Kaitlyn Crist
More by Kaitlyn Crist
 The Scripps Statue11/24/2012 |
(Photo Courtesy of the Scripps Statue's Twitter Feed)
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 Freshmen Codebook: Campus Lingo11/12/2012 |
Well everyone, it’s that time of year again. Freshmen are finally emerging from their comfort zones. They are finding friends and venturing out of their dorms to explore. They are starting to break into normal routines (living in Washington, going to Shively to eat, class in Bentley than back to Washington). But with great exploration comes great responsibility. There’s still a lot to learn about Ohio University and Athens in general, especially our confusing lingo. It can be overwhelming when someone asks you to, “Meet me a MemAud, so we can grab dinner at ShiveDive and then play some volleyball by the Front Four.”
Well freshies (and all those new to OU), we are here to help! Every week, we will build a comprehensive lingo guide to Athens and the OU campus, hoping to help you navigate the next four (or five, or six, or whatever, no judgment) years.
Up first, some basic campus lingo:
Alden/The Stacks: Officially known as “Vernon R. Alden Library,” Alden is the giant library right across from Baker Center. It has seven floors of books, computers, reference material, printers and a café. The sixth and seventh floors are known as the “Stacks.” They contain rows and rows of reference books for research projects and a nice quiet place to study (or to hookup in, whatever).
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 Fall TV: Guys with Kids10/6/2012 |
I love a good situation comedy. From the classic laughter of The Cosby Show, to the modern quips of Friends, and let’s not forget my personal favorite The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In a sea of reality television, game shows and multi-camera dramas, I long for the classic formula of a one-camera set and live studio audience, and Late Night host and SNL alumnus Jimmy Fallon aggrees. That’s why he’s produced a new situation comedy for NBC called Guys With Kids, about three NYC dads dealing with the trials and tribulations of parenthood. |
 2012 Election: A Day with Joe Biden9/13/2012 |
When my roommate (a campus organizer for the Obama campaign) told me to keep my Saturday open but couldn’t tell me why, I was skeptical. She told me just to trust her and sign a form to volunteer. I did. Yes, I like my roommate that much. I may have sold my soul to her for something crazy, but sometimes you have to dive in headfirst. When I found out that U.S. Vice President Joe Biden would be speaking IN Athens, Ohio, on that Saturday and that I was on tap to volunteer directly with the campaign, I literally hyperventilated. I had to call my roommate to see if I was being Punk’d–the old Punk’d with Ashton Kutcher, not the new Bieber-tastic Punk’d. (New drinking game if you’re 21, take a shot every time I say Punk’d in this article). Punk’d. The site was chaotic when I arrived to volunteer. Secret service was everywhere. I’m talking real-life secret service–big guys with earpieces and sunglasses looking at you with intimidation if you breathe wrong. It was a serious setup. I was immediately sent to work with the media part of the campaign checking in various outlets (CNN, Buzzfeed, ABC News…where did I put my resume again?!?). It was an amazing perspective. The best part: as I was sitting at my post, in walks Ohio Supreme Court Justice Yvette McGee Brown. (In case you didn’t know, Brown is the first female African-American justice appointed to the Ohio Supreme Court, and she’s an Ohio University alumna). Ms. Brown was on tap to speak before former governor Ted Strickland, who would open for Biden. She was an inspiring woman, looking flawless may I add, talking casually with me about the contents of her purse while security rifled through. Justice Brown comes to events very prepared, in case anybody was wondering. |
 My Role Model: Katy Perry5/5/2012 |
