"Your Names Are Inscribed On Fames Immortal Scroll"

One of the privileges of my time here at Siena has been attending, twice now, a trip to Gettysburg with my fellow students. The trip is organized and led by John Vallely, one of our librarians and a lecturer on U.S Military History. Each year Mr. Vallely takes students to the Battlefield and explains in detail the history of the battle and the significance underlying the many monuments found throughout the grounds. The stories of the sacrifices of those that fought those fateful days in 1863 were truly moving, and Mr. Vallely did an expert job in making the monuments come alive through his account of the battle.

While I'm a political science and philosophy major, I've always loved History, particularly U.S. History. Last year, when the opportunity presented itself to go to Gettysburg, a place I had never gone to before, I jumped at it. I am so glad I did then, and that I was able to do so again. One cannot go to those grounds, made sacred by the blood shed by tens of thousands of American soldiers, and leave unaffected. There are 1,400 monuments preserving the memory of the battle, but the one that strikes me most is the monument, pictured above, to the North Carolinians that fought for the Confederacy (for another angle, see here. The North Carolina monument, designed by the same fellow that designed Mount Rushmore, depicts the faces of actual men that fought in the battle, forever facing the field where Pickett's Charge occured. Behind the monument reads these moving words "To the eternal glory of the North Carolina soldiers. Who on this battlefield displayed heroism unsurpassed sacrificing all in support of their cause. Their valorous deeds will be enshrined in the hearts of men long after these transient memorials have crumbled into dust."

Defending a Year and a Half of Work

So, I just got the go ahead today to schedule my Honors Thesis Defense, which is where my very hard work will be presented to the Siena College community, as well as to others who might choose to attend. I wrote my thesis on something called Just War Theory and how the changing character of war calls for modifications to this theory (it sounds like it could be dry, but I promise it is actually quite exciting!).
You may be wondering why I chose this topic since I am a Biology major. Well, the great thing about Honors Theses is that you can write pretty much about anything you want, even if it is outside your area of study. I happen to be a fan of philosophy, and I wanted to really do something substantial with this interest in my last year here. So here I am... with an almost finished work! I've written it all, and now I'm just revising here and there.
But anyway, my defense is probably going to be in the first week of May. I will be sure to post the date and time on here so anyone who is interested can attend. Pretty please???

Off to revise!

~Bianca

P.S. Here's a fun fact about the Honors Thesis... we get several copies of our work bound in the form of an actual book, and one copy stays in our library here!

Random thought of the day.

Hello Everyone!

I know it's been a while, but rest assured I will give you a more thorough update of my life in a later post. Currently, I'm about to run to my 3:40 class but I had this thought that I just had to share.

Why is it that when I go to Starbucks, or Coldstone and ask for a "small", I get questioned because I did not use the "correct" terminology. Listen, I can't keep up with all this jargon, and it is not fair of the barista to give me the cold shoulder when I do not say "venti". If these companies are so keen on using their terminology, they should print flyers and send them to all local residencies near their particular store so that when poor innocent souls like myself order their Birthday Cake Remix they say "Like it" rather than "small.

Ironically, I am off to "Business Communications" class. Perhaps today we'll learn why companies believe confusing patrons is beneficial in the long run.

Until Next week!

Leanne

The Fun Kind Of Homework!

Hey everyone! Right now im in Standish Library trying to get a ton of work done tonight! Just me, my orange, and some fruit loops! Luckily some of my work is alot of fun, for example my photography class! Here are some of my photos from over the last few weeks!








<3Liv

Cherry Blossom Weekend in DC

Hey everyone!

So for the Easter break, my family and I went to Washington, D.C. to visit my aunt, uncle, and their two little girls. And it just happened to be Cherry Blossom weekend (which we usually miss every year)! All of the cherry blossoms in D.C. were in full bloom. It was a really wonderful scene to behold... not only because of the gorgeous flowering trees, but also because of the hordes of happy people enjoying the first real spring weekend with family and friends. There were hundreds of kites and frisbees. People were snapping pictures and laughing and eating ice cream and just having an all around wonderful time. It really was a great way to spend a long weekend.

This brings me to my advice for the day (in my old, almost graduating age)... make sure when you get a break, you really do take a break. Try to set aside all of those end-of-the-semester worries and really take a breather. I've found this to be really important especially for Easter break, because after that it is full speed ahead to the end of the semester! Then you'll actually be refreshed and won't burn out when it matters.

Stop and smell the cherry blossoms!
And then it's back to the grind.

~Bianca

Here are some pictures from last weekend.
1) A picture my dad snapped of the Capitol while riding a Segway!
2) A close-up I took of the cherry blossoms down by the tidal basin.

