Winter is upon us! As college students we all have one thing in common: the constant need to feed, especially when we’ve been yelling and jumping for beads all day. For anyone relying on a mealplan, Mardi Gras will cut off your food supply. For those with family in town, a constant supply of good food is a given, but what about us outsiders? We get separated in to two groups you’re probably familiar with: Ants and Grasshoppers.

Everyone and their grandmother is going to be out trying to sell you a $15 bowl of jambalaya down the parade route, but don’t bite. That food isn’t for you, it’s for the tourists who pour into town looking for their first taste of gulf shrimp. Trust me on this one, once Mardi Gras is over and you’ve got five more days of vacation you’ll want the extra cash to buy normally priced food.

Now begins the time when we must scurry around like squirrels and stuff our cheeks until they’re ready to burst. And just like a squirrel would, I recommend nuts. Pistachios, peanuts, pecans, walnuts, whatever you can find that’s pocket friendly and packed with protein to keep you up and moving. And while you’re at it I’d buy a giant jar of peanut butter. Everything is better with peanut butter!

A man can not live on nuts alone, so make sure you get something to make a quick, mobile meal with. All the fixings for sandwiches are essential, but if you’re not into that (yes, some people refuse to put all that is good in the world between two slices of bread) then you need things in cups. Ramen, soup-to-go, yogurt, anything that comes in a plastic cup and fits in your microwave is perfect to heat and go before you start walking to the parade route. Just don’t throw it onto the street, there are enough people around that someone is bound to pull some vigilante justice.

If you take my advice, watch out for those who don’t, the grasshopper to your worker ant. While they spend their Wolfbucks frivolously as if smoothies were water and the well will never run dry, they will return from the parade routes hungry scavengers looking for tiny donuts and Doritos. It is not your duty to feed these sad, empty beings, but since you’re too nice to ignore their growls of hunger, why not trade food for some of those beautiful beads?

Today, we were mentioned in a Twitter conversation between @Afekari and @itsMeTyree about our guest policy during the Mardi Gras season. @Afekari wonders where the $100 fee goes, and so we decided to take this opportunity and give you a complete look at how we spend your registration fees.

The major cost is security. Throughout the festivities, there are hundreds of thousands of visitors in town, and not all of these guests are as well-behaved as our students. Because of this, we feel it is important to heighten our security presence. We station one Resident Assistant and one Desk Assistant at each desk 20 hours a day. For the other four hours, from 2am to 6am, we bring in LUPD officers to man the building’s front line of security to ensure the maximum level of safety for our residents. These additional measures come at a significant cost to us, and so that is the first place your registration goes to.

The other major cost is advertising. Given the multiple changes to policies and procedures during this time period, we take every step necessary to ensure that each of our residents has a solid grasp on these changes. In order to do so, we create multiple brochures, flyers to get the word out. These are expensive to print, and as much as we’d love to simply post the rules on Facebook and Twitter, we know you aren’t all going to get the message.

Finally, there are several other minor costs that we have to cover, including supplies for students and staff as they work the front desks, printing of ID cards for guests, and other unforeseen costs.

So where does your $100 go? That’s where. Got another question for us? Just tweet us at @loynoreslife, we’re happy to respond!

Valentine’s Day: A day filled with greeting cards, chocolate, hearts, and church history?

February 14^th is Saint Valentine’s Day, but who really was Saint Valentine?

There is a lot of speculation and confusion on who this person actually was.

Some people believe Saint Valentine to be a young man that defied Emperor Claudius II, and the injustice of forcing young men to abstain from marriage. Other people believe that Valentine helped Christians escape cruel conditions while imprisoned.  The famous phrase “From Your Valentine” comes from this legend. This greeting transcends time, yet was simply written to Valentine’s lover while he was prison. The true identity of Valentine is unknown, and many stories are told around the world about his life and death.

