Storage information for your luggage during summer!

Hello, it's Luna. Are you ready to go back to your home in the summer? Or are you traveling to another country? The finals are not over yet, but the exciting season is coming! If you don't have any plans yet, I hope you make a great plan after the finals. Today, I'm going to talk about the storage information provided by the campus. If you live on campus during the 2024 fall semester, you can use each resistance hall's storage. If it's hard to carry all your luggage to your home, this would be a good option for you.

Rules of Campus Life Storage Room

• Residence Hall’s RA staff(s) are responsible for maintaining Resident and RA storage procedures during move in and move out. 
• Storage rooms containing shelving MUST have all items stored on the shelves. Refrigerators may be stored on the floor.
•  All items must be clearly labeled with the students name and contact information. Each item must have a fully completed storage label.
• Items may not have more than one storage label on them while in storage.
• Campus Life Staff will complete a Storage Room inventory of all halls after Fall and Spring openings. Any item(s) with a storage room sticker older than one academic year and/or any unmarked items will be disposed of either through surplus or environmental services.
• No access will be granted to resident or RA storage during the summer, no exceptions.

Checking Items Into Storage Policies

• Storage space is on a first come, first serve basis. 
• Students in possession of a future housing assignment at the time of storage, should store their items in the hall they are assigned to for the next academic period.
• Students may not move other student’s belongings in order to make room for their own.
• Items must be picked up within one year of going into storage. 
• Items may only be stored if the student is departing campus and may not store items while actively living in residential housing.

Picking Items Up Policies

• All items must be picked up when checking items out of storage.
• Students may not re-store containers or boxes in storage rooms after unloading items. 
• If the person picking up storage items is not the student who put items into storage, Campus Life must have written permission from the item owner for a proxy to pick up items on their behalf. 

Unacceptable Items

• Carpets or Rugs, even if properly sealed.
•  Electronic equipment, including but not limited to: televisions, gaming systems, speakers, etc.
• Furniture, including but not limited to: lamps, desks, chairs, mattress pads, etc. 

Acceptable Items

• Items MUST be contained in a box, not to exceed 24x18x24.
• Boxes must be sealed with packing tape and labeled properly with Campus Life supplied labels. 
• A maximum of 4 items/boxes is allowed per student.
• Luggage is permitted if sealed and labeled properly.
• Mini refrigerators are permitted if cleaned and labeled properly. 

For more information, please refer to this link. I hope it helped you and enjoy your summer!

- Luna

Bryan is Graduating!!!

Hi guys! This is Bryan, and I am graduating this May 2021! 

It feels so surreal when writing this blog post. I can't believe, in less than a month, I will be leaving this familiar, comfortable environment and be released into the wild nature. 

My 4 years at PLU has been a blessing for me. With my last blogpost, I want to take this opportunity to thank the many wonderful encounters that I had at PLU. 

How it all began - 2017

I started in PLU in September 2017 as a biology majored student. Back in the "good old days", PLU used to have a really big new student orientations with all sorts of fun activities. And they take pictures of all incoming students on Foss field by having everyone line up and look at the cameraman on top of the Foss field hall. It was really interesting. 

I was a transfer student, so I started in South hall, 4 bedroom apartment. I still remember quite well how I first met my roommate Yohei. He popped out of his room while I was moving in to say Hi. We became friend quickly and went on many trips together later on. Without him, I might have stayed in the room all day these 4 years and didn't have the courage to explore the beautiful PNW. 

I also met some other great friends like Tiffany and Joe. We made a IM soccer team together named The Vegetables. I started participating in IM every season ever since. 

The VEGETABLES!

(Me, after two days of not showering)

2018

In Spring 2018, Yohei and I went for a trip to California by ourselves. The trip in LA was well-planned, We were gonna have a comfortable trip until we decided, at the last second, that we will take an overnight bus to San Francisco to watch a basketball game and come back at the same night by bus to catch our next day's flight. Three days without shower and sleeping on the bus. We were tired, but the trip was FUNNNNN. 

In Fall 2018, I got into the traditional BSN program and started my nursing student life - which is hw, hw, clinical, mental breakdown, play, hw, hw... Nursing school have incoming students stayed in one cohort throughout their entire program. People in my cohort are passionate, clever, and interesting. Without all the study groups and teamwork in group projects, I would've had a harder time in the program. 

Some of my amazing classmates

2019

In Spring and Fall 2019, I had two of the most difficult classes in nursing school: N280 Pathological human process or N330 Pharmacological & Therapeutic modalities. I struggled hard in those class, but I survived... at the cost of severe sleep deprivation and stress overload. 

