Don’t Be Afraid — if you are finding yourself in fear of the white-tiled cubicles in your bathroom, I understand. But you must not be too scared, for fear is an overwhelming emotion and we do not want it to consume you enough that you refuse to shower. THIS IS NOT AN OPTION. Showering is a must. Since I know you may be dreading such an awful cleaning experience, here are some pointers to help you in your mission.

1. Shower Shoes Are a Must — There is no way of knowing what may lie in or on the floors of these lavatory shower stalls. These floors may be host to bacteria. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want any weird growths on my feet. Anyway, if you have no shower shoes in your possession, get some ASAP! I don’t care if you have to use your brand new, designer brand, expensive, adorable flip flops or sandals, use them and buy a new pair…or buy a new foot. Just Kidding.
2. Feel Free to Switch Stalls — If you walk into a stall and see an unidentifiable foreign object (UFO) anywhere in that shower stall, turn your behind around and find another one. I know some people prefer to use the same stall every time they shower because they like consistency, and I like it too, but don’t sacrifice your sanity — or gag reflex — just to use your favorite stall. So back on out, mosey on down the line, and pick a new favorite.
3. Stay Within A 3-inch Radius — While in the shower, I recommend remaining in a tiny 3-inch radius so as to not touch, well, anything at all. I know you need to tough out touching the handle to turn on the water and the tiniest little bit of the curtain to close it, but other than that, stay away. Those walls and the inside of that curtain may be filled with secrets and lies, you never know.
4. Play Music — In order to not think about where you are and who has possibly been there before you, play some music. I find it easy to just lay my phone on my clothes and play a little music. BUT, whatever you do, do not repeat the actions of some fellow females on my floor they took a 4-foot speaker (yes, you read that right) into the bathroom one day, plugged it into the wall IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BATHROOM and blared music. I mean, honestly, blared music. I like loud music and all, I like to dance around and sing at the top of my lungs, too, just like the next girl, but I consciously restrain from doing such in the communal bathroom, and you should too.
5. Don’t Look Around — I know I said earlier to quickly survey the stall for an “unidentifiable foreign object,” but once you have decided on a stall, stop looking around. One of the worst things you can do is be totally undressed, soaking wet, with shampoo in your hair, and notice something you never wanted to see…ever. This pointer also goes along with: get in and get out as fast as possible. I understand that people sometimes like to take long, warm showers, but your dorm is not the place for that. Get In, Get Out, and Don’t Look Around — sounds a little like a top secret mission from a movie. Woah! You are now basically an action movie star, look at you go.

Finally, and I feel like this should go without saying, please clean up your messes. We do not want your stray hair or forgotten bar of soap to turn into some other girls’ nightmare over an “unidentifiable foreign object.” And never forget that the janitorial staff must come in and clean up your mess. So please make it a little easier on the staff. Plus, they are probably the #1 group of people you do not want to anger. They are the superheroes of the bathrooms, the only ones standing between you and the disgusting disaster left in stall 3, so be kind.

Delaney Ray '19 is a Psychology and Sociology double major with a minor in Criminal Justice. She works as a Student Orientation Leader and a Library Desk Assistant in addition to blogging for MU. She never thought she would be a blogger, and her dream job is to work for the FBI in the behavioral unit.

Opening my Manchester acceptance letter kind of felt like finding the winning ticket to the chocolate factory. MU had always seemed like a fantasy land, a private school just outside of my reach. When financially everything fell into place, I felt that, undoubtedly, MU would become my new home.

So when my parents left on move in day, I was super confused. Why did I feel so lost? All my stuff had made it to my room, courtesy of the move in staff. My roommate was (and is) really nice. Yet that night, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd made a gigantic mistake. I'd been told MU became like home to the students, and I wasn't feeling very at home at ALL.

At least, not right away. My mistake wasn't coming to MU. It was expecting everything I wanted to happen to happen, with no work on my part. Like everything else, you have to work for what you want here. What's special about Manchester is how readily available everything you want is, as long as you're willing to go out and get it.

Now, a few days after moving in, I'm starting to feel like I'm a part of this campus. I had some really amazing mentors, and the opportunity to be the first to meet some pretty amazing people (Shout out to SOL Group 16!!). It's amazing, the number of people here who are open to you if you're willing to put yourself out there in return.