Regardless of whom the actual person was, St. Valentine was a martyr of the church and embodied many of the Jesuit values such as an apostolic or action orientated nature and a call to human excellence.

Valentine’s Day is not only celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church. The Eastern Orthodox Church, Lutheran church, and Baptist church remember St. Valentine.

With further speculation, Valentine’s Day is believed to be held on February 14^th to remember the death or burial of the saint. Although many people differ on the actual motivate for the date.

However, some known interesting facts about Valentines Day from stvalentinesday.org include:

1. In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.
2. The oldest surviving love poem till date is written in a clay tablet from the times of the Sumerians, inventors of writing, around 3500 B.C
3. Women are buying a lot of the Valentines, 85 percent to be exact.
4. Parents receive 1 out of every 5 valentines.
5. Worldwide, over 50 million roses are given for Valentine’s Day each year.
6. Amongst the earliest Valentine’s Day gifts were candies. The most common were chocolates in heart shaped boxes.

The Freshman 15 is real…. And so is the Loyola 20. Ask anyone and they’ll tell you- New Orleans has some of the best food in the south. Crawfish, gumbo, po boys, red beans and rice, fried catfish, shrimp etouffee; the list goes on and on with delicious and (slightly) unhealthy options that you simply don’t want to miss out on. I feel like every time I turn around, some on campus organization is offering free food. Not to mention the buffet-style dining in the OR and Bruff! There’s food everywhere, and who can blame you for wanting to indulge?

One of the most important things you’ll learn in college is the ability to balance. For every opportunity to eat, there’s a chance to get active. Being physically active is an extremely important part of a healthy lifestyle, something that Loyola tries extremely hard to promote on campus. Loyola students have a lot of options to get moving. We are located right across from Audubon Park. If you haven’t taken a stroll around the 1.8-mile loop, you’re missing out. The park is filled with walkers, runners, bikers, rollerbladers, Frisbee and football players, as well as sunbathers when the weather is nice (which, thank god, it almost always is). The paved track takes you past a golf course, exercise circuits, a pond with duck who love being fed, and beautiful trees that keep you covered for much of the way. There’s even some artwork!

If you’re a runner, like me, you might be looking for a little bit longer of a route. Have you ever run down the streetcar tracks? St. Charles has some of the most beautiful houses in New Orleans and there’s nothing like great architecture to distract you from a long run. Last October I ran the Chicago Marathon and I did the majority of my training on the neutral ground. Running down St. Charles takes you through uptown, the garden district, and all the way down to Canal St., where the French Quarter starts. Downtown and back is a 10-mile run, a little bit daunting, but the scenic route takes away from the length of the route.

Maybe the best option for students at Loyola is going to the RecPlex located right on campus. There’s a weight room, lots of cardio machines, a pool with lanes, and tons of group fitness classes. My favorites classes to attend are Kickboxing and Zumba, both offered three times a week. These classes are extremely popular so you better get there early to get a good spot in the aerobics room! The instructors are friendly, the music is upbeat, and you’ll get a great workout while having fun. I bring friends with me every week so we can laugh at each other while we muddle through kickboxing combinations and Zumba butt-shaking moves. Click here for a link to the RecPlex website with a full schedule of group fitness classes!

These are just three options, but the list of activities goes on. Rock and Bowl on the corner of Carrolton and Claiborne is a creative way to get your heart rate up, or you could get a group together and karaoke at Little Tokyo on Maple and Carrollton. There’s a rock climbing place in Slidell and an ice rink in Baton Rouge, so you could even take a little road trip. Or just take a walk around the French Quarter! Get out in the city, get active on campus, get moving. Experience New Orleans! You won’t regret it.

For some people, organization is a bad word. To others, it is a way of life. What is does organization actually mean? According to the dictionary, it is to put something together in an orderly, functional, or structure system. So being a college student, what does it mean to be organized and how does one get organized?

