Weekly Wisdon

"There is only one person who could ever make you happy, and that person is you."

-David Burns

You cannot achieve much if you are unhappy, and Burns clearly says that you are in control of your own happiness. There is no more blaming life or the situation and circumstances, there is just you and what you are going to do about it. Do something for yourself this week; make yourself happy. Take back control of your life. This may seem to simple a solution, but try it and you might be surprised.

  - Margaret Gruhler

Consultant of the Week!

Hey guys!

Every week a consultant of the week is chosen from those nominated.  You can nominate somebody or win for any reason.  Our own Rachel Epperly won because "she is a bomb cook."  We thought we could share some insight into our consultant's minds and personalities by interviewing winners.

This weeks winner is... Alison Polivka!

She wins for "raising morale with general snarkiness and sassiness!"

I emailed Alison a few questions are her answers are below.

Q: Tell us some basic information about yourself.
A:  My name is Alison Polivka, and I'm a history major with a creative writing minor.  I hail from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which is significant for beer and Summerfest.  That's really about it.

Q:  Why did you choose to come to Coe?
A:  I came to Coe because I got enough scholarships here that it's free to me. Not sure if that's something you want to put on the blog, but it's the truth.  (She makes a good point, but that is something very nice about Coe.)

Q:  Would you rather:  eat a chocolate egg filled with mayo OR eat a lollipop with butter smeared on it?
A:  I suppose I'd rather eat the lollipop.  You can lick the butter off really quickly and then have the lollipop after that nasty little interlude.  The mayo inside the chocolate egg would just explode in your mouth, and I'm not the biggest mayo fan in the world.  It's ok spread on things, but the texture is narsty.

  - Kelci de Haas

Weekly Wisdom

Hey guys!  


We're starting some different columns that we'll update every week, and Margaret will be in charge of this one.   She came up with the brilliant idea to share a quote and small explanation, so I'll quit blathering and give you the first one!

Every ceiling, when reached, becomes a floor, upon which one walks as a matter of course and prescriptive right.

 -Aldous Huxley

     
As we all are getting back in the swing of a new year and a new semester, many of us take the time to set new goals and resolutions. Many resolutions are met and the end game is simple satisfaction of reaching your sought after goals. However, as Huxley clearly implies, once your goals are met, you can own that accomplishment. You can move forward. You can attain more than you could have before. Goals are just as much about attaining goals as they are about seeing where they will take you next. With this in mind, I urge that each of you set out for your goals not only with the attainment in mind, but the future of what else you can accomplish.  

  - Margaret Gruhler

Tybee Getaway

Early this January the Writing Center once again returned to Tybee Island, Georgia. Dr. Bob and 11 students underwent the 18 hour journey out of the frozen north and into the 70 degree weather of Georgia in January. This trip was part of one of the many Topics in Composition courses that all Coe Writing Center consultants must take as part of our work in the writing center. Although there was some course work to be accomplished, we still had plenty of time to enjoy ourselves and do many things touristy. 

The bulk of the course work centered around the question of what constitutes editing and how editing conferences can best be given. This is an area that I have not frequently heard much discussion of in the Writing Center, which instead prefers to focus on revision. We like to aim to improve the writer, improvement to the paper will then naturally follow. Editing is surprisingly hard to define though, there is not a clear distinction between it and revision. Some argue it is a matter of scale, while others argue it is all about changes in structure. No one really won the debate.

After about a week spent enjoying Georgia we had to pack our bags and return home. We have come back to Iowa wiser and hopeful that we can apply what we have learned there.


-Kevin Schiroo

Introductions (again)

Hey guys!

We're back for the Spring semester and we have some new additions to the blog team!  Our old members apologize profusely for the blog falling to the wayside last semester; you have our full permission to whack us over the head with a book if it happens again.  Anyway, meet the new blog team!

JULIA PILLARD

Julia is back for another semester, and her favorite author is Terry Pratchett.

KELCI DE HAAS

I'm back as well, and hopefully more organized this semester!  My favorite author is Gregory Maguire.

KEVIN SCHIROO

Kevin is a junior from Dassel, Minnesota.  His favorite author is J.K. Rowling and he is majoring in Computer Science and Math.

MARGARET GRUHLER

We're very happy to have Margaret back again.  Her favorite author is Christian writer Karen Kingsbury.

PATRICK JOHNSON

Patrick is a freshman and new to the blogging team.  He is majoring in Creative Writing and Philosophy and hails from Bolingbrook, Illinois.

RACHEL EPPERLY

Rachel is writing for us again this semester, and her favorite author is Joyce Carol Oates.

We'll be updating later tonight and consistently starting this week!  Thanks for reading and let us know if you have any questions or comments, even if they don't relate to the Writing Center.  We're happy to talk to you!

  - Kelci de Haas