I love Katy. Love her like I have a legitimate crush on her, and would go on a date with her if I could. It’s borderline creepy. I discovered my love of Katy my sophomore year of college, right after Teenage Dream dropped, and my roommate at the time Carolyn was obsessing over it. I fell in love with that album - everything about it is perfect. Katy is a real girl who writes from the heart. She is a real girl, who has mood swings like the rest of us, and has a song about every one of them. She sings about the good, fun times in our lives weather it’s going out with your friends (Last Friday Night), or that first spark of love (Teenage Dream). She has songs about the hard times too, songs that you can sing pissed off in your car, like “The One That Got Away” and “Part of Me.” She also works to inspire girls that they are worth something and are special, (“Pearl,” “Firework”). And this is just off of one album. The best part about all of this is that she does it with a since of humor. She doesn’t take herself too seriously, and that is something I admire. If you have ever seen the music video for “Last Friday Night” (and I highly suggest you do), then you know exactly what I’m talking about. She inspires girls to love themselves just the way they are. She embraces her body, and is so unapologetic about it. One of my favorite Katy quotes is, “I think there's a fine line between being a slut and being classy. I walk in between that line.” She is not sorry about showing off her curves, and lets people its okay to be proud of what you have, and that is inspiring to me. Katy is a huge worldwide pop star, but she is so down to earth. She is not afraid to be herself, and will never be someone she is not, and that is why she inspires me. |
 Shannon Welch: Obama campaign intern4/29/2012 |
Shannon is more than your typical political science major (with a trés impressive French minor). This 20-year-old sophomore from Westlake, Ohio is taking her love of politics beyond the classroom. Not only is she the acting president and president elect of the College Democrats of Ohio, but she is also a Spring Fellow for the Obama Campaign. This means she is an official intern for President Obama’s re-election campaign. She is working with groups in Athens and has gotten major attention from the central Obama campaign and the Commander-in-Chief himself!
What other political organizing do you do on campus? |
 Nicole Robertson4/21/2012 |
Nicole Robertson Age: 20 Hometown: Long Island, New York |
 Dos and Don'ts of ordering coffee4/14/2012 |
For many, coffee and college go hand in hand. Like Thelma and Louise or SpongeBob and Patrick, they are made for each other. And if you’re anything like me, less than two cups a day is borderline offensive. Many students need that caffeine fuelled lift just to get out their front door. With that being said, there is a dark-side of the coffee world. Despite the fact that college students stop at their local coffee joint almost daily, many of them just don’t know how to order. It’s a sad fact of life that not only makes your baristas sad, but also your fellow coffee-goers. It holds up the line, and it may lead to a bad cup o’joe. And when you’re paying upwards of 4 dollars for the fancy drinks, nobody wants that. |
 Get your finals on: perfect study settings in Athens3/10/2012 |
Well, it’s that time of the quarter again: finals time. If you’re anything like me, finding the perfect place to really focus can be really difficult. My dad calls me parakeet; because loud noises and pretty colors distract me. So, finding the ideal place to sit down and really get my study on can be hard. There’s Alden Library, which is a classic. The second floor is open 24 hours though finals week, and Café Biblotech is open till 1pm for a late-night pick-me-up. But for me, Alden just doesn’t cut it. I can’t do the traditional study-till-I’m-dead in the library thing. The good news is if you’re anything like me, there are plenty of great alternatives. Lets start off with a good, old, favorite – the coffee shop. A coffee shop is a good environment to study if the bright lights and quiet hushes of the library aren’t quite your scene. Donkey coffee (17 ½ West Washington) has been running for 24 hours during exam week (Monday-Thursday) for as long as I have been here, and it doesn’t look like they don’t plan on stopping anything soon. This is perfect for late-night cram sessions, and the coffee is good. You can get a refillable mug of fair-trade Joe for a reasonable price. It’s a great location to buckle down for a long period of time. The only downside is Donkey can get cramped and seating can be hard to find. Plus, the dim lighting can make you a little sleepy at 1am. Front Room coffee (4th floor Baker) is easily accessible, and if you have flex, you can get coffee on the cheap (or free depending on who pays for your meals). Unfortunately, Front Room can tend to be a bit noisy thanks to being placed in the heart of our student center, and the coffee isn’t my favorite. So, if you’re looking for quality over quantity, this is not my first recommendation. |
 Day in the life of a Barista3/3/2012 |
A view from behind the counter at Court St Coffee. It's just another day in the life of barista Kaitlyn Crist |
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