13. What are your thoughts about Xavier and its mission after your first semester? Sunday, Nov 27 2011

As the first semester at Xavier is coming to an end, I can’t say that I won’t be happy it’s over. I like Xavier and its teachers, but some of my experiences at Xavier may have tainted my feelings for how I feel about coming back for yet another semester. Right now, I can only hope that the next semester would go along a little more smoothly. Other than that, I think that Xavier is a nice university and the teachers definitely know what they’re doing. I love the way that the curriculum was set up, in that everything we learned correlated so while I was learning something in one class, it went along with the thing that I was learning in another class. I realize that that may not have worked out the same way for other people but that is just a good lesson for next semester when planning classes. The lesson being that you should pick classes in the same level, at least for the classes in the sciences. The only thing that I would change about Xavier is the school spirit. While there are events and things that go on around the campus, there is nothing really spectacular. I wish there was more spontaneity. While someone running around in school colors may seem crazy, it’s also funny and it’ll have people talking and excited about the school they go to. Another BIG example for me was “homecoming.” Everyone remembers homecoming in high school as one of the funnest times of the high school career and you come to college and you expect it to be kinda the same but it’s NOTHING alike. I wish that it could be made bigger, and that there could be events that people could do in school like dressing up or something.

After the first semester, my thoughts on the mission is that it is a good one. I am all for human compassion and being passionate about helping others in the community. I just wish that everyone would recognize and try to live by the mission and let it inspire them or lead them to becoming a better person.

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12. What did you think of the book Fast Food Nation? Sunday, Nov 27 2011

I think Fast Food Nation was a very informative book. Although I already knew of some of the dangers of eating fast food from movies such as Supersize Me, it was good to get a reminder of what was going on with our food. I don’t eat fast food all that often, but hopefully it has affected someone else’s decision to cut down on the amount of fast food that they consume. While changing my entire diet is a lot to ask of myself, I will try to commit to eating less junk and even less fast food in hopes that I will become healthier. I wish there was more of an opportunity for us to educate other people on eating healthy. It was such an honor to be able to actually see Schlosser. It’s kind of like the man behind the book. I love that he took the time out to come and speak to us in hopes that he could convince us to make a change in our communities, which is what Xavier is all about. Therefore, Fast Food Nation was a perfect book for Xavier and it freshman students, especially as an introduction to the school and learning its statement. The only thing that I wish would change would be us, as students, making a difference on our own campus. It was brought up in FRSM class about the monopoly that SODEXO has as being our ONLY food provider, and the food provider most of the school in New Orleans. It was also brought to our attention as to how unhealthy their food was, so it would’ve been great if we could’ve taken the idea of changing that further. I, for one, would love to have more food options besides the $7 it costs to eat in the cafeteria or the overpriced snacks in the café.

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Fast Food Nation Tuesday, Nov 22 2011

What did you think of the book Fast Food Nation?

When I first learned that I was required to read a book for Xavier University, it reminded me of all of the books I had to read during summer for high school. I disliked having to read a book for the summer. By me having to read a book, bought back memories of me lying in bed attempting to read the books, reading a paragraph, and then throwing the book to the side, and forgetting about it for the rest of the summer. Basically, that’s what I did for Fast Food Nation, but I read more than a paragraph this time. During the summer, I read up to chapter three. The start of the book was interesting to me. I was amazed at how much of the information didn’t occur to me before I read the book. It made it realize that I barely notice the significance of everything that happens around me. Well, I knew already that the world is filled with greedy, dirty people, but the little facts that were included in the book opened my eyes.  

Even though the book gave many interesting facts, it was overall a boring book to read. I do want to give positive feedback to the author, Eric Schlosser, though. It took him a lot of research and determination to write this book. I can tell it consumed most of his time and days in order to write this book. I want to praise him for having the courage to broadcast his voice and providing the nation the opportunity to consider what exactly they are supporting when consuming fast food products. Fast Food Nation give me a different prospective of the fast food industry.  It requires me to think before I eat fast food.

