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Macey
Hey, everyone. Welcome back to season two of Redlands Rundown. We've missed you guys
over the summertime, and we're super excited to be back. Starting back the school
year this fall. And we've got kind of just a fun episode to welcome everyone back.
Go over some things that are going to be happening on campus as you guys are coming
back and just welcome everyone. So I have with me today, my guest, Dana Hunka, she's
our Assistant Registrar and our Coordinator of Student Activities. So she's got a
lot of fun things to share with you guys, especially all of our new incoming students
that maybe don't know what we have going on on campus, especially that first week
of school. There's a lot of stuff happening, so we'll talk a little bit about that.
We'll go over a few other things happening and then kind of talk about some fun things
around El Reno if you're not familiar to the area. Kind of–Dana is our local, I guess
I consider myself a local at this point. And so we'll, we'll dive into that. But before
we get into the fun stuff, I want to talk about some of the events that we have starting
off. So this coming Saturday on August 15th, we will have new student orientation. I can't remember if you are you going to be there this weekend?
Dana
I don't know if I'm going to be there, but someone will be okay.
Macey
So new student orientation, that is for all of our incoming new students, that have not been with us before.
It's going to be from nine to noon. And if you haven't registered yet and you're still
a new student, you want to attend, you can still do that. The link should be on our
website, and if you need help, just let us know. But I think a few reasons why students
should attend, especially if you've never been to campus before. I'm sure a lot of
you have had tours, but I think it really helps you to get kind of oriented with the
campus. And even if you have been on a tour, you might not remember every-where everything
is at-so it kind of helps you to get acquainted with the campus. But then also there's
going to be a lot of people there that you're going to see throughout the year in
your classes or if you need help, you know, in admissions, I think almost all the
advisors will be there. I'll be there. There will be a lot of different staff and
faculty that'll be there. So it's always great when you have a face to put with a
name.
Dana
I was going to say, it's just kind of great to familiarize yourself with, like the
faces of the staff, coming into the orientation, so-
Macey
Yeah, and then we'll have breakout sessions, so we'll get you a registered, break
everyone out, and then there's a lot of good information that we'll go through in
those breakout sessions. You know, College 101 is one of them. So everything just
very basic: talking to your professors, you know, navigating your student accounts
and then what resources that you have available to you, like our tutoring center,
counseling, things like that. There's a lot of support and resources on campus that
probably a lot of students, don't know about. And I think also, orientation kind of
helps to get over that first day jitters. And you're not only meeting Redlands staff and faculty, you're also seeing your classmates. [Yeah.] And meeting people that maybe you haven't
met yet. So it's a great event. It's one of my favorite times of the year. I'm always
so excited to welcome everyone back to campus. The energy is always really good. We
always have good food. And then also we'll have clubs and resources that'll be set up at tables so you can visit with them and ask them questions. And
that's kind of a way to get your foot in the door and get involved before school even
starts. So, if you haven't registered your new student, I would highly, highly recommend
you to register and attend new student orientation: Saturday, August 15th nine to
noon. Okay. So now I want to talk about the first week of school. Big week on campus.
So classes officially start August 17th that Monday. And I also want to share with our listeners there will be Redlands staff
and faculty in the hallways. We'll have all of our t-shirts on. So you will know who
is staff and faculty. And if you cannot find your classroom, just stop one of us and
ask.
Dana
Yeah, that's what I was going to say. So, for the first week of classes, for Student
Events committee, we're all out in the hallway at all of the events, and we all take
turns, like, taking students to their classes or anywhere they want to go on campus.
We know it can be a little overwhelming, coming in the first day, especially. You
don't know where to go. You don't know how to log in to Self Service. So, I usually
have a laptop set up at the-specially for the first day of events-that way I can help
students look up their schedule and get them printed out for them because typically
they don't know where to go. I think the schedules that they receive don't have the
room locations on them, but we can look up that information for them and help them
locate their classes. So I feel like that helps to kind of eliminate that hurdle for
them. And they're just overwhelmed. [Yeah.] It's a big thing. We understand it's a
big thing and we're excited that they're there. So, I think it helps to kind of like
break that ice-jitters.
