - Thursday	9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Friday	9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Cheers,

Dr. Y

What's up with the Graveyard, Y'all?

What's up with the graveyard, Y'all?
 
 
As we are about to celebrate Dr. Y's favorite holiday, Halloween, as well as All Saints Day and Dia de los Muertos, it seemed a fitting time to talk about the graveyard, which is called "The Chattanooga Confederate Cemetery."

Yes, the graveyard that sits on campus is a confederate cemetery that was constructed to honor fallen soldiers who fought during the Civil War.

Some people think the graveyard is haunted ("Five of Chattanooga's Most Haunted Place"), maybe because the men who are buried there were buried elsewhere first, exhumed, and reburied in the graveyard:

"Those men who died in Chattanooga Confederate Hospitals were originally buried in a plot of ground beside the river, in the vicinity of the current Manker Patten Tennis Club. But the river rose and fell over some of the graves and the wooden headboards were lost for about 141 of them. The ground came to be partly a pasture and partly a ball field. After the war, the veterans sought to move the graves to higher ground and purchased for $750 the northern portion of the current site from George W. Gardenhire in 1867. A man named Sively was employed to disinter the remains and box up the bones and re-bury them in this new site." ("History of the Chattanooga Confederate Cemetery")

The best way to learn about the cemetery is to stroll around the grounds, of course. Some professors have held class in the cemetery; some groups have spent a few hours cleaning up the cemetery. And some people are downright mortified at the thought of entering the cemetery, so I offer you this visual tour of the grounds: http://www.civilwaralbum.com/chattanooga/confederate_cem1.htm

My favorite holidays are the ones where we remember our history. And I suggest you start a new tradition of learning about your history every holiday. You probably didn't read much about Tennessee's involvement in the Civil War in high school, but Tennessee had a strong and interesting part in how our history played out. In fact, the whole idea of "brother against brother" was most likely a concept that arose from the Tennessee troops. When Tennessee seceded, against the wishes of what appears to be a majority of its citizens, many men rode across state lines to join other Tennesseans and form Union troops. You should check that out, y'all. It sure does seem like the best way to honor the dead.

Always honoring those who died for America,

Professor Repentista

What's Your Favorite Holiday?

Yesterday, Prof. Chatt. waxed eloquently on Thanksgiving in answer to your question

*image from shadesofgraves.com*

What's Your Favorite Holiday?

 *image from slickhousewives.com*

Thanksgiving is great and all. I mean, the proof is out there that expressing gratitude makes us happier people (watch this video to see what I mean). So be thankful. 

But for my money, the best non-religious holiday on the calendar is Halloween. It has everything: dressing up, crisp night air, fire, chances to be artsy, mischief, and sweets. It's just too good not to love it. Some of y'all may be interested in some of the Haunted Offerings in the Chattanooga area. There's The Haunted Barn, The Haunted Cavern at Ruby Falls, and Blowing Screams Farm, just to name a few. You could go on the Chattanooga Ghost Tours. Or you could try to sleep in Room 311 of the Sheraton Read House. That's assuming, of course, that you don't go trick-or-treating (YOU. AREN'T. TOO. OLD!) or sit in a pumpkin patch watching for The Great Pumpkin. Oh, Linus. I love your earnest belief. 

Cheers,

Dr. Y

What is your favorite holiday?

What is your favorite holiday?








My birthday!
Oh, wait.  That's only a holiday in my world.


In all seriousness, my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving.  When I was a kid, I used to LOVE Thanksgiving because it meant spending all day with my cousins and extended family who I didn't see as often throughout the year.  It meant yummy, yummy food that had been slaved over for hours or perhaps days by the women in the family.  It meant catching a sneak peek of drunk uncles and older cousins and laughing at their antics.  It meant being thankful for having such a large family with which to break bread.

As I got older and went off to college, Thanksgiving was the holiday that everyone came home for.  It still meant gathering with family and extended family, but it also meant appreciating who was still around and how much we'd grown from year to year.  It meant the semester was almost over and I could soon get my extended month-long break between the semesters.  It also still meant delicious food, but it also meant that perhaps I helped in the kitchen now, or had at least gained enough years to watch and learn a few secrets.

