To The Lifeboats!!!

 

Embry-Riddle’s Prescott campus is in the middle of monsoon season, and its hitting us harder than ever. For those of us who like rain its no big deal, actually its pretty entertaining.

Dr. Ayers

On Friday August 30th, a downpour that lasted for a good half hour or more actually flooded its way through campus. Pelting students with hail, turning sidewalks into inch deep rivers, and soaking the general populace. The most amusing part of the day (at least for students) was the flooding of classrooms where anonymous teachers continued to teach despite the tide waters rushing around their ankles. That did not last long however, in the interest of safety some classes were cut short and classrooms began to be dried out.

 

 

There is nothing to fear for those who reside on this campus, the areas through campus where flooding is most likely to occur are specifically designed with large drainage ditches so that waters can easily make their way through campus without harm to students.Β  Furthermore, the Facilities Management Staff is a highly effective and knowledgeable team and they have responded quite well to the demands of the monsoon floods.This is probably the worst of the monsoon rains to come to campus and they won’t last long, so again the campus is only in danger of being greatly amused by the puddles.

New Student Orientation

Summer is over and it is time to begin again!! Today, Thursday August 22, all of the new students for Embry Riddle’s Prescott campus are arriving!!!! (ROTC students actually arrived on Monday, but the rest come in today). We are all very excited to see you here on campus and I’m here to offer a few tips on what you should do first when you get to campus.

1. Go to the welcome center, building 41. Here you can pick up your welcome packet and your orientation schedule. There is a map and a checklist inside the schedule booklet so that the new student will know what to do next and where to go to do it πŸ™‚

2. The next thing you should do is go to the housing office called HAAS in building 73, you can pick up your room key here and start moving into your new room!!

3. Pick up your mailbox key from the mail room in building 11, you can actually receive mail here on campus!!

4. Register your vehicle in building 14, that’s where the Safety department is located. All you need is a valid ID and all the documents that you have on your vehicle.

5. Pick up your Eagle card in building 13, this is the Eagle card office. The Eagle card is really important as it is your meal card, your ID card, and your debit card. It allows you access to certain areas on campus as well, if you have the proper authorization.

6. Most of all have an awesome day, we are so happy to be welcoming you to our campus and we hope that you have a great first year here on our gorgeous campus!!!

-Note you can complete that list in any order

Tobacco Free Campus Starts in Prescott

 

Effective as of August 1st, all of Embry Riddle’s campus’s will be going completely tobacco free. This is a major change for some students however, there will be aid available to those who smoke or would like to quit using tobacco products as we all adjust to the new policy. We will be joining over 600 other college campus’s in the nation that have made the decision to go tobacco free in order to ensure the health of their students, faculty, and staff.

Many students agree that this policy is the right thing to do, a sophomore student Juan G. states that “The tobacco policy indeed should improve the environment of the campus into a more social place by allowing students who do not smoke to interact with those who do/used to smoke. As students who smoke and students who do not often remain in separate groups, this policy will break down that barrier.”

It is everyone’s hope that the transition for all students will go positively, if you are a tobacco user and you would like additional help in abstaining from the use of tobacco products there will be help available to you. The official news release sites sources for help which are also located here. For tobacco cessation in Prescott click here, for Daytona Beach click here. Thank you, for reading and complying with our new policy.

Online Entertainment

So recently I got a Netflix account with a friend of mine (in order to split the cost πŸ˜€ ) and it is AWESOME!!! Definitely a great source of entertainment for down time or just when you need to relax. If you don’t want to bring a TV to your dorm you can also catch alot of your shows on Netflix, which is also nice because then you can watch them whenever you want!!!

I am totally impressed with the selection that they offer and as long as you know how to manage your time responsibly I’d say that it is a pretty nice resource for college students, a resource of relaxation, entertainment, and fun that is πŸ˜‰

My Favorite show!!

It is also nice to be able to share an account with a close friend or roommate so you know that the money you are investing is going to use and also it reduces the cost (even though Netflix is already pretty cheap).

If you enjoy watching your stuff on a TV then by all means bring one, the University actually has free cable hookups for students to use so you can catch all the cool shows and movies that are aired. Free Wifi is also supplied to students so if you watch shows through Netflix or another site you don’t have to worry about additional costs.

I’m not advertising for anybody, just saying that there are some benefits to some of the sites out there, Netflix is my preferred one but, if you like another stick with it πŸ˜€ I’ve heard that Hulu is also a good one but, is more based on TV shows. Some networks like USA on channel 28 actually have websites too where you can watch episodes of your favorite shows, so thats another good option to consider. Whatever you choose for entertainment just enjoy and relax in your down time. Don’t abuse the privilege/luxury school is important too!!!

Study Up

Summer is the perfect time to spend reviewing material from old courses in preparation for the new ones that you will be taking in the Fall semester. To prepare for my next level of Physics I have been reviewing physics 1, this has actually been really helpful to me because I understand a lot more of the basic materials then I did before.The Physics 1 for Dummies book has actually been a great study resource as well, I suggest maybe using a book like this one for review, it is not as concentrated as the text used in the course so it is a little more easy to pick up the concepts.

Another thing that many cadets do over summer is study for the AFOQT, or the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test. This is a test that depending on whether you pass or fail, allows you to continue in the AFROTC program and hopefully commission as an officer in the US Air Force. So as you might have guessed, this is is exactly what I am doing.

