Queens: In a Nutshell

     Queens University is a small (very small) private school located in a residential neighborhood in beautiful Charlotte, NC. You may never have heard about it before, but I can tell you that it truly is a gem among the rubble. Our motto “Non ministrari sed ministrare” means “Not to be served but to serve”. After being a student of Queens University for two and a half years, I can safely say that our motto is not just talk.

     I could go on and on about the statistics and courses available at Queens, but this post (and the corresponding video) are going to go beyond that and give you an insiders look at what it is like to go to Queens.

Full yr of work!

     Let’s begin with the Academics. Since the student body is so small, most classes will have at maximum of about 32 students. I love this aspect. Small classes allow me to connect with my fellow classmates as well as with my professors. The course work is strenuous but worth it. Students and professors are dedicated to the advancement of knowledge in every department. The essays, projects, exams and readings are all worth it when you think about the incredible education you are being given.

      Next, I want to talk about the School itself. Queens is beautiful. The campus is small, but rich with history; extraordinary architecture and plenty of lovely landscaping make it a breath taking location. Our faculty work to make the school as appealing to students as possible. Sometimes I’m shocked at how involved our faculty and student government are in ensuring our happiness. There is always some event going on, a movie playing in Rex’s Lair, a surprise on the cafeteria tables etc. It is clear that traditions (like our Boar’s Head Dinner) are important at Queens and it is refreshing to see that the traditions established in 1857 are still seen today. With just as much enthusiasm, I might add.

     Finally, I want to talk about the student body. At whatever University you attend you will make friends, go out and party and have those late night study sessions. But at Queens, you not only do these things, but also create true bonds with the people around you. I have met so many interesting and unique people at Queens that I hardly know where to begin. The fact is, that everyone here embodies the values of the University. It is wonderful to find such a close-knit student body and I truly look forward to the next year and a half at this prestigious University. THRIVE.

 

I hope you have enjoyed this Blog series and I wish you all the best. Merry Christmas!

Xoxo

-Jenna Buthman

Oppan Gangnam Style

Oppan Gangnam Style

Gangnam Style

Op op op op oppan Gangnam Style

Gangnam Style

Op op op op oppan Gangnam Style

At first glance you might not recognize these lyrics but after reading them over a second time most would recognize the you tube phenomenon Gangnam style.  South Korean rapper Psy who’s real name is Park Jae-Sang video is now known all across the world.  In October it became the first Korean song ever to top the official UK pop chart.  It was ranked second in the USA behind maroon 5’s one more night. 

        

Psy’s Gangnam style has become the most watched video on you tube.  The Gangnam style video has 2,234,180 views.  This beats LMFAO’S 1,574,963 AND Justin Bieber’s 1,327,427. 

         Gangnam Style has also become popular among celebrities.  Ellen DeGeneres had Psy on her show.  Once on the show Psy taught Ellen and Britney Spears how to do Gangnam Style.  Heidi Klum performed a dance with Psy to Gangnam style during the MTV Europe Music Awards.  And Madona invited him on stage during her tour to dance to the song along with her.

         Psy attended Boston’s Berklee College of Music and grew up near Gangnam South Korea.  When translated Gangnam style is a song about the kind of girl Psy is looking for.  He also describes the kind of guy he is in a verse.  Some of my favorite verses are listed below.

A girl who looks quiet but plays when she plays
A girl who puts her hair down when the right time comes
A girl who covers herself but is more sexy than a girl who bares it all
A sensible girl like that

I’m a guy
A guy who seems calm but plays when he plays
A guy who goes completely crazy when the right time comes
A guy who has bulging ideas rather than muscles
That kind of guy

-Anna Kirwan 

Thanksgiving Nerf War

Every family has their favorite holiday traditions, and mine occurs on Thanksgiving.   The tradition I love is the annual thanksgiving nerf gun war.  I am the oldest of 11 grandchildren so the nerf war is taken very seriously.  I have always enjoyed the thanksgiving nerf war and even though I’m older I still participate.  The rules for the nerf war are simple.  We run around and shoot each other and if you’re shot three times you have to return to base.  You’re not supposed to aim to hit above the neck but sometimes it happens which is never good.  Then we all go into the paddock with some woods in it and separate out the teams by boys versus girls.