Here are a few tips:

• Organize your room or study space: remove all clutter and distraction, keep books and study materials near, have pens and highlighters within reach, and reference books should be kept near. Each subject should have its very own binder, folder, or notebook so things can be found easily.
• Find a convenient and easy way to record assignments: Shoppers, this means you can go on a spree to find the very best planner out there! You could use a planner, agenda, calendar, or even notebook paper. Whatever works for you, but make sure you stick to it. To ensure everything gets done, you must prioritize on your calendar or to-do list. This could even involved color-coding.
• Make a schedule: set time for your classes, study time, work out time, eating, if you have a job – time for work, and of course time for sleep.
• Set goals: Goals can be short term like ‘finish my English paper’ or they can be long term like ‘to graduate with a 4.0 GPA.’ You feel accomplished when you achieve your goals, so set a lot of them, complete them, and feel accomplished.
• Take breaks: Break can be your reward for achieving a goal or task on your to-do list. And by break I mean go eat a granola bar or check Facebook, not go watch a movie and the latest episode of Gossip Girl.

I am the type of person who color-codes and uses check off to-do lists, some people set out their clothes for the next day and pack their bag the night before. You just have to figure out a system that works best for you, and stick to it. Organization makes for a stress-free and easy life style if you find what works best for you.

The very first goal you should set, starting today, is to get yourself organized!

I grew up with my little sister, and we shared everything—belongings, a bathroom, our bedroom, everything.

Well, I got my own room when I turned fifteen (or, as she’d say, “I got MY own room when I was thirteen”—because perspective matters sometimes, especially if she’s reading this).

Growing up with a roommate is a struggle. No matter what, you share the blame for when something is missing. Or something is broken. Or something is dirty. It’s like parents take the safe option and just blame everyone for everything.

Like many siblings, we wanted to be separate but equal. We didn’t want to look or dress the same, but we always wanted what the other had. We learned compromise (to a certain extent—we still steal each other’s clothes).

If you’ve never had that kind of experience, though (or if you were one of those really persuasive children who wheedled their way out of the whole sharing-rooms experience), the college roommate situation may have hit you as a bit of a shock. Living with a stranger is well…strange, along with all of the other college adjustments. At the end of the day, sometimes even the most experienced roommates can’t live together. But this is rare.

Let’s look at this issue from the broad life angle (because everything in college appears to have that kind of spin—it’s maddening but true). People’s personalities are going to clash in both college roommate situations and in life. And all of those things you learned when you were a first grader are still in play. You shouldn’t have to change who you are for anyone. That’s not what I’m suggesting here. I’m suggesting a wonderfully creative way of getting along with those clash-personality types.

We all have things we’re really good at, right? And we all have things we’re not so good at. I’m a messy person. The state of my room tends to mirror the state of my mind at the moment. Finals week…well, sometimes I like to pretend that the place I live isn’t really my room and that I actually live somewhere else. So, I schedule a little block of time each week—right in-between morning workout and my first class—to clean my room a little bit. I put books back on the shelf and maybe do a little bit of laundry.

Of course, I’m a messy person, right? So cleaning takes a little more effort for me than it does for some other people. Let’s go back to strengths. I like music. I like having fun. So, when I clean, there’s usually extremely loud dance-type music in the background.

I regret nothing.

So that’s how I live with being a messy person. Notice that I didn’t change anything about myself, but I figured out how to make it so that I can live with someone else without being ostracized. Of course, the way that you apply this to your own life depends on how much you can bend yourself and the world to each other’s whims. If I lived with people who didn’t like music, I’d figure out something else to do. Maybe something that involved a trampoline.

The possibilities, my friends, are endless.

Hi, everyone! If you haven’t noticed, there’s a lot of things going on at Loyola all of the time, but in case you find yourself with a free night, here’s a quick guide to things that we have planned for you in February. Don’t forget—it’s a leap year, so you have a whole other day to do something fun or try something that interests you!

