Category Archives: Events / Programs

Announcements, Events / Programs

Candy Land Event Rescheduled

Leave a comment

The Candy Land Event is back on! Due to the inclement weather, we had to cancel the Candy Land Event that was scheduled for January 31st , but we have found a new date to hold the event.

On Monday February 11th starting at 6 pm in the South Great Room, Housing and Residential Programs will be hosting an event to highlight the housing selection process and the different room types available. The theme for the housing selection process this year is candy and sweets. Our big event this year will follow the theme and will be a life-size game of “Candy Land” for students to learn more information on the housing selection process and have fun with their friends at the same time.

By following the game path along the way, students will be able to learn more about the different housing room types we offer as well as buildings. There will also be information about when students can select their room for Fall 2019-Spring 2020. Students who come to the event and participate will also be able to enter to win different prizes including an early selection time. So if you want information or want to have some fun, come on down and play Candy Land!

Announcements, Events / Programs

Candy Land Event

Leave a comment

On Thursday January 31st in the South Great Room , Housing and Residential Programs will be hosting an event to highlight the housing selection process and the different room types available. The theme for the housing selection process this year is candy and sweets. Our big event this year will follow the theme and will be a life-size game of “Candy Land” for students to learn more information on the housing selection process and have fun with their friends at the same time.

By following the game path and playing mini games along the way, students will be able to learn more about the different housing room types we offer as well as buildings. There will also be information about when students can select their room for Fall 2019-Spring 2020. Students who come to the event and participate will also be able to enter to win different prizes including an early selection time. So if you want information or want to have some fun, come on down and play Candy Land!

Events / Programs, Lifestyle / Hall Life

Halloween Door Decorating Contest

Leave a comment

With Halloween season coming to a close, West Village A picked a winner for their hall Halloween Door Decoration Contest. This year, the residence hall held a contest to see who can make the best door decoration and theme that was in the Halloween spirit. RA Cross and Rhys were the judges of this contest and they set out to find the best door. Many of the residents took the contest in many different directions. There were spooky, funny and very creative submissions. This contest was a great way for students to get into the Halloween spirit while creating some fun floor rivalry. Also, this was a great activity for roommates and suitemates to bond in order to make the coolest door. This activity was liked by many of the residents and allowed them to be creative and get their minds off of their load of schoolwork.

Although there were many awesome submissions, the judges picked the top door. The winners were Rebecca and Erin. Their door was very cool and the creators put a lot of attention on detail.

Here are some other great submissions for this contest.

This door was decorated by Christina, Elizabeth , Mya and Leticia.

This door was decorated by Hannah, Maggie, and  Bethany.

This door was decorated by Mark, Eric, Andrew and Leif.

If you decorated your door and want to show it off, share it with us on Instagram or Twitter. Our username is @villehousing . Be sure to see if your RA is having a winter themed door decorating contest!

Events / Programs, Lifestyle / Hall Life

‘Donut’ Stress Event

Leave a comment

On October 24th, West Village A hosted an event called Donut Stress. During this event, students were able to express their sources of stress and learn more ways to deal and cope with it. Along with learning about stress, students were offered free donuts and coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts.

Throughout the semester, it is very common for students to feel stressed and overwhelmed. This event showed students that many other students are feeling the same way and that they are not alone. At this event, students were asked to write down what was stressing them on a sticky note and then post it on a paper that had a tip for reducing stress for the students to try.

Many of the causes of stress for Millersville students include classes, exams, sleep schedules , registration for next semester, relationships, tuition, and class readings. Many of these subjects are very stressful for every student who goes here , but there are ways to cope with these concerns. For example, the RA who designed this event displayed coping mechanisms on the sheet where students wrote what was stressing them. These techniques included communicating, going for a walk, utilizing counseling services, taking a long shower, spending time with friends or family and taking deep breaths. Other examples can also be watching  a movie, listening to music, doing something that makes you happy, exercising and talking to professors.

This was a great event to help students destress and enjoy a treat they deserve. RA events can be a great way for students to meet new friends and have a great and fun time. Make sure you look for similar or other events that are going on in your residence hall!

Events / Programs, Lifestyle / Hall Life, Social Advocacy / Justice

Social Advocacy Living-Learning Community

Leave a comment

Located in West Village Suites on Millersville’s campus is the Social Advocacy Living- Learning Community, which engages 20 undergraduate students. A living-learning community, also known as an LLC, is a group of students who live together in the same residence hall and share similar academic or other interests. These communities are designed to encourage student engagement through designed co-curricular learning activities.

Each community is themed and groups students with similar majors or interests together to create an environment that helps students gain skill sets such as effective communication skills, and networking skills among many others. These communities offer these students a unique residential experience that can provide them with skills inside and outside of the classroom. Within these living-learning communities, students may take advantage of tutoring, guest speakers, cultural programs, career workshops, community service, and research projects.

