I feel like college is full of surprises and I never really knew what to expect. I visited twice, I even had an overnight stay. But you never really “get it” until you live in a residents hall freshman year. What really surprised me was the absolute community feel of our floor. I was not expecting that at all. Everyone ALWAYS had their door open. Everyone knew everyone, and was always willing to help, let you borrow things, answer questions, go with you places. It was awesome. It definitely solidified friendships, and everyone pretty much still keeps in touch and stays friends! I think that is awesome. Nearly 3.5 years later and I am still best friends with the girls I met freshman year through dorm life, and I am going to miss them so much when I graduate and move back to KY!!! I am not a fan of leaving my STL family. I love you guys!!

-Kelia

The word of the week for me is anticipation. I am preparing to go back to Des Moines over the weekend where I grew up and meet up with old friends and family. I am anticipating that this will be a good time but a bittersweet one as well. You should know that I have not been back to Des Moines in over six years even though both my mom and brother live there. In January I found out that my mom has been diagnosed with brain cancer. She had surgery to remove some of the cells that had been forming but many remain because she would lose her life now if they removed them. With this I feel compelled not only in prayer daily but to try to mend my relationship with her and connect with her.

I wanted to share this about myself and my family with you to ask for your prayers and to share something very special about the Fontbonne community. Even though I am a Pathways student and live in the Kansas City area I am connected to the Fontbonne campus via e-mails that come daily from there. The most touching have been the ones that come from campus ministry and are asking for prayers for students (present and past) and faculty and their families. What a precious and invaluable service campus ministry is to the Fontbonne community. Both my husband and I feel that if the first time around in college that if we had been given a blessing of having such a strong faith based ministry provided within the campus we would have been able to not only do better in school but graduate. It is truly a blessing that Fontbonne holds so tightly to faith because it gives me something to anticipate that is greater than just a degree. It fills me with the anticipation of prayers being lifted and answered by our heavenly Father.

May peace fill your hearts over this coming week.

Blessings- Sherry

There are so many great people that every student should get to know on campus. It might just be too hard a task to narrow it down to one. So to be fair, I’ll break this topic down, and I’ll choose a person in an educational sense, as well as in the social scene. Therefore, as a general statement, everyone should get to know their own advisor. My advisor has been more than helpful in my studies here, but he is always looking out for things outside the Fontbonne community that would help me too. As a pre-law major, he has given me flyers from a wide variety of things such as law school admissions fairs, interesting cases in the news, and mock jury trials. As far as students on campus go, there are a number of people who are always fun to be around! In my experience at Fontbonne, there are two main groups of people always looking to have a good time — Focus Leaders and FAB (Fontbonne Activities Board). You can never go wrong with these people. Finally, to get back to the original question of “Who is one person that every student should get to know on campus and why?” I choose Cameron Elliot. Not only is he super social and always passing out hugs that bring happiness to your day, he is the Student Government President, a helpful resident hall assistance, a member of the undergraduate academic committee, and on the Fontbonne Board of Trustees. So if you’re looking for a pick-me-up in your day, have an issue with anything Fontbonne related, or even get locked out of your room, Cameron is your man. In a nutshell, everybody should get to know Cameron Elliot, and I’m sure he would be happy to get to know you!!

It’s that time of year again! The leaves are changing, the air is crisp, you can wear a jacket to class. Oh wait, it’s 80 degrees in October this year, so you’re probably still wearing your flip flops and shorts. But, nonetheless, it’s still that time of year again! Are you wondering what I’m babbling about yet?

I’m talking about METANOIA! It’s time for the fall retreat. Campus ministry sponsors it every year. And this year it’s happening the weekend of October 21st-23rd. If you don’t have a calendar in front of you, that’s just under two weeks away.

So you know what I think? I think you should sign up. I’m on the team, so I’ll be there, and I have been assured from some pretty reliable sources that it’s going to be a good time. Trust me, you should go!

So I’m taking a course called “Philosophical Foundations of Education,” and one of the assignments is this big essay on my personal beliefs and values when it comes to teaching. It’s not due yet, but I figured I’d do a little brainstorming here anyway.

My Philosophy of Education is centered around the phrase “It’s up to us.” When I was just a kid, I was taught one of the most important lessons of my life: responsibility is not acquired, it is inherent. As members of society on a local, national, and global scale, it is our inherent duty to try and change the world for the better. My parents are very “community conscious,” and so I was taught the value of stepping up, participating, working hard, and getting things done. If there’s one lesson I’d like to pass on to the next generation, it’s this: never underestimate what a dedicated group of cooperating people can accomplish.

A majority of college students would agree they love it when summer starts, but if you would ask the Fontbonne student body, they would reply that they love it when the school year starts. I came from the University of Missouri St. Louis and transferred to Fontbonne to complete my junior and senior years because I didn’t have that good feeling of belonging when I was attending UM-STL.  I can honestly talk for a solid hour about how Fontbonne has changed my life already in these first few weeks. I feel like I am gaining more then just a great education, but bonds with friends that will last a lifetime.  For the first time since my college career started I can proudly say my heart is happy here and it just feels right. This is what every college experience should be like because it will be good reminiscences to look back on for years to come.

Take a look around Fontbonne’s campus. It seems like nothing special, just a typical setting, but it really is quite beautiful. Beautifully created architectural buildings and also beautifully enriched with history.  Some mornings, I sit out on the patio of Medaille overlooking the Meadow with a cup of coffee, reviewing some school work materials before my day begins, and it is just so peaceful. You wouldn’t really expect such a thing in a St. Louis setting, but it is definitely a major positive for this school.  The Meadow is the area where the Fontbonne families really form. The Meadow is the place for events and relaxation and fresh air. Just the other night, my friends and I had a “family dinner” grilling out steaks and potatoes and enjoying one another’s company. Soon five turned into seven and seven turned into eleven and all of a sudden it really did turn into a enjoyable, late night cookout.