In Spring 2019, I also started working in the International Student Center! I met the amazing staffs at PLU who were advocating for the international student populations. Heather, Hiro, Brandon, Megan, Camille, and Van. It was a pleasure working in this team, and I just wanna say... Heather is the most pleasant person that I have ever worked with!

2020 - 2021

COVID hit all of a sudden! 

Many of my friends graduated in 2019, and some of my friends went back to China. 

2020's summer was really boring. I got stuck in the dorm and couldn't go out because of COVID. I also couldn't go back home because of nursing major. 

I drove them to Seatac airport to send them home... And I drove back alone...

2020 didn't leave me alone. When fall 2020 started, I met some other nice friends and went to many places. I love PLU, because we have a relatively small campus and a super friendly community that enables you to explore what you were not comfortable with. All the people that I met here taught me something different and pushed me to become a better person. 

What now?

Nursing school is stressful, hard, but really fun. After you learn some basics, you will start to get excited for clinical rotations, because you can actually apply what you learned in class and help some people. It was definitely not a comfortable experience, but I learned a lot from it. My senior clinical rotation was even more challenging, as the nurse let me take care of patients individually. I learned a lot under the stress, and I got comfortable with working in a clinical setting! (Plus, you can have some really good views outside of the window)

Rainbow power!

As I am about to get done with senior clinical rotations, I have to start preparing for the nursing licensing test - NCLEX and apply for a job later. While spending so much time in the clinical, I still have many homework and assignments from my classes, and they really gave me no time to panic about future. 

I hope I can work in a Medical Surgery Unit after graduation, and eventually get into a graduate school to obtain a higher degree in nursing. I will report back when I get there.

For now, let me leave you with a picture of my orientation~

Sept. 2017

Past Blog posts 

Also, here are all the blog post that I've written since I started working in the ISS in 2019. I can't believe I wrote 18 blog posts in these two years! I am not a great writer, but hopefully you can still enjoy some good pictures and funny memes. (And don't ask about why the medicine blog post doesn't have a second series)

1. About Bryan

2. Bryan's Volleyball Journey

3. Bryan's Spring Break Trip 2019

4. Chambers Bay!!!

5. 5 Things you should TRY in Kyoto, Japan

6. Commonly Used OTC Medicines (I): allergy, cold, fever

7. Bryan's Five Reasons to Visit Portland, Oregon

8. Go Skiing/Snowboarding!!!

9. How to Protect yourself from Coronavirus Disease

10. Quarantine Life!!!

11. What are some good foods around Tacoma?

12. How to Hiking up Mailbox Peak AS A BEGINNER

13. 5 Tips for PLU School of Nursing Application

14. Norse Mythology and The Vikings

15. Film, not filming, but film camera

16. 1 or 2 Things about Writing your Resume

17. Spring Intramural Season!!!

18. The Things about Owning a Car

Looking back: 7 Things I’ve Learned at PLU

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I hope you’re all doing well, and keeping up with everything during these hectic times. If not; good -- then I’m not alone!  

April turning into May marks the beginning of my last month at PLU _ever_ (!!!), and I don’t even know how to begin processing my time here coming to an end. I should be a pro by now, considering that I technically graduated last May as well with my undergraduate degree. Because I knew I’d be doing grad school at the same university, though, graduating didn’t really bring any significant changes to my life. In a way, this past year has just felt like an (extremely time consuming) senior year. But now… I have to leave??? 
 
As I am approaching the end of my PLU ~journey~, I’ve been trying to piece together a few lessons I have learned about myself and college throughout the years. Because what’s the point of paying $40+K in tuition every year if you don’t collect some life wisdom on the side? So for my last blogpost ever, I want to share 7 tips/lessons/nuggets-of-advice I’ve learned during my time at PLU. 
 
To preface, I know the majority of these “tips” have been repeated countless times, and I don’t claim any of them to be groundbreaking. But they’re clichés for a reason! So without further ado… here are seven things I’ve learned in college: 
 
1.     Time management is key, but don’t hesitate to ask for help
College is notorious for introducing the challenge of navigating a work-life balance. Balancing academics, social life, self-care, athletics, laundry, etc. etc. etc. is entirely possible – but you need to be intentional about how you manage your time. For me, time management manifests through my planner. Some weeks I like to leave things as blank as possible to give myself a lot of flexibility with my free time, and other weeks I need to schedule my days hour-by-hour in order to get everything done. 
 