The Annual King Lecture

If you do so happen to come to Siena, I can guarantee that you will, at least once, find your way to the Martin Luther King Lecture Series. I raise this only because tonight I attended the Series for the second time during my stay here at Siena. The lecture is, as they say, kind of a big deal. It is organized and supported by a number of respected community leaders, and the speaker always has a distinguished record of accomplishment. This year's lecture was given by Dr. Charles Ogletree, a Harvard Law Professor and Director of that same institution's Center for Race and Justice.

Professor Ogletree delved into the hope of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and how that hope can continue to be put into practice today. His lecture was filled with a number of anecdotes about his interactions with the nation's leaders, including the President himself. It was a real privilege to hear from such an important leader in the field of law, and its relationship to race. I am always glad for the opportunity to listen to the scholars that Siena brings to campus. It is definitely one of the added benefits of going to College!

Take Care,
Mike DiSiena

Blocks,Bubbles, & Lady GaGa..

I'm so glad to be back home with my family! I hope you enjoy my adorable baby cousin Matthew. He is the best part of home. The weather is beautiful so I hope you are all enjoying it too! At the same time its funny I do miss Siena!! And can't wait to get back, and can't wait to see a certain someone ;] ( Yep that's you Michael Ellement)


-Liv<3

Random Musings on the Passing Scene

Hello all. The last time you heard from me, the Mock Trial Team and the Siena Basketball Team were on their way to their respective tournaments (for some reason or another, the Basketball team seems to have gotten more press). In any case, I can say, while we didn't advance, we represented Siena well and gave a good showing. As a four-year member of the Mock Trial Team, I can say that our team performed the best that I have ever seen at the National Tournament in White Plains, if not for a few points here or there, we would have advanced even further. The same holds true for the Men's basketball team, which fought to the very end against Purdue, a team that at one point was ranked third in the entire country. In any case, I think we Saints can all be proud of both performances.

Now that Mock Trial is completed, I can participate again in our school orchestra. I think I may have mentioned this before, but I am the resident percussionist. Tonight was the first practice I was able to attend this semester. We're playing a very nice piece of music that I was totally unfamiliar with before: Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto in G . We're not exactly the Boston Pops, but I've always appreciated the opportunity to play in the orchestra.

On a completely different note, I would mention that, as Jefferson once said, the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time. In that spirit,the Siena Student Senate has asked a few students on campus, myself included, to review and alter the Senate Constitution in order to better meet the needs of the Siena student body. I've very much enjoyed being a part of the process, and hope the changes will be beneficial to the student body. That means you if you come next Fall!

Take Care,
Mike DiSiena

A Trip Down Memory Lane

So, I was recently reminiscing about my time here at Siena, and I came across a thoroughly embarassing video that I wanted to share...
This is a video from my sophomore year, where a few of my friends and I decided to "perform" at Fall Fusion. Now if you're not familiar with Fall Fusion, it's a really fun show that the Asian Students' Association (ASA) puts on in the fall semester. It's full of performances by the Step Team, the Bhangra Team, individual dancers, musicians, and there is even a fashion show!
So this is a couple of us science major nerds doing a science major nerd themed dance. I'm the one that comes on with a blue backpack at the beginning. (And Indira didn't want me to tell you this, but she's in this too... she's the one that sits up at the front of the stage in the beginning) Shhh :-P

I'm really technologically challenged when it comes to this stuff, so I hope this works...

I'm off to study for my Biochem exam tomorrow! Ah! Talk to you all soon!

~Bianca

Sunshine!

Hey Everyone,

I had every intention of leaving you a video post today but, being me, I forgot my webcam at home. Maybe next week I can snatch my boyfriends computer for a few minutes to leave one for you.

It's a beautiful spring day here in Loudonville and I plan on breaking out the flip flops today :). My CSIS class ended last week, so now on Tuesdays and Thursday I don't have class until 4! Now, most people would sleep all day I'm sure (especially if you're like me and were up studying until 2am) but I find that incredibly non productive. This week is midterm week for me so it's a little hectic, but I must say... the sunshine is making me feel a lot better.

This past weekend I went home for Huntingtons St. Patricks Day Parade. The Parade ends at our restaurant, so for the occasion Verizon sponsors tents to be set up in our parking lot. It's pretty cool. Z100 was there, as well as ESPN and we were sponsored by Guinness. One of my favorite parts of working in the restaurant industry is all the free paraphernalia you receive from sponsors. Over the summer, Bacardi did a lot of events at Macs so I have about 4 Bacardi shirts, a muddler, cups, mints etc. Now, I have some Guinness supplies to add to the pile. I also might have an internship as well. Verizon was very impressed by all the marketing I did for the event (Yes, even from school I still work there. I'm responsible for the website, e-mail blasts, coming up with different promotions, writing letters to potential clients, proof-reading EVERYTHING, and "other) so they talked to my Dad about offering me an internship. This would all be contingent if they have spots open, but I'm crossing my fingers.

Alright everyone, I'm going to finish studying for my Econ Midterm this afternoon.

Until next week!

Leanne