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Why You Should Visit Historic St. Mary’s City

You would think that having a historic site right across the street from campus would encourage St. Mary’s students to frequent the city. Surprisingly, HSMC doesn’t get many college students. So this article is going to highlight some of the events HSMC hosts, and hopefully you’ll realize how cool our neighbors really are.

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Last weekend HSMC hosted the Haunted Ship where families came to get their faces painted, create several different crafts and were able to go aboard The Dove. Everyone was encouraged to dress up in their best Halloween costumes and bring a bucket for candy. This event drew in over 700 people and was the biggest event of the year for Historic St. Mary’s.

This past Saturday was a great day filled with events that catered to interests across a broad range of topics. Throughout the day was Saturdays in the City, where there were all kinds of demonstrations and lessons. The day started off an explanation of how the Natives in this area created clothes from deerskin (fun fact: brains were a major ingredient).

After that was a demonstration of a working printing press. This press was used for mostly boring stuff, like important government documents.

Then the most exciting part had to be when they shot a cannon from The Dove. Before that happened though, we all took a tour of the ship and got a history lesson on merchant ships in general, which The Dove was, and how they would use their cannons (not for attacking).

The last out of the four big events was down at the plantation. There we were given a tour and along the way learned about some superstitions from the era and how to ward off witches. Also, if you ever want to make your apples trees give fruit, then make sure you put some bread soaked in cider on the tree then bang some pots and pans together.

Later that night was the Second Annual Lady Baltimore Ball, a benefit event to raise money for the museum’s research and education programs. This event is great for adults who want to dress up in costumes and go to a fancy party with fancy food. There was a DJ playing all of the hits, and party favors given out to each guest. img_9735-1 img_9755-1

Overall, Historic St. Mary’s has a wide variety of events for everyone, ranging from family friendly, to adults only. Of course every event is sprinkled with history, but that’s what make it so great. They make learning fun and interactive, and you’ll always leave with a new bit of knowledge. So make sure you come to visit, whether it be a spontaneous trip, or for a planned event. I guarantee this place will have something for you.

Follow HSMC on Facebook (where they have all of their events listed) or on Instagram @historicstmarys

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Wednesday, October 26th Print Editions of The Point News

It is Wednesday, that means the October 26, 2016 print copies are here! Issues are currently scattered around campus. Pick one up from any campus building. If you can not find our drop-off location near you, or would like to request the paper be delivered to a specific spot, please email Scott at Managingeditor@thepointnews.com. For those off St. Mary’s College of Maryland campus, or unable to access copies of The Point News for any reason, articles are available online, and a PDF of the Newspaper can be accessed by clicking the link below.

PDF of Volume 77, Issue 3

Corrections: In the Article SGA Elections: Resolution Reached in Yik Yak Decision  Schaefer Hall is misspelled as “Schaffer Hall.” Also, in the same article, Grayson McNew also ran for the position of Senate Leader. The article about service and social change was written by Zach Stauffer, not George Kempf.

We apologies for these errors.

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Right to The Point: Tuesday, October 25th, 2016

28th

The last day you can change your major or minor or submit a request to change advisers before advising week.

15:30

Is the time you should be at the soccer field Wed. Oct. 26 to support the men’s soccer team as they take on York.

2

Two as in, Chopin the Revolutionary, Part 2 will take place on Nov. 1 at noon in St. Mary’s Hall. Brian Ganz will be examining what makes Chopin’s nocturnes the “greatest ever composed for the piano.”

2

Days until the third edition of The Point News is distributed! Until then, check out the new articles posted on the website and let us know what you think in the comments.

4

Days until SMCM Men’s and Women’s Swimming has their first swim meet of the 2016-2017 season against Marymount at 1pm.

20

Dollars, the cost of getting a flu shot at the upcoming flu shot clinic this Wednesday between 3 and 6pm at DPC.