Manchester, as it turns out, is not a fantastical chocolate factory. Its main purpose is as a school, just like any other, and with it comes the awkward growing pains that come with all new situations. But, when allowed a little bit of time, it can be more, if you're willing to work for it.

All of us have stories and experiences that make up who we are, as well as passions, favorite movies, dreams, hobbies, etc. I’m excited to have the opportunity to share my story. I’ve been through a lot at Manchester, and have had many ups and downs, but I wouldn’t trade those moments for anything. They’re the reason I am who I am.

Though I’ve changed a lot over my two years at Manchester, a lot has stayed the same. I spend most of my time on Pinterest, and I take every quiz on Buzzfeed. I’ve read the Harry Potter series over and over again, and I like finding new quotes entirely too much. My favorite thing to do is look at the stars on a clear night, and I can pick out more constellations than I can count. I have a tattoo of Orion on my back, and a semicolon tattooed on my wrist. I’m a very open book, but I also put walls up. I’m simple, and chaotic all at once.

Last year, I doubted myself a lot, and I wasn’t really happy anymore. I was convinced that I had to transfer in order to find myself again. All of a sudden I felt so isolated, and alone in a place that had become my home away from home. I spent weeks trying to figure out where I would go next. I knew it would be hard, but I also knew I needed to put myself first, I just wasn’t prepared to say goodbye to Manchester yet.

Suddenly, I figured it out, I didn’t have to leave Manchester in order to be happy again. And luckily it turned out that Manchester was exactly where I needed to be to find myself. Manchester is a magical place--the people, the community, the professors, it all embraced me when I needed it most. Everywhere I turned there was someone who wanted to help me. I found friends that make me laugh harder than I have in a long time. The classes I’m taking push me to be better, and are preparing me for my future. I have on-campus jobs that make me feel like I’m making a difference. I found myself here, and that’s all I ever wanted in a college.

Two years ago, I chose Manchester. It became my home, and my heart is here. I’ve broken down here, I’ve been hurt, I’ve been so mad and sad that I thought I was going to burst. However, I’ve also laughed until I cried, I’ve felt so much love here, and I’ve met people who are so important to me. But the most amazing thing about Manchester, and college in general, is that you have so much freedom to figure yourself out, to find what makes you happy, what makes you sad, all of it. You get to change yourself, and grow, and become whoever you want to be. So make mistakes, break down, get mad, stay up all night, laugh until you cry, and don’t forget to find yourself.

“For a star to be born, there is one thing that must
happen: a gaseous nebula must collapse. 
So collapse. Crumble. This is not your destruction.
This is your birth.”
- Zoe Skylar

If you watched The Jungle Book movie this summer, you will know where the phrase ‘Mine to me’ came from. But first a back ground story.

Last year, during my sophomore year, there were possible threats of my leaving Manchester to another school. I say threat because I was very afraid to leave, I definitely did not want to. When you are facing the possibility that you might have to let go of something you so much love, there will be a certain level of anger and sadness. Being in that situation made me think of all the things I would be missing out on, and made me miss things I had already experienced during my time here. It took me back to my first year.

My first experience with Manchester was when I dropped off at the Intercultural Center, after a long day of travelling. I walked in and the first thing a bunch of students did was yell my name. I remember meeting my FYS group—I am still friends with most of them. I remember going through the phase of life where I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go through with my major. I remember getting my first job (as a student blogger). Then I proceeded to get 4 more. All the jobs I have had in my two years at Manchester have provided me with a lot of opportunities to better myself. Things I thought you couldn’t learn, I have learnt here. But all in all, I got to stay! (YAY!) and I am super stoked and excited to keep growing, and expanding my connections in Manchester. Enough Said. WELCOME TO MY MANCHESTER!

(Office of Multicultural affairs International Orientation) 2014 

The quote, “Be who you needed when you were younger,” has been driving so much of my story and how I live out my life. When I began writing this post I knew I wanted to share something that I would have wanted (or needed) to read when I was younger.

And I landed on joy. But I also pin pointed that my identity and my best self are also so relevant so I wrapped them into one.

