Review Topic

I will be reviewing UCF housing, both the on-campus and the off-campus student living communities.

Commentary Final Draft

Fall Semester: a stress nightmare. Beginning in late August and ending in middle December, fall semester at college consists of a lot more than classes and tailgates. Stress, health deterioration, and restless minds are just some of the symptoms plaguing great portions of the student body in large quantities during this time. The intensity and uniformity of these symptoms across the student body seems to be unequally distributed towards fall semester, with the spring term being a lot more “laid back”, as put by some students of the UCF community. In order for anything to be done to fix this, we must first examine the problems, consequences, and possible solutions of this fall semester nightmare.

The root of the issue lies in the length and intensity of the fall semester. Beginning in late August and ending in early December, fall semester proves to be consistently intense through the five months that compose it. With the only pause resembling a break from school being Thanksgiving, students may feel overwhelmed by the constant pressure classes exert on them. Adding on to this dilemma is the fact that Thanksgiving is completely inefficient in delivering rest and recovery to students, as it is so close to finals that most use it as a time to crack down on books and notes in preparation for exams. Besides thanksgiving, fall semester plays host to only two more holidays, as stated on the UCF website. A total of four days off is all fall semester offers students in terms of rest. Spring semester offers a total of six days off, with five of these composing the long-awaited spring break that typically occurs in March or April of every year. This longer break and greater quantities of days off proves to be extremely effective in delivering peace of mind to UCF students. One UCF student put it this way: “Everything is real hazy and uncertain during fall semester. The vibe of spring semester just allows me to do better and feel better all around”.

The consequences of this problem affect students in every aspect of life. The first and most important being health. Sleep deprivation, stress, anxiety, and exhaustion all are symptoms of a typical fall semester for a typical college student. These can take their toll when students start becoming sick and physically exhausted. Long nights at the library can take their toll as students start falling considerably behind on their sleep. The next issue deals with the family and social aspect of students’ lives. College, besides being a time for learning, is also a time for networking. When the learning aspect becomes so intense that it leaves little room for the networking aspect, students are robbed of a vital part of their college experience. UCF Sophomore Andres Ruiz put it this way: “I would really like to join a club or an intramural sport or something, but I really don’t have the time to do it.” Balance is said to be a catalyst to harmony, and a mind at harmony works a lot better than a mind in chaos. Fall semester should be changed in a way that allows students to use all their potential and work to the best of their abilities. Another problem with the fall semester is that it really gives no time for students to plan a trip back home, other than just a weekend visit. With thanksgiving being so late in the semester that most students have already added homesickness to their list of grievances, this holiday break proves inefficient in helping students that way as well. UCF is the largest school in the state, also ranking in the top five largest in the nation. Administration must take this into consideration and provide UCF students with an earlier opportunity to visit their homes.

The best solution to this problem lies in instituting a fall break. In order for this to be done, students would have to enter school a little earlier, so that halfway through the semester they can have some time off. A week in October would benefit every aspect of the university. Academic achievement would take a turn for the better, health problems would decrease, and student life would be a lot more pleasant. UCF Sophomore Adam Ilter stated “summer is too long. We should start school a week earlier and then be able to have a week off halfway through the term.” Most UCF students agree that something must be done, and most are willing to make this adjustment to the fall schedule so that they may better their college experience.

With fall semester clearly causing some unwanted consequences, something must be done. Students are receiving unnecessary damage in many aspects of their respective lives due to these consequences. A vacation in October would is in my opinion the best solution to this imposing problem. This would allow for all around growth and betterment of the University. I only hope administration will act on behalf of the students and institute such a policy.

Thesis Commentary

Fall Semester: a stress nightmare. Beginning in late August and ending in middle December, fall semester at college brings a lot more than a good time and a lot of tailgates. Stress, health deterioration, and restless minds are just some of the symptoms plaguing great portions of the student body at all times. The intensity and uniformity of these symptoms across the student body seems to be unequally distributed towards fall semester, with the spring term being a lot more “laid back”. In order for anything to be done about this, we must first examine the problems, consequences of these problems, and possible solutions.

Questions Revised

1- Do you feel consistently tired or stressed during portions of the fall semester? Yes

2- Do you feel that you lack the adequate rest to perform at your best during fall semester? Yes

3- How would you feel about beginning the fall semester a week earlier in the summer so that you could have a week off during the semester? Good idea.

4- Do you feel that fall semester is a lot more intense than spring? Yes.

5- What would you have administration do about this matter? Increase the semester by a week so that we may have a week off.

6- How do you know what you know? Experience as a student.

7- Who are you to the subject? A participant.

