Something Kind of Funny

Do you ever go to an event (say a speaker or poet or movie) and you expect to enjoy yourself but you’re completely unprepared to hear something that you really needed to hear? You don’t know it in advance, and you’re not even sure what it is you need to hear, but when you hear it, it just clicks? At least in my experience, this happens occasionally and it really makes me stop and think. Today, this wisdom came in the form of a simple phrase, “Don’t forget to breathe.”

Not too long ago, I received an email from the President of our campus’s chapter of Sigma Delta Pi, the national Hispanic Honors Society. I have been a member since my sophomore year, and they host some great cultural events every semester. This specific email referred to an upcoming event featuring famous US-Latino author Daniel Olivas. The email also talked about a lunch before the event. As a college student, I always appreciate a free lunch. I guess I didn’t read the email that carefully because I thought it was just going to be a lunch with other members of Sigma Delta Pi. When I got to the room today, Daniel himself was sitting at the table, too. I was pleasantly surprised. He told us a little bit about himself, and then he spent this time asking us all about our experiences studying abroad and what we had learned. It was cool to hear of the experiences of my fellow students who had traveled to places like Costa Rica and Peru with RU. He asked some really interesting questions, and it was just a nice way to spend part of my afternoon.

After our lunch, we went to another building on campus so Daniel could give a presentation.  What a fascinating person! He has had so many cool experiences as not only an author but a lawyer as well. He is also a Latino Jewish American, and I can’t say I have met someone like that before. As a Spanish major, I have always been so interested in hearing personal stories about US-Latino citizens. A few years ago, I took a course called US-Latino Literature, and much of the time spent in class was hearing firsthand from local authors. Their stories were enthralling, as was Daniel’s. As he read out loud, the chapter ended with, “Don’t forget to breathe”.

It’s hard to believe, but I only have 22 days until graduation. These past few weeks, I have run the gamut of emotions when it comes to my impending life transition. I have also been occupied with papers, organization events, Greek Week, you name it. It has been a hectic time, and I have been all over the place. Sitting in a full room in the science center, listening to an author whom I’d only known for an hour, I felt like he was speaking right to me when he read that ending phrase. After the presentation, I purchased a copy of his book, The Book of Want, which he signed and personalized for me. At the end, he wrote, “P.S. Don’t forget to breathe.” At this hectic yet beautiful time in my life, this is exactly what I needed to hear. Take a step back, soak everything in while it lasts, and don’t forget to breathe.

This One's for the Girls

During my years at RU, I have had the immense pleasure of gaining 100+ amazing sorority sisters. Being a part of Greek life has been a hugely special aspect of my college experience. I can honestly say that I would not have joined a sorority if I went to a bigger school. There’s something very different and unique about Greek life at Rockhurst. At RU, it is completely unlike the picture that is painted of sororities in movies and on TV. It’s hard for me to believe, but I recently celebrated my three-year Initiation anniversary. That special event was followed by my last spring formal dance as well as the Initiation of fifteen wonderful new sisters. As I look back on my time at RU, I can’t help but smile when I think about how much my sisters have positively impacted the last three years of my life. 
 

(Initiation day my freshman year. Hard to believe it's been 3 years already!)

I have to admit that I definitely had my reservations when I was considering joining a sorority freshman year. Everything I had seen or heard about Greek organizations indicated that it was not for me. During my first semester at RU, I had gotten to know a lot of great upperclassmen through SAB. After Recruitment (Rockhurst has Recruitment in the spring, not the fall), I was presented with the opportunity to join a sorority on campus. When I realized how many people I actually knew in that sorority, I began to reconsider my previously-held ideas. I liked and respected these upperclassmen, and their values and beliefs were very much in line with mine. I decided to give it a try, and I can honestly say it was one of the best decisions of my life. Not only have I really enjoyed my time in my particular sorority, but I have enjoyed interacting with the other sororities and being part of RU’s Greek community in general. It is something in which I can really take pride, and I don’t think that can be said of Greek communities at all universities.

(Some of the seniors at our last spring formal dance)

(Our newly-initiated sisters and their big sisters)

Sometimes I hear about the Greek experiences of my friends who attended other colleges or universities. Many of them attend larger schools, and their experiences have been so different from mine. Unfortunately, many of them have not been as positive as mine. I believe the people at Rockhurst have made a special effort to ensure that the Greek experience is as positively rewarding for the students as possible. Being in a sorority at RU has provided me with leadership experience, knowledge on how to work with all groups of people, and an incredible support system. Our graduation stoles for our sorority just came in today. As I look forward to graduation, I think it is only appropriate that I will be able to wear my letters with my graduation cap and gown. It has been such an important part of experience, and something I honestly think I would have missed out on had I attended any school other than Rockhurst.

Only at Rockhurst...

This past week, I’ve really noticed just how special this place is. I have always known it, but the past week, I was pleasantly reminded. We found out a few weeks ago that they planted over 30,000 tulips on campus. Each semester, Student Senate sponsors a “Town Hall” forum in which major players from each department on campus are invited to sit on a panel. They give a brief update of the status of their work for the university, and then the floor is opened up to students to ask questions. This is a great aspect of RU- the open communication between faculty, staff, and students. Whenever I have had a question, there have been multiple people on campus ready and willing to help me figure it out. And it really helps when they provide us with venues like the Town Hall Forum.

But back to the tulips. They planted over 30,000 of them around our campus, and it looks just beautiful. I was having a hard time getting out of bed one day last week (it rained a lot, and I knew I had a long day ahead of me). I reluctantly got up and made my way to class. As I was walking to my psychology class, I was admiring the newly-planted tulips when I noticed something out of place. There, right in the middle of the sea of red tulips, was a small batch of daffodils. I am not sure if it was done on purpose or if it was a pleasant accident, but it definitely made my morning. Daffodils are my favorite flowers, and it really brightened my day. Had I not gone to class that morning, I would have missed that wonderful opportunity to smile.

Another special thing about RU is our President, Father Curran. I know I’ve mentioned this in previous posts, but I was reminded just how great he is this past week. Voices for Justice, the social justice club on campus, sponsored their annual Karaoke for a Cause. They invite representatives from campus organizations and departments to perform. Father Curran was the last act of the evening, and he performed a wonderful rendition of “Camp Granada”. As he was on stage, being silly and carefree, I said to my sorority sister sitting next to me, “This wouldn’t happen anywhere else.” She agreed with me. A couple of teachers also performed, and their version of “Sexy and I Know It” had the whole audience roaring with laughter. They ended up winning the show.

(The two professors who performed at Karaoke for a Cause. It was a blast!)

I honestly believe that you would be hard-pressed to find another university where the faculty, staff, and even the President of the school are so wonderfully connected to the students and so committed to making their college experience really awesome. I know it has been a tremendously important part of my time here, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.