Now, Thanksgiving means all of these things and so much more.  It means appreciating the beauty of the season: the awesome wonder of the changing leaves, changing temps, and shortening days.  It means look around this city and seeing the waves of gold, red, orange as the trees on the mountains change colors.  It means I can use words like "autumnal."  It means that now I prepare the large feast for my family and extended family to enjoy.  It means I appreciate what I have and who I still have in my life even more than when I was a kid.  It means learning and living what it truly means to give thanks.  And it also still means the semester is almost over. ;-)

Happy early Thanksgiving!

Go enjoy your favorite holiday!



Professor Chatterbox

Can I Really Do This?

Can I really do this?






Yes, and stop using the word really.


As I sit down to write this lovely blog post for the Class of 2017 that I have come to know and love, I am struggling with sleep deprivation and a heavy workload. You see, my mother is undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer and had a set back last night: high fever and new painful medical condition that was brought about by the eradication of her white blood cell count. I stayed up all night watching over her in the hospital, slept maybe a collective two hours, and, after being relieved of duty by an aunt, came home to face all my other chores and work duties. And my mother, despite her illness and pain, has let no responsibility fall through the cracks. Why am I telling you this? I mean, I could have told you about any of the millions of people who never gave up despite all the odds against them, people like Booker T. Washington, who walked 500 miles so that he could work as a janitor at a school in the hopes that the school would allow him to get an education. There are many, many true stories of endurance and perseverance. But I am telling you my personal story so that you can know that people you see every day are overcoming everything from sleep deprivation to breast cancer and still getting the job done, just like Nicole Gross, UTK swimmer and Boston Bombing survivor.

Photo by Joshua S. Kelly, USA Sports

So, know that you can do this. And while you are knowing things, know other words to use besides really. You use that word excessively, and it sounds juvenile. The repetitive use of the word really does not serve as evidence of your intelligent college-student ethos.

With faith in you,

Professor Repentista

Pepsi, Coke, or RC?

Pepsi, Coke, or RC?





Mountain Dew.  
Oh, my bad. That wasn't an option, was it?  

I'll try again.

Sweet Tea. Darn it!

Considering how close we are to Atlanta and that Chattanooga is the home of the first Coca-Cola bottling company, I think my answer is supposed to be Coca Cola.

And even considering that Columbus, GA (home of RC Cola) is just a bit further down the road from Atlanta, I think RC is supposed to be my second answer.

However, I was raised in a Pepsi-drinking household, and we shouldn't turn our backs on who we are, right?!

A person's preference between colas is definitely shaped by what he/she is exposed to. Pepsi was always available at my house, Coke--not so much. In fact, I don't recall drinking much Coca-Cola until my late teen years although I do have clear memories of how the world lost its mind when New Coke came out. Oh my, were people upset!  So upset, that we were soon thereafter gifted with Coca-Cola Classic.

Coca-Cola vs. New Coke: who was the winner? Pepsi.

For some people, a soda preference is deeply connected to who they are, their memories, their life. For others, its just colored, sugar water that's bad for you.
And there are plenty of people everywhere in between.

Even if you have a preference, try something new every once in awhile. You never know when a new flavor may become your new favorite!

Prof. Chatterbox

Am I dead?

Am I dead?



Your professor has been wondering whether or not you are dead.



Some of you are sitting in class with glassy eyes, trying to stop yourselves from falling asleep. And you are probably blaming your professors for that. But we have heard through the grapevine that many of you are not sleeping a good eight hours a night. In fact, some of you have fessed up and admitted that you are not sleeping enough because you no longer have a mommy around to tell you to go to bed at a decent hour.

http://thenews.org/2012/09/20/sleep-deprivation-common-among-students/

http://thenews.org/2012/09/20/sleep-deprivation-common-among-students/

Sleep deprivation is a serious condition that can lead to slowed motor reactions, delayed cognitive functions, depression, and even serious illness.
http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/important-sleep-habits

The likelihood that college students suffer from sleep deprivation is well documented:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/160265.php
And so are the effects of sleep deprivation on students:
http://www.schools.com/visuals/student-sleep.html

If you want to rejoin the living start sleeping eight hours a night. Make a concerted effort to schedule the appropriate amount of sleep for optimal physical and brain functions. This may mean giving up some late night chats or a few hours of Xbox, but that is life...or that is how you will come back to life.