8- How is this event connected to other events? It’s connected to many aspects of life.

9- What if things were different? Would achieve better grades and health.

10- Why is this important? People’s grades, health, and peace of mind.

Commentary Brainstorm, Explanations, and Questions

1) 1- Propaganda on UCF campus.

2) 2-Shortness in quantity of UCF shuttle routes.

3) 3-Lack of holidays in Fall semesters.

Getting through the student union is a task in itself. “Do you have five minutes to help homeless people?” This was the question I was asked today. I have been asked questions like this on most of the occasions on which I have passed through the union. Whether it is a cause, flyers for a bar, or propaganda for anything else, there is always someone promoting something outside the union. With the union being central to campus, a lot of us pass it daily to get to our different classes. Many times in a rush, we wish we wouldn’t have to deal with these promoters and ralliers.

Arden Villas: A UCF student-based community, yet no shuttle. UCF’s lack of shuttle routes and shuttle consistency makes getting to class for the more environmentally friendly, or even those who just want to save some cash on gas and a parking decal, a hassle. An addition of routes that are street and not neighborhood based would go a long ways to allowing some students to simply walk to the nearest bus route.

Fall semester: my worst nightmare. With thanksgiving being the closest we have to a spring break in the fall, many students begin to feel the fatigue of school way before finals time. If UCF implemented maybe two or three more holidays, students could rest adequately and become more productive. As a matter of fact, two or three days geared towards something like take your dad to school day or other activities would also allow for a light hearted good time, and thus rest.

Five Questions:

1- 1- Why is there a need for a fall brrak?

2- 2- How would a fall break affect student learning?

3- 3- What consequences does a lack of a fall break cause?

4- 4- How could a fall break improve student life?

5- 5- What should UCF do about a fall break?

Final Draft Memoir

“I hate all those sons of bitches”. These are the exact words of my grandfather, when asked about the Colombian resistance guerilla, more formally known as FARC. I can remember hearing these words as far back as I can remember my grandfather, yet I somehow always saw past the initial shock of the cursing to the real meaning and pain behind them. In my mind, my grandfather has always been the poster-child for my family and my country’s history of suffering with this terrorist organization (FARC). The story of murder, robbery, intimidation, and extortion that follows the long trail of tears and blood carved by this organization has more than one time crossed my family’s backyard.

I will begin by giving a brief recap of my family’s history, keeping in mind that this part of the story revolves around my grandfather, Regulo Garcia. My grandfather was the second youngest in his family of nine brothers and sisters. He was born in a small village in the Northern part of the Colombian territory. He was born in the 1930’s, a period when education and order did not reach far outside major city limits in Colombia. He, like the rest of his brothers and family, would become involved in cattle-herding and running the family ranch. The ranch grew with time and other properties were purchased, all in the nearby surrounding regions. As my family gained more land and money, they also gained power and voices in government. One of my grandfather’s older brothers, Marcos Garcia, was elected to the Colombian senate. His political party was in strong opposition of the FARC, and his election happened to coincide with a time when a lot of politicians that went against FARC were being killed. The first part of the events that carved my grandfather’s as well as my own story was the murder of Marcos Garcia while he gave a public speech. He was gunned down by FARC hit men with automatic rifles, shocking not only my family but the whole country as well. The hardest hit went to my grandfather, who had been the closest in age to Marcos and had learned everything he knew from this older brother.

In the process of recovering from his brother Marcos’ death, my grandfather was once again knocked down. His father, my great grandfather, died of natural causes. These two events happened within the same year’s time, taking a heavy toll on my grandfather and permanently scarring him, as would have been the same for anyone else. Now that I am older, I realize that this might have been the reason my grandfather always stressed teaching me to respect, love, and appreciate my parents. Time passed, and my grandfather and his remaining brothers continued to expand their lands and earnings through ranches. They reached four ranches, each with six-hundred plus heads of cattle, a truly extraordinary feat when we realize the country had an economic recession that lasted most of the twentieth century. Their success was the fruit of the dedication that went into these ranches, and what was to happen would shock and devastate my family almost as much as another death would have. Guerrilla troops raided the region where the ranches were and took over the land. They killed the cattle to feed themselves, and used the ranches as places to sleep and meet. My grandfather and his brothers depended on these ranches, which had been the center of their work life. My family attempted to buy the lands back but a history of bad relations with the FARC prevented this from happening. To this day, the lands still have not been returned to my family.