Macey
Yeah, absolutely. And also, another thing, everyone can relate to what you're going
through. Like we've all been new students at some point in a new place. And so, I
know it can like, feel hard to ask those questions, but we've all been there, so it's
okay. We're happy to help you. So you mentioned kind of student events. I want to
go into that more because the first week is jam packed with so many fun, exciting
student events. So tell us kind of what you have going on that first week of school.
Dana
So the first week of school for events, we call that Welcome Week. And we do something Monday through Thursday because we don't have classes on Fridays.
So on the first day of classes on Monday, August 17th, we're going to have free donuts
and coffee out in the main hallway in front of Cougar Corner. That'll be from 7:45
to 9 so students can stop by, make them a cup of coffee, and grab some donuts on the
way to class. And then on Tuesday at the 18th, we're going to have energy teas from
a local place here in town called El Reno Social. And then that'll be from 10 to 11:30.
Same location as the donuts. Wednesday, we're going to have bundtinis from Nothing
Bundt Cakes, same location as well. It'll be from 10:30 to noon. And then Thursday,
we have an event that's called Lunch on the Lawn. And it's out in the main lawn in
front of the Ray Porter building. And we're going to be serving free Chick-Fil-A lunches.
And then just to kind of make it fun, because we really like for I just think it's
really cool to like for people to drive by and see students on our front lawn. So,
we'll have some lawn games set up and then like some extra seating that students can
sit out there and eat their lunches. So, and then we'll also be doing some giveaways
each day. So, all students that come to-and you can sign up each day. It doesn't matter
if you came to the event the day before. We'll have some giveaway for like gift cards
and such. And so we encourage everyone to come out and we're not going to charge you
for anything, we get that a lot. Students want to know if like things costing or cost
something for them. And so just to let you know, if you ever see any student event
going on, it is 100% free for students. So we're really excited. We love the first
week of classes and having all the students back on campus.
Macey
Yeah. And for those of you that don't know, Dana is the iced coffee guru. So, if you
don't know how to fix up a good iced coffee, you have come to the right place and
we'll have hot coffee and cold coffee. But we will have all the fixings to make the
best iced coffee. Dare I say, better than Starbucks.
Dana
I missed my calling as a barista.
Macey
Yeah, I think so. Yeah, but it's so good. And it's such a fun time, to have everyone
stop by and kind of visit with the students on their way to class. And so if you give
yourself, I mean, the first week of school, I would I would recommend to anyone to
give themselves some extra time before class starts to come in and park and find your
classroom, you know, and as you're on your way to class, stop by the event, grab something,
ask questions, visit with us because we're excited to meet all of you. And kind of
just start the year back together. So yes, we'll be excited to see all of you guys
back at the Welcome Week events. But student events don't just stop after the first
week. We've got stuff that goes on all year round. So tell us a little bit about what
else they can look for into the Fall semester.
Dana
Okay, so we try to do at least two events every month. As long as time allows for
it, of course, we have to plan around all of our breaks and everything. So, we try
to have a monthly coffee bar. And like I said, that doesn't happen every single month
just because of breaks. So like November and December, we only we aren't able to do
that just because of Thanksgiving and Christmas break. But so far we do have a few
more events planned already for the year. So in mid-September we're going to have
an event that's called Snack Attack and we thought it would be fun instead of having
the students come to us, we thought we would go to them. So we're going to have a
couple of people from the Events committee, and we're going to kind of divide and
conquer, and we're going to go around to the classrooms and give out snacks to the
students in the classroom.
Macey
That'll be so fun.
Dana
So we just thought it was something different. Instead of like having them come to
us, we thought, well, we'll go to them. And that's why we're calling it a Snack Attack.
Not that we're going to attack anyone, but we just thought it was. [So make sure you
go to your class.] Yeah. Make sure you go to your class and we'll bring you-and we
buy good snacks. Like, I always try to buy good stuff. Yeah, that I think that, college
students would like. And then for those that don't know, September 29th is National
Coffee Day, so we're going to do a coffee bar on National Coffee Day and then on the
14th of October: that is going to be our midterm event. We're calling it Fuel for
Finals. And we're going to have lunch that day for students. So, just be on the lookout
for more information about that. And then on the 20th of October, we're going to do
our Halloween coffee bar. So at our Halloween coffee bar, we like to deck it all out
with Halloween decorations and make it fun and festive. And so we'll have all of our
fixings for the coffee. But then we'll also serve up some full-size candy bars. And
that is pretty much all we have planned so far. But we will do something in November.
