November 20, 2007
Writing Found in the Nursing Profession
A nurse's job of medical documentation often goes unnoticed, but should it?
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November 16, 2007
Cleveland Botanical Garden's Eleanor Squire Library
What does a librarian really do?
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September 28, 2007
The Virtual Barrier
How personalized is Instant Messaging compared to email or face to face conversation?
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September 24, 2007
Writing on the Body: The Stories Beyond What May Meet the Eye
Three students, three stories.
Why do some students choose to write or draw on their own bodies when paper is almost always just as readily available?
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September 14, 2007
The Writing Found at Case
The Writing Found at Case
Some may not notice, but it is true that, “…we all go through life surrounded by the printed word, and few of us have the will power to resist reading it,” as Dennis Baron points out in his article “Poll shows 1 in 4 Americans don't read books. But books aren't everything . . . “. On a college campus, Case Western Reserve University, specifically, writing is everywhere. This is because here on campus there are immense amounts of information to be communicated to all of the students. Because these students no longer live in the high school world where daily announcements are lectured to them every morning, it is their responsibility to obtain the information in a different context. However, here at Case, all you need to do is walk from your dorm room to your classroom get all the information you need.
Breaking down my typical week day, I will usually find myself in my dorm room, out in the common room of my floor, walking to class, or in the classroom. In each of these places, an array of different text is found. In my room at my desk there are post-it notes everywhere with phone numbers and to-do lists, text books, and letters from friends. I find a students’ desk to be very a personal space unique to each individual. It is one of the few places in a freshman college students’ life that is their very own. Therefore, my personal notes, letters, and reminders, along with the dictionaries and study guides represent not only my new life here at Case, but also, my memories of my friends, family, and life back home.
As I move out into the common room of my floor, I look around to find even more writing on the whiteboard and information bulletin board. However, these two separate boards portray completely different information and sentiment. The bulletin board is filled with organized, printed out posters and flyers about programs such as Emerging Leaders Program and upcoming events such as floor meetings. On the other hand, the whiteboard is filled corner to corner with inside jokes and quotes sloppily written in every possible space available. These quotes will come from day to day conversation, the infamous game of catch phrase, or the 2 in the morning pizza run. Looking at these two boards, I say it is an accurate representation of life in the common room. It is a place where studying and academia are frequently present, but is also a place where friendships are built and memories are forever engraved. The written communication in the common room of my floor represents the equally important balance of the social and academic life here on campus that occurs in this room.
Walking to class, I pass all sorts of writing such as chalk on the sidewalks, flyers on the bulletin post and writing on the graffiti wall. These include writings such as welcoming signs for the freshmen, where to go for the Community Service Fair, or advertising for a certain fraternity. This wide range of information being displayed all over campus represents the Case community. It takes people getting involved and wanting others to get involved to build such a community. Whether it is class elections, the Tae Kwon Doe club, or the next frat party, there is something to reach everyone’s interests, and it shows that people here want you to be a part of it.
Once reaching class, my peers and I pull out our notes. As I look around the room, there really isn’t that much writing except for the slides being projected filled with this week’s material. I believe that that in itself says a lot about how the focused text in the classroom represents the distinguished academics that takes place here at Case.
Here on campus, writing is all around you. Reading what is written has an informative side to it such as a key mean of gathering the information the university has to offer, and also a social aspect in making new memories and remembering the old. It is important to keep this in mind when going about your daily life and remember to keep your eyes open, for what you need to know is most likely written somewhere.
August 31, 2007
Blog Posting #1: Academic Integrity
“It is impossible for a man to be cheated by anyone but himself” –Ralph Waldo Emerson
Just about every school has one: the notorious kid known for being the man who could crack any computer grade system, pilfer any test answers, forge any signature, and find the answer guide to the homework every time. As far as everyone else, you would either befriend him or loathe him. For Monta Vista, it was Lloyd Lee.
I would always dread going to my AP Government class. Not only because I was continuously struggling to hold a decent grade in there, but also because I would constantly be witnessing people ace the class by cheating. While taking our daily quiz, I would look across the room and see Lloyd and his posse sharing the answers. Afterwards, when the teacher would list off the correct answers, the group would celebrate on their victory of yet another 5 out of 5, while I would be wallowing over my 2 or 3.
It is instances like these that I would question myself, is it worth it to hold onto my integrity? It sounds like a silly question, but in reality, it would be so easy to glance just for a split second over at my neighbors quiz and finally be able to get a perfect score. Integrity is one of those intangible qualities that undeservingly go unnoticed on a day to day basis, so who would know or even care if I cheated just this once? I think about how disappointed my mother is every time I come home with a low score, but then I think about how much more she would be disappointed if I came home with a delinquency notice for cheating. It was the constant seesaw of honesty and good grades.
I then began to think about my future at Case where I would be pursuing nursing. Would I want my nurse who is about to insert my IV to have cheated on his exams while in school just to be able to pass with a good grade? How comfortable would I feel having my grandfather’s nurse care for him when she wasn’t actually skilled at changing bandages, rather, changing her lab scores. From this I realized that benefits cheating are only short lived, and in the long run, it won’t be the test you’re cheating anymore, but instead, yourself.
Unfortunately, many students still find it necessary to cheat, and no matter how many lectures are given, it will always be this way. Let’s just hope that the bridge you are going to drive over was not built by the cheating engineering student.