What Can You Do for Your University

When selecting where I would be spending the next four years of life I did my best to look past the surface of each institute of higher education. Past the tag lines, the beautiful campuses, the records of athletic teams and the raving reviews of cafeteria food. Sure, it’s nice to be a part of something exceptional at a beautiful place with superstar football players who eat like kings, but that’s not what mattered in the end. What mattered most was the reputation of academics, the passion of the professors, the number of graduates who went on to do great things, and the resources available to the students. I chose The University of Mount Union because I felt that it best met my criteria of what matters most at this point in my life.  Mount offered me all of the resources and opportunities I need to fulfill my vision.

Although my vision has been altered and enhanced many times over the past few years, I feel as though I finally made a decision. This time last year it became clear what I was to do with my life. In the crucial moments of finalizing college scholarships and applications, my mom was diagnosed with Stage 3 HER 2+ breast cancer. As my world was flipped upside down and spinning faster than I thought possible, I was enlightened. From the day of diagnosis I wanted answers; why is this happening, how is this happening, and most importantly, how can we stop it. I became intrigued with the cancer; the mutations of cells, the treatments, and the uncertainty. All of the unanswered questions have led me to where I am now, pursuing a biology degree with hopes to study and work in oncology.

It is a mission of The University of Mount Union to prepare students for "fulfilling lives, meaningful work, and responsible citizenship." I believe that by aiding me in the completion of my personal academic and life goals, Mount will complete their mission. Throughout my four years on this campus I hope to fulfill both my dreams and the dreams of others, work for the good of others and never do anything without a purpose, and learn to be a responsible adult in the process. If I complete my goals, I will continue to live in such a way that will meet the standards and mission of the University. Mount truly has a great reputation, passionate professors, a high graduate placement rate, and endless resources. Everything I need is here, now I must utilize what I have been blessed with.

The next few years of my life will be spent in Bracy Hall as I take the courses necessary for my degree. With a wide variety of major classes and electives, there is no doubt I will leave this campus with a detailed knowledge of my field. All of the science courses offered through Mount will benefit me in some way. I hope to take as many of the offered courses as possible. With dedicated professors who are extremely passionate about their research and teaching, I will learn to be passionate about the field as well. I believe when a professor loves what they are teaching the quality of the course is higher. Not only will the science courses help me achieve my goal, but the required courses as well. The required courses will allow me to become well rounded. Mount has passionate professors in every area of study which leads me to believe I will be receiving a quality education, as long as I fulfill my duties as the student. Responsibility will most definitely be taught in the classroom, which will help me to become a responsible citizen.

The resources and opportunities on Mount’s campus will play a vital role in my success. Aside from our wonderful library, laboratories, and technologies, the campus provides me with many opportunities to become involved. Through various activities and clubs I will learn responsibility and in most cases serve my community. One activity I recently became involved with is the St. Jude’s Up all Night. This event raises money for St. Jude’s Research Hospital, which is a hospital specializing in childhood cancer. By being a part of this event I am being exposed to an organization specializing in something similar to my goal. Not only does this allow me to gain experience and knowledge, but it allows me to network. As I work with representatives from the hospital I am creating relationships that may help me after graduation. I believe one of the reasons Mount has such a high job placement rate is due to the networking opportunities available throughout your time on campus. I hope to be a part of an internship with one of the hospitals involved with on campus activities. I am confident that the resources and opportunities Mount has for me will be essential in my success.

As I complete courses and take part in many activities on campus, I believe I will fulfill my life goals and hope to fulfill the lives of others through my work. As I work as an oncologist or in the field on oncology, my work will be for a purpose. To me, there is no work more meaningful than the work that helps, or even saves, another person. I will become a responsible citizen as I learn the critical duties expected of me while serving others. I believe that my time here at Mount should reflect the mission statement. It is my duty as a student here to fulfill the statement. It’s more than what Mount can do for me, it’s what I can do for Mount. I hope to positively impact this campus before I leave it. To make a mark, to do something great, to adequately represent what this University stands for. When I turn my tassel and depart from this campus, I hope to say that Mount Union has prepared me for fulfilling lives, meaningful work, and responsible citizenship, but more importantly I hope Mount Union can say confidently that I will withhold their mission throughout my life.