For Thanksgiving, we usually have-we've done a dinner in the past. Last year, we did
a lunch. I'm not exactly sure what we'll do this year, but we will do something. And
then in December, we always do Christmas cookies and hot cocoa. So, we'll do like
a hot chocolate bar and it's usually like-it's a pretty big hit with students. So,
we'll do that in December as well before Christmas break.
Macey
Awesome. And where can students go to get more information or see all the events as
you guys are adding more kind of to the calendar?
Dana
Okay. Yeah. So we make graphics for every one of our events. Those will be sent out
to your student emails. So everyone make sure you're checking your student email. [Yes, always check your student emails for more than just student events.] But yes,
definitely everything about campus goes to your student email. But, so it'll be in
your student email. It'll also be posted to social media. And then there's actually going to be an events landing page on our website. And so there will be, we will have like little keychains that are
going to be given out at orientation. And there's a QR code on those, and that, if
you scan it, it'll take you directly to the events page. We also will have postcards
made for each of our events, and those will be passed out to all of the apartments
on campus.
Macey
Cool, awesome, awesome. I think that's great. So that way students know how to find
that information. [Yeah.] Cool. Okay, so now that we've talked about all the student
events that students should be looking to attend while they're here, I also want to
talk a little bit about the clubs and organizations that students are, you know, have the opportunity to join, because and that's something
that we've talked about, I think last season is, you know, although we're a community
college and a two-year school, there's still a lot of opportunity to get involved.
So I want to dive into that. Can you share a few clubs or organizations that some
of our students can get involved in?
Dana
Sure. So we have a book club here on campus. The book club is for employees and students.
I know that might intimidate students, but it's a fun club. So all you have to do,
is there's a link on the website that you-it's a GroupMe link-and you just go in there and you sign up, and then the coordinator for the book club
will contact you. I know the book club meets once a month and everyone collectively
decides what book to read, and it's all different genres of books. And then you get
together once a month and you just discuss it. So anyone who loves to read, I really
encourage you to get involved in the book club. Then there's also NASO, which is our
Native American Student Organization, and I just don't feel like this organization
is talked about enough. [I agree.] Yeah. As long as I've worked here, I didn't really
know it existed with you. But, it's recently been taken over by one of our employees,
her name is Julia Woolworth, and she has done a great job with really getting that
up and going. She tries to do events. I don't know that she doesn't once a month,
but she does do them frequently. But I do know she does do meetings once a month and
she provides food. So, I always say if you feed them they will come. So, I know and
she gets good food. So and that's open-the NASO organization is open to any and all
students.
Macey
Yeah I think that's a common misconception. That it's a more closed-off group for
certain students and that is open to anyone.
Dana
It is open to everyone. And so I just encourage everyone to get involved in that.
And Julia has done a really great job getting that going.
Macey
Yes. A few others. We have the BCM, the Baptist Collegiate Ministry. Jay runs that
and he does a fantastic job. And I don't know what all dates that they get together
exactly or days of the week that they get together. But there are several things that
go on throughout the week. And again, there's also food that is [It's good food.]
Yeah, really good food. That's offered throughout the week down there. And it's just
a great time to get together, for fellowship. And I think it's a great, system of
support while you're in college. And I know that that transition from living at home
with your parents and you have constant support to school can be challenging sometimes.
And so I think that that's a great club or group to become a part of, to, to kind
of have that family away from your family. Jay's awesome and he's super uplifting
and supportive of our students, and so I couldn't recommend that enough. And then
I have to plug Aggie Club, of course, for any of our Ag students. That's, that's or
even if you're a non-ag major, but you're interested in agriculture, That's a great
club to get together. We have officers, we do community service, we do fun things,
throughout the year. And so that's another club. But there's lots of things that you
can get involved in-Esports club. We have a student government that's becoming more active. So there's lots of things.