Has anyone really taken the time to tour around our location off campus? If you haven’t and want to be impressed, just take a walk down Wydown. There is something always intriguing to discover when you venture out into the community of Clayton. For instance the balloon race this weekend is a Forest Park tradition and has been for many years.  It will be my first time attending and I know it will be a memory I will never forget.

There is so much to discover while being a Fontbonne student on and off campus. I’m one to agree that the living quarters and surrounding areas makes Fontbonne feel more like a home atmosphere then other comparable settings.

If there’s one trend that’s appeared again and again this school year, it’s my penchant for losing flash drives. Between the two flash drives I use regularly, one that’s a bright pink rubber bracelet and the other that’s plain ol’ gray except for the postage stamp on its side, I have misplaced them on campus five major times this year. I distinguish “major” incidents from “minor” ones by the means of regaining the flash drive: major ones involve another person picking it up and contacting me about it. Minor ones are when I come back to the last place I had it, and it’s still there. Minors happen about once a week. Majors, fortunately, aren’t as often, but are far more memorable.

I’m explaining all of this because I think the ways I’ve been able to get my missing flash drive back speaks a lot about the University community.  My friends at other, larger schools have lost theirs, and once it’s gone, they accept it as gone for good. At Fontbonne, when I’ve left my flash drive behind in the past, here’s what’s happened:

1. I was in a lab and was called out into the hall to speak with two campus security officers. I freaked when I saw them, because I had no idea what they wanted with me! Then, one of the men opened his hand and offered me my flash drive. What a relief!!!

2. I got a call one night from an R.A. who’d found it in Medaille, and we figured out that he was friends with one of my friends, and he got it back to me through her.

3. One morning, I checked my Fontbonne email, and found a message from the Physical Plant telling me they’d found my flash drive and I could pick it up in the Student Affairs Office. I hadn’t even known it was missing!

4.  Twice, my friends found it and returned it to me.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that the school’s small size has huge benefits when it comes to flash drive recovery. I don’t know about you, but I keep my life on my flash drives, and it means a lot to me that there are so many nice people who’ll stop and give someone her flash drive back. You’d think all these incidents would teach me to be less forgetful… but apparently they haven’t. I guess it’s just a good thing I’m at Fontbonne and I get my flash drives back all the time. Replacing my flash drive every two weeks because I lost the last one would get expensive!

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, here are the top 10 things I’m thankful for at Fontbonne Unviersity:

1. My professors. They all care, and they all go out of their ways to help me succeed.

2. My friends. Some are my age, and some are older, but they’ve all helped to make my first semester at Fontbonne a great one.

3. The Science Department. Though the classes are challenging, they are all geared toward my ultimate life goals.

4. The student activities. Whether it’s listening to a live musician in the DSAC or watching eight students eat ginormous pizzas, there’s always something fun to do.

5. The community. I love walking around Clayton with my friends – it provides a nice bit of air and a great study break.

6. The Theater. Though I’m not a theatre major, I can still help out all the time in Fontbonne’s Black Box, and everyone there is grateful for my help.

7. The exchange program. This semester, Fontbonne isn’t offering the level of Spanish that I need, so the registrar signed me up for the appropriate course at a sister institution.

8. The library. It provides a nice place to study and relax, and the librarians are all more than willing to help me find what I need.

9. The diversity. I love going to school and interacting with students from around the globe. It’s so cool to see how much we all have in common.

10. “Learning More and Being More.” The slogan says it all.

I have my ups and downs with Fontbonne, from time to time. I mean, it’s school – I’ll inevitably become annoyed from time to time with this institution. Plus, no University is ever perfect… But, Fontbonne definitely has its benefits.

I wasn’t even aware of one of the benefits I enjoyed here at Fontbonne until just recently, when someone else pointed this out to me. I was walking back with a friend from the dining hall to my dorm room, and along the way, we passed five or six groups of people. I said “Hi” to every single one of them, because I actually knew every single one of them. My friend seemed impressed – “Jeeze Cohen, is there anyone you don’t know?”

Before then, I hadn’t realized how comfortable I am in knowing the majority of the community around this campus. I regularly see people I know and can talk to. In fact, I feel weird if I don’t recognize someone!

That’s Fontbonne life. That’s a small school for you. Some people like the big school sensation, where you can go between classes and no one ever knows your name if you don’t make an effort. That’s not for me. Me? I’m all in favor of community.

I recently took a trip to Indiana for my first Big Ten college visit. The experience was completely new and I was awe struck by the magnitude of the campus at first; it felt a little like seeing a big city for the first time. Their Student Union alone was larger than every building put together on Fontbonne’s campus and included a large theater, dining hall, and even rooms for guests visiting the campus. Needless to say, I was completely blown away, and I was especially enjoying something that I could just not experience at Fontbonne: football. Never having actually been to a college football game, I was extremely intrigued by the supporting fans that ranged in the thirty thousands, tailgating, and the excitement of the game.

However, after sometime visiting the university, I realized what they don’t have at a big school: a close-knit community. Here at Fontbonne, I am pretty confident that I will know atleast one person in class or at an event, participate in a highly competitive athletic program, am able to get to know professors, and don’t have to shove out $35 to watch a school basketball, soccer or lacrosse game. In short, as I am approaching my final semester at Fontbonne, I know that this college is prefect for me.