My first, and even second year, of college felt so exciting coming into a fresh year so full of new opportunities, classes, experiences, and friendships. But I was also full of uncertainty. I wondered who my friends would be, what clubs I would be in and what events I’d go to, but the biggest fear of all, who would I go with. You may be feeling or wondering the same thing.

Although surrounding myself in community is my favorite part of life right now, it hasn’t always been. It was hard to find the people who lifted me up with encouragement, felt like my personal cheerleaders, and brought so much natural joy into my life. But college is so much about the journey, the transformation, the discovery of who you are, of what lights you up, and fills you with an undeniable joy.

When you can be your best self and confidently go forward in authenticity, you attract some of the best people into your life.

But in order to discover your authenticity, sometimes that takes doing things on your own, trying new (and old) things, and being uncomfortable. Through it all though, I’ve found my greatest joy and my personal cheerleaders.

Here are a few steps in my [continual] journey to fill my life with joy and let my best self shine through:

1. Get really content with going out on a limb and being/doing totally different than anyone else. For me, that looks like investing in Haiti and spending my summers there. I’ll also be living there from February to May.
2. Spend time doing your favorite activities or hobbies when you were a kid. For example, riding your bike, going to the park, going on picnics, or creating without limitations.
3. Stop doing things out of habit or boredom that really don’t bring any joy to your life. You’ll naturally be able to fill your time with the things that do bring joy and contentment.
4. Find things that you really enjoy doing on your own. This may take trial and error, but it will be totally worth it.
5. Invest in yourself.

I challenge you to go into today, and each day, pursuing what sets your heart on fire, to make time for what makes you feel free and even like a kid again. You deserve the greatest joy. Your best self will begin to shine through. Your community will come. What are ways that you can bring more joy into your life? 

Hey guys! As you can tell, my name is Nick Rush. I am a first-year student here at Manchester University. I am a Sports Management major, and I am considering minoring and/or getting a certificate in a couple of areas: Sales, Business, Entrepreneurship, and probably other areas that I’m not even sure I want to do yet. I’m also proud to say I represent MU as a baseball player. I’m not involved in anything on campus yet, but I definitely will be.

(This is picture of me and my football coaches from my senior year in high school.)

Here’s a little bit more about me: I was born and raised a Hoosier in the Crossroads of America, the city where you get railroaded every 20 minutes, otherwise known as the city of Terre Haute. I grew up on the better side of town and went to Terre Haute North (south side still smells). I know the basics of drumming and I’m learning to play the guitar. For my high school, here’s everything I was involved in:

• Baseball
• Football
• Basketball
• Intramural basketball
• National Honor Society
• DECA
• Link Crew (a freshmen mentioning program)

Just a few highlights of my high school career:

• I went to Orlando, Florida with DECA my junior year and competed at the International Conference
• I placed first at Districts and placed fifth at the State Conference for DECA my senior year
• I am a back-to-back State Runner Up for baseball
• We won the conference championship, clinching an undefeated season in Conference play
• I made All-Conference as a senior

I chose MU because I believe it is the best place for me to better my education in my area of study. It also offered me the chance to gain some experience in everything I wanted to do, which is all of the areas I mentioned earlier. Athletically, I felt the most comfortable with the players and the coaching staff at MU compared to all the other schools I visited. Now that I am here, I know I made the right choice. Yes, my city is a lot bigger than here, and yes, my school had a higher population of students than MU does. However, I wanted to make close relationships and I thought it would be harder to do that at a bigger college. Here, I could make hundreds of close relationships because the campus is only a five-minute walk across, which means I see the same people a few times a day. I’m a social, yet reserved man so this campus is perfect for me.

So throughout this year during my academic, social, and athletic experiences, I’ll be taking you along for a ride in my brain, which I guarantee some just said “Oh my, that is really scary.” Isn’t that right, Mom? Anyway, I’m actually really eager to do this because this is very new for me. I have never been a blogger or a journalist or a diary-holder. But hey, college is about trying new things, and that’s just what I am doing.