Note: This is a experimental article type. The Point News is attempting to provide more frequent updates on campus events. This is a style of reporting inspired by 538 Significant Figures. We are using their idea with their permission. For updates on world events please check out Walter Hickey’s Significant Figures. If you have any feedback, or ideas for “Right to the Point” please send them to Scott at managingeditor@thepointnews.com.

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BSU and ASA First Homecoming Event: Upcoming on November 12th

The homecoming event hosted by the Black Student Union (BSU) and African Student Association (ASA) will be on Saturday, November 12th from 9pm until 12am in Daugherty-Palmer Commons (DPC). They will be selling tickets during lunch in front of the great room. The ticket prices are $7 each for St. Mary’s students, $12 for 2 tickets, $5 for volunteers and $10 for guests. Be sure to bring your ID to be admitted as a St. Mary’s student.

The theme this year will be 90’s vs. Afrocentric style. Attendees are strongly encouraged to wear African print or popular fashion clothes from the 90s. The music will include hip-hop, reggae, afrobeats, soca, and dancehall. This will be the first year the two clubs will host the event, and they are hoping for a great turnout. Please come out and support both clubs!

Crystal Worrell, BSU president explains, “It will be a fun filled nights with lots of dancing and food celebrating and showing appreciation for black and African culture!” Kebron Negesse, ASA vice president added, “It is going to be a celebration of black culture such as clothing, dance, music, and food.”

If you would like to volunteer contact Crystal Worrell at cworrell@smcm.edu. Responsibilities will include keeping watch of all exits, helping set up and break down, and making sure students get home and feel safe during the event.

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AVATAR Preview: Fall Edition

AVATAR Literary Magazine is currently reviewing the submissions they received for the fall edition of the magazine. In addition to prose and poetry submissions, artwork and photography are also accepted. The student board meets weekly to review and discuss the submissions. During meetings, board members assess and discuss each submission with the help of Oreos – a long-standing tradition for the club.

Club member Nicole Hylton, class of ’17, enjoys being a part of the club. “AVATAR is really fun; it’s a cool group of people. I like seeing what students are writing. I’m always surprised by the quality of submissions we receive.” Even though she first joined last semester, Hylton “enjoyed it so much I wish I’d joined earlier.”

The AVATAR Club is one of the oldest clubs on campus. The first edition of the magazine was published in 1971, thus commencing years of spreading students’ work around campus. The fall edition began as a preview of the spring edition, only featuring a select few works. Club president Addie Schlussel, class of ’17, says that now, however, “the fall edition is a full magazine in its own right.” The highly-anticipated magazine is printed every semester, each edition using a different piece of student artwork for the cover.

Board members vote on whether or not they think the piece should be entered into the semester’s magazine, then compile a list of pieces that will be accepted. After careful consideration of each piece, the magazine is assembled and released to the community. Schlussel says that “we’re planning to release the magazine during the last week of classes, specifically Thursday, Dec. 8 at 4:30 p.m. in Boyden Gallery.”

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Service and Social Change: Stuff the Pantry

The St. Mary’s College of Maryland’s food pantry was established in Spring 2014.  It is located in Campus Center room 146, which doubles as the “commuter kitchen.”  The food pantry relies on student and faculty donations of non-perishable food items to run and it is available to all members of the community who need it, both students and faculty.  The Service and Social Change webpage on the college’s website describes the food pantry as operating “as a result of the kindness and support of our community” and under the motto “Give what you can, take what you need.”  

For the three weeks from Tuesday, October 4 through Tuesday, October 25, SMCM Service and Social Change campaigned to have everyone in the school community “stuff the pantry” in a food drive effort.  The organization explains that “we go through a decent amount of food,” and as a result of this, “the pantry was pretty barren and it needed to be filled as soon as possible so that food would be available to anyone who needed it.”  Even though Oct. 25 has passed, donations are accepted all year and can contain any types of non-perishable food items.  In fact, the organization notes that it would be good to have the pantry well-stocked in November “because of Thanksgiving and winter as well as National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness week.”  