The Social Advocacy  Living-Learning Community that we have here on campus was created for Anthropology, Psychology, Social Work, and Sociology majors. According to Dr. Karen Rice, Department Chairperson for the School of  Social Work and adviser for the Social Advocacy Living-Learning Community, this LLC is centered around social advocacy and empowers students to be aware of  cultural and social diversity within our society. Students who participate are passionate about advocacy, equity, social justice, and inclusion.

Dr. Karen Rice has provided some information about the program and activities her students have been participating in . She said, “Since our inception this fall, our students have engaged in team building exercises learning ways to communicate and enhance trust. They have explored their own identities and that of others and identified ways to foster change and build capacity. ”

She also touched on the specific activities her students are participating in. “Some of our students participated in the United Way Day of Caring.  Additionally, our students had the opportunity to learn, first-hand, from a Syrian refugee the challenges faced in obtaining employment and ways others are assisting in overcoming those hurdles. Our students participated in a cooking class led by one of the Syrian refugee women. This experience not only fostered compassion but allowed our students to explore their own assumptions by trying something new and hearing personal stories .”

Overall, this program is very important and is a great way for students to be able to build a positive community, and positive social change. To find more information about living-learning communities, check out our website .

Events / Programs

What Makes You Prideful?

Leave a comment

On Friday October 12th, Millersville University hosted its annual LGBTQIA Pride Fest. Pride Fest is an event that promotes awareness for and instills pride in the LGBTQIA community and the campus community we have here at Millersville. During this event, many students show their pride and support by taking part in the festivities and many school organizations will have tables in support of the community.

This year, Housing and Residential Programs had a table to show our support of the LGBTQIA community. We take pride in our actions to support the community and the students who go to this university. In attempts to support the community, we do offer students gender inclusive housing. If you are unfamiliar with gender inclusive housing , it means that we allow suitemates/roommates of any gender combination to live within the same residential suite. Meaning, housing allows students to share a suite or room, with whomever they want regardless of a student’s sex or gender. We offer this to create an environment that is supportive and encourages diversity, along with making sure students feel comfortable in their own room. In addition to offering gender inclusive housing, we have also been using preferred names since 2014.

This year at Pride Fest , for our table activity  we asked students , “What makes you prideful?” This question did trip some students up  ,but overall many students knew exactly what they were prideful for. If you ask housing, we are very prideful of our gender inclusive housing options as well as the whole Millersville Community. Some of the things that make Millersville students prideful include their family, education, friends, partners, the Millersville community along with many others. Below we have inserted a chart to show you a calculation of what students said they were most prideful of. 54 students said their friends makes them prideful, while 42 said their family made them most prideful. These were the top two responses we received.

Millersville is a great community to be a part of and we were very happy to partake in such a wonderful event.

Announcements, Events / Programs, Lifestyle / Hall Life, Social Advocacy / Justice

5 Faces of Oppression

Leave a comment

Oppression, as we define it is—prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control. Of course what we might start to realize is oppression can take on many forms. It can affect many dimensions of society and social life. Oppression can attach itself to the workplace, within institutions, possibly within homes, in the realm of education, and occur between person to person.

C4kj7nPUEAA_Lqd

On Wednesday, March 28th, 2018 at 6:00p.m. in the South Village Great Room, a discussion will be held observing oppression. It will not only talk about how we define it, but also how oppression itself has five (5) faces. These faces are: exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, violence, and cultural imperialism. Through this discussion we will be looking to expand on ideas such as these:

  • Discuss what racism can be and how it can take many forms. 
  • How to confidently respond to acts of discrimination. 

tunnel-of-oppression

The goal of this event is to not only facilitate a dialogue, but also affirm with a “call to action” identifying oppression as a whole and its associated umbrella terms. More so to that, inspire students who feel lost about how to approach these conversations. What we are urging is that students come to this event looking to learn and respond affectively and actively to halting oppression. Students have a role that determines the success of the program. Not only will you be asked to generate a willing participation, but also to ask questions. The idea behind this event is to show how students can carry this information into tense situations. It encourages a stronger,   more positive approach to impacting negative ways of thinking.

If you are willing and able to commit to this event, not only for your benefit but for others as well—we would to have your company. RA LaChaun Freeland and RA Eugene Thomas will be hosting this event. Be sure to bring your friends who may have a passion for justice or just has trouble helping others. See you there!

 

 

Academics, Announcements, Events / Programs

For The Journal You’ve Never Heard Of…

Leave a comment

For those who know or may not know, Millersville University showcases achievement beyond the realms of a classroom with the Made In Millersville Conference. You might be aware of the signs that say “Apply Now” or emails that premiere how you can put yourself out there to represent your findings, content analyses, or begging questions about a topic of your interest. You find yourself applying, getting a T-shirt for your commitment to the success of presenting, shaking hands with folks, or sitting on a panel while you grab the attention of everyone in the room—either from your peers, professors, friends, or persons from another university.

