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

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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How do automobiles and interstates play a role in spreading the fast food culture? Wednesday, Nov 2 2011

Automobiles and interstates gives individuals the ability to travel distances, whether it be short or long. It gives them the freedom to travel wherever they want whenever they want. They do not have to follow a bus schedule or go by anyone else’s time if they wanted to go to a fast food chain in order to eat or just to simply drive around and enjoy the landscape. Since the interstate gives us so much freedom to go anywhere as we please, we can go to any fast food chain or place. This gave us the ability to travel long distances to other states to visit relatives or to go on vacations. There are fast food chains at almost every interstate exit. The reason for this was because people get hungry, while driving long distances so they are forced to take a pit stop into a fast food chain or else they will starve. Fast food chains are similar to automobiles. In the past, automobiles and fast food chains were not as high tech as they are now. Now a days, everything in technology is simplified so people can maximize their time and will still be able to do other activities with ease.  Over time, fast food chains developed drive thrus. This made it easier for individuals to be even lazier and order in their car. Fast food jobs are made to be the easiest job that anyone can handle because all of the tasks are things that they do every day. They have specific things to say and perform every hour of the day. Also, fast food spread all over the world to different countries, like China and Germany. The diversity and renowned name is how automobiles and interstates play a role in spreading the fast food culture.

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Send an email to your favorite teacher at Xavier thanking them for their work Wednesday, Nov 2 2011

Dear Dr. Baker,

As a Freshman Seminar assignment, I am required to send an email to my favorite teacher at Xavier. Congratulations! You are the lucky winner! You are my favorite teacher! Doesn’t it feel like you just won the lottery? Anyways, Thank you for teaching me this semester. I am glad that I received you as an English teacher because I hated English class in high school. I was never good at English but maybe it was just how the teacher was. Even if it is, you are way better! You are different from the other teachers. You do not stand in front of the class and lecture, but actually get us involved with the prompts. Unlike my high school teacher, you find creative methods to keep the class entertained, ranging from the in class discussions and the group activities. I for one, like the group activities the most because it allows us to discuss the readings and short stories in depth with the insights of other students. Another aspect of the class was the opportunity to be able to write about whatever we wanted to within the range of a topic. We were not bogged down by one single topic and had to write about something we were not accustomed with. With this in mind, I did not think I was capable of writing such entertaining essays until this very semester. Somehow, you made writing seem so much simpler than I thought it was. Every time we joked around in class, you were okay with it and laughed with us, but still managed to keep us on task. Again, thank you for your hard work, dedication, and time that you devote to your students. By the way, I am looking forward to taking your class for the spring semester!

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Would Katharine Drexel be happy with Xavier today? Why or why not? Tuesday, Oct 11 2011

Katharine Drexel was born on November 26, 1858 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her family was very wealthy and when her father, Francis Drexel, died, she inherited a lump sum of money. However, she was not selfish with her money. She used the money to  open up school across the United States and established the order called, “Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament.” She fought for the civil rights of African Americans and Native Americans in the United States. She is known as the patron saints of racial justice and of philanthropists. She died on March 3, 1955 because of a serious illness. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on November 20, 1980. However in 1925, she founded Xavier University of Louisiana which is still up and running today. Xavier is a very successful college that has people of all races attending here. Everyone that attends Xavier knows why they decided to come. Xavier is known for its medical achievements, which is very appealing. She would be very happy with the club activities and community services that helps bring the school together. Every day there is an activity that involves a number of students, ranging from lunch activities, outside school activities, such as flag football, and school activities. I never thought in my four years at Xavier would I attend any school activities, but I do play flag football with other students at Xavier as a stress reliever. Xavier is ranked first for the number of African American students getting accepted into medical schools. The mission statement is to contribute to have students come together and help each other out. Xavier emphasizes a lot about the mission statement because that is what Katharine Drexel wanted. I believe she would be very happy with the way Xavier is up and running today because the students attending Xavier are here for one reason, an education.

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Does the author have a political agenda? Tuesday, Oct 11 2011

Yes, I think that Eric Schlosser has a political agenda when he wrote this book. He warns us that eating too much fast food can be unhealthy for an individual. Even though getting fast food is a lot more efficient and less time consuming, eating too much can cause health problems. This problem only adds to why fast food is not beneficial. Another option that Eric Schlosser considers is the disease E. coli. “A single animal infected with E. coli can contaminate 32,000 pounds of that ground beef.” (204, Fast Food Nation) Similar to E. coli, Salmonella can be found in ground beef if the place had not been sanitary when processing the ground beef. There are many facts of how Eric Schlosser talks about the unsanitary conditions of local restaurant chains, but I will only elaborate on a few.  While preparing food, workers could tamper with it and serve it to customers. An example of this is “In May of 2000, three teenage employees were arrested for putting spit, urine, and cleaning products into the food. They allegedly tampered with the food for eight months, and it was served to thousands of customers, until a fellow employee informed the management.” (222, Fast Food Nation) The establishment could not have been cleaned properly, which attracts rodents and insects.  Also another fact that he states is about comparing eating food than fell in the sink than eating food that fell in the toilet. The average kitchen sink contains more fecal bacteria. Due to the investigative research, fast food chains are now conducting tests for E. coli and other pathogens, which then leads to access to clean ground beef. However, I do not think people will stop eating fast food. This will only allow people to have the knowledge of what they eat.