FARC Guerrilla has affected my family on a personal level, my grandfather being part of every emotional hit. All these past events, which occurred long before I was born, have found their way to reach and affect me. I am filled with anger and hate when I hear my grandfather talk about his younger years and how much pain and suffering he experienced, all because of these people. Having lost everything to the FARC, my grandfather is not a man filled with hope. This has affected me because I grew up with the stories, the comments, and the pain left behind by all the acts my grandfather lived through. It is a lot to take in, and it sounds a lot like a story of tragedy we would only see in a movie, but this was my family’s reality. Events like these affect generations to come, and I know my generation in my family has felt the backlash of events that happened years before we were even thought of.

I have an abundant number of memories I can hold responsible for shaping my concept of the politics surrounding the left-wing revolutionary group responsible for so much damage in my grandfather’s life. I can’t assume that had not these events happened my life would’ve been completely different, because things might still have turned out the same, but my grandfather would have definitely lived a happier youth. My family has not dwindled on past events, but the stories and emotions that remained have found their way into every member’s life.

Losses, whether of family members or property, always leave a bitter taste in the affecter’s mouths. In this story, it has been a whole country that has been affected; my family receiving direct blows on many occasions. Every family has a story, and I see my family’s story in my grandfather more than anyone else. How the events he lived through affect me has been obvious to me since I can reason, always carrying a deep respect for my grandfather and a deep resentment for the FARC. Suffering leaves a trail behind it, and when it comes to my family members, I am sure we all walk through this trail with honor and respect, knowing what happened before us and what these events mean to us. Childhood memories are forever, and in my mind, my grandfather’s stories are immortal.

Draft

“I hate all those sons of bitches”. These are the exact words of my grandfather when asked about the Colombian resistance guerilla, more formally known as FARC. I can remember hearing these words as far back as I can remember my grandfather, yet I somehow always saw past the initial shock of the cursing to the real meaning and pain behind them. In my mind, my grandfather has always been the poster-child for my family and my country’s history with this terrorist organization (FARC). The history of murder, robbery, intimidation, and extortion that follow the long trail of tears and blood carved by this organization has more than one time crossed my family’s backyard.

I will begin by giving a brief recap of my family’s history, keeping in mind that this part of the story revolves around my grandfather Regulo Garcia. My grandfather was the second youngest in his family of nine brothers and sisters. He was born in a small village in the Northern part of the Colombian territory. He was born in the 1930’s, a period when education and order did not reach far outside major city limits in Colombia. He, like the rest of his brothers and family, would become involved in cattle-herding, and all involved in running a ranch. The ranch grew with time and other properties were purchased, all in the surrounding regions. As my family gained more and more land and money, they also gained power and voices in government. One of my grandfather’s older brothers, Marcos Garcia, was elected to the Colombian senate. His political party was in strong opposition of the FARC, and his election happened to coincide with a time where a lot of politicians that went against the FARC were being killed. The first part of the events that carved my grandfather’s as well as my own life was the murder of Marcos Garcia while he gave a public speech. He was gunned down by automatic rifles, shocking not only my family but the whole country as well. The hardest hit went to my grandfather, who had been the closest in age to Marcos and had learned everything he knew from this older brother.

In the process of recovering from his brother Marcos’ death, my grandfather was once again knocked down. His father, my great grandfather, died of natural causes. These two events happened within the same year time span, taking a heavy toll on my grandfather and permanently scarring him, as would have been the same for anyone else. Now that I am older, I realize that this might have been the reason my grandfather always taught me to respect, love, and appreciate my parents. Time passed, and my grandfather and his remaining brothers continued to expand their lands and earnings through ranches. They reached four ranches, each with six-hundred plus heads of cattle, a truly extraordinary feat when we realize the country had an economic recession that lasted most of the twentieth century. Their success was the fruit of the dedication that went into these ranches, and what was about to happen would shock and devastate my family almost as much as a death would have. Guerrilla troops raided the region where the ranches were and took over the land. They killed the cattle to feed themselves, and used the ranches as places to sleep and meet. My grandfather and his brothers depended on these ranches, which had been the center of their work life. My family attempted to buy the lands back but a history of bad relations with the FARC prevented this from happening. To this day, the lands still have not been returned to my family.

FARC Guerrilla has affected my family on a personal level, my grandfather receiving every emotional hit. All these past events, which occurred long before I was born, have found their way to reach and affect me. I am filled with anger and hate when I hear my grandfather talk about his younger years and how they were filled with pain and suffering all because of these people. Having lost everything to the FARC, my grandfather is not a man filled with hope. This has affected me because I grew up with the stories, the comments, and the pain left behind by all the acts my grandfather lived through. It is a lot to take in, and it sounds a lot like a story of tragedy we would only see in a movie, but this was my family’s reality. Events like these affect generations to come, and I know my generation in my family has felt the effects of events that happened years before we were even thought of.