 Except for Henry who was ok with playing on the girls team in order to even out the numbers.  

    

Everyone seems to have their own fight tactic.  It was funny to watch my cousin Jack use a large log as a bunker.  He would hide behind the log and shoot people as they ran by.  The little girls continued to get distracted by the pony’s but helped out as much as they could.  Fortunately there were no fatality’s and only one injury.  Henry was shooting at his brother Jamie who was above him in a tree.  Henry couldn’t hit Jamie but Jamie managed to plant a foam bullet right in Henry’s eye.  Henry crashed to the ground wailing holding his hand over his eye.  “It just hurts so much I feel like my eye is about to burst”, he kept screaming.  Being the only form of adult supervision I went to help Henry who said that he was done with the nerf war.  Henry and I walked back to the farmhouse where my grandma gave him a big slice of pumpkin pie.  He was so excited when he got the pie.  “Pumpkin pie just goes really really fast in my house” he said as he was wolfing it down. 

I consider the thanksgiving nerf war a success, because the only injured soldier was instantly cured with a slice of pumpkin pie. 

-Anna 

Speed Bumps in the Parking Deck

     Being a student at Queens University of Charlotte during the time of the remodeling has become a great experience. I have seen the new science building, bits and pieces of the Levine Center and the South dorm/parking deck. I have given Queens a lot of credit because of all the new surroundings on the campus, until they decided to put speed bumps in the parking deck.  The speed bumps they put on the road heading to the parking deck were already enough. I understand speed bumps are supposed to slow cars down but the speed bumps in the parking deck and heading towards the parking deck are basically all metal. These metal speed bumps cause damage to my vehicle every time I go over one. I feel like if I’m not going two miles per hour over these speed bumps my car will literally fall apart. If I am going anything above that my whole car shakes and being a person that takes care of their belongings, I never will…ANYMORE.

I don’t speed over these metal speed bumps anymore but most Queens’s students still do. The fact that speed bumps are in the parking deck makes them mad. I have heard many students talking about how hard they are and why they have speed bumps basically in the middle of parking spaces. Too park in parking spots and back out of parking spots near speed bumps is a horrible feeling. Speed bumps have their pros and cons but in this situation I feel like they should be taken away.  Students are going to speed around the corners no matter what and I know that’s the main reason for these speed bumps in the parking deck. Queens University of Charlotte has made some good decisions but placing speed bumps in the deck was a horrible decision.

Antonio Stabler 

Airport Fun

Tomorrow I am flying home for the weekend. I really enjoy flying. That’s probably kinda weird, I know, but it’s relaxing to me.  The idea of going somewhere different and new is exciting, even if it’s home.

From the start, when I go through security and pass the annoying TSA security checker its like a new world; a world where everyone is rushing, to be early, because they’re late, or because they’re so busy. 

I like people watching at airports. I buy a coffee if its morning, or a beer or cocktail if it’s the evening, and sit at the bar facing the concourse and watch the people pass by. People at airports dress in extremes; they either dress really badly or to the nines. I like watching the people dressed poorly the most. If they’re American, they are probably wearing white New Balance sneakers, badly fitting jeans, and a T-shirt that says something like “I survived the Grand Caynon” or “The Florida Keys: A small fishing village with a big drinking problem.” Bad shirts like that. If they’re foreign, they’re most likely wearing a velvet sweatsuit or Ed Hardy like clothes.

Besides people watching I like being at the airport because it gives me time to think. When I travel alone, I have plenty of time to sit and reflect on where I’m going and where I’m coming from, both figuratively and quite literally. It’s an interesting perspective. There are most likely positives and negatives to where you’re going and where you’re coming from. 

This weekend when I’m traveling, I’ll have plenty of time to people watch and think. I recommend that next time you fly, which might be over Christmas break, that you take the time to try to enjoy the experience at the airport. Watch people, reflect, and most of all, where ever your’re going, DON’T BUY A TACKY T-SHIRT!