While planning has been a consistent tool to manage my time while at PLU, my planner can’t predict my energy levels or mental health. Sometimes, the idea of balancing an identity of “good student” and “mentally stable student” feels like a cruel joke… and unfortunately, that’s just college (and life, lol)! This brings me to the second half of this lesson; asking for help is not only advised, sometimes it’s absolutely necessary. Don’t hesitate to lean on the community around you for help, whether that be asking for an extension because you just can’t get something done, seeking guidance from friends you look up to, or using PLU’s counseling resources when things feel particularly challenging. 
 
2.     You don’t have to have it all figured out
This is a phrase I have heard _a lot_ over the past few years. It speaks for itself, but I think it’s a helpful and comforting reminder for when things feel chaotic; you don’t need to have all the answers! Whether you are unsure about your major, what you want to do after college, etc., try to remind yourself that it’s okay (and super normal!!!) to not have everything figured out!
 
3.     You’re a person first, student second
THIS. You guys – 
I spent a large portion of my undergraduate years being consistently burnt out, because my sense of priority and responsibility rotated entirely around my identity as a student. Don’t get me wrong; prioritizing school and being on top of things is great, but this is where that work-life balance comes in again… you have to make time for things that “fill your cup” personally too. Sometimes I like to pencil in specific activities in my planner, as a written reminder to make time for myself, although I recognize that this is a little much for the average person. Another approach I take is to set aside an hour or two of the day where I “have to” take the time off, and when that time comes around I just do whatever I feel like in that moment. In short, try to be intentional about taking care of yourself and your free time – and this looks different for everyone!
 
4.     Critical thinking is a skill -- and it requires practice
It’s not realistic that you will only take classes that you love and are passionate about. Frankly, I did not care about most of the classes I took at PLU (sorry profs!). That said, one thing I really cherish about GenEds and other classes you might not have an affinity towards, is that it taught me to think about a number of different issues from various perspectives. I do want to note that it is perfectly fine to not like a class and have that reflect in your motivation, I definitely allocated my time and effort into classes disproportionately, based on my level of interest. My point is that some classes you just have to endure, but you can also do more than just endure them; you can enjoy them! For me, this enjoyment came from exercising my ability to think about issues I otherwise had never reflected on. Because thinking is a skill, these classes allowed me to practice and broaden my critical thinking skills, which in turn improved my performance in classes I really did care about!
 
5.     Take a class just for fun!
On a similar note, I would highly recommend taking a few classes just for fun during your time at PLU. I realize that not everyone is able to take classes outside of their major due to constraints with time and/or credit requirements, but if you have an available spot; try taking a class just because it sounds fun! My sophomore year I took a class with a professor who made going to class the highlight of my week. I would wake up in the morning and look forward to grabbing a coffee and sitting in her classroom for two hours. I loved the class (and professor) so much that every time registration came around I searched for any classes taught by that professor, evaluating whether any of them would align with my other required courses. I ended up taking four classes with this professor, and all four are ranked as my favorite classes I took at PLU. They had little/nothing to do with my major, I just really enjoyed the topics and how this professor taught her class. Long story short: take a class just for fun!
 
6.     Things rarely go as planned
Once again, I’m sure we’ve all heard this one before – so no need to elaborate. As a self-proclaimed control freak, I found it difficult to deal with unforeseen changes in my life, whether that be a project for school, a friendship growing distant, a relationship ending, or what have you. Even though we all know that things don’t go as planned, I still think it’s an important reminder. This pandemic has resulted in a lot of sudden and startling changes for most people, so this lesson is still really fresh. That said, I find that “smaller” changes in plans can feel just as unsettling, making this lesson applicable to a lot of circumstances where things don’t go as you’d hoped or planned. 
 
7.     It’s okay to not always feel put together, but be mindful of how certain behaviors can fuel a negative loop
College is a time when many people are living “alone” for the first time, and it can be a tricky transition. If you’re used to having a lot of routine chores taken care of by your parents, like cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc., the addition of these small, everyday tasks can feel disproportionately challenging. Pairing that with the general stress of being a college student, it’s easy to get off-track and neglect essential activities. For me, making regular meals for myself was the first thing to go whenever I got stressed. If I was feeling really overwhelmed, I would justify that I didn’t have time for cooking, and would wait to eat dinner until it was “convenient” (i.e., McDonalds at 11pm). Aside from eating, there are many other things that can make us feel like we’re not put together, like falling asleep with our clothes on from the day before, not getting ready for the day, etc. I want to emphasize that these behaviors are perfectly okay in moderation, because nobody feels put together all the time. The problem is when the lack of routine becomes self-perpetuating, fueling a negative loop of behaviors that only make you more stressed and tapped for energy.
 