Sweet dreams,

Professor Repentista

Can the Chatt bus take you to Knoxville?

Can the Chatt bus take you to Knoxville?







You've only been here 7 weeks, and you're already trying to run away?

Jokes aside, there are at least two bus options that you can take from Chattanooga to Knoxville and back: Greyhound and Megabus.

Both services have at least a few routes everyday, and at last check, you can get a ticket for as cheap as $14.00 one way on either service.  However, the services vary greatly beyond this.

Greyhound has been around for nearly a century and has a fixed bus station here in Chattanooga on Airport Rd. within spitting distance of the airport.  A ticket from here to Knoxville can cost anywhere from $14.00 to $39.00 one-way ($14 for web purchase, $33 for the standard fare, and $39 for the refundable-ticket) plus purchase fees and/or taxes.  You can take one checked bag and one carry-on without any fees.  You can carry additional bags for certain fees. And in recent years, Greyhound has made efforts to upgrade their buses, so they allegedly offer more leg room, sockets for various devices, and free Wi-Fi.   The website linked above provides details.

Megabus has been around since 2006 and is a curbside pick-up bus service, which means they do not operate out of a station.  However, they do drop off and pick up at the same location each time.  In Chattanooga, the bus stop is in the Eastgate Shopping Center on Brainerd Rd.  A ticket from here to Knoxville will cost $14.00 one-way plus a 50 cent (yes, $0.50) processing fee. (Depending on where you are travelling to and from on Megabus, tickets can be as low as $1 one-way.  Yes, one dollar.)  You can carry one checked bag and one carry on--that's it.  Their buses also come equipped with Wi-Fi.  The website linked above can provide more details.

So if you need to get out of town on a bus, here's how you do it.

Prof. Chatterbox

Why force someone to ask a question?

You asked, "Why force someone to ask a question?"

 




We asked, "Why not force someone to ask a question?"


While no-one actually "forced" anyone to ask a question during orientation, you were asked to write down questions that were occurring to you because your orientation professors wanted to start a blog. Really. The other professors won't fess up, but I will. We didn't really care if your lack of desired knowledge made you feel uncomfortable or even fearful of the experience on which you were about to embark. We just wanted to write silly blog posts on a regular basis because, let's face it, your professors just do not have enough to do...you know, besides the whole molding your brains to think like ours thing (which is obviously a better reason to force you to ask questions because it allows us to pinpoint weaknesses we can prey upon). And I know some of you just asked yourself, "Why did she use that picture again?" The answer is "Because I love it!"

We all have questions. If you concentrate long enough on the thoughts that pop into your mind for one day you will find that you have lots of questions. Many, many questions that you never verbalize, never ponder for more than a second, never take the time to find an answer for. For instance, the other night a streak of fire sped across the Chattanooga night sky. How many of you saw it and asked yourself "What the hell is that?" Well, for those of you who did ask, here is your answer:
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/sep/30/nasa-comments-fireball/

The truth is we wanted you to share your questions with us because we want you to get into the habit of asking questions. Asking questions leads to getting answers. And getting answers leads to getting smarter. And if there is one thing we actually want more than turning you into our own personal minions it is for you to get smarter and stronger and more capable and more creative and more successful...

Also, we all know that feeling as if we do not know what is going on can lead to a general state of uncomfortableness or even fearfulness. We want you to feel as safe and as comfortable as possible while at UTC, mainly because Abraham Maslow's theory informs us that if you do not feel safe and comfortable you will not actually learn everything you can. Now, some of you asked, "Who is Maslow, and what is his theory?" Here is your answer: Maslow Bio, Maslow's Theory.