February 1: Commuter On-the-Go Breakfast (Peace Quad, 8:00a-10:00a)

Attention, commuters! Loyola loves you! Go grab your doughnut and coffee in the Peace Quad on this fine Wednesday morning. If you live on campus and you can get yourself up that early, feel free to take some food too as a reward. I’ve many a time gotten a free breakfast from these people. They’re lovely.

February 2: Study Abroad Fair (St. Charles Room in the Danna Center, 11:30am-2:00pm)

Studying abroad as an undergrad is a once in a lifetime opportunity that you shouldn’t automatically write off. No matter the major or the money, consider taking half an hour to talk to the Loyola Study Abroad Office as well as representatives from over 40 countries. Most programs let you pay exactly the same as your Loyola tuition (read: no extra money beyond travel expenses). I spent this past summer in Italy with a Loyola Study Abroad program and had the time of my life. If you have time during the window, stop by and ask questions. Who knows where half an hour will take you?

February 2: Careers in Healthcare (Audubon Room, 2^nd Floor Danna Center, 12:30pm-1:30pm)

The Loyola Counseling Center has a great career counseling program (stop by there if you haven’t already—there are some really fun people there who love to give advice). If you’ve ever considered a career in healthcare, no matter what your major, consider stopping by and finding out something new.

February 2: HUNS Jewish Lecture Series (Nunemaker Auditorium, Monroe Hall, 6:15pm-8:30pm)

Don’t write off these seminars. If you have the time, these really are valuable and such learning opportunities are really only available for free at universities like Loyola. Dr. Yael Hirsch from the Paris Institute of Political Studies is going to present some of her research in a lecture called “The Last Marranos: Examining 20^th Century Jewish Converts-to-Christianity in Light of the Holocaust.”

Talk to your professors about this. A lot of them might be willing to give you extra credit, especially if your class is in the realm of history or religion.

February 3: King Cake Giveaway/MGI Career Fair Promo (11:00am-2:00pm, Danna Center Front Porch)

FREE FOOD. Need I say more?

February 3: 100 Days ‘til Graduation Senior Celebration (5:15pm-7:00pm, Marquette Lawn; Ignatius Chapel; Sculpture Garden)

Loyola celebrates its centennial this year, and if you’re a graduating senior, I’m quite jealous of you, because you’re going to have a way better graduation than me.

Just kidding. Maybe.

If you’re graduating, I can’t imagine how this couldn’t have crossed your lines of communication yet, but Loyola’s throwing you a party. And Loyola knows how to throw a party.

February 5: Black History Month Mass (9:00pm-10:00pm, Ignatius Chapel)

In case you didn’t know, Loyola holds a Sunday student mass at 9:00pm every Sunday (there’s also one at 10:30am), but this one is especially geared toward Black History Month. There’s usually a gospel choir and some other after-mass festivities, so consider going.

February 6-10: Mardi Gras Traditions and Celebration Week

As I said before, Loyola knows how to throw a party. Look out for various celebrations all over school. They’re bound to have free food, free stuff, and free knowledge.

February 8-12: Anton in Show Business

Loyola’s theater department is putting on their first big play of the semester, a comedy by Jane Martin. Anton in Show Business is based on three actresses who have been cast in an Anton Chekhov play “The Three Sisters.” This play will have an all-female cast, directed by Ann Mahoney Kadar. This play touches on all kinds of issues—gender roles, stereotypes, and the mysteries of life. The theater department is fantastic—consider seeing this! It makes an excellent date night or start to a night out.

The play will run in the Lower Depths Theater in the Communications and Music Building on February 8, 9, 10, and 11 at 8:00pm and February 12 at 2:00pm. Admission is $8 for students and $12 for seniors, faculty, and staff.

February 6: The Lost Eagle: The Untold Story of the Legionary Eagle on Rome’s Most Famous Statue (7:00pm-9:30pm, Nunemaker Auditorium, Monroe Hall)

Dr. Bridget Buxton is going to give this lecture about the Prima Porta Augustus. Again, ask your professors for extra credit. This is a great opportunity to learn something!