Robots Won't Love You Back.

What if you could eliminate all the problems you have with others? Anything a person has ever done to frustrate, annoy, or hurt you, just gone. Would you do it? I, like most people, would jump at the chance to erase all the wrongs, but that's before I thought about the consequences. If we take away all the flaws humans possess we also take away all of the wonderful things. By erasing the hurt we erase the help. Without pain, there's no joy. Without disagreeing there's no agreeing. The emotions and actions that make us human would be gone. There's no good without the bad. So what does that leave us with? Let's see...a human -pain/joy -hurt/help - heartbreak/love -all emotion= a robot.

In Alone Together the idea of robots as companions is presented. Of everything wrong with the world (through my eyes of course) this would be one of the top issues. The fact that people are suggesting we have relationships with machines scares me. What has the world come to that we cannot be with another human being. The beauty of life is a gift from God and is not meant to be recreated by humans. It's not only unethical but its just weird. Can you imagine being "in love" with a pile of metal. I can't say my ideal man has an intel processor and great battery life.

Contrary to Turkle's belief, a relationship with a robot will not solve all of your love life issues. She mentions you no longer will experience hurt or heartbreak but be in a totally risk-free relationship. To me, depending on a machine to fulfill your relationship wants is not risk-free. Sure your robot won't cheat on you but if you program the perfect mate to your every desire it's not a real relationship. You're missing out on everything a relationship is meant to be. Webster defines a relationship as "an emotional attachment between individuals". EMOTIONAL. Robots do not have true emotions so therefore there cannot be a real relationship. 

I hope people realize how ridiculous this idea is before it's too late. Robots are not meant for friendship and love. Human interaction is vital in our lives and no robot can replace it. Go tell a friend or family member you love them and remember a robot won't love you back.

On Our Way to The Dumbest Generation.

After working out some technological difficulties I finally have access to post...on my own blog. So here's week three.

   As I approach the conclusion of Mark Bauerlein's The Dumbest Generation my opinion of my generation has not really changed. WE (notice I say we because I know I am of the guilty party) are far too concerned with connection. Our lives revolve around the latest app and update or who tweeted what. The amount of technology and the ability to research and study through technology is at an all time high, and growing, and we use it to post what we're eating for lunch. Throughout his book Bauerlein says our generation should be the greatest/most intelligent generation to ever walk the earth, to which I agree. If we have full access to information on anything and everything shouldn't know everything? Or at least know something. In chapter 5, the teaching style and level of difficulty are discussed. It seems as though America has lowered its academic standards in order to appease the current generation. Maybe not appease, but most definitely adapt. The average attention span is 15 minutes? So lessons are built around that idea, students can only handle so much learning. I personally think that's absolutely ridiculous. The reason the average attention span is now 15 minutes is because there's fifty other things going on to avert the attention.  As technology is incorporated into classrooms the attention span will continue to decrease. Like Bauerlein said earlier, we're obsessed with multitasking and technology that allows us to do so. We don't have a short attention span, we're preoccupied. Pull out the technology and you'd be surprised how long people could sit and listen.

Overall, I think Bauelein's assessment of our generation is accurate. We may not have been born the dumbest or least intelligent but we sure our making ourselves that way. Unless we find a way to do something about it, we very well could be the dumbest generation, ever. So go pick up a book and stop thinking you can do everything, because if you continue this way you won't do much of anything.

Surfing the Web.

