Labuza's

There is nothing more than being an orientation leader that I want in my life right now. Ever since the first few months of being at the University have I grown and broken out of my potential as a highly extroverted person that likes to communicate and network with hundreds of people around campus. I am at the University of MN not exactly by choice, but more by default. By default I mean in the sense that I never really had an idea of where I wanted to go, I got into the University of Minnesota, and a few other schools, including the naval academy but didn’t know much about where I wanted to head with my life. I knew the most about the U because it is close to home and my father works on the St. Paul campus. I knew that I could enjoy life and learn here, with my family close by and the knowledge of knowing about the Twin Cities. It took only a few only until I realized that I love the twin cities, the people here, and the connections that I could easily make since this was my city. After one month a school I ran randomly into a few fraternity gentleman in the lobby of frontier hall. They invited to a Gopher Sports Challenge. I almost declined because they needed an alternate and I believed I was above that level, but I decided to help them out. The few next days I was again invited to some sports events and a Monday night dinner. I learned a lot about their organization, what they were about, what they did for campus and the community and the fact that they offered alcohol free housing. I never thought that fact that a frat could be “dry� and never thought that I would join one, but this factor appealed to my parents and I decided to join up. This organization, I believe, released my potential as a networking person allowing me to spread my name, ideas, and my organization of Phi Gamma Delta throughout campus. Our nickname is FIJI and ever since I joined, our house has increased our GPA, our amount of community service has gone up, and our recognition has increased all around by other Greek members. I have been Social chair for FIJI, setting up large formal events and exchanges, which by someone of my members have said had been the best ever. I am currently Sports chair, setting up rosters and being a captain for my football and basketball teams. We are currently in the playoffs and just lost out championship game in our homecoming league. Also I am on the recruitment committee, I have been learning how to reach out to random people and improve my speaking and communication skills. We do a lot of event coordination and have to know how to make people interested in this amazing organization that I myself have come to love. Since joining my GPA has increased and I believe I have a lot of life skills that I have greatly improved that will dearly help me in future jobs and careers. I believe that my fraternity of only 25 people has allowed me to meet and reach out to hundreds making this huge campus of 50,000 people seem like it really isn’t that big after all. It isn’t and everyday I see many of my friends constantly as I walk down the streets.
In addition to all the work that I do in Phi Gamma Delta I have learned and been involved in some addition activities. Through a few close friends I had spent a lot of time at Hillel meeting the people and going to a couple of their events. I almost ran for a cabinet position, but my schedule is very busy. I still try and get over there a lot to see what’s going on. It’s just a great place to study, meet new people, and relax even though I am zero percent Jewish. In addition to zero percent, lets talk about the Pakistani Student Association. Yes, that right I have been to a couple of these events so. I am Catholic, white man at a nearly 100% Pakistani event. The reasoning is that I have a group of really close friends that are all Pakistani that lived by me and went to my high school. Now most of the same kids went to the University of MN and we continue to hang out all the time. I love going to their ceremonies, weddings, and other random events as I learn a lot about the culture. Why not get out there and learn about other people’s lives? I know everything about myself and other Caucasians, so how would that be exciting. One of those friends joined Sigma Lamba Beta, a multicultural fraternity without a house, but has told me about the values and landmarks that they are build around and upon. I believe that my best friend and I joined to very similar fraternities; both of us are similar and open to everybody in order to prepare people for the world. Our five top values are Friendship, knowledge, service, morality, and excellence. Every single person has their best value and their weakness. I believe strongest to be friendship, I am an extremely social person and feed of the energy of people around people. I would love to be a leader to teach people about the University of Minnesota because this last summer I worked in a food science lab, with only a few others bored to death. There are so few people in the summer compared to the regular school year. Being an orientation leader would fill my day with meeting new students everyday and making myself enjoy my life and job daily. There is nothing more than I like to help people and set up events. During the week or weekends I am always calling and bringing people places to where they want or need to go. I usually like to take a lot of responsibility and I hate it when I screw up or fail in the sense that I don’t find one’s needs or somebody is not having a great time. I want people to look up to me and see me as someone who can always help. Something that I probably could improve upon that will be necessary will be talking more professionally during tours, or orientation to parents to students. I am a student to I am more relaxed in that sense but I believe through training and when the time is necessary I usually get my act together a lot more. I want to get out there and meet new people. I want my students to remember me down the road or recognize me later on campus. I remember my leader to this day. I have even run into him a couple time in the last year, He was amazing and told us how he has developed since a freshman man. Everybody changes through one’s years of college. I have changed, but am still changing to become one of finest and best know, and someone who can help this campus and prepare myself too.
Opportunities like this cannot slip from me, Orientation and welcome week will be amazing and meeting the other leaders too I believe will be a great experience. I wanted to be a new student weekend leader last year but my class schedule didn’t allow it. This year is different and I will have the time. I am thinking of looking into being a CA and a tour guide in addition to this program assistant position. If selected I will not drop of and continue this till the end and hopefully the year after that. I had many friends that did NSW last year and I was disappointed that I couldn’t do it, this time though, I am going all out.