 
And that’s it! I was originally aiming for a clean “10 tips I’ve learned at PLU”… but my list ran dry after seven – so there you go! All of these tips reflect challenges that I faced personally while going to PLU, and many are things that I still need to remind myself of. I’m hoping that my reflections can resonate with current/prospective students, or at least make you feel better about the whole adulting thing. With that said, this post marks the end of my blogging career! 
 
I’ll end with a quick thank you to PLU & Co. for the memories; it’s been (mostly) a blast!
 
-- Megan 
 

Film, not filming, but film camera

Hi guys, it's Bryan here.

It's been a strange and challenging semester, but we have almost make it through, and we are so close to being done! 

For my final blog post of the semester, I want to show you some of the photos I took with my film camera. In my past blog post about traveling to Japan, I have shared some reasons why you should use film cameras, which include changing the way you take photos, delivering photos that have unique coloring, and giving you joy when waiting for the film to be developed. 

My friend gave me a Canon T70 film camera as a birthday present this summer. Throughout this semester, I have finished three roll of films, and I want to use those photos to conclude my semester this year. 

Summer

First Roll: 

Before my friends all went back, summer was fun. We went hiking and ate good food.
This one was taken at Clarks Creek Park.

We went to Steilacoom park and some other parks

We would go for a walk just for good pictures. (Taken at Sunnyside Beach Park)

Then we hiked Mailbox Peak.

It was a really hard hike, but the view was definitely worth it.

Then my friends went back to China, and I couldn't find a good reason to go out

I would walk around in the school, but nobody was there

Sometimes I could find good views for photos, but most of the times I couldn't

Then, new semester began, and I met some new friends!

I finished my first roll of firms in 2 weeks... 

Second Roll: 

We also went hiking. This time it's at Point Defiance Park

And we saw orcas! What a surprise!

I went to Bellevue to visit my cousin. We went to Mt Rainier...

And Gas works Park

Gas Works Park really had some beautiful views!

I finished the second roll in 3 weeks...

Fall

Third Roll: 

I go to see my cousin in Bellevue once in a while. So this one was also taken in Bellevue.

I found this sign on a baseball park. It was so funny! "it's not the MLB!" You parents stop trying so hard!

I had a busy semester, and I didn't go out much due to COVID and the wild fire in Sept..

My clinical experience got postponed 3 weeks because of COVID! 

When things all finally settled down, my friends and I went for a hike in Little Mashel River waterfall.

The view there was absolutely gorgeous! Recommended!

I went back to my busy busy study days afterwards.

I finished my third roll in 3 months... I literally have photos from 3 seasons in that roll. 

And here are some bonus photos that I took with my phone. I really liked them!

They were taken at Little Mashel River waterfall

So that's my photo journey of this semester! Most of the photos were not edited, as I was trying to keep the flavor of the film. 

Taking photos with film cameras are not cheap. I spend around 6 dollars for a roll of film and 20 dollars for developing it. Adding tax in there, it costs me around 1 dollar to push that shutter once. Not cheap! Also, you won't know what's the photo like until you develop it three four weeks later, so if you screwed it up, no matter how good the view was, you are not getting a good photo out of it. 

Yet, I still love film cameras, because of the excitement it gives me when waiting for a film to be developed and for the unique coloring it gives. 

I hope you enjoyed my photos~ Good luck on your finals, and have a nice winter break!

best,

Bryan Yuan

Preparation for Finals

I have finished my clinical rotation for this semester.  Even though I appreciated the opportunities to “being with” the clients and practice my therapeutic communication with them, finishing my clinical makes me more grateful the amount of the time I can sleep, which means no more getting up 4 am in the morning at least for a while. 

However, as finals are approaching, I understand lots of people start to stress out, and ME TOO!! I am not here to tell you how stressed I can get but to share my strategies of getting ready for finals.   

1. Listing specific study plan

        Throughout my academic path, I realized that I am easily distracted when I don’t make plan before diving into my study pool. When I say distraction, I am referring to other assignment popped into my head when I am working on one specific assignment, and I get stressed out so I ended up not finishing up my assignment.

To fix that problem, I usually list deadlines for all my assignments and exam, and I prioritize my to-do list. On top of that, I write down a study plan, or schedule. For example, instead of putting down “study biology” in my list, I put “study biology from p145 to p155” for 20 minutes. The reason behind it is to be more efficient with the time that I invest. Believe it or not, I could spend one hour reading 5 pages, and I still couldn’t comprehend the content at the end, which definitely increases my stress level. so DON’T do what I did. 