The phrase "surfing the web" has become the true meaning of the internet. Users surf from site to site, just skimming the surface as a boarder would do. There is no diving deep into the ocean of information. They gently float atop the meaningful information until the have absorbed enough to satisfy their assignment or question. Just getting their feet wet and testing the waters. Baeurlein discusses this phenomenon, in chapter 3, and how there are two main ways to use the internet, "information retrieval" and "knowledge formation". I think we're all guilty of "information retrieval", I know I am. It's so easy to search exactly what you're looking for on Google and have endless results pop up before you. Whether it is the chemical composition of Al or topics for public speaking, the answers are simply a button click and a few seconds away. The majority of time spent online while doing school related work is not typically intended by the user to be a lasting intellectual experience, just a quick memorization of facts for short term use. I think this disposable and short term way of learning contributes to the lack of true intelligence. Test scores don't show this lack of true intelligence though, in fact they show quite the opposite. Although our generation's results on standardized test may not support it, the level of true well rounded intelligence is dropping. This could be affected by the fact that we're so consumed in the technology around us. Teenagers are still smart and do well in school, they just do it in a different way, thanks to technology. The advances in the past generation have allowed us to adapt the traditional education habits to become more "effective" and productive, there's that multitasking again. Like Baeurlein discusses in chapter 4, there are many things are generation just doesn't know, specifically words. He calls these unfamiliar words, "rare words". The rare words are words that are seldom used and foreign to most teens. Rather than taking a minute or to the understand the word, they just skip it like it's not there (I've done it many times!). To me it's kind of funny that we have the ability to quickly obtain information but don't bother to look up a word we don't know. If we used the internet as it was intended and to it's fully ability, we could greatly reduce the lack of true intelligence.

the dumbest generation.

One would think sitting down and reading a few chapters in a book is an easy task, maybe even relaxing. In today's world, I'd say that's not the case. It's not due to lack of intelligence or illiteracy, it's due to the world surrounding the pages (for me atleast). There is constantly a beep, a vibrate, a ring, a tweet, or the occasional song of the popular musician of your choice pulling you away. As I sit down and totally disconnect I'll study what technology is really doing to our generation. Thanks to Mark Bauerlein, everything I'll need to begin this study is found within the chapters of The Dumbest Generation. So do as I did, silence your cell phones, pause your Pandora, close Facebook and Twitter, and focus on what's right in front on you. Just read.

INTELligence...more like lack of intelligence.
As Bauerlein discusses the Leno segments of "Jaywalking", I couldn't help but laugh at some of the pedestrians responses. To those following along in the book I hope you could easily answer the first few questions (50, Bethlehem, served as UK's prime minister). After a teen said the Pope lived in England, Paris, I had little hope for the next answer. The college student who knew that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb impressed me and restored faith in my generation, that is until he added, "Yeah, with the kite". It's sad that we live in a world where significant men such as Edison and Franklin are easily confused and barely recognized for their major impacts and influences on our lives today. We may not know the names of the men who made revolutionary discoveries, but we sure know the names of our favorite digitally enhanced stars competing for the title of Idol. Sad to say I know that Phillip Phillips was this year's favorite, but I also know that the Speaker of the House is Mr. John Boehner. So I guess I'm only partially guilty. My generation is living for now. No concerns for the past or the future, just living life day by day, with a carefree come what may attitude. We seem to think we're untouchable, excusing dangerous and unacceptable behavior with YOLO. (I heard someone say, "yolo is a stupid man's carpe diem" and I couldn't agree more.) Not that this generation would know, but history repeats itself. We have a lot of troubles coming our way, which is scary because we'll have no idea what to do. I don't think we can ask Siri on this one.

Let's tackle our next step of the study...a-literacy.
Bauerlein defines a-literacy as "knowing how to read and choosing not to". What happened to reading a good book when you were bored or actually cracking open the classic assigned to you in English. Why has reading become such a chore? Like I mentioned before, the world outside the pages. There are so many other things to busy yourself with. Who would read in a high school study hall when you could be playing Temple Run? I don't know about you but Huckleberry's adventures with Jim are far more exciting than being chased by monkeys as you run toward no end. So where did we go wrong? Are our advances in technology becoming set-backs? The studies presented in Bauerleins assessment of our downward spiral suggest that may be a contributing factor. Not only has technology given us hundreds of other things to busy ourselves with, it also gave us a new set of priorities. We are said to wear "anti-intellectualism" on our sleeves. Like the girl on the radio, people are proud of their inability to appreciate a good story. They think it's cool to discourage education. Today's culture has taught us that it's better to have watched the latest episode of Pretty Little Liars (the majority of my floor took part in the A festivities tonight), then to have read the chapter slides of your chem class (how I spent my night). Caring about your grades, the class material, and the world events around you may have you labeled as a nerd, but you're going to be one of the few to overcome THE DUMBEST GENERATION.