MIMJ

What you may find however is not many know about the Made In Millersville Journal. These five Millersville students are the voice behind the Made in Millersville Journal. Shaakirah, Daniel, Allie, Sara, and Mikayla are the interns for The Made In Millersville Journal. The journal itself is an online interactive database where anyone can look at both current and previous years of student and faculty findings in areas of multiple disciplines that composite scholarly work, creativity, and collaborative learning. The team feverishly works on the journal for others to see—through their meetings they find new and innovative ways to inform the masses on social media platforms via Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter to spread the word about the journal.

Check out the Website here: https://www.mimjournal.com

They will  be presenting with the title: “For The Journal You’ve Never Heard Of.” Their goal with this title, from the team themselves was to establish a voice many may not have heard of—ultimately they want to widen their outreach to not only the  Millersville area, but to the Lancaster area and beyond. They hope to have other like-minded communities observe and commend Millersville University for their admiration, dedication, and approach to learning.

707f70e0ae8595cb74e3571daac4fad9--university

“I’m learning a lot about subjects I’ve not been around since I declared my major. It’s been really nice to be in a different kind of learning environment  all while being appreciated for my own skills.”—Mikayla

“Working on the journal has been a great learning experience for me so far. Between learning how to run social media accounts and promoting the journal, I’ve already picked up on  a lot of new skills. It’s also been nice to work in a collaborative setting where every team member brings a different  skill to the table. We’re all really excited about the journal!” —Sara

For the journal you’ve never heard of, now you know what you have to look forward to. Be on the lookout for these interns and the work of students, faculty, and your peers! Also be active on Instagram and follow the Made In Millersville Journal for updates, activities, pictures, and most importantly the Conference itself located in McNairy Library. You can follow: mim_journal on Instagram, madeinmujournal on Snapchat,  mimjournal on Twitter, and Made in Millersville Journal on Facebook. See you all there on April 17th, 2018! 

Photos courtesy of Eugene Thomas

Announcements, Events / Programs, Lifestyle / Hall Life

Valentine’s Day: What Is Love Contest

valentines-day-web_G

Valentine’s Day is a special time for us to celebrate love—Whether it be the love we give ourselves or the love we give others. Love is something we all need to feel like there is still good in the world!

Housing and Residential Programs would like you to be a part of those who spread love, either in the interest of self-love or loving that special person in your life. There will be a contest for our students living in the residence halls to see who can come up with the best way to celebrate Valentine’s Day!

valentines-day-india

Here’s what you’ll need to do:

  1. With 25-50 words tell us how you make Valentine’s Day special—for yourself, with your significant other, or with a friend or family member.
  2. Take a photo showing how you spent this Valentine’s Day—keep the photos clean and friendly!
  3. Tweet both the photo and how you spend your Valentine’s Day with a mention to @VilleHousing using the #VilleHousingValentine hashtag.

Make sure to follow us on Twitter at @VilleHousing.

The winners will be announced on Monday, February 19, 2018. There will be $50, $25, and $15 gift cards for the University Store for first place, second place, and third place! Show us here at Housing what love is all about and how we Marauders celebrate Valentine’s Day!

Announcements, Events / Programs, Lifestyle / Hall Life

Black History Month: Awareness, Allies, and Dialogue

The beginning of February is a time of history, celebration, and appreciation for those invested and a part of black culture. Black History Month encompasses the milestones made, the organizations formed, the fights for liberation, and the supportive systems of allies. It is also a month of overcoming struggle, realizing that progress cannot be made if one is not passive, but active. As a University, our job is to familiarize ourselves with our demographic of students and make it a safe living learning community. It also our job to be both inclusive and diverse and be mindful of our actions. Black History Month is a time to educate and be aware, it is a time most importantly to create a dialogue with others.

The question now is how can we educate ourselves, be aware, and create dialogue? One way is to read—it is a fundamental tool to immerse yourself in a life that is not your own, while also wondering what other works are out there to inspire and change the way you think.

Baldwin

James Baldwin—a poet, social critic, writer, and essayist created works associated with the racial disparities in America. He also focused on the life of the American Negro.

His novels, essays, and poems can be a great resource to learn about Black History. He can also point you in the direction of other great  novelists like: Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston, Ralph Ellison, and Ta-Nehisi Coates to name a few. Let this February be a time of not only education, but of love, compassion, openness, understanding, creativity, and progress.

Let these three things help you this February:

  1. Be aware of your peers who may be insensitive to the meaning behind Black History Month. – Do the right thing and educate.
  2. Spread love and read more. – There is life in the pages of a book.
  3. Create dialogue. – Be open minded and talk to those who may not be aware. Dialogue can create a space for important issues to be solved.

We can all be servant leaders this February, not only for others but for ourselves! We all contribute to the way we live and learn each day! Be a friend, be an ally, and be involved!

Baldwin

If you want to peek into the life of James Baldwin,  check out “I Am Not Your Negro” on February 13th, 2018 in the South Village Great  Room from 7:00pm-9:30pm led by RA Eugene Thomas!

*There will be a giveaway of 10 copies of “I Am Not Your Negro” the novel. Five books will be given in the beginning of the program followed by the remaining five books at the end. 

Photos courtesy of Google