Five Tips for Beating Back to School Stress

By Claire Karon

How is it possible that we are already a month into the school year? August came and went, September is almost gone, and October is slowly creeping up on us. Like the ever-changing leaves in fall, our beloved Marquette campus continues to change as well. New students, new classes, and a new president, and somehow we are supposed to keep all these new things organized and try and have a social life at the same time. Is all of this even possible? How are we supposed to handle all of this pressure? Maybe we should take some time and figure out a few ways one can deal with this early school year stress:

Put yourself in a good mood. Listen to some calming music, light some scented candles (if you’re not in a dorm that is), pull on your favorite sweatshirt, whatever it takes. The better your mood is, the easier it will be to deal with whatever you have going on. Your mood effects how you work, and it effects the people around you, therefore it stands to reason that the better you feel, the more productive you will be.

Surround yourself with people you enjoy. We all know family and friends have a ton of influence in our lives. So it is probably best to spend time with people that make you feel good. Have lunch with a friend, take your roommate to the library with you, or call your brother just to say hi! Whatever works. Yes, this can be difficult with classes and studying and such, but the feeling of being with people you love, and that love you in return is a far greater feeling than any homework assignment you will ever have. Personal interaction is extremely important and also contributes to an overall better mood.

Inauguration Week Reflections

By Sarah Bonewits Feldner

This week the Marquette community looks forward to the inauguration of Father Scott Pilarz, S.J. as our new President.  As an organizational communication scholar, I am interested not only in experiencing the pomp and circumstance that is sure to come along with event (though this I can only imagine because I have never actually experienced such a change in leadership) but also to how the leadership change speaks to issues that are central to my teaching and research. The ritual itself will tell a particular story about Marquette to the larger community. It will also reaffirm Marquette’s identity to those of us who work here. Beyond the event itself, the change in leadership gives me pause to consider the connections between the identity of an institution, its culture, and its leader.

Nine Working Days to Go Until ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ Opens

By Chester Loeffler Bell

A working day at the Helfaer Theatre Scene Studio starts at 1 p.m. and ends at 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. This is the time where the majority of scene construction, painting, props work, lighting and sound installation happens for Helfaer Theatre Main Stage productions. The labor pool consists of students of varying skill levels, from Theatre Appreciation students with little or no experience, Stagecraft (a required class for theatre majors), students made up of mostly Freshman and paid student assistants with different abilities and talents. Work on the show typically ends between 4:30 and 4:45 in the afternoon so the crew can clean up and make sure the theatre space is usable for rehearsal that evening.

Little Shop of Horrors (the first show of the season) opens on September 29, but the real deadline for the technical and design team is September 22, where everything must be close to being finished prior to ‘Technical Rehearsals’ or ‘tech.’ Tech is where costumes, lights, sound, and scene shifts are integrated for the first time with performers. The process takes places over a Friday afternoon until Sunday night, with Saturday and Sunday being long and grueling days. Then the show will go into dress rehearsal mode Monday through Wednesday nights. Its not over until the show opens on Thursday night.