-Calvin Lescault 

An Alternative Thanksgiving Break

Over Thanksgiving break most people go home to see their families. It’s a time of relaxation, food, family, friends, et cetra. This thanksgiving however, I decided to do something different. I went to New Orleans with Queens on a service project.

There were seventeen other Queens students who decided to experience this alternative Thanksgiving break. Some students were international, and couldn’t have gone home even if they didn’t go on the trip. Others had been every year they had been at Queens. For me, and most of the other students, this was our first Thanksgiving away from home.

It turned out to be one of the best Thanksgivings for all of us. The service trip works with a group in New Orleans called the St. Bernard Project. They rebuild houses that were destroyed in Hurricane Katrina seven years ago. Yeah, there are still families that haven’t moved back home since 2004. That was eye opening to us too.

We were split in to groups at different work sites. At my worksite, we put drywall up in almost every room of the families house. It was a very rewarding feeling. We accomplished so much the week we were there, that the worksite supervisor now felt that the family would be able to move back in by Christmas.

Besides the work we did, we cooked dinner every night and ate together, family style. The group that I went down with really did become family. We bonded together so well, the group couldn’t have been better picked. We hung out every night in the living room, playing cards, or talking, just sharing life with each other. 

By the time the week was over, and we were packing back up the van, no one wanted to go back to Charlotte (no offense Queens friends). The trip was so great, we really did leave a part of ourselves in NOLA. We all want to back and help some more. It was a great way to spend Thanksgiving break and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. 

-Calvin Lescault

The Travel Bug

The travel bug. You know that feeling you get when you’ve been in one place too long and are ready to go somewhere new? Yeah, me too, cause I’ve got it.

Last fall, my junior year, I did an independent semester abroad and lived in Florence, Italy. While I was there I only had class Monday through Thursday, so every three day weekend I would travel. Over my semester I traveled extensively throughout Italy, to Slovenia, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain twice, and to the Vatican.

I was constantly in a new place, whether that was exploring Florence, or literally hopping off a train in a new city and wandering for a weekend, I was traveling!

Then, last May, I went on JBIP with Queens.  My trip was originally supposed to go to Israel, but as the trip got closer, Queens felt that it was too dangerous to send students there. Instead we went to Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Croatia. I had no expectations for this trip because it was thrown together and I wasn’t familiar with those countries. But I was traveling! That’s all I wanted to be doing.

We arrived and in the cities we visited were beautiful and different. It was a Muslim based culture, and not a Christian. It was great to experience new cultural diversity. It was also tragic, as Bosnia had not yet recovered from a terrible war in the 1990’s.

After JBIP, a friend and I extended our travels to Germany (again), Austria (again), and Switzerland. All the new cities we visited were wonderful. We couch surfed in Zurich, Switzerland, which meant we emailed a local resident and asked if we could sleep on his couch for free. It’s a great social media site and we still keep in touch with our host today.

Needless to say, my last calendar year has been full of traveling. Now I am 6 months removed from my last trip and I am restless and ready to move again. I would appreciate if anyone would consider donating to the Calvin Travel fund (haha only kidding), or recommend a new place to visit!







-Calvin Lescault

A State of Trance

 

     Music. It’s the first thing I turn on in the mornings, it’s the first thing I turn on in my car, it’s even on right now as I type this. However, my preference in music might be a little different than most people. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate on any other style of music; it’s expression and everyone should have that. I’ve been listening to trance, progressive, vocal trance, drum & bass, electronic, etc. All of these sub-genres would fall under Electronic Dance Music, EDM. No, I don’t listen to dubstep. Please don’t mistake dubstep for any of the genres previously listed. I’m not hating on dubstep, I just don’t like how a lot of people mistake it for some other genre - as they all have their own style. Some of the artists I admire are: Above & Beyond, Armin Van Buuren, Super8 & Tab, ATB, Gareth Emery, Sander Van Doorn, Markus Schulz, Mat Zo, and the list could go on including record labels such as: Anjunabeats, which is owned by Above & Beyond, they tend to sign some truly talented artists, Armada, owned by Armin Van Buuren, he also signs some truly amazing artists, also Adrian Raz Recordings, Kontor Records, Euphonic Records, etc.