      2. Maintain sufficient sleep and rest

In the last week of my nursing competency I, we have talked about “Sleep and Rest”. Therefore, I want to emphasize the importance and benefit of sleep and rest.  In my perspective,  maintaining sufficient sleep is a key to efficiency. Sleep deprivation highly impacts on cognitive function like memory, concentration and mood. In my experience, I used to stay up out of guilt even though I knew I wouldn’t be efficient. I ended up being drained physically and mentally, and I wouldn’t be able to focus for the whole day. My main point is to sleep well, and study better. Your bed is your best friend. 

3. Relaxation

Lastly, it is important to take time to relax. What I had done on the Sunday before dead week started was to attend a yoga class and to watch a movie with my roommate. We tried out samdhana-karana yoga class, and they offer a few sessions of free yoga class. After a day of relaxing, I do feel that I am ready to embrace finals.  

Speaking of yoga, I have found a yoga exercise that requires no yoga mat, and you can do it anywhere you want!  Practice your laugh yoga

Camille

Senior Capstone Presentation

My senior capstone presentation for my Political Science major is tomorrow night, and I am finally becoming more excited to present. Since I printed and submitted my Capstone paper last Thursday, I have had a few days to craft a presentation and practice my speech. This presentation is suppose to be the highlight of my research as a political science undergraduate student, so I want to ensure that this presentation is taken as seriously as possible.

I will be presenting in Xavier Hall in room 201, which is a large lecture hall that some call the 'Harry Potter room' because of its elegant decorating. On the night of the presentations, students, faculty and fellow presenters will fill the room for two hours of presentations. 

My faculty advisor is Dr. Michael Artime, and he explained to our class that he wants this night be a celebrations of the 'great research we have done throughout our time at PLU'. 

The research I will be presenting on is titled 'Fear of the Other's News: What the Death of Martin McGuinness Means for Legacy Politics in Northern Ireland'. My project addresses the complexities of politically-aligned media and the affect those media outlets can have on divided communities. I am excited about this research because it links to my study away experience in Northern Ireland that I had last spring. I study at Queen's University Belfast through an approved program of PLU. 

This presentation is one of my last assignments before graduation in 18 days! Hopefully the night runs smoothly & I will be one step closer to graduation.

Brooke

What to do when You can't seem to be Able to do Anything

We have all been there.  It's 11 o'clock at night and you haven't started your homework.  You should be panicking and yet you sit and wonder how life would be if you just quit college and became a bohemian alpaca farmer. 

Well maybe that's just me, but don't lie and say you didn't panic binge 5 episodes on Netflix.  These days where motivation can't be found happen to all of us.  Though, with the end of the school year just a month away, some of us may notice that these days are coming more frequently.

I am not saying I have a magic potion or spell that will suddenly get you high on homework, but I do have some helpful tips and tricks for helping ease you out of the school year.

Getting Enough Sleep

It's hard enough to get out of bed in the morning as is.  Depriving yourself of a solid 8 hours with your pillow is a sure fire way of tanking out early in the heat of the end of semester craziness.  So make sure you prioritize your health this month and  avoid pulling any all-nighters. 

Not Letting Yourself Procrastinate

Seems impossible don't it?  You start off with the best intentions and suddenly you awaken from a 4 hour internet coma like "What year is it?"  Here are some tips that could help.

     -Designate a specific study area:  Do you study in bed, or where you normally sit and browse the internet?  If you answered yes to either of those questions, you may be unknowingly setting yourself up for failure.  That is, when you study in these places your brain is signaled to think about sleep, or the internet, respectively.  So, find a new place that you can use just for studying!

     -Set a 10 minute timer:  Anyone can be convinced to sit down and work for just 10 minutes.  This being said, setting a timer and telling yourself you will only work for those 10 minutes is a great way of focusing in.  You will be surprised at how much you get done when you fully dedicate yourself and in all likelihood you will have gotten so invested you won't want to stop.

Let Yourself Procrastinate

Well this is awkward.  Yes, yes.  I know I am now telling you to do the opposite of what I just said.  Please, let me explain.  In the hectic, fuzzy tumbleweed that is the end of the year, there will always be something more you can do.  Please, PLEASE, do not over load yourself.  It may seem like the end is nigh, but we still have a month left.  Charging into things all homework-go-lucky at this time is a sure fire way of zapping your energy before we even get to dead week.  So let yourself have moments of relaxation.  Recognize when your brain has had enough.  Take breaks. Draw pictures.  Go on walks.  Have coffee with friends.  Everything needs a little moderation.

Good Luck to All!

-Shanna