Homecoming and Beyond

Wow! I can't believe it is already Thursday. This has been a long and tiring week, but before i get into that...

HOMECOMING!!!

So... Homecoming weekend was a blast. We had the typical big football game, but the dance that is normally associated with homecoming weekends was held the weekend before. I don't know why they do that exactly. Oh well. Any whooo, back to the events. We had the game and we shutout Locke Haven, which was a huge win. After we headed to Garvey Park where they had a free BBQ going on, which was delicious. They had four inflatables: a maze, dino jump, the bungee cord one where it rips you backwards, and a tug-of-war where you had to try and get the football into your basket. They also had karaoke, a petting zoo (yep, you heard that right), caricature drawings, corn hole, and various contests.

Of course I went through the petting zoo and the inflatables. We sang Sweet Home Alabama while inhaling helium balloons (if I can get the recording posted we sound like chipmunks) and I participated in the whip cream pie contest were you had to stick your head in the pie and find the gum. The first person to blow a bubble won, right? Nope. That was how it was supposed to work, but when we started chewing the gum it just disintegrated into a syrupy liquid. So then we had to take the wrappers of the double bubble and then blow a bubble. Needless to say I lost. :-(

Overall Homecoming was AWESOME and if it wasn't I'd say so. The weather cooperated and we had a fun day. The biggest bummer was getting back into the week after having that much fun all weekend. This week has been long and tiring, but its Thursday and the weekend is near. Plus, I hear that there will be a mechanical bull in the union on Friday night... Could be fun!

Thanks for reading,
Joe

Commuter Students and the disconnect

It's funny, but I am very passionate about the life of a commuter student. People often overlook the reality of what being a commuter student is. They get the whole part of them living at home, but really they don't take the time to understand the disconnect that occurs. That is one thing that I tell my residents every week... befriend a commuter.

As you may have gathered from the "about me" section, I am a former commuter who now lives on campus as a Freshman RA. From not only my intro to this post and my quick change to a campus resident, it is obvious that I did not like being a commuter. It was tough. I am a people person and I worked every day to get involved on campus so that I wouldn't become an outcast. Its not as though the campus is trying to outcast you, its just the fact of the matter that when you're not here you really do miss out.

Such was the case that for the majority of the year, with me trying mind you, I was outcasted due to a natural disconnect. I won't lie, I actually started looking for colleges to transfer to and put in a couple applications, but then it hit me. Everything I did that entire year, all the work I put in to be social, it all paid off. I was able to travel to Dallas, TX with the Mercyhurst Chapter of the National Broadcasting Society and finally found my place.

I challenge all commuter students to get involved and be active. I know its possible to be a successful commuter student because I watched my brother do it. Get out of it what you can and always live without regrets.

Thanks for reading,
Joe

Welcome to Mercyhurst

Hey,

Welcome to my Mercyhurst blog. As you know my name is Joe and I am a sophomore Communication Major with a concentration in Strategic Communication, and a minor in Political Science. I am an Erie native, a former commuter student, and now a freshman RA.

Please feel free to ask me any questions you may have, either about my posts or anything, you can comment or email me at jpudli08@mercyhurst.edu. While I do really like Mercyhurst and all the opportunities it affords me, I would rather help someone be well informed so they can find the right fit for them, so please don't hesitate to ask questions.

Thanks for reading,
Joe Pudlick