February 7: The Romantic Cello (7:30pm-9:30pm, Roussel Performance Hall, 2^nd Floor Communications/Music Complex)

Allen Nisbet and Yui Asano present a free night of cello and piano music. Free concert!!! Bring your friends.

February 8: Study Abroad Info Session (5:00pm-6:00pm, Multimedia Room 2, Monroe Library)

If you missed the study abroad event earlier or just want even more information, consider stopping by and learning about your options. Remember, your college experience is what you make of it.

February 13-17: Love Your Body Week

Hang out around the Danna Center around lunchtime to view art and participate in activities celebrating people of all shapes and sizes. It’s a lot of fun and you feel awesome, so definitely go!

February 14: Class of 2012 Grad Fair (10:00am-6:00pm, St. Charles Room, Danna Center)

If you’re a graduating senior, celebrate Valentine’s Day by getting everything you need for graduation! If you’re not a graduating senior, stop by to look at what you get to look forward to!

February 14: Biological Sciences Research Seminar with Dr. Stephanie Cormier (12:30pm-1:30pm, Monroe Hall Room 157)

Alternatively, you can celebrate Valentine’s Day by heading to a research seminar on Developmental Regulation of IL-4Ra and the Immunopathogenesis of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection. Biology students will probably get extra credit—how romantic!

February 15: Hungry for More—African American Women and Body Image (6:30pm-8:30pm, St. Charles Room, Danna Center)

Robyn McGee is a Los Angeles-based write and a motivational speaker who’s written a book called Hungry for More. She travels around the country speaking to young people about the importance of maintaining healthy minds, bodies, and spirits. If you’re interested in gender issues (or, if you’re interested in gender—we all have a gender, and it affects us way more than we know), definitely attend. There’s a reception afterwards, and that means free food!

February 20-24: Mardi Gras Holidays

Have fun, be safe, and catch those beads!

For more events, click here to find our lovely school calendar that has all of the events you could ever ask for! A great place to round out your social calendar (and maybe stalk places that have free food).

Whether yours is done or not, Residential Life is done taking in RA applications. Now it’s time for the real fun to start. When I turned in my first RA application I instantly set my sights on the group interviews and that’s when I realized that I had no idea what a group interview was. As it turns out, I wasn’t supposed to. I’m not sure if I can tell you what happens behind those closed doors, but I can give you a few pointers to help you make it out alive.

First of all, show up on time. Not even Iggy himself can save you from Res Life’s swift and merciless judgment if you come in late and interrupt this sacred ritual. I don’t remember who showed up late to my group interview, probably because they were never seen again.

Supposing you do make it on time, don’t complain about it being early. You’d better be there with bells on, and by bells on I mean business casual, but not too business, you’re going to be on the floor a lot. But it’s not all about what’s on the outside. You need to be feeling it. Getting some rest and getting excited about being there and having this opportunity is the only way you can prepare. There’s no way to prepare for the questions they’re going to ask you, and by ask you I mean ask everybody, but you’re going to be the one who answers it.

This is the most important part. If you can do this and do it will, you’ll stand out through the selection process: shut up. The key to doing well in the group interview process is realizing that you’re in a group interview for a reason. Res Life isn’t trying to save time and just interview everyone at once, they want to see you work as part of a team. Listen to the people leading the interview and listen to the people you’re being interviewed with. I know it seems like a competition when you’re all trying to get the same job, but Res Life isn’t looking for people who throw each other under the bus or attempt to stab each other in the back.

If you get this job you’ll be functioning as a team for an entire year and that’s a big part of why Res Life does this. You’re here to make friends and show that you  can listen when you have to and speak up when you need to. There’s no need to be on your best behavior or try to be what you think Res Life wants you to be. Just act naturally and be yourself. Unless you’re a jerk. In that case fake it ‘til you make it.