So why do I blog? Well, that is a good question. You should’ve seen the looks and heard the responses I received when I told others I’m a blogger. I’ll say now what I have told everyone else: I just want to experience something new. It also aids me in getting out of my comfort zone and that’s really what college is about, besides getting an education of course. But, it isn’t like I don’t have thoughts or advice, so why not put them to paper and let everyone know? I’ve been told I’m a quiet person, so here’s a way for people to get to know me and to voice my opinion.

Hopefully I sound interesting enough for you to come back and read every time I post. If you want to follow me personally, my Twitter will be posted below. I’d also love to have feedback or suggestions from you guys if you want to hear about anything specific from me! Remember, this is just the beginning of a long college career, and there will definitely be many more things to hear about. I look forward to hearing from you guys!

Twitter: @RickNush

Email: njrush2020@manchester.edu

What’s up everyone! For those of you who don't know me, I'm Stratton! I'll be popping up on your social media feeds in the future! I feel that it's only fair that I share with you my story. Everyone has a story and every single one of them matters. There are some really amazing people that go unnoticed by 95% of the rest of the campus. Everyone on campus knows your name or face, but we don't know crap about one another. So since you may be a little on the shy side, let me tell you about my beginning at Manchester.

Move-in day. Freshman year of college. Everything was going to plan that morning. The cars were all jam-packed with items essential to every freshman’s first year at Manchester. Ramen, clothes I’d soon grow out of (it made me look a little buff so I thought I was cool), a calculator I’d never use, aaaaaaaand the rest, I’m sure, is just gross, boy stuff. The last piece to the puzzle was that my girlfriend (her name’s Jess, she’s pretty great) at the time was going to drive a few minutes from her house and we would all get me packed and settled at Manchester, where I’d spend my four years and live happily-ever-after (:

... only that didn’t happen. Jess didn’t make it to my house that day. Jess was in a serious car accident only a few minutes from both our houses. Little did I know, my first day as a Manchester Spartan would be the most tragic, heart-wrenching, agonizing day of my young life.  

Jess swerved off the road that morning and ended up spending the next three, long months in a coma. Fast-forwarding to today, Jess is not Jess. She still cannot walk. She still cannot talk much. She’s... not her and there are very few days when her face doesn’t flash across my mind. That day I lost my best friend.

Buuuuuuut now sad story-time is over. It’s really not my thing. I tell you all this, not because I want sympathy, tears or even a heartfelt message. I’m telling this story to emphasize how much I love the people who helped me at Manchester. I’m going to be honest. I would not have made it at Manchester if it were not for a few people my freshman year, and regrettably, I’m not talking about dropping out.

I will always have the utmost gratitude and thankfulness towards two special English professors who I will be forever indebted to. You know who you are. One even pointed me to Manchester’s counseling department, which led me to getting more help, which led me to discover the world of mental health, which if I had not started caring about, like I said, it’s hard to say I’d be here. *INTERRUPTS BLOG TO ADVISE EVERYONE STRUGGLING TO GET YOUR BROKEN BUTTS TO HEALTH SERVICES BECAUSE IT’S FREE AND THESE PEOPLE ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT YOU*

Looking at myself today, I can honestly say I love Manchester. No BS. I’ve experienced more pain and suffering through the walls of Manchester that I would not wish on anyone. I’ve had the most euphoric happiness through the walls of Manchester that I wish on everyone. I fell in love at Manchester. I fell out of love at Manchester (girls are the devil). Through this university’s walls, I’ve grown. Not saying it wasn’t tough and a battle, but I’ve grown to truly be in love with myself. Though, it’s pivotal to this movie we call life, loving yourself still isn’t what I hope you can take away from this (even though if you do, I’ll love you forever).

My point of my story is that... you know me. If you’re a student here, you’ve known me 1-3 years. You’ve walked past me on your way to class. You've eaten lunch with me. You've played basketball with me. Maybe you've seen me perform on stage... But you've never heard that story. You all think you know this “Strat” guy, but why is this the first time hearing that story? BECAUSE WE DON'T TALK TO EACH OTHER! There are people broken inside that you sit next to in your accounting class. Okay, that’s a terrible example. My mind was broken every day in accounting class, but you get what I’m saying. Four years and I think I might have an explanation. People care what other people think too much. Everyone is just tooooo coooooool foooooor schooooool. Everyone thinks their problems are priority over everyone else’s. My advice: talk to the kid pounding his head against the desk in accounting (me), because you could make their day. I had a guy freshman year (okay, I’ve started this sentence weird) say, “You look good today, man” and I still remember it three years later. Not because no one has ever complimented me or said nice things to me, but a stranger showed me kindness when I was on the verge of falling apart... and it made me cry like a female dog when I got back to my room. It’s absolutely amazing what a spark of kindness can do to a broken soul. That’s why I do what I do now.

