A Nobel Laureate Speaks

In front of a packed IU Auditoriu, last week Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom spoke publicly at IU for the first time since accepting her Nobel Prize in Economics.


As a political science student, I was especially interested in hearing what Professor Ostrom, a faculty member in the Department of Political Science, had to say. President Michael McRobbie gave a lovely introduction to Professor Ostrom's accomplishments, and presented her and her husband with the University Medal, which has been awarded less than 10 times, as a gesture of appreciation for the work the Professors Ostrom have done at IU over more than 40 years.


Professor Ostrom gave a revised version of her Nobel Speech, explaining the history that led to, and work of the project that won her the Prize. She explained that her interest has been in the use of resources that are available to multiple governments, adding that much of her research has been in forests that lie in areas under multiple jurisdictions.


It was an incredibly interesting and fast-paced lecture, but a fantastic opportunity that most other college students don't get to hear. Now I can say I listened to a Nobel Laureate give their Nobel Prize Speech soon after they received their award. Only at IU, pretty cool...

Residence Hall Bathrooms

One thing my younger sister and little cousins seemed very concerned with when they have come to visit me at school, is what my bathroom looks like. For girls who spend lots of time in the morning prepping to look just perfect for class, the bathroom facilities are an important decision in what residence hall to request come time to leave for college.


Living in Read, we are the only residence hall on campus to house small half-bathrooms between every two rooms. These half-baths include a toilet, sink, shelves and a mirror. As minute a detail as having a half-bath connected to your room seems, you would be amazed at how nice it is to not have to walk down the hall to the main floor bathroom to wash your face and brush your teeth before bedtime, or to get a glass of water in the middle of the night.


All residence halls have floor bathrooms that feature multiple shower stalls, toilet stalls, sinks and full-length mirrors. These bathrooms are cleaned every week by really fantastic environmental officers and provide lots of space for groups of girls wanting to get ready together or to easily get ready for class in the morning.


Regardless of what building you end up living in, you have no need to worry about restrooms and having space to get ready in the morning. Just don't forget the shower flip-flops!

Colts Fever Turns IU Blue and White

With the Colts' near perfect season, anticipation for Sunday night's football game turned IU from a sea of cream and crimson, to an ocean of blue and white. Students have been sporting their favorite Colt's jersey and buildings around town have been decorated in honor of the hometown team and Sunday night's game.

The Hutton Honors College Read Dorm Community Leaders, put on a Super Bowl viewing party for Read residents, Sunday night. The group provided free pizza, soda and cookies to residents who relaxed in the Beck wing's game room on large couches.

The crowd of Colts fans grew to standing room only seating, and while most students watched the game, others enjoyed playing corn hole and pool. For many students who didn't want to brave the cold winter weather to go to other Super Bowl parties, the HHC Super Bowl party was a fantastic and convenient time!

My Saving Grace From the "Perfect Storm"

This time of year is what I like to refer to as, "the perfect storm". As the midterm season is already starting, so begin the deadlines for summer internship applications.


As I mentioned two weeks ago, there are some fantastic resources at your disposal to help get through this tough time. The writing assistance centers located in Ballantine will help you with your midterm papers, most of the foreign languages offer walk-in assistance times, and the Career Development Center offers lots of job advice.

This week however, with internship applications due on top of tons of homework, I needed a way to get hand-written completed applications to my (hopefully) future employers. In order to complete this task, I literally had an epiphany-esque moment that helped me to remember all the useful tools available to me at the UITS (University Information Technology Services) Print Lab.


We conveniently have a location in the Read basement that allowed me to go down in my sweats and print, complete, scan and e-mail my application to a family member who was willing to fax it for me. With helpful step-by-step instructions taped to the scanner at the workstation, I was able to scan my application into Adobe Acrobat and edit it into a file to e-mail. Talk about awesome!


Plus during peak hours, UITS has a staff member in every print lab on campus to help with your technology problems and their 1-800 number has UITS staff members available 24 hours a day to help with you get through your late-night laptop problems! So make your mid-term and application process less stressful and check out the UITS labs.