Admit it.
It's okay.
No one's judging you.
We sometimes forget that there's more to campus life. It's not all just "books" this and "studying" that. There are a lot of cool facts and stories if you look a little deeper ...
- The paths surrounding the Bowl used to be roads for cars. Former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker learned to drive here.
- The College of Law contains the only known will to be scratched onto a truck.
A man became trapped under his truck and used a knife to scratch his last will and testament onto the side of it. The courts ruled it to be a valid will.
- Former Prime Minister, John Diefenbaker and his second wife, Olive, are buried on campus. Before his burial, Diefenbaker actually lay in state in Convocation Hall and was carried in his casket across campus.
- Room 271 in the Thorlvadson Building was used to train Royal Canadian Air Force pilots during WWII, and the roof still contains many paper airplanes.
- There has always been a rivalry between the engineering college and the agriculture and bioresorces college. Even to the point that Walter Murray, U of S Dean and agriculture grad, decided to build the engineering building far away from the other campus buildings and use cheap red brick, rather than the traditional greystone. Little did Murray know, red would become this the College of Engineering's colour, and the isolation would make their college spirit grow stronger.
- A giant stuffed moose head used to hang above the interior entrance to Convocation Hall. There were many theories as to where the trophy came from: everything from a group of students who shot it roaming across the Bowl to a professor who killed it and brought it back to his class. Recently, it was discovered that one of Saskatchewan’s first physicians, Dr. Patrick, killed it on a hunting trip and donated it to Walter Murray for
educational purposes. As soon as the moose took its place at the head of the hall, it was seen as a symbol of good luck. Anxious students rubbed its nose (or tickled its chin if too short to reach) in hopes of improving their test scores, athletic performance or chances on that first date. Currently, this moose head is in the Saskatchewan Hall TV lounge.
Just so everyone knows, the U of S doesn't shut down over the summer months! While there may be some reduced hours, places like the U of S Bookstore, Travel Cuts and the Campus Computer Store are still open for business. So when you're on campus enjoying the great weather, stop in and get some pre-semester shopping done.
For most U of S students, myself included, at this point in the year our exams are done and we’re looking forward to summer. Most of us have three options for the summer:
- Working
- Summer classes
- A combination of the two
I fall into the third option; I get the enjoyment of working all summer along with the joy of being on campus for classes throughout summer. That’s not even meant to be sarcastic, I love summer class, and I have a great job. I’ve taken summer classes every summer since I started university, without fail. I have courted summer classes, gotten to know them, and had a successful long-term relationship with them. Sure, they’ve hurt me in the past: we had a brief falling out as the result of one ill-fated class that focused on the periodic table that I may or may not have been successful in. But I was quick to forgive.
Now you’re probably wondering why I have such strong affections for summer classes. Well allow me to enlighten you.
Allow me to present you with this analogy: You’re going swimming. As you tip toe in, you realize that you have two options: draw out your agony as long as possible by continuing to tip-toe. Or you take a huge breath and then sprint into the water, screaming a challenge to the cold. After the initial shock, you realize it’s not cold and you enjoy your swim. The second option is what most of us choose to do. This is what summer classes are. You “dive into” the class, and finish it in 3.5 weeks as opposed to 3 months. Everyone has a class they don’t like. My nemesis was very numbers heavy, and favoured tricky calculations and formulae. I didn’t like the idea of tip-toeing and dragging out the class. So I dove in, got it over with and out of the way.
“But Jarid,” I’m sure you’re thinking, “That doesn’t sound like a fun thing to do at all!” You may be right, no one likes the sprint into the cold water, but it gets the less pleasurable part of the swim out of the way quickly. Now if you’re done interrupting …
I love the campus, and the U of S in the summer is one of the nicest places in the city to be. The Bowl is vibrant and green, the flowers have bloomed and the trees are gorgeous. Taking summer classes means you get to spend time on campus enjoying the atmosphere and the weather.
You'll benefit from smaller class sizes. A class that normally will have 100 students will have maybe 30. Some people learn better in this type of atmosphere.
You’re only dealing with one or two classes at a time, as opposed to five during the regular term. This lets you focus on a class that may not be your forte. You’d be surprised how easy calculus suddenly is when it’s the only thing you’re focusing on.
They allow you to finish your program that much sooner. The more classes you take in the summer, the less you have to take during the regular term. This means you cut down the time it will take for you to complete your program.
But I should warn you, summer classes aren’t for everyone. The summer provides a valuable break from classes, which can be very therapeutic. Summer classes aren’t free either as they cost the same as regular term classes. But if you don’t need the break and don’t mind the tuition, summer classes offer a great chance to get a tough class out of the way or finish your degree a little quicker!
U-Start sessions will soon be underway. Not sure how to register for classes in the fall? Make sure to register for one of the sessions, coming to a location near you!
As the sun is shining and the grass is getting greener, I am reminded of my good old buddy Kermit the Frog:
It's not easy being green!
Or is it?
Check out what the U of S is doing to contribute to green initiatives and sustainability!
Before we begin, several things need to be addressed:
1. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE MEN"S BASKETBALL TEAM ON THEIR FIRST CIS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*
2. I can't find a single copy of the New Moon DVD anywhere. Which reminds me, how can people be Team Jacob or Team Edward? If you've read the books you know what happens (she picks Edward)**.
3. I have seen unicycles on campus and was sufficiently impressed with the skills/bravery of the riders.
The changing weather has resulted in the reappearance of bikes on campus. Granted there are those that insist on peddling to class even if it's -50 outside, for the majority of us though, we prefer the more non-insanely cold weather.
Biking to campus is a great way to save money, get some exercise, save money (it's a very important factor) and help out the environment ... even if it does insist on dropping snow on us in late March. The university provides a tonne of parking space for bikes on campus, and (fun fact) if you've noticed those sad bikes that have been parked all winter, you can contact Campus Safety and they'll put a notice on the bike and then recycle it after a couple weeks!
Another interesting tidbit: the DART buses that come to campus every 15 minutes all have bike racks on the front, so if the weather isn't bikeable in the morning, you can take the bus AND have your bike available for later in the day, when (inevitably) the weather will be much nicer.
So enjoy the combination of nicer weather and the beauty of the U of S campus.
Don't forget your helmet.
*Yes, that is the appropriate amount of exclamation points.
** Warning: this blog contained spoilers.
So.
Summer.
When university students think of summer, several things come to mind:
1. "Yay, no school for four whole months"
2. "Aw ... summer classes for four whole months"*
3. "Summer's coming? I NEED A JOB!!!111!!!"**
*For the record, summer classes aren't really four months, you can take them in 3 week or 7 week varients.
**When panicking about summer jobs, university students actually panic thusly: !!!!11111!!
Luckily, the U of S Student Employment and Career Centre (SECC) addresses #3.
The SECC is a service dedicated to helping U of S students find a job. Whether it's full-time or part-time, it's always the right time to head to the SECC. (I apologize for that, I couldn't help myself).
The "Plan Your Career" section offers personality tests, occupation guides, career blueprints and more, to ensure that you are heading towards accomplishing your goals.
The SECC provides resume and cover letter critique and troubleshooting too!
Have a big job interview coming up? The SECC provides Mock Interviews that allow you to practice your interview techniques before the big day.
Job postings! So many job postings. Broken down by area and/or college of interest, U of S students can peruse volunteer opportunities, full-time, part-time and seasonal (read: SUMMER) job postings.
This is just a small sample of what the SECC has to offer U of S students, so make sure that when YOU decide to come to the best university in the world, you check out our Student Employment and Career Centre.
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