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KENNY <—- (That's my name!) Dobbins Friday, Sep 16 2011

In Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser tells us of a story named Kenny Dobbins, an employee at Monfort for almost sixteen years. He was twenty-four when he started working at the Monfort slaughterhouse. He was a big, muscular man, so he worked in the shipping department carrying boxes weighing as much as 120 pounds. He had hurt his lower back on the job and when he went to the doctor, the doctor said it was only a pulled muscle. He then returned to the slaughterhouse to work, even after his surgery. He had shown to the company that he was loyal. His jobs in the plant were horrific. He had to climb into the blood tanks and gut bins and unclog the drains. He also had to spray a liquid chlorine mix, which made his chest more exposed and worse. Kenny continuously risked his life and worked for the company, almost breaking all of the bones of his body. In the end, Monfort fired him even though he had been with the company for so long. It was then that he realized what was going on even through all his loyalty. I do not know anyone who has suffered similar misfortunes like Kenny, but my dad works as a welder at Trinity Yachts. One day as he was welding, he did not look to see where he was walking and he fell down a manhole. He came home that day and asked me to take off his shirt for him because he could not move his arms. He tore muscles in BOTH of his shoulders and has to get surgery done on them. He just recently having surgery on his right shoulder and going to therapy, but now he has to go through the whole procedure again and get it done on his left shoulder.

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What is my favorite class at Xavier? Friday, Sep 16 2011

Out of all my classes that I am enrolled in, I would have thought that Chemistry would be my  favorite class. The reason for this is because when I was a little kid, I have always been fascinated by chemicals and test tubes. I had a chemistry set that I enjoyed playing with my cousins. Although I do not hate Chemistry at Xavier, it is not my favorite class. It is not that I am doing bad in there, but because I am enrolled in a more fun and enjoyable class – English. The teacher, Dr. Hannah Baker, has a fun method of teaching. In the first few classes, we played games to get to know each other so when we are in class it would not be awkward between all of the students. Another fun activity that we did is to get into groups of three and act out a skit. She assigns us pages we have to read and everything but it is not too hard to complete. We just had two essays to complete and normally I do not read in front of the class, but for some reason, I stood in front and read. We have not been assigned anything too hard that we have not been able to handle. When I am in the class, I feel like the time goes by really fast because of the constant work that we do together as a class. In almost every class, we are always paired up into groups to discuss a topic in class, which is nice because it keeps us entertained. She does not stand there in front of the classroom and lecture, so we have to write notes about whatever she might say.  She gets the whole class’s attention and have us work together as one, which is why English is my favorite class at Xavier.

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How did Sinclair’s The Jungle (1906) dramatically change the food industry? Will this book Fast Food Nation do the same? Why or why not? Wednesday, Sep 7 2011

The Jungle, written in 1906 by Upton Sinclair, is a novel that was written about the life of the immigrant in the United States as does Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation, but The Jungle received worldwide recognition due to the astonishing realities of the meat packing industry, while Fast Food Nation did not. Even President Theodore Roosevelt found the book appalling, so he sent two people that he trusted to visit the meat packing facilities to make sure the stories were true. Some of the stories were dead rats being shoved into sausage grinding machines and  guts that were on the floor being packaged as “potted ham.” He received the same information that Sinclair stated in his book from the two people he sent, so he passed a law for federal inspection standards of meat and many other food laws that helped make food safer to consume. The public’s response to the unsanitary working conditions, but more importantly food conditions was a steep drop in meat sales and outraged letters written to the White House to plead for them to fix the problem at the meat packing industries. Fast Food Nation did not get this much recognition due to the fact that meatpacking firms and corporate are doing exceptional in terms of money and agreements. Both books talked about unsanitary conditions in the working environment, but Fast Food Nation talked more about relationships between corporate and farmers, how the fast food industry developed over the years, and health issues over fast food, which is why I think Fast Food Nation won’t dramatically change the food industry.  No matter how many reports come out about how unhealthy fast food is for the public, about more than half of us will still go out to the closest McDonald’s or Popeye’s just to satisfy our cravings, unless there is a health issue that will cause us to get sick.

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