Posted by Theodore Labuza at 10:05 PM | Permalink

The article that starts to describe the book nickel and dimed previews the long and hard working life of a white lower class woman that seems to barely make it month to month. As hard as she works and as smart as she is there is no climbing out of poverty, just no way. Because of poor education and random unluckiness of being born into a poor family she pretty much had no choice of being where she is today. A very intellectual woman positioned here, working over full time just trying to survive. Her calculations seem to just make it, giving her the essentials and a one person apartment. With no help with government aid, or sometimes a few food stamps be will just pay off everything will nothing to spare. She can spend no other money and this is why people in poverty cannot escape from poverty. It is mathematically impossible and really sad because sometime these people are working a lot harder than most of the population. It wasn’t there fault they car stuck in minimum wage jobs, it wasn’t our fault that our families where born rich, but that’s how the world works building the labor force with lower, middle, and upper class divisions. The ideal world would for everyone to be rich, not possible without poor people. How about if everyone was average? It will never happen. Barbara dreams of having that top shelf education and domination of her field of science and learning high level thinking. If only , in only a few things had been different, her whole world would not be a struggle and life would not be some complicated day to day, month to month, and year to year.

Posted by Theodore Labuza at 11:57 AM | Permalink

The article Smells Like Teen Spirit explains to us why a simple and underestimated song became a huge #1 selling hit in the early 90’s. The simple guitar chords and imput of drums and electric piano chords seemed like nothing special, especially with the lyrics of the song sung by Kurt Cobain. Most of the lyrics are slurred and nearly senseless as nobody can clearly make out what he was saying easily. At one point he yells and screams his words making his lyrics more clear that what he was saying earlier. The music changes up a bit too making the listeners focused and in tune with the song trying to understand what is going on. Confusion is exactly what the song is getting at and it fits perfectly with the time period that was happening in America. There was a high level of mixed emotions, confusion, and frustration that correlated from the song to the American people, the listeners. I like how the text describes the song in the way that it starts up simple and changes a lot confusing the listener while drawing their attention. They finally will understand the words, including “confused and contagious� as he screams out and the people begin to love the song as the emotion is powerful enough to attach is fans as it became one of the most popular hit singles of the early 90’s. Peoples emotions were released and vented, hopefully relaxing their minds after they had listened to this song. This was truly underestimated by music stations and the band itself, but something, something special and unique brought great feelings among the American people. It was a contagious song and people could not get rid of the disease of liking and listening to it for those years.

Continue reading "Smells like teen spirit, and Ice T" »

Posted by Theodore Labuza at 10:27 AM | Permalink

Holy Homosexuality Batman is a ridiculous and absurd article that has definitely has to reconsider what is has just stated. The reader has over analyzed the movie way too much going off basic and simple examples considering that batman and robin are flaming homosexuals. I am not sure if Freya Johnson just hated the movie but maybe he was just trying to find some sort of excuse to blame his lack of excitement from the batman movie. So instead of claiming it as a horrible movie he claimed that most of the characters were gay. The examples of batman and robin being partners with various scenes could be considered or taken any way. Johnson over exploits these scenes and claims gay-ness in very spot possible. Now that I think of it I still cant tell if Johnson supports the movie, not really telling us how their gayness is a good or bad thing. Maybe Johnson can consider and put this movie in with other famous gay romantic movies, but for the general public I don’t think it will be seen in that sense. The last issue of capitalism and homosexuality has stated in a weak sense too. This theory isn’t supported that much on this one opinion and theory that Batman is in fact actually gay. I say scrap the article and never let it be seen by the general public because there is no chance that this issue could be taken seriously.
Society’s need for a queer solution shows us how homosexuality’s image has grown more and more over the years, but the way that it is accepted has still not changed a whole lot. It talks about how gay people are trying to blend in with normal society even though there are certain parts of life where gay will respond and act differently than hetero’s. Now more recently shows have been developed on TV where people can be openly gay and base their show around being gay. It has become ok to be gay and accepted in some places, however there is still a large portion of society that disagrees strongly with this newer trend of being homosexual. Gay’s can be normal and act like everyone else, like the article said they are diverse like everyone else. I think that new current shows that have been supporting being gay are teaching people that have just come out or are still confused about there sexuality how to act. They are different so they will need to behave in a different way, but that is unknown to certain gay people and they must learn how to do it on a level that is accepted by society.

Posted by Theodore Labuza at 9:29 AM | Permalink

"The World is a text" Intro response:

I thought the article discussed very well how people develop their reading skills throughout their lives. It talks about simple details of everyday signs, advertisements, commercials, and newspapers and how it plays a role in one’s life. When we first learn about a sign it takes a small amount of time to learn and respect the action that it wants us to do. Afterward it becomes an automatic reaction, like how it says how we understand stoplights. A similar connection might have to do with advertising. We first see a certain food or product, then learn about, and before you know it you are using it daily and the company keeps sending ad’s out there, keeping you interested in their sales. It has to do with reading and understanding materials more and more easily as your mind develops. The first time someone reads the Wall Street journal the person might struggle to know where the sections that he or she wants to find or have difficultly understanding certain situations and vocabulary. However if they continue to read the newspaper daily, reading will become more and more easy, buying or picking up the newspaper will become automatic, and reading and flowing through the articles will be no problem.
Our minds develop over time and become a lot smarter if we are consistent with our studies and reading. The article showed and talked about a triangle built upon three corners representing: reading, writing, and thinking. Usually reading will be the first step followed by thinking and last writing. In-between these steps there is a transition where information can be lost, gained, altered or developed. Everyone starts off being able to read and only able to think and write at low level of skill. However over time, the skill and abilities of the reader will be able to analyze and make their thinking and writing skills something that is worthy of being a good writer.
People should be able to connect this article with their lives and see how it applies to themselves.

Posted by Theodore Labuza at 11:34 AM | Permalink

Hello does this work?

Posted by Theodore Labuza at 4:07 PM | Permalink