SMCM Service and Social Change will be holding the Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week from November 12-20.  It will include educational events on each weekday including a “sleep-out” and the Oxfam Hunger Banquet, where participants are randomly assigned a class status and given a greater or lesser amount of food based on it.  On Saturday, November 19 they will be hosting a service day looking for volunteers to assist local homeless resources.  The organization also oversees many on-campus student clubs that are socially-oriented or service-based such as Amnesty International and Habitat for Humanity.  

If you would like to donate to the pantry, you can either deposit your non-perishable food items in the labeled boxes across campus to be collected periodically or else bring them directly to the pantry.  The All-Student emails about the drive mention that donation boxes can be found in “Campus Center, Upper Monty, Schaefer Lobby, Goodpaster Lobby, Glendenning Lobby, Anne Arundel, Kent Lobby, the ARC, and Calvert Hall.”  In addition, the SMCM Service and Social Change staff has expressed that there are plans to have donation boxes in the residence halls next semester.  The organization revealed during the drive that “so far Calvert Hall and Public Safety have given us the largest donations.”  

If you have a need and are interested in taking advantage of the pantry’s resources, there is no need to feel ashamed, for the staff assures that the pantry is “an anonymous resource” that runs on the honor system and “we like to allow for people to come and go without note.”  A donation to the food pantry insures that you help somebody in your local school community.

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Right to the Point: Sunday, October 23rd, 2016

8

more days until Advising Day. Make sure to check the Portal for the recently-released class offerings for Spring 2017.

97,361

dollars granted to St. Mary’s College by the Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) program and vCalc LLC. The grant will be dedicated to funding student research and the development of math formulas and data for vCalc.com.

5:4

Score of the opening game for the men’s tennis team. It was a close victory against Cardinals of The Catholic University of America. Visit the athletics page for more information on the game and the players.

3

days until the third edition of The Point News is distributed! Until then, check out the new articles posted on the website and let us know what you think in the comments.

360

degrees = the new interactive self-guided tour of campus is now available. Viewers are able to see the entirety of campus using the interactive 360-degrees panorama tool. Visit St. Mary’s College’s homepage for a link to the tool.

Note: This is a experimental article type. The Point News is attempting to provide more frequent updates on campus events. This is a style of reporting inspired by 538 Significant Figures. We are using their idea with their permission. For updates on world events please check out Walter Hickey’s Significant Figures. If you have any feedback, or ideas for “Right to the Point” please send them to Scott at managingeditor@thepointnews.com.

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Ask The Wellness Experts: On Racism and Prejudice

This is a guest column written by medical and mental health professionals at the Wellness Center. To explore their website, click here.

Ways of thinking that can lead us astray into prejudice & racism:

  • Going by what we’ve always heard at home, and not pausing to question its validity
  • Making determinations based on any previous experiences/encounters that were negative, and attributing those negative qualities to an entire population
  • Considering the other, because they look different, as, in fact, different
  • Dissatisfaction with our own lives, and feeling the need to explain it to ourselves by creating a scapegoat
  • Dissatisfaction with ourselves, and attempting to feel better/stronger, by making another inferior. With that comparison, we get a momentary boost of self-esteem
  • Fear of the unknown

Here are some things you can do to break out of these ways of perceiving:

