Category Archives: Events / Programs

Announcements, Events / Programs

Save Energy and Participate in Ville Unplugged!

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Ville Unplugged is an energy conservation campaign that runs each year here at Millersville in the Spring. This year, the campaign will run from March 25th to April 14th. The purpose of this campus-wide campaign is to reduce campus energy levels in order to become a more sustainable campus. If we all try to reduce our individual energy used through simple acts, we can save our campus energy and in turn help the environment.

Faculty, Staff and Students are encouraged to participate in this years Ville Unplugged. If you click on the link here, you can check in on the amount of energy your Residence hall is using or conserving based on other days in the week once the event starts. There is also a graphic of the amount of energy the classroom buildings are using compared to one another. If we all make small changes to our energy consumption we can save our campus a great amount of energy. Here are some ways you can help to reduce your residence hall’s energy consumption!

 

  1. Shut off the lights when you leave a room, office or classroom.

Often times we forget to turn off lights when we leave a room which can waste energy. Whether you are in your residence hall, library, classroom or anywhere else on campus make sure to hit the light switch on your way out!

  1. Open your blinds and use natural light instead of lighting fixtures.

Natural light can increase your mood and save energy. If you are in your room during the day, opt to use natural light instead of turning on your lights or lamp in your room.

  1. Unplug chargers or chords that are not in use.

If you are not using something you have plugged in, make sure to unplug it to save energy. Sometimes we forget to unplug our charger after we remove it from our phone, but this can waste a great amount of energy.

4.  When doing laundry, wash your clothes in cold water instead of warm.

By opting to use cold water, you will save extra energy because the water will not need to be warmed up.

5. Do not leave the water running while you brush your teeth.

Brushing our teeth is a daily task we participate in. By taking the time to turn the faucet off while we brush, we can save our residence hall energy. Also, if you use cold water instead of warm it can also save more energy!

By altering simple tasks we complete each day we can save energy and make a difference in our environment. We hope you will implement some of these tips and watch to see what building will use the least amount of energy. If you have any other energy saving tips tweet them at us! Our user name is @VilleHousing  .

Announcements, Events / Programs

Candy Land Event Rescheduled

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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?

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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

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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.

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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. 

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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…

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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.

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“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

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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!

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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!