It's Time to Vote...Again!!

It’s that time of year again for students to choose their next Student Government president and vice president.  The four campaigns, Be Heard, Your LSU, R.E.A.L. Campaign and Renew LSU, came down to just two last night.  Be Heard and Your LSU took the lead in the elections results. 

(Your LSU’s Landon Hester and Kristina Lagasse)

_{(Image from dailyreveille.com)}

_{(Be Heard’s Taylor Cox and Carrie Hebert)}

 _{(Image from dailyreveille.com)}

Be Heard’s Taylor Cox and Carrie Hebert and Your LSU’s Landon Hester and Kristina Lagasse will compete for the President and Vice President titles in next week’s election.  It was a close race betwwen the two, with Be Heard having 36% of the students’ votes and Your LSU had 27% of the vote.  Both campaigns received less than the 50% of the general election vote.  The Daily Reveille showed the rest of the results of the 2012 LSU Student Government Election: 

Now it is up to the students to decide who will be the right fit for next year.  We will have the chance to vote this upcoming Monday and Tuesday from 7am – to 6:59pm through PAWS on myLSU.  For more information on the two campaigns here are the links:

Your LSU: http://yourlsu12.wordpress.com/

Be Heard: http://beheardlsu.com/

What's Your Secret?

Close your eyes and think of the deepest desires and hidden treasures of your heart. Visualize that dark corner where they're held, that you keep hidden from the spectating world. As you examine your dark alcove, think of how that space overflows with secrets and swells with the urgency to be let out. You feel the pressure and ponder on a way to set yourself free from some of the burden. You ask, "How can I lift the burden without exposing myself and avoiding judgment?" Lucky for you, Frank Warren found your escape route. Warren created the idea of PostSecret as an anonymous way for people around the world to let out some hard times of the past. Each week, new secrets are put on his website: www.postsecret.com.

In Kirby Smith Hall, a month long program took place where residents had the opportunity to put in some of their darkest secrets anonymously in a box at the front desk. Tonight as the program comes to a close, there will be a display of the Kirby Smith Secrets in the Great Room.

Kirby Smith will also be hosting a performance night for residents to show off some of their talents to the community, while viewing the postsecrets. A variety of skills will be shown for the audience to enjoy.

Many of the residents performing have done shows outside of LSU's community and are excited to perform this evening. If you are curious about the secrets that have been revealed and the talents that will be performed, come to the Kirby Great Room and engage in an exciting and heartfelt experience.

Throughout March LSU is competing in the UNPLUG Energy Conservation Competition! This competition is fourth annual UNPLUG competition among on-campus communities to see which community can reduce energy consumption the most.

This year LSU is competing against 150 other schools through www.Competetoreduce.com . Doing One Thing such as taking shorter showers, unplugging your chargers, and using more natural light, are things we can do to win and help bring us to a more sustainable campus.  Each of our own DOTs added together will make a difference! Residents of the winning community- one residence hall community and one apartment community - will be invited to attend an exclusive catered party with prizes such as sunglasses, cups, gift certificates, reusable bags and more!  

Also, keep an eye out for the mysterious GREEN BANDITS in the next few weeks as they raid the halls and apartments to encourage sustainable practices! Tell your RA if you want the Green bandits to come inspect your room and earn prizes!  Get details at http://unplug.lsu.edu.   

What can you do?

1.       GEAUX to http://buildingdashboard.net/lsu/#/lsu/and check out our progress as we compete against 150 other colleges and universities.

2.       DO your one thing! Make small adjustments to your daily routines to save energy, recycle, reduce water and food waste or live better. Unplug your phone charger, turn off lights, take the stairs, or take shorter showers. Look for more tips throughout the competition!

3.       Do One Thing & Tell The World!

Facebook Users:

Update your status with “I pledge to [insert your pledge here] for @competetoreduce @LSU for UNPLUG 2012!”

Twitter Users:

Tweet “getting excited to @competetoreduce @LSU for #unplugLSU2012. I pledge to [then insert your statement here]”

Get the most current information on saving energy and competition details at http://unplug.lsu.edu.  By making small adjustments in our daily routine, we can positively impact the world around us.  LSU community practice energy efficiency in everyday living, and cultivate greater awareness for sustainable practices.

For more pictures go to the LSU ResLife facebook page and click on the album : UNPLUG 2012 !!!

How To De-Stress for Midterms!

It’s that time of the year again where midterms are coming up and the stress levels are high.  I did an exercise yesterday where I was told to take 15 minutes to write down things that I absolutely love to do.  I had to write down on separate strips of paper what can give me less stress.  Some of the things I wrote down were: coloring, buying something for myself, watching a funny movie, writing a note to someone, etc.  Afterwards, we put all of the pieces of paper in our own personalized jar we created. 

This is a great exercise you can do when you are extremely stressed.  Take a break and pull out just one slip of paper.  Whatever it is, stop what you’re doing, and do what the paper says.  They will all be things that you will enjoy because you wrote them down!

According to collegelife.about.com, here are some other ideas top 5 tips found helpful  on how to de-stress for midterm week:

1.       BREATHE! Sometimes we tend to forget to do this and can get frustrated.  When feeling this way, take a break and just breathe 

2.       Exercise.  You can go for a run or like me, a brisk walk!  This will help bring in more energy later for you to focus on studying.

3.       Make plans for the weekend.  When you plan fun things to do, it can bring a positive energy and bring excitement during a stressful time.  Reward yourself for the hard work you’re about to do!

4.       Write down ten things you feel you’ve accomplished so far that you’re pretty proud of yourself for.  Rereading your accomplishment can bring optimism and pushing forward with studying.

5.       Create a new Pandora Channel.  This is my favorite because there may be that one station of songs that you haven’t heard in a while which can bring you to a more relaxed state of mind.

If there is a program going on in your residence hall, take a break from studying and see what’s going on in your community.  It’s a great way to learn something new, possibly meet a new friend, and have fun!  Hope this helps and I wish you all the best with finals!!!

Money Management! $$$

I was sitting down thinking of a stressful topic that many college students face.  One issue that was brought to my attention was money.  Now money can be a great and exciting time, but it can also be a little weary.  For me, as soon as I receive my paycheck, I get really excited, then I disheartened and realize all the bills that need to be paid, the food I need to get, and the shoes, shirts, and jeans that are also…necessary.  Ok, well maybe not the clothes, but still, I would like to be able to do some shopping or hang out with friends without having to worry every single second whether or not I even have enough.

I was surfing through LSU’s website and noticed there is a Student Financial Management Center dedicated to students and money management and how to go about putting money to the side.

The Center’s website: http://www.sfmc.lsu.edu/ , gives facts and tips about college finances and statistics.  It also has a plan for financial success such as, earning, spending, saving and repaying money.  There are different charts you can do to really figure out what you are spending and if it is something that is a necessity. Throughout this website, you can also schedule an appointment with the staff to really sit down and see what your budget is, as well as figuring out what the best plan is for you.  Also, if interested, staff members of the Student Financial Management Center are able to do presentations within residence halls.  This is a great place to start if you’re having trouble balancing your financial status, and it will be one less thing you won’t need to stress about.

After speaking with one of the staff members from the Student Financial Management Center,  I noticed I was constantly spending money on food.  I like food a lot and I realized I already have a meal plan that I’m hardly using.  Basically, I was throwing away free money that could’ve been used for something else. 

So next time you’re going to go out on a date or with friends and grab a bite, why not go to the 5 or the 459?  It’s free, there’s always seating, and if you’re friend or date doesn’t have meal transfers, you can whip out your card and swipe again.  How easy and convenient, and at no cost to you!