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Automobiles and interstates Tuesday, Nov 22 2011

Automobiles and interstates are very important to the spreading of the fast food culture. Fast food restaurants exist for one thing: to gain intakes of profit from the society. How will those restaurants gain profit if there is no sort of transportation? Therefore the invention of automobiles gave hope to the franchises that people could now go great distances to consume their food. America is now filled with fast food restaurants; there is one at every corner. Automobiles make it easier for people to pick and choose which particular restaurant to eat at. The turn of the century was when drive thru become available. Nowadays people are lazy and seem to take pleasure in the idea that it is not necessary to get out their cars and walk merely a few feet to order food. It is more convenient to stay in their automobiles and having to exert no energy whatsoever.

Fast food restaurants praise interstates. Traveling on the road for such a long amount of time and distance can make people delirious and that makes them hungry. Franchises take advantage of those moments and build restaurants at very exit and at very available stop in order to satisfy and feed those hungry travelers. That gives them a boost in profit and also a boost in people’s unhealthy state. They also post advertising billboards along the sides of the roads with pictures of mouth-watering foods making the travelers want to eat even more.  However, the downside of the food served at the restaurants is that they don’t even come close to looking like the pictures provided on the billboards or commercials on the television.  Automobiles and interstates have greatly helped the advancement of the growth of the fast food culture. The fast food culture will continue to grow as long as the nation continues to feed off of their deceivingly desirous food.

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Interview a Xavier senior about his/her thoughts on Xavier’s mission and blog about what they say. Tuesday, Nov 22 2011

For Freshman Seminar class, we each had to interview a senior and ask about their thoughts about Xavier’s mission statement. After searching for several seniors, I had no luck in finding a solid answer. I asked about three or four seniors and they all ended up with the same replies, “I did not read the mission statement,” “I do not care for the mission statement,” or ” I guess the mission statement is good but I do not really have anything else to say about it because I do not care for it.” I was in a stump, so my last resort was to ask my fellow classmates. I asked my new friend from school about the mission statement, but again I heard the same answer I heard before, “I did not read the mission statement.” I then gave up on trying to find someone that did read the mission statement. Why not ask the one person that I know for sure that read the mission statement? Even though it was my first semester here at Xavier University of Louisiana, I thought that Xavier’s mission statement was really well thought out. I can see that it helps students academically as well as socially. It keeps us doing well in school and also encourages us to perform community service with students to develop a more humane and just society. However without the mission statement, I still think that the school would still be able to progress like it does now. The mission statement is just there for encouragement and just to have in my opinion. Overall, I think that Xavier has done well with the teachers they hire and the type of learning environment that the school provides for the students at school. Hopefully, this will continue on for many more years to come.

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What are your thoughts about Xavier and its mission after your first semester? Wednesday, Nov 16 2011

As my first semester of college is coming to an end, I have a lot of thoughts and opinions about my experience. I can say that I have enjoyed these first four months of college, where I have had a chance to experience many things. I like living on my own and I have gained a greater sense of independence. I have to rely on myself to make it to class on time and to get things done. I noticed that in college you have a lot of free time, but you must do something productive with that extra time. I have learned that you have to manage your time wisely, balancing both your school work and the time you spend with your friends. There is a time and place for everything and you can’t always go out when you want to.  As of now, the work load in college is not hard, but it is demanding and requires a lot of time and effort. I have definitely improved my study habits and skills, learning how to dedicate more time to my studies. So far, I do like it at Xavier. The school is definitely carrying out its mission statement on a daily basis. I also feel as though it is adequately preparing me for my future career. The environment is fit for learning, supplying the students with the necessary resources, like books and modern technology to aid us during this academic journey. The diverse learning environment has allowed me to meet a number of new people from all over the country with different cultures and backgrounds. I have made new friends and I am very grateful for that. I think that St. Katharine Drexel would be proud of the type of institution that Xavier has developed into thus far.