     Now this passion for EDM music has recently got me into DJ’ing. I thought to myself, if I have a passion for the music I should learn how to DJ. Starting early this year I went all out. I bought Virtual DJ PRO for my mac; virtual DJ in my opinion is one of the better interfaces to use to DJ with. I also started with a small mixer by Numark DJ2GO but recently upgraded since I started to get better to Numark Mixtrack PRO with a built in sound card, enabling me to plug my speakers and headphones into it. I also purchased monitors (speakers) recently; I went with a brand called KRK. From them I purchased two six-inch powered 2-way monitors. It would have been nice to purchase larger ones but I’ve already received some noise complaints at my apartment. Which is okay because I generally play at a few of my friend’s houses. I had headphones at one point in time, they weren’t the best but I’m saving my cash to purchase headphones by Sennheiser. I didn’t really realize how expensive some of this equipment could cost, especially some of the high-end turntables, those are outrageous - maybe one day but for now I’ll settle for the amazing equipment I already have. It feels great to DJ because how how I can create sets to play, knowing what sounds good, challenging myself to get better is always fun too. There is almost a science behind knowing how to mix and what sounds good together, mix-matching tracks running with the same ‘minor’ and then not with the same ‘minor’. All-in-all I love to play the music I have had a passion for ever since I could even remember listening to music!

Look for a video soon...!!!

Krisztian Martin 

When car shopping...

Welcome back and thank you for minding us, even though we’ve explicitly told you not to in the title of this page.  I’ve recently found myself browsing the Internet, sifting through thousands of listings of automobiles up for sale.  One thing you will not find a shortage of when shopping for cars is options.  This however, can be a good and bad thing.  I’ve decided to share with you a few of my personal tricks to narrowing down the abundance of listings.

First, you should have an idea of what you’re looking for.  I like to think of myself as pretty well informed about most of the cars that are on the street today, so for me this might be a little easier than it is for you.  I recommend that you browse all different types of cars when you begin shopping to get a general idea for the type of vehicle you’re looking for.  Once you know whether you’re looking for a car, truck, suv, coupe or sedan you should then start narrowing down the make and models.

Second, narrow it down.  Once you can identify what style you’re interested in the process becomes a bit easier.  I personally, will never buy a coupe because I can’t stand trying to squeeze people in tiny backseats and having to readjust the driver’s seat each and every time.  By narrowing down the style you get a bit closer to that “perfect fit” for you.  Once you’ve got an idea that you’ll never get a coupe and are in the market for a sedan, then it’s time to start really researching different make and models.

            Next step, do you’re research.  The most important thing you can do when shopping for a car, is to arm yourself with knowledge before you step foot on a sales lot.  A car salesman is like a shark, and when someone steps onto their lot with no idea as to what each vehicle has to offer, they smell the blood in the water.  At this point you should have compared several comparable make and models to see which ones offer the features that you’re looking for.  You shouldn’t need to talk to that pesky salesman unless you’re asking for the keys to take it for a spin or to say “I’ll take it!” 

            Last but definitely not least, take it for a spin.  While you should have a pretty good idea as to what car is right for you by doing your research, the only way to know which one is right for you is to drive it.  I firmly believe that you’ll know the right one before you get it off of the lot on your test-drive, you’ll know it’s the one as soon as your foot hits the gas pedal.  If you don’t feel like you’re at home when you hit that pedal, you should keep looking. 

            Cars are a huge investment, and most of us plan to keep them for quite some time.  Choosing a car isn’t a quick decision; it should take some delicate thought before you sit down to sign off on it.  Take a few test-drives, and don’t be afraid to test out a few cars that you may not even be considering purchasing just to see what’s out there, or just to see why that sticker price is so outrageously extravagant.  The most important advice I can give you is to relax, and enjoy the car buying experience.  Take you’re time, move at your own pace, and don’t settle on anything that isn’t up to your liking.

Jeremy Bugbee