My junior year I made it my mission to make people smile and laugh. That's just what I genuinely wanted out of that year. I talked to so many strangers about so many things that were weird. Dude, I'm not kidding. I talked to this one guy about his pet Tarantula that does "tricks" and I walked away from the conversation a changed man (but equally as scrawny and dorky). My point there is, you don't know someone unless you open your mouth and talk to someone outside your ten friends on campus you hang out with.

I will always say that I finally felt comfortable in my own shoes my junior year of college, and it’s made me into a person that I am happy with. Not content. I'm HAPPY with who I am. This all happened because I came to Manchester. I could've gone to IU, joined a frat, worn a few pairs of sperries and called it a good four years. I could have gone to Ball State and not even remembered my four years of college (Chirp Chirp). That's not what happened, though. I was put into an environment where professors cared about me, lunch-swiping ladies held my heart, and where I've had my happiest and most tragic moments. I wouldn't have wanted to struggle anywhere other than Manchester.

Syllabus week is over and the first wave of exams and papers are coming in full steam ahead.  Chugga chugga choo choo, “All aboard the struggle train. I’m Katie and I’ll be your conductor this semester!” With these beautiful sunny days lately, it’s tough to buckle down and study throughout the day. I’d much rather be hanging out with friends, biking to Dairy Queen for a cone, watching Burn Notice on Netflix, or sleeping! Pretty soon, I look at my phone and it’s 10:00 at night. Yikes, I think to myself, there are roughly 12 hours of daylight in any given day and I just wasted all of them…without even touching any of my homework. So once again, here comes another late night and a bright and early morning. I’m dragging all day and can barely keep my eyes open in class. So here are 10 must-do’s to stop procrastinating and finally get off the struggle train.

1. Set Clear Goals: What do you want to get out of this semester? Write them down and hang them up by your bed. It will be a constant reminder of why you’re working so hard in college.
2. Make a to-do list: I don’t know what it is about making lists, but I get all giddy when I get to cross things off it. It keeps you focused on what you need to do during the day and also allows you to see how much you’ve accomplished.
3. Find your go-to: It’s the first full week of classes. Find your favorite go-to spot on campus to study, aside from your dorm room. You’ll need somewhere to go so you aren’t tempted to sleep or work on other side projects. My go-to? The Science Center first floor conference rooms.
4. Break up the work: Instead of cramming everything into one night, get a head start and chunk it up into smaller pieces. You’ll feel like you’re getting more done than you actually are and it will keep you more motivated!
5. Find a Buddy: Find someone from class who is willing to study with you. They will help keep you accountable for studying when you say you will…but choose your buddy wisely!
6. “Do Not Disturb”: It’s a grade saver. It may feel like you’ve been working on homework forever, but in reality you haven’t gotten much accomplished. Doing homework with no distractions will decrease your time spent working on things and will increase the quality of your work.
7. Stop making excuses: Get a grip. The 7 excuses you just spewed off to your roommate about why you couldn’t get your work done is bologna. I know, because I do the same thing. Start your work earlier and you won’t need to make any excuses.
8. Reward Yourself: Once you’ve finished everything on your to-do list, reward yourself! Whether it’s an episode of Grey’s on Netflix or eating a tub of raspberry fudge cordial ice cream, it’s up to you; you deserve it!
9. Keep on Top of Things: Weekends are for having fun, right? Wrong. Get ahead on the weekends, look at the upcoming week’s assignments and start on them! You’ll appreciate it later. 
10. Just Do It: Sometimes you have to just suck it up. Of course it’s not fun, but if you want to reach your goals, it’s necessary.

Katie Byers '18 is a biology-chemistry major & business minor. A member of the women's basketball team, she plans to study abroad in New Zealand in February 2017, and her dream job is to work at an orthopedic hospital.