And if you have questions and you're looking for something, just ask, you know, you
could stop in admissions and ask or ask your professors and they'll help connect you
with-But those are a few good examples of ways that you can get involved.
Dana
There's also a list of all of our organizations on our website. So, if you're not
sure, like what all we offer and maybe are a little nervous to go and ask someone,
under the Campus Live tab on the website, there is a link there for all of our organizations
and clubs.
Macey
Yeah. And the last thing that I'll mention, this is probably more so for our students
that are seniors this year, we also have our President's Student Leadership Academy. I think applications are probably closed for this year. You can reach out if you
are still interested. But if you're a senior this year, that's definitely something
to look for. Applications. I can't remember exactly when they open, but they're posted
on our social medias. Usually I think around the Springtime due May, June-ish, but
that is a great opportunity to meet with, I'd say our best students that we have here,
with President Marr, and they do a lot of great leadership and personal growth activities
throughout the year. And so that is a great group to get involved in. So, if you have
more questions about that, just ask somebody. We'll put you in contact. But [They
have a lot of fun though.] they do. They do have a lot of really fun like ropes-They
do the ropes course. They do they do a lot of community service. And I think that's
another thing. If you can get involved in a group that, you know, does something for
the community that's also, really a good feeling to feel like you're, you know, not
only plugged into the school but also your community where you're at. So, yeah, but
if you have questions, reach out. But I would just encourage you if you're interested
in something, even if you go and then you're like, this isn't really my thing. That's
okay. Attend. Try it out. Go with a friend. Encourage your friends to go with you.
Because it's a lot of fun. [Yeah.] And then we also have, outside of clubs, a lot
of good spots on campus to spend time and kind of hang out. One of them, actually,
right by where we're at right now is our, our study rooms. In the LRC building, you can reserve those, at the, I think, online or at the front desk in the library.
But they're awesome too if you need to get away from your apartment or you want to
come over with some of your classmates and study for a test. They're really good spaces.
There's TVs and whiteboards. Totally private, so you can reserve those. So that's
one of the good study spots, I would say on campus. One other good hangout spots.
Dana
I don't-I don't feel like we talk about our Student Center enough. Like, [yeah,] that's
like one of my favorite spots on campus. And I try to have events in there as well.
It's just a really neat place. There's some couches in there. There's a TV in there,
there's tables in there to sit down and eat. If you want to go over there and eat
your lunch, go pick up some lunch at Cougar Corner and then go over there and eat. There's also our Food Pantry is back there. So, that's also free to students. And they have a ton of, like, awesome
resources in our food pantry. There's the Student Dining Room. Students are obviously
free to use that as well, as long as it's not being occupied for something else. So,
I love-I love the Student Center. I just think it's a really neat place for students
to hang out.
Macey
Yeah. And, and you brought up another good thing: The Cougar Corner Cafe. Yeah, there's-We'll
talk about some good spots to eat around El Reno, but we cannot forget Steph's amazing
cooking here on campus. So, I'm sure a lot of our students know, we don't have a meal
plan, but we do have our Cougar Corner Cafe. And so there's breakfast throughout the
week and then lunch specials, and they are so good. [I don't think there's anything
that I don't like.] They are seriously so good. And really affordable too. And you
get a lot of food. So-and then we have an awesome salad bar.
Dana
Awesome. I love the salad bar. [Me too.] I get sad during the summer because we don't
have it, but I do frequent there during the Fall and Spring semester. There's also
lots of snacks and drinks and stuff that they keep stocked up in the Cougar Corner
as well. So, definitely stop by there and check it out.
Macey
Yes. So those are some good spots kind of around campus. What advice do you think
that you might share with students as we get started? I know we've talked about a
lot of different opportunities, clubs, events, but what advice would you share for
them to, to get involved that first couple weeks of school?
Dana
I think just show up. Like, I know it's so intimidating coming into a new school,
especially if you're not familiar with the area. Maybe you're coming here and you
don't have any friends. The easiest way to make friends is just to show up, get outside
of your dorm. Get outside the classroom. Don't recluse yourself and just get out there
and get involved in a club or organization. We, like, spark up a lot of conversation
with students at our events. You know, they come and ask us, like, unrelated questions
to the event. Specifically, you know, I remember having a conversation with a student
about Financial Aid. And, you know, we may not be able to answer your question directly,
but we can definitely get you to the person that can. So, it's just like developing
those connections. And a lot of times when you're coming to an event, they might go
and gather in a commons area and then there's a way you can meet some new friends
and make the connections that way.