  • Individuate. You are at an age when people typically start to question the wisdom and assumptions of their parents. Sometimes this is contentious, with bitter arguments, and sometimes it’s simply a quiet noticing that something doesn’t seem right, and then reevaluating that. This can be a little unsettling, and you might feel like you’re being disloyal. Don’t worry. This is a really healthy thing to do, and it’s okay. This is a natural process wherein a child begins to separate from the parent. The love remains, that doesn’t change, but one now evolves into adulthood, as an individual with one’s own beliefs and stances.
  • Be present in the here-and-now. Any experience you had at an earlier time doesn’t necessarily speak to the current situation. You are now facing an individual who is not the individual you encountered before. Consider the person before you as a person very similar to yourself, with the need to be recognized and validated.  
  • We are all complex people , each with our own histories, ideas, and feelings. Don’t be thrown off by the wrappings of a person. The difference between a blonde and a brunette, or a honey-colored person and a silky black one, is only skin deep. Don’t be swayed by an exterior presentation. Surely you are more sophisticated than that. Find the person within.
  • Life can be frustrating, and it’s hard to accept when the path we’re on isn’t the one we expected to take. Life just isn’t fair sometimes. It can be comforting, in a perverse way, to blame someone or something as the reason for our lack of success. Take a breath and follow it with a long exhale, and re-evaluate where you are. Your mind is a brilliant thing. Figure out what you can do to get just a little closer to where you want to be. This is your life to create.
  • I think we are all aware, to some degree, that bullies became bullies because early on someone threatened them. It’s a way of trying to ensure this won’t happen again. We puff ourselves up big and scary, and we speak strong words. After all, the best defense is an offense. Right? Well, maybe not. We may not realize it, but when we do this, we tend to alienate people. Of course, some people will gravitate towards us, but they’re likely to be those who are just as frightened inside as we are. When we shun people, we miss out on fun and unexpected stuff. Life is to be enjoyed and shared. Broaden your circle; it feels really good.
  • We all have different ways of doing things, even within our own cohorts. It’s pretty cool to learn how other people approach things. We learn from each other; it’s how we grow. It’s how we as a people have survived and thrived on the planet. We are all the human race.
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Your Biweekly Horrorscopes

Author’s Note: Due to some backlash from the last article, I would like to sincerely apologize to all readers who take horoscopes seriously and thought that the previous horoscopes were “an insult to a long upstanding tradition of accuracy and an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of all of that which horoscopes stand for.” It may please you to know that due to this, all horoscopes will now be written 100% seriously and be presented before a panel of certified astrologists for approval. It may also please everyone else to know that due to the author’s love for bad puns, technically this week’s article, “Horrorscopes,” does not need to follow any of that nonsense. Also, my word count has been increased to around 800, so you can now waste even more time reading this stuff.

Aries (March 21–April 19): A quick Google result says that Aries are “proverbial infants,” which probably isn’t a good thing. Aries can also be impatient, so try not to be that way. On the bright side, you are full of energy and have unmatched courage. If you directed these traits toward your studies, maybe your life would be a bit easier. Lucky monster: zombies.

Taurus (April 20–May 20): Laziness is a trait we all have, some more than others. You’re in luck: the planets will align just right for you on November 1 and you will have an average day. Lucky monster: minotaur.

Gemini (May 21–June 20): Gemini are two faced. Seriously, don’t trust them; most are compulsive liars. They are the highlight of the party though, and little white lies never hurt anybody, right? Advice: if you feel as though you might be missing real friends, try being a better person. Lucky monster: a giant spider.

Cancer (June 21–July 22): The cancer is an emotional person that loves to take care of others, but their pessimism often leads to doubting their self-worth. If you know a cancer, let them know you appreciate them. They’re probably the ones who are going to hold your hair back during Hallowgreens. Lucky monster:  Slenderman, unless you’re short—then your lucky monster is a skeleton.

Leo (July 23–Aug. 22): Leos love to be admired and have the attention be focused on themselves. Overall, they’re good people and sincerely try to make other people happy. They just don’t try very hard sometimes. A horrendous obstacle is coming up in your life and there’s no way to avoid it. Lucky monster: a rat king.

Virgo (Aug. 23–Sept. 22): Remember when I made that comment last time about “if you thought this week was bad, wait until the next one”? Well, I made that before I consulted the signs about this next week and I just want to say I’m sorry. Lucky monster: a proverbial can of worms.