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What are your thoughts about Xavier and its mission after your first semester? Wednesday, Nov 16 2011

Upon deciding what college I should attend for four years, I chose Xavier University of Louisiana. My cousins and friends all questioned as to why I chose this college. They all told me that it was going to be a mistake coming here. As of right now I am more 75/25 on agreeing with them. Indeed, I do not like Xavier University. They do not have activities like intramural sports or a gym where students can play in their free time. What are we paying so much money for tuition to not get anything? The parking is not good and the roads around campus have potholes and bumps. However, in some way, Xavier has helped me focus in school because there is no fun or activities here to do. The majority of the time students get out of class; they most likely will go back to their dorms and sleep or do homework.  Another reason I enjoy Xavier a little bit is because of all the new people and teachers that I met. They are a huge factor as to why I like Xavier. College still feels like high school to me, except without all the fun. My siblings told me that the first year of college is going to be hard because of the fun and free time that one has, but Xavier is nothing like that. Sure there is free time, but most of it goes towards homework and studying. All in all, the first semester of college was not fun at all. Hopefully next semester will be better. I think that Xavier carries out their mission statement well because the school is well prioritized about their school. They do a good job on their education system, which in turn produces just and humane people in the society.

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What did you think of the book Fast Food Nation? Wednesday, Nov 16 2011

Initially, I thought that I would not have to read any more summer reading books since I am now in college. It turned out that I did have to read one and the book Fast Food Nation that the school chose did not sound interesting to me at all. I thought it was going to be a boring book to read. After reading a couple chapters, it got more interesting and engaging. However, I still fell asleep while reading the book.  Upon finishing the book, I only remembered some key points that caught my attention in the book. Eric Schlosser does a good job on revealing the horrible working conditions, the type of foods that we eat, and how workers are used. The horrible working conditions were what caught my attention the most. The workers got sick, tired, and injured while working, but the factory did not care for them. As long as they got the job done, they did not care about them. They only wanted their work to be done so they are able to make money. An example is Kenny Dobbins. He was a loyal worker and he got injured on the job. However, the company only encouraged his well-being so he can come back to the job as soon as possible. After he kept getting injured, the company fired him and that was when Kenny realized that the company used him. Overall, I think that the book Fast Food Nation was an informative book that people should read. People should know what is inside of their food before they eat it. Although I still eat fast food, I am aware of what I am eating. Every time I eat a fry from McDonald’s, the 90% beef fat immediately comes into mind. I think that the main idea Schlosser wrote this book was to inform people of how and what food is made from, which was effectively shown throughout the book.

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What are your thoughts about Xavier and its mission after the first semester? Wednesday, Nov 16 2011

After being at Xavier for a semester, I have learned a lot about myself. I have realized that I had to tweak my study habits in order to maintain good grades. I have always had good study habits but when the work load started piling up, I had to discover a more efficient way to get my work done. I also found out that I need to manage my time better. In college, although you have fewer classes, all of the papers and the projects make up for that time. Sometimes I found myself debating whether or not to use my extra time to hang out with friends or to get some of my work done. I believe that I have been able to find a good balance between the two. I have also become more independent over these past few months. I am responsible for doing my laundry, waking myself up in the morning to go to class, and making sure that everything else is in order. I have also had the opportunity to make friends from all parts of the United States. I have learned a lot about other people’s culture and the way that they do things back at home. Overall, I am enjoying school so far.

 As far as the mission statement goes, I still completely agree with its meaning. My favorite part is still the part about making this world a more just and humane society. I feel like I am going to help live out this statement through my career as a teacher. I want to be able to touch lives and to make a difference in as many people lives as possible.  I feel like this part of the mission statement is truly something to live by. Ultimately, I think that Xavier is fulfilling this mission statement so far.

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Week Eight Friday, Nov 11 2011

I believe that Katherine Drexel would indeed be pleased with the state that Xavier University is currently in. Xavier prides itself greatly on giving to others and this is shown through our want to volunteer and help others. Were also a proud HBCU that gives out a quality education. The university also stayed Catholic and still has nuns and priests on campus which would probably bring great joy to her.

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