Macey
Yeah, I would totally agree with that. Just go. Even if it's something that's out
of your comfort zone or you think you maybe you're not interested in it, just, just
go. You never know what you're going to discover, who you're going to meet. Even on
our little campus here, there's a lot. There's a lot that goes on and a lot of opportunity
to network and meet people. One other thing that I want to throw in there, and a lot
of our students that live on campus are on a competitive team. But I would encourage
our students to attend our sporting events and our competitive events. So, those are typically on our calendar or events calendar
on our website. But I would really encourage our students to go to the baseball games.
The basketball games. There's lots of events that you can go to, to support your fellow
classmates and also, you know, kind of develop a relationship with students on other
teams because I know within the different groups and teams and clubs, you guys become
good friends with each other. But I think it's awesome when you expand your network
even further where you have, you know, classmates and friends from other groups and
other teams that are showing up to support you. And so I would encourage our students
to attend those also.
Dana
I was also going to mention that our basketball games, our home basketball games,
we do have a concession stand. So, I was working in the concession stand one night
and at one of the basketball games, and I saw, I don't know if it was the whole baseball
team, but it was a good chunk of them, and it was just really cool to kind of see
them all coming in and like supporting one another and supporting another team on
campus. So yeah, I agree. Like, just show up for each other and, come out to the games.
Yeah.
Macey
Yeah. And there are a lot of fun.
Dana
They really are. Yeah.
Macey
Yeah. Awesome. Okay, so now that we've kind of talked about things on campus, teams,
groups, events, I want to talk about fun spots around El Reno, our favorite places
in El Reno. So first, I want to talk about food. [We love food.] Yes, we do. We run
into each other at our favorite spots a lot. So, I'm going to let you start and share
some of your favorite places in El Reno to go eat.
Dana
Okay. My number one place is Tequila Plata. It's a local Mexican food restaurant. It is very affordable. It's-You very rarely
have to wait for a table. If you have to wait, It's not for too long. The staff is
so nice there, and the food is amazing. I love it. It's right down the road from Redlands.
It's easy to get to. It's right off the highway. So that is like probably one of my
number one like food places to go to in town, as far as sit-down goes. Obviously Starbucks.
I love going to Starbucks. Iron Tree is another good one.
Macey
Yeah. And both of those are good spots. Especially, Iron Tree I will say, and Starbucks too. But those two are really good. If you want to go in
and sit down, like with your laptop or your textbook and study for a while. I'm back
in school working on a degree right now, and so I like to just go sit in Iron Tree
sometimes and get a coffee. It's really good vibes. And it's just a local, you know,
business that you can support. And it's really good. And there's some kind of snacking
and food stuff. And then they'll do like things throughout the week. There will be
live music, stuff like that.
Dana
So, I was going to say, if you follow their Facebook page, they update their page
quite frequently and they do a lot of different types of events there. It's not just
coffee. They do things in the evenings and on the weekends. I know they have live
music there sometimes and they've done like family-oriented things. I've gone there
with my family before because they keep like a stock of board games. And so we've
gone there before and gotten coffee at night and played a board game. And so it's
just a fun, like, low-key place to hang out here in town.
Macey
Yeah, absolutely. So a couple of my favorite places to eat. Also for sushi: Ume, which is right off of the interstate. It's on Country Club, down by the Walgreens.
It is so good. And I have to say, you've got to get the El Reno roll. That is my number
one recommendation, if you like sushi. If you don't like sushi, the hibachi is really
good too. [Yeah.] But it's super good. And then, Pizza Xpress. Whenever I do not want to cook, I will order a cauliflower crust pizza with pepperoni
and hot honey. And it is so good. Their calzones are really good. [Their salad bar
is amazing.] Yeah. So Pizza Express is awesome. And then Pecina's, also another Mexican joint that's really good. Everyone loves the queso there. And
then if you've never been to El Reno, it-our locals know we are famous for the onion
burger. And there's lots of spots where you can get onion burgers: Sid's, Johnnie's, Robert's. Am I missing any? Those are kind of the main ones. [I think those are the main ones.]