So, be sure to ask questions and get answers, because that is how you find out what you need to know and want to know and absolutely must know, like who has the cookies:

 

Off to find the cookies,

Professor Repentista



Are Football Games Any Good?

You've heard the buzz, the griping, the complaining. You haven't been to a game yet, and you're wondering if it's worth it. You ask yourself, SELF....

Are Football Games Any Good?

Along with this question, you may be asking "Is the football team any good?" and I can understand why you may see those two questions as connected. Chattanooga is smack-dab in the middle of SEC country. If we don't see some Ws, we assume a team is not doing what it's supposed to do. We fire a coach, we cheat a little on recruitment, we look the other way when our players do some shady business on the side. We do what it takes to get that W. Here's the thing, though: UTC Athletics have been working like dogs to develop every aspect of its program. You may not know that a few years ago, UTC got hit with some penalties because of poor academic standing. Since then, we've made tremendous progress and keep turning out scholar-athletes like Davis Tull, who has received several academic honors along with recognition for his play on the football field. He's not alone, of course. There are whole teams with kick-butt gpas and winning records, but football reigns supreme in the South, so that's what we're talking about right now.

It's the beginning of October, and UTC's record is 2-2. You may have already concluded the games aren't worth going to if they aren't going to win them all. Well, first, that's just dumb. Second, you going to the game (and STAYING until the end) helps them have a better chance at winning. It's a known fact that fans give teams energy, get their adrenaline pumping, and can contribute to key plays at key moments. So, GOOOOOOOO (mocs).

This Saturday, October 5th, at 6 pm, we host Western Carolina. Put on your warpaint, people. It's time to make some noise. You can make it happen. Though it may not be the SEC, this is your team. You can be the ones who watch them turn it around.

Is it possible to be too involved?

Is it possible to be too involved?







No, never.  In fact, you should join so many organizations that you don't have time to attend class, sleep, eat, or study.



No, wait!  You're here to get an education first and be involved second, so scratch that.

Yes, you can be too involved.  As a college student, your first priority should be to do well in your classes so that you can finish your degree, which means attending classes regularly, studying for your classes, and submitting all work.  Beyond the time spent attending classes and working on things for class, you should of course get involved in things around campus.  However, you should also be cautious not to join so many organizations, attend so many events, say "yes" to every thing someone asks you to do to the point that your grades and/or health suffer and you possibly get stressed out from being too involved.

Just like anything else in life, college should have a good balance to it.  If you find that you aren't sleeping as much or eating as healthy or you feel stressed out due to too many events or organizations or too much involvement, you might want to assess what can be cut in order to maintain a better balance.

Of course, if you aren't involved in anything, you should be. "All work and no play made Jack (and Jill) a dull boy (and girl)."

Not sure what to do, check out the Get Involved section of the Student Resources page on the UTC website.

Go out there and find your good balance!

Professor Chatterbox

Why Do Frat Guys Wear Short Shorts?

You're walking across Heritage Plaza, and from a distance, you spy him. You can tell from 50 feet that he's a frat guy. How? His shorts. As he passes, you can't help but wonder:

Why Do Frat Guys Wear Short Shorts?

As usual, there is a short answer (pun intended) and a long answer. The short answer is that just like Norts or leggings, Chubbies are what a large number of y'all have decided is cool right now. (see also Croakies, Camo, or Chacos). Remember our conversation about the sheep? Yeah, that.

But take a closer look at that Chubbies website. If you scroll through the photos, you'll notice a decided lack. That's right. It's almost all white guys. Now, surely you don't mean to imply that only white guys join a fraternity. Because I'm pretty sure the men of Phi Beta Sigma would disagree. Here they are at last year's step show. Do you see any Chubbies? No, you don't. They are OF COURSE not the only people of color who choose to participate in Greek Life at UTC, so let's not put all our eggs in one basket, er, pair of shorts, shall we?