Libra (Sept. 23–Oct. 22): Libras love to please, but it’s important to be able to take some time for yourself too. If you find yourself questioning someone’s motives, you’re probably justified. Special event: something pleasant awaits you in Monty some time between October 30 and November 1. I tried to be more precise, but I’m not very good at this thing, sorry. Lucky monster: a literal can of worms.

Scorpio (Oct. 23–Nov. 21): The Scorpio is nothing if not fierce. The Scorpio is a passionate individual, but what they’re passionate about varies from person to person. Some are really into underwater basket weaving. Scorpios like to remind us time and time again that while Saint Mary’s is a public honors college, it is still a public college. Lucky monster: A big spooky ghost.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22–Dec. 21): Typically introverted and pretty witty, you probably think you’re hot stuff, but I know you didn’t say anything to that girl, buddy. That’s okay, she probably would have rejected you anyway! Lucky monster: Scott Zimmerman.

Capricorn (Dec. 22–Jan. 19): Capricorns are determined, practical, and helpful. You may be wondering: does a Capricorn have any downsides? Are they going to get roasted too? The answer is no. Their life already sucks, so let them have this one piece that will be the only positive thing they hear about themselves all week. Lucky monster: your mom.

Aquarius (Jan. 20–Feb. 18): An Aquarius is the DJ of the party, which is fortunate for the rest of us since their music taste is better than those Leos. Special event: someone somewhere on campus has a crush on you! If this were a Japanese anime, they would probably leave a cute note in your shoe locker, but since this isn’t, you’ll never know who it is. Lucky monster: a clown.

Pisces (Feb. 19–March 20): Pisces are artistic and very emotional. You will complete a piece of art you have been working on for a while, but you’ll never be satisfied with it. While you try to love everyone, some people don’t deserve it. Lucky monster: a gorilla (RIP Harambe).

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Ten Things You Wish Your Roommate Would Recognize

It’s now well into October and, after being at school for two months, your roommate’s hidden idiosyncrasies and quirks may have come out. Whether you are a first year student, like myself, and perhaps living with someone you were randomly assigned, or even if you requested to live with someone you are friends with, everyone has those certain quirks that can make living in close quarters more of a challenge. Here are ten things you may be wishing you could bluntly tell your roommate. Maybe if you leave The Point News on your desk while it is open to this article’s page, your roommate will get your slightly passive-aggressive hint…

  1. I’m not your mom. It is not my job to wake you up for class and I will let you sleep through your 8am. No, I am not sorry.
  2. The next time you decide to have your friend group over I need a heads up beforehand so I know I won’t be able to get my essay written in our dorm tonight.
  3. When you watch Grey’s Anatomy on your phone in the evenings without headphones, I hear all sorts of spoilers that I don’t want to know… I understand that you’re on season 13 and I’m only on season 3, but I don’t want to know who winds up dying later in the show.
  4. I noticed when one of my packs of gummy fruit snacks was missing. I might not have said anything to you, but I definitely noticed.
  5. There is no reason you need to be talking on the phone with your significant other during all your waking hours. I understand you like him, but I do not need to be woken up at 9am on a Saturday so he can ask you what your weekend plans are.
  6. There is no need to turn on all the lights when you get back from the Greens on Saturday nights at 2am. There is a special spot in hell for the people who do this.
  7. Please take the to-go box you checked out three weeks ago back to the Great Room. I’m tired of smelling the warm mayo that’s been sitting out for too long from the sandwich you ate weeks ago.
  8. We clearly don’t agree about politics and I understand that you’re very passionate about the upcoming election, but sometimes I just need a break from the constant barrage of opinions and debating.
  9. Please carry your key. You should probably carry your key. It’s important to remember to take your key when you leave our dorm room.
  10. Even though we each have our own irritating habits, I really did miss you over reading days when I realized I didn’t have someone to always complain about my Biology lab report to or someone to help me brainstorm the perfect Instagram caption.