Yeah. Jobe's? [Yes.] So those are a couple of spots where you can go. But if you've never had
an onion burger, you need to get an onion burger. They're really good. Yes. So those
are a few of our favorite places. Tooters.
Dana
Tooters is a good one. So, Tooters is really unique to El Reno. I remember when I first moved
here, I'm like, what is this place and why is it called Tooters? But it's a really
cool place that you just drive up to. It's like a drive-thru convenience store slash,
like, fast food because they do have, like, some food there. Like, you can go and
get breakfast, lunch, I think they have coffee, fountain drinks, snow cones. I've
gone there before and bought, like, a gallon of milk. I've even bought, like, a book
of stamps there before. [Yeah.] Like just random things. They also have a Facebook
page, that you can follow on there as well. So it's a really neat, unique place to
El Reno.
Macey
Yeah. I remember, when I moved in to my dorms here when I was going to Redlands, I
think that was the first place that I went. Me and a few friends loaded up and we
went to Tooters and we got chicken strips and mac and cheese. And it was-it was really
good. [Their egg rolls are really good too.] Yeah. So, so those are some of our top
spots that that I would recommend students to go to for, for a bite to eat. And I
love that we're close to Yukon and the city and there's lots of good spots, but if
you're not eating in El Reno some, you're missing out. [Yeah.] So now that we've went
over food, I want to talk about places to hang out and fun things to do around El
Reno. So tell us some of your favorite spots to go with your family?
Dana
So, a lot of people don't know we have a golf course here. It's on the, like, around the lake. [Yeah, and it's really pretty.] It's really
pretty out there. We also have, like, a lot of fun parks to go to. Legion Park is a good park. It's kind of right in the middle of El Reno,
right down the road from Redlands. There's a place, like, there's, like, a trail around
it that you can go walk around. Some benches you could sit down on. Obviously, downtown
El Reno is a fun place to walk around. You can go visit some of the local shops here
in town and some boutiques. And so I think it's just, I don't know, like, El Reno
is just kind of like a unique, quaint little town. Just to kind of go walk around
and just explore what we have here. And so-
Macey
Yeah, I agree. A couple of my favorite spots, we usually do a back-to-school get together
at the bowling alley with all of our, Aggie, our Ag students. But I love going to
the bowling alley. [Oh, yeah.] And then in the past, I have had students on our judging
team that will go to the sand volleyball pit at the lake, but they'll play sand volleyball
all night long, basically. And so those are a couple other spots to go. And then,
if you are not local to El Reno, I would also go to the Filling Station. That is a really cool spot that they've kind of redone. And it's a Visitor Center
because we get a lot of people that are like traveling on Route 66. And so, they always
have like some old cars on display there. And there's a lot of, you know, information
about the history of El Reno. And so that's a cool spot to go if you, if you've never
been.
Dana
It's a good photo op as well. [Yes.] I love the mural and stuff they have over there.
And they have a lot of fun places to go and take pictures.
Macey
Yes. Yeah, it is awesome. Okay, so one of the last things I want to talk about is
Oklahoma weather. This is especially for our non-local students. If you're not from
the area, weather can get kind of crazy. And it probably will, but it's okay. The
sirens are probably going to go off at some point while you're here. You do not need
to panic. There are lots of safe spots and fun fact if you don't know. To kind of
give some credentials on our crazy weather: part of the new Twisters movie was filmed
in downtown El Reno. The scene with the, trolley flipping over and them in the theater
that's downtown El Reno. But, all that to say, if you're on campus and we have weather,
we, we are usually pretty weather aware. So, if there's something or a chance we're
probably going to cancel events, cancel class, you know, competitive events, so everyone
can be in a safe place. And then there's lots of safe places around campus, at the
apartments, I know, like, the laundry room that kind of serves as the shelter. If
you're here in the classroom buildings in Ray Porter, there's actually a basement.
So we can go downstairs in there. But also, the El Reno public schools opens up a
lot of public shelters. So if you're out and about with friends or you just want somewhere
to go, they open up. I think there's like, four different spots.
Dana
There at all of the schools. [Yeah.] They do open them up to the public, as long as
it's not during school hours, but I will say, like, Redlands is just so good about
keeping our safety first for students and employees. They're really good about closing,
and that way we can get to where we need to go. And we are-we're just fortunate that
we do have places here on campus that we can go to in those events, as well. So, don't
let the weather intimidate you. I know Oklahoma has a really, really bad rep for tornadoes.
I think I know we've had the biggest tornado here, and I feel like that's what we're
known for. But like, I've lived here for almost 14 years and that's happened like
once or twice. Like, I know that sounds terrible, but it-really it sounds scarier
than it really is. They typically go all around us, so [Yeah.] don't let that intimidate
you. So, yeah.
Macey
That's supposed to be just peace of mind for you guys to know that there's-we will-we
will be very careful with, with all that. Okay. So as we wrap up, I just want to share
kind of some key tips that I would recommend for our new students and for our returning
students too, to set yourself up for success as we go into the new semester. And I
think we talked about this in the last season, but I think it's always good to go
over just ways that you can, you know, help to start off on the right foot. One thing
that I will say, especially that I tell a lot of our Ag students, is you are a student
first. I know it's easy to get caught up if you're, especially if you're on a team
or there's other things going on. You know, your job while you're in college really
is to be a student. And so that's you-you just have to make sure that you're keeping
your priorities straight where you're spending your time. And that goes into your
time management and making sure you give yourself enough time for assignments and
tasks and things like that. And I like a physical planner. I don't know if you're
a digital planner, a physical planner kind of person, but I think also just having
a place, whether that's in your phone calendar or having a physical calendar where
you keep track of assignments or practices or things like that, where you know what's
coming up that can really help to keep you organize and keep you on track as we start
off the semester. What advice would you share?
Dana
I was just going to piggyback off of what you just said. So, I graduated from college
just a few years ago. And I think there's a misconception about, like, how to be a
successful college student. It-I mean, obviously, being book smart does play a little
bit of part in it, but really, the most important key to like being a successful college
student is discipline. So, like what Macy's saying, as long as you're organized and
you can manage your time well, and get your assignments done, like you should have
no problem. So, I just feel like discipline is a big, big key. And once you have mastered
those keys, then you really shouldn't have any problem in college.
Macey
Yeah, absolutely. The other thing I would say is communication is really important
too, you know, if you're going to miss class, which, you know, you should be going
to class, I'm not going to say I was perfect when I was in school. I, I probably missed
class a few times when I should have been there, but, you know, really try to be proactive
in your communication with your professors. If you are going to be gone: make sure
you tell them, and communicate that with them, because they are probably going to
be much more willing to work with you if they know ahead of time rather than, you
know, they show up to class and I'm like, where is so-and-so? And then, you know,
find out about it later on. And so just communicate with your professors. If you're
going to be gone, let them know. And then also, even if you're in an online class,
because we have a lot of students that live on campus that take online classes, you
can still visit with those professors if they're full-time faculty here on campus.
I would encourage you to stop by their, their office hours and meet them, ask them
questions. And that's another thing: if you're struggling in a class, communicate
with that professor and don't wait too long. You know, our professors are happy to
help. There was many times that I spent a lot of time in professor's offices getting
help with my math classes and my science classes because I needed some extra support,
and they were happy to help me.
Dana
And side note: they want you to succeed too. [Yeah. Everyone wants you to do well.]
When you succeed, they succeed. [Yeah.] So, like I, I agree. Like just communicating
with them ahead of time. Let them-letting them know you're struggling. Like, some
communication is better than none, so, definitely.
Macey
Yeah. Awesome. So I think those are a couple good nuggets of advice. Is there anything
else that you would share with them?
Dana
No, I think we covered it.
Macey
Okay. Yeah. But I'm really excited about this semester. I'm so glad that we're back
for season two. We've got some awesome episodes that we're going to be releasing this
year and some really fun guests on here. And so if you don't subscribe, make sure
you subscribe to Redlands Rundown wherever you watch your podcast. We're so excited
to have all of our students back. We wish everyone a great semester and we will see
you guys next time. Bye.