I also have a for Dummies book to study for the exam, I honestly prefer the for Dummies books because they have so much good information in them and they are written by people who have actually taken the exams or courses.So the authors really know their stuff and they know how to present it in a light that interests the reader and aids in the development of their knowledge in that field.

I urge you to please spend at least an hour a day reviewing topics that you are not entirely comfortable with. This can really give you the upper hand in your studies as in college all the courses you take have aspects in them that you will continually use throughout your college career and perhaps beyond.

Granite Mountain Fire Fighters

As some of you might know we had a tragedy strike the town of Prescott very recently with the passing of 19 of our own firefighters during the battle against the Yarnell Wildfire. Yesterday the men were returned home to their families with honor as a funeral procession brought them through the center of Prescott. Some of the images that were captured can be found here as well as a news report on the proceedings.

A memorial will be held at Tim’s Toyata Center today, July 9, 2013, with Vice President Joe Biden in attendance. The memorial is not open to the public however, news coverage will be shown of the event. Please be respectful of the families and friends of those who have fallen by allowing the memorial to be a private event. You may watch the coverage from home but, please refrain from trying to enter the memorial service.

For more information on this topic please keep checking the local news and remember to continue showing the firefighters and their families the honor and respect that they deserve. Thank you!

July 4th

Hope everyone had an awesome fourth of July, there are so many cool traditions that many families have on the fourth but, the best of all that America shares is fireworks!!

Here in Prescott the fireworks are done out of Pioneer Park which is just within walking distance of the campus. There is also a fair that is held in the park all day until the fireworks at 9pm. I didn’t have the opportunity to go check outΒ  the fair but, I have heard that it is sooooo cool, its definitely something to go and see if you are lucky enough to be here for the fourth. The fireworks are gorgeous and you can actually see them from the lower fields on campus. A good amount of people from the community come on to campus and watch them with us.

A fun tradition that my family and I have always done is a barbeque in the afternoon before the fireworks start. The Fry’s down the street from campus has some amazing steaks thatΒ  you can cook up for the holidays or for just whenever!! Most of the dorms on our campus have bbq set ups nearby so you can always use them at your convenience πŸ˜€

Hopefully sometime you can come join us here in Prescott for the holidays and enjoy some of our traditions as well as your own!!

Fire Fighters

A recent tragedy as a result of the Yarnell fire, which is still burning about 35 miles from Prescott has left 19 of our local firefighters dead as a result of their heroic battle with the wildfire. We are a community in mourning today as we seek to recognize the brave individuals who are no longer among us. If you were a family member, friend, or someone who would like to support the community during these unhappy hours I ask you to please join us in a memorial service which will be held at the following location and time:

YARNELL FIRE MEMORIAL SERVICE
MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013
START TIME:Β 4:00PM
DOORS OPEN: 3:00PM
LOCATION: Activity Center, Building 83
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
3700 Willow Creek Road
Prescott, AZ 86301

We must not forget to honor those who put their lives on the line for the good of the community, it takes a special type of individual to sacrifice their own well being in order to serve the interests of the community as a whole.

For more information on the fire and the fallen firefighters please click here, and please remember to be a supporting hand to those who have lost their loved ones today.

Heat Wave

 

As some of you might have noticed, depending on your location of course, there has been a massive heat wave passing over certain parts of the country (a current map is displayed below πŸ˜€ ). Many of the people across the nation just rely on their personal thermometers, their senses upon walking outside, or on the local news. However, this is not the case for a special number of students on the Embry Riddle Prescott campus, these students are Meteorology Majors.

Weather Patterns across the US, showing a heat wave in the West

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a little kid I was fascinated by the thought of analyzing weather patterns, however, we all know that didn’t work out as now I have chosen to become an Engineer. The point is that the meteorology students here on the Prescott campus never lost their fascination with the bizarre patterns of weather, whenever you see a student staring at the sky with no airplanes in sight, I can assure you that you are seeing a meteorology student.

The passion that these students have is alike the passion that each of our students has for their field of study. Embry Riddle Prescott’s campus is for students who know their hearts and also for those who want to find their passions. Follow your talents, interests, and dreams to Embry Riddle and you will meet students just like yourself, and together we can all stare up into the sky looking for planes, clouds, stars, UAVs, helicopters, and so much more!!!

Learning to Cook

 

So this summer I made the decision to stay on campus and take summer courses, the most important summer course I am currently taking is one I will most likely use for the rest of my life….cooking…

Herb Chicken and Cheese Tortellini

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I never considered myself to be a good cook or to really enjoy cooking but, since I have taken up the pursuit of cooking (mostly so i wouldn’t have to pay for a summer meal plan) and also because I would like to cook whatever sounds good to me that day.

Some simple tips that I can give you are buy meats in bulk, separate them into portion sizes and freeze them. When you want meat just pull out however many portions you want and cook it. Buy your vegetables and fruits and Fry’s, they are a few cents more but, way better than the fruit and veggies at Walmart. Canned foods, dry pasta, and top raman are cheap!!!! These are great because you can mix them with cooked meat, pasta sauces, or veggies and have a tasty balanced meal. Do not waste all your money on fast food, you can pay about $3 a meal if you make it yourself instead of $10-$15 a meal if you eat out, this can drain your paycheck really really fast!!!

Red Velvet Cake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are so many other tips I can give you, but so little space to write in so the best and very last tip I can offer (unless you comment with a question or helpful tip) is GO ASK YOUR MOMMA!!!…….or you auntie, or someone who